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Frankfort Springs Beaver Co. Penna
Frankfort springs
Francisco
Hell-Town Cal. June 16th/60
Dear Mother, Brothers & Sisters,
Doctrina Sed vim promnuit (?) "�Twas just one year ago today. That I remember well" One year this morning since I saw the horses & carriage driven up to the gate, waiting for me. One since I gave the parting kiss to Mother & Sissie shook hands with Bob & Sallie, bid goodbye with Alex, jumped into the carriage, looked a silent, sad farewell, to Frankfort. & was off for the (to me) unknown land of Cala, yes, & the tears still start to my eyes, & leave their traces upon my cheek when I reflect that it was one year last night since, in the deepening twilight, in the Village Graveyard I stood by Fathers grave, & as I stood in that spot where those loved remains were silently resting & prayed for wisdom to direct my wandering footsteps, I wondered whether that pure & happy spirit would not sometimes hover near me in my journey. & when weary & faint with the trials & disappointments of this life, whisper to my mind of a home of bliss where sadness shall never enter, where all will be light & joy & love, And I felt as I stood there, that the hand of my Heavenly Father would lead me safely thro� all the dangers vicissitudes of the journey, & again bring me to that hallowed spot in peace & safety I still feel the same. & when I look back, I reflect on the past. I can clearly trace the hand of a merciful Providence in all my wanderings. It is true I have come thro" a great many hardships and sufferings, things that you would not believe if I should tell you, but I feel that it has all been for my own good, I am content, There is one thing that troubles me, and it has rested heavily on my mind ever since I landed here, I have spent many a weary, sleepless night on account of it,
When I left home (as you all know) I took over $200.00 with me, I promised to send it home so soon as I had earned it, Since I came here I have never had quite $100.00 at a time, and today I have not a single dollar in my purse, Still I am in better heart now than I have been yet. When we started into the Chico Claim on May 22nd , I had not a dollar, we were at considerable expense fixing it as to working it to advantage, & safety. We have only been "drifting" for a week, & have not got our expenses paid yet, the claim pays very well, about 4.00 per day to the hand, our expenses during the summer will average .50 cents per day each, this will leave 3.50 clear. I get 2.50 per day and the half that comes out over that, after the expenses are paid, so if we take out 4.00 a day I will get 3.00. It costs me about a dollar a day to live here (& do my own cooking,) Flour sells at $13.00 per bbl, Ham 28 cts per pound. Beef 16 cts. Butter 62 �
My diet is chiefly composed of Bread & Butter. Beef & Tea, with some Eggs or a can of Oysters once in a long while, we have no fruit now, but the peaches will be ripe in a month. the new crop of Potatoes will be in market here in a few days.
I have got to be very regular in my habits lately. I rise at half past 5 AM every morning. this gives me an hour to take a bath, get my breakfast, and read a chapter in the Bible. I have an hour and a half for dinner, & spend it chiefly in reading and smoking, we all smoke here, out of horrid great big ugly hateful abominable clay pipes, with hideous faces on them far worse than the filthy old pipe that Old Ann Cross used to smoke out of, Alex, you "savy" (understand) that. "Aren't" that "most frightful to behold" as Villikins said when Dinah swallowed the "cup of cold poison" (Excuse the quotations, Im getting to be a regular "Greek" living in this heathenish country so long) I expect Ill not know how to behave myself when I get home) We quit work at 6 in the evening, & I retire to my hammock at 8, usually tonite it is late ( 11 o�clock) & I am still sitting up, no matter, I couldnt sleep if I went to bed, my mind is busy with the scenes & memories of the past, the year that just ended at sunrise this morning has been a long, long year to me, a year of uselessness so far as money making is concerned, but in all other respects it has been vastly useful to me. I comenced it sick, I have now reasonable health. A year ago I knew nothing of the world 50 miles from home. I had no experiences, & thought I could make more, and live more happily away than at home, there were some things in the past that I wished to forget, & thought that by straying among new scenes I would cease to remember them. But I find that a man cannot wander away from his thoughts. I could save more at home teaching school than I can here, live better, more comfortably & much happier. Knowledge of the world is very useful to a man who is all the time among strangers but men seldom have better hearts after obtaining it . This is a beautiful country. It has a great many natural advantages over Old Penna & if you were all here Id never think of leaving it. But you all know that "Tis home where�e�er the heart is" & tis better to take the words of others than to prove it by experience as I have done. In all my wanderings I have seen few more beautiful places. & none that Id much rather live in than the quiet little village of "Frankfort Springs"
How are you all going to spend the next 4th? It will be past long before this reaches you. I want you to write to me all about it, whether you attended any celebrations & where, & who addressed the meetings, I suppose there will be Sunday-school celebration in Frankfort as usual or a "cervice-berry party" or something of the same kind, if there is give me the particulars, as I am far behind in home news. The last letter from home was from Sister Anna and was recd May 4th, six weeks ago, isnt that a long time? It was 4 weeks coming this makes it 11 weeks since she wrote the last time, please send me a copy of the Pittsburgh Dispatch once in a while, I havent seen one since I left home. I saw the Cincinnati Times last fall & the Washington & Beaver Co. papers, but "nary" Dispatch I expect to be very patriotic & spread the wings of the "American Eagle" considerably on the 4th. I had an invitation today to address a meeting of "Buenos Americanos" at a celebration in Diamondville, How are the "Springs" flourishing this summer? have they many Boarders? Write as soon as you receive this and give me a long letter, tell me all the news generally. Direct to Diamondville, Butte Co Cal, My warmest love to you all, Goodbye.
Yours Ever,
J Byers Vance
The Indian troubles in Washes Still cause great uneasiness here, at last accounts they had defeated the Cal Volunteers and had killed a great many of them, if I was not engaged here Id go over. J.B.V.