The
Fassett Letters - Letter #19
One sheet ~16” x
10” folded in half to make 4
pages.
Date: 1/12/1855, 1/17/1855
Place:
Placerville
From: Harris Harding Fassett
(1,2), Ann Fassett Germain (3,4)
To: “Dear Pepils,”
…
Placerville Jany 12th
1855
“Dear
Pepils,”
and family, generally, individ-
ually,
& collectively,
The
opportunity is so precious I cannot restrain any feelings from writing
to you a
short line. The ink I believe is made from Coffee grounds &
water so if you
can read at all lay it to the sea voyage being beneficial to deepening
impressions.
Therefore,
wherefore, & besides all this & much more which I could
say if I
thought you could read it, but fearing you cannot, think I’ll
have to quit when
I get this page done or it might be “loves labor
lost.”
Believe me
sincerely
dear friends if
you was only here
you would think just as I do but as you are not, if I ask your advice
you can
tell me nothing about it. one thing is certain you’ll think
this a strange kind
of a letter and there we’ll agree, for my private opinion is
if I was in China
or the Sandwich Islands I’d be Harris, still or noisy, the
year round having
given you all the general particulars, I’ll now write private
news. Chitt sold
his big hog, 2 years old, & weighed full a
hundred pounds. I tore
one of my shirts in the elbow trying to contain myself.
Ann thinks
I’m writing nonsense
and that this is not worth paying postage on. well if you do not like
it please
don’t take it out of the office.
Well you’d like to know how we all are.
I’m worser, the rest of
us are all in a qondorwri so the letter writing devolves on me.
[Begin
page
two]
You
would like to have a
valentine from me so you shall.
Feby 14
/55
The Grass is
green on yonder Hill
As we haint got
no hog, the
chickens eat the swill
The water keeps
pouring down from
above
And fills my
heart brim full of
love
Our old hen
fell down & broke
her nose
And so this
loving epistle I must
close
Hoping that in
coarse or fine
You’ll
all be my Valentine.
Desmodies.
“Love
to
all the girls
“Nota
Bena”
and divide
the valentine with them.”
It's
very singular how things look here. day before yesterday I walked up a
hill one
side & down the other 3 miles.
Mining is still
going on in this vicinity. the long spell of
weather makes it look droughthy.
Yours
&c
H. H. Fassett
Letter #19 continued
on page three
From: Ann
For all …
For all the family, from
Father to Willie
My advice
to Harris
is to burn
this thing, but as he will send
it, Ann must put in
something to make it worth the postage. I never can thank all of you
enough for
your good letters (especially Mother). All the amusement I have is my
letters.
All my time is taken up at home. I never have been out of town since I
came in
more than 2 years ago, never rode a step since, (not even in a
wheelbarrow)
have not even taken tea with my neighbors a dozen times since I came
here.
There are a great many concerts, shows, &c here but I never
go. I
dont even speak to a woman sometimes for weeks as I often dont go down
the hill
for a month at a time. There are beautiful walks all around but I do
not go
once in 6 months. have wanted to go to Parker’s tunnel ever
since he owned it
but have no time or strength to spare. As long as I work so hard I can
do
nothing else. I do not write to complain. (for I never was happier in
my life,)
but to show you why I do not write more. I intended writing this mail
to each
one that sent me anything to convince them I appreciated their
kindness, but
every moment is so filled up with cares and duties I find it
impossible. Give
my love and thanks to each one,
and tell them they could not
found anything more useful or acceptable, but I prize them most as
tokens of
love and remembrance from absent but never to be forgotten friends.
Aunt
Sally’s lines imply almost a reproach that I have never
written to her and
Grandma. but if she knew how much I think of them and how I am situated
she
would not feel neglected. besides to tell the truth I have been the least
bit jealous, to think she never
wrote a word to me, but
could not mention it, because I have so little time to answer. Tell her
and all
my dear friends to always consider themselves remembered in every
letter, for I
never write without thinking of all of them. Why, I
would like to write
to my old neighbors too if I had time. Home, and
friends were never as
dear, as now. I hope you
had a merry
Christmas, and wish you all a happy New Year Our New years day was very
stormy,
but Christmas was pleasantly spent. Mrs. Lee and I put our dinners
together at
her house. I invited Hale, Chit, Harris, and Frank Platt a young man
that tend
a shop for them. Mrs Lee had two of their friends, and we had an
agreeable
pleasant time. Harris was going to send a bill of fare, but I will for
him.
Roast Chickens. Shoulder of Pork baked. Fresh Salmon boiled. Sweet
Potatoes,
Irish ditto. Cabbage, Turnips, Pickled Beets. Bread, warm biscuits,
Plum tarts,
Plum, Pumpkin, Mince & and Custard pies, Loaf cake, Cup cake
baked in
little tins, fried cakes, Peaches, Damson plums, and Green gages all
fresh
fruit, Tea, Coffee, &c &c. had enough left for all of
you and would
have been very happy to seen you there. After dinner Mrs. Lee and
myself
accompanied by H. went shopping and at one store were presented with a
handsome
neck ribbon. The children hung up their stockings, and had, candy,
nuts, and
raisins from Chit. & the boys a candy horse from Parker, with a
candy
rabbit for Clara. Speaking of hanging up stockings, makes me think of
something
too good to keep. Guy heard me tell his Father that one of our
neighbors had a
New years present of a little daughter. Guy laughed right out and said
“O Moler
I know where she got it, she hanged up her stocking and Santa Claus put
it in.
and Moler I guess she laughed when she found it.” then ended
with wishing I had
hung up mine. we are all quite well. I still bake, and wash for Hale,
Chit, and
Harris. H. sleeps here and takes breakfast with us, dinner and supper
with C.
Parker & Dwight are gone all day and my hands are full. but it
is 11 oclock
and I have a large ironing to do so must say good bye, with much love
to all.
[Jan.]
17. Parker washed up his dirt and took out 156,00 to be divided between
4 men,
for 2 weeks and a half’s work. This he calls very good pay
for the amount of
ground they dug over. Dwight’s letter is his own composition
and his first
trial. It is about a month since he began to write. He says Grandma
gets one
the next time I write.
Yours
in haste.
Ann.
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