AFTER A SHORT STINT IN A STOVE AND TIN-WARE BUSINESS WITH HIS FATHER, TOM'S ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT TOLD HIM TO GO WEST. HIS TRAIL LEADS HIM FIRST TO SAN BENITO, CALIFORNIA, FOR A SHORT TIME. THEN TO PORTLAND, ORE. IN 1871, SETTLING AT MARION, OREGON WHERE HE MET AND MARRIED DELLA JANE PICKARD OCT 15, 1872
San Benito, Cal.
Aug. 16, 1871
My dear Mother,
I'll give you a little talk as to my doings since my last letter. In the first place I was made a deputy constable to go 40 miles down into "Preist" valley to arrest a Spaniard, done that successfully and made $24.75 for the two days work, a few days after that I (in the company with Mr. Hayes, candidate for the Assembly made a six days trip through the lower part of the county electioneering.) Immediately after I went with Mr Hayes to Monterey and spent a week there eating fresh fish and huckleberries, returned last Saturday and yesterday I went through "Bear" valley finding republican voters.
The election comes off three weeks from today, and will be very close through-out the state and closer still in this County. It's very exciting.
My finger is quite sore yet, though it is healing, it was very painful for a week or so.
I received a letter both from Father & Sallie just as I started to Monterey, will answer them soon, papers come quite regular from Sallie.
Tell little Ella that I am going to answer her good letter in a short time.
Love to each and all from,
Tom
Portland, Oregon
Dec. 7, 1871
My dear Mother,
I was hailed on the street yesterday, by who do you think? It was no other a personage than John. He has been here about three weeks, is working at his trade here in Portland. There is indeed a big change in him, is as steady as a clock and is much liked by his employers. He and I "built castles" until 10 o'clock last night. The amount of it was, we were to work hard this winter, save every cent of money and then next spring or summer buy a set of tools, go to some growing town and start a shop, or in case we failed to make that, to go and take up a 1/2 section of land. John means business, so do I.
Haven't gone to work at anything yet, will commence in the morning at one of three things, either as money order clerk in Post Office, or common day labor at $2.50 or else canvass for a patent stove damper. I've made the damper patentee an offer, John to furnish the materials and make them, me to sell and put them in and pay him $ .25 bonus on each one, in case he accepts, we can make money on them they sell for $1.50 each, and can be made for less than $ .25.
Saw Tom Miller a day or so ago, had a long talk with him.
John sports quite a mustache, and is much better looking than he used to be, says he will write home soon.
Love to all, kisses to Ella. Direct letters to either of us here. Oregon is a better country than California, I think though climate can't compare with it.
Your Affct. Son,
Tom
Dec. 11, 1871
Dear Father,
I have written to both Sallie and Mother since my arrival here, now a few words to you.
I am employed in this house on their books, their regular book keeper being sick. I may stay here quite a while. I know that it depends altogether with me, for they need more help in the sales room. Mr. Wakefield, the Post Master, is trying to get me a situation on the Oregon R.R. as Route Agent and I hope he will succeed.
John and I are very anxious to make money enough to buy a set of tools and start a shop next summer. He is as steady as a clock. Haven't any more time, Good night.
Love to all,
Your Affct. Son
Tom
TOM 'BUILT-MANY CASTLES IN THE SKY", TRYING FARMING WITH LITTLE SUCCESS, AND CLERKING IN VARIOUS STORES, ALWAYS DREAMING OF MAKING ENOUGH TO START HIS OWN BUSINESS
Marion, Oregon
May 31st, 1872
My own dear Sister,
Enclosed I send you a couple of letters, they explain themselves. I'm in love, deep, my "beau ideal" is Della Pickard, I may be blind, (they say that love is blind) but I will try to give you a correct description of her. She is not what is termed a handsome girl yet she is pretty, decidedly so I think, fair hair and curly, about five feet five or six inches tall, blue eyes, rather pale cheeks, weighs about 118 lbs., and has a good common education. She is considered the "smartest" of all the young ladies around here, is twenty two years of age, and is the oldest of a large family. Her Father is a well to do farmer, though not considered wealthy, and is also the proprietor of the opposition store and she is bookkeeper. We are not engaged yet I haven't her consent to ask her Father though I do not have any fears there, for he is so well pleased with me that, (I have heard and am certain tis true) he wants to give me better wages than I am getting, to clerk for him, he has even said so, but he is a man of too much principle to try to induce me to leave my present employer.
Oh, I long for the day that I may claim dear Della as my own. I am fully satisfied that my love is reciprocated and I know that we will live happy, true. I haven't much to start in life on, yet by working and living economically we can manage to get along.
Write to me dear Sallie and write to her but direct to me on receipt of this, for as much as I love Della I never expect to abate one whit in love to your dear self, and by all manner of means adjure your secrecy, I mean outside the family. Do not let every one know of it, Father Mother and Lue but not some one that will tattle. You know who to trust, but Sallie all you tell even Father and Mother I had rather they didn't see the letters I send.
Have not heard from John since he left but am satisfied that he will be back here in a few weeks.Love to each and all. Kisses to Ella.
Your own loving bro
Tom
Marion, Oregon
July 25, 1873
My dear Sallie,
Huckle and Blackberries are ripe and in abundance. Huckleberry pie and Huckleberries and cream take the place of Strawberries. They are not quite so good but answer very well. Raspberries are plenty also and for a change are good.
Oregon beats the world for berries. We have the small black, large blue and red or mountain huckle, the black and dew, salmon berries, thimbleberries, strawberries, salalberries, and one other kind I can't think of now, yes and two kinds of raspberries, besides lots of kinds such as barberries etc. that are not fit to eat.
If Dell and the boy can stand it we expect to take a trip into the mountains next month for about a week after berries.
Talking about "tea-to-ta-lers", let me give you a list of teas Dell has been drinking since her sickness; There is Catnip, Parsley, Tansey, Camomille, Pepper, Ginger, Blue Cohosh, Hamburg, Beef, Mutton, "Bouten" Tea, Graperoot and I don't know how many other kinds. She has quit all now excepting "Store" Tea, Tansey & Coffee, and is doing nicely. She says she is going into the kitchen for dinner to-day.
Oliver grows prettier every day and is the best baby in the world, cries so little even when he is awake. I wish you could see him. Don't make yourself sick dear Sallie working for him, even if we do appreciate your presents so much. He will be in to see you in 1876 if every thing works right.
My friend R.H. Rutherford, R.R. Agent at this place, starts for his Eastern home the first of September and I shall try and prevail on him to go through Danville and stop off a day or so. He lives in New York State, is a fine fellow and could give you all the news about us, as he is boarding with us.
Why doesn't little Ella ever write? She owes us a letter, give her kisses but tell her that her little wee bit of a cousin takes so many that I can't spare more than a dozen at a time.
Dell always joins me in very much love to each and all. If Lue could only be here to take a trip in the mountains I think she would recuperate fast enough. I wish you were all here, that's what I do.
Love to all,
Ever your Affct. Bro.
Tom
Marion, Oregon
July 4th, 1874
Dear Father,
Your long waited for letter of 23rd ult at hand. We had a terrible fright and pretty badly burned baby yesterday. Willie got up to a tub of hot water and pulled it over on to him, scalding him badly. The tub was sitting up on a chair and was too hot to wash in. Ollie left in a moment to get some cold water when Willie who was in the room climbed up to it and pulled it over. I was up on the hills nearly a mile from the house shopping our winter wood. They sent Nick for me and when I got down they had his clothes all off and a sheet around him, and had flour all over him from one end to the other. I at once sent to Jefferson for a doctor. In the mean time a neighbor lady came in and made some starch poultice which we applied and he went off to sleep. He is doing first rate now. The worst burn is on his left arm from the shoulder to the wrist. A bad burn on the back of his head and one on his back. They are not bad enough to cripple him or to leave any very bad scars, for which we are indeed thankful, but the poor child did suffer so terrible for a while. Dell is well. We spent the fourth at home. Crops are good all over the State.
Love to all,
Tom
Marion, Oregon
Aug. 18, 1874
My dear Mother,
All well, but hard at work. Boys busily engaged cutting grain. We have about 50 acres yet to cut. They run from 4 in morning till 8 in the evening.
Dell and Willie in the best of health.
Prospects poor for good prices in wheat this year, it is only 60 pr bush, now.
Love to All
Affectionately,
Tom
Marion, Oregon
May 10, 1875
My dear Mother,
I was at Salem Saturday and saw Mac Hopewell's friend Lockhart. He tells me that Mac is at Piety Hill, Shasta Co. Cala. teaching. He had a letter from Mac dated at Fort Jones Siskyou Co. Cal. April 8th, '75 and in that letter he says that John is at work at his trade and doing well. I shall send a letter to him by this mail and urge him to come up here. I have a project in my head that I am going to try and work out. It is this. If I can succeed in raising 12 or 15 hundred dollars this summer, a friend of mine, Churchill by name, a tinner by trade and an excellent good one, sober, steady, and industrious who has worked for one firm in Salem for more than three years and myself will open a stove and tin shop in Salem along in August sometime. There is a good opening and Churchill has all the job work in and about Salem that he will carry with him.
I will have to borrow my share, as money that is owing me is not due for a long time, I intend to add two acres of land to my home then spend a hundred dollars or so in painting and fixing the house up and then either sell or mortgage. It will then be worth seven or eight hundred dollars, then with the note of $500 I hold against the boys and a little over a hundred dollars in accounts, six head of cattle etc. I think that I can make the raise. I shall try at any rate.
Dell has sore throat again and complains of the lower part of her bowels hurting her ever since baby was born. I don't know what to do. She is so unhealthy that it keeps me back a great deal. Willie is well, fat and hearty, is full of play all the time and if I do say it, is an unusual bright and pretty child.
Ruhama Ellen is rather good on an average and does not cry very much and is quite healthy.
There is a very heavy immigration to this State this spring. Every steamer brings in from 400 to 500 immigrants, mostly from Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.
Love to each and all, Dell sends lots of love,
Tom
ALTHOUGH TOM HAD TRIED TO GUIDE HIS WAYWARD BROTHER, JOHN, AND ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OFFERED HELP, HE LOST ALL TRACK OF HIM IN 1875. JOHN'S FATE IS UNKNOWN. LAST KNOWN TO BE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
"Davis Ranch"
Marion, Oregon
Oct. 21, 1875
My Dear Father,
Your welcome letter of the 4th inst. rec'd yesterday, and as it is raining this morning so that I can't work until day light I'll put in the time in writing home. It is now just 20 minutes past 4 o'clock a.m. We get up at 4 every morning and when the weather is so that we can plow it takes until 1/2 past 5 to curry, feed and harness the horses, clean out the stables, eat breakfast so that we get to work about 6 0'clock. The fall rains commenced yesterday and until it clears up again I'll have to put in my time in the woodhouse mostly. I have a bench and vise and a few tools. Can make many a little thing needed on a farm. Went to Salem yesterday to take off the butter, took down 28 lbs. and got 33 1/3 cents pr lb.
Have got 25 acres of fall wheat in that at a low estimate will bring 25 bushels to the acre (it may bring 35 or 40) and want to if the weather will permit put in about 15 acres more between now and the 15th of next month. I like farming but as you say there is considerable hard manual labor with it, but I can do it all except in the harvest field. I cannot pitch with a fork very well nor can I bind grain, but can drive reaper, shock grain and make more than a common hand with the thrasher serving sacks at which I am very expert. You see here all of our grain is put in two bushel sacks and served up for shipping. I have Nick Pickard a boy of 17 with me. He does all the milking etc. he will be with me all the year. My great desire is to make enough money this year to make a first payment next fall on a place for ourselves.
We do not want a large place, say from 100 to 160 or 180 acres, but I want it good land and in a desirable locality. We have our home place yet and I have boys' note for $500. due in 1879
Della has not been feeling first rate for several days but is up and about doing her work all the time. The children are both fat and hearty. I wish that for a reasonable rate I could ship you a barrel of flour, some of our own made butter, a few eggs, several boxes of apples, a fat hog etc., but freight would more than eat it up before it got half way. Dell makes real good butter, I not only say so but they told me so in Salem yesterday.
How many papers do you take? if you take some that I don't I wish that once in a while you or Mother or Sallie or Charlie would send me some for these long evenings we have plenty of time to read. We take the "Commercial" the "American Agriculturist", "Petersons Ladys Book" and the "Oregon Granger" I want to subscribe for one County paper, the Willamette Farmer" $3.00, I guess and a San Francisco paper "The Post" $1.00. And I don't know but what I shall take Jim Kingsbury's paper the "Indiana Farmer.
The receipts at our state fair last week were $19,300., pretty good wasn't it for away off Oregon? None of us went, but promised ourselves to go next year.
I have been writing now just one hour. Dell has breakfast about ready so I will close, go wash myself and eat, then go to work. Dell joins in much love to each and all.
Your Affectionate Son,
T.R. Brown
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