Amanuensis Monday - Arnspiger Gold Rush Letter - May 7th, 1849

Letter to Mrs. Mary Arnspiger, Jersey County, Jerseyville, Illinois

From Jno Arnspiger,
Indian Territory
May 7th, 1849

Dear Wife and Children,
I once more avail myself of the opportunity of writing you a few lines informing you that I am well and all of us are well at present hoping the same blessing is extended to you all.

We are about twenty-five miles from St. Joe and within a few miles of the Missionary Station. We travel 8 or 10 miles a day on account of the newness of the grass.  Altho the grass is plenty it has not got substance yet to travel fare of a day. 

We see plenty of Indians but they are friendly.  Their were ten or more with us this evening to sell us mochisons (moccasins).

We have had some very bad roads on account of the increase travel.  About the number of teams I shall not pretend to say but it is enough to astonish a world.

You must excuse my clumsy hand write in the commencement as I had no specks.(glasses)  I got me a pair of goggles in St. Louis knowing they would be best for this trip on account of the dust.  I can see thro them fare or near in day time.

Dr. Knapp came to our tent tonight while I was writing and said he had two pair and gave me a pair to keep till he calls for them which is a great favor.  Doctor Knapp has done me a wonderful favor in loaning me 80 od dollars without which I do not know how I could get along and I wish you would patronize his store what you are obliged to buy if they do as well by you as others.

Henry Goodrich has gone back home.  We are all in good health and spirits.  There are a great many families moving.

Dear Wife and children, I wish to see you all very much but it will be along time first and perhaps never as a great number that started this trip have gone to their long home.

Their was a man came to our tent a few nights before we started and said their was 16 died of the colera on the boat he came upon and in the mill where we got our flour their was a man lying in a rough coffin that came in the evening before.  Well he was from Indiana he had a brother with him and he went back home.

There was a goodeal (good deal) of cholera in town. I never wanted to get out of a place so bad in my life.  Their was such a crowd waiting at the river we had to ly there two days and two nights before we could get across.

I would like to write a great deal more but our tent is uncomfortably cold tonight and wood is hard to get.

Dear Wife and children, I do not know whether you will hear from me again till I get to California provided it is God's will I should live to get there.  If I have a chance to send back a letter I will do so.

The Doctor and myself are the cooks and are exempt from all other duty but night watch.  We have day watches also when the cattle are feeding.  Tonight is the first night watch but there are so many of us perhaps the same ones won't have to watch more than once in four or five nights.
We have harder time of it so fare than I expected.  We got another yoke of oxen in St. Joe and paid 45 dollars for oxen and chain and yoke.

I would like to know how the wheat is coming on and how Henry is getting along planting corn but I have no trouble about that my greatest trouble has been about corn.

Now dear wife and children myself and Andy send our best respects to you all.  May God be with us all is my prayer.



(Transcriber Notes: The photocopy that this was transcribed from had cut off the signature line so that it was not readable, and though the signature line was not fully shown in this photocopy, enough is shown to see that he did sign the letter to his family. These photocopied letters were difficult to read in some places, so my apologies for any errors that may have crept in. Sherry Stocking Kline - 10 May 2010)

Amanuensis Monday - Part Three - Postscript to April 1849 Gold Rush Letter

Letter to Mrs. Mary Arnspiger, Jersey County, Jerseyville, Illinois
Postmarked April 28th, 1849, St. Joseph, MO
From Jno Arnspiger, staying at St. Joseph, Missouri


April 27th

P.S. Receipt for preserving butter.  Prepare your butter as usual. Work out the milk well. Take the same quantity of salt as usual, the same amount of loaf sugar as salt and half the amount of saltpeter or less as either of salt or sugar, pulverize it all together, put it up in jars kegs or boxes as usual.

I got the receipt from a Verginian on the boat. He says at the end of 9 or 12 months no person can tell it from butter cherned the day before if any odds it is better.  He has preserved thousands of pounds in the last 12 years.

I put off closing my letter till today as the mail comes and goes today.  Our teams and Abraham and the Doctor have not come yet.  We are looking for a boat every hour.  Tell Barbara she need not be uneasy about Abraham as their has no boat come since we arrived but one that we passed.

 Dear wife and children my encouragement is so great that I would positively not be back for one thousand dollars although there are hundreds that came here to get their outfeit and have drank and gambled and spent their means that can’t go.

You may look for another letter soon.  Tell Henry when he goes to Alton again to call at Parkers.  I left my old shoes in the corner by the stove and our coffee was all forgot.  We had one mess out of it a boat came down about 10:00 11 o’clock and we were all in a hurry and bussled.

Amanuensis Monday - Part Two - 1849 Gold Rush Letter from John Arnspiger to His Wife Mary

Dear wife and children and grandchildren,

I wish to see you very much and we must trust in God that we will see each other one day.

We have the most incouraging news from California that cannot be doubted. Mr. Cutting is here on his way out. Among the thousands that I have saw then is not one that I knew but our neighbors. ? check on

Mr. Trescot and Smith Seward are here they are starting out on the plains with their mule teams carry feed.  I could write a great deal about the number and other things but you will get it in the papers perhaps more correct than I can give it.

I saw and conversed with one man this morning from Lexington, KY by the name of Miller that has lived near Nicholson that told me a goodeal (good deal) about our old acquaintances which was a great satisfaction.

Of all the sights that ever I saw in my life of people wagons oxen and some horses they are crossing every day from 30 (to) 40 teams to go out on the plains 6 or 8 miles to graze their teams a week or 10 days.

Before starting we will go over as soon as our teams come and we all get together.  I am very anxious to get away from here as quick as possible on account of sickness and expenses.

Flour is $2.00 per hundred (?), bacon for sides $5.00, hams $4.50, corn 50 cts from store, 20 cts (if you go outside the city for) 15 or 20 miles.  I will write again before we start.

Now Dear wife and children try and live in peace and may God bless you all.

Dear Son do the best you can on the farm and for the family and if I live to return you shall be rewarded and if I do not I hope that God will give my best wishes to all the dear children and inquiring (?) friends and may

God Almighty bless dear little Luke and Rebecca Ellin.
                            Your affectionate husband
                                Jno Arnspiger

Notes: From the letters, it appears that John's son Henry is married and has children of his own, and is caring for his farm and his father's and mother's farm as well.  I think perhaps John had some younger children left at home with his wife, Mary, also.

Later on, Henry could be found in the Sumner County, Kansas Census.

 Part Three - The Postscript - coming soon.

1849 Gold Rush Letter - John Arnspiger to His Wife Mary - Part One

The following is the transcription of copies of Part One of a letter from John Arnspiger to Mrs. Mary Arnspiger and their children residing Jersey County, Jerseyville, Illinois.  It was postmarked April 28th, 1849, St. Joseph, MO. John was en route to the gold fields in California. These letters are in the ARNSPIGER Pioneer Settler's folder at the Sumner County History & Genealogy Center, Box 402, Wellington, Kansas 67152.

From Jno Arnspiger,
staying at St. Joseph, Missouri
April 26th, 1849

Dear Wife and children,

I am glad to inform you that I am well and have been well since I left home and I hope the same blessing is extended to you all.

I arrived here the day before yesterday and should have wrote before this time but unfortunately myself, Abraham and the doctor got separated on the river.

We started on a large lower trade boat called Bill Creole and got a little above Lexington, MO and she would not go any further on account of low water and then came along an other (or maybe it was otter) boat and took on all passengers she could get.  We got some of our frait (freight) on.  She would not wait till we got it all on board so Abraham and the doctor were left behind and have not got here yet.  Our wagons have not got here yet.

Harry Bishop and Sug (?) Fry got in yesterday with their mule teams.  Whitlock Doctor, Bragg Jarbo and Henry Goodrich are here but none of their teams.  We are looking for them every day.

I am sorry to inform you that cholera is here and one man died on our boat his name was Simson from Henopin (?) Ill another from near the same place a doctor but not on the same boat they were both for Callaforna. (California).  The death of Mr. Simson was very regretted he left a wife and 6 children but in good circumstances.  He was taken in the morning and died about midnight.  They made a box and buried him the same night.

I was very much alarmed but I have concluded to not be troubled about it.  If it is the will of God that I am one of the number that is not to get there I wish to be reconciled to my fate.

 (Stay tuned for Part 2 - coming soon!)