October 6, 1853--Hermann to Stephen (Page 1 of 2)

Diamond Springs

Old Placerville (Hangtown)

(Page 1 of 2) 

October 6, 1853

Dutch Bar El Dorado Co

With respect to a Fathers (?) and in answer to yours of the 16 _ improve this opertunity also to inform you that I enjoy good health and am at work on the middle fork of the American River  times has ben very dull this summer  there has not ben much (?) ___ mining done in dry digens  they did not get in the rivers until the middle of Sept  some ar doing well while others ar not making wages so not thing (?) of  the expense of flooming (?)and and putting in their pumps  The river is flooded over three miles here the best clames? ar  in poverty  and  ____ a bar (?) they work them night an day  There has not ben very heavy emigration here this season   the most went to  oragon  a great many cattle and sheep drove acrost this season  most of them pas (?) ____ Dimans (Diamond) spring an Hangtown   in ___ ___  of those places wages ar from thirty to forty Dolars a month

The three towns mentioned here are Dutch Bar, Hangtown, and Diamond Spring.  They are all near Coloma, where gold was discovered in 1848.  Dutch Bar is about seven miles west of Coloma. Hangtown is nine miles southeast of  Coloma, and Diamond Spring is about three miles south of Hangtown (Placerville).  It is difficult to tell from the writing if the person who wrote this letter is the same person mentioned as being with Stephen in his letter of March 1, 1850 to his wife. 

November 6, 1850 (Census)--Stephen Sherwood @ South Fork of American River--1850 Census

In 1850, Stephen Sherwood (#3) was a miner on the South Fork of the American River in El Dorado County, California.    He was close to Coloma where gold was originally discovered in 1848.  

July 31, 1851--Stephen probably left California on the ship "Oregon."  Stephen was not listed on the 1852 Census in California (so he had left by that time).  
January 6, 1853--John F. Sherwood son of Stephen and Sophia Sherwood born
January 21, 1853--Sophia Parker Sherwood died.  She was buried in Antioch, Lake, Illinois.  His first wife, Maria Hubbell, had died January 19, 1839.  Sophia and Stephen had five boys under thirteen years of age (Oren, William, Wellington, Daniel and John).
September 24, 1853--Stephen married to eighteen year old Elizabeth Denick for this third wife.  She is twenty three years younger than Stephen, the oldest daughter of Laura Denick. 
August 24, 1854--Birth of Lewis B Sherwood 
January 10, 1857--Stephen's son, Henry (a son from Stephen's first wife Maria Hubbell) married  Sarah Denick, the second daughter of Laura Denick.  Sarah was a teacher in the local school.
September 11, 1858--George W. Sherwood, the youngest son of Stephen and Maria Hubbell Sherwood, died.  This son may have been in California in 1853 (see letter of October 6, 1853).    After he died, another son would be named for him born in 1863.