Feb 18, 1864--Great Salt Lake City

The blog is ahead of the story.  Ever since the Articles of Agreement were discovered,  December 17, 2012, I have been blogging about them instead of posting the next Stephen Sherwood letter.  "An Early Christmas Gift," "Name Dropping," and "From Rags to Riches," have been posted about finding the Articles of Agreement and summarizing their contents.  But from the last published letter (April 6, 1863) to when the Articles of Agreement were signed (October 26, 1867) over 4 1/2 years need to be covered.  Stephen was far from claiming any reward from his mining ventures in February of 1864 when this letter was sent to his son, Henry, in Illinois from Salt Lake City.  I should have posted this letter yesterday, to celebrate 149 years since it was written.  I did the best I could to "translate" it, but you will get an idea of what is happening in Stephen's life at that time.

Salt Lake City

This letter was possibly written at the home of Thomas Box on the corner of 1st North and 1st West* 
in Salt Lake City.  Thomas Box had purchased land there in 1860.  Stephen Sherwood
 was boarding at the Box home in February of 1864. (see note below)

Great Salt Lake Citty, Utah Territory

February 18, 1864

Dear Henry i have not received a letter from you since th 17th of last June  i was glad to here you was all a live and still willing to hope  an i rote you  I sent from?? the Dalles by Express to be Delivered to you at Wakegan one hundred Dollars in gold coin and I paid Express charges and i have a receipt for the obey Dated June 8, 1863   i want you to rite me whether you got it or not  as for my self i am well and my hopes and prospets are better than has ever been since i came __ the East??  i have a  ___hundred ___ in 3 Diferent silver bar ___ and _bar? Essay 247 in silver and 16 in gold to the ton which is very good  the other we have sent some rock to San francisco to get Essayed  we ___have re turns the last of this month  it is selling from 10 Dollar___ foot but i want bigger licks than that an ___the fact is if it is worth any thing it is a fortune and a grate many 

sell fortunes for nothing  I am a going to start out in a Day or two a prospecting and shall be gon a month  when i return i will rit you all about it  i have not heard from William Oren and Hiram ___Walker they with Drawen??  from me when there was nothing more for them to get and thank god for it and i intend to keep clene?? and if i am successful a nuff to make a fortune  i intend the Dat ___ ____will st____ a small share? of it as they have done?  Do the best you can and hope and i will make claims for  you all  thare is beter Days a coming, yet the bread that is cast upon the wather shall be gathered through many Days after a night __ a full letter all particulars in full   Direct as a bove???

give my love to Sarah and your little ones  i miss your ___circumstances??   and feel sufficient?  that we will realize a g___competance yet.

from your affectionate Father S. Sherwood

H.S. & S. M.

Notes:

H.S. = Henry Sherwood
S.M.= Sarah Sherwood

Note:

In February of 1864 Stephen Sherwood was boarding at the home of Thomas Box in Salt Lake City, Utah.  At this time he encountered an old mining friend, Jacob N. Vandermark.  Stephen said in the letter:  "I am a going to start out in a Day or two a prospecting."  He must have left about February 20, 1864.  Stephen travelled  with Thomas Box, Thomas Box Jr., Peter Shirts, and Jacob Vandermark.  They arrived in Southern Utah in March.  Source:  Making Space on the Western Frontier, Page 23-24,  by W. Paul Reeve.

According to the blog, "clmroots," The "Salt Lake City Directory" lists Thomas Box living on the corner of 1st North and 1st West in 1869.  He had purchased the property in 1860, and could have been living there in 1864 as well when Stephen Sherwood was boarding with him. 

 In 1860, Thomas Box was in the 13th Ward, but by 1861, he was in the 17th Ward in Salt Lake City.  He probably moved to 1st North and 1st West during that time period.

For more on Thomas Box go to the blog "clmroots"  The information on where he lived was obtained there.  Click here to go there.

April 6, 1863--Stephen Sherwood to his Family (Page 2 of 4)

tho it has ben a Dark and Dismal nite all things shall work to gether for  good to them that love you and O Henry & Sarah I send you my Special Love for the spirit of love kindness and integrity that you manifested in your letter  i can't rite my feeling but i hope to see you by and by and i can talk better than i rite you ___ it is much a gave? as is in the letter for it wont  __ half what i want to rite i am a going in to the mines as soon as the boys come back and I Don't know but i Shall take a pack trane load of ____ the horse? we traded?  with last summer take?  me to Day  i could have all i wanted if i worked? ya in to it   i think if the boys are willing to Do it  i think i will  William and i in the mines and Elizabeth can make a hundred Dollar per month baking pies and one of us can take our chances in the mines we have 25 gear pack animals and __ i am a going to win? the horse an loos? the Saddle

 i have? let the (sharpens?) play it and we ___ a ____ i am a going to play (sharp?)  to after this    it is know time?? to look for___ in the business world  i am a going to quit work and a going to (sharp?) it often  this from i can beat  half of the (sharpens?)  if i only work?     but them c______    is one of so they.  Don't hit much if they

( I have no clue what this part of the letter is talking about)  What is shapens??????.  If anybody reading this has any idea, please let  me know

A Spelling Dilemma-- "Carpuss" (Page 3 of 4)

In this part of the letter, I want to show an interesting side of Stephen Sherwood even if he isn't around to defend himself.  Let me explain.

Stephen Sherwood, my gg grandfather,  was a very talented blacksmith and miner.  Actually I believe he was more of an engineer though not formally trained in that field, and had business skills as well.  The reader of this blog will later find that he was the Recorder for a mining district in Nevada, and owned a mine in California.

 If you have read from the actual letters I have been posting on this blog,  it soon became evident, the one thing Stephen didn't do well was spell. Our ancestors weren't perfect and we can certainly overlook some of their faults.

I came across the following sentence in the letter below, "WE WILL GO TO CARPUSS IN TEXAS WHERE THE WINTERS IS NO WINTER A TOLL AND A BETTER COUNTRY THAN ILLINOIS EVER WAS." (sometimes his grammar was a little shaky as well).

Does  anybody know where "Carpuss inTexas" is?  I didn't either.  I had to sleep on that one.  The next morning I realized where it was.   I'm just grateful I have these letters of Stephen so I can get to know him better, and even tease him a little.  After all, in  addition to his grammar and spelling, he makes me work to understand his writing.  AFTER you read the rest of this blog scroll down to see the answer, if you haven't already figured out where "Carpuss in Texas" is.


"We will go to Carpuss in Texas where the winters is no winters a toll and a better country than Illinois ever was." (Start with the fourth line from the bottom of the actual letter if you want to read this sentence).

(continuing with the letter from the top)
__i will greese?? them with a little of the filthy lucre?? and they will go clean??  i am a going to try to get Eaven??  i shall have to quit this part     Tell Mother Francis & the girls my love   Dont go a beging if they Don't want it  they__ar ?? not have it  Elizabeth and i have written more than a half a dazen letters and  have had none   but give my love to Sophia for i think she will re turn it  and tell her to be a good and A noble girl and William may come by and by and tell Ruth if she Dont blow a way when Garry comes he will see her?  You mentioned?? of riting?? the boys (in trust those) that is my ___  i will have Oren and William send you a Deed of (those in trust)  when i can get them to make a deal? and you will have to have a  De __ of the cort and same one appointed guardian but Don't have any one un less  it is you on use  you can instruct the boys a bout that that will be  their rite of choice to choose for them selfs and tell mother Francis that she had better sell? too and when the war is over

Corpus, Christi, Texas

WE WILL ALL GO TO CARRPUSS (CORPUS CHRISTI) IN TEXAS WHERE THE WINTERS IS NO WINTER A TOLL AND A BETTER COUNTRY THAN ILLINOIS EVER WAS     not be in a hurry (page 3 of 4)

Note:

Ruth and Sophia were Ruth (Denick born 1839) and Sophia (Denick born 1844).  They were the daughters of Laura Denick Francis,    from  Laura's first marriage to Valentine Denick.  Stephen's wife Elizabeth Denick was their older sister.  Their other sister, Sarah, had married, Stephen's son, Henry Sherwood who had received this letter from his father Stephen Sherwood.  It appears Stephen was hinting that his son William might "come by and by" for Sophia Denick.  Sophia was born the same year as William  If that had been the case two of Stephen Sherwoods' sons would have married Denicks, as well as their father who was married to their sister Elizabeth.  

Please post in comments below where you think Stephen Sherwood will be February 18, 1864 when he writes his next letter to his family. Take a wild guess. You may be right.

Geneabloggers

December 14, 1862--Stephen to His Children (Page 1 of 4)

Dalles
December 14, 1862

Dear Children it has ben a long time since i rote you a letter and i am a shamed of it but i have ben so irritated (?) that i could (?)  not ___ you ___Excuse me i have ben gon_ _____ are from any post office 270 (240?) miles  we are all well  Hiram (Parker) and Oren (Sherwood) myself is at the Dalles on the Columbia river in Oregon  we have a pack __orse of 30 horses and mules that we have Earned(?) this summer but we have not made any money but we think we can make money next summer  my wife and W (William Sherwood) & little children is in Cal ___ i had a letter (?) from _____

Notes:

The children mentioned here are Wellington (13), Dan (11), and John (7).  They are living with their older half brother Henry Stephen Sherwood and his wife in Antioch, Lake, Illinois

Hiram (38) referred to here is likely Hiram Parker (born 1824), the brother of Sophia Parker Sherwood (2nd wife of Stephen Sherwood).  Hiram has not been found in the 1860 Census with his wife and children (he may have been in California) but was with his wife, Sylvia (from Ireland) in the 1850 and 1870 Census in Lake County, Illinois.  Hiram would also be the Uncle of Oren and William, Stephen's children.

Oren (22) and William (18) are children of Stephen Sherwood and Sophia Parker Sherwood (who died in 1853).  His wife Elizabeth Denick Sherwood was in California with their their two children, Lewis (8) and George (2).  George was born in California.

The Dalles, Oregon, 1867

Map with the Dalles and Columbia River