The following letter was written by Ira Sawtell (1808-1852), the son of Dr. Jonas W. Sawtelle (1787-1861)—the proprietor of a water cure establishment in Cleveland, and his first wife (name unknown). Ira married Emily Rockwell (1810-1869) in 1830 and had at least three children. At the time of the 1850 US Census, he was enumerated in Cleveland’s 2nd Ward working as a cooper (barrel maker) with three daughters living at home, ages 9 to 18.

Ira wrote the letter to his older brother, Benjamin Sawtell (1805-1851), a cooper from Brooklyn Center (west side of Cleveland), Cuyahoga county, Ohio, who left his wife, Mary Matilda Fish (1819-1873) of 13 years and three children, to go to the gold fields of California in 1850. Benjamin wrote a number of letters to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer chronicling his overland journey to California in 1850. His death in January 1851 in California was mentioned in that paper but I could find no particulars. One of Benjamin’s letters, datelined 8 September 1850 from the Cold Spring Diggins was published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and reproduced here: Latest from California—An Interesting Letter from Benj. Sawtell, Esq.

Transcription

Grand Rapids, Michigan
July 7, 1850

Dear Brother,

When digging up the lumps of gold
Be careful of your health;
For this (you need not now be told.)
Is better far than wealth—-

You must, you know (’tis very clear)
Your health and strength regard;
I hope that you will persevere
But do not work too hard—

Ambition will, (I often fear,)
So fully fill your mind
That are for health will disappear,
Or fall too far behind—-

Without your health, without your wife
Out there in California;
You’d lost your time, might lose your life
And surely lose much money.—-

Why should we have this love for Gold,
A paltry glittering treasure;
Which injures oft, the purest souls,
And gives but little pleasure—-

Much gold can never make us wise,
Or give the second Birth;
A competency will suffice
For all our wants on earth—-

And when we reach the heavenly shore
As scriptures have us told,
We’ll find a plenty of that ore
The streets will all be gold—-

I really hope you will succeed,
Enjoy your life and health;
Get all the gold you’ll ever need
And wish for no more wealth—-

I read (in the Plain Dealer) with much pleasure your amusing and interesting letter from St. Louis; ¹ and was very glad to perceive by the time of your lines that you were in good health and spirits. A letter from me will (probably) come unexpected to you, if you recollect that just before you left I suggested the idea of your writing to me, and you did not promise that you would. You may possibly imagine that I do not think enough of you to write you; but, if you would have any conception of one half of the anxiety I have had about you since you left, you would know that one person, at least, besides your wife and children was thinking much about you in your absence. I was greatly disappointed and felt very badly when you left to think that I could not go with you and expected for two or three days that I should. I have often, since you left, wished myself with you. But perhaps it’s all for the best that I did not go; and I hope it will turn out in the end to be for the best that you did go. If I was in as good situation as you are as respects property, I should not speak of going to California; but, a I was when you left, and am now poorer than Job ever was and out of business, I thought it best to try my luck. I think I would have stood the journey tolerably well and dug considerable gold when I got there; but probably it’s all hypothesis.

You will be surprised (perhaps) to find that I am here. Darwin wrote to me that he wished me to come and live with him and try my luck here in practice and I concluded to come. I have been here but about three weeks but I have done some business—as much as I expected for the time, and have had good success so far, but I think I shall return to Ohio soon. My health is not very good. The water, air, climate, or something else seems to disagree with me. The Cholera has not, I believe, yet prevailed much in any of our cities in this country although there has been a few cases in some of them. I have heard of its prevailing considerably among the emigrants to California and I have been very much concerned about you, fearing you would have it.

I have no very important news to communicate. I had a letter from Julia three or four days ago. She wrote that your family were enjoying good health. Mr. and Mrs. Brong have been terribly afflicted again by the loss of their oldest child, Mary. Julia informed me that she died about two weeks ago and that Melissa had gone East on a visit.

I caution you again to be very careful of your health, and I sincerely wish you would be so kind as to answer this as soon as you receive it and give me some account of your journey, your prospects of success there, the state of your health, when you think you will return, how you like that country, &c. &c. &c. Give my best respects to Mr. Corbin and Mr. Booth; tell them I wish them good success, good health, &c. Tell them I hear that their families are also enjoying good health.

Now do not fail to write me as soon as you receive this. All our relations here are enjoying tolerably good health, I believe, and they all send their respects, best wishes, and love to you. Your affectionate brother, — Doc I. Sawtell

to Mr. Benjamin Sawtell, Esq.

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¹ Though datelined from Independence, Missouri, on 15 April 1850, much of the following letter pertains to St. Louis, and I believe this is the letter to the editor of the Plain Dealer that Ira refers to. There are numerous letters appearing in that newspaper chronicling Benjamin Sawtell’s journey to California in 1850.