Edwin Fitzgerald

George R Fitzgerald born April 12th 1859 about 1/2 10 oclock [10:30 o'clock]

Newyork New York May 7 1859

dier [dear] Frank I take this opurtunity [opportunity] to in form [inform] you what I en [am] about I hav [have] just baught [bought] my ticket on the Grinada Stearieg [steerage] 85 dolars [dollars] the boat of the 5th M Tailor tickets 100 dolars [dollars] so you per siev [perceive] that I could not go in her none of the Whitefield Boys hav [have] cum [come] I should hav [have] writen [written] sooner but could not make up my mind what to do before there are sevrel [several] Maine boys going on the boat so I shall not be alone I hav [have] not mutch [much] time to spare shell [shall] hav [have] to cloz [close] I em [am] well take good care of yower self [yourself] and the and the childrne [children] gev [give] my love to all enquiring friends

[written in left margin]

I remain your afectionate [affectionate]

Edwin Fitzgerald

Sanfransisco San Francisco June 3 1859

dier [dear] Frank I take this opurtunity [opportunity] let you know that I em [am] well and hope this ma [may] find you and the children the same dier [dear] Frank I write in hast [haste] for I hav [have ] just let my self [myself] to a man to pick strawberys [strawberries] at 1 dolar [dollar] per day and found to git [get] money to get out of the City with I hav [have] to at fore and it is now half past three dont [don't] you wish you had some berreys [berries] they are as big as your thumb how are you and the Children Ciss [Kiss] little Georg for me how I would like to see you all we areved [arrived] here yasturday [yesterday] morning all well and safe if I had money I should go rite [right] up to the menes [mines] but I must work and git [get] some there is not mutch [much] duing [doing] here at present I want to here [hear] from you write as soon as you git [get] this direct to sanfransisco San Francisco I must bid you good by [goodbye] the boat has cum [com]

[written in left margin]

from yower [your] Edwin

Contracosta [Contra Costa] Co [County] June 12 1859

Well Frank I sepose [suppose] you will be looking for aletter [a letter] and as I em [am] not in so mutch [nuch] of of a herrey [hurry] now as I was be fore [before] I will try and hav [have] a talk with you I wish I wish could hav [have] acup [a cup] of tea with you and we would talk the matter over. this is agrate [a great] ould [old] country and it was well for me that I arived [arrived] as [iebrel?] for it is the best time of the year the harvest is cuming [coming] on and the re [there] will be aplenty of work for too [two] or three months at from forty to saxty [sixty] per month I told you that I was going to pick strawberys [strawberries] I worked three days at that and quit it spent one day looking for work got agob [a job] on arantch [a ranch] for forty aolars [dollars] per month shell [shall] work aspell [a spell] at that there are plenty of men here that hav [have] bien [been] here for years that hav [have] not got one ded red but the folt [fault] is not in the country in most caises [cases] it is with them selves [themselves] if aman [a man] comes here he he must work hard foar [for] hard and be saving ceep [keep] to work if he can if not he is in abad [a bad] place I hav [have] found that out all ready [already] when I landed I had too [two] dolars [dollars] and fifty cts paid 75 cts for bed 50 for supper and 50 for breakfast I looked over the City for work but could git [get] none untill [until] after noon [afternoon] wen [when] the strawbery [strawberry] man came

and you know the ret [rest] the reason that I wrote in sutch [such] a herry [hurry] be fore [before] was had to go across the ferry to Almeda Alameda and I if I did not write then I should not hav [have] a chance be fore [before] the steamer left as it was I wrote in an express office and had just got my letter in if letter you could coll [call] it in the envelope when the steamer blew her whistle to leav [leave]

I had to giv [give] the directions to the express Man and get him to back it this is avery [a very] bad chance to [write] rite dont [don't] you think so I hav [have] not sean eney one [anyone] that I knew since I arived [arrived] here I think it ruther [rather] lonle [lonely] tell youer [your] Mother this is a good pll place to take boarders git [get] from six to 9 dolars [dollars] per week do her hens wowld [would] be worth one dolar [dollar] a dozan [dozen] eggs 75 cts butter 50 I cant [can't] write eney [any] more at present the men are cuming [coming] in giv [give] my lov [love] to all enquiring friends toll [tell] Nate to hav [have] a good garding [garden] and take care of the boys ciss [kiss] the children for me and lirn [learn] them thier [their] praers [prayers]. I will send you some money as son [soon] as I can git [get] it you ma [may] direct to Sanfransisco San Francisco till I go from here this leaves me well and I hope it ma [may] find you the same

from youer [your] Edwin

St Pablo Cal San Pablo, California

July 24 1859

My dier [dear] Wife I take this opuritunity [opportunity] to write you a fue [few] lines to let you know how I em [am] situated I em [am] still at work for Mr Morgan but hav [have] not been at work all the time I got My shoalder [shoulder] hurt pressing hay whitch [which] laid me up for three weeks but I em [am] as well now as ever in purson [person] but not in purse has to pay at the rate of twenty five dolars [dollars] per month for board when loafing I had 2 dolars [dollars] per day for pressing hay and boarded hav [have] lost the Chance em [am] at work at forty dolars [dollars] now it well [will] be a short gob [job] whare [where] I shell [shall] go then I dont [don't] know the acounts we get here from the Mines are not very flattering tho I think I shell [shall] try them about the last of october [October] either that or origon [Oregon] this place is about ten miles from the sity [city] of sanfransisco San Francisco