Gold Rush - John Gundry's Diary 1849-1852
QUEBEC.
TO PERSONS ABOUT TO EMIGRATE.
IN THE BRITISH-BUILT BARQUE,
ROSLIN CASTLE."
(700 Tons Burthen,) W. S. Sadler, Commander,
WILL leave FALMOUTH about the first week in April for QUEBEC, and will take both Cabin and Steerage Passengers.
The "Roslin Castle" is a regular trader, has a comfortable poop cabin, and airy, spacious, and lofty "between decks," which will be fitted up in every way calculated to ensure the health and comfort of passengers. The fortunate passages of this favourite vessel, under her experienced commander, are well known in the county. The advantages of Falmouth as a port of departure are well known and appreciated by all connected with the county of Cornwall, as vessels sailing from thence have often, from its situation, been many days less on their passage than those which have left other ports. This is well worthy the attention of all about to emigrate. Further particulars will shortly be given, and application may be made in the meantime to Mr. W. LANGDON, Stonehouse, or T. P. DIXON, Falmouth.
P.S.-The "Sir Francis Drake" will commence the season in a short time, of which due notice will be given,
Dated January 9, 1849.
Gold Rush - John Gundry's Diary 1849-1852
| Sunday April
8th 1849 just after we left a great many got very sick and wishing themselves back again monday 9 I got sick myself could not eat anything 10th in bed all day Vessel goin first rate from 7 to 8 nots per hour 11th getting better again wind fair 12th wind fair goin about 4 nots an hour Friday 13th First thing in the morn ing I loosd my cap saw some porpoises Saturday 14th wind fair but little going 3 to 4 nots an hour Sunday 15th It blew a gale very little cooking Ship rowling very very much going from 8 to 9 nots |
| Monday 16th
going very slow from 1 to 1½ nots per hour Tuesday 17 Spoke the Monument of New York bound to Liverpool in the Afternoon Saw 11 or 12 Ships, Ship going from 5 to 7 nots per hour Wednesday 18th saw a quantity of porpoises Ship going about 7 or 8 nots an hour weather verry hazey Thursday 19th Ship going about from 4 to 6 nots an hour There is a great deal of talk about getting on the banks now Friday 20th Vessell going 8½ nots an hour Saturday 21st Now on the Banks. about 4 Oclock try'd to Sound but could not 4 nots |
Sunday 22nd
verry dirty & cold in the afternoon Sounded in 45 fathoms of water just a calm we heaved the ship to & went a fishing. about twelve Oclock the sailors saw an Ice berg Monday 23rd saw some grampuses & porpoises weather verry fine but just a calm in the even ing the sailors showed us some of their tricks by getting some passengers in to play with them and blackening their faces and wetting their jackets &c verry cold close weather Wednesday 25 a calm the captain and two mates & one of the pass engers visited a french Brigg |
| and had some
fish and spirit of them several vessells in sight now. Thursday 26th in the Morning we had a calm and went a fishing had fresh fish for dinner in the evening about 7 Oclock a little girl to Williams Willia ms Mason from Constantine died Friday 27th about 8 Oclock in the morning she was committed to the deep the funerall service was read by captain Sadler Weather verry cold freezing all day wind north west Saturday 28th wind foul Sunday 29th fine breeze & fair Ship going 9 knots an hour. |
In the
afternoon carried of the fore stinsail Boom we had preaching by one Thomas Polkin- horn of Redruth Monday. 30th wind ahead Tuesday May 1st fair wind Ship going from 3 to 6 nots an hour Wednesday 2nd Saw Newfoundland it appears a hilly country, wind ahead all day Saw snow on the tops of the hills we was within 8 or 10 miles of it Thursday 3rd wind ahead and blowing strong all day doing nothing but tacking about all day to the mouth of the gulph cape ray in sight all the time Friday 4th wind ahead in the morn ing about one oclock in the afternoon |
| the wind
turnd and we made for the gulph Saturday 5th in the morning we saw St. Pauls wind ahead and blo wing agale Ship laying to under Sunday 6th we had a strong gale all day helm lasht fast all day wind right ahead and drifting out to sea a great many wishing themselves home again Monday 7th wind ahead and blow ing strong Tuesday 8th wind rather ahead but doing a little Wednesday 9th head wind Thursday 10th head wind Friday 11th in the morning we |
where in
sight of cape Breton a dead calm all day in the evening we haild the brigg falcon from Sunderland been out forty four days, been here twenty days and been above St pauls twice and driven back the Ice for It did not break up until the 4th so he said we are now about the entrance of the gulph several ships obliged to put in to Sidney Saturday 12th a fine day, a little breeze sprung up in the right ahead in the night about half past 10 Oclock there was a great bustle on board our ship, by reason of a Brigg called the Maria of Limerick striking |
| against a
piece of ice and knocking in her bow port which the say was very badly secured the was 121 when they left and three died on the passage 106 souls perish'd our boats pick'd up 9 and the boat belonging to the Falcon pick'd up Three on the next morning the went on board the Falcon and brought the other three on board our bark the persons that was saved was the Mate two seamen and the cook three men three boys and two women from the time she struck until she went down was 1 hour or one an half the sunk there own boat by reason of so much jumping into it |
| Sunday 13th
a fine day wind ahead in sight of St. Pauls Monday 14th a fair wind but verry little we are just in the same place we where on the 2nd instant we saw the both capes at the entrance of the gulph and the both lights on St. Pauls Tuesday 15 a fine breeze and fair going up the gulph 7 or 8 nots an hour Wednesday 16th head wind in sight of Gaspe & the Island of anticostic or Anticosta the Pilot came on board at half past seven Oclock in the morning Thursday 17th afine day saw some wales Friday 18th just acalm saw a great many wales |
Saturday
19th head wind Sunday 20th strong head wind Monday 21st fair wind going 8 or 9 nots an hour Tuesday 22nd the river of St Lawrence saw a great deal of houses and fine farms a great deal more on the south side than on the north in the evening about 8 Oclock we anchord about 2 miles of the Quarantine ground Wednesday 23rd averry day Thursday 24th about 10 Oclock the doctor came on board and examined us and about half hour afterward the took the anchor up and made for Quebeck got in about 4 Oclock |
| 25th we left
about 5 Oclock in the afternoon by the Quebec for Mont real and got in the next forenoon and heavd on to the passport for kingston Whitsunday we went through the lake of the thousand Isles and got in to kingstown about 4 Oclock in the afternoon Whitmonday 28th we walk'd about the City it is a fine place but I think not so well as Montreal in the afternoon About 4 Oclock we left again by the new Era for toronto and got in the 29th about 7 or 8 Oclock and left again by the Chief justice for queenstown then by railway for chippewa about 9 miles |
We saw the
falls of Niagara as we were riding on it is a grand sight we did not stop we got in to Chippewa and left again for Buffalo by the Emera and got in about 7 Oclock in the evening stopt there that night and walked about the City the next day it is a beautiful place in the evening we left again by the Nile for Chicago 31st we put into Cleveland June 1st we put into Detroit 2nd we put into Mackinaw and got some fresh fish and saw a great many Indians and some wigwams we got in to Millwakie about 4 Oclock in the morning of the 4th |
The California Trail
2200 miles from Mineral Point to Placerville
| I left
Minerall Point March 28th 1850 In company with cousin John Watters and William Uren for California and reachd Dubuque on the 29th and started the next morning for Iowa City and reachd it on April 3rd came through cascade Animosa Iowa city maringo and went of the road to monterum came through newton Fort desm -oine Crossed the mokokeda cedar Iowa skunk desmoine coon and three rivers and reachd Hanesville on the 22nd we have paid $1.75 per hundred for hay and $100 per bushell for corn We left Hanesville Council Bluffs on the 25 and crossed the Missourie river on the 26th on the south side of the platt river. |
Sunday 28th
we encamped on salt creek Monday 29th we had a verry stormy night had our tents blown down May 1st seen the remains of several waggons that was deserted by persons that was carrien provisions out to the forts we sruck the plat bottom and kept on the south side of it 2nd we came through a large Indian village it was deserted the part of the Country that we have come through is verry thinly timbered 6th Reachd Fort Kearney 240 miles from the Misouri river saw severall young Buffaloes which the had kept into a yard 12th we crossd the south fork of the Platt river it is a wide stream about from a ¼ to ½ a mile wide and a sandy bottom |
| Several
teems got stuck into it, game appears to be more plentiful than before and feed better in the evening five men from our company went out to hunt buffalo and killed one and next morning eleven of us went out for some of it and killed another about six or eight hundred weight antelope and wolves verry plenty 15th Killed another Young Buffalo and met with a great number of soux sioux or siux Indians which appears to be verry friendly and beggin of every teem that pass by we came through ash hollow to day feed verry scarce seenery rather more picturesq than what we had previously passed |
16th and
17th we met with a great deal of Indiands and came through their village the would trade any thing for wiskey suggar or bread but money the did not care about 18th we passd by what is called the courthouse rock and got in sight of the chimney rock 20th we got up to it.it is said to be 200 feet high and it is composed of a kind of clay 21st we passed scots bluffs and cold springs at which last place their is a trading post the seenery that we passd through today was grand and picturesq the bluffs high on each side and thinly scattered over with cedar wood 22nd we passd another trading post 23rd we reached fort Laramie |
| the fort is
situated on the laram ie river we had to ford it to reach the fort we stopt their and got some bread at 14 cents per lb then went out about 1½ miles and encamped 24th black hills insight had a hail and thunder storm 25th encamped on horse shoe creek 26th laid over had wind rain haile snow, hot and cold 27th drove about 30 miles over the black hills roads bad and feed verry scarce 29th we crossed Dear creek and struck the Platt river again weather verry warm see snow on the tops of the Mountains 30th we reached the ferry had to pay $4.00 per waggon. and 25 cts per horse for crossing |
31st We
crossd the river and drove out about 12 miles through a sandy country thickly covered with wild sage and encamped on some minerall springs June 1st we passd some alkali springs 2nd we passd near some alkali lakes and saw a great quantity of saleratus and encamped close to Independence rock which rock is worthy the emigrants notice 3rd we passed the devils gate it is a narrow pass through which the sweetwater river runs [deletion "through"] the sides of which is 400 feet high 6th We came by considerable snow and went a snowballing one another 7th we reached the famous south pass of the rocky mountains 8th we came to the junction of california and |
| Oregon roads
we took the right hand road and encamped near the big sandy 9th we left the big sandy about 4 Oclock in the afternoon for the desert lying between the sandy and green river which we consider about 45 or 50 miles we reached the river about 10 or 11 oClock in the morning when we had to swim our horses across the river some were rafting and others took off the box of their waggons to cross the river, their was one man washd of his horse in fording the river and drowned 11th there was two men drowned,we got ferryd over in the evening payd $10 per waggon and had to work the boat a good deal ourselves to get across |
12th we left
Green river the country that we passd through was very mountainous 13 just the same reached hams fork of Bear river here we had to see a little of the Elephant we had to take out all our things out of the waggon and haul them across the stream in a waggon box and take the waggon abroad and put it over in the same way 14th and 15th we had very cold weather hail and snow 15th we crossd severall branches of Bear river and decended some verry steep mountains 16th we reachd thomases fork of Bear river where we had to take our things out of the waggon and carry them across the stream on horse back verry cold snowed agreat part of the night good grass now |
| 18th we
reached the sodom springs and drank out of them and near by we came through an Indian [interlined: "snake tribe"] encampment and bought a poney about two miles from here the road forks out going to fort hall and the other the cut off to California the road through the cut off is generally through a mountainous country and is said to be 108 miles through to the fort hall road again but it is from 125 to 135 miles Sunday 23rd we crossd severall streams and made about 6 or 8 miles 25th we reachd the Salt lake road again 26th we came up by Goosecreeek and took a desert of fifteen miles 27th we came through thousand spring valley feed verry scarce a great part of the way. |
Friday 28th
I saw some hot springs and washed my hands into it it was so hot I could not bear to keep my hand into it Saturday 29th we reached the Humbolt river and had to take our things across the stream in the waggon box Sunday we lay over and ferryd severall Waggons across the stream July 1st we went down the river and crossd anotherstream their was good grass some part of the way down the river and a great part of the way their was scarce any grass and watter bad Sunday 7th We reachd what we supposed was St Marys Sink where we stopt to cut grass to carry across the desert, their was one man drownd crossing the river to see about grass |
| 8th we
started in the evening about 8 oclock expecting to drive to the sulphur springs but was sadly dissappointed their we kept down the river untill Sunday where we found plenty of good grass through the last week we have seen a great quantity of horses left on the road some dead and some alive and waggons left at almost every camping place we left our own waggon and took Thomas Prisks and joined teems with Gregory Philips & the Davys their is no grass to be got from where we started last Monday to where we now are except going into watter and mud two |
or three
feet deep saw a great many nearly out of provisions some entirely so, one company killed a mule to dry and eat for want of other food the watter is bad down in this part of the river but we had to use that or none we have seen dead horses floating down the river near where we was use ing of it and yesterday their was a man seen floating in the watter but the could not take him out 14th & 15th we lay over to rest our horses hoping to put them across this dreaded desert 16th we left the slough about 6 Oclock in the evening and drove down to the sulphur springs where we reachd in the morning |
| about 5
Oclock, we lay over there untill about 6 Oclock in the evening when we started out over the desert drove all night and reachd Carsons river about 1 or 2 Oclock the next afternoon there was, a great deal of suffering on the desert for want of watter one or two men died on the desert for want of watter and a great many had to stop untill the had watter brought them horses and mules had to be unharnessed and drove to the watter before the were able to take there loads in and there was a great many left there never to see the watter again waggons & watter |
barrels and
just every kind of thing was left on the desert more horses and mules than oxen 19th we drove up the river about 6 or 8 miles and lay over the rest of the day 20th we saw some men out from the mines with pro -visions to meet the Emigrants flour $175 per pound 21st we cut up the waggon to make pack saddels to go a packing started in the evening about 7 Oclock for the 26 miles plain without watter or grass 22nd we saw some more speculators out with provisions 24 we passed some more warm springs and went through pass creek canyon 5 miles a most horrid road 25 we ascendid |
| some verry
steep mountains and passd the summit of the sierra nevada or California Mountains snow very deep on the mountains and the most horrid roads that ever came under my notice meeting a great many speculators everry day going out with provisions to meet the emigrants 27th we drove about 1 mile south of the road and lay over just all day 28th we came within about 1 mile of weavertown 29th we drove in to the town and sold one of our horses for $55 and saw a great many folks diggin which all appear to be getting some gold 29th we commenced to work on Weber Creek two or three days and then removed to hangtown or placer -ville staid in the Gold mines untill the 28th day of Septr 1851 |
[John's
pencil note: Changd 12 oz of Dust at $17.00 per oz in sacremento Changed 1 oz in St Thomases at $16.50 per oz] On which day I left for Sacremento City and home in Company with Christ opher Clemence and severall others going to Wisconsin to their familys we reachd Sacremento City on the 29th about 11 Oclock in the forenoon and left it again about 2 Oclock in the Afternoon for Sanfrancisco which we reached about 10 Oclock in the Evening we left Sanfrancisco on October 1st for Panama on board the steam ship Oregon on our way down we put into Monteray and St Diego and Aucapulco and reachd Panama on the 18th of October and walked about 10 or 12 miles across the Ismus of Panama |
1850 Federal Census - John Gundry and his cousin, John Waters
| and took
lodgins for the night in a rag house we reached Cruses the next evening and stopped that night at Millers Hotel and next morning 20th hired a boat to take us down to Chagres for which we had to pay $5.50 each (Sixty Miles) 23rd we went on the Medway steam ship bound for Southampton we sailed from Chagres on the 27th and put into Carthagena for the Mail and arrived at St Thomases on the 31st where we had to stop until the 5th Novr taking in cargo and to stop for the Mail when we again started for Southampton and reached it on the 26th |
Letters that
I have sent Joseph Since that I left Minerall point One from Meringo Iowa April the 9th 1850 One from Hanesville Iowa April 24th, One from Fort Laramie May 23rd One from California Hangtown Creek August 4th One from Hangtown Octr 20th 24th Do. Do. February 16th 1851 Sent One to England February 28th 1851 Sent One to Joseph March 27th April 6th Sent One to Mother July 20th 51 One from Weaver Creek August 31st to Joseph I sent a letter to Joseph from Porkellis about the 1st of Jany 1852 Another on 8th April 1852 |
Panama before the canal
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Excerpt from email by Barbara Young to Peter Gundry, dated 26 November 2002."The Gundry gun is what they call a "pepper box''. It has the impressions patented 1837 cast steel patent ALLEN & THURBER WORCHESTER My mother remembers an uncle giving it to my grandfather when his father took him back to Cornwall for a visit." |
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Cousin John Sent a letter from platt river ferry May 31st 1850 One from Hangtown August 25th 1850 One from Do. Nov 24th Cousin John Left Hangtown I think about the 15 of January 1851 I received a letter from him Dated January 23rd Sacremento City I sent Cousin Samuell a letter June |
