James White was a 21 year old farmer from Quincy, MA. In 1849 he sailed from Boston around Cape Horn to San Francisco and the gold diggings of California. In all he spent 6 months at sea and a year in California. I've transcribed his journal and am publishing it here as well as on Amazon/Kindle and Apple/iBooks.
Thursday 27th.
Latham drying or jerking the beef. Clark & myself went out and made $2. Poor days work but hard.
Friday June 28th, 1850
Clark & myself dug 6 1/2 oz. All this month here has been cool, clear & strong breezes from NW. the coast. Most of the men were leaving the Trinity. The water slowly falling. Average on the river about $4. Slim Picking.
Saturday 29th.
Prospected the bars. Got $4. Dull and cross all hands.
Sunday the 30th. and last of the first summer month. Very hot. So hot the sand burnt our feet. Concluded we would rest today. I done not a stroke of work, not anything to read, not even a testament. No writing materials in camp. Thought of home. That name is sweater than money ever did sound to me.
July 1st.
Clark went after Davis. Acted energetic as though he was join for the first time. Lazy as the devil generally. Something going to happen. Latham & myself helped him off & dug $9. Clark took $160 with him. Very hot today.
Tuesday, July 2d.
Latham & myself dug $16 1/2. Rather warm today. River falling very rapidly. Worked hard. Back almost broke. This certainly is working for a living.
Wednesday July 3d, 1850
Latham & I dug $20. Very warm.
Thursday July 4th, 1850
Independence day. thought of home today more than ever & all the comforts etc, but here there was not anything to change. All work. Worked in the forenoon. Dug $12. Clark & Davis got in at noon. Davis, poor fellow, had a hard time of it. Glad to get with us again. Enjoyed ourselves in talking over old affairs of home etc., what was going on in the States. Had some visitors in the afternoon & as we had a little good Extra Cognac, we indulged it. Done us a great dial of good. It revived all senses, caused a better a light feeling, not so much absorbed in digging gold. Got news from Davis that there was a gold lake discovered and all the people are rushing to it at the headwaters of the Feather River. Considered as another hoax. Can this be called a 4th or not. Echo answers there is no independence about it.
Friday July 5th.
Latham, Davis & myself dug in the forenoon $32. Clark making rocker in afternoon dug $10. Did not pay.
Sat 6th.
Latham, Davis & myself dug $27, a great deal of work but poor pay.
Sunday 9th.
Put up tent. Wrote a letter to Father in case I should get a chance to send. Very hot day. Good breeze from NW. Coast breeze.
One year in California & what accomplished towards a fortune. It is true I must be acclimated by this time. Just money enough to get home with by prudent living, $300. A miserable savage life. Ay, worse than savage for in that there is contentment & happiness, but this has been a year of up & downs, sickness & misery. But still must I on, hope on hope ever.
Quincy, Sept. 4, 1851
Here was an interval of eleven days that I believe I was busying myself in trying to sell my house on 4th. street & also in trying to get a situation in a store.
I recollect very plainly that it was very bad traveling around the streets and all communication with the mines with teams was stopped on account of the bad state of the roads.
Whoever has as takes the trouble to read this (for I must call it trouble) will perceive by my journal where it leaves off and commences again that business of all kinds must have been very dull at that time. As I have said whoever reads this in after days will pardon me for leaving this blank. I was greatly elated by the news from home & after making a bad bargain for the house (bad for me) I hardly knew which end my head was on. I was anxious to get to work doing something to get a living for my funds were now growing short & a starved country & diseased country stared me in the face. I could not look to it for help or its people in case I should be taken sick.
I had a hard siege to commence with. Now I was well and got out of that safe. I must make ready for another.
I am now writing & always have since I commenced this book. Writing to benefit myself, not thinking that someday or other I shall die and some one else will peruse these pages. I must enter an apology for not being more particular in my memorandum. I was unwell most of the time. The reader will perceive both body & mind for when the body is the mind lies & to make a long story short, I had so much to think of that I thought of nothing.
When I left the steamer on her arrival at New York, my memorandum or diary stopped as a matter of course. I was within a few miles of home. I thought of nothing else, But now I take my pen again in hand to revive it. I shall copy all off from my memorandum and continue a regular diary from today. Hoping you will find me in better spirits after my arrival in Quincey from the land of gold. I close here hoping you will profit by my experiences.
Goodbye
And so it ends on a sudden and confusing note. I don't think I have quite figured it out. I have suspected the Mr. White was somewhat manic/depressive. Perhaps this is what he was referring to.
I would like to know more about Mr. White, but I have no other information other than the names, ages, occupation, and home town of the Company and crew as well as the constitution and by-laws of the Company. Anyone interested can get the book entire with this information for free from Apple's iBooks under the name James White's Journal.
I hope you have enjoyed this. It has been revealing to me. I didn't really understand the conditions the 49ers were in. I have a better understanding of it now.
Peace
