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California Jan 16th 1850 Dear Sarah,

               Not having heard from Home 

since I left the States I hardly know what to write, but a man from Napierville ? starts for Home to morrow, goes through Peoria, and takes Letters for fifty cents a piece and I think it my duty to write, When I wrote last Cullen and I was at Sacrimento City for a load of provision, we had got about one half the way back to the mines, when we received notice from our Company to wait til they come along, as they had concluded to winter further south, she waited two weeks for them at the same time the fall Rains came on and raised sacrimento River so high, they could neither cross it, or get down with an Ox? team We, not expecting to see them again this this winter thought we should act for ourselves, we sold the Load for double the cost, returned to the city, bought a load, and went to the mines 50 miles east borrowed a Tent to store them in, cut and hauled Logs for a cabin and returned to city for another load of provision, where we found the rest of our company they had sold the Oxen, left the waggon and dug out Canvas, leashed? them together and brought our clothes and Tools smudge in them