(Possibly?) 13-14L1L in a beautiful deep Brownish-Carmine with what I will call a 3 line asterisk manuscript cancel and a manuscript "Ellery, NY Dec 7th" marking in the lower left.
Sent "IN HASTE" December 7th, 1852 from Ellery, NY (?) to the small mining town, Grass Valley, in Nevada County, California. Addressed to Jonas "General" Winchester, part owner and editor of the PACIFIC NEWS, former partner of Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune and famous for the saying, "Go West Young Man!" Jonas did. All the way to California to mine gold laced quartz and to write articles about such for the Tribune.
The manuscript cancel is not very legible and I am left to guess that it is Ellery, NY. I am open to suggestions of a more accurate location.
It appears that General Winchester answered this letter on the 24th of January, 1853.
From the California State Library:
"Jonas Winchester, was born November 129, 1810 in Marcellus, New York.. He came to California, arriving July, 1849. He was part owner and editor of PACIFIC NEWS. In April of 1850, he was appointed State Printer by Governor Burnett. Before coming to California he was in partnership with Horace Greeley. Winchester was a pioneer in quartz mining in Grass Valley, California. He was also involved in the Globe Gold and Silver Mining Company in Monitor, Inyo County, California. He died in Columbia, Tuolumne County, California, February 23, 1887."
(There is a collection of Jonas Winchester items at the California State Library.)
Grass Valley, Nevada County, California, which was originally known as Boston Ravine and later named Centerville, dates from the California Gold Rush, as does nearby Nevada City. Gold was discovered at Gold Hill in October 1850 and population grew around the mine. When a post office was established in 1851, it was renamed Grass Valley the next year for unknown reasons. The town incorporated in 1860.
Death of Jonas Winchester:
Jonas Winchester, better known as " General" Winchester, died at his home at Columbia, Tuolumne county, February 23d, aged 76 years. In early life he was a printer in New York, and a personal friend and partner of Horace Greeley. Coming to California in 1849, he soon became part owner and chief editor of the Pacific News in San Francisco. He was appointed State Printer in April, 1850; held the office about a year and resigned in March, 1851. His publishing house having been ruined by fire meanwhile, he went to Grass Valley, engaged in quartz mining and wrote a series of valuable articles on that subject for the New York Tribune. It does not appear that he made a fortune at it, however, for he presently " returned East and for awhile was lost Bight of by his friends and acquaintances in California. But he finally returned hither, like most of those who spend any considerable time in our beloved State, and took up the business of fruit growing near Columbia, whence he now and then sent contributions to the Rural, his last being a Tuolumne county note, dated February 14th, which went to press the morning after his departure. He is spoken of as a man of intelligence, ability and courage; energetic, warm-hearted, enthusiastic, and a philanthropist both in theory and in practice. Since writing the above, a letter respecting him has come to hand from our venerable friend, John Taylor, who says: The short article from his pen in your issue of February 26th was his last effort for publication, and when it arrived the writer was still in death. We conducted the services on Sunday in the Odd Fellows' graveyard to a large and sympathizing congregation. We have known Mr. Winchester for 25 years, and can testify to his worth as a man and friend. He lived and died a consistent, and in many respects an enthusiastic, spiritualist, and the services were conducted on that principle. He leaves a widow, four daughters and a son; but they rejoice in the assurance that the dear patriarch still watches over the loved of home, and will see that no evil attends their footsteps.
Posted 08/09/2022 3:46 pm
