Klock Connections

Klock Letters From Oregon

Typed by Herbert R. Groff, Typing Volunteer

A Letter from Oregon
1848.
April 17th 1848 Dier parents we are all wel and are wel suted with the country we got into the vally in 4 months and 20 days from the time we left missourie river oposite St. Joseph where we left the first of May every thing went quite nise till we got in the mountains then we had to clime sum verry hy hills but hansum and smooth rode wen we got down to the columbia river next day after we got started the nois cum the Indians had robed a cumpany ahead of us and ther was another cumpany ahead of us wich sent us vord they wold wate for us about 22 miles ahead it was a heavy travling sandy rode they all commensed drive we must go that to day or be robed by the indians and maby killed our usual drives vare only 10 or 12 miles a day and I expected my cattle wold give out being I had the heviest load and about 4 or 5 o’clock sum of my cattle lay down so tired they I cold not get them along any more and wilst I was un yoking them the indians cum gathering aroun my wagon proty thick and that put me to a hel of a thinking at onst I dident no what then Katherine and the children comensed criing I dident no what the Devel to do the company out of site there we ware all alone amung the indians I had a revo’ving pistel laying in the wagon ready loded but it had ben loded ever sins ve cum therein the paune cuntry aboat 2 months or more and I was afrid it wodent go but I will try it any how so I got the pistel and told them begon or I wold kil every dam the one of then they left they run oph toward the river apeas and then comensed holloowin and beckoning to others down at the river on an island then they cam out their wigworms proty soon the river was fool of suox cuming as fast as they cold so I told katherine not to show any fear if they cum and tel them I was gon after help and if they tuck any thing we wold kill them all so I went as hard as I cold run and maby a little faster and wen I get in site of the wagons mis bellinger sea me swinging my hat and then they cum back only 8 men dair too cum out of 20 it was quite a trying time to sea so many indians cuming runing up towards us yoping their wor yops sum of our boys then hung back old bellinger drew his old long sowerd out he swong it round he nocked the wild sage bushes he made the piece fly godam yew cum up don’t be afraid the indians made terible big eyes they never sea sitch an Indian killer before they sea fear in men then they wil be robed and so they left us wen ever they sea fear in men then they wil surtainly rob ther is war hear with the indians now but yew wil (?)have that newis before yew get this we apprehend no danger as for the indians hear we kin rais 10000 able bodied soldiers if it is required enough to whip all the indians in Americay.

Oregon is a good country I have no fault to find with it as yet last faul after we got hear our cattle ware very poor and now they are fit for beaf and nothing but gras our winters are about the same as your faul months the coldest weather only made ise an inch thick we have occasional frost from October til April the wether is not as hot in sumer as it is in NY year ago last winter there was an uncomon winter hear there was 9 or 10 inches of snow and it lay about 35 days the oldest indians never new it to be so before they think the whites fetch it with them as fetch bad signesses the hare died oupt hear by hundreds last winter they are fast diminishing oregon is a grate grain country and I was down to that (?) last fall and I sea 100 bushels of potatoes dug of 70 yards square and a red beat 28 inches in surcumphrens but corn will do about as wel hear as in York state peach treas bare here the third year its a grate fr cuntry the old setlers hear sais foase never dies hear the just drey up it is so veery healthy hear that is so for I neve sea foase so much exposed as they are hear and never sea sick ones un les they fetch it with then from the states there is men hear now over hundred years old 106 the oldest and as smart as they are in the states wen 70 foase actuelly duz live to grater age than tahey doin the states this is good grain cuntry wheat is worth one dollar per bushel butter 25 cts cheas 20 cts it costs more mone to winter chickens hear than it duz cattle u better all pack up and cum to oregon but you never wold listen to me and I dont know as u wil yet if u remember what u sed before I left it is veery favorable to consumption thisick and grate many other disease I havent had the headke nor tooth ake sinc I am hear it is so because a purson hardly ever takes cold hear we never hve ny hrd rains hear not so as to wash the land and never veery mody as it is for a few days rain and then hansam sun shine weather marchantdise is a getting to be quite reasonable as there is grate opposition in the Brittish and American merchants its about the same as in the western states Emergrants from NY state should cum by water as they gain about 8 munts time by going acrost the istmus the trip may be made in about 2 months we intende to make yew a visit in a few years it is ony about 4500 miles acrost the istmus send our letters by the way of New york and we wil get them the quickest Oregon is about one half timber and one haf prairy the timber is xer hansum in the thick woods treas no more than 4 feat thick frequently runs up to 300 feat in heith it almost brakes a mans neck to look to the top of them out in the open praries they grow verry thick and ful of limbs there is treas hear upwards of 300 feet hy I paised one ouph that broke down and it was 107 paces long this was in acove betweenn two large hills about 5 miles north of the columbia and 40 from the sea the reason timber grow so mich larger hear than in the states is because the wind dont strain them like it dus in the states turnups frequently gros so large that they cant be put into a half bushel it is really a sho to se this cuntry ther is 5 mountain peaks to the east about 70 miles oph and they don’t appear to be more than 10 or 12 miles oph in cloudy weather we cant sea their tops as they are hyer than the clouds it looks curiors to se the clouds brake around them white peaks the other 3 is oph north of us and the one is a volcano or burning mountain,

James Klock


One additional letter was located:

March 6th, 1858

Dear Grandfather:--

It is with pleasure I take pen in hand to informa you how we are getting along. We are all well at present and hope these lines will find you all the same. We would like to see you all veyr mutch indeed. We have not heard from you for a long time till the other day we saw Mr. Bellinger he said he received a letter form his Brother-in-law by the name of John Crane he said that you was all well which we was very glad to here except your wife and she was dead we are sorry to here it Father died about three years after we came in Oregon he died with the consumption and Mother and us five children -- which was John Adam, Catherine, Casper, Henry and I was left among stranger and about two years after Father died Casper died with the same complaint that Father died with Henry is the youngest of us four aliving about a year after Fahter died, Mother married a man by the name of Chamnes which I suppose you have heard we are all living with Father and Mother we like our stepfather very mutch indeed he treats us as he would his own children he had three children before he was married to Mother two girls and one boy they are all married know and doing well mother has had three Children since she has been married the last time two boys and one girl the oldest one is a boy his name is Marion the next oldest ones name is Olover Howard Pettery the youngist one is a girl her name is Lucy we have been going to school last summer and this winter John Adam has been studying Reading, Spelling and Arithmatic and can write a little and Catherine has been studying Reading and spelling and can read tolerable well I have been studying Reading, writing Arithmetic and Grammar Mohter sya she would like to go back to see you all very mutch though she says sh like to live here a great deal better than there because she things it is healthier here than there and the winters are not near so Could here as there, we have had a very pretty winter here except a little snow about four weeks ago it did not lay on the ground but four of five days people are know making garden here no more at present write as soon as this comes to hand

Adam I. Clock,
Sallyann Clock.
Marion County, O. T.


Yew must excuse me for writing sutch an auquid letter for I am not yous to writing leters we have another boy in the famly Mr. Bellinger ask Adam the other day ware is granpap was way ouph over biger hilly Adam said he youse to have to walk up the hy hils or mountains sumtimes a hot days travel up hil they wil never for get them hils as soon as he would sea a hil he wold cral back in the wagon and hide himself I was veery much disscou in the road to oregon I always was told a hansum smooth road and so it is but they dident tel about the monstrous hils and sand as ox has enough to do to travel let lone drawing any thing cattle is not the rite thing to cum with no how good horses and a lite wagon about 6 before one wagon and then take care the indians dont steal them Emergrants sholdent fetch anything else but what they want to eat and ware direct my letters to oregon sitty we have plenty fish and oisters hear the river are alive with trou and salmon tel Mr. Flint Buck and brite moad their own gras hear and moad it away too my claim is down to the Columbia 20 miles from its mouth it is up on a hy bank and we can look out to sea and sea the ships cumin my family was so situated we codent go on it this spring so I went to work on a plais 20 miles south of the sitty til faul.

Reverse side:

Linden Mo.
July 7
Adam J. Klock
Pallatin Church
Montgomery County
New York
from Oregon

Marion County O. T.
February 16th, 1859

Dear Grandfather
I now take the preasent opportunity to inform you how we are all well at preasent and hope these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessings Mr. Bellinger toald us he received a letter from his Brotherinlaw by the name of Crain which said you wanted us children to write to you which I did immediately; it has been abought for or five months since and we have not received an anseere yet we would like to know the reason whether you received the letter I wrote you or not You cannot imagine how well pleased we would be if we could see you all once more or even if we could receive a letter from you since weve been in Oregon we receive a letter from uncle John King Dated January the 8, 1857 is the last letter we receive from the state of New York abought a year after father died Mother maried a man by the name of Israel Chamness which I suppose you have heard he had three children before Mother maried him they ae all maried now and are doing well I am rejoised to tell you that he treats as he does his one children he is very kind to us there are four children alive I and Adam and Catharine and henry; Casper is dead he died with the same complaint that father died with we have not had school here for several months untill about three weeks ago they hired a school teacher a bout six months and we are all agoing I am studying Grammar and Arithmetic Reading and writing Adam is studying Reading writing spelling and Arithmetic, Catharine is a studying Reading writing spelling and arithmetic Catharine is almost as large as me she weighs almost ninty eight pounds and I weigh abought a hundred and six pounds and Adam weighs abought a hundred and eight and henry weighs about forty five; Henry can read and spell tolorable well Mother says she like to live here a great deal better than there on the count of the coald weather there and she thinks the climent is a great deal healthaer here than there for my part I donot know how I would like it there for I was quite small when we left there which I presume you know we have had a very pleasant winter except the three last weeks we have had considerable rain and a little snow about two inches deep on the ground which laid on the ground one day and one night that is about all the snow we have had this winter and they fed our horses and cattle but very little this winter and they are in pretty good order, a good american horse is worth from two hundred and fifty to three hundred dollars in this Country and a good cow is worth from forty to fifty dollars here and sheep is worth from five to ten dollars each. Dear Grandfather we want to see you very much indeed though I am afraid we never will unless you come to this country when father died he said he wanted to see you but it was to late he died in a few minutes it makes my heart ake within me to think we had to give up our dear father and see him laid under the sod and leave us poor wander to fight our way through the world though I hope we may live a hapy life with our Mother and step Father yet we are all living at home and are getting along very well. Dear Grnfather when this letter comes to hand writ me an ansere for we want to hear from you very much. Direct your letters to Santian City Marion County O.T. We live about five miles from Santiam City.
Sally Ann Clock

Dear Granfather
I make effort to write a few lines to inform you that I am well and hope that these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessing I am going to school and am studying reading writing and arithmetic (?) to go to school about six months this summer I want to see you very mutch I want you to write to us and let us know how you are getting along and let us know whether you are ever coming to this country write as soon as this comes to hand no more at present.
John Adam Clock.

Jackson Co. Ogn., July 29, 1877
Mr. Amos Klock sir I have given ample time since my last letter written to you for an answer and have got none so I again send you a few lines letting you know that I am well at present and hope these few lines will reach you the same I have written to you two or three letters and got but one from you I begin to think it a very doubtful business letter writing letter, your received apr 20th gave me great satisfaction to hear from you and I had good hopes of hearing from you all through other letters thugh it appears very hard to get any letter from your part of the world if you did not get my answer to your letter please write to me all about my Mothers folks and where they are living and tell them to write to me as I would like very much to get a few letters from them. You asked me about my Fathers Family in your letter of which I wrote you all about and will state some of it again as I suppose my other letter is doubtful my Mother died in 1859 I think and my step Father died 8 months after ward then Perry and Marion and Loocy went to live with his children and Catharine Adam and myself to live with Sarah Ann Thorp our oldest sist and her man catharine soon married off and died just 10 years after sarah ann died in 1865 in the summer J.R. Throp her man who sent to you for our Grand Fathers estate Drank and gambled it all away but $700.00 of Adams part and near $300 of mine and then was drowned in the river I have one of his children the eldest boy with me now he is 15 years old I was born in 1859, 5 of october and all I command now is by hard earnings I have some several head of cattle a good many hoyvs and sold one of my horses a while back so I could get a smaller one I have a good tract of land the best outlet for range I ever seen any where and I am trying to get it started with stock as fast as I can trade and work it out I am not married but would like to find I wok at the carpenters trade some and at the wagon business some I hire but little such as chopping and sawing and grabbing or clearing land I have got stock to sell but prices dont soot and I am helping on a brick yard now for a few dollars to fill all demands as clehk in school district I yoused a few dollars 10 or 12 and must have it when call upon now I coud write ten times as much tho will wait till next time please send me the price of good Buskin Gloves and buskin well dressed as I could furnish a good supply in a short time If call upon from your country send what style of gloves what kind of fur for suffs and if any market Ill send you a sample to try for me. Such is quite plenty here and prices are very low if any of my people think of emigrating from that old country just send them to southern regon or Jackson C. Oregon they can buy or take up good wranches that I know of yet in the best rang Ive ever ben on and can raise most any kind of grain ever growed any where and vegetables of all kinds allmost will grow and they nead knot fight hoppers or crickets or wear their coats one quarter of the winter stock des well that is not fed any thing at all In fact I think living is very easy earned though a man must work and keep things up well now enough wright without fail direct to JacksonVille Jackson Co. Ogn.
Henry Klock

To Amos Klock yur Nephew

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