Re: Grows of ID, OR, and WA

April: My gg grandfather was John Grow born 1805 in Ohio. He and his wife, Rachel Byerly, had 7 children (Jacob 1828, Mary 1829, Elizabeth 1832, John 1834, Christina 1836, Rachel 1838, and Elijah 1841. Elijah is my g grandfather who raised his family in Illinois. Elijah's brother, John (born 1834), traveled by steamer from New York to San Francisco starting out in April 1856. John Grow then traveled to northern California and eventually ended up in Portland, OR. I have an original hand written letter from John Grow, dated November 10, 1878, which he sent to my g grandfather, Elijah (John's brother). This letter is rather lengthly since it coveres his travels for 22 years. Due to the letters fragile nature, I have retyped the words on seven full single spaced pages. Dated November 10, 1878, it begins, "Brother Elijah Wife & Children."

John talks about mining and says that he left Sacremento for Marysville, working as a painter for minimal funds. He then travelled on to Oroville on the Feather River where he went on "fruitless prospecting trips." John and a friend then went on to Jacksonville, Oregon, and he says "the journey befofe us was 300 mile long and not one ten cents between the two of us to make it on." He talks about going to the "Sacramento valley some 200 mile from Sacramento City, about Tahaince and Red Bluff." He talks about traveling over the Syskiou mountains and later a crossing on the Klamath ferry.

He then says "the seven years that I lived in Jacksonville and vicinity were a small improvement pecuiniarialy on California experience, for I did save up some $300. About a year before that I got married. My wife had three children and three hundred dollars." He then says he "alternated between painting and mining there, and when we moved to this city (Portland)14 years ago next June (which would make it 1865), we had household effects we brought with us and $1200 dollars in money. Here in Portland I have devoted myself entirely to my trade.....soon after coming here, I bought a small house and one lot. I have since added another lot to it and also enlarged the house and increased its capacity to accomodate it to the requirements of an increased. This and twenty acres of land three mile from town, altogether worth $3000 dollars, is the sum total of all my wordly effects.

The letter is signed "Affectionately your Brother, John Grow

Bob Grow
Tarpon Springs, FL
[email protected]