Finding aid of the Logan Fay Letters C058846

Title: Fay, Logan Letters

Identifier/Call Number: C058846

Contributing Institution: Society of California Pioneers

Language of Material: English

Container: B001392

Container: C058846

Physical Description: 1.0 folder (8 letters)

Date (inclusive): 1849-1853

Abstract: Letters to and from Logan Fay, dated 1849-1853. All deal with his travel to, and subsequent life in, San Francisco. He talks about his soap business, the conditions in the city and a small robbery that occurred at his house.

creator: Fay, Logan, b.1829

Collection open for research.

There are no restrictions on access.

Logan Fay Letters. The Society of California Pioneers.

Donor and date of acquisition unknown.

Logan Fay came from New York to California on the schooner "Chance" in 1849. He set up a soap business with his brother, David Fay, in San Francisco ca. 1853. He had a brother named John Fay who lived in New York. He returned to New York sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s.

The Logan Fay Letters consist of 8 letters, dated between 1849-1853, both addressed to and written by him. The first letter is addressed to "Captain Fay, Schooner Chance", dated 05/11/1849 from Sacramento City, and written by A. Jackson McDuffie. The letter tells Fay what to do once he docks in San Francisco: to bring the letter to R.B. Winston who will act as his agent, post his going rate for freight and passage, purchase stores for the return journey, hire a carpenter for necessary repairs, obtain his ledger from the "Louisa" and then return with new freight as soon as possible. The second page of the letter is dated 05/22/1849 and states that the letter has been received in San Francisco, and notes that Captain Fay has been paid $95 for his services, and is signed by Thomas Brown. Both letters have a round, purple stamp on them that says "Fay Brothers New York. Feb 19 1909". The second letter is from Logan Fay to his mother in New York City, dated 08/10/1849, from aboard the steamship "California" while in Mazatlan. He talks about his travel so far and how tranquil the Pacific has been. A handwritten pencil note across the top of the letter is addressed to Luke and was clearly written by a family member at a much later date, as it talks about some geneaological history and states that Logan Fay was born in 1929. A round, purple stamp says "Fay Brothers New York, Mar 17 1911". The third letter is from Logan Fay to his mother, dated 04/16/1850 (but probably from 1849, not 1850), and was written from "Sutters Alto California". He talks about meeting up with John (probably his brother John Fay) who had gotten a trunk of shoe and boots while in Panama to sell to the miners in California. He asks about the family back home in New York. This letter is attached to the fourth letter, which is dated 04/16/1849 on both it's front and back pages, and is addressed to his brother David, at the same address in New York City. He talks about John arriving and that he assumed he would see David at the same time, but David has remained in New York for business reasons. Logan states that he expects to return to the states in the winter, and signs the letter "your brother, Logan Fay". The letter is stamped like the others, but dated "Apr 6 1911". The fifth letter is from Logan Fay to his mother, dated 06/20/1853, and was written in San Francisco, California. He talks about how a thief broke into his and John's house and stole all of their best clothes, but nothing else. The ship "Typhoon" finally arrived with their furniture so they can get their business up and running in 2-3 weeks, also complaining about the time it takes ships to travel around Cape Horn. The sixth letter is attached to the fifth, and is addressed to John Fay, dated 06/30/1853. He again talks about the robbery, and apologizes for the delay in writing. He complains that Clipper ships are taking 138 days to make the journey from New York to California and mentions that everyone in San Francisco is constantly dueling at daylight, and that "Nugent of the Herald was in the scrape and got the daylight through him". These letters stamped and dated the same as letter 4. The seventh letter is from Logan Fay to his mother, dated 08/15/1853, and was written from San Francisco, California. He talks about his soap business doing well in San Francisco, but he expects that the bottom will drop out once shipments of soap start arriving from the east coast. He goes on to say that he does not like San Francisco at all, that it is windy and dusty and does not suit him as well as the mines did. He asks after his sister, Mary Jane, and says that their soap factory is looking very nice. His brother David is in good health and is very busy attending to their business. The eighth letter is attached to the seventh, and is addressed to John Fay, dated 08/15/1853. He talks about the Clipper ships "Hornet" and "Flying Cloud", which left New York the same day and raced each other around the horn to San Francisco, with the "Hornet" arriving 40 minutes before the "Flying Cloud". A man named Nugent is mentioned again, he is still confined to his bed but Logan expects he will be up and dueling with "scrubs" again soon. This letter is stamped the same as letters 4 and 6.

The Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107.