The N. A. Chandler Gold Rush Era Letters Collection consists of fifty-four handwritten letters from 1855 to 1872. Fifty-three of these letters are from N. A. Chandler to Jane M. Chandler and one letter is from Jane M. Chandler to N. A. Chandler. Three letters were written on picture sheets, two from California displaying Gold Rush motifs and one from Lowell Massachusetts displaying statistics of Lowell Manufactures for 1859. The arrangement of these letters is chronological from earliest to most recent, and the bulk of these letters are from 1855 to 1865. Almost all of these letters have notations by John I. Perkins in pencil on the first page at the top. Pencil marks also exist to highlight certain parts of the text pertaining to the titles.

Newton Amos Chandler (1818?-1880) was a late-arrival to the California Gold Rush scene in 1855. He was from the 4 Corners area of Hartland Vermont, and came alone to California. He left behind his wife Jane and two children named Liss (sometimes named May) and Willie. Within a short time he found several acquaintances from the Hartland area and worked with them in organized companies. He worked in the Northern mines, spending much of his time while in California at the Alpha and Omega diggings, where he owned several mining claims, participated as a partner in several quartz mills, and helped dig water distribution ditches that would directly influence the feasibility of hydraulic mining operations.

All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Ella Strong Denison Library.

Collection open for research.