Guide to the Merk, George W. Correspondence D-763
Michelle Trujillo
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
2023
1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292
Telephone: (530) 752-1621
Fax Number: (530) 754-5758
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Merk, George W. Correspondence
Creator:
Merk, George W.
Identifier/Call Number: D-763
Physical Description:
135 letters
180 pages total
Date (inclusive): 1876-1901
Abstract: Correspondence documenting the professional and personal life of George Merk, a German emigrant born in 1836 who worked in
many capacities in Guerneville and the surrounding areas over the period of several decades.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Language of Material:
English
.
Correspondence written by German immigrant George W. Merk. The letters are written to George's brother Fred, and document
the challenges of daily life as George works his way through several different professions.
Collection is open for research.
Collection is unprocessed. Michelle Trujillo created this finding aid with information supplied by Auger Down Books.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Auger Down Books, 2023.
[Identification of item], Merk, George W. Correspondence, D-763, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University
of California, Davis.
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Correspondence documenting the professional and personal life of George Merk, a German emigrant born in 1836 who worked in
many capacities in Guerneville and the surrounding areas over the period of several decades documented here. The letters are
written to George's brother Fred, and document the challenges of daily life as George works his way through several different
professions.
His observations not only include discussing California life but also comparing his plight to that of family and friends who
remained in Germany. Merk discusses the differences between Germany and America, and his surprise that German immigrants are
willing to endure such poor conditions in America. "Eastern fellows are delighted by mine offers throughout the Rocky Mountains,
so they are getting very particular." At one point he discusses a legal bullying situation, "it sounds more in the shape of
blackmail or extortion - and I don't see how they would push it on you a non-resident." He seems interested in living rurally
though complains of the impossibility of success in agriculture: "I like this country outdoor life well enough, in fact would
not live in a city… a mechanic or tradesman don't have to work as hard as hard as farmers."
Merk has a particular interest in financing, business, and the difficulties of obtaining credit and operating as a merchant.
He discusses interest rates, other fiscal policies of the San Francisco banks, and financial institutions in general, and
discusses the difficulty of California's credit systems multiple times. He seems at times sympathetic to the plight of laborers,
stating: "saw a great many going into the hills, they were all poor people and will no doubt see a hard time." He discusses
a saloon that "makes 100 a month in a log hut" in Deadwood. He discusses Chinese laborers and California in general, and offers
a contradictory perspective on Chinese laborers: "There is several drawbacks unfavorable in California, which keeps small
capitalists and farmers away and that is the monopoly in the best lands in the state (Mexican land grants) and the Chinese
cheap labor, but the latter have really been a benefit to the state in developing the lands and building R.R. if they could
only keep any more from coming, it would be better." At one point he applies for a patent for a steam cooker. Also includes
a letter from Fred's daughter, which is the subject of several letters. Many of the later letters are written from Duncan
Mills. "No business is for sale where an owner makes more than his experience."
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Correspondence
Sonoma County (Calif.) -- History
Foreign workers, Chinese