Van Boskerck Letters (2), Bergen County, NJ ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Bob Stebbins (Medford, NJ), stebbins@cyberenet.net Formerly a Hackensack resident through High School. ==================================================================== The Family of Lucas Van Boskerck lived from the 1860's to 1915 on the river at River Road and Anderson Street. Their ancestors probably emigrated from Denmark or Holland in the early 18th century to Hoboken where they reportedly maintained ownership of several Ferry lines to Manhattan. There were four sons, Lucas, Abe, Cornelius and Robert, and a Daughter Harriet who never married. None of the sons had children. One son, Robert, a landscape artist, was elected a National Artist. His work was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is contained in the National Academy of Design in New York City as well as several other prominent Museums through the country. The last surviving member of the family, Aunt "Hattie", lived with Bob Stebbins' Grandmother for the last 15 years of her life and is the original source of these letters. Corneill returned from California safely, without having made the anticipated fortune. Nothing is known of Abe's fate except that he did not return. Most of the family is buried in The Hackensack Cemetery. ==================================================================== This letter, Number 2 of 3 may have been sent in a proper envelope because all four sheets of the paper, described at the top of Letter 3, have been covered with writing to the point that side 4 is overwritten up and down over the normal left to right horizontal sentences. ==================================================================== Dear Luke I suppose by this time you have received my letter from Rio wherein I gave you a short description of our voyage. We arrived at Rio on Sunday the 11th of March on which afternoon we all went on shore, the second mate being in the boat said that he knew of an American that kept a house and would take us there but on arriving we found that he had retired from business before the California rage, so that not knowing what to do particularly we went to a hotel called the Hotel de Europe where we got a good supper the first for fifty-four long days. After getting supper we strayed to the theater which was then in full operation, some of our party went in one door to find out the particulars while I with a young man by the name of Phelps went in at another door and finding nothing to prevent us went on into the theater while those at the other door were stopped by the police. The Emperor of Brasil being there in the theater we made out to see him and stayed but a few minutes and while retiring one of his Gracious Majestys' most Gracious Favorites seeing we were Americans spoke to us in broken english very politely and asked us some few questions when we left by shaking hands with his Most Gracious Majestys' Favorite, from there we went to a hotel and stayed all night though I can assure you they were crowded there being then in port 22 vessels bound for California the Pacific among that number. in the morning we took a walk about the City and one of the sights was the washing ground which was a large fountain something like the Park and in it were about 100 negro wenches standing about half naked washing away at the tallest rate. From there we walked about looking at the houses which were mostly built of stone and plastered on the outside like our houses in the green. They were but two stories high and most of them had balconies, this and the streets being so very narrow with the exception of a few made the place look rather comical to me. You hear nothing but music from morning til night the streets being full of slaves and they always singing. I saw the Emperor once or twice afterwards riding about the streets in a kind of coach very linicry (?) indeed but beautifully decorated inside drawn by six mules being royal they were different from ours, and followed ny about fifty Royal body guards riding on his magestys' royal raw bones, his body guards you may call variagated for they were white, yellow and black, being Frenchmen, Portugese and Blacks. this is a curious fact but nevertheless true. I called on Mr. Nathan and had quite a long conversation with him which amounted to nothing, he being in my opinion very smooth tounged but rather windy. On passing Cape Frio in going into Rio you see nothing but mountain upon mountain as far as the eye can reach until you reach the mouth of the harbor which is a very narrow entrance between two large peaks guarded on each side by a large fort, and I think it is one of the most beautiful harbors I ever saw. As I was walking about the morning after arriving a young man from the Pacific hearing my name mentioned spoke and told me my brother was then looking for me. I immediately went with him and found Abe looking rather ill having had a fit on crossing the line and being rather roughly treated by Capt Tibbets. He had run away from the ship with the assistance of some of the passengers from whom I learned that he as well as all of the rest of the passengers had been very badly treated by the the Capt. I did all that I could to pursuade him to go back but all to no purpose so I thought the best thing I could do was to get him on board with me as the Capt was willing which I did on the following Wednesday, he talked very much of shipping home again so I did what I thought was for the best. Abe is now very well and gets along in his new berth as well as I could expect. The Captain and Officers being gentlemen in every respect treat their men and passengers with kindness, and any statement you may hear having been sent home by some of the would be gentlemen passengers, as regards seamanship, or bad treatment by the officers I wish you to contradict in blunt language, for I can give you my word as a brother, as well as some of the passengers whom I call gentlemen to the contrary. I hope to arrive safe at San Francisco now I think Abe and I may do something together. I suppose you will hear by the papers before this reaches you that the Christopher Alan met with rather an accident by losing some of her masts in a squall, as well as several other vessels being damaged in some way or other, so it is no use anything about them. We started from Rio on Wednesday the 14th with a fine breeze but after being out a few hours it came right ahead and began to storm, that night just dusk we lost a man overboard by being washed from the jib boom, but as good luck would have it he went under the vessel and on coming up the opposite side he caught hold of the main sheet which happened to be towing in the water, some of the men immediately got down in the main chains and helped him get on board though he was pretty well exhausted. We were four weeks after this in getting down to the Cape having nothing but very heavy gales of wind from the South West all of the time so much so that we had to go outside of the Falkland Islands, the consequence was that we were lying to and sailing under close reefed top sails and so kept going little by little until we reached the Cape when we had a tremendous gale from the South which made the water fly I can tell you, but the little Peylona is like a gull on the water the harder it blows the better she likes it. We made out at last to get around the Cape but had head winds and blows for some distance up this side of the land. I used to go up in the top gallant every morning to see what I could and one morning off the Cape I being aloft at the time was the first to discover land which turned out to be the Diago Rameres(?). When we got us about 50 South we took a Southerly wind and went bowling along to the great relief of all for there were a great many Schaffers among the rest that thought we would never get around,but such thoughts never troubled me much for I was on deck night and day with the exception of a little sleep. We shipped two or three pretty heavy seas which washed the second Mate and I in the lea scupper but it was all fun to us so we did not mind it. We made out at last to get a good wind and went along sometims calm sometimes a little wind until we arrived at Valparaiso where we now are. We have very cheering news here of the gold mines. The sloop of War Dale arrived a few days since and brought us very chearing (?) account there were a great many vessels there without crews and there is no line of steamers to Panama as yet. The people from this place that is American and English have most of them gone to California. If we had come around here in balast we might have got plenty of freight at $25 a ton and passengers at $250 a head from here. If the Capt could get the Peylona back here he could sell her for $30,000 cash but that seems impossible on account of the men all leaving in California, you will think it rather strange but coal is selling here at $50 a ton at present and lumber is selling at an enormous price, you will please mention what you think proper to Morrsan & Parker and now I will end by sending my love to all as in my first letter and I will remain your affectionate Brother. I will write you the first chance and you must tell my friends that its hard for me to write at sea for my hands are very stiff. Excuse all mistakes as I am in a hurry to send this on board of the Ship Dale. I remain your affectionate Brother Cornelius Van Boskerck Valparaiso May 22nd 1849