Elias Lothrop moved from Durham, Maine to Chicago around 1843 to run a small store there. By 1845 he was back in Maine, teaching school near Bath. In 1849 Lothrop joined the Kennebec Trading & Mining Company, a group of Maine men who pooled their resources to go to California and mine gold. He worked with the Kennebec Company on the Yuba River until October 1850, after which time he formed various partnerships in staking claims and mining for gold near Rough and Ready, California. He was sick with "mountain fever" for four months in 1850, and then suffered a life-threatening bout of erysipelas in 1850-1851. He worked at Rough and Ready for nearly two years, became ill and went to Sacramento where he worked as a policeman for a brief time before succumbing to cholera morbus in August 1853. He and his wife Jane, a milliner, had at least two children, one of whom, Mary, was born during his absence.

Warren Lothrop was Elias' brother, a member of a company of engineers in the Mexican War. He was made 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Regiment Artillery in February 1857, and fought in the Civil War, and was brevetted Lt. Col. in March 13, 1865. R. J. Morse was a brother or brother-in-law to Jane Lothrop, and ran a store in New Orleans. Levitt Lothrop was probably Elias and Warren's father, and was also the name of Elias' son.

The Lothrop Family Papers consist of letters, commissions, reminiscences and a portrait. There are 17 letters from Elias Lothrop to his wife, mother, and brother. Three of these letters are dated 1843-1847 from Chicago and Georgetown, Maine, and 14 others are from California, dated 1849-1853. He writes of mining, life in California, his illnesses, local news, and his need to make more money before he can afford to go home. A letter dated May 1849, carries a detailed description of life on board ship en route to California. His last letter, headed "Secret Digings [sic] Jan 6th 1852," carries a long account of his thoughts on California, with the summation that "everything seems to run to extremes here," in terms of fortune, health, weather, etc.

There are five other letters, two to Jane Lothrop dated 1852-1853,from T. P. Robb and Charles O. Turner regarding her husband's death. Another letter, written by R. J. Morse in New Orleans dated 1853 mentions the rental and purchase of "colored servants." A letter written by Warren Lothrop mentions that he is with Colonel Callender in St. Louis. Another letter written by Warren is here only in part, and describes the battle of Vera Cruz. The letters are accompanied by a recipe for a cholera cure, an engraved portrait of Levitt Lothrop, two of Warren Lothrop's commissions, and reminiscences of a part of the Mexican War by John Smith of the U.S. Army, whose relationship to the Lothrop family is unknown.

Frontier and pioneer life > California.

Gold mines and mining > California > Nevada County.

Gold mines and mining > California > Yuba County.

Mexican War, 1846-1848 > Personal narratives.

Slavery > Louisiana > New Orleans.

Voyages to the Pacific coast > Personal narratives.

California > Gold discoveries.

California > Social life and customs > 19th century.

Durham (Me.) > Social life and customs.

New Orleans (La.) > Social life and customs.

San Francisco (Calif.) > Description and travel.

Veracruz (Veracruz-Llave, Mexico) > History > Surrender, 1847.

Commissions.

Reminiscences.