The 137 letters presented in this account were collected from numerous sources, including historical societies, museums, private collections and family estates across the United States of America. 

While we can safely assume that such a prolific writer as Montgomery G. Jenkins wrote many more letters on his journey across the continental United States, we can also infer that many were likely lost to history. Those that remain tell a gripping tale, but there are also gaps and jumps in time due to the loss of historical record. The letters were written in Jenkins’ own hand as well as those of others who traveled alongside him or wrote to him. 

Additional notes: 

Many of the letters written during Jenkins’ time in captivity in the early 1850s were never delivered to his beloved Martha but later discovered in a single bundle, hidden in the wall of an old sugar mill. 

Several of the letters from Martha were uncovered in 1958, when Jenkins’ grave was accidentally unearthed during the construction of a freeway in Sacramento, California. They were buried with him, right next to his heart. Sadly, many others never reached Jenkins, as they were sent to locales that he had already departed. 

Special thanks to Jim Roberts at the Tippecanoe (Indiana) Preservation Society, Rowlf Peterson at the Buffalo Historical Society & Museum, and Margaret Davidson at the Gold Rush Museum in San Francisco, California, for their contributions to this project. An enormous debt of gratitude also goes to the Martha Worthington Jenkins Kent Jeffers Estate in Boston, and in particular Margaret Elizabeth Jeffers, without whom this comprehensive and important historical record would be woefully incomplete.

The letters of Montgomery G. Jenkins, his beloved Martha and their associates are being presented together here for the first time, the culmination of more than 75 years of research, collection and preservation. 

It is a story of hope and despair, triumph and tragedy, love and lust.

Above all, it is an American story.

Today’s letter …