Bechtlers looking for US Mint work
RogerB
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Mint files are filled with letters and testimonials in request of jobs or in support of various persons for a US Mint job, This letter, from 1835, is a little unusual - it's signed by Christopher Bechtler of private mint fame. He was looking for a job for his son Augustus. [By a Numismatic Transcription Project volunteer]
Rutherfordton
March 1, 1835
Honored Sir!
Personally unknown to you, you will have the kindness to excuse the liberty I take in address to you. I see by the newspaper that congress is about to establish a Branch of the United States Mint in the gold region, by which if it should pass my business here would be dissolved; in this case I beg to know if you could not make use of my son Augustus.
He is educated to oversee a large establishment as to keep book arithmetic, refining, assaying & all the branches of the above business, has a good deal of mechanical skill, commands a very good character and is of easy temper about 25 years of age. He is citizen of United States two years ago and I am confident in all respects, that he would transact his business much to your satisfaction, which would secure him a save place for his lifetime.
It seems the gold mines there are just now beginning. A great part of the miners direct their attention to the veins. I have on my land several large ocher veins which contain gold as small as the precipitate of gold; my machines will go into operation in a few days.
There is (sic) two mines in this region vis: Silvercreek by Brindletown and some of the Pacolet river mines which contain ½ & ¾ carats of Platina as alloy in the gold, besides the silver which I have not taken out as it was too small a quantity. I would be very much please to have your opinion as to my having done right or not.
Since the last gold act has passed we have coined about 350,000 Dwts of gold and have enjoyed ever since the beginning the full confidence of the miners more so than could be expected.
But I see I am intruding on your patience for which you will please to pardon.
Honored Sir!
Your most obedient servant,
Christopher Bechtler
Comments
That's an incredible letter.
It's funny, too: Bechtler turned out to be wrong, as his business was not dissolved by the establishment of the US Branch Mint at Charlotte, and Mint officials were annoyed at his private mint's ongoing success.
Maybe they should have had him (or Augustus) run the operation like the USAOG did with Moffat, or perhaps they could have bought him out, like they did with Clark Gruber in Denver.
What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
Very cool - I love the old NC gold history.
Do you have a scan of the original document?
I've posted my Bechtler K4 before, but it seems like it ought to be in this thread too. NGC AU55 CAC
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Here's the only image I have -- it's not very good but it is readable. The original document is in NARA Philadelphia RG104 E-1 box 15 March 1835. [Volunteer transcription.]
THANKS!
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Anytime!
Very interesting read... thanks RB!
very cool. interesting that he would write a cover letter job request for his son.
Interesting !!!
Cool document and awesome coin @Cameonut . Here is a good "documentary" on the Bechtler family and their business that PBS made:
http://www.pbs.org/video/gold-fever-and-bechtler-mint-gold-fever-and-bechtler-mint/
Great letter. There are sure some interesting old documents in those files. I have mentioned this before - in this time of electronic communications and computer files, research 100 years from now will be quite different - and not nearly as interesting. Cheers, RickO
The primary difficulty is converting handwritten documents into machine-readable text.
For example: I photographed all of E-216 vols 1-6. This amounted to approximately 3,100 pages. Of these, only about 40 have been transcribed - most by volunteers.
Without transcription, the content of handwritten documents remains hidden - almost as if it were in coded language.
Very cool.
For people who like pretty things, here are three of my favorite Bechtlers from shortly before that letter was written:
What is now proved was once only imagined. - William Blake
Very interesting.
Regulated --- Those are nice. Please send me some.
"my son Augustus would be honored to put backwards letters all over the coinage of the republic"
Roger, I thought I recognized that one!
Yes, that is the interesting part of the transcribing... the subject matter!
The fun I had with that one is memorable.
Jedm - Ah, glad you recognized it!
Once a transcription is returned to me, all identification of the transcriber is removed - the file is "sanitized," so no one can tell who worked on it or when. The uploaded and downloaded files are also erased along with the email or ftp record.