1889 CHARMING GROUP [17] OF ORIGINAL LATE 19th CENTURY LOVE LETTERS HANDWRITTEN BY A YOUNG AMERICAN LIVING IN CHILE AND WOOING AN ILLINOIS GIRL ALL THE WHILE DESCRIBING LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA

On offer is a super, rather intriguing group of letters [17 w/10 covers] written by a young American gentleman living in Chile circa 1889 whose name we conclude was George Bambach Hawes as evidenced by a letter addressed to a Myra S. Curtis. Hawes apparently died in 1917 and this letter typed in Spanish is from Elena Bambach Hawes. All letters except for three are from George and dated 1888 and 1889. The letters are quite lengthy some five or six pages several double sided. George lived in Conception City, Chile working for Banco de Concepcion as a bank teller. All of George Bambach Hawes letters are written to Miss Myra S. Curtis of Mendota Illinois. Apparently he was infatuated with her, and considered her his companion. There is mention of romance, but also some travel in these letters some contain great descriptions of life in Chile. It seems his family mother, father, and sisters were already living in Chile. John writes that he should just "take" 8,000 USD from the bank he works for and run away with her." In another very extensive and detailed five page letter he mentions arriving on steamboat right in the middle of a cholera out break in Valparaiso Chile that killed three thousand people. Along with the letters is an unusual letter from a Giden Giroux one of the owners of the Giroux consolidated Mines in Mexico. This is addressed to another woman named Eugina Kinney. There are two letters from his brother that are also an interesting read. He was living in Mexico and being paid in gold for what, I couldn't figure out. He mentions a friend living in the Mississippi Bottoms whom he said "made a mistake of marrying a negro woman" and writes about his life. Here is a snippet: April 20, 1888 Conception City, Chile We arrived the 14th of March at 2 pm The very first thing I knew was that the cholera was prevailing there and that in less than three months more than thee thousand persons had died of it. Of course I was very frightened. The same afternoon I went on shore with the Capt., and the customs house officers in a little steamboat. Next day I met some of my friends who live in Vina del Mar. a very pretty little place about four miles from Valparaiso. We stopped there near a fortnight amusing ourselves very gay by with picnic parities and everything else you may imagine. While we have no direct evidence we believe he was related to this man: from Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile website: Samuel Bambach Hawes: "He was born in 1865. Son of Bernardo Bambach and Matilde Hawes. Married to Rosa Estévez Gazmuri, with 3 children. He studied at the University of Chile, Faculty of Law, graduated as a lawyer on May 29, 1890. He practiced his profession in Concepción, Talcahuano and Tomé. Deputy for Concepción, Talcahuano, Lautaro and Coelemu in the periods of 1903-1906; 1906-1909 and 1909-1912. During his time as a parliamentarian, he joined the Legislation and Justice Commission; the Elections; the one of Internal Police and presided over the Commission of External Relations Militant of the Radical party. He died in Santiago on September 23, 1911." Local historians and researcher can no doubt confirm or deny.; Manuscript; 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF; CHILE, SOUTH AMERICA, GEORGE BAMBACH HAWES, ELENA BAMBACH HAWES, CONCEPTION CITY, CHILE, CHOLERA, BANCO DE CONCEPCION, AMERICANS IN CHILE, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL