The Christian August Weihe correspondence is primarily made up of 167 letters that Weihe, a German immigrant, wrote to his family in Germany after settling in San Francisco, California, in the mid-19th century. Also included are 2 money orders.
The Correspondence series contains Weihe's letters to his parents and siblings, who remained in Herford, Germany, after he moved to the United States in 1849. Though most of his letters are addressed to his father, Philip, Weihe also corresponded with his mother, Luise, and with his siblings, Louise and Theodor. He traveled from Germany to California between February and September 1849, and by December had settled in San Francisco, where he found work in a bank. He wrote of his life in the United States, discussing his life and finances and occasionally mentioning politics; in his letter of July 22, 1861, for example, he explained U.S. political parties. Weihe spent much of the Civil War era in Stockton, California, and later returned to San Francisco, where he became known primarily by his middle name, August. He continued to write regularly until the 1870s, then wrote less frequently through May 1897. One later letter addressed to Luise Weihe includes a brief greeting in English from his daughter Florence, who mentioned her sister's recent birthday and expressed her own desire to learn German (April 25, 1875). At least two letters were written on decorated stationery, including one from California's Highland Springs Resort, which includes a printed map with directions to the property (August 4, 1896).
The Money Orders series includes 2 money orders sent in 1854 from Goddefroy, Sillem, and Co., in San Francisco, California, to Philip Weihe via the Hamburg firm J. C. Godeffroy and Son.
Christian August Weihe was born in Herford, Germany, on December 30, 1832, the son of Philip Gotlob Weihe and Luise Henriette Amalie Heidsiek. He had two surviving siblings: Louise Johanna (b. 1827) and Thodor Julius (b. 1836). Christian August Weihe emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1849 and settled in San Francisco, California, where he worked as a banker until at least 1910. He married Julie Florence Chittenden, a native of Illinois, around 1865, and they had at three children: Ada (b. April 1, 1870), Florence (b. April 25, 1875), and Henry (b. March 1880).
