This series contains the Cabarras Gold Mining Company account book, letterbook, and receipt book. These records were kept by Thomas Greaves Cary (1791-1856).

Thomas Greaves Cary (1824-1888) wrote his recollections and historical sketches of California and the American West in 1884 while recuperating from a broken leg, as described in a note within the collection. His sketches comprise three sets of notebooks: 19 softbound blue drafts written ca. 1884; 8 hardbound black notebooks containing sketches written in 1884; and 3 softbound marbled notebooks containing sketches written in 1885.

Cary's sketches of California describe the history of the exploration of the California coast and its inhabitants from the time of Cortes in the 16th century to the 18th century, detailing the efforts of explorers Francisco Vasque de Coronado, Hernando de Alarcon, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, Sebastian Vizcaino, and Sir Francis Drake. 19th-century topics include the history of the Mexican War of Independence from 1810 to1821, the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, and the various border conflicts between Mexicans and Americans in California, including the 1848 Mexican-American War and its causes. The sketches illustrate the military endeavors leading to the war, including the capture of Monterey by Commodore John Sloat in 1846 and the capture of Los Angeles by Commodore Robert Stockton, as well as the arrival of General Stephen Kearny to the area.

The sketches provide detailed accounts of the discovery of gold in California in 1848 at Sutter’s Fort by Captain John Sutter and James W. Marshall and the resulting gold rush in the area which later became Sacramento. Cary also wrote about the discovery of silver in Washoe, Nevada during 1859-1860 and the resulting emigration from California, as well as the tensions between the mining community and the Washoe Paiutes after the discovery. One sketch includes excerpts from articles in the New York Times and London Times on the question of Chinese immigration to California while another sketch contains an explanation of hostilities toward the Chinese in California created through the legislation of Governor John Bigler. The vigilance committees in San Francisco in the 1850s and the lynch laws in Sacramento were also discussed by Cary, as was the history of the Pacific Railroad from 1836 to 1869.