A 49er endures hardship. But what about the woman who stayed at home and held together their family? Joseph Pike, my great-great-grandfather would find out. His wife Sybil went 10 months before receiving a letter from him. He first wrote in September 1850 soon after reaching the gold fields of California. She wrote back in March 1851 to tell him that “there is not a day goes over but what I lament the decision we made when the question was asked, ‘Shall you go?’”