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Title: Andrew Greenlees, Ottawa, Illinois, To His Brother.
ID1243
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileGreenlees, Andrew/13(2)
Year1859
SenderGreenlees, Andrew
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationfarmer
Sender Religionunknown
OriginOttawa, Illinois, USA
DestinationMagheramore, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
RecipientGreenlees, John
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipbrothers
SourceT 2046/8: Copied by Permission of Aiken McClellend Esq. 3 Beechill Pk.Ave. Saintfield Rd. Belfast 8. #TYPE EMG An Emigrant Letter from [Andrew Greenlees?] Ottawa, Illinois: May 30 1859 to Brother [Ireland?].
ArchivePublic Record Office, N. Ireland
Doc. No.8911028
Date30/05/1859
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
Log13:11:1989 LT created 25:06:1990 CD input 27:06:19
Word Count1171
Genre
Note
TranscriptOttawa May 30th /59

my Dear Brother
this is one of our Illionis [Illinois?] [wet?] [days?] which
prevents me from doing anything out doors [I?] will therefore embrace the
opportunity of chatting a [lit?]tle across the distance with you as I am in
considerable [?]ige with my letters I must begin and correct my [de?]bts
before the [they?] accumulate any more and as you are [the?] oldest
creditor I must begin with you, [w?]e have had a very severe long winter
followed by a [qui?]te cold backward spring, however, nature is again [?]
that in its rich verdure of green and spring with all [?] beauty and
grandeur has again visited us [tho?]ugh we had a severe snow storm as late
as the 12th of [Apr?]il yet our crops look well considering the lateness of
the [sea?son, you are aware that I rented Uncles farm this [?], I have
nearly thirty acres of wheat sown, 13 acres [o?]ats and 20 corn all this I
done myself with one [?], with the exception of five or six days work I
hired; [?] guess from this how we work when spring [?] markets are high at
present corn is worth [?] cents per bushel Wheat 10 cents oats 6 do
[po?]ttattoes [potatoes?] 1p.5s.0 per bushel this we call very high for this
[par?]t of the country, I have told you what I am doing [I?] will now tell
you about my earthly tolerance [?] it bears up under the pressure of work.
I never [?] stronger than I do this spring. I have not been sick requiring
medical aid for upwards of a year for which I have
great reason to be thankful;- for all earthly blessings there is none
comparable with that of health especially when in a strange land, this at
least is my experience, I would like to see you John very much I often think
about you I think you don't have a very pleasant field to labour in I would
much rather live with the redman of the forest than with the [I?]rish where
you are I never saw genuine Irish untill [until?] I came to this country and
I assure you I dont [don't?] think it strange that they are every where
spoken against and looked upon with a destain [disdain?] degree of suspicion
I would not advise you to come to this country for several reasons in the
first place the climate might not agree with you and secondly you would find
every thing strange to you customs are entirely different here from what
they are at home you would not find so many grades in society for instance
clergymen at home are requested and looked upon as superior or a grade
higher in society than farmers so also physicans [physicians?] lawers
[lawyers?] &c but here character makes the man not the profession he follows
all men are respected that will respect themselves live at least morally and
improve their minds by study and reading so as to be fitted for society of
course this does not include the low catholic Irish and dutch for to a man
they are addicted to drinking and loafing around shops such men are abhorred
here as in every other civilised community.
In view of these facts I would say if you are willing to give up
all things for the cause of Christ, come here is a large and open field of
labor [labour?] the harvest if plenty but the laborers [labourers?] are few
we have a presbyterian minister preaching for us now he is a very fine man
his name is Flemings he belongs to the old school, he has been talking with
me about you he says you ought to come here as there is more of a scarcity
of ministers than in the old country, the population increases so much
faster by such an immense tide of emigration that ministers must be supplied
fast enough to feed all the flock if you should happen to take a notion to
come to this country, by giving your certificate to the presbetry
[presbytery?] you would be taken a year on probation and then if found
worthy would be admitted as a regular brother clergyman, the reason for
keeping foreign ministers a year on trial is this, clergymen that in the old
country had been by their own misconduct unfitted for their ministerial
duties, and been expelled by the presbetry [presbytery?] has in many
instances come to this country and been admitted as regular ministers while
they were only wolves in sheeps clothing doing an injury to the cause the
[they?] were professing to build up. thus you will see the propriety of
keeping all a year on trial untill [until?] they prove themselves worthy of
the vocation wherewith they are called I recieved [received?] a letter from
home some time ago times are changed since I left Father has now all the
care and trouble himself it is a remarkable providence that since Robert
has been laid aside he has been strengthed [strengthened?] to pursue the
labors [labours?] of the farm, I hope this summer will do much towards
restoring Robert to health and strength I feel thankful for the hymn you
sent me I am very much pleased by it. I will now tell you about Uncles
family, John and Helen have just come and visit about five minutes ago, the
[they?] are both well they live about twenty miles from here, John and Amy
Hunter are well amy had another girl last winter which makes two they are
fine childern. Margaret his uncles fourth daughter was married on wensday
[Wednesday?] last I was grooms man his name is Silas Bates a steady young
man, this leaves three yet Sarah Phebe [Phoebe?] and Mary Jane. I am sorry
to inform you that my Uncle has been quite sick for nearly a half year he is
up about half time his disease is bronchittes [bronchitis?] on the lungs the
warm sumer [summer?] may recruit him a little but next winter will go hard
with him, you have had some changes with you my much respected cousin Jane
is now numbered with the silent dead one by one my old associates are
dropping of the stage of life and yet I am spared unworthy me in dangers by
land and sea have I been preserved and permitted to enjoy a resonable degree
of the comforts of this life yet what do I deserve more than others suerly
[surely?] God is good for his mercy endureth [endures?] forever (in ways
that I have not known hath he led me) yet after all we are apt to forget our
kind benefactor, in dwelling sin is always ready to spring up like weeds
in the field to choke [the?] [?] you will think that I closed my letter
rather abruptly but I made a mistake I thought I was only at the bottom of
my third page when [it?] [?] so I [was?] [forced?] to stop.