| Title: | John Hall, Keenaghan, to Sam Hall, Maryland |
|---|---|
| ID | 1307 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Hall, John/117 |
| Year | 1821 |
| Sender | Hall, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Keenaghan, Co, Leitrim, Ireland |
| Destination | Maryland, USA |
| Recipient | Hall, Sam |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | Copyright retained by Eleanor Hallfreese, 12 Brighton ST Rochestor New York 14607, U.S.A. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh |
| Doc. No. | 9509123 |
| Date | 27/05/1821 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LET |
| Log | Document added by LT, 29:09:95. |
| Word Count | 1061 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Keenaghan May 27th 1821 Dear Brother Your esteemed favours of the 25th August came to hand November 9th which brought us the pleasing news of you being in good health my sister was not well When you wrote I hope she has recovered to her health soon after that date; Dear Sir you want to know the cause of me not writing to you sooner than I do - But the reason I have is that as Father writes mostly once a year he gives you all the particulars of this place - Indeed, Sam, I do not know what to write for to tell of the distressed situation that poor Ireland labours under would I suppose be unneccessary to you, as you have heard so often of that already, but if you had heard of it last week you might know as much more this week, every day there is a new law to harass the farmer they will first pound his cattle and when the [they?] tire doing that they will hire men at his expense, to trash all his grain and if that does not suffice, the last remedy they can use is an ejectment and then he is entirely done - I think that you are in a blessed country that knows nothing of the landlord's prowling bailiff, or the hypocritical rectors dog [dogma?] which is two of the greatest plagues that attends old Ireland. The one thinks all beneath him is an inferior sort of creation, only filled up to support his ambitions while the other goes to the pulpit and preaches charity, and at the same time he has as little charity as my father's little dog oh how hard it is to live under under such Ambitious tyrannizing bloodsuckers and there is no, price for any article the farmer has to sell potatoes from 2d and 2«d per stone meal from 10d to 11d per peck flax from 2-4 to 2-8, cut yarn from 1 to 2 per spangle, cloth from 1-2 to 1-6 per yard and all kinds of cattle very low so that it is beyound possibility for us to make 30 of rent and 3--10 of tythe [tithe?] with many other taxes besides - but be America as it may I wish to God we were all there but that is beyond hope since our parents are so old Dear Sam I am sorry to have to include to you the previous circumstances of which your poor old mother has laboured under these twelve months past by a fall she got on 11th of May she was to Mary's on some errand, on her return home she missed her foot and fell on her loin we got her carried in but the extreme pain that she felt and the cries of that poor dejected creature would have softened the heart of a savage, she was for three months in that deplorable way and Blessed be God she has got so well as to be able to go through the house with a crutch under her arm, - your parents are greatly on the decline of life, they are fast hastening to the silent grave where we must all one day or another return to, may the Almighty God fit and prepare us all for that journey - Robert Buchanans wife is dead she departed this life August last long after a long and tedious sickness Ireland is an altered country since you left it there is no frolicking of any kind whatever, no attention given to fairs unless on business of great importance, every one keeps their own home America is said not to be as good as usual, but when I see and know people that leaves this place and go there perhaps a son or a husband and stays there two or three years, they will send for their families, I know one man that went and in two years sent 30 home to take his family there, they [the?] two Jack Donnells of Calber has each a son four years there and has sent home to their peoples one hundred and eighty dollars a piece, and a great many of our Glen boys the same so that I think either the English or United States is not so bad as by some represented - you say Mr Knox would tell about that country but if all the people alters as much as him I had better stay at home I asked him questions and was answering yes or no, I have not seen any of his taste he gives no information at all. I received a letter of 15th of December from Robert Hall sister Margaret's son which says they are all well at that date he speaks greatly of the yellow fever taking a great many to their silent home - Mary Boak sent a letter to her Uncle Smyley and talks of her mother's family having that fever and her Aunt Leticia, and Uncle Robert, I humbly hope that it is not nor won't get your length and that they are all well again you spoke of sending your [-rofile?] Mary Boal sent letters to this place if she has it there might be an oppurtunity before now of sending it. [stained] - we are all in good health at present but our Dear mother and I think she will never recover from her fall I hope this will find you and my new sister and the children all well. [«stained] give my love to all enquiring friends and let Jack Boak know that I am very angry with him for not sending me word when he was going to be married that I might have went over that I might have went over and been Groomsman for had it happened on Sunday morning I might went over Saturday evening and got home to my loom on Monday morning, but since he would not think me worthy of the same I wish him and his consort all manner of happiness I will finish this uncorrected scrawl as my pen has almost exceeded the limits of my paper - I add no more may the god of infinite mercy guard and defend you all from an evil hour is the sincere wish of your affectionate Brother till death John Hall |
