| Title: | John Hall, Pennsylvania to Lytle Black, Chicago. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1310 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Hall, John L/45 |
| Year | 1889 |
| Sender | Hall, John L. |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | daly labourer (coal mine) |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | McDonald, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Destination | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Recipient | Black, Lytle |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers-in-law |
| Source | D 2041/13: Purchased from J. A. Gamble Esq., 44 Taunton Avenue, Belfast 15. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9311003 |
| Date | 14/09/1889 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C McK., 02:11:199 |
| Word Count | 787 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Lytle Black, 602 W. [West?] Adams Street, Chicago, U.S.A. From: John Hall, McDonald, Washington County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. McDonald Washington Co. Pa [Pennsylvania?] 14th Septr 1889 Dear Lytle Your very welcome letter received this morning and indeed I was extremely glad to hear from you as they wrote me from home that you had my address I wondered you didn't write me before now; However I am glad that you are in good health and like this country as well as you seem to. You want me to tell you what kind of work I am engaged in-- Well to tell the truth it is very little of any kind of work I can get here; but when I do get an odd days work it labouring (sic) around coal pits at 1 pound 35 pence per day and I cannot even get work half time so without me telling you any more you can form an idea how things are with me. I am not one to growl all the time, but of course don't want to keep anything from you as I expect you won't carry it further nor would I care how hard I had to work if I could only keep things moving; but I got stuck here and never could get enough ahead to get out of it I made some hard struggles to save a little so that I could get to Philadelphia or Chicago or some town of importance but just as soon as I would begin to get square the work would stop & I was put back into debt again-- Indeed for the last five months I have been living in a little room by myself doing my own cooking as it was impossible for me to pay board-- you can guess how it is here when I tell you that in the last seven weeks I have only earned $10.50 and that was digging a cellar -- of course you know how it is in a small mining town like this where there are nothing but labourers and a few unimportant stores -- There is no chance for a person of my class to attain any progress at all; but I am confident if I got to Chicago or some other place of note, #PAGE 2 I would have no difficulty in raising myself in a very short time, for, I flatter myself that I am endowed with as much ability as any other individual -- there would be a chance of using an education in Chicago a thing which is of use here -- the highest one can attain here is the pick and shovel so there is not much in it besides not having been accustomed to manual labour it is pretty hard on me; but one must keep life in even at the expense of health. If I were any place out of here where I would have a chance of a start it would be all right and I do not want to put in another winter here if I can avoid it for there will be no work at all. Last winter the only work I got was splitting pit posts in an old cut wood where one could not make as much as would keep you alive. I had a letter from home the other day and Susan said Dada had written you to send for me so I had been living in hope of getting out to you, so if you would assist me in that direction I could soon repay your kindness when once there, as I could soon make it at something You say if I had my papers here I could do well at the Law -- Well of course I cannot practise in this country until I am a citizen -- I have my Certificate and other papers with me; but they are no good at present unless to get one a position in a Lawyer's office. I wish you would look around and see if you can find an opening for me at anything Perhaps if you saw Mr David Anderson he might know something suitable, so like a good fellow help me to get out of here & I will make a deparate [desperate?] struggle too, and perform the part of the "Good Samaritan" and do me the greatest favor you could think of in a lifetime. You say if I "kept steady" -- Well I may tell once for all that I have been doing the strict "T.T" [teetotaller?] for some time and intend continuing so in future it is by far the best plan. I am glad you are in a situation and at work steady -- Write soon again as you are the only one I have to communicate (sic) in this country Sincerely yours John Hall |
