Home

CORVIZ

Main content

Title: W Harke, London, to George Kirkpatrick, Ballymena.
ID1336
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileHarke, William/28
Year1855
SenderHarke, William
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationclergyman
Sender ReligionAnglican?
OriginLondon, England
DestinationBallymena, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland
RecipientRev George Kirkpatrick
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipfriends
SourceD 1604/135: Presented by Rev Robert Kirkpatrick, Breezemount, The Roddens, Larne County Antrim.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9012036
Date11/06/1855
Partial Date
Doc. TypeLET
LogAction By Date Document added by B.W. 06:12:1993
Word Count710
Genre
Note
TranscriptTo: Revd G [Reverend George?] Kirkpatrick
Hazel Bank
Cullybacky [Cullybackey?]
Ballymena
North of Ireland.

From:
10 Neville Court
Fetter Lane
London [England?]
June 11th/ [18?]55.

My very dear Mr Kirk [Kirkpatrick?],

Any apology on your
part for not having sooner
replied to my last letter, was
certainly undeserved by me. The
more, however, does it urge me
to the Expression of my most grateful
acknowlegement of the
kind sentiments contained in
your letter. My acknowledgement
of it should have been despatched
before now, had I not been fully
occupied with official business. -
The month of May & commencement of
June is always our busiest time,
in consequence of the sailing of our
Missionary-ship the "Harmony"
sailing early in June for Labrador.
She is D. V. [God willing?] to get under weigh, [way?]
tomorrow morning, when I hope to
accompany the 3 missionaries on
board of her, who are going out to
that inhospitable shore, as far as
Graves end. During the past week
we had our usual meetings, the
one, last Friday, on board the
ship itself, upon which occasion
the ship & company are commanded
to the Divine protection
A fellow countryman, Mr Collinson,
the rector or incumbent of a church
at Highbury offerred [offered?] up a very beautiful
prayer on this occasion. I

#PAGE 2
was greatly pleased in being able to
conduct my very dear friends Mr
J. Purser & his daughter to this meeting
Mr P & his family, with the exception
of his eldest son, who is
reading for the gold medal, are on
their way to Germany, where they
propose stopping for some time.
The other meeting was the usual
half yearly meeting of the "Brethren's
Society for the Furtherance of the
Gospel," held in our chapter, Fetter
Lane. one of the gentlemen who
spoke at it was Colonel Crawford
R.A.[Royal Artillery?] who has just been appointed
commander of the artillery forces
at the Cape of Good Hope. He alluded
most feelingly to his having been
Educated at Gracehill Academy where he
had recieved his first religious
impressions, & whither, as to the sunshiney
period of his life, his memory often carried
him back. You may be sure I felt
not a little pleased, to hear poor old
Gracehill so well spoken of. -
I half & half suspect that a certain
dear sister of mine, is perhaps in
the neighbourhood of her former
home at Grace Hill [Gracehill?]. A few lines
recieved from Jno [John? Jonathon?] Martyn [Martin?] last
week, informed me that Ellen was
thinking of sailing for Belfast, if
she felt able for it, which led me
to conclude that she was purposing
a[?] visit to the dear circle at
Hazelbank, - I hope that my imaginings
may prove to be founded on
fact. Should you see dear Ellen
I beg that you will give her my very
kind love. She, I doubt not, will be
able to assure you of our dear father's
very affectionate sentiments towards
yourself & Mrs Kirkpatrick, and that
if a mutual correspondence is no
longer maintained between you, it
is not out of any dimunition of
friendship, but because the increasing

#PAGE 3
infirmities of age, render it difficult
for our precious father to do
more than keep up the ball of
correspondence with the members
of his own family.
Since I wrote to you, my last
surviving maternal uncle has been
called to his eternal home. I had
the melancholy satisfaction of accompanying
his earthly remains from
his residence near Birmingham to
their quiet resting place in a vault
in a lovely, rural churchyard in
Shropshire. Your letter conveyed also
Sad & mournful intelligence. I allude
to the death of my former Schoolfellow
Frank. [Francis?] Beggs. I trust he was prepared
for the change. His poor parents &
their surviving children, do indeed
claim the most sincere sympathy
of all, who know them. May they be
comforted according to their need, by Him
who can be touched with a feeling of our
infirmities! Pray remember me most
kindly to them.

I was much interested in what
you write about your nephews at
Coolmine. How rejoiced your brother
& his lady would be to welcome back
their soldier son!

The news from the East is cheering!
Now I must close. Please to give my
very affect [affectionate?] regards to Mrs Kirkpatrick,
Alexander & George, and Believe me,
My dear Mr Kirkpatrick to remain
Your very affectionate friend,
Wm [William?] Harke