| Title: | John Henry, Ill., U.S.A., to "Dear Sister", [Ireland?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 1419 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Henry, John/4 |
| Year | 1867 |
| Sender | Henry, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | Presbyterian |
| Origin | Eden, Illinois, USA |
| Destination | Co. Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | T1480/1: Copied by Permission of J. Henry, Esq., Coleraine, Co. Londonderry |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9804833 |
| Date | 19/02/1867 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 30:04:98. |
| Word Count | 633 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Sister [of John Henry?], [Ireland?] From: Eden Illinois Feby [February?] 19th 1867 Dear Sister, I now embrace the present opportunity of writing to you a few lines to let you know that we are still moving arround [around?] on the face of the Globe your letter arrived here in due time but as I have been absent from home all the time you will have to excuse my not writing to you sooner, I have been travelling the most part of my time all winter trying to find a home where I could locate to some advantage I went first to where William Hogan is located, to see what kind of a country it was up there, some things I like about it and some things I dont it is a very healthy climate and a good place to get land, one can get a farm there of 160 acres for the settling down on he will have to take an oath declaring his intentions of Making that place his home he would have to build a house on it and improve it for five years and then he would get a deed for it from the Government, this is about all the good advantage the place has got, it is dreadful cold climate the people freeze to death sometimes in winter, there is no Church there of any kind, nor any schools, there is plenty of wilde [wild?] men & wilde [wild?] Beast[s?] I had the honour to be in company with some of those red men of the forest several times when I was out there The[y?] are rather a paculiar [peculiar?] kind of beings the[y?] are very proud and lofty in their bearing and very indipendent [independent?] in spirit, then are very treacherous and when exited [excited?] the [they?] are very savage William Hogan was ve [very?] sory [sorry?] to [hear?] of what had befell his folks, if the [they?] were out where William is the [they?] could get all the land the [they?] wanted, but the [they?] are getting a little to [too?] old to come over here and comence [commence?] the world in the new I was somewhat surprised to hear of your having changed your name and place of aboad [abode?], but as such circumstances are unavoidable you were no doubt Justifyable [Justifiable?] in doing so Your husband I have lost all recolection [recollection?] of what he was like entirely but wha [what?] inference I can draw from your own statement he must be all that is desirable, therefore I can wish you all Joy and happiness imaginable I dont see how Mother will get along without you, I should think the [old?] folks would be begining [beginning?] to feel very Lonesome at home by themselves, with their children pretty much all [gone?] I realy [really?] feel sory [sorry?] for them, and sometimes wish it had been my Lot to have been nearer to them in their old age we are now living in Eden and intends living here for some time what I shall got at present, I have not bought any farm yet, land is getting up in value very rapidly arround [around?] here, I have some notions of going to a new country where I can get land cheaper and more of it, but I have not settled on where I shall go, yet I like to live arround [around?] here very well but I can not get land to suit me we are all in the enjoyment of very good health at present, a blessing for which we can not be so with regard to your self I must bid you adue [adieu?] for the present give my best respects to your Husband and all your Kinfolk, let the old folks at home know that we are all well I add not But remains your Affectionate Brother, John Henry |
