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Title: P. Hughes, Woodstock, Maryland to [Willy Doran?]
ID1492
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileHughes, P/22
Year1894
SenderHughes, P.
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationstudying to be a clergyman
Sender Religionunknown
OriginWoodstock, Maryland, USA
DestinationIreland?
RecipientWilly
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipcousins
SourceDocument Presented by and Copyright Retained by Sharon Doran Turnbow, 6321 Roosevelt St., Coloma MI 49038 616 849 0240. Sharon@parrett.net or info@sandcastlescottages.com
ArchiveThe Centre for Migration Studies
Doc. No.201114
Date17/05/1894
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, Td by Maxine Green, 07:01:02
Word Count767
Genre
Note
Transcript A.M.D.G
Woodstock College,
Woodstock, Md [Maryland?]

May 17th 1894

Dear Cousin,
You will be surprised to hear
from me that the envelope out of which you
have just drawn this letter had your address
written on it at Easter. Why then did I not
dash off a few pages of news and fold them up
nicely within the said envelope and post the whole
to you? The truth is l had already begun to
write to you when l was prevented in the way I
shall now relate.
You know l spent my last 3 years at
Frederick, a town about 34 miles from here. Well
during the Easter holidays, when we were off study for
a few days, l was asked to join four others in a
walk to the old spot. Of course we could have
taken the train, but for the sake of exercise, and
to try our strength, we thought we would make use
of the good old customary way of going from place
to place on legs. So off we started on a bright
March morning at 5.30, and after covering the
ground at a pretty respectable rate, and taking a
slight rest here and there along the way, we reached
our old home with our many kind friends there
at 3:45 in the evening. I do not intend to tire
you, Willy, speaking of men and things, which,
however dear they may be to me, are nevertheless
unknown to you. However, as an old friend and
school fellow, l am sure you will not hear
with indifference that though those who are
dearest to me on earth are far away and likely
to remain so, yet l am not friendless. There
are kind and generous hearts to greet me wherever
I go - dear brothers who have more than a
brother's affection for me, and whom I love with
a brother's heart in return. After remaining
two days at Frederick we returned and began
once more the study of our Philosophy - But,
where am I? lf I do not change the
subject instantly I shall find myself at the end
of my letter without having told you anything except
the reasons for my not writing at Easter.
So now for a few words on Killowen affairs -
I had a letter from Francis less than a week ago
and here are in brief a few of the things he told me.
My mother had been sick of influenza ("the grip")
for six weeks when he wrote, but was then, thank God,
almost well again. Alicia had gone to live in
Dublin. Patrick Fitzsimons was working in
Liverpool. He had started three weeks before
Francis wrote for America, but, in finding work
in Liverpool, changed his mind. Edward Rourke
died in April of an inward cancer. Tom Moffatt,
Tommy Cull, Eddy McGivern of Ballindoalty [Co Down?] were
married. This is about all he had to say
except to express the hope that my mother would be
able to write the next letter to me.
And now for yourself - I have not yet told
you how much your letter delighted me. It was
well written too, and only confirms me in what I
said in my last letter. But do not let the
desire of writing well, keep you from writing
much. "Tell me all you can" as the old Irish
song had it - and I will add "all you can
about yourself - your hopes for the future, your ideas
about things which interest either of us - your castles in
the air." Every young fellow builds castles you know,
though with this difference, that noble hearted fellows
build noble buildings, whereas others do not. Would
you like to know where my castles are? Well, I would
like to convert this big round world of ours to the true
faith; but since this is not in my poor power, for
many, too many, do not want to be converted, then
with God's help my life and my labors will be
given to the grandest, noblest work on earth - that
of bringing all the souls I can to Heaven and to the
feet of Christ. Oh Willy, how I long for more virtue
and holiness, and more talent too and learning, that I may
be able to do this work the better. I am now preparing
for it with God's assistance. Pray that I may suceed.
I pray for all each day at Mass, and for you in
particular. Write me a long letter soon. Best
wishes to all.

Your affectionate Cousin
P. Hughes, S.J. [Society of Jesus?]

(Transcribed by Maxine Green.)