| Title: | Job Johnson, Philadelphia to John Johnson, Co. Londonderry |
|---|---|
| ID | 1564 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Johnson, Job/16 |
| Year | 1784 |
| Sender | Johnson, Job |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | was an army officer during the |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Co. Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Johnson, John |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T3700/3A/B: Deposited by Prof. Curtis Wood and Dr CharlotteArnold |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 1200318 |
| Date | 05/12/1784 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 19:12:00. |
| Word Count | 924 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Letter to Messrs. John, Robert and James Johnson of Slatabogy [Slaghtybogy?], County Londonderry. To the care of Mr. James Barclay, Maghera, [Co. Londonderry?] Merchant Philadelphia, December 5th, 1784 Dear Brother, The pleasure I this moment feel of having through the Infinite and kind Redeemers [Redeemer's?] goodness, a life like Mine prolonged through a long and severe War, the hardships I have been partaker of, But bless God who has at last given us the Victory, and established our Independancy [Independency?]. Oh happy peace which enables me at this time, through God, to take up My pen to enquire after yous [your?] Wellfares [welfare?] and to give you an Account of My own, and in the first place I Must tell you that a large Volume would not Contain what I would wish to writ [write?] on that Subject, Much less a letter. Therefore let it but Suffice to give you to know, that your letters of 1775 being the last I received came to hand, and Never after untill [until?] this day had I the happiness to answer them. The above year I enjoyed a bad State of Health, and in the fall of that Said Year, being out in the Militia, as Quarter Master, I took the Bloody flux at Perth Amboy (State of New Jersey) Which Continued with me for Seventeen Weeks, in spite of medicine and that was not wanting, and at last ended in a Intermiting [Intermitting?] fever, (or Ague) which Continued with Me Nine Months longer. Being at this time got to Philadelphia and lay under the hands of two of the ablest Physicans here, was Several times given up for Death [dead?], But Yet, through God was so far recovered in Summer of 1776 that I could ride a little and did so and found Benefit thereby, But, still a complication of disorders attended Me, which I thought would Soon take Me out of this World of Troubles; Yet through Mercy he who judges best for All Men alloted [allotted?] me to see a great deal More hardships, and thanks be to his Name who has brought Me through them all to this happy period. For Shortly after I got so well, that I joined the Army again, Being Appointed by Congress, an Assistant Deputy Commissary General of Issues; for the Western department of the State of Pennsylvania; in Which line of the Staff I bore that Commission for three Years and Six Months. being the Most of that time out against the Indians in the Western Army; This letter would not be able to Contain (Turn Over) but a very small Description of that Savage People that we had to fight against, and their Cruelty to us when in their power, the Battles Skirmishes with them and the numbers slain, with the hardship undergone by us while in their Country, I must not fall on as it would swell My letter that I would writ [write?] nothing else; However, After being there three years, I was, to My great joy, ordered to Philadelphia to Join the Army then going with his Excellancy [Excellency?] General Washington to besiege Lord Cornwallas [Cornwallis?] in little [Little?] York (State of Virginia). I left the Indian country in August having Six Hundred Miles to Philadelphia, and got there in time to join our Troops and the French then on their March to Williamsburg, being four hundred and Twenty Miles More, without having had one days rest save two nights at Billys [Billy's] on my way whom I had not seen for the Above Time. - We got to Williamsburg and began the Siege 28th of Sept. 1781 which lasted untill [until?] the 19th of October, all which times (to be short on the Subject) was like nothing but one Continued Clap of Thunder between us and them; When at last they surrendered; I will say no More on the Subject of War only that the preserver of all Men made me Fortunate enough to get through the whole without loss of Life or Members; Still, though, with an ailing Constitution for which I have the greater reason to bless God who Contained Me when Many Stout and Strong around me fell. After Coming home from the hardships of the war There has not been a year Since but what I have had a severe spell of either one disorder or another; the Flux once, and Ague twice; and now Dear Brother, I am just through Providence got just so far as to be able to Sit up to writ [write?] you this for about four weeks ago No one that saw me would have believed that ever I would have wrot [wrought?] more in this world, I was bedfast for seven weeks of a Nervous Fever, and Indeed hardly can I now sit to writ [write?] you; but anxious desire to let you hear from Me once More and God only knows but it May please him to Make it the last. I would have thought that you would have wrot [written?] Me before this but Not a line, have I received from one in Ireland, only old Uncle John, and Brother Johnney [Johnny?], But I expect that you will. My Most Kind Compliments to Sister Betty, and Children. I would be glad to know what Children each of you has gotten, and their Names. My Respects to all old Neighbours, Friends, and former Acquaintances, and let them all know that I yet live, and I would be glad to hear from them all. While I remain Dear Brother with ardent good wishes for your health and Prosperity, together with that of your family. Your Most Affectionate Brother Job Johnson |
