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Title: G B Kirkpatrick, Toronto, to his uncle in Ballymena.
ID1620
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileKirkpatrick, George Airey/13
Year1889
SenderLit. Col. Sir George Airey
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationarmy officer, barrister
Sender ReligionProtestant
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
DestinationBallymena, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland
RecipientRev George Kirkpatrick
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipnephew-uncle
SourceD 1604/320: Presented by Rev. Robert Kirkpatrick, Breezemount, The Roddens, Larne, County Antrim.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9012056
Date31/03/1889
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogAction By Date Document added by C.R., 02:12:1993.
Word Count1564
Genre
Note
TranscriptTo: Rev George Kirkpatrick
Hazelbank
Craigs
Ballymena
Ireland

[Post marked, envelope, front] TORONTO APL 1 3PM [18?] 89
CANADA.
[Post marked, envelope, front] BALLYMENA C APL 12 [18?] 89
[IRELAND?].

From:
Coolmine
Toronto
March 31/[18?]89


My dear Uncle George
It gave me a great deal of
pleasure last week to get your
letter of the 7th and to find you
were so wonderfully well. I was
sorry indeed to hear of Rutherfords
severe illness and hope and pray
that the improvement reported by
Alex last week has been maintained
and that is now convalescent. They
did not seem to know exactly what
was the matter but I suppose from
his runnung down so it must have
been like typhoid fever - He would
have the best medical assistance
and with God's blessing I trust he
will be spared to his family and
friends.
I cannot tell you how
much I miss dear Aunt Lydia's
letters, she used to keep me so
well posted on all family news
and now I hear verylittle of it
as I suppose Rosee does not
hear much. and then I think
it is given to very few to be able
to write such a chatty letter,
as aunt Lydia used to write,
I must try and tell you all
about your numerous nephews
and nieces over here - and
first let me say that we are

#PAGE 2
all thank God well Lexie [Alexander?]
& Carrie live very near us
and have such a nice house.
she is expecting her confinement
every day now. Lexie [Alexander?] is doing
very well in his business of
Insurance - and does a little
as Land agent as well.
My second son George is in
a Branch of the Imperial Bank at
Winnipeg. he was not very
strong and the doctor ordered a
change of climate and the dry
prairie air of Manitoba
has suited him very well this
winter. people are very kind
to him up there and he has made
many friends. one of Kate
Dennistowns daughters is
married up there to Dr Jones
and Etta the eldest girl of Kates
has been spending the winter
with them, and George has been
at their house a good deal
He is well liked in the bank.
and is getting sufficient salary
to support himself well, he
gets now $600 per annum, equal
to £125 sterling. my third
boy William is in the office of
the Canada Company here,
and is very steady. He is very
musical and plays the
flute well. Goldwin and
Arthur my other two boys
are attending Upper Canada
College, where George A has
two boys also and John Noble
one. my little girl Theodora
who is eight years old is a great
comfort to us. she attends school
at Ellen Fosters near this and
is a very clever child. fond of
music and fond of reading.
Mrs Morris and she were at
Petrolea for a visit to Robert
Morris but had to cut their visit

#PAGE 3
short and return home as one
of his little girls got dipthera [diphtheria?]
Bbut it was a mild form
and she was instantly isolated
and neither Theodora or little
Betty Morris the other daughter
got it. Mrs Morris saw the
Nobles and Jenkins who were
very well. Helen Nobles two eldest
boys are at work at Petrolea. the
eldest Robert in the Bank of Toronto
Branch there, and the next Stafford
in the Bank of which Morris is
the Head - the next boy James
is here at college and comes out
on Saturday afternoon to see
us. George as second son Arthur is
at the University here and
doing well. He is clever and is
going in for law when he gets through
James Dennistown's son Max
is now a barrister and has an
office in Peterboro [Peterborough?] and lives at
home. Franks two eldest boys
are at Queens College University
at Kingston [Ontario] and so are able
to live at home. George and
his wife are at Ottawa just now
attending his legislative duties.
I dare say he will be taking
a trip home this summer. as he
can generally get away somewhere
Minnie Alex [Alexander's?] daughter is married
very well to a Dr Garrett in Kingston [Ontario?]
and has a very nice house, and a
little baby, her eldest brother
Alex [Alexander?] is married and at
Chatam [Ontario?] on the
Canadian Pacific Ry [Railway?] branch
which is building from London [Ontario?]
to Windsor [Ontario?]. He has been very
lucky in getting different
appointments on the railway
in different places where they
are building new lines
Reginald his other brother was
in the Custom House at Winnipeg

#PAGE 4
for some years and is now moved
to Vancouver I think.
Mrs Fostersen is living near us
with her son Fred who is a
surveyor and has an office here
and Ellen lives there too and
has a small school. Emily
Foster lives near San Francisco
and maintains herself by
teaching. Charles Foster you
know lives in Montreal.
we often see him as he has
to go about a good deal seeing
after the different agencies
of the London Assurance Co [Company?]
of which he is general agent for
Canada. Mary Gilbert
nee Unwin lived near us with
her sister Etty Unwin in one of
Mrs Harrison house, she has a
little boy. Dr Gilbert did not
leave much to her so they have
to be very careful, and his father
who is a doctor in San Francisco
sends her some money occasionally
and is kindly disposed towards
her. Mrs Harrison and Mrs Ambers
are in England at present.
they spent the winter in London [England?]
and are now somewhere near London [England?]
I forget the name of the place
We have had a very mild winter
all over Canada, and spring
set in very early. I saw crocuses
in full blossom in the open
ground a fortnight ago, but
today after Church it began to
snow very heavily, quite wet snow
and kept it up all day until
now at Eleven oclock [o'clock?] at night
there must be several inches
deep. it will take the sting
out of the air and I fancy we
shall have a burst of heat after
this as we wanted rain or wet
of some kind to give the grass a
start. I had hoped to have been


#PAGE 5
able to get a holiday this summer
and cross the Atlantic, but there
is no chance for me this year as
we have got a new Commissioner
of Crown Lands and he does not
understand much about it yet.
so cannot spare me this year.
our late Commissioner Mr Pardee
was obliged to resign owing to ill health
I have been very well, except that
I was troubled with bleeding at the
nose a good deal, I consulted a doctor
and he said I was making blood
too fast, and he knocked me off
eating meat for a while and gave
me some medicine which I suppose
had the desired effect as my nose
has not bled since I took it.
I am kept very busy at the office and
I was rather afraid it was a bad sign
but was relieved to find it was not
I dare say you heard of the new parish
in which I am interested here, formed
last summer out of a mission that
a friend and myself had been keeping
up for nearly two years. we have a
very nice clergyman over it a Mr
Hart, who has long been a great friend
of ours, as Toronto is growing so fast
this place which was all open fields a
few years ago is now filling up with
artizans [artisans?] and that class. One of the
attendants of our mission owned
several acres of land close by and he
has given a lot 100 feet by 170 feet.
on which a schoolhouse and rectory
are being built. this land is on a main
street and is worthy [worth?] over $50 a
foot frontage, so they have borrowed
$10,000 to erect a good brick building
to act as a church at present and a
brick parsonage. leaving room for the
erection of a church on the front of this
lot by and by. when the people get
better off, and pay off the loan for
the schoolhouse. They are going
to call the parish St Marys –

#PAGE 6
Dorencourt. There is a St Mary
Magdalene parish already but
the people wanted to connect the
parish with the memory of
dear wife, who took a great
interest in it as long as she could.
They are just putting the roof on
now and we hope to have it ready
for service early in June, it
will seat about 450, and will
have a basement just as large
which will act as Sunday School
room the for present.
I help Mr Hart at the service
sometimes, I am during Lent
giving an address on Wednesday
evenings. It is a great privilege
to be allowed to work for God.
and to find it owned and
blessed by Him, and it is also a
great happiness to me to think
that all my dear boys are
trying to walk in the narrow path
which leads to lifeeternal, looking
for help and direction to our
blessed Redeemer, and trusting
for acceptance only through Him,
May we all have a happy meeting round
His throne in His own good time,
Give my love to my cousins, and
with much to yourself believe me
always your affectionate nephew
Geo [George?] Kirkpatrick