| Title: | Eliza Ann McCleery, Portaferry, to John M. Orr, Chicago. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1670 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | McCleery, Eliza Ann/97 |
| Year | 1847 |
| Sender | McCleery, Eliza Ann |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Portaferry, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Recipient | Orr, John M. |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | Copyright Retained by John McCleery, 80 Circular Road, Belfast,BT4 2GD. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9702152 |
| Date | 29/10/1847 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 10:02:97. |
| Word Count | 1322 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Anonymous note here in transcript " from Eliza Anne McCleery 1817-64(?)"?] Portaferry 29 Oct 1847 My Dear John I believe when you were leaving I promised I would write you. Your father has often reminded me of my promise & you will see by the top of this that I have his permission to address you. [Anonymous note inserted here in transcript that the word Portaferry was written by Rev. John Orr?] Yesterday he brought me this sheet of notepaper commenced by him as you see so I have no excuse. I am such a wretched letter writer that I am ashamed to begin & feel quite at a loss for a subject. You hear so often from your father & Jane Ellen I am sure anything I could say in the shape of news would only be a repetition of their letters. I am glad to learn you have commenced business on your own account & that your prospects are so cheering. I sincerely hope you may succeed equal to your expectations. indeed I have not the least doubt but that you will as I know you left this determined to persevere & get ahead as Brother William says - We are all going on as you left us. William arrived in Belfast about the 20th Sept. after a severe passage & for the last week of it 6 feet water in the hold & the pumps gaining on the men - rather pleasant I am sure. He was quite well & as happy looking as ever He came home as 1st mate or "chief officer" as he says himself he has not so much of the sailor about him as he had & has put off the jackets which I assure you is a great improvement. he sailed this day fortnight in the same ship for New Orleans 3 days after your letter to him arrived here but I shall enclose it to him in my first letter - he will be glad to get it as he was most anxious to hear from you & wondered you did not write to Quebec as you promised. The boys are still in Belfast Robt. [Robert?] doing very well & kept very busy. The Gaussens failed this season I hear œ26000 - & James has not had so much to do - Jane would tell you "Wee Tom" has got married. it has made him quite a serious old man. he has got a nice wife not handsome but very a nice agreeable person & a happy looking creature. I thought this event would have caused a little gaiety among us but so far we had only a party in Dr. Filsons. the party was pretty large & we had a good deal of singing & dancing & altogether we had a delightful evening. The beaux were rather scarce but John & Sandy McCullough & a Mr. Cunningham gave us an agreeable surprise. Isabella & Mary Filson were sometime in Belfast this summer. They are very much improved Isabella was taking lessons in singing & now plays & sings very well. She has thrown away a good deal of her affectation & is quite the agreeable [sic] - quite a pleasure now to chat with her - I am glad to hear you say John that you think that the gals of your own green Isle superior yet -no doubt of it - I think they cannot be equalled by a few - I am sure not excelled what about the Gents you don't tell us anything about them come now you must let us hear what they are like. can you not give us any encouragement to go out to you what is your Partner like is he married or single here we may sit now for years & never see the face of one - Brother John as usual working away at the mill sometimes night & day I have been talking to him about writing to you but he says he w [would?] be a bad correspondent. I have heard this evg [evening?] of the death of Thos. [Thomas?] Gelston of Fever only 8 days ill & quite delirious from the first. Mrs G. [Gelston?] I suppose not very sorry. I hear she wished he would not recover that she might get a better - I wonder who she will select now - I doubt the inducements are now so so great as when Thos. [Thomas?] was wooing - The purse must be very low just now & that I daresay was the attraction. My mother Maria was in Belfast to see my brother William before he sailed as he could only spend 1 Sunday with (sic) & only returned last night - Have you heard from Thos. [Thomas?] Warnock poor fellow he was most anxious to hear from you still wonders where John Orr is - He did not like the voyage much often wished he was standing in the shop & saw Sarah or Rachel coming to say "Breakfast ready Tom" - though he had everything very nice at least as much as it could be on board it wanted the comforts of home. There was a letter from him last Sunday he is in Cincinatti with Archd [Archibald?]. is quite well & for so far the climate agrees with him - I think he wont remain long in the new world - Margt. [Margaret?] only got home last week from Scotland I dont think shes much better - the others are well. Sarah as charming as ever John - I think she is staunch & when your 3 years are expired you will find her the same, you must not be forgetting her & picking up a Yankee. Maria has been with us several times lately she is quite well desired her love to you when I would write - she is as merry as ever. I think she has fine times where she is little to do & plenty of fun. Robert White went to Edinburgh last week to remain for 9 months George Bowden home he was a candidate for one [of?] the hospitals in Belfast last month vacant by the death of a Dr. Anderson of Fern but did not succeed I hear he intended going to Edinburgh to study for a Physician hes just the old 2/9 - Our little town improving vastly in the way of building since you left you would scarcely know it. Wallace has raised & improved his house the watchmakers (McKnights) also raised & new-fronted - we are quite elegant just now - but then there is very little business doing in it - which is not so well - So many large failures have caused a great sensation. We were in hopes ere this Mr Donnan would have give us a dance in his new store but I fear the bad times has frightened him - for I don't hear any word of it now - Dr. [dear?] John I hope you will excuse this hurried epistle I am ashamed to send it. I can scarcely get a pen that will write & I am afraid your Father will be sending for it - as he does not like to be too late posting he told me to write you a budget but he did not intend it should be long I think when he limits me to this bit of paper I have put as much [much?] as I could. I must now close. My next will be longer but I hope I shall soon have the pleasure of hearing from you how nice we would all look here shopping in [P'ferry?] [Portaferry?] [present?] I sometimes since I heard of it fancy myself in one - Dear bless you John dont pop into one of those bottomless pits you describe in Chicago. All well here & join me in kind remembrance to you & esteem [Me?] My Dr [Dear?] John Your sincere friend Eliza Ann McCleery |
