| Title: | D. McCullough, New Zealand, to Sam & Margaret McCullough, Ireland |
|---|---|
| ID | 1693 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | McCullough, David/91 |
| Year | 1899 |
| Sender | McCullough, David |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | gold digger |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | New Zealand |
| Destination | Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | McCullough, Sam and Margaret |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Sandra Gilpin, 15 Windmill Hill, Comber, Newtownards, BT23 5WH, N. Ireland |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park |
| Doc. No. | 9702280 |
| Date | 02/07/1899 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LET |
| Log | Document added by LT, 24:02:97. |
| Word Count | 382 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Waimangaroa 2 July 1899. Dear Father & Mother, You will think me very slow about answering your letters. We left the Cascade about the latter end of September. We went into the Mackley country prospecting. We took a good supply of rations with us we carried it in stages there was not a soul there but ourselves, there is neither roads nor horse tracks,there, we got alluvial Gold - would pay about Four pounds per week, but that is not good enough in that country too much lost time and expense carrying tucker you have to carry all you eat on our backs and that is a bit hard work there are plenty of birds, pigeons, Kaka, and ducks and also the weka, or Wood-hen it cannot fly they walk or run along the ground, the dogs can easily catch them the [they?] come in very handy when one is short of meat Time goes very quick when you are out prospecting shifting camp so often and carrying Tucker I have had about Eight months of it this time but at any rate we are back again not a bit better off and very little the worse There is any amount of men in Newzealand [New Zealand?] and Australia doing the same the [they?] will go into any Country or through any hardship after Gold I have bought into a claim here in the Waimangaroa I am back in civilisation again there is two or three churches here and plenty of stores in the township we can get every thing left at our door a great change from swagging every thing on our backs for Two or Three days. I am very sorry to hear of Aunt Nancy death (sic) Dear Father I am very sorry to hear that Mother and you is much worse in health and strength I hope you will both be much better and stronger by the time you get this Dear Father & Mother you are both asking me to come home it would be very akward [awkward?] at the present time to get away We are still holding on the Cascade claim we have got a good bit of money sunk in it now but I will try and be home in the inside of Twelve Months, From your son Address ________ Waimangaroa D. McCullough via, Westport |
