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Title: James Murray, New York to Rev. Baptist Boyd, Augnacloy.
ID1934
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileMurray, James/2
Year1737
SenderMurray, James
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationunknown
Sender Religionunknown
OriginNew York, USA
DestinationCo. Tyrone, N.Ireland
RecipientRev. Baptist Boyd
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipunknown
SourceT 1809: Purchased from the Newberry Library, Chicago 10, Illinois, USA.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.8809069
Date27/10/1737
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by JM 01:10:1993
Word Count1535
Genre
Note
TranscriptLETTER
OF
JAMES MURRAY OF NEW YORK
TO
REV. BAPTIST BOYD
OF
COUNTY TYRONE, IRELAND
REPRINTED FROM THE
PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE, OCT. [October?] 27 1737

EDITED BY
EARL GREGG SWEM
LIBRARIAN WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE

Forty-one Copies Printed for
CHARLES F. HEARTMAN
Metuchen. N.J., 1925

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

This reprint of the letter by James Murray is from the
text in number 464 of The Pennsylvania Gazette, bearing
the date October 27 to November 3, 1737. The editorial
note prefixed to the letter as it is printed in the Pennsylvania
Gazette informs us that the letter "is said to have
been sent from a person settled in New York, to his
countrymen, to encourage them to come over thither,"
and that it "was printed and dispers'd in Ireland; a copy
of which being brought over, in one of the late ships, we
present our readers with it." I have tried to discover if
the letter was published in broadside or leaflet form, but
without success. An examination of the bibliographical
aids in the Library of Congress, and New York Public
Library does not disclose any information concerning the
author or his work. I have been able to identify the
Rev. Baptist Boyd to whom the letter is addressed. He
was minister at Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, from 1697,
or earlier to 1749. In ending his letter, Murray requests
that letters to himself be directed to John Pemberton,
Minister of the Gospel in New York. There was a Reverend
Ebenezer Pemberton living at this date, 1737, in
New York, but not a Rev. John Pemberton. Notwithstanding
this discrepancy, the editor of this reprint
believes that the letter is genuine and that the copy which
Franklin used for The Pennsylvania Gazette was taken
from an original letter. If printed in broadside or leaflet
form no copy is known.

The fact remains, however, that this unique and curious
#PAGE 2
letter, whether written by James Murray or not, was
circulated in Ireland to induce emigration to America.
As an example of many printed inducements to induce
immigration to this land of promise, published from
1607 to this present time, it claims our attention, and is
therefore reprinted.

Mr Charles Martel, of the Library of Congress, Mr. H. M. Lydenberg and
Mr. Victor Paltsits, of the New York Public Library, and Dr. Henry
Preserved Smith, of the Union Theological Seminary have shown interest in
this reprint and I hereby express my obligation to them.
E. G. SWEM.


LETTER OF JAMES MURRAY

The following Letter is said to have been sent
from a Person settled in New-York, to his Countrymen,
to encourage them to come over thither; which,
that it might have the better Effect on the People,
was printed and dispers'd in Ireland: A Copy of
which being brought over, in one of the late Ships,
We present our Readers with it.

A Letter from James Murray, Thus directed; For
the Kingdom of Ereland [Ireland?], in the North of Ereland [Ireland?],
near to Aughnacloy, in the County of Tyrone, To
Baptist Boyd, the Reverend Minister of the Gospel,
in the Parish of Aughelow. Let aw [all?] Persons that
see this, tak [take?] Care to send it to the Reverend Baptist
Boyd, Minister of the Gospel, in the Parish of Aughelow,
in the County of Tyrone, living near Aughnacloy.
With care.

Reverend Baptist Boyd,

Read this Letter, and look, and tell aw [all?] the poor
Folk of your Place, that God has open'd a Door for
their Deliverance; for here [there?] is ne [no?] Scant [Scarcity?] of
Breed [Bread?] here, and if your Sons Samuel and James Boyd wad [would?] but
come here, they wad [would?] get mere [more?] Money in ane [one?] Year
for teechin [teaching?] a Letin [Latin?] Skulle [School?], nor ye [you?]
yer sell [yourself?] wad [would?] get
for Three Years Preeching [Preaching?] whar [where?] ye are. Reverend
Baptist Boyd, there ged [went?] ane [one?] wee [with?] me in the Shep [Ship?],
that now gets ane [one?] Hundred Punds [Pounds?] for ane [one?] Year for
teechin [teaching?] a Letin [Latin?] Skulle [School?], and God kens [knows?],
little he is skill'd in Learning, and yet they think him a high
learned Man: Ye ken [know?] I had but sma [small?] Learning when
#PAGE 3
I left ye, and now wad [would?] ye think it, I hea [have?] 20 Pund [Pounds?] a
Year for being a Clark [Clerk?] to York Meeting-House, and
I keep a Skulle [School?] for wee [small?] Weans [children?]: Ah dear Sir,
there is braw [fine?] Living in this same York for high learned
Men: The young Foke [Folk?] in Ereland [Ireland?] are aw [all?] but a Pack
of Couards [Cowards?], for I will tell ye in short, this is a bonny
Country, and aw [all?] Things grows here that ever I did
see grow in Ereland [Ireland?]; and wee [we?] hea [have?] Cows and Sheep,
and Horses plenty here, and Goats, and Deers, and
Racoons, and Moles, and Bevers [Beavers?], and Fish, and
Fouls [Fowls?] of aw [all?] Sorts: Trades are aw [all?] gud [good?] here, a
Wabster [Webster?] gets 12 Pence a Yeard [Yard?], a Labourer gets 4 Shillings
and 6 Pence a Day, a Lass gets 4 Shillings and 6
Pence a Week for spinning on the wee [small?] Wheel, a Carpenter
gets 6 Shillings a Day, and a Tailor gets 20
Shillings for making a Suit of Cleaths [Clothes?], a Wheelwright
gets 16 Shillings for making Lint Wheels a
piece, Indian Corn, a man wull [will?] get a Bushell [bushel?] of it
for his Day's Wark [Work?] here; Rye grows here, and Oats,
and Wheet [Wheat?], and Winter Barley, and Summer Barley;
Buck Wheet [Wheat?] grows here, na [now?] every Thing grows
here. ___ Now I beg of ye aw [all?] to come our [over?] here, and
bring our [over?] wee [with?] ye aw [all?] the Cleaths [Clothes?] ye can of
every Sort, beth [both?] o' [of?] Linen and Woollen, and Guns, and
Pooder [Powder?], and Shot, and aw [all?] Sorts of Weers [Wares?] that is
made of Iron and Steel, and aw [all?] Tradesmen that
comes here, let them bring their Tools wee [with?] them,
and Farmers their Plough Erons [Irons?]; a Mason gets 6
Shillings a Day; fetch Whapsaws [Whip saws?] here, and Hatchets,
and Augers, and Axes, and Spades, and Shovels,
and Bibles, and Hammers, and Psalm Bukes [Books?], and
Pots, and Seafaring Bukes [Books?] and fetch aw [all?] Sorts of
Garden Seeds, Parsneps [Parsnips?], Onions, and Carrots; and
Potatoes grows here very big, red and white beth [both?],
fetch aw [all?] the Bukes [Books?] here you can get, fetch a Spade,
wee [with?] a Hoe made like a stubbing Ax [Axe?], for ye may clear
as muckle [much?] Grund [Ground?] for to plant Indian Corn, in ane [one?]
Month, as will maintain Ten Folk for a Year. Dear
Reverend Baptist Boyd, I have been 120 Miles inn [in?] the
Wolderness [Wilderness?], and there I saw a Plain of Grund [Ground?] 120
Miles lang [long?], and 15 Bred [Broad?], and there never grew nor [no?]
Tree upon it, and I hea [have?] see [seen?] as gud [good?] Meadow grow
upon it, as ever I see [seen?] in Ereland [Ireland?]. There is a great
wheen [number?] of the Native Folks of this Country turn'd
Christians, and will sing the Psalms bonily, [bonnily?] and appear
to be Religious, that gee [give?] Ministers plenty of
Skins for his Steepend [Stipend?], and he gets Siller [Silver?] plenty for
the Skins again; Deer Skins and Bear Skins: Ye may
get Lan [Land?] here for £10 a Hundred Acres for ever, and
#PAGE 4
Ten Years Time tell [until?] ye get the Money, before they
wull [will?] ask ye for it; and it is within 40 Miles of this
York upon a River Side, that this Lan [Land?] lies, se [so?] that
ye may carry aw [all?] the Guds [Goods?] in Boat to this York to
sell, if ony [any?] of you comes here. It is a very strong
Lan [Land?], rich Grund [Ground?], plenty of aw [all?] Sorts of Fruits in it,
and Swin plenty enough; There are Cay, and Stirks,
and Horses that are aw [all?] wild in the Wolderness, [Wilderness?] that
are aw [all?] yer [your?] ean [own?] when ye can grip them: desire my
Fether [Father?] and my Mether [Mother?] too, and my Three Sisters
to come here and ye may acquant [acquaint?] them, there are
Lads enugh [enough?] here; and bid my Brether [Brother?] come, and I
wull [will?] pay their Passage: Desire James Gibson to sell
aw [all?] he has and come, and I weel [will?] help him too; for
here aw [all?] that a Man warks [works?] for is his ane [own?], there are
ne [no?] ravenus [ravenous?] Hunds [Hounds?] to rive it fre [from?] us here,
ne [no?] sick Word as Herbingers [Harbingers?] is kend [known?] here, but
every yen [one?] enjoys his ane [own?], there is ne [no?] yen [one?] to
tak [take?] awa [away?] yer [your?] Corn, yer [your?]
Potatoes, yer [your?] Lint or Eggs: na [no?], na [no?], blessed be his
Name, ne [no?] yen [one?] gees [gives?] Bans for his ane [own?] here.

I bless the Lord for my safe Journey here, I was
Cook till [to?] the Ship aw [all?] the Voyage, we war [were?] Ten
Weeks and Four Days on the See [Sea?] before we landed;
this York is as big as twa [two?] of Armagh; I desire to be
remembered to aw [all?] my Friends and Acquaintance,
my Love to your sel [self?] Reverend Baptist Boyd, and aw [all?]
yer [your?] Femily [Family?]; I do desire you to send this Letter to
James Broon, of Drumern, and he kens [knows?] my Brether [Brother?]
James Gibson, and he weel [will?] gee [give?] him this Letter: It
shall be my earnest Request yence [once?] mere [more?], to beg of
ye aw [all?] to come here, I did value the See [Sea?] ne [no?] mere [more?]
then [than?] dry Lan [Land?]: Let aw [all?] that comes here put in a
gud [good?] Store of Oten [Oaten?] Meel [Meal?], and Butter, and Brandy, and
Cheese, and Viniger [Vinegar?], but above aw [all?] have a Writing under the
Han [Hand?] of the Capden [Captain?] of the Ship ye come in; if I war [were?]
now in Ereland [Ireland?], I wad [would?] ne [not?] stay there, yet I think to
gang [going?] there as Factor for a Gentleman of this City
of York, he is my relation by my Father, he is Returney [Attorney?]
of the Law here. There is Servants comes
here out of Ereland [Ireland?], and have serv'd their Time here,
wha [who?] are now Justices of the Piece [Peace?]; I will come to
Ereland [Ireland?] gin [if?] the Lord spare me about Twa [Two?] Years
after this, and I wull [will?] bring Rum, and Staves for
Barrals [Barrels?], and Firkins, and Tanners Bark for to sell,
and mony [many?] other Things for this Gentleman, and my
Sel [Self?], for I wull [will?] gang [go?] Super Cargo of the Ship so that
#PAGE 5
if nene [none?] of ye come I wull [will?] bring ye aw [all?] wee [with?] my
sel [self?], by the Help of the Lord.

Now I have geen [given?] you a True Description of this
York, luke [look?] the 8th Chapter of Deuteronomy, and
what is saith [said?] of the Lan [Land?] there, this is far better: Now
this is the last of 6 Sheets I hea [have?] writt [written?] to you on this
Heed, I hope that you Fether [Father?] wull [will?] be stoot [stout?] and come,
and aw [all?] that I have named, fear ne [not?] the See [Sea?], trust in
God, and he wull [will?] bring ye safe to shore, gin [if?] ye plees [please?]
him, now the Lord make ye se [so?] to do. Ne [No?] mere [more?] fre [from?]
me, but my Duty till [to?] my Fether [Father?] and Mether [Mother?], and my
Sisters and Brether [Brother?], and yence [once?] mere [more?] my kind Love
till [to?] yer sel [yourself?], Reverend Mr. Baptist Boyd; if any yen [one?]
sends me a Letter, direct till [to?] Mr. John Pemberton,
Minister of the Gospel in New-York, send it we [with?] ony [any?]
Body comin [coming?] till [to?] ony [any?] of these Parts, and let it be given
to the Post Hoose [House?] in America, and I will get it fre [from?]
John Pemberton, and now my Love till ye aw [all?].
James Murray.
Words(in letter):1535