| Title: | J. E. Orr & M. Orr, Portaferry, Co. Down to John M. Orr, USA |
|---|---|
| ID | 2014 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Orr, Jane Ellen/93 |
| Year | 1847 |
| Sender | Orr, Jane Ellen and Margaret |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Prob. Protestant |
| Origin | Portaferry, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Recipient | Orr, John M. |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | Copyright Retained by John McCleery, 80 Circular, Belfast, BT42GD |
| Archive | The Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9702158 |
| Date | 30/08/1847 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 10:02:97. |
| Word Count | 1532 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Portaferry, August 30th 1847 My dear John, Your letter of the 4th August from Chicago, we received this morning, and I can assure you it was a much welcome one while reading it we were all impatience until you would mention whether you received any of our letters we sent but what was our disappointment to find that you had not I cannot imagine how on earth they have gone astray. This is now the fifth or sixth - I am not sure which that has been written. I wrote a very long one to you on the 30th July, and addressed to the Post Office, Chicago should this reach you, be sure and enquire for it, it will keep you reading for [an?] hour. I wrote again a few days after as [John?] Maxwell and his father were leaving, and they kindly promised to find out your address, and have it forwarded to you whether you will ever receive it or not I can't tell, Mamma was ready to cry this morning - not at [hearing?] from you by [letter?] - but that you had not heard from us, you must think we have entirely forgotten "brother John", indeed it looks very like it, were I in your place, I'd be fancying all sorts of evil had happened to the P'ferry [Portaferry?] folks, but they are living, and living like - This morning past has also brought a letter from Tom Warnock, but I have not heard any of his news as yet, there was one from on last Tuesday mentioning his safe arrival in New York his friend [stained] getting very [uneasy?] about him [faded] [very?] long passage 46 days he was heartily sick of sailing, where he first wrote he had [---t?] had time to make any enquiries after you, I am longing until I hear whether he has had any tidings in the letter that came today. Miss M Warnock is in Scotland, and has been there three or four months; she is rather better. She had the honour of sailing twenty miles beside the Queen - last week!!! Her Most Gracious Majesty is in Scotland at present. Prince Albert has taken a shooting lodge for six weeks, but it is useless talking about these Royal personages for I think they do not interest you very much. Saw the "Great Britain? " is afloat at last, she was got off on Thursday evening, and on Saturday morning from the hill, we saw her passing the Light house, towed by the "Birkenhead", and the steam ship "Scourge" following after, Captain Clapton thought at first of bringing her here, why they did not I cannot tell, then they were for taking her to Liverpool, but I hear she would have sunk before she could get that length, they however took her to Belfast, she was just coming down the lough when the coach was leaving B'fast [Belfast?] on Saturday evening. I was at Dundrum Bay on Thursday with Mrs Stewart of Down, I was stopping with her for a week, and only returned on Friday, I had a very pleasant time indeed. Isabella and Mary Filson have been in B'fast [Belfast?] for nearly three months, they returned on this day week and Robena McCullough came with them, she is leaving again this week. It is pretty generally accepted she is going to be married to Mr Charles Young of Donegal St, but whether it is true or not I cannot say. I have not written to Mary Blow for a long time, I hear she is in Scotland at present with the Beaths, she is in a very bad state of health and has gone there for change of air I must give you all due praise for being a good letter-writer, I did not think you could have written a letter half that length of the one we had to-day. I know when I was at school, you never honoured me with more than half a dozen lines, you are got famous at descriptions, indeed your letter altogether delighted us, it was first rate, Pray dont say I'm turned flatterer. I wish I could get since [sense?] lessens [lessons?] in the letter writing way for I'm preciously bad at it. I'm sure it must be very amusing to you, a vulgar Irishman, to see the Yankees at their meat. I almost fancy I see them, you were not amiss at bolting your food down while here, but I suppose you are vastly improved in that accomplishment They must be a set of dirty brutes; I would like the desert part of the dinner. We are all just as you left us, Portaferry is as quiet as ever. The only thing that has occurred in the marrying way is that Robert Gunning has got sliced to Miss Lawson, I do not hear of any more weddings going to be. I wish you could find a suitable husband for me, and send him to P'ferry [Portaferry?] to bring me out to America, I should love to go. There was a letter from Willie McCleery by the last mail, there was a great deal of sickness on board the Huron, an immense number of children died of measles. He mentioned having written to you, did you receive his letter? In the paper John Warnock sent from New York, it mentioned that their was a letter for you at the Post Office, uncalled for. We will all be in the fidgets now until we hear whether you received any of our letters or not. We had Anna and Mary McCleery, down with us for three weeks, last month, they liked being here very much indeed. They are all living in Holywood at present, and they intend remaining there until November, when they get settled in B'fast [Belfast?] again. Meggy and your humble servant are to go and spend sometime with them. Uncle James McC [McCleery?] was quite well last time I heard of him. We have beautiful harvest weather, the crops are most abundant, everything is becoming very cheap, the Indianmeal is so low as 1d per pound. I believe the crops are very abundant in America also, is there any chance of your making a fortune this year? I hope so, I must have done, Meggy wants to add a few words, I fear she'll be grumbling for I have left her so little room. Eliza Anne McCleery has just been in, she desires her love to you, and she says she will write to you when you get settled. Please excuse this unconnected scrawl, for I am in a hurry. All here unite with me in kindest love to you I remain, dear John, your much attached sister Jane Ellen Orr My dear John Not one word of anything you would like to hear has Jane Ellen left me to tell you, as she commenced this I suppose she thought she might tell all. I am very sorry to say that the potatoes are going with the rot, at least some of them, ours are completely gone, long ago, but it is not so general this year as it was last year, as yet. - I hear that the "Great Britain" after she got into Belfast had to go to Liverpool, as there was not a dock large enough to hold her, and she passed the lighthouse yesterday evening on her way. There was a letter this day from Robert Bowden in Quebec. They were six weeks on sea and had seventeen deaths on board. He mentions that there is a great deal of sickness in Quebec. Mamma hopes that some of your letters have reached you before this, and she would be anxious to know if you got your clothes and all the other things safe, And if you pay much for the washing and mending of them. The next letter we write to you will be much longer than this one Indeed we had no intention of writing to day till we heard that you had not received any of ours. William Henry is as great a clip as ever, and often wishes that Jane Ellen was away instead of you and would not be a bit sorry if you were to send her home a darky. Mamma would write to you but her hands are so much out of the way of it she would not do so. So you must just be contented with the performance of your good sisters. We saw the arrival of the Prince de Joinville in Liverpool last week but we have not got your likeness yet. It is near post time, and nearer dinner time, and I have not time to write any more, besides I know you have a great dislike to crossed letters. So with the united love of all to you I remain as ever your attached sister, Margaret Your Uncle J [James?] McCleery has paid the half of the Bill, and [reserved?] [faded] for the other half We all live with the present [faded] Thomas Warnock is at Saratoga springs drinking the waters [stained] in health and intends going to Cincinatti. |
