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Title: William Porter, U.S.A. to Robert [Porter?], [Ireland?]
ID2165
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FilePorter, William/26
Year1859
SenderPorter, William
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationfarmer
Sender ReligionPresbyterian
OriginChicago, Illinois, N.Ireland
DestinationCo. Armagh? N.Ireland
RecipientPorter, Robert L.
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipbrothers
SourceD 1152/3/14: Presented by Mr Charles Best, Mullaghglass, Bessbrook, County Armagh.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9011013
Date04/11/1859
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogAction By Date Document added by B.W. 06:12:1993
Word Count825
Genre
Note
TranscriptTo: Robert [L. Porter?]
[Desert, County Down?]

From:
63 Pearson St [street?] Chicago Nov 4 1859

Dear Brother Robert
I am ashamed to begin to
write to you it is so long since I
should have done so seeing you
were so kind in sending me the money
you did in your last for which I am
much oblidged [obliged?] to you and I hope you
will never want but I would have
wote [wrote?] to you long before this but so
many reasons & the first was I was
waiting for an answer from Andy
but he did not wite [write?]to me since I
sent him yours so I do not know
any thing how or what he intends
doing and now I will let you know
what Joseph & myself is doeing [doing?]
well to begin we have had some troub [trouble?]
and a few deaths here Joseph had
two of his children died within one
day of each other William & Johny
the[y?] took something in there [their?] throat
and could not be cured and in fact
the[y?] were all bad but the 2 girls
Joseph had something like Colera [cholera?]
and ann had the Ague but
there [they're?] all well Now thank God
Well now for myself Sarah was
confined the last of August but
was delivered of a fine boy but it
was dead born for she had to be
delivered by a surgeon with instruments
and in consequence the child was
dead for which she felt very sorry
the other children is all well Joseph
is going on to school and is getting
a fine big boy Mary ann is with
a lady taking care of a child for
which she gets 12 S a week and a
very good life Sara Jane is working
at her trade and has 16 S a week and
board with us and my own health

#PAGE 2
is Just the same one day in every
week in bed with headache
Sara and I was down to where
Joseph is last week seeing them
she never was there before and
I helped him to build a house for
his cattle 30 feet long and 14 wide
that holds 8 cows & horses and
now he has the best set of Houses
on his farm of any one within 10
miles of where he is he has a house
20 feet wide 24 feet long with a cellar
the same size that will hold all his
Potatoes and such things from frost
and keep milk in sum-er [SUMMER?] his House is
Divided in four apartments Just so
and well finished inside so he is
pretty well considering and he has another +-------+-------+
car house as you would call it 12 by 20 | Bed | Bed |
that holds a wagon plow [plough?] Harrow +-------+-------+
and a machine for cutting hay and | Dining|Kitchen|
corn for which I paid 135 dollars +-------+-------+
and is drawn by 2 horses and 2 oxen
he cut about 40 tons of hay and
would have got more only for the
spell of sickness the[y?] all had I went
down and cut one week myself but
I could not stay as we were not certain
what time Sarah would be taking bad
well now I am trying to get a house put
up for myself in the village which is
1/2 a mile from him and then I will move
to it where we will be nearer each other
for sick as I be I could beat him on a
farm yet but if the Almighty is
pleased to spare us for a few years
I think we will make an independence
that is we will not be afraid of the landlord
I have been working a little at some
Stairs but there is nothing doing at building
like what there was
And now there is one thing I would
request of you seeing you have been
so good that is if you would get
McBlain to put up as much seeds
as what a tea chest or other box the
same size well packed and directed

#PAGE 3
to me of all the following kinds turnips of
all kinds for there is none pure here and
cabbages with some curleys a little beans a few
peas not many a little english grass seed
and 10000 thorn quicks and a little
whin and broom and a little oats & wheat seed you will think
I am troublesome but maybe I will
do as much for you some time
I will send the way you can direct
them inside of this and McBlain
could forward them to New York
and now I pray God this may find
you all well both Father and Mother
sisters and Brothers as the[y?] leave us
all at present Sarah would wish if
you could hear any word of her folk for the[y?]
dont write any more you would let her know
I remain as ever your Affectionate Brother
William Porter