| Title: | Andrew Robb, Pittsburgh to Mrs Jane Murdock. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2304 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Robb, Andrew/5 |
| Year | 1846 |
| Sender | Robb, Andrew |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Hogtown, Florida, USA |
| Destination | Pittsburgh, Penn., USA |
| Recipient | Murdock, Jane |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | T 1454/5/2: Copied by Permission of Dr. J. C. Robb Esq., MBE, MD, MCH, Cambourne Park, Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9006030 |
| Date | 01/03/1846 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 25:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 1251 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Mrs John Murdock [Jane Robb Murdock?] Care of Rob--t [Robert?] Dalzell & Co----- [Company?] Pittsburgh Pa [Pennsylvania?] From: Hogtown March 1846 My Dear Sister Your letter of 16th Feb----y [February?] was handed to me by a neighbour who had been at the Post office a few ' days ago, ----ansville [Neumansville?] is the capital of this County & fifteen miles from this place, it is also fifteen miles, to me [?] their [there?] are post offices at both place but none nearer - we have, and are still getting a large increase to our population around here and must have a post office nearer. I have been looking out for some competent person who would be willing to take care of it, and have found one that will do. I shall write by this mail to Mr David Levy [Euby?] our United States Senator at Washington on the subdject [subject?], but when you write direct as before. Hogtown is as near as possible in the center of the county, it is not a town , but in all respects a country Plantation although the county court- [courts?] were held here before the war, and in all probability the- [they?] will be held somewhere about here again, as the present county capital is on one edge, and no way central making it very inconvenient to a large portion of the people to have to ride so far to court, and to do any other bussiness [business?] that the- [they?] may have with the land, to other offices, this place took its name I believe from an old Indian chief who lived here & who happened to have a large stock of hogs when the white men first began to settle the County the place goes by the name ever since. I had an Irishman named Conway living with me here once, he said its proper name was Ballynamuck, Bally in Irish signified signified Town and muck signified Hog. I think such an exchange of names would be what our crackers here would call a poor trade if it changes its name at all it must be to something less barbarous -- I rec----d [received?] a letter from Mr [Small?] at the same time I got yours I knew the [?] & writing of both, and opened his first believing it of little consequence, he informed me of Uncles death, and also that Margaret & Peter, were his Executors and that Eliza now Mrs P---- [Peers?] came in for an equal share of his property, except that which he got by marriage amounting he supposed to some $23000 -- this amount however must be mere guess work with Small he cannot have any means of knowing the exact amount, neither will it be known until the property is sold, in order to give me an idea of the present position of the Leather Trade he said there were not ten of the old swampers at the funeral although all were there that were acquainted with him I have writen a long letter to Margaret Bryson, and what you daughter of David (B--- [Born?] 1776) would probably call an affectionate one, if she answers it our correspondence will be renewed, it would have been #PAGE 2 better perhaps if I had not broken it off but I do not think she blames me much, if any, on that account, for she knows better than any one else my motive for doing so, if I could divest myself of a certain degree of coldness and large supply of stubborn Pride that seems to be in my nature, I would be glad, I can trace much of my trouble through life to this cause. I believe I have many times made others unhappy as well as myself this same disposition brought on a misunderstanding with the L--------t [Lieutenant?] Col---- [Colonel?] of the infantry here in Florida some years ago which altered completely my whole course of bussiness [business?] and finally was the means of my loosing [losing?] three Hundred Dollars and of being saddled with a suit in Chauncery [Chancery?] for three years I won the Chauncery [Chancery?] suit or things would have been much worse. I speak of this case at this time merely to show you that I am sensible of this defect and intend her-after [hereafter?] to do all I can to remedy it - in the slip which you had the goodness to Enclose, Margaret says "we here spent many happy hours together" we have spent many, many, happy hours together, hours of youth when life was in its spring and before the warm feeling of our nature were crushed by the crosses, dissapointments [disappointments?] and losses of after life, will such happy hours ever return we will see - I perceive by Margarets slip that Jane Wright has a Husband I did not know that before, she got tired of living what she used to call the quiet, easy, independent life of an old maid. I believe she used to put into Margarets head such antiquated notions, I wonder if her and Eliza have children the- [they?] both began somewhat late in life - Your Ellen was old enough, and quick enough I dare say to know very well what was going on around her in the family while she was in Frankfort street, our cousins are old enough and I suppose pretty enough to have admirers - Come sister be a little more communicative in your next letter and let me know all about those things, I mentioned to Margaret that I had rec----d [received?] a newspaper from John sometime ago but did not say I had rec----d [received?] your letter, I need not add that your last letter afforded me much pleasure I believe I unintentionally offended you one time by some of my absurd abstractions about children, I can assure you I was very sorry when I was made aware of the fact by my Mother telling me to List no more on such a subdject [subject?] you ask me in your letter if I will ever go to see you again, I really do not know, but it is very likely I will sometime, we are so much the Creatures of circumstances that I cannot say when, if I ca- [can?] [?] here and had everything fixed for the journ-- [journey?] it would not take very long to see you, either [?] of New Orleans or Baltimore, you seem to feel as [?] about the difficulty of realizing the feeling of #PAGE 3 the fact that one is getting old, it is one of the most difficult things imaginable, now for my part I do not feel very old, but I suppose I must begin to look so for a slave belonging to Mr D------ [Deescan?] one of my neighbours came here yesterday to get a loan of my oxen for his master - - I did not hear before the death of Mr & Mrs Scott, the particulars of the large fire in Pit-sburgh [Pittsburgh?] and of the Philadelphia riots I never seen, I take but one newspaper it does not come at all regular & is of very little acc---t [account?] when it does come, I intended to have written the half of this letter to John but will postpone until some other time what I was going to remark to him, I hope this letter will not be lost like the one before the last I have written you a pretty sizeable one my love to John & your Family Your affectionate Brother Andrew |
