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Title: R. Rothwell, U.S.A. to W. J. C. Allen, Belfast.
ID2344
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileRothwell, Richard Jr/8
Year1866
SenderRothwell, Richard Jr
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationmechanic
Sender ReligionProtestant
OriginJeffersonville, Indiana, USA
DestinationBelfast, N.Ireland
RecipientCampbell Allen, William J
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipnephew-uncle
SourceD 1558/1/1/315: Papers of William John Campbell Allen. Deposited by F. D. Campbell Allen.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, N. Ireland.
Doc. No.9802465
Date23/02/1866
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, 09:02:98.
Word Count598
Genre
Note
TranscriptJeffersonville, Indiana. Feb 25 1866

Dear Uncle
You will doubtless wonder at my not
writing to you before this, and I have no excuse
to make for not having done so, and
can only say that I will [----?] [stain]
negligent again. You are well aware that, since
my leaving Canada I have been rambling about
W. States considerably and you will readily
think that I ought to have settled down and
tried to raise myself from a mere mechanic
to something better, but I was not disposed to
do so until I had seen something of the country
I was living in, and although but a short
time here I have been through a considerable
part of it, and not only gained a small
knowledge of the country, but also of my
business, as I have worked in a number of
shops, and among all classes of locomotives
and on all parts of them, I have also although
so young always had the highest money paid
to journeymen in the shop. I am now working
in the Jeffersonville & Indiana RR [Railroad?]
upon the rods for the engine it is all new owrk
and pretty tiring but I do not care for that
as the money is pretty good three dollars
and a quarter per day for my Board I pay a
week five dollars so that at the end of the
month I have quite a little sum left but
clothing is very high more than double what it
is in Canada I have only been here a fortnight
and cannot call myself settled as I do not
know but what I may go the southern
states as I hear thats there are good
chances there for mechanics they are paying
5.00$ per day, a good inducement for me to
go. When I paid a visit to Canada last November
I saw Mr Eaton and from him I got that
case of books you sent me, and sincerely thank
you for them, they were just the books I most
wanted. and I think I shall be able to gain
a large amount of information from them
that will be useful to me. Mr Eaton advised
me read them carefully, and to copy those
plates, as it should be good practice for
me but the latter advise I have not been
able to follow out, but I have read them
carefully, and should I pay a visit to
the old country in the course of another
year I hope to show you that I have made
good use of your present. Although I am
thinking of paying a visit I do not think
I should come to stop for any length of time
for I like this country much better there is
not superiority manifested from the employer
to his workmen that there is at home.
I should like to get into a draft office for a
year or two as I think it would be as great
benefit to me in fact I can now see that
it is an absolute necessity to my further
advancement in my business. In the west
there but few of the master mechanics that are
good draftsmen, they have just enough to
get along and that is all that can be said
of them. Indeed they have in some shops to
get the workmen to make out the drawings for any
engine that they may wish to rebuild. I do
not know of anything more that would be
at all interesting to you. And with best
wishes to all at Faunoran & Gortalea I
Remain your affectionate
Nephew R.Rothwell