| Title: | John Shanks, Chicago, to "Dear Cousin", Ballyfounder, Co Down |
|---|---|
| ID | 2425 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Shanks, John/11 |
| Year | 1888 |
| Sender | Shanks, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | manual labourer (has been painting and scraping a schooner) |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Destination | Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | unknown |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | D2709/1/52: Presented by Miss Shanks, Ballyfounder, Portaferry, Co Down |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9502043 |
| Date | 20/03/1888 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 07:03:1995. |
| Word Count | 950 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Chicago March 20th 88 [1888?] Dear Cousin I now take the oppurtunity [opportunity?] of writing once more to you hoping this finds all well as it leaves me at present William had a letter from Nicholas last night & he says that he is coming out in the latter end of April & your mother too Will we welcome them both but if Nickey is for sailing he should have been here the first week of April as we believe it will be an early spring I would have liked to spend a week with him before we start, for this is our slackest & nicest time now we have the year round. I am going again with your Uncle Willie in the Ada Medora I think Willie Martin is going to for the Summer in her but Nickey may get a situation without but I cant think the wages will amount to much for there is few clerks has good wages I will certainly be a change for your Mother in coming out here she will see many strange faces yet a good many friends I woald [would?] like to know how you are doing in the farm this season & if you reduction as the prices must be very low for produce Nickey mentioned also that Willie was married but he did not say who to so I am at a loss to know & as you are the only correspondence I have from that side of the water I wish you to write immediately who the unfortunate new friend I have now & how the stand in relation to one another in Ballyquintin I am afraid they wont work well together the may do it for a while but I wish them well anyhow I am under the impression that it is only a bit crafty work on the part of the old folks to lynch him over at the first oppurtunity [opportunity?] if you dont write your mistress surely will she can tell better how things are going along be sure & tell us how the family is doing if the children are at school I am sure Lizzie must be able to sport around now but I must tell you that I am almost 1 stone heavier than I ever was in the old country as that will tell you how I like it conditionally I suppose it must be due to so much Hog corn & corned Hog now I must say [how?] I am getting along I have worked nearly all the winter about the Schooners I was a great time with Capt. Glenn & has not done with his vessel yet we are all scraping & painting her now but in rainy or snowy days we dont work & only works 8 hours a day I get a Dollar for that I have made my board in his schooner for the whole winter & now has my clothes ready for next Summer which I had to buy last spring when I came here about 1 month ago 2 settled up with your Uncle Willie for last season & he gave me 5 dollars per month more nor I was engaged for making it œ7 per month & 20 dollars for good conduct making it 260 Dollars so I got two bonds on the chicago board of trade at 5 per cent payable half yearly so I am started already but you could not guess who came to see us one night It was James Shanks William James you know & he stopped with us all night & the next day he says he is getting along pretty well that is if one can believe him he lives 90 miles south from here on the Illinois Central railroad & has a farm rented of 160 acres he says his father has bought a farm in Minesota [Minnesota?] & that is all I hear from him but he asked me out next fall but I dont know about that yet we had a very severe winter of Freezing sometimes 25 below zero yet we can live & work in it too then we have a heating stove in the houses & can make them any temperature in the house we had it summer heat all the time steady you can sleep with only one blanket I perhaps will be home to see you in a few years you know I have got somebody there yet but I would far rather live here I had a letter from Annie 2 weeks ago she said that she he had not seen you since that time we were down that Easter Sunday you have not forgot it yet I am sure I am going to send you some Photos before long Miss Maggie & Kattie [Katie?] is going to get theirs taken so I am Promised some maggie is a very nice acomplished lady she has not much to say but she would delight you to hear her talking on any subject she comes up here occasionally but rather is as full of fun as she can stick you could not be up to her the two younger ones are still at school I have never been at your uncle Sams yet but I hear maggie Shaw is getting better she had Typhoid Fever. I must conclude with my best wishes to all William & Mrs joines [joins?] me in so doing William will glad to hear from you any time be sure to write immediately as we will be on the take up you delay any time we will be started before Nicholas comes excuse this scribble I remain Your Cousin John Shanks 3028 Main st Chicago, Ill [Illinois?] |
