| Title: | James Sloane, Otago, New Zealand to Patrick Sloane, Atticall |
|---|---|
| ID | 2490 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Sloane, James (1)/13 |
| Year | 1876 |
| Sender | Sloane, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | miner |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Otago, New Zealand |
| Destination | Atticall, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Sloane, Patrick |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | nephew-uncle |
| Source | Presented by Mr E.P Sloane 563, Broadview Ave. Ottawa Canada |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh |
| Doc. No. | 9410235 |
| Date | 14/04/1876 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT/JW, 13:10:1994. |
| Word Count | 501 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Dear Uncle Patrick I Sincerely Hope you will forgive me not writing to you before as I have been away from home Trying the diggings but I was very unfortunate I could not get on at all and when I went back home mother was dead and left 3 little ones. She died in her confinement but the baby a little girl is living. Father is paying 50 pounds a year for its Maintenance and 20 for the Other and young Patrick died 12 Months ago Father Never seemed to look the same since. He is very bad with Rhumatic pains and getting very old looking. I think there must be a great Deal on his mind on account of him not being able to have his children at home with him he is getting past work now and there seems to be very little provided for a future day he has got a little land but there is very little sale for anything here being so far from any market town and to make it still worse we have been flooded very much the water was a foot deep on the oats so that we could not get to cut them and what we did manage to cut the water swept nearly all of them away This country is getting very bad now. We are getting taxed up here as bad as the Old Country and Father talks Sometime if he had the means he would like to come home to see the Old Country. I have been tramping all over the country to get s something to do but there is very little work to be got at this time of year to help father a little as everything seems to go against us since Mother died. John is about home he gets a day or toos [twos'] work sometime as there is six months in the year there is very little to be done This country is very different to what you hear in the Newspapers. There is very little profit to be made growing oats here as you have to sell them for 1/ [shilling?] 6d per Bushell [Bushel?] and cart them 20 miles and there is no sale for wheat as we are 50 miles away from any mill over a very Rocky Country so we cannot take but a small load. Dear uncle when you write please to send us word how Uncle John and his wife and family is getting on in Canada and how Uncle Hugh and his family is getting on and Uncle Bernard and his Family is getting on and how Aunt Mary is getting on and her family and Aunt Ann and her Family and Aunt Sarah and her Family and Aunt Bridget and her Family. will conclude my letter hoping it will find you in good health. Father sends his fondest love and John and Mary Jane And Ellen and please accept my kindest Love from your affectionate Nephew James Sloan Ida Valley Black's No 3 Otago New Zealand |
