| Title: | James A Smyth. Ontario to J J Smyth, Castledamphv |
|---|---|
| ID | 2738 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, James Alexander/24 |
| Year | 1896 |
| Sender | Smyth, James Alexander |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | student |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Methodist) |
| Origin | Essex Co., Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Smyth, John J. and wife |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge. |
| Doc. No. | 0410043 |
| Date | 15/08/1896 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | |
| Word Count | 680 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Front of envelope] Mr John Jas Smyth Castledamph Plumbridge Co Tyrone Ireland [Stamped] ----H WOOD-- [SOUTH WOODSLEE?] [Back of envelope] Arrived Friday August 28th 1896 [Stamped] NEWTOWNSTEWART AM 5 0 AU 28 96 [Page 1] South Woodslee Aug 15th 1896 Dear Father & Mother I received your letter about a week ago or more and I am pleased to know that you are all in good health, I am sorry to hear that your last suit is not settled yet but I hope you may get the best of it in the end I suppose I should have answered your letter sooner but we were in a hurry with the harvest and I put it off for a while I expect to answer all the letters which I owe over [there?] next week. We have all [Page 2] the wheat in and threshed [(310)?] bushels and we have the oats all in but ten acres. This has been a very wet season that is for the harvest. A great many people did not get their wheat out of the field and lots of it is only fit for pigs Uncle got his in without any rain After the wheat was in and the oats cut another great storm came up and blew down all the oats and left them in a very bad state Uncle had fifteen acres out in that rain and we set them up four days after each other and their [there?] was a storm came up every evg [evening?]. Storms arise so suddenly here that you would hardly have time to get to the house [Page 3] The storms this year were something awful and so many people have had their buildings burned out by lightning. Although it has been very stormy and wet yet it has been dreadful (sic) warm, last Sunday was terrible (sic) warm you could hardly breathe but in the cities [ate?] was worse and a large number of deaths are reported by the heat Up at Windsor a lot of death (sic) are reported by drowning caused by the storm on Sunday evening You people over their [there?] does not know anything about sudden storms and heavy thunder & lightning [Page 4] I have not heard how I did at the examination yet the reports are not published You see every pupil in Ontario who tried these examinations Their paper has to be all examined by those men on the papers and it takes a long time to get over them I expect it will be in the papers next week. I have been helping Uncle all through holidays I expect to be through with the work next week so I will have one week idle I have wrote this letter in a hurry so if you can read it it is all right [alright?] Jas A Smyth (Written upside down across top of last page) I've [Lodged?] letter along with the last one from home J. A. S. [James Alexander Smyth?] [Page 5] Private I rec [received?] your money all right. If I had knew (sic) you were going to send so much I would not had (sic) let you unless you had no call for it. You might had (sic) the use of it for three of four month (sic) as I have no call for it all now it will be enough for five month (sic) so that will be February. How do you think you will be able to do without the money. You send me. You know now about how much will keep me going for a year It is not very much here that is one would not be long earning about £20 but it takes a [Page 6] Private good while over there But if I can always pass my examinations it is not so bad I expect perhaps about £4 from Uncle for helping him I am not sure how much I cannot expect very much as I stop here Saturdays and get my washing done [also?] But if I was working for a stranger I would not work for less than 4s and board per day during harvest I tell you working on farm is not easy from 5 in morn [morning?] to 8 at night and in a hot sun, sweat running over your nose like a little spout far from the snap it is at home boy Jas A Smyth [James Alexander Smyth?] Transcribed by Alan Houston |
