| Title: | J. A. Smyth, Ontario, to Liza Smyth, Co Tyrone |
|---|---|
| ID | 2755 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, James Alexander/31(2) |
| Year | 1904 |
| Sender | Smyth, James Alexander |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | school teacher |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Methodist) |
| Origin | Essex Co., Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Smyth, Eliza C. |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge. |
| Doc. No. | 309004 |
| Date | 24/05/1904 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 02:09:03. |
| Word Count | 1449 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Envelope Addressed to:- Miss [Liza?] [Smyth?] Castledamph Plumbridge Co Tyrone Ireland Postmark torn off on Front of Envelope:- Postmarked on Back of Envelope:- NEWTOWNSTEWART JU [July?] 04 Essex, Ontario; May 24, 1904, Dear Sister Your letter of April 27th to hand last week. I do not wonder at you thinking that it is a long time since I wrote. I think it was some time before Easter. Well I keep putting it off from day to day. I intended to have written on Saturday but some thing prevented me. One thing that makes me delay my writing is the fact that since I have been boarding in one house and rooming in another I am not in my room much. For instance I leave my room to go for breakfast about 8 oclock, when I get my breakfast I go to School, then after four I hardly ever come near my room again until ten eleven or maybe twelve at night. Then I ll say "I will write tomorrow" and so on, Now to-day, being a holiday I just made up my mind I would write before going out. So it is now 8 oclock A.M. while I am [spinning?] of this work, I ll finish before anything takes place to amuse me, In the first place there is no celebration in town this year, Generally there has been one here every year since I came, We are going to have some tennis games in the afternoon. So that s about all that is transpiring here to-day. I had a letter from Mary on Saturday. She was saying she was going out to a place called Port Stanley. We are having a good [many?] sudden deaths here this last while. A Mr. Cougdon farmer, was found dead in his field yesterday about half past five, His farm is about half a mile or so from town here. One of his sons is in my Entrance Class, and his daughter was in my entrance class of 1902, That is she that is sitting on the outside third on my right. I understand by the way in which he was found he died [hard?]. Then on Saturday evening another farmer was killed when unhitching his horses from ploughing. One of them kicked him on the side of the head breaking his neck. This is the Country for sudden deaths. Many a time I think of [Mrs?] [Sleins?] prayers Lord save us from accidents and from sudden deaths . Well that brings me up to talk about the subject of preachers. I suppose you have been reading the Free Press. If so you likely have noticed that our Minister Mr. [Fleming?] has left and gone to the North West. You have likely seen our farewell for him. We gave him a purse of $200 in gold. Well now we are having men here preaching for calls. I suppose you know what that means. Our first man was a Mr. Joseph Hamilton. He is an Irishman and has been in this Country for about nine years. I had tea with him one evening and we had quite a talk on Old Ireland. In regard to writing letters he was saying just what I notice that you loose interest. He says the old country don t seem to know to write about little things. Things interesting to those who are away. That is actually a fact I have noticed [it?] time and again. Really there is not one letter in a hundred that mentions any thing that happens around the fireside. If I were to judge from your letters I would come to the conclusion that there is never a soul in the house, that you never converse with each other, when in the house. Nothing in your letters indicate this. The man Rev. Hamilton was originally from Co Down. He is a fairly aged man, but he might get a call. He has a fairly good brogue . We had a young man from Toronto on last Sunday. He did fairly well. There are several more coming. The subject brings up another subject matter. I was speaking to a young green (accent on the green) Irishman yesterday evening fresh from Ireland. He is a nephew of a Mr. Wortley another Irishman who stands second to none in the whiskey drinking here. Mr. Wortley is not very highly respected in this community but he is chief cook and bottle washer on the twelfth of July parade. Well this young man seems to be coming to him. He left the Green Isle on the 13th May. He was telling he (sic) passed through Newtownstewart a week ago Friday. He comes from Armagh. This subject of leaving Ireland makes me remember that 13 years ago to-day I landed in this Country What a lot of changes since Thirteen years since I came here and I am not $13 better off. financially Of Course in appearance at that time I may have have (sic) looked liked (sic) that young Irishman I saw last night but financially I am no better off- There are a great many changes at home and abroad, Changes are absolutely necessary there should be more of them at home. I cannot account for the fact that the Irish that come out here are so innocent. In fact you can almost make them believe anything. You ought to see that young fellow laugh last night when I would ask him questions to draw him out. I was just finding out how much he knew. I tell you that you can t talk that way to the American boys. Well I think Mary has decided to go home. I would have gone myself but I doubt whether I will have money enough to spare to go as far as New York. Money is the only reason I am not going. I have spent quite a bit of Money on Mary. It was just as I have been speaking. I thought Mary pretty green and to smarten her I brought her here. Of course there is no use in my saying how much I regret that she did not stay with me in place of going to St Thomas. That is all past now. She has not learned much of the social side of life. She couldn t. She had no one to go out with and no one to take her out. She got her own way. I have had mighty little of her company during the three years I don t suppose that I had more than 40 meals with her. I was very anxious that she should have seen some of the social life and then she could have instructed you girls in it but no use crying over spilt milk. Now when she does go home she wont any more (sic) about me and my acquaintances here that I can tell you in a letter. She has got her own way and that of her Cousins and [let?] her [lahe?] with it. I was down at St Thomas at Easter and as far as I noticed she did not get much of a fine time. It is not to be wondered at either as people who have no music in them are not likely to be feeling comfortable with a violin going most of the time, I think she did not find St Thomas such a leisure-loving place as they led her to believe. At any rate find the man father or brother who will pay out money and have very little done as he wanted it like I have done. I have kept her for the past three years and nine tenth of the time she did what uncles people would say and the opposite in what I would say. yet I cashed out just the same. I just mention this as it is all about over now. I have been with my nose at the grind stone ever since I came back [ie?]. as far as money matters are concerned I don t think that she has seen much of this country either, That is another thing The sights that are to see and I have seen a good deal I will try and take her around a little before she goes yet Give me all the address (sic) of every body that you know in New York and Philadelphia, I am going down with her that far and by next year I may be financially fixed to go back myself. I will try and send her on that new steamship Columbia Anchor line. I had the consular giving dates but I cannot get it just now. Well I will write regular from this on. J [James?] A [Alexander?] Smyth It just took me about half an hour to race this "off" Transcribed by Elizabeth Prentice Verified by Mohamed Souissy Validated by Lorraine Tennant |
