| Title: | J C -Smyth, Castledamph to J. A. Smyth, Ontario |
|---|---|
| ID | 2841 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, John Charles/80 |
| Year | 1898 |
| Sender | Smyth, John Charles, Eliza C. and John J. |
| Sender Gender | male-female |
| Sender Occupation | carpenter |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Castledamph, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Essex Co., Ontario, Canada |
| Recipient | Smyth, James Alexander |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | siblings / father-son |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth |
| Doc. No. | 505053 |
| Date | 02/02/1898 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 25:05:2005. |
| Word Count | 1147 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Front of Envelope] Mr James-A-Smyth Essex Essex County Ontario Canada [Stamped] NEWTOWNSTEWART PM 10 FE 3 98 [Written over] Ans [Answered?] March 5 98 [Back of Envelope] [Stamped] PLUMBRIDGE B FE 3 98 ESSEX FE 14 98 ONT. HAMILTON FEB 14 2—0 1898 [Page 1] Castledamph Feb "98 Dear Brother We received your letter January 29 I was proud to hear of you going in for so high a position of life. You would [sic] been a good while in Castledamph before you would [sic] been president that's what I always look at I'm sure you would hardly speak to any girl about here now Education makes a lad very haughty looking I think its because he [sic] be among big men once and [sic] a while [Page 2] The weather is very rough today we are cleaning corn all day We will have ten bags when we have it all cleaned so you may guess I had some thrashing [threshing?] at that. I may tell you about the night we had at the soiree I never put in such a night’s dancing since I was born I'm sure they were above twenty girls at it any amount of corting [courting?] and I think I wasn't behind for that, Its an old saying And a true one, As the old cock crows the young one learns if I han’t [had not?] seen some body at it I would not [sic] learned They [There?] were two divisions of them And we had two good fiddlers Dan and Tonner [Toner?] it would nearly be a case to tell which of them was the best. And another thing it would [Page 3] be hard to tell which was the best at the dancing Sarah Mickey Davy And Alex McClelland Jamey Hay and Tomy [Tommy?] McFarland James Ballantine from Lenamore I think them was [sic] all the good dancers was [sic] at it and its not easy knowing which was the best now you must forgive the grammatical mistakes for you know very well that I only got out of the fifth Book and I think it [sic] not bad at all about a [sic] grammar I can whip Mary that passed out of the sixth book its not to look at what book you be in if I had got putting up my days for the two years I would [sic] been a good enough scholar Andrew Ballantine was saying one night in Gilkison's [Gilkinson’s] the [sic] that his two Brothers was [sic] the cleverest fellows in Tyrone [Page 4] we told him that tyrone was very big He said he thought it a great thing to have it to tell He says He’ll have Alice Duncan no matter what any Body [anybody?] says Big Williams Farm will make a man of him now. Mothers Health is as good the [this?] year as ever it was and Fathers ear its not much better yet William is nearly better only he is very lazy Father will Finish Good By [Goodbye?] John Chs [Charles?] Smyth Dear James- I sent you £3 - I hope you got it all wright [alright?] we were a little scarce at that time But I have sold a cow in the last p [Plumbridge?] fair at £6 10s and I have sold 9 young pigs on Tuesday I got 15s-6d each for them. So you need not be afraid for Money we like to have you as well as posibly [possible?] – we will be Drawing £20 for the road unless he cuts it again But it takes a good penny to Do us – with everything But we had not to ask anyone for a penny yet I got W. [William?] Gilkys pound – we will send you some By the next letter - we got two last letters and papers all wright [alright?] John J. [James?] Smyth – [Page 5] Castledamph February 2nd 1898. Dear Brother As John was writing to you I thought I would write a line or two we were going to write last week but with the hurry of that Soiree it was put back I think their [there?] is some more news this week Their [There?] was a good time at the soiree but very throng [sic] Dan was fiddler in the room and Joseph Toner in the kitchen so their [there?] was any amount of music they have something over £3 of savings for Tom so anything is better than want he was in Moses on Monday night and got some of the money I think [Page 6] he is in need of it perhaps John will tell you something more about it how he got along with they [the?] girls their [there?] was [sic] two of the Ballantine's [sic] girls from Lenamore so you may ask John about one of them, Well I may tell you Uncle James is not very well with a sore leg Dr Lyle was with him yesterday Tuesday. I think it wont [won't?] be dangerous it swelled up to his knee and was hard but he is a little better today I suppose you heard Willie John make fun of him but their [there?] is no fun about it now Willie J [John?] says he will write now to tell you about Wee da's sore leg or as he calls him his Uncle James as often as anything else. [Page 7] There was a marriage at chaple [chapel?] on Sunday the groom was James Hagin [Hagan?] and the bride was Sarah McBride (Wid) [Widow?] Glenrone [Glenroan?] I think the groom is pretty old you may remember him Catholic marriages is trumps now this last while before lent comes in they be in a hurry nearly one every week--- The weather is very stormy since Monday their [there?] was some snow up on the hill but not very much down by the valleys you would think it was summer up to now everybody is nearly done ploughing Tommy was up in the glen today for the sheep the [they?] were up this last fortnight so you may be sure their [there?] was good wintry weather for sheep [Page 8] Well I hear their [there?] is a song made about the soiree but I think its not worth much either it came by post to Dan yesterday their [there?] was [sic] no girls from Eden at the Soiree nor none of the Elkins Their [There?] is a great deal of people attends this evening service in Castledamph School a great deal of fun with Andrew Ballantine and Alice Duncan if you would see Andy beside Alice you would think times was near an end he looks like a baby more than a man. John Charlie [Charles?] was sitting up in with Uncle James on Tuesday night and when comming [coming?] home about six on [sic] the morning it was dark and stormy he thought he was at the foot of the road at Reed's [Reids?] and steped [stepped?] into Mathews [Matthews’?] dam at the foot of the meadow so you may think he was wet No more Eliza Catherine [Written over top of Page 1] We got your two last letters William has done nothing as yet tomy [Tommy?] has done all the ploughing the new house is dowing [doing?] well Transcribed by Shaun P. Cheyne |
