| Title: | M. Smyth, Ontario to J. J. Smyth, Co. Tyrone |
|---|---|
| ID | 2946 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Mary/25 |
| Year | 1904 |
| Sender | Smyth, Mary |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | student |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Presbyterian) |
| Origin | Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Castledamph, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | writes to her family |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge. |
| Doc. No. | 0410209 |
| Date | 14/03/1904 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 28:10:2004. |
| Word Count | 1050 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Front of envelope Mr. J. J. Smyth Plumbridge Co. Tyrone Ireland STAMPED ST. THOMAS MR 14 04 ONTARIO Back of envelope POSTMARK NEWTOWNSTEWART MR 27 04 Box 1103, St. Thomas March 14th 04 Dear People It is with pleasure that I received your letter today saying that Willie John was getting better. I was waiting until I would get a letter before I would write. I felt pretty bad when I first got the letter of his fall I thought that perhaps he was dead by the time I got word. I first got the letter at suppertime So I was not in much humour for eating. I thought of all the fun we used to have with him and also the fights. I thought it was bad enough when I heard of him going home but if anything had happened to him it would have been worse. I suppose he would willingly come back now. Well he ruined his chance in life by going home as he will never amount to much here, if there is anything to spare he will not get it, I suppose he didn't think how well off he was when he was [here?]. I suppose like the saying, "Never know the want of the water till the well goes dry," - I think I will write to him some time soon as I would like to hear from him. I was just wondering what age he was So you say he is 14 My he must be quite a big boy. I imagine that the people over there should stand still while I'm away & not get any older but that is impossible even for myself, here I am 21 next birthday see how the time flies it only seems a few days since I was 16. I suppose Mosey Ballantine is a young man now and also Jamey. Is Jane still going to school? Remember me to them all. What do you think, I have got a pair of glasses today I've been getting them for a longtime [long time?] but at last got them I can't see anything at a distance, near sighted, and in school they have blackboards all around the room so I couldn't see it and they were getting worse all the time. I think the snow when the sun shines out is sore on the eyes here often going to school I couldn't look on the snow atall [at all?] as my eyes would get watery. I suppose they will make fun of me when I go home but I don't care. I don't like going to school with them tomorrow for the first time I expect some of them will giggle though there are many wears glasses here. Annie had a letter from Liza today also I had to pay 4 cts. [cents?] on it. I think it would pay me to buy you some kind of lighter notepaper and send it to you. Why don't you buy the [foreign?] notepaper and you can write twenty sheets of it if you want to. We had another snowstorm today started about 9 o'clock and at noon it was a foot deep and I went to school [unprepared?] So when I got home here I was covered with snow. I think that the manager of this fair world is forgetting that this is Spring. Everyone is getting sick of seeing snow and I among the others though I was always wishing for snow before it came. There is lots of skating yet people don't seem to get tired of it yet any one [anyone?] looking on would think they would get tired of going round and round in a circle about 200 times each night - and some every night in the week. Had a letter from Jim a few days ago. He is my very best friend now since I decided not to go to B.C. [British Columbia?] and I tell you if I knew that he was always [sure?] of $600 a year I wouldn't be a bit anxious to go at anything for myself I would please him but I don't know what he is going to do for himself after another year [about?] me. Then he will be saying I suppose that he would had money saved only for keeping me but if he was not giving it to me he would spend it like he does the rest he could save from what he has besides giving to me if he was very anxious I really don't see what he does with it and then he says he wears an overcoat that they all make fun off [of?]. He was making fun of your soiree he said he supposed the girls wore point lace and the boy [boys?] full dress suits He said, " Imagine the boys dance with James Haubbs [Hobbs?] shoes with iron [heels?] and a hundred nails in the soles" It seems you sent him a paper he said by the paper it seemed like a swell affair only for the songs they were not up to date. I would never bother telling him about anything like that, in fact, I don't know what you should tell him he don't seem to be interested in anything only those up-to-date people. Annie told me to invite him down for Easter so he wrote back to see if we had any thing [anything?] special going on at that time as he didn't want to come down & Sit around here. I told him that I did [didn't?] know of anything that was going on at that special time but that I would give him a ride on the street car. Well the people around there will soon all have a bath there has been many things happen since I left that I never expected to hear of. I suppose there were as many strange happenings before but I never noticed them so much as now. Those Campbells are getting scare (sic) by one cause or another. How is Lizzie Moorhead? I am sure Louisa would be disgusted by Bella's actions - anything atall [at all?] for a fellow - It is getting pretty late I guess I had better close. I have no idea of what I'm going to do now. I don't know what is best. I wish I only knew and I would feel more satisfied. GoodBye with love to all M. [Mary?] Smyth Transcribed by K. Smith |
