| Title: | William J. Weir, California to Annie Weir, Michigan |
|---|---|
| ID | 3264 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Weir, William J/10 |
| Year | 1887 |
| Sender | Weir, William J. |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farm labourer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | California, USA |
| Destination | Birmingham, Michigan, USA |
| Recipient | Weir, Annie |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | Copyright Eetained by Mrs. Linda Weir, Tirmacspird, Lack, Co. Fermanagh, BT93 OSA |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park |
| Doc. No. | 9904204 |
| Date | 20/06/1887 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 23:04:99. |
| Word Count | 542 |
| Genre | |
| Note | N.B. William and Annie were engaged at intervals |
| Transcript | Wild Flower June 20, 1887 My Dear Friend I now embrace the uppertunity [opportunity?] of answering your ever kind & welcome letter which I received on the 18th inst which gave me much pleasure to hear from you to thank the giver of all I was working in the garden on Saturday afternoon; when the foreman came up & handed me your letter I could not for one moment think who could have known me in Michigan so I sat down under the shade of an apricot tree to read it as the sun was shining very hot & when I saw your name signed to it. I was more puzzled as I was not aware of you being out here. i was at home for a month last harvest & not thinking that you were away I intended to call to see you but the weather was so exceedingly wet I hardly got going any place. I felt very sorry to hear of your fathers death. I have often thought how hard it must have come on yous [you?] when in a distant land the thoughts of loosing [losing?] a father so dear, and may the Lord prepare us all for that great day. Well I must tell you that I arrived in Philadelphia on the fifth of February after a voyage of 19 days 4 of which we had a heavy storm which ended in disabling our vessell [vessel?] the waves swept the deck all the time except about 5 days i stopped ten days in Phila. [Philadelphia?] & then proceeded out west. I came by the way of Buffalo & Detroit if I had a known (sic) you were living so close to [too?] I would have stopped over a day & called to see you I had some very nice scenery on the way I crossed the falls of Niagara the Mississippi N. Missouri rivers the deserts of Nebraska & Utah & the Rocky mountains it was a long and tedious ride of 7 days & nights & snow all the way until I came into California at 10 O clock on Monday night the snow was from 5 to 8 feet deep on the level & at 8 next morning we were in a nice green country the apricot & peach trees were in blossom & the oranges was yet on the trees the birds was singing everywhere all nature seemed gay & it would make one think after passing so dreary a wilderness for 3000 miles that life was worth living for the crop were nearly all in then. I like this country very much but it is very hot at present it has been standing at 100ø degrees for the last while & it has reached 107ø once I am working for a doctor about 230 miles south of San Francisco on a farm & vineyard it is 18 miles from the nearest town & 17 from the doctors residence there is 3 of us on it all the time we have to do our own cooking we get 30 dollars per month all found in the summer, & 26 in the winter, so I must conclude by sending you my Love & best respects I am Your Sincere Friend Miss Annie Weir William J. Weir Birmingham California |
