| Title: | Jane White, Goderich to Eleanor Wallace, Newtownards. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3302 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | White, Jane/20 |
| Year | 1858 |
| Sender | White, Jane |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Presbyterian?) |
| Origin | Goderich, Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Newtownards, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Wallace, Eleanor |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | D 1195/3/18: Presented by J. W. Russell & Co., Solicitors, 4 High Street, Newtownards, Co. Down. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9112084 |
| Date | 27/08/1858 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 29:11:1993 |
| Word Count | 915 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Eleanor Wallace [Newtownards?] [County Down?] [Ireland?] From: Jane White Goderich [Ontario?] [Canada?] August 27 1858 Goderich August 27 1858 My dear Eleanor I think it was more than time a month ago to reply to your kindest of letters, I was very glad to hear you were living and well, I received another letter at the same time that surprised me __ announcing the death of my aunt, poor Catherine is in great trouble, she was so fond of her mother, I really thought my aunt was getting better, I thought perhaps I might see her sometime but perhaps we'll meet in a better home, where I hope we will all meet, I was sorry to hear of Mrs Waugh's death, I'm sure Mr W [Waugh?] will feel it severely, she was a very nice person. I did not like to write to you on indifferent subjects until your grief was mellowed down a little. I was thinking lately of what your mamma said to me one day she was sitting beside me when she used to take me over to Bangor, she said for me always to rest upon the merits of our Saviour and give my thoughts wholly to him for everything earthly would pass from me, how truly we find it so. I was surprised to hear of the death of Dr Whitlaw, perhaps you could tell me something about them when you write. I never hear any thing [anything?] about N T Ards [Newtownards?] except what you write unless when Mr Milliken favours us with a letter, I hope he and Mrs M [Milliken?] and family are quite well. The railway is completed about months ago or more, there were great excursions to Goderich both Yankees and Canadians on the Celebration on the 8th July at the opening of the line the town was so thronged many had to leave same day because they could not be accommodated with lodgings so many thousands persons. There were two brass bands up from Stratford and Brantford, the fireman's torch-light procession was pretty, the fire-works were very inferior to expectations, the Governor General Sir Edmund Head was up there was a dinner and ball, the town was decorated with with [sic] flags, such a number I have never seen before, there were triumphal arches decorated with green, mottoes such as #PAGE 2 "Success To the Railway", "Welcome American Friends" "Reciprocity" &c, the plank sidewalks were finished for the occasion, there was a flag to be hoisted in the court house [courthouse?] a dangerous place from its great height and did it for the sum of £[3?]-15-0 so that money was no object that day, the Sig-iaw [Saganaw?] people came by the Lake, Goderich is bound to be a stirring place being a terminus, but I hear the towns down along the line are nearly ruined, the trains passing through spoils business, but strangers coming here would find this the poorest, coldest, most profitless place they could come to, unless some person particularly fortunate, a family arrived the other day from Westmoreland Street Dublin, they talk of school teaching, I hear, a number of music teachers keep coming up, all females, the Miss Caldwell I mentioned to you and her sister left for Philadelphia more than a week ago she is married by this time to some person from Coleraine, I hear they intend settling in Goderich, I dont know whether she has married well, but I hope so, she is a nice person. I suppose you heard the telegraph (the sub-marine) is completed, it is surely a wonderful invention, scarcely credible. This has been the queerest summer I have ever seen, no rain scarcely, no thunder, the ground parched and crops scanty, I fear there will be a hard winter upon poor people, the mechanics and labourers are badly off here at present. There is to be another Election next month, this is the country for elections, this is for the Upper House they have made it elective, now it is for eight years, with a large income for that time, there are four candidates in the field but it is expected the run will be between Ex commissioner Jones and Donald McDonald of Toronto I suppose Donald will walk in by a sweeping majority because the voting is in Huron and Perth much as the old election some years ago Between C-yley [Cayley?] and Malcolm Cameron, Perth put in Cameron being a Liberal, the same persons will likely put in McDonald for the same reason, Mr Jones is a High tory I believe, but I do not think it is any matter which goes in noone hereabout seems to care about it they are tired fussing about elections, they are so expensive Dr Hamilton of this town died lately suddenly in Toronto from the effects of a sunstroke, it is melancholy how many have died from the same cause this summer. it has been the hottest in memory of the oldest inhabitants. How is Mrs Hill? please remember us to her, and all enquiring friends, but we have been so long away now I suppose we will soon be forgotten, but I'm not the least afraid of you forgetting me. I received two papers from you yesterday, but is Miss Bingham dead? I am anxious to know My father and mother join me in kindest love to you, I hope you will soon write, and pardon me for being so long from writing, my mind was depressed mostly from thinking of my Aunts death and my cousins left orphans, but I feel easier now #PAGE 3 with kindest regards I remain Your sincere friend Jane |
