| Title: | J.Wightman, U.S.A., to Eliza Wightman, Belfast. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3325 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Wightman, James/23 |
| Year | 1833 |
| Sender | Wightman, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Elizabethtown, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Belfast, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Wightman, Eliza |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | father-daughter |
| Source | Copyright retained by Prof. J.A.Faris, 15 Coney Island, Ardglass, Co. Down. BT30 7UQ |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9708181 |
| Date | 06/07/1833 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 29:08:97. |
| Word Count | 1809 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Single Paid 18 3/4 [ELIZABETHSTOWN?] Oct 10 [Despatch postmark 10 Oct 1833?] [---- -- --?] Miss Wightman No.34 Upper [Queen?] St. Belfast Ireland LIVERPOOL SHIP LETTER SE NO 6 33 [Dublin datestamp 6 Nov 1833?] (Duplicate) Conway July 6th 1833 My Dear Eliza The long period of suspense and anxiety I suffered was happily terminated by the receipt of your letter of the 4th April which came to hand by mere accident - Our friend Russel Kennedy enclosed it in a leaf I had a few lines from him myself expressing a desire to see me in Philada [Philadelphia?] but (Irishman like) he neither informed me in what part of the city I've even a letter I've ever a letter would find him - he directed his letter "Conways house, « mile west of Conways creek, now in length this embraces a "pretty considerable" space, and after traversing (for aught I know) the course of this noted stream up and down north and south, & at length found a resting place at the village of Falmouth where the creek discharges itself into the Susquehanna about 6 miles from here, the Postmaster of which sent me word of the letter being there, not however he ascertained by enquiry where such apersonage resided to whom such a "big" letter was directed - you not adverting to either of my last two letters leads me to conclude that neither of them reached you, the last was directed to Dublin - I have mentioned my suspicions to [----?] that the Postmaster of Middletown with whom I mailed I believe all my letters to Europe, embezzled my letters through the mercenary object of pocketing the postage paid on them to New York - to answer one of the first enquiries you will make on opening this I have to say that I never enjoyed better health than I have done the last year - my sight is somewhat impaired owing to the injury I revceived by the breaking down of the stage a few years ago, so that when reading small print by candle light I must have recourse to spectacles - The winter before last, Harriet and I had severe attacks of bilious fever. The vital spark was nearly extinct in her, but the application of a poultice of horse radish to the stomach invigorated the heart and affected a recovery - her little brother William was [removed?] from this vale of tears, the preceeding summer he was three months old, and his death was occasioned by an inflammation of the brain - Harriet is now without a playmate - she is very fond of her books and walks « mile to school every day the weather permits - I look forward with impatience and pleasing anticipation to the day in which we shall all be united under one roof - a day which trusting to the goodness and confiding in the wise dispensations of Providence I fervently hope is not far distant - after I make some improvements on the property I expect to receive a reasonable price for it - and then farewell to America - I am fairly sick of it, at least of this section of it, which is highly settled with "Cobbed ear'd" Dutch or Germans, (for both names are here synonimous [synonymous?]) whom I rate in the scale of civilization but one degree above the Hottentots, unsocial, ungenerous, illiberal, uneducated, mean and mercenary - I cannot speak so of another kind of animals we have here, whose [vain?] and familiar propensities are rather of an intrusive and annoying nature, I mean the "Country Borns" yclept flies - even now whilst I write, some half dozen of the most scientific of them are exploring the veins of either hand, a sweet toothed gentleman has just now punctured my lip with his proboscis foolishly thinking to extract nectar therefrom, some are tickling me on the ear, and others are endeavouring to ascertain whether my nose be like achillies heel - they will pilfer the ink from my pen, and this will account for the appearance of so many words being faintly written to avoid the imputation of being insectiverous one has to keep "a sharp look out" while one eats or several of them will accompany every other mouthful to the gastrick [gastric?] region - our evening and night society is no less agreeable, the flea the bug and the mosquito have such a tug at you, nor can all the attention to cleanliness bestowed on bed or person secure you from their attacks these have the ague, but as this only makes its appearance "once in a while" we may let it pass with the other ills that flesh is heir to - I wish you had mentioned where the lady resides , by whom you sent the parcel for Mrs. W. 'tis strange she could not find us out for every person within two hundred miles of this knows, or has heard of, thre "big brick house" near Conway - Mrs W. regrets the non delivery of it very much - The harvest has set in here pretty briskly - the grain ripens so rapidly that it requires great exertions to get it cut in proper time - During its continuance all mechanical employments are suspended, carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, blacksmiths, weavers, milliners, and mantuamakers all turn out - we have several harvests, first comes the hay harvest about mid summer, then the grain harvest which comprises the whreat and rye then the ([-ats?] harvest) then the timothy (meadow cats tail) hay harvest and then the oats harvest all in quick succession - the corn husking comes in October - I mean the Indian corn - for with you corn and oats are synonimous [synonymous?] - harvest work is here no childrens play - the hands are in the field at « past four in the morning, breakfast at six, dine at 12, sup at five and quit work at eight - the thermometer in the shade ranging from 90 to 100 - seldom a day but some of the hands "back out" - for my own part I stand it "right well" sans coat, sans waistcoat, sans stockings and I have never been obliged to "give out"yet - so so superstitious are the Dutch here, that except in harvest the moon governs all their operations so that one may with some propriety term them lunatics, pulse and grain must be sown when the sign is up, that is, when the moon is in the ascending mode - [c--l--ts?] must be sown or planted when the sign is down, or the moon in her descending mode - this however does not do in every case - for flax must be sown on good friday be [Di---ce?] where she will, and potatoes must be planted on a particular day of a particular week - to ensure durability some kinds of timber must be felled in the first quarter, some at the full and others in the last quarter of the moon - to enumerate the charms they have for their different ailments would fill a volume - a child that has the whooping cough must be placed thrree times in a small hopper, if a man cuts himself with an axe or another edge tool, the instrument must be carefully wiped & laid away , or the wound will not heal - marriage is an infallible cure for a broken leg (illegitimate pregnancy) &c &c. Crime in its most atrocious character is encreasing in an alarming degree in this most moral of all moral communities nor are the perpetrators confined to that class of society to which such miscreants usually belong - within a little space the sheriff of Washington County was hung for the murder of his wife - a Mrs. Chapman was tried and nearly convicted on a charge of poisoning her husband, for which her paramour and accessory was executed - a methodist preacher to the eastward was acquitted of the murder of a young woman with whom he had an illicit connexion, but so strong was the conviction of his guilt that he has had several escapes for his life since - A ruffian is to undergo the sentence of the law in a few days for the murder of a Mrs Hamilton, the widow of a medical gentleman - the occasion was her refusal to marry him - he inflicted no less than 13 wounds with a dirk - our high spirited gentry at Washington are not behind in the march of civilisation, during the late session of congress they endeavoured to elevate the character of the government and the country by cowhideing, dirking, cudgelling, and pistolling each other. cowhideing or cowkissing is performed by the application of a sort of horsewhip, formed of untanned cowhide, cut into thongs, and twisted together in form of a horsewhip - I have been to a Dutch funeral a few days since - the Dutch have generally a grave yard in the vicinity of the dwelling house, after the interment the people return to the house where a sumptuous repast is prepared for them, frequently out of doors - two or three fowls cut up and stewed, with a few pounds of veal or beef dressed in the same manner (for they have no idea of dressing a whole joint in this part of the country) comprises all the animal food - these are distributed over the table on plates - saucers and small plates with molasses, apple butter, bonny clabber, pickled cucumbers, & red beets profusely scattered on the table furnish the rest of the repast - no other vegetables of any kind - [showers?] of tabacco sakin [sacking?] [sprinkle?] the floor and clouds of segar [cigar?] smoke perfume the air - as one leaves the table, the place is occupied by another - neither change of plate or knife or fork is necessary - several will use the same utensils - bonny clabber or [smear?] [case?] is made of coagulated skim [skimmed?] milk (for the Dutch dont skim their milk until it has stood several days) beat up with a little fresh cream - a layer of butter is first spread on the bread, then a layer of apple butter, and on this is laid a layer of bonny clabber forming a rich compost for the stomach - I have not room to enquire for some friends whom I should like to hear of - I suppose my aunt ward is very infirm as well as aunt Kennedy - I should like to hear of [Mrs?] [McCleans?] family, (Dublin) it would amuse me to see [Wm?] Coulson with a little one on each knee, he used to blush if you would mention a lady to him - I shall write to your aunt [McAlester?]in little time - Give my love to youe sisters and may God bless you all is the fervent prayer of yr [your?] affect [affectionate?] Father J. Wightman |
