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Title: David Williamson, PA to [James?] Campbell, Templepatrick
ID3350
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileWilliamson, David/33
Year1875
SenderWilliamson, David
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationhouse builder (carpenter)
Sender Religionunknown
OriginPhiladelphia, Penn., USA
DestinationTemplepatrick, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland
RecipientCampbell
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipunknown
SourceD 693/2: Donated by A'deacon JR McDonald, Templepatrick
ArchiveThe Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Doc. No.9602018
Date28/10/1875
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by LT, 01:02:96.
Word Count1604
Genre
Note
Transcript1608 Catherine St.
Philadelphia,
Octr. [October?] 28th 1875

Dear Sir
Among the many sins of omission
of which I have been guilty since I came to
this country that of writing to you before now,
must take a place in the first rank.
I knew you wd [would?] hear from mother and others
of my safe arrival here, and some of my proceedings
since: I on the other hand heard from time to time
of the continued good health of yourself and household.
Though I profited by the change in coming out
here, still I continued rather restless for some time;
and indeed the general tendencies of my thoughts
and feelings at that time, were such as made me
desirious [desirous?] of writing to any one. Indeed I
felt altogether like what Mrs. Robin Gray must have
done when she " gangd [ganged?] like a [ghaist?] and
didnae care to spin" But happily I cannot act the
character now as I keep too stout for a 'ghaist' (196
lbs [pounds?] ) and I mean to 'spin' you something of
a yarn as the sailors say.
It was said of a neighbour of yours in the Club
Room, Roughfort, that he always began at the end of a
book and read backwards to the beginning - In what I
now write to you I shall adopt the same method.
You will see where I live from the beginning
of this letter. I am here about a week.
I have entered with a Yankee Partner on a
contract for the finishing of some houses which
will probably engage me during the winter.
Before that time I was in the State of Pennsylvania
for six weeks assisting in building a school house
about 30 miles from Philadelphia.
I was right among the farmers and had a
good time of it - I boarded in a farm house,
they had a large garden and the fruit was plentiful
and in great variety. I got liberty to 'go' for them
as they say here and I did; especially the grapes,
many of which clustered round my bedroom
window. I think I enjoyed this part of my
life more than any other since I came out here.
Nov 20 ( After getting this length I was
obliged to give up and as often happens with defence
business, I was longer of getting finished than I
anticipated. I have now the house to myself as all
the others are off to hear [Moody?] and [Sankey?]
who are said to be coming here to convert folks. They
ought to do some good as 20.000$ have been expended
in preparations for them.
I resume; for the first place, I was tired of the
continued city life of the previous six months
and in The next this in itself was a very
pleasant place to live in - The land in this district
is fashioned after the manner of the 'Ring [Gaudis?]'
with you only the 'ups and downs' are on a much larger
scale.
It is generally cleared for farming; but there
are left many remains of the original forest especially
round the tops of the small hills or [undulation?]
rather which are more profitable for supplying timber
than for farming. These woods are composed of a great
variety of trees; such as beech, maple, hickory &
black oak, walnut, chestnut, hemlock, cottonwood,
locust &c &c [etcetera, etcetera?].
The leaves of these when dying in the early
fall, assume almost every tint and hue and form
a most magnificent and beautiful sight, more
especially when the sun is setting, as it throws a
[kind?] of golden halo over them all, or the maples
beautiful yellow or the dark blood red of the oak
and the clearer crimson of its neighbouring beech,
the russet of the walnut and chestnut, the mild green
of the weeping willow down by the edge of the little
stream or the more [sombre?] green of the pine which
the farmer has planted round his dwelling perhaps to
remind him of his earlier home in the old country or
elsewhere.
All these [have?] combined like the plumage of
beautiful bird has shown me the original of pictures
which I have often admired but which have given me but
a poor conception of the reality.
All this and [kindred?] scenes, to any one having a
look for the beauties of nature has a very soothing
and beneficial effect. In fact it has done more good
"tell it not no [Gath?]" than a dozen of the
best sermons I have ever heard in church or any other
place. I have felt forcibly the poets words that there
are "tongues in the trees, books in the running brooks,
sermons in stone and good in everything" if a man only
looks at it aright.
I am again interrupted by the return of the
[Moody?] and [Sankey?] party, who could not get in,
although the building seats ten thousand, it was filled
and as many more [in?] the Street. Some say it is a business
speculation and some say it is bonafide.
To continue the sunsets here
are splendid, such as you see in Ireland
only once or twice in a lifetime, but the
farmers here generally seem to study them in
order to prognosticate the next days weather.
Talking of the farmers they are here a sober,
thrifty and comfortable set of people, but grumble
sometimes of the weather and other things, as farmers
and others are prone to do everywhere - The [rule?]
is, that they own their own farms which average
100 acres and have no landlords and no rents.
But in some cases, where a man is too lazy or
too busy or too something else to work his own farm
he lets it out on shares. That is a man takes
it and farms it and gives the owner half the produce
and if the owner supplies seed and working plant
he gets 2/3rds [two-thirds?] of the profits = In this
way farm labourers often make enough to purchase the
farm right out and the farmer whom I boarded
with was once in that position.
The land here sells at œ25 to œ50 pounds per
acre, other things being equal the smaller farms
give the higher proportionate price.
They are making great preparations for this
Centennial business here, and among other things
in building and alternation of buildings. But this
has not benefitted the mechanics (as they call the
tradesmen here, as owing the general dulness (sic)
[dullness?] of trade throughout of America, the people
have come in from all directions to get work and so,
more than supplying the demand : They generally
get work but at lower prices than have [ruled?]
here since before war times. But living here
is also cheaper than usual, so that a man if careful
can live almost as cheap as at home and the standard
of living (that is eating drinking &c) is much higher
all round = Indeed the common labouring man is not
satisfied unless he gets fare which wd [would?] shame
any farmers table in our own country.
This is a very large a very clean city
It is called among the people here the "city of
homes" alluding to the large number of working people
who own their own houses and in contrast with
New York [etc?] where as many people are huddled up
together in one tenement. All the houses or almost all
are built for 3 feet high with white polished marble
the window sills and arches also marble and the front
door is approached with polished marble steps or stairs
Going out at daylight in the morning you will see the
girls out washing this marble all over, So that it is
always clean as a 'pin' -
I could write long enough so when I get fairly
started but perhaps all this has little or no interest
to you - so that it may be best to haul up.
In working in New York I was generally in
some department of the building trade. Carpentery
pretty often, the one thing that pleasures me
more than all other here, is the equality socially
speaking of all who live here - or rather the freedom
of intercourse between all classes of the people.
I have not seen one instance of arrogance from a man
on a/c [account?] of his position since I came here
nor of serviles either such as may be too often seen
in Ireland.
They are a hard working people here and [-----?]
if with us in the old Country, the people worked with
the same push and energy they wd [would?] be much
better off than they are generally - I had a good
time of it in coming over in the vessel being
surrounded by Germans, Italians, French, English,
Scotch [Scots?] and of Course Irish - They all jabbered
in their own languages but I noticed when that when
they got sick they all expressed themselves in the same
language over the side of the vessel = I shall probably
return in the course of a year or so as if anything shd
[should?] happen to the old folks at home, a little
family might want my care, and if I stayed long enough
here to get attached to the country, I might feel
disinclined to return at all = How is Jamie and [Lily?]
progressing in their studies ?. Give my love to
them also to Lizzy (who has not sent me any brides
cake yet)- and believe me
Sincerely yours
David Williamson
Please write,

c/o
Mrs Magowan
1616 Copia St
Philadelphia

N.B.
Mrs Magowan was Matty [Birkmyre?] of Craigavon