| Title: | Hester Wylly, Savannah, Georgia to Helen Lawrence, Coleraine |
|---|---|
| ID | 3431 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Wylly, Hester/14 |
| Year | 1768 |
| Sender | Wylly, Hester |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Savannah, Georgia, USA |
| Destination | Coleraine, Co. Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Lawrence, Helen |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | D955/11: Deposited by Messrs Martin, King, French & Ingram |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N.Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9904244 |
| Date | 14/12/1768 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 27:04:99. |
| Word Count | 1245 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | *from Hester Wylly to her sister Helen Lawrence, nee Wylly Macky My Dr [Dear?] Hellen [Helen?] Savanna [Savannah?] in Georgia December 14 1768 I with pleasure embrace this oppor'y [opportunity?] of writing you by Cap.tn [Captain?] Anderson who sails for London in a few days. I wrote you some time after I arrived here giving you an account of what happened me while I was on sea & of the affectionate reception I met with from all my friends in this place & as I hope you have received that letter it is unnesecary [unnecessary?] for to write further on that subject. I wrote to my Uncle McCartan immediately after I came & of my intention to pay him a visit. I received from him a very affectionate letter & desired me to go up as soon as possible, but unluckeily [unluckily?] for me my brother could not go to the end of the month as the assembly was to sit. My Uncle was taken suddenly ill & he was so desirous to see me that he attempted to come by water to my brothers as he knew he was a dying & wanted to see me, but as his disorder was an impostume in his breast it broke & he died before my brother could see him, he made his will the day before he died. & as I have not yet seen it, I can not give you the full particulars I can only let you know he left to alleck [Alex?] 6 hundred pounds to his three children a hundred a piece to Sally a hundred & fifty pound & a gold watch, & to me three hundred pounds Sterling & his own gold [chaseed?] watch and trinkets, to Sam and Dick a hundred pounds each & his wearing apparrall [apparel?], & I am sorry for my dr [dear?] little John sake to inform you he only left you twenty pounds to put you in mourning as you had never wrote him he thought you did not want his help. I hear he has left some legesies [legacies?] to people in Coleraine & belfast but who I cant tell, the remainder is left to my cousin [Cortin?] Campbell. I believe he died worth about eight thousand pounds, he is greatly lamented by every person that knew him as he was the most charitable man I ever heard of. I have received three letters from aunt Campbell, with a pressing invatation [invitation?] to go to Charlstown [Charlestown?]. I intend to go there after Christmas to stay some time She wrote me the shocking account of what happened poor Mrs Lewis which I suppose you heard of before this. I am exceedingly sorry on my dear brother Lawrences account as it must certainly be a very great loss to him, poor creatures the [they?] were in great disstress [distress?] for 9 days on sea in an open boat & no more than a gill a water a day, & lost every thing but what was on them I wonder what could tempt Mrs Lewis to come in the providence. My aunt informs me the [they?] intend staying in Charlstown [Charlestown?] to spring if that is the case I shall be very happy with Mrs Lewis. I wrote her & at the same time my aunt to take notice of them which I find she has done. My dear Hellen [Helen?] I am sure it will give you pleasure to hear that this place agrees with me as well as Ireland. I have not as yet found any difference, its true in the heat of summer the people that is exposed to the sun is subject to what the [they?] call fever & ague, but it soon leaves them & is seldom dangerous, the weather at this time of year is most the same as our winter only a little uncertain, the provisions is the same plenty of good beef & mutton, & fowlls [fowls?], fish, & every thing, the principal produce is rice & [dear?] [friend?], as for the people here the [they?] are extremly [extremely?] polite & socible[sociable?]. We form a wrong notion of the women for I assure you I never saw finer women in any part of the world, nor finer complexions in my life, the [they?] are very gay and spritely. We have constant assemblys [assemblies?] & many other amusements to make the place agreeable, they dress in the same manner as they do in London & tho every thing is sold at at (sic) least a hundred per cent yet the [they?] dress very fine. My brother alleck [Alex?] live (sic) in the summer time about eight mils [miles?] from Savanna [Savannah?] & in the winter in town his wife is a very agreeable little woman, he has three fine children, to [two?] boys & a girl & my brother William lives a quarter of a mile from alleck [Alex?], he has one girl & a boy. Sam stays in Jamacia [Jamaica?] & is in a very good way, as for dick he has just gone out to the West Indies Super Cargo, but will set up for him self when he returns. I live always with alleck [Alex?] who is very fond of me he has made me several presents. Onlly [only?] tother [the other?] day bought me a handsome horse and saddle as [the?] [Ladies?] [torn] was amased [amazed?] when I first came here to [torn] of their houses made of wood & none [torn] paved but all covered with sand every [torn] two or three [singl?] [man?] chairs & we ne[torn] but in them the [they?] think nothing of going [torn] mils [miles?] to pay a visit it is a hundred m [miles?] [torn] Charlstown [Charlestown?] by water & hundred & fifty [torn] My dr [dear?] Hellen [Helen?] I expected letters from you [torn] their [there?] was a ship come here tother [together?] torn] great number of people from bel[torn] [belfast?] miss no opportunity of writing [torn] know what pleasure it must [torn] how you all are. My letters you [torn] I come here Which will return [torn] next May. So I beg you may write [torn] Letters directed to Mr Joseph Gaylard in [-ims?] Street London & you may be assured the [they?] will come safe I have sent Mrs Gaylard some green oranges which is the produce of this country, as for these kind of things it would be a folly to send them to you as you could never receive them. I shall write you by one Cap.tn Sullavan [Sullivan?] who will sail for Cork in aprill [April?] and if I can get any thing worth sending will. My love to my dr [dear?] brothers Love me and am my der [dear?] Hellen [Helen?] your ever loveing loving Sister Hester Wylly I am afraid I have tired you with my scrall [scrawl?] My brother & sister send their love to you and I beg you will find a spare hour to write to my sister, as she very well deserves that piece of respect from you My love to all my good friends in Coleraine My dr [dear?] Helen since I wrote the above I have been in company with a Mrs Crosby a lady from Armagh who has been here about too [two?] years & as the climate dont agree with her she returns in Cap.tn Anderson's. So I send my letters by her once more adieu my dr [dear?] sister Hellen [Helen?]. *Envelope address: Mrs Hellen [Helen?] Lawrence Coleraine Ireland |
