| Title: | Robert McElderry, Virginia to Thomas McElderry, Ballymoney. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3818 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mcelderry, robert/6 |
| Year | 1852 |
| Sender | McElderry, Robert |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | businessman (dry goods) |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (joins The Presbyterian Church At Some Point) |
| Origin | Lynchburg, Virginia, USA |
| Destination | Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | McElderry, Thomas |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 2414/6: Copied by Permission of Dr Helen Megaw, c/o 66 Malone Road, Belfast 9. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007066 |
| Date | 11/03/1852 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 07:02:1994 |
| Word Count | 789 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Lynchburg 11th March 1852 Dear Brother I received your kind letter of the 26th Feby [February?], yesterday and was very glad to hear that you were all well at home and that you had recovered from your sickness We had here an unusally cold winter colder than any winter for more than thirty years and there has been a great deal of sickness and many deaths two of Mr Liggats grandchildren died this winter of scarlet fever they have been all very much afflicted by the death of these children it was a very heavy blow on their Mother (Mrs Tunstall) to see her two daughters cut off one about two weeks after the other they have two little boys still living they were both sick but are now recovering Mr Liggat told me the other day when I would write home to be sure and send his respects to my father and all of you I told him I should certainly do so Mr Peters' brother Stephen T. Peters started yesterday for Europe on bussiness [business?] he is going to see after a large estate in Scotland which has been for some tine without an heir and the heir to this estate is living in this place and if Mr Peters can establish his claims to it he will gain for him a good deal of property The mans name is Reid his father came from Scotland to County Down in Ireland and then came to this country To trace up his desent [descent?] from the original owner of this property Mr Peters will have to go to Ireland and he promised to call on you and if convenient stop with you for a short time I gave him a letter of introduction to my father You will find him a very well informed Gentleman, he will be able to give you as much information respecting this country as any man I know When he was getting ready to start I should have liked very much to have been able to go along with him and have seen you all once more I feel some curiosity to see the juvenile members of the family who have come into existance since I left home But I may be able to go at some future time and then I will be able to tell you a great many long yarns about old Virginia the place where you all seem to think one can hear nothing but the slave driver cracking his whip and in every way one can imagine torturing human beings because the [they?] happen to be of a different color from their masters. Now people who tell such stories as these are the greatest liars in the world for if you only want to see a happy and contented lot of creatures you should see a number of slaves meet together after their days work is done and hear them play the banjo and see them dance I think Mr Rintoul when he wanted to have that motion carried which went to pledge all parties going to the United States to have no connection with slave [hating?] Churches was a little beside himself [as?] he very often is (and I would have no hesitation in telling him so) People #PAGE 2 will keep talking about things which they know nothing of It would be foolish for a any one [anyone?] to pledge himself to any thing [anything?] of this Kind how much better would it be for a man to come hear & see if there was any thing [anything?] wrong every man ought to see for himself and judge accordingly Mr Peters went to New York about ten days ago and I have not yet heard whether he got the shirt or not if he cannot get them he will be paid whatever they were worth The gun I left with cusin [cousin?] Mr Borland I only lent to him and if you want to use it you ought to get it I receive the papers from you very regularly and I like very much to see them I get a good deal of interesting news from them I will send papers to you more regularly after this take care of those you get untill [until?] Mr Peters goes to BMoney [Ballymoney?] as he would be very much pleased to see them I am very sorry to hear that those wise men of BMoney [Ballymoney?] still continue to trouble my Father about the market but I suppose they are now like they used to be can not [cannot?] do any thing [anything?] but talk a little and that never could do much harm I will write again in short time to David Boyd I Remain Your affectionate brother Robert McElderry [addressed to:] Mr Thomas McElderry Jr Ballymoney Ireland [postmarked:] LYNCHBURG AMERICAN MAR LIVERPOOL 12 MR29 52 |
