| Title: | Robert McElderry, Lynchburg Va. to Anne McElderry, Ballymoney |
|---|---|
| ID | 3822 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mcelderry, robert/24 |
| Year | 1850 |
| 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, Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | T 2414/1: Copied by Permission of Dr Helen Megaw, c/o 66 Malone Road, Belfast 9 #TYPE EMG Robert McElderry, Lynchburg, Virginia, [America?], to his sister, Anne McElderry, Ballymoney, County Antrim, [Ireland?], 15 August 1850. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007031 |
| Date | 15/08/1850 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 18:07:1990 TSFS#CREATE created 21:11:1991 SQ input |
| Word Count | 1146 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Miss Anne McElderry Ballymoney Co[unty?] Antrim Ireland From: Lynchburg 15 Aug[ust?] 1850 Dear Sister I have been to[o?] long in answering your kind letter but I hope you will excuse me when I tell you I have had so much to do lately that I could not find any time to write July is a month in which we have a great deal of work to do we have to measure all the goods in store and take inventory before the first of August So that the business may be settled up and shows what has been made for the last year last years work brings a very good profit the am[oun?]t is over eight thousand dollars after taking all expenses from it As I am bookkeeper of the concern I had to post up the books (after we got through with the other work) untill [until?] the first of August and take a balcnce sheet but there was some mistake in the posting and they do not balance cor[r?]rectly it may take me a long time to find out the mistake The books are not kept in the same way as I did at home they are kept by double entry I am very well satisfied with my place and I know all parties conserned [concerned?] are so Mr Peters said that he never had any young men with whom he was better satisfied than the ones he has at this time only one that he got about a mounth [month?] ago who is the most stupid boy that I have ever seen he cannot tell what two yards of anything would come to at ten cents per yard he will very soon have to leave for Mr Peter says he would not keep him one evening we were all engaged in the back part of the store and set to watch the door He went atside [outside?] sat down to sleep very composedly and could hardly be waked up Mr Mathews has been with us all summer untill [until?] last week when he went away to the springs to stay for a short time when he will come back again and stay till winter comes on and go to Baltimore he was afraid to visit his friends west this summer because of Cholera if he is not detained by the same cause he will go there next summer When he is here he stays all the time in the store with us and sees that every thing is done write [right?] a great many people think because he pays so much attention that Mr Peters is only doing bussiness [business?] for him It would be better for Sally never to trouble herself about George Lyle or any of his friends I believe them all to a worthless set, after I rec[eive?]d they [the?] letter from home in answer to the one an[n?]ouncing James' death I wrote to George as I promised to do but I never rec[eive?]d any answer from him I should suppose that something has offended them I do not know how it is that people can always tell a great deal more than what is true I have neither said nor done anything as yet about getting a tombstone for James' grave but Sally may rest easy on that score I shall certainly attend to it as soon as I can have an opportunity of doing so I am indeed very glad to hear that Tommy is getting along so well you must never let him forget that he has an Uncle Robert who always thinks of him though he never sees him he was a good child and I trust he will be a good boy and a good man I should think that by this time he would be a smart little fellow and that he ought to be going to s[c?]hool in the course of a year or so You had better all mind and not spoil by petting him and making too much of him of which I think there would be a great chance as he is now the only child at home I suppose that little Samuel B Boyd is in with you very often how does Thomas get along with him Sam[ue?]l should be able to chat very well by this time if he is any such a boy as Tom was when he was his age but I think that is very d[o?]ubtful I re[eive?]d a letter from Robert Wilson today and a newspaper from home what is the reason you do not send me newspapers oftener than you do I cannot get them to send as I used to do when in Baltimore The papers that are published here are not worth anything I would send you some of them The principle thing [?] would see in them would the price of Tobacco which is very high at this time the season for planting was so bad that is thought there will not be third a crop made it will be but a small loss to you but I am afraid it will effect [affect?] business here very much There are a great many little things when you are writing that you never think of mentioning whether you have still got the horse if old Spring is still living and able to kill rats and I could hardly tell you all what all you might tell me when you write just think what you would like to hear you were away from home and that is the very thing that would like to hear When I was in Balto [Baltimore?] I had news from home oftener than I had a letter I never hear any thing now only in my own letters I always find it to be ease when I write often I can write best and I intend after this that you shall have a letter from me once a mount [month?] if you will all agree to do the same for me Give my respect to all friends and accquaintances and let me know as much as you can how they are getting along any word of Adam Thomson getting married Remember me to Mr & Mrs Prestoul & part of their family I cannot say all for I believe from late accounts that there has been an addition to it I suppose it is nearly as large as our own used to be before we got so much scattered How so Dan[ie?]l Tom & Joe get along let me hear from them all next time it is some time since Dan gave me a lesson out of his big bible Is William McAfee living at the same place and doing as well as usual Good by[e?] at presant [present?] I remain your affectionate Brother Robert McElderry Give my love to Uncle James and Aunt and spend many happy days together |
