| Title: | [Thomas?] McIntyre, Boston to Martha, [Co. Tyrone?]. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3844 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mcintyre, t/21 |
| Year | 1855 |
| Sender | McIntyre, T. |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | labourer |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | Martha |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | T 2722/1: Copied by Permission of Miss E. Throne, Bready, Strabane, Co. Tyrone. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007180 |
| Date | 27/08/1855 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 25:02:1994. |
| Word Count | 1499 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Boston August 27th 55 [1855?] Dear Sister I now take up my pen to answer your letter. I am almost ashamed to offer my apology for my carelessness in not writing sooner knowing as I do that the want of news is no excuse to folks at home but there is one thing I will say you are not more uneasy than I am [?] [?] from you all short as the time is since I left you there has been some changes In the neighbourhood I was a good deal surprised to hear of folk some of the deaths and marriages that had happened amongst my old neighbours and I may say that Miss [Stuarts?] marriage was not last I was almost sorry that I was not to help you with your soiree as I expect my name would have appeared in some of your poets works shortly after it I congratulate Wm [William?] Orr very highly on the respect with which the people appears by that affair to hold him in) [?] I was very sorry to hear of the way in which my friend [?] behaved at last but I hope it is not so bad as was at first reported when you write let me know if there is any account from him [since?] you were wanting to know how I liked the plastering there is no trade I would sooner be at but people need not calculate on doing just what they want when they come out here for as far as I can see the very reverse often happens but there are plenty would be glad of the chance I got let it turn out as it may for I tell you times are every thing [everything?] but good here at present provisions are almost at famine prices flour is selling at present at 12 1/2$ per barrell [barrel?] at 20 Cents P [Per?] pound and every thing [everything?] else dear in proportion You cannot have board here under 3 1/4$ to 3 1/2 in any kind of a decent place I had to leave where Robert boards to be near my work I live about 2 Miles in the city from where he does The [They?] are american people and very nice folks to live with. I pay 3 dollars and pay for my washing after that and that takes the most of 1/2 a dollar of course it is nothing to me but men here working for small wages and paying such prices for board cannot save much money for my part the only trouble I have about it at present is work hard every day and carry it in to my boarding mistress on saturday nights however if I live long enough it I hope wont be so alwas [always?] I write this least [lest?] you should be afraid of my spending my money foolishly but although I say this in [---ting?] I have seen them that came out here with greater expectations than I had would be glad to work as hard as I do for their board for some time for this country is overburdened with our countrymen and women there is one of Trains ships to leave here tomorrow this is her second passage to Liverpool since I came here and she is taking 500 passengers home 57 of whom are paupers sent home by government This will give you some Idea #PAGE 2 of what sort of times are here [nevertheless?] people in any Mechanical buisness [business?] are paid well for their work Robert is working steady or I may say going Idle steady for he is foreman in the work and he may work or not as he pleases at 2 1/4 dollars P [Per?] day but it is very few gets the same chance to learn a trade as he did nowadays and there are as few as steady as he is in any trade Dear Martha You will think it strange I suppose when I tell you that I was to hear Mr Stevenson of N York [New York?] preach Yesterday Prejudiced as I was against him I did not Know til [until?] afterwards who he was and I assure you his sermon did not find much to do away with my prejudices poor as old Blakie is and there is no good in saying any thing [anything?] about him but that he is one of the most miserable preachers on the face of the earth I prefer him to Stevenson he has been on here several Times he is trying to get up a congregation in this city there is not more than from 20 to 30 families in the city belonging to that body and he talked yesterday of them paying 200 dollars at most for a minister that would be thought very high at home and yet it is no way uncommon here Robert pays 8 dollars a year for his sitting besides more collections for other purposes than you do in Mr Porters when you write let me know how how the [they?] are getting along with your new Meeting house and if the [they?] will have it ready for the congregation this winter I would travel 2 or 3 Miles on a pretty rough day to hear Mr Porter the first day in it for I feel very little pleasure in listening to old Blakie Dear Martha I have taken up my paper so with other nonsense that I will scarcely have room for what I ought to write I will be wantin [wanting?] to know in your next letter what you are all doing for after this day I do not know what you are about but I know to day [today?] you are all or at least a good part of you in donemanna [Donemana?] fair I am just thinking as I sit here alone of the times I used to have on these occasions but as Robert said one time there are no Donemanna [Donemana?] fairs here there is nothing here but work hard today and go to bed at night and rise and work harder tomorrow nothing but work work away Dear Martha when you write let me know all about the crops and all your affairs in general as there are a great many things I want to know that would make my letter [foolish?] as it is look worse but there is no stranger to see mine so I want you to write every thing [everything?] about [?] affairs about home Let me know how Loughmase folks are doing these times and how Uncle Lenny is getting on I was glad to hear that You had Jamie Rush hired but I am afraid sometimes that he may go and leave you in the throng of the Work let me know how the lint has done this season I fear it will be a poor crop in general and how the #PAGE 3 potatoes are doing this season let me know if [-hat?] account is from the Kilgores and how Wm [William?] likes Texas and if Joseph still talks of coming out to this country John wants to know if I play the fiddle any now but you may tell him that if he was here to put on mortar for one week he would have very little notion about fiddling on saturday nights however as I hope he will never know that I want him to practise well and if he writes me a letter shortly I will send him 2 or 3 nice tunes and a newspaper or 2 let me know how his foot is doing this summer I sometimes think when I go to my room to sit or lay from I quit my work till [until?] I get up in the morning without any one [anyone?] to speak to me of the nights when we used to sit down by the fire and draw down our old fiddles and you may think my meditations are not very pleasant however people need not expect a great deal enjoyment when they come here Dear Martha let me know when you write how your health has been this summer and when you are coming to take care of our house but to tell you the truth I would sooner far hear of you staying to help your mother till [until?] you would get some little shanty of your own Give my love to all my old neighbours and friends whom I should remember although I do not mention them by name as I thought it always looked foolish to see a string of give my loves in a letter Robert Joins with me in sending our love to you all father mother sisters and brothers You will scarce be able to make this out I was just beginning to think that I had the trowel in my hand write soon and direct as usual Farewell all T [Thomas?] McIntyre |
