| Title: | Reynolds, William to Reynolds, James William, 1904 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4238 |
| Collection | The Reynolds Letters. An Irish Emigrant Family in Late Victorian Manchester [L.W. McBride] |
| File | reynolds/50 |
| Year | 1904 |
| Sender | Reynolds, William |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | linen trader |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Destination | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Recipient | Reynolds, James William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | uncle-nephew |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 607 |
| Genre | decease |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 293 Wilmslow Road Fallowfield Manchester April 19* 1904 Dear James, 1 received your letter sympathising with me in the great loss I have sustained in the death of your Aunt Mary Ann. It was the heaviest blow 1 have received during all my life and it came so sudden and unexpected. We were both enjoying good health up to the commencement of March and we talked together how we had got over the winter so well. I caught a cold first and an attack of neuralgia. Of course she had her old complaint Bronchitis every winter but as far as I could see she seemed to have got over this winter better than any for the last S years and showed no sign of anything unusual till about the 15th of March. On the 16th of March she went out to do a little shopping and was out for about half-an-hour but during the time she was out the east wind caught her severely and caused a pain in her back. When I went to dinner she was complaining of the pain and said the cold had caught her. The Doctor was called to the house at the time to see her and came in at dinner time while I was presant and did not think there was anything unusual but said she would be all right in a day or two. She seemed to get a little worse but did not take to her bed until Friday. She then commenced to cough rather bad and on Saturday she got rather downcast, a thing I never saw before in my life as she was a woman with a splendid spirit. When I saw this change it began to effect me very much. It seemed to completily get over my feelings. Saturday night she had a bad night and I went into her bedroom during the night several times She had a friend sleeping in there. I saw the way she was breathing and thought she could not possibly last very long but as morning advanced she seemed to recover her breathing. I went off early in the morning and got the Doctor out of bed to come to see her. He still thought she would be right in a day or two and the Priest also thought the same. About 6 oclock on Sunday evening she took a change for the worse as she coughed very bad during the day and became unconscious. I brought the Doctor quickly again and a specialist to consult with him. After consulting together they told me that if she did recover she would be part paralyzed but she never recovered and died next morning at 15 past 6. It was a terrible blow to me and I ill at the time myself. I thought I should never have got over it. The Doctor fully expected to see me laid up. I could not comprehend it, her dying so quickly and her & I being together all our lives. The last 5 years especially was the most pleasant time we had during our lives as we had a fine house to live in in a nice locality and enjoyed the home better than anything we had I thank your Mother Tom John Mary & Willie for their sympathy with me in my great distress. I sent you papers about the funeral which I supposed you received. I am now beginning to get over the feeling of distress a little but dont expect ever to be the same again as I am getting advanced in years. I remain Your affectionate Uncle William Reynolds |
