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Title: Wyly, Isabella to Wyly, Matilda, 1856
ID4254
CollectionOceans of Consolation [D. Fitzpatrick]
Fileoceans/16
Year1856
SenderWyly, Isabella
Sender Genderfemale
Sender Occupationshop assistant
Sender Religionunknown
OriginAdelaide, Australia
DestinationNewry, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
RecipientWyly, Matilda
Recipient Genderfemale
Relationshipsisters-in-law
Source
Archive
Doc. No.
Date
Partial Date
Doc. Type
Logunknown
Word Count1741
Genrenews
Note
TranscriptJuly 2th. 1856
Adelaide
My dearest Matilda
After the Silence and separation of seven long years, I at last take the oppertunity of writing to you, for I feel very ancious to here from you & your dear little ones. It was a very painful shock to me, and all of us, to here of your severe trial. May the lord support you under all. He will be the Father to the Fatherless and the friend of the Widows. Can it be posable that He is gone. I can carsly believe it sometimes, but I am afraid it is to[o] true. My onely hope and trust is that He has made a Change for the better, and may we all meet where separation shall be no more.
Aunt Elizabath received a letter from her Father which told us. It was a great blow to us knowing the miserable [?] way which he was living in before we left home, but I hope and trust he had reformed air long he went to his long home.
Dear Matilda who should hav thought the many changes that would take Place in so short a time, in the Wyly family as there has.
831278515494000I suppose you hav herd before this of dear Aunt Fanny & Uncle Roberts death. The were but 3 Months in Melburne when dear Aunt Fanny died and dear little Charly & the little Baby which was only 3 weeks old, were all laid in the one tomb, and a very short time after their Uncle Robert came to Adelaide, to see us and to make arrangements to come and settle alto[ge]ther in Adelaide, and returned to Melbourne agen to setle things there, but it pleased the lord to remove Him also, so the dear Children were left to do for themselfs. Tomas and Alaxender were with Aunt Elizabath for a long time, but Alax has got a Situation in a drapers Shop now and Tom remains s[t]ill with Aunt. Henry is sill in Melburn in a good Situation. Ruth is Marryed, and has got a dear little Girl. She is very happy and has made a very comfortable home.
What changes, and I suppose there has been just as many at home. It does not seem home to me now, all seems to hav gone either to their long home, or to others Parts of the world. We hav herd of the death of dear old Grand Papa and Grand Mama, also of Uncle Charles Miridith. What a change for Poor Aunt Lucy, to be nocked out of a comfortable home.
Uncle Alaxander and family tha[n]k God has been blest with helth and strength since the hav been in Austrilia, altho the have not been so Prospers as many that come here and the hav had a great difficulty to get on with his large family, for every thing is so much more expensive here that it is atome so the hav had a grand struggle to get on but I hope the will see better days. Aunt Elizabeth has been blest with a dear little son, which is now just 6 months old. He is a beautiful Boy and the Pet of the home so the hav great reson to be thankful when the look at the affliction of other branches of the family. Robert is getting quite a young Man, in his 17 year, and in a drapers Shop getting on nicely. Fanny & Hinriata & Willy ar all going to Chool, Alexander Peel is getting a great big Boy.
I suppose I should not know dear Edward, or little Susan. I should so like to see them. I expect the quite forget the ever had an Aunt Isabella by this time, but I never shall forget them. Perhaps you think it is out site out of mind with me but it is not the case, for you all ar many times my evening thoughts, for that is my only time time for thinking.
I hav told you Iitle of my own history as yet. I hav great reson to be thankful in fact I have no reson to regret my coming to Austrilia, for I am much better of[f] than I ever should for [?] been atome. On my first arivel to Adelaide, I felt a stranger in a strange Land, which is now 5 years since I left home. I new no one, nor had I a friend to take my hand, but thank God I had Him who Never [?] has forsakeing. He be my Father & Friend and I trust he ever will be if we look to Him.
A short time after my arivel I met a friend in Mrs. Capten Bagget which is well know[n] in West Meath. I had letters for her from Ireland She received me very kindly and obtained a Situation in a drapers Shop. You know I new nothing about the buisnes, but with an effort and a kind Master I got on, and was receiveing 10s/ Per week. In a short time after, I received 12s/ and then 15s/ week and now I am in Posecion of £52 Per Ann. So you may think that was encourageing for a young biginer. You will say, it [is] a great change for me for the better, and I never felt more happy in my life than I do now that I am independent of everyone. There is no bread sweeter th[an] the bread you work for yourself. I should hav been a long time in poor old Dublin before I should show so well as I hav done here. I am very comfortable and happy, and hav great reson to be thankful.
I hope Mrs. Bell is quite well. Please give my kind love to her. I soppose you are stoping in Newry now. Tell me all about it when you write for I am very ancious to here. I often wish you were with us in Adelaide. Aunt & Uncle, seems so lonelly, for want of some of her deer friends to be neer me and console her. She does not seem to feel it so much now as she used when she first came to Australia for she is getting used to it now, and getting reconsiled to it. It is sutch a change from home where she could have You, or Aunt Lucy or some friend to come and see her, but here she has but Me, and that is but once a Week. But we must be satisfied now we ar here, for I soppose it was our lot or we should not have come.
I soppose you have herd of the Gold fields. It drove many from the comfortable homes some for the better as others for the worse. Uncle Alaxander went but did not suckseed in getting a fortion as many thought the would. He got very bad helth and would not stop to give it a very fair trial, for it was a missrable Place to be sure. A great many came from Ireland on heering the news of Gold fields, but nowon we new but Mr. O Gorman arived in Melburne. We have not seen him yet. I should think
Ireland was nearly cleared of the Poor People, for there has been so many Emigrants Ships arived here with Miserable [?] Irash. I expect it is very much improved for the better. Oh I should like to see, dear old Ireland once more be before I die. I hope I shall.
Ruth and Mrs. Shadget which is her name now intends going home shortly, but I soppose that will be to England, for he is Engelish. She is very much altered for the better, and is quite a little Mother. Sutch changes. She has had trial enough since she left home. She had noone but herself, when her deer Mama & Brother died and was left the deer little Baby which lived b[ut] 3 weeks with her. It was a great mersie it was taken [?]. Aunt Elizabath felt it very much that the were not with her, that she could renderd her a little comfort in her truble but unfortionately the arived in Melborne. Henry has never come to Adelaide yet so we have not seen him since his arival, but he is doing very well.
Dear Matilda, I seem to have sutch a deal to tell you and questions to ask you I am afraid I shoul try your Pations [patience] to read it, but I hope our silence will not be so long agen. You do not know how delight[ed] we shall all be to heer from you. I shall be ancisly looking out for the next Mail. We have one every Month, so we have every opportunity.
I will send you an Adelaide Paper. Please sen[d] me an Irash one for it is a treat to see the news, we get one so seldom.
I hav had a great wish to get dear little Susans and Ewards liknesses.
Tell me if you could hav an opportunity to get them for me. I should dearly like to have them. I hope and trust the will be a comfort to you now, which I expect the ar, and me [may] He who will be the Father to the Orphans, keep them in the wright Path, which leads to joys Above and where all dear friends meets to sepperate no more. Oh that day was come. It would be a happy meeting, woul it not.
Bein[g] limited to time, as the Mail starts tomorrow, I must bring thiss cribble to a conclution, leeving you and your deer little ones to the care of Him who will never forsake, tho all friends may. He will never if we do not forsake Him, and if it should Please Him that we should not meet agen in this World may we all meet in the next where all truble shall be at an end, around the t hrone of God in Heaven, there to reign with Him forever. That is the enerest [earnest] and sincer Prayer of
Yours ever fond and Affectionate Sister
Isabella Wyly
Joyned by all friends in Kindest love to you and yours & Mrs. Bell, except the Same from
Isabella Wyly
Direct your letter to
North Adelade
South Austrilia.
I enclose my place of residence. Excuse all, in haste.