| Title: | McIlrath, Hamilton to McIlrath family, 1861 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4488 |
| Collection | The McIlrath Letters: A family history in letters from New Zealand to Ireland (1860-1915) [Bassett, McKee et al.] |
| File | mcilrath/7 |
| Year | 1861 |
| Sender | McIlrath, Hamilton |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farm labourer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Kyneton, Victoria, Australia |
| Destination | Killinchy, Co. Down, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | McIlrath family |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 454 |
| Genre | correspondence, work, acquaintances |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Kyneton November 17th 1861 Dear Father and mother and brothers, Excuse me for not writing sooner but as I wanted for to hear from you before I should write, and your letters being directed for James and he is now in New Zealand I did not get them until it was too late for the last mail and Kavanagh not knowing my directions could not send them to me, and as it was only 25 miles from where I am now I rode one of Mr Harper's horses one Saturday evening and got three, one for W.J. Alexander and two for James and another on Monday last so I intend to set new light aside and put the three into one. However I am in good health and was glad to hear that you were all well and hope you are still the same. I am with a Mr Harper of Kyneton at my old trade and has been ever since the first eight weeks that I stopped with Townsend. I have one pound per week and board and he is going to let me take the harvest when it comes at what ever any other man is giving. Miss Moore the housekeeper was going to get married to Mr. Kavanagh and James had to drive her down to Melbourne for to purchase something for the happy day so he fell in with some boy that was for starting off to the Caledonian gold digging and he went along, then it was reported that there was the finest gold digging in New Zealand that had ever been discovered so he wrote to me to make all speed down to Melbourne as he was leaving where he was on the morning and starting for it with all haste, I should have gone with him but his letter dated Sept 16th I did not receive until the 30th so I knew it was needless to go for he would be off. However Miss Moore had not got married when I was down but was going to be the first Chapel Sunday which is only every three weeks there and her sister was up from Melbourne and told me she saw James the day they said and he told her he thought I was before him, which he might know was impossible as he came up to me before he went down with Moore and said he was going to put some money in the bank and he would take what I had along. So I gave him all but three shillings and this was only but five weeks after and passages was from eight to ten pounds so he has never wrote since… (Written by Hamilton) |
