| Title: | McIlrath, James L to McIlrath, William, 1869 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4498 |
| Collection | The McIlrath Letters: A family history in letters from New Zealand to Ireland (1860-1915) [Bassett, McKee et al.] |
| File | mcilrath/17 |
| Year | 1869 |
| Sender | McIlrath, James L |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Southbridge, Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Destination | Killinchy, Co. Down, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | McIlrath, William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 453 |
| Genre | wedding, family, new house, acquaintances, photographs, local economy |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Southbridge, September 5th 1869 Dear Brother I received your letter of May 9th '69 on the 25 August I am glad to hear that you are all well which we are both at present and before I go farther I may as well let you know that I have got married on the 16th June last to Agnes Matthews from near Comber, James Anderson publican of Comber is her uncle she came out with the Lemons and James Hewitt I saw James on Friday last for the first he promised to come to see us some day shortly. James says he knows the place you have got in Carrickmannon I hope you may do well I see by your last that you know that Hamilton is begun for himself. I bought him out I gave him £350 which was £7 10s per acre for his share of the 100 acres I am commencing to build a new house at present which will cost me about £100 when finished you say you expect us home in a few years Hamilton I believe will before a great time it might be longer before I come. But I intend to come sometime I was tired living on a farm by myself so I thought I would be better married 8 or 9 years of batchelor life would tire most people. You say John Oprey has come Home many a time I wondered where he had got to as I never could hear a single word of him you don't say if he done well or not but I suppose he did. We had Thomas Logan all night on Monday night last he is well. I was surprised to see on opening your letter the likeness of Sam Nesbit and a true likeness it is he must be a very old man I am glad to hear that Uncle Tom is living and well he must be very healthy. This place is not as good as it was a few years ago but it is very changeable the season before last Wheat was as far as 7s per bushel last 4s was about the average if we could get the prices steady that you can get we could make money fast I had over 1500 bushels last year myself I expect more this one as I have more sown. Give my best wishes to Father & Mother & Robert John and Mrs He never writes now but I must not blame Him altogether as I am very neglectful myself but I have had so much to mind lately I had not time Accept my best wishes for yourself and Mrs. I remain your affectionate James L. McIlrath |
