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Title: Stewart, Frances to Taylor, Louisa, 1851
ID4754
CollectionRevisiting Our Forest Home, The immigrant letters of Frances Stewart [J. L. Aoki]
Filestewart/36
Year1851
SenderStewart, Frances
Sender Genderfemale
Sender Occupationhousewife
Sender Religionunknown
OriginDouro Township, Newcsatle District, Upper Canada
DestinationIreland
RecipientTaylor, Louisa
Recipient Genderfemale
Relationshipfriends
Source
Archive
Doc. No.
Date
Partial Date
Doc. Type
Logunknown
Word Count806
Genrenews, family life
Note
Transcript1851: June 6
To Betty Taylor, Ireland

Auburn
Peterboro, 6 June 1851

My dear Betty

I received your letter a few days ago & am very happy to find you are well.
I am thankful to say I and my family are all well at present. I have often
enquired about you and was truly very sorry to hear of poor Peters death
and that you had been in distress but hearing you had left Ireland and
gone to Scotland, I had no way of writing to you or sending you any help.
Mr. William Stewart is now the head of this family and he is soon
going to be married to a very nice young lady, a Miss McNabb, daughter
to Doctor McNabb of Peterborough. Mr. William says he will give you a
place here & keep you in the house to look after the chickens & children if
he has any and I will give you a note to Mr. Rothwell near Kells, the same
gentleman Peter went to before, and he will give you £5-0-0 which will, I
am sure, pay your expenses out here and I hope you may get on safe.
I never had any letter from you or could hear anything about you,
but that you had gone to Glasgow. I was in Rochester last September and
I went to see Ally McCabe. Felix keeps a Huxter shop and a Boarding
and lodging house. They are getting on middling well. I did not see little
Mary Jane. She was at school & so was James but I saw four other fine
children. They went over to the States two years ago and have lived in
Rochester ever since. And Ally says she likes it very well. This place is a changed place since you were here and never will be
the same again. I feel very lonely as you may suppose for nothing will ever
in this life restore me the loss I have had. But I have a great deal to make me happy. My children are all round me & all good to me and I have every comfort. The people all live round here but we never had anyone to keep the little gatehouse or the garden as nice as poor Peter did. Mrs. Hay & Dr. Hay & the children are all well. They have three children & one dead.
Mr. & Mrs. Dunlop have lost 3 children but little Mary is alive and a fine
little girl she is.
Miss Bessy was married three years ago to Mr. Edward Brown and has a
very nice place but no family as she lost two. Mr. Robert is well & doing well.
He has not married yet Mr. Templeton Brown is married to a niece of mine
who lived with me, a Miss Frood. David Porter & family is all doing well &
live in Douro near Mr. Browns. William Porter & his family are still in the
same place. They have lost two children & now the youngest living is very
ill. His oldest girl rives with Mrs. Hay always. Tom Martin & Mary are well
but had much sickness & Mary was near to death last year but has got well
again. Neddy was laid down all winter with rheumatic fever but got better.
He is not strong yet. They have had great trouble, poor people. We have
several new people about here but you will I hope know all when you come.
Mr. Frank & Mr. John went to the States last year & are coming
home next October please God. George lives in Toronto. He is a surveyor.
Charles is at school & grown quite a man & so is Henry. Miss Kate is quite
a young woman & is a first rate housekeeper.
I think I have told you all about your friends now Betty, so hoping to
hear from you & then to see you I remain
Your very sincere friend,
Frances Stewart

Please to write as soon as you get this to let me know if you are coming
this year. I think it better not to send the letter to Mr. Rothwell in this but I will write by Post & tell him to send it to you as this letter might be lost.
Miss Haycock was married three years ago to a Mr. Williams. She is
living a long way from this. Old Mr. & Mrs. Haycock are both dead. Mrs.
Strickland died last year & left a large young family. Mary Devine is married & doing well. She lives in the Scotch Village.
I think I don't know any more to tell you about your friends. Nobody
knows anything of your sister Charlotte. I believe Ellen is married in the
States. She did not marry Mr. Spalding.