| Title: | 32. From James Prendergast to his children in Boston |
|---|---|
| ID | 5677 |
| Collection | The Prendergast Letters. Correspondence from Famine-era Ireland (1840-50) [S. Barber] |
| File | prendergast/32 |
| Year | 1847 |
| Sender | Prendergast, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Milltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland |
| Destination | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Recipient | Prendergast children |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | father-children |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 905 |
| Genre | family, illness, neighbours |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Mr Cornelius Riordan N° 16 Boston Pearlplace State of Massachusetts N. America Paid Milltown 21st August 1847 My dear Children Your Mother and myself never enjoyed greater pleasure than ^when^ we heard from ye, and I must confess that never a letter gave us greater comfort than your last one dated 30th July. From the accts daily arriving here of the great mortality prevailing in America we gave up Michael as lost, but thank the great God we are now easy as we are sure He is well and with ye. We have other causes of pleasure also, you have a young son, may God spare as a Comfort to his parents, and the parents to nurture him, and tho his Grandmother and I cannot have the pleasure of seeing him and giving him our blessing, I assure you that both of us pray for him and send him our blessing. You also say that Jeffry is married. That gives us additional pleasure, moreover as we fondly hope has married with the advice of the rest, and as you give us such a good character of his wife. The name of Conway was always most respectable in this county,and next to Kerry, Tipperary is the only county in Ireland I love best. The Inhabitants of Kerry and Tipperary are always the same as Brothers. Give both our blessing. Hitherto I have not spoken of Con or Julia, the subject did not allow me untill now, but believe me I have them as much at heart as much as any of my children. I can never forget ye as long as I live. Your Mother and I pray for ye daily. You seem to doubt that your Mother lives. She does thank God. I would be poorly if she did not. I would not deny it on any acct. She was very sick for about 3 Months. No great hopes were entertained of her recovery, but thank God she is well now. She was only recovering slowly when I was laid sick and I was somewhat delirious for 11 Weeks, however I recovered thank God. We wanted nothing. Ye sent us the means and we wanted it. Maurice and his family live still in the same place but they have no employ =ment. John Lynch has nothing to do. Maurice and his family were successively lying in fever, each of ^them^ got a relapse two or three times. Your Mother sent out Nell West, nursetender, to attend Maurice who was the first that got sick. She remained there until the last was well. They can never return ye thanks. It was ^what^ ye sent your Mother and me that kept them alive. We had ^to look^ to the old and young. We could not see them in want without sharing with them while we had it. That leaves us pennyless. What ye sent us is nearly gone. John's Wife and child are well. They live in Tralee. Michael's Family are well. I could not describe the feelings of his Wife and children on hearing that he was well. His fatherinlaw was complaining of illness for some days before the letter arrived but on hearing from him the poor man seemed to get fresh life and never since complained of disease. His Motherinlaw is as well as he left her. The kitchen gardens were tilled and grew but they were damaged like last year. They are dug up now and if we had more we cannot say much about the crops yet. They grow up, but as only small quantities of Potatoes were sown last season none of them is coming into our market yet. The accounts about them are various. The Trunk which Julia sent arrived here some time ago after a deal of trouble. I stated every thing about it in a letter which I sent off in July, and which I am sure you received about the first of this Month. Tell Con that Dan Riordan is well and still in the same place. Maurice Mahony boot and shoemaker, and his cousin, Sons to Daniel and James Mahony of Rathpogue sailed for Boston in May last. They never sent any account home. I would be glad if to hear in your next if you should meet either of them. Their fa =milies are good neighbours. I am very sorry to hear that young Patk Heffernan of Rathpogue died within a few hours sail of Quebec and my poor friend Mary Connor, Sister to Jerry Connor late of Milltown who was going to her Brothers to Hamilton, I heard died after landing. The accounts of deaths daily received here are really terrifying. Write to us without delay. We will be very uneasy until we hear from ye again and let us know whether Michl got any return of his illness. Your Mother joins with me in sending ye our love and blessing and desiring to be kindly remembered to each of our Children, Con, Julia, Michl, Jeffry and ye, and not forgetting those members whom we never yet saw, Jeffry's Wife, yours, and her babe, young James. May God bless and preserve ye all. I remain my dear Children affectionately your Father James Prendergast Thos Prendergast Boston &c. P.S. Michl's Wife and family ^desire^ that he will soon write to let them know how he is. |
