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Title: 36. From Ellen Prendergast to her husband Michael, and from James Prendergast to his children in Boston
ID5681
CollectionThe Prendergast Letters. Correspondence from Famine-era Ireland (1840-50) [S. Barber]
Fileprendergast/36
Year1848
SenderPrendergast, James / Prendergast, Ellen
Sender Gendermale-female
Sender Occupationfarmer / housewife
Sender Religionunknown
OriginMilltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland
DestinationBoston, Mass., USA
RecipientPrendergast children
Recipient Gendermale-female
Relationshipfather-children / wife-husband
Source
Archive
Doc. No.
Date
Partial Date
Doc. Type
Logunknown
Word Count741
Genrefamily, neighbours / family
Note
TranscriptMr Thomas Prendergast
16 Pearlplace Boston
State of Massachusetts
N. America

prepaid
Paid

Milltown 4th Febr 1848

My Dear Husband
On Wednesday last I received your Letter of the
11th February last with its enclosed order of £13.
Of that sum I got £8 and the rest was disposed
of as directed. The children and I were really distressed
and would be very poorly situated had not your father
and Mother taken care of us. They never left us depending
on any friend without sharing with us. I must only
say that between them and my Father and Mother The
children and I were better situated than many that
boasted of Independance. My dear Husband, It is true
that the relief ye sent was timely yet believe
me it was not half so welcome ^as the acct^ that ye were all
well. Your Parents, Mine, The Children, myself,
your Brother Maurice and Family are well. Johnny
is what you never expected to see him, now the very
best you left. He is able to be with your Father every
moment and cares for nobody but, as he says, for his
grandfather and Grandmother. My dear Husband, you desire
me make what I could out of what you sent
but it is really impossible to do any thing now
in this place. Everything requires a good capital
m this season of the year, but as soon as the
season comes on I will do as much as I can. Write
very often. We will be better pleased to hear that ye
all are well than any gift without that acct. Julia
is very well attends the Convent school regularly and is
considered to be daily improving. I will say no more than that
I send you your Brothers and their Wives and my sister Julia
and Con (not the last in my affections) my blessing
and that I am affectionately and obediently
your wife
Ellen Prendergast

P.S. Julia says she hopes that she will never die
but with aunt Julia.

My dear Children
You can perceive by the first part of this letter from
(to your Brother Michl from his Wife) that your letter
arrived and that its contents was disposed of as ye
directected. She stated truth in what she said. We are all well
thank God, and I need not say that we can never have pleasure
equal to that of hearing that ye are well. Father B. OConnor sent
four Letters since he went to Boston. One to the Convent one to
Father Buckley, one to Mr Moriarty, and the 4th to his nephew
OConnor of Aglish. In each he said that ye are a credit to
the Land of your birth, that ye received him, after his fatigue
and hardships, as kindly as if ye were more than his cousins.
I am glad ye did so for it was not an act lost. For that rea
son I will be glad that ye will, in future, shew him the
respect due from parishioners. Tell him that the Ladies of the Convent, Father Buckley, Mrs Moriarty and family and
his nephew with the rest of his friends are well and that
his parishioners, the most respectable, as well as the most
humble, pray daily for his safe return. Dan Riordan is well.
We have accts from him always thro Maurice. Your Mother and I are
much stronger than you could expect us to to be. She says she
would be ten years younger if she could once hold young James
and that she is really thankful to father Batt for saying he was
a real true blue, or Old James. Maurice desires to return ye
sincere thanks from himself and family as it was your Bounty
preserved them in their last illness when distress was
so general. His son James is in raptures expecting th[…]
ye will send for him. So are his parents. Your Mother
joins me in desiring to desiring to be remembered to each of our
daughters inlaw and in sending our love and blessing to them and
ye and not forgetting Con and Julia from we wish to hear
as often as they or ye can send us an account. My dear
Children I will conclude by saying that
I am affectionately
your Father
James Predergast
James Prendergast