| Title: | Greeves, Susanna to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1848 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6168 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/171 |
| Year | 1848 |
| Sender | Greeves, Susanna |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | shop keeper |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Collins, Lake Erie, NY, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1438 |
| Genre | money and banks, staying with relatives, news of family, friends and neighbours |
| Note | |
| Transcript | My dear Sister No doubt you are wondering why I have not sent the annexed order or written you ere this. The latter I would have done, only waiting to be able to tell you something about it; and I may now tell thee that it was only a few days ago that I received the £12 from the Bank here. The order thou returned was sent to London & where else I cannot tell, nor the Bank here could not tell why you did not get it cashed. However I am glad to be able to send it now & hope there will be no more difficulty about It. But I may tell thee before the Bank here returned the money bro. Thomas & I had to sign a paper to keep them safe. Therefore thou wilt please when writing next send me a recpt from Brother William for the amt, and as it will be also necessary for me to have a recpt from poor Mgts husband for her legacy, I will be obgd for both. Thou wilt see from the date of this that I am in Dungon where I have been for the last few weeks, or most partly here, the reason of which is on ace; of brother Thomas's health. I cannot now remember when I wrote thee last - wheather since or before the very severe attack he had in spring - from which few thought he would have recovered; but it pleased an allwise providence to spare him a little longer over his family. He got better and was able to get to the seaside for a couple of months, Sister Jane and her husband kindly inviting him to go to (hem where they and the family were at the shore. The change of air he thought was of use to him so far as it helped to brace his nerves - he did not use the water in any way. But I am sorry to say since his return that he has been suffering much from his breathing, and when this is the case I dont wonder he should dread the winter. But I should tell thee partly my reason for being here at present, which is that his delicate state of health has, I may say, quite unfited him for attending to the business as he should and as it would require. Therefore I may say he has come most partly to the conclusion if not altogether to give it up and to go out to Bernagh to reside, and Thos Sinton & Thos Walpole are about to take the concern from him. His son John might, if he had been fond of the business, been soon fit to have conducted the business with a little assistance from his father: but he preferred civil engineering which he has & is still studying; but wheather this will be an advantageous business for him is yet to be known. Malcom is too young to attend to business as he has not near done with his schooling. And, as I was saying, the reason of my being here now was to give a hand at arranging matters as he is not equal to it himself. He has been little in town all summer & when not at the sea he has been out at Bernagh where he & sister Rachel are at present; indeed I fear much if he will even be better for living in the country, and farming does not suit him well either as he is not able to be over the workmen. So thou wilt see, my dear sister, he is greatly to be felt for. It would have suited his circumstances better had he been able to attend to the business, as there is little to be made by farming particularly in this country, & not being able as I said to be over the men, it will even not be so well. But I hope he will have as much as will keep them with economy pretty comfortably and let their childn work as we did. The boys can shift or make out life for themselves once they are educated. Cousin Mgt [Greacen] has been living with her brother Thos [Sinton] since his last wife died which is about 2 or 3 months ago and she has now concluded on remaining with him. She will be a great acquisition to him & T Walpole. I will miss her very much - dear Aunt misses her also, particulatly so in my absence, altho Lizzy O'Brien who is still with me, also Geotge & Thomas, is very attentive to her. But 1 hope once bto Thomas is quite settled at Bernagh & the others here that I will get home. I hope by 11 month that all will finally be arranged, but everything is so uncertain in this world that before then it is hard to say what may take place. John & Jane Owden are at present in England: they left Maty Jane with their little daughter at the seaside where they will remain most likely till their return. Their little girl has kept pretty well all summer, she has been at the seaside most of it. The Dr still wishes her to be at the sea in the summer in hopes that it will still add to het strength and make her bear the winter better. I cannot say she is often ailing but still there is a delicacy about her which requires constant attention. Her lameness we think is much better and as she grows up it is to be hoped it will not signify much. I was in my hurry to get this off this evening, near forgetting to tell thee about Abraham Bell, his son Willie & his daughter Mary are in Ireland at present. I met them both in this neighbourhood and also at Belfast. They were to have sailed more than 3 weeks ago & had really done so hut the vessel they went in had to put back on acct of some of her machiny going wrong. They are now to sail I understand on the 12th of this month, unless they are prevented by Ab Bell who is not very well since he came over from Liverpool again. They are at his nephew james [Greer] Bell's who I suppose thou knows lives in the neighbourhood of Moyallon. Every one thought A Bell looking wonderfully well; he seemed pleased to see all his old friends again. As thou likes to hear of thy old friends, I may tell thee that Susanna Greer (McDonald that was) was asking for thee; I am sorry to say her husband has been unfortunate in business owing to his unsteadiness. He went over to America and was as far as Cincinatti but returned soon again. He with Susanna and some of the childn are now at the Bridge with his sisters. It is a pity he could not behave himself. He has a large family but the most of them are in situations of one kind or other. We have had a remarkable wet summer and I am sorry to say that more than the one ½ of the potatoe crop is bad which I fear will tell a bad story next year. Other crops are pretty good. I am afraid thou wilt be hard set to make this out: the thiness of the paper makes it not so easy deciphered. I will be anxiously looking out for a letter from thee & hope it will contain good news of you all being well. With the aception of a little Rhumatism in my right shoulder & arm, my health at present is better than it was and many tell me I look better and some of the old customers say I look as well as I did 2Q years ago - see what an old woman they make me - some of them will say Why you stand it well! & then ask what family I have and so forth. I still keep up the good colour of the Greeves, which makes me took younger I suppose than many of my age, altho' I am wearing on to the half century fast. Sister Jane is a large fat woman & is reckoned by some a fine looking woman. She enjoys tolerable good health with the acception of a bilious attack now & again & if let run too far brings on a kind of spasms - but she is ... to take ... to all |
