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Title: William Colhoun, Pennsylvania to his father, Letterkenny.
ID670
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileColhoun, William/107
Year1830
SenderColhoun, William
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationschoolmaster
Sender Religionunknown
OriginPennsylvania, USA
DestinationLetterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland
Recipientunknown
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipson-father
SourceT 1466/3a: Copied by Permission of A. Colhoun Esq., Belfast.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.8910150
Date04/10/1830
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogDocument added by JM 25:02:1994.
Word Count972
Genre
Note
TranscriptWashington County,
Pennsylvania,
October 4th 1830.

Dear Father,
I received your letter sent by Mr James Clarke dated
the 28th of April 1830 which gave me more satisfaction than
is in my power to express. It gave rise to a most ernest
[earnest?] & almost uncontrollable desire to see you as I
had for several years considered you dead to this World and
me. But your letter in one part gave me much pain while it
complained of my neglect to write to you - My dear father
for at least three years I continued to write since I
received any word from you then with a sorrowful heart
concluded that you were dead and the familt [family?]
probably removed or dispersed from Rosbraken [Rossbrackan?]. But my dear
father consider that I live 300 miles from any seaport and
have not for seven years seen any person that was going to
Ireland from here so that there was no chance to send
letters but to put them into the Post Office here and pay
the postage to some of the seaports and then trust to the
Postmaster there to have them shipped for Ireland which
trust is very uncertain as I am certain that I sent more
than ten letters since I received one from you. Dear Father
I will proceed to give you an account of myself as you
already know I lived with my cousin Wm [William?] Colhoun of
Clarkesville the first five years that I was in this country
for which I never received one cent. I then left him and
went to a Mr Reed of Washington where I lived six months as
he had then three sons he did not need my service any
longer. I then went into the country and commenced teaching
school which business I still follow - in 1822 I married a
wife whose name was Clarke and thanks be to God she has and
continues to be a help meet [helpmate?] for me - I have five
children the eldest is a Boy and the other four are Girls -
I still continue to have bad health though not so as to
confine me to bed - The first and only great error of my
life since I left you was that I ever went to my friends or
trusted to them to put me into business - If I had at the
first set in to work with strangers when my health was good
I think it would have been better for my self [myself?]. but thanks be
to God I have never been in want. I still make a decent
liveing [living?] though I cannot get rich - The times
is [are?] good here there is peace and plenty anybody that
will use industry can live well and have plenty.

You request to know what became of your Brother
Johns wife and family I will comply with so far as I am
acquainted, his wife still lives in Chambersburgh and have
#PAGE 2
the use of all his property till her death - his eldest Son
William that lived in Clarkesville died in May last and left
a wife with six children he was I may say worth nothing but
they will get something considerable from his fathers
estate at the death of his wife who is a very old woman -
His oldest Daughter who was married to Mr Campbell a lawyer
is a widow and very poor, her husband died insolvant
[insolvent?]. She likewise will get part of her fathers
estate - His son Alexander has a family and lives in
Chambersburgh he is cashier of the Bank there and is rich.
His son Samuel is a Doctor and lives in Philadelphia not
married and is with .... two sons John and Andrew are
merchants in Kentucky not married and are rich. His
youngest son James lives in Chambersburgh not married and
rich he is a merchant. His youngest Daughter Eleanor is
married to Preacher named Culbisen and lives in the state of
Ohio - The most of family above mentioned I never saw - I
have heard that your brother Johns property after his death
was valued at 80 thousand Dollars. I also heard this Summer
that your brother Samuel and his Wife are both dead they had
three children John, Catherine and Eleanor - one of the
girls is married and the other lives with her. John I
understood was living amongst his friends in Chambersburgh.
Samuel was brokeup [bankrupt?] and died not worth one
shilling. I believe the cause was in consequence of his
sending his Son to the State of Kentucky with a Store who
did not manage well and run his father in debt more that all
his property Real and personal were worth. I heard that
after the sale of his property he and his wife went to her
Brothers who lives in one of the Southern States, I think
his name is Alexander Philson who had wrote for them to come
and live with him - when they got there they could not stand
it to live in the manner that he did, which is as
represented to me was that himself & his Negroes live like
Hogs. I didn't hear the date they died but understood there
was but little time between them - My dear father no more at
present But for God's sake write me often as you have
opportunity from Derry and direct as follows. Mr Alexander
Reed Merchant, Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania
for William Colhoun. My earnest desire and prayer to God is
that this may reach you. My brother Francis was not
mentioned in your letter be so good as to inform me what
became of him. Give my sincere love to all my Brothers and
Sisters and all enquiring friends.

William Colhoun