| Title: | Mary Cumming, Petersburg to Rev. Andrew Craig, Lisburn. |
|---|---|
| ID | 790 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Cumming, Mary/34 |
| Year | 1814 |
| Sender | Cumming (n. Craig), Mary |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | middle class housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Petersburg, Virginia, USA |
| Destination | Lisburn, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Rev. Andrew Craig |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | daughter-father |
| Source | T 1475/2 p.120-121: Copied by Permission of Miss A. McKisack, 9 Mount Pleasant, Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9006109 |
| Date | 24/07/1814 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 01:11:1993. |
| Word Count | 710 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Blandford, July 24th. 1814. I embrace with pleasure another opportunity of writing to my beloved Father, to tell him we are in good health and spirits, and ready to set off this week for the North, there to lay in a store of health for the Winter. I promise myself much pleaure from our jaunt. In a letter I wrote to Margaret in the beginning of June I gave her a description of the route we should take. The weather this summer has not been so warm as the last, in the early part of the year we had a great deal of wet and cold, and at present everything is burned up for want of rain, at the same time the heat is not half so oppressive as I have felt it, I have not had a return of the ague these many months, and I begin to hope it has taken its departure altogether. I am very anxious to hear from home again, I want an account of my dear Margaret's wedding, which I suppose has taken place long before this time. I can hardly believe she is no longer an inmate of Strawberry Hill, I am sure you must feel the want of her society very much, but she is so very near you I should think you would see each other every day, and I know my dear Rachel is a very delightful companion. Tell her the last letter she wrote to me gratified me extremely, and I will write a long letter to her when I return, and tell her about our journey. An arrival from England is most anxiously looked for by every one just now. Peace is expected and I believe most truly hoped for by the people of this country, they are quite tired of war, and now that John Bull has it in his power to injure us so much I believe the most violent would like to be on friendly terms with him again. William is almost certain we shall have peace soon, I sincerely hope we may, for then we shall return to dear Ireland next summer. Oh, my dear Father, it is impossible to express the heartfelt pleasure I feel at the idea of so soon seing my beloved friends again. I sometimes think it will be too great happiness for me to see realised, but I shall hope for the best. I shall see the Olivers, as we purpose spending some time in Baltimore with Mr. Brown's family. Agnes Freeland will go as far as Georgetown with us, on a visit to some of her friends who live there, I am sure she would be a great favourite with you, she is so lively and pleasing. I shall feel great regret at parting with her, and many more of my acquaintance, for whom I feel a great regard, but the thoughts of the dear friends I shall meet on the other side of the Atlantic will soon banish sorrow from my heart. It is a long time since I had a letter from my dear James, I hope he is well and happy, tell him to write to me soon. We expect James Cumming out in the Fall, and by him I #PAGE 2 hope to receive letters from all my friends. Many is the time I wish for some of the fine gooseberries you have at home now, we had a few here which were ripe six weeks ago, but they are not so good as those in Ireland. I wish I could send you a few water melons which are beginning to ripen, I think you would like them very much. I hope, my dear Father, you will set a plentiful crop of potatoes next year, and have a good store of oatmeal when I return, we have no meal here. I like the Indian meal very much now, it is very different from what I remember seeing at one time in Ireland, I will take some home with me and show you how we make cakes of it here. William joins me in the kindest love to you, my dear Sisters and brother, and wishing every happiness this world can bestow, I am your most affectionate. Mary Cumming Rev. A. [Andrew?] Craig. Lisburn, Co. Antrim, IRELAND. |
