| Title: | Mary Doak, Kinalton, To Elizabeth Armstrong, Virginia. |
|---|---|
| ID | 833 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Doak, Mary/219 |
| Year | 1837 |
| Sender | Doak, Mary |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Kinalton, Ireland? |
| Destination | Virginia, USA |
| Recipient | Armstrong, Elizabeth |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | D.682/119: Presented by Mr. P. Doake, "Glenlagen", Kinallen,Dromara, County Down. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9705324 |
| Date | 17/06/1837 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 23:05:97. |
| Word Count | 1547 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Postmarked Phila [Philadelphia?], 17 Jun Pa. [Pennsylvania?] To: Miss Elizabeth Armstrong Care of Wm [William?] Armstrong Esq. Romney State of Virginia America From: Kinalton May 8th 1837 My dear Elizabeth I cannot be mistaken in addressing you thus for though from conclusion of the Letter which I had the gratification of receiving from you I am inclined think that Mr Hawthorne would have been the more fitting direction for the outside of my letter should this be so allow me to offer my sincerest congratulations on the occassion [occasion?] and warm wishes for your enjoyment of every possible happiness in your new situation Should I be premature now I hope I shall not always be so but that my good wishes may come in their proper place on some future occassion [occasion?] I hope matrimony (if you be a matron) will not spoil your taste for letter writing nor make you forget your friends you see what a good example I am setting you though as I like to give every one their due [much?] of merit I must say that you may partly thank my better half for this letter Jn. [John?] has been telling me several times that I should write to you and will not allow me to put it off this time as he thinks it such a good opportunity Indeed he is not a bad sort of body as [times?] go I only wish your husband may be just as good and you may think yourself very well off [it?] [was?] brother of Thomas Davidson's who is going out with his family who will be the bearer of this letter and I think I may depend on him posting it safely in the post office when he gets to the other side I had another melancholy inducement for being willing to write to you at present I am sure you will all and your dear Father in particular be grieved to hear that our dear Mich [Michael?] Armstrong has paid the debt of nature just a week since after a fortnight of severe suffering from Ensypatus [Encephalitis?] in his face you are aware that [?] [?] breaking down rapidly for some time but he might still have weathered the gale for some years had he not been attacked by this severe complaint He has left few equals and no superiors behind him your Father will be grateful to hear that his superior worth received the same tribute of respect after his death that was awarded to it by all classes during his life Every shop in Ballynahinch was closed from his decease on Sunday till his internment which took place on Wednesday morning at eight o'clock [?] was attended by a large and [informed?] able concourse comprising all denominations of the community who had been in any degree acquainted with him. I do not know anything as yet of the arrangement of his affairs or whether the family will remain as they are at present I am sure you will be grateful to hear that poor Eliza Armstrong is restored to health and to her friends once more perhaps this took place previous to the date of Aunt Janes last letter but I do not recollect when she wrote and I forgot to ask her It was a great comfort that Eliza was able to be home before her Fathers death she was fondly attached to him and in great distress at losing him. Poor [Philip?] Armstrong is still an invalid and still worse a bankrupt at present poor fellow he was not fit to attend to his own business and of course strangers would not supply his place. [?] to Frank Heron of Killileagh [Killyleagh?] he had built a fine house some years ago and had made it a beautiful place when he was called off he was an old bachelor and a most estimable man in many respects [our?] Brother Richd [Richard?] & James are just going on as when you heard of them last. Rich.d [Richard?] has only the two little sons yet his wife is delicate and rather unfortunate some times in having premature births She is a very kind woman and very affectionate with all Richard's friends James Anne and Eliza still remain in a state of [single?] [blessedness?] not the worst way I believe for them who do not like too much ease Aunt Jane and Mary are well except their old complaint of headaches being often my Father is as quiet as ever but obliged to be a little more [?] It is a great pity both of him and his Mother and as much if not more of his young wife she is a very lovely young woman and has had a little son about 4 months ago. Speaking of children Sally Davidson had another little daughter on Saturday night this is the seventh for her I have one little boy a year and four months old and I think it plenty John Davidson has built a fine large home this last year they will be ready to go into it about August they will find it a great comfort for they were getting very throng in the old one My Aunt Davidson was nearly gone in Influenza which has been very prevalent here and carries off great numbers in these countries I believe it has been full as mortal as Cholera which was so much dreaded We were greatly afraid of our dear Mother being attacked by it as it was particularly fatal on delicate constitutions but she escaped during the winter and did not take it till about 2 months ago however the attack was not very severe and she is now recovering though still weak but I trust as she has the Summer before her now that the fair weather will strengthen her Aunt Crozier has been very ill for the greater part of the winter also I believe she is rather better though still very poorly. Indeed she was dangerously ill just about the same time that [?] Armstrong it was evident could not [more?] many days and poor Wm [William?] Crozier was very unpleasantly situated as he did not like to leave B-hinch [Ballynahinch?] and he was naturally anxious to be with his Mother however she was so far recovered as to allow James to attend my Uncles funeral. Aunt Waddell has had Influenza too and is still delicate but indeed she is the stoutest of the three Sisters Francis is still living with her endeavouring to make all she can off this little farm This has been a melancholy season in Ireland in many respects there is hardly a family that has not been visited by some disease either more or less and many by death. This spring too is miserably backward we have had a constant [mission?] of rain. frost, and snow the entire season and now on the first day of May that used to be such a glorious climate of Ireland appears to be undergoing a wonderful change for the worse We have no spring now and the Summers are cold and wet and the harvest so late and unfavourable that in many parts both of Ireland and Scotland they cannot get the crops saved and the poor are consequently in a starving condition. Emigration is going on to a great extent and though you appear to have such a mean opinion of emigrants I can assure you that generally speaking they are [?] [?] [?] well [?] a class of people before they leave this country James is always studying the subject of emigration I am sometimes afraid he may take the notion to leave Ireland he says if he had a high or indeed almost any rent to pay that he would not stay here at all but then I think it would be to New Holland or some of these new places that he would go I have not given you much news in this letter I take it for granted that Aunt Jane gave you all the [?] information of this country when she wrote last I do not think there has been any change in the barrons families since that time [Henderson?] on Black has another son dead of consumption a young man called Jackson We lost a valuable friend and neighbour during the winter in Wm [William?] Cowan Heron now in his old days than he bargained for in his young indeed I believe there is no such thing as getting [through?] the world now without exertion I wish I had lived a century ago now I do not expect dear Elizabeth that if you have not already answered Aunt Janes letter that you will set about an answer to both hers and mine without loss of time It does not matter who receives your letter it has so many friend to go Your last to me was such a rarity that it went wonderful rounds before it stopped and you need not fear but the next will be equally [with?] [this?] Jane is provoked at the negative character I have given [?] a wonderful high opinion of you and indeed I must say after three years intimate acquaintance that you may have the same of him I have no room for [him?] imagine them all and Believe me to be your Attached Cousin Mary Doak |
