| Title: | Patrick & Margaret Hall, Holly Hill, to Sam Hall, U.S.A. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1322 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Hall, Margaret & Patrick/180 |
| Year | 1815 |
| Sender | Hall, Margaret & Patrick |
| Sender Gender | male-female |
| Sender Occupation | farmers |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Ireland |
| Destination | Little Britain, New York, USA |
| Recipient | Hall, Sam |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | parents-son |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Eleanor Hallfreese, 12 Brighton St.,Rochester, New York 14607, U.S.A. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9808250 |
| Date | 17/05/1815 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 11:08:98. |
| Word Count | 956 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Holly Hill 17th May 1815 My dear Sam Your Letter of the 20th March I Recd. [Received?] yesterday, in which you inform us of your being in the Army, and also of your being Married, the latter indeed affected your Mother verry [very?] much, she expected that you would have return'd [returned?] according to your promise, and was fully determined to have crossed the wide Atlantic with you should you again return to America. but now these pleasing Ideas which have been long fletting [flitting?] in her imagination are at once blasted and she dejected it is however extreamly [extremely?] Pleasing to us to find that your behaviour has been such that Squire Burnet has reserv'd you to be his son-in-law; may the dishonor [dishonour?] of all events Bless you & and your Kind & Loving Wife (as you term her) with many happy Days in this life, and Eternal happiness in the Life to come - Three years are elaps'd [elapsed?] since I heard from you before, no alteration has happened in the Family, neither any strange in this Country, save the rising of Rents & Tyths [Tythes?], and Taxes, which is indeed Prodigious, several new Taxes has been imposed since the American Peace: One of which is every house or Farm, which with the Household, Offices, yard and garden is worth Ten Pounds and not worth [more?] than 20 1/6 [one shilling six pence?] for every pound rent, If worth 20 and not [over?] 40, 2/8 [two shillings eight pence?] pr [per?] pound, 40 and upward 2/10 [two shillings ten pence?] for every pound rent. The Window Tax is as follows viz. Seven Windows 1.0.0. 8 Do.[Ditto?] [windows?] 1.13.0 : 9 Do.[Ditto?] [windows?] 2.2.0. : 10 [windows?] - 2.16.0 and so on 20 Do. [Ditto?] [windows?] 11.4.6 30 Do. [Ditto?] [windows?] 20.9.6. 40 Do. [Ditto?] [windows?] 28.17.7 180 Do. [Ditto?] [windows?] 93.2.6. - Carriages thus for every jaunting Car not exceeding in vallue [value?] 15, nor having a stuffed seat, the annual charge of 1.6.6. For every such carriage made with springs and drawn by one horse and not more 5.18. For every Do [Ditto?] drawn by more than one horse 8.5.0. One carriage with Four Wheels 12.0.0. 13 - each - [p?] 14 - each &c. and for every additional Boddy [body?] used on the same carriage 6.6.0. On horses kept for the purpose of Riding, or drawing carriages, 1 horse 2.17.6. - 2 Do. [Ditto?] [horses?] 4.4.6 - 3 Do. [Ditto?] [horses?] 5.4.6. - 4 [horses?] 5.10.0. &c. Horses for the purpose of Farming 2.2.10. - Servants - For one male servant 2.8.0. - 2 Do. [Ditto?] [servants?] 3.2.0 - &c. 10 servants is 6.4. and for every such servant employed by a Male Person who never was married, a further sum of Two pounds. We have also an additional Tax on Malt Beer, spirits, &c. These are but some of our Taxes, and we may add to this the County Cess, which is on the small Barony of Strabane, upwards of 4000 p [per?] annum [my?] part of which is on average about two Guineas, so you may see that it is absolutely out of the power of any Farmer to live in any tolerable degree of Comfort here so that we were all fully determined had you ever come to this country to have emigrated with you and indeed if you think that it would be to our advantage and would look out some place where we might sit down when there and would write us so I think it highly probable you would have us all with the blessing of Almighty in America in a short time. But of this matter I am no Judge as I know nothing of the manner in which Americans live. you know your Mother and I can't do much But Jas [James?] is a brave labourer, Jno [John?] an excellent weaver. We are all in good health at present and have been so ever since I wrote you last, no change has taken place amongst us, Blessed be God for all his numerous Blessings. Your sister Mary & her Husband are well, they have Two fine children. Your namesake and Brother Sam Hall in a Letter to his Father informs us that your sister Margaret has been extremely ill with a Flux, but that she was recovered, and quite well again. Our markets have been very low these three years past, the Farmers have great difficulty in making up their rents, at present the [they?] are as follows, viz Oatmeal 16d to 17d pr [per?] peck, Potatoes 3d to 3«d pr [per?] [---?], Fresh Butter 11 to 13d pr [per?] lb [pound?], Beef [torn] to 8d Mutton 6d to 9d pr [per?] lb [pound?], Flaxseed sold New [torn] at 1/7 [one shilling seven pence?] to 1/8 [one shilling eight pence?] pr [per?] Gallon, new Sugar Riga 2/2 [two shillings two pence?] Dutch, at [torn]. Tobacco was a long time so high as 10s [shillings?] [torn] fallen to 8s [shillings?], I wish you would send over a Hog [torn] [Hogshead?] keep your mother and I smoaking [smoking?] a While. Your Mother and Brothers join me in present [torn] Cordial Respects to Squire Burnet and Family [torn] special manner your Consort, my Blessing and the Blessing of Almighty god attend you all and give you Grace to Remember your Creator in the Days of your youth, for if you seek Him he will be found of you But if you forsake him, he will Cast you of [off?] for ever. That you may all enjoy many Happy Days here, and be Crownd [crowned?] with Everlasting happiness hereafter, is the ardent Prayer of your Loving Parents Patrick & Margaret Hall. Mr Samuel Hall Care of Robert R Burnet Esq Little Britain Orange County State of New York |
