| Title: | John Henry, Kansas to Mrs John Henry, Coole, Co. Derry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1420 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Henry, John/14 |
| Year | 1887 |
| Sender | Henry, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | Presbyterian |
| Origin | Clay Center, Kansas, USA |
| Destination | Co. Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Mrs John Henry |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | son-mother |
| Source | T 1480/3: Copied by Permission of J. Henry Esq., Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9405206 |
| Date | 25/07/1887 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 09:05:1994. |
| Word Count | 657 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Mother [Mrs John Henry, Coole, Coleraine Post Office, County Derry?] Clay Centre July 25th 1887 Dear Mother It seems to me that it is a long time since I had a letter from you, and I suppose by this time you will think it is time you were having one from me so I thought I would try and write you a few lines [to?] let you know that we are still in the land of the living and in a pretty fair state of health at present I have had good health ever since we came to Kansas this is a much healthier country than Illinois there is no ague or chills & fever here it is a fine farming country and it is a fine stock country cattle will grow fat here on the prairie grass fat enough for beef the land is easy farmed no tuff [tough?] clay soil but a rich sandy loam that rolles [rolls?] over with the plow [plough?] like a bed of ashes we have been here 18 years and I have never had to manure any yet nor I dont think I shall have to manure any in my day I dont see any difference in the crops since we commenced 18 years ago I have no particular news to write at present only the same as the American letters used to write all well and doing well I am thinking some of selling out and quiting [quitting?] farming all together [altogether?] or else renting the land out to small farmers, we have now four Hundred acres of land and it is [too?] hard work for one man to see to it all and all the stock Besides we have a nice pasture with plenty of grass and water we have 35 head of cattle 9 head of horses and 12 calves to see after 12 of these in milch cows we live close to Clay Centre and sells our milch [milk?] in town to the bakeries and resturants [restaurants?] to make ice cream for the town people We made some cheese this summer but we can do better by selling the milk, our family is scattring [scattering?] out and leaving us pretty fast and I dont feel like working so much as I used to, five of the Boys are their own Boss and the oldest [girl?] is a dress [maker?] [dressmaker?] When Children gets 21 years of life in this country the [they?] work for themselves and are what we call their own Boss the [they?] make their own B[?] pay their own debts and are expected to make their own living we are both glad and sorry that such is the case but it is the way of the world one generation passeth away and another cometh and I suppose we will have to submit to an all wise Providence knowing that He doeth allthings [all things?] well and that all things work together for good to them that love God I think it is a great [shame?] for us to not write oftner [more often?] to each other I dont remember when I had a letter from any of my folks neither do I remember when I wrote last to any of them now such things ought not so to be, we can all write so we have [?] [?] [?] [?] then the Post [was so?] cheap that we ought not [to grumble?] on that account, so it seems their [there?] is nothing left for us to do but to put our hands over our faces and cry out ungreatful ungreatful [ungrateful?] I hope we may all try to do better in the future so that we may hear of each others welfare oftner [more often?] I will have to close for the present seeing my paper is getting full & hoping that these few lines may find you all in the enjoyment of all temporal and spiritual Blessing I remain Your Affactionate [Affectionate?] Son (write soon) John Henry |
