| Title: | From John & Ann Jane Nightingale, New York, America to their Brother. |
|---|---|
| ID | 1972 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Nightingale, John and Ann J/5 |
| Year | 1875 |
| Sender | Nightingale, John (and Jane) |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | shoemaker |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | New York, USA |
| Destination | N.Ireland |
| Recipient | George |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | Mr. Peter McGaffin, Director of Tidy Northern Ireland, 123 YorkStreet, Belfast BT1 1AB. Tel. (0232) 328105. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9311614 |
| Date | 08/02/1875 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C.McK., 23:11:199 |
| Word Count | 1544 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | EMIGRANT LETTER 224 West 32nd Street, New York, February 8th, 1875 Dear Brother George, It is a long time since any letters have passed between us, I wrote three letters since I received one from you, one by mail and two by men who were going to Glasgow. The last one when he returned, informed me that you had gone to Belfast and were keeping a tanyard. He said that they told him so at the old place in Cawcadins. I still expected to hear from you before I would write as I did not know your address, till Mrs. Abbott brought us a card and she said that you were going to write soon. We heard since that you had written a long letter but did not send it, we did not learn the reason why you did not. As I do not remember what you have been informed about our family, I will give a general sketch up to the present time and I will expect from you something of the same kind about all our friends at home who are now living, and also about those who have died since we had a letter from you. We have had a family of twelve children, four sons and eight daughters. One son and three daughters died in infancy. Three sons and five daughters grew up to be men and women, and all married young. We have only one son and four daughters now living. But I will speak of each in particular. You will remember William, the oldest. He learned the carpenters' trade, he died about eighteen years ago, and left a wife and one son, his widow died about two years after him. The boy was brought up with his grandfather by the mother's side, William Hodge was his name. He died about six years ago, and left Joseph Nightingale, William's son, considerable property in houses, in the town of Bellville, New Jersey, about fifteen miles from New York. Joseph will now get possession of that property as he is in the twentyfirst year of his age. He is well educated and has been in a wholeseale dry goods house for the last three years in Broadway, New York. He is a respectable young man. Our second son, John, enlisted among the first volunteers in the late war, and was in some of the hardest of the battles. He came home when his time of enlistment was up, without a wound, but so broken down with the hardships and exposure that he died a year or two after, leaving a wife but no living children. James is living and well. He is the youngest son. He is a Presbyterian minister. He is placed about 36 miles (about an hours ride), from New York, on Long Island, in a town called Babylon, situated on the sea #PAGE 2 shore. It is a very beautiful place, a great many business men of New York live there, and in summer it is to New York very much like what Holywood is to Belfast. James is doing well there and is highly esteemed. They had three children but they are all dead. Our oldest daughter, Margaret, died on the 9th of August, last, from the effects of a severe cold which settled on her lungs. She had nine children 5 boys and 4 girls, three of the boys died young, four girls and two boys are living. Her husband's name is Henry Barclay, he is a sales man in one of the oldest dry goods houses in this city (Lord T. Taylor). He learned his business with them. He went to the war as a Captain and was then taken prisoner and sent home on parole. He enlisted again in a horse regiment and continued till the war was ended and returned uninjured. The next is Eliza, she is married to Robert Abbott, son of the women which you saw. They were married about a year before the war and were in Petersburg, Virginia, when it broke out. Robert was pressed into the rebel service, and Eliza nearly lost her life as she came through Baltimore in the heat of the battle that was raging between the rebels and some volunteer regiments from Boston. Robert escaped some months after that and got home to New York safe, but they lost everything they had exept what clothes they had on. He went back to the war but now in the right side, with the 22nd Regiment National Guards, New York State Militia, of which he was and is still a first sergeant and might have been captain if he had not refused to accept it. After Robert's return they continued to live with us for more than a year before they were able to go to house keeping. He went to work for what is called an American News Company, at small wages, but he has been promoted from time to time till he has got to be head book-keeper at very good wages and also owns a good deal of stock in the concern. When they got able to keep house they hired a part of the house from us of which I had a lease. They still remain with us although they could afford to live in a better house, because they say we must always live together while we are spared, and to live where we are suits me to carry on my business. They have had 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. There are 3 boys and 2 girls now living, the other two died in infancy. The next is Ann Jane, she is married to Wm. [William?] Brown. He was with his father in his wholesale grocery business, but that did not prosper, and William and the family, one boy and two girls (they have one dead), are there at present, about 40 miles from New York in New Jersey. The next is Bella, she is married to John McLean. He is from Belfast and his father and some of the family live now in Sandy Row. He is a machinist and is in business and partnership with another man and doing well. They have had 3 boys and one girl, one boy is dead. The youngest is Emma. She is married to William H. Black, he has been a book-keeper till lately, his employer broke up the business, and went to the country. He is trying to start the locksmith and bell [bill?] hanging business and #PAGE 3 keep an assortment of hardware. They have had 2 boys and one girl; the girl is dead. And now to sum up, we have had in our family connexion [connection?] since we came to America, 44 births, 10 children and 44 grandchildren; 8 marriages, 3 sons and 5 daughters; 22 deaths, 3 sons and four daughters, 14 grandchildren, 10 boys and four girls, 1 daughter-in-law. We have now living one son and four daughters, five sons-in-law and two daughters-in-law, 20 grandchildren, 11 boys and 9 girls. So you see we have had our full share of the normal events of life and still Ann Jane and I are enjoying pretty good health, neither of us have any disease, but we begin to feel some of the infirmities of age, still we are able to attend to our own affairs and get a living for ourselves without any help from any one. I attend to a custom boot trade and I always have a good share of work that pays well. I can make as good a boot yet as ever I did in my life, and I like to work every day, so that we are not dependant on any of the children. We have not seen Bill Agnew's widow or daughter for some years, the last time I saw them in Philadelphia, they were well, the girl, Ann Jane, was a young woman. A strange woman sat in the seat with us in the church every Sabbath for some time and last summer, when we got into conversation with her we found that she was from Belfast and said that she knew you well, and had a pair of boots on her that you made. Her name is Mrs. Todd. She said that her son, William, served his time to be a tailor across the street from you. She went away west last September. Ann Jane wants you to send your likeness when you write. She also wants George Nightingale, or some of the family to write back and not let the correspondence die out. She would like to know if Margaret Boyd is living. After I get a letter from you I intend to write to my brother Alick, I heard from him by James McBride, who was home on a visit, but I would like to have a letter from him. It was by James McBride that we heard of Thomas's death, but no particulars. Hard times is the general complaint here among all classes, it is estimated that there are seventy thousand working people in this city out of employment, and have to be supplemented by charity. Give our love to all the friends, I do not know their names. Write soon to your brother and sister, John and Ann Jane Nightingale. Mr. Peter McGaffin, Director of Tidy Northern Ireland, 123 York Street, Belfast BT1 1AB. Tel. (0232) 328105. |
