| Title: | Edward Hanlon, U.S.A. to "Dear Father", County Down |
|---|---|
| ID | 1995 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | O'Hanlon, Edward/11 |
| Year | 1843 |
| Sender | O'Hanlon, Edward |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | Catholic |
| Origin | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA |
| Destination | Ballymote, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | D 885/1: Presented by Mrs M. Leathem, Ballymote, Downpatrick, Co. Down [Ireland?] |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 1200312 |
| Date | 20/09/1843 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 19:12:00. |
| Word Count | 1810 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Edward Hanlon, Millwakie [Milwaukee?], Winconsin [Wisconsin?], U.S.A., to His Father, Ballymote, Near Downpatrick, Ireland] Copy of Letter from Edward Hanlon Millwakie sent to Ballymote Winconsin in the year 1843 Thursday 20th Sep. from original 1843 Dear Father, I have since my last letter to you been very uneasy at not hearing from you Dinis [Denis?] & Willie Smith & myself wrote home at the same time from Pittsburg and they both received answers.... ...I am wholly at a loss to account for your answer not coming. You wrote for my brother in yourlast letter and I trust there was nothing in the answer that caused you from not writing. Do my dear father write oftener as your letter is the only consolation this world can afford me. I left Pittsburg to proceed west with broken down spirits and slender means. I was reluctantly obliged from the depression to leave my dear brother. He and other of our acquaintances would gladly [have] accompanied me me had it not been for the expense & inconvenience of removing there [their?] tools and luggages. I intended when leaving to reach if possible Millwakie [Milwaukee?] of which I have the most encouraging accounts it is distant from Pittsburg 1200 miles but the fall of year coming on & me so afraid of getting into an unopened part of the country, I thought it better to go into Canada in hopes during my stay there I might find some clew [clue?] to my « [half?] brother John I travelled about 200 miles some by land and water. I sailed from Buffalo and landed in Chippawa close by the falls of Niagra [Niagara?] on the 4th June 1842 and wrote forth with my brother to Pittsburg and received his answer in a month after. I am sorry to say it is the last I heard of him...William Smyth and he and some others were all unemployed from the time I left on to that time. They said that they intended following me Canada (sic) and run all hazard of employment only Mick and some of the rest fell into work at a very small remuneration for the labour. I again determined on making another effort on finding out my half brother but being deterred by a friend who advised me to go 50 miles from Chippawa to a place called Dewsillion the Grand river in the upper province of Canada where extension public works was a carrying on and over 2,000 men employed, thinking this a good place for my business I at his suggestion went there direct after a few days I commenced and built a work-shop on a Goverment [Government?] lot of ground which cost me fifty dollars and had commenced but a few weeks and I had one journeyman to work and my prospects cheering when God was pleased to visit me with an attack of chill fever this fit continued for 7 weeks recovering from the attack an [and?] in the midst of a population shaking in the ague and several other kinds of fevers it was then in the latter end of August and the beginning of September when sickness is the worst over all parts Amerian [American?] contenant [continent?] I again resolved on going to some moree [more?] healthy part of the country during my sickness the best of my customers and some of whom I have measured for clothes previous to my falling sick had been swept away with this dreadful pestilence over 150 had died in the short space of 4 weeks and about 700 lying sick in the works at the time the cause of so much sickness was the canal being cut through a marsh that had not being [been?] opened from time immorial [immemorial?] I never my dear father felt the loss of my dear parants [parents?] so much as I did at that time I thought if I had you or my tenderest of mother or dear sisters to speak one consoling word to me that it would done more toward curing me than allthe Doctors medicins [medicines?] in the world although I had as much money thank God as raised from that dreadful sickness the Doctors there are shameful extortion but the great disadvantage of all was the want of the catholic clergeyman [clergyman?] there was none within fifty miles of this place this above all resolved me to leave this place & seek some where that I might at least have the advantage of hearing mass on Sunday the facilities of travelling here are wonderful Well after writing my Brother and selling my shop at one third the cost I proceeded to New London, Canada west, a distance of 200 miles & commenced working for a man at liberal wages I remained 5 months when I was again attacked with a secondary symptons of the before mentioned chill fever called the mumps. I became unfit for work and from the excruating [excruciating?] pain that attended the disease I thought that dead [death?] would be a happy release from is [its?] existance [existence?] Doctors Bill and several sundry other expences [expenses?] accumlating [accumulating?] all this time made me at the wind up very poor indeed during my stay there I wrote my brother and received no answer not hearing from you or my Brother and sickness made me feel very discontented indeed I thought I was bereft of friends & my friends bereft of all gratitude that even not answer my letters. The winter in Canada you must be aware are severe and it is unusual from the quantity of snow that during 7 months to find the snow in valleys all through the entire summer. It gives me heartfelt satisfaction to hear that our country men almost of every persuasion joining in the ranks of the repeal movement. In this country it is gaining ground every day and patriot Americans and scotch are coming forward nobly to aid in the cause when Irishmen of all classes are united to aid and assist the august O'Connell in mighty struggle. Then and not till then will they attain there [their?] long lost rights. When Spring set in I was resolved to return to the United States in the hopes that I should have a better oppertunity [opportunity?] of hearing some word from you I started from London [Ontario?] about the first of April and in 10 days I arrived in Michigan U.S.A. I was just two days when I took the fever and ague and had 4 hrs [hours?] shake and 5 hrs [hours?] fever for 9 weeks I had it every other day it is the meanest disease in the world it [----?] remind me of you when your stomach would trouble you [--------?]. The air and water here makes the disease more fatal. I broke the ague with quinine something the same nature as Calamal I then proceeded west to the place where I now am I have commenced business in partenership [partnership?] with a scotch man the name of Matheson. Rents are very high here and great opposition in all trades. This is one of finest farming countries in the world and I like it the best of any part I know but it's a poor place for [-----?] Wages are small for either labouring man or mechanices [mechanics?] But a man that would have from fifty to 100 pounds landing here could do well with a growing up family come here this summer and purchase 150 acres & sowe [sow?] 90 acres & get one year to pay it is greatly cleared. It is a good land as ever I saw in [Lecale?]. Patrick & Elenor had severe attacks of sickness since the [they?] came here they live [60?] miles from here. I was told by a man that came on the boat from Buffalo with them that there was a family from that part of the Country of the name I went 100 miles going and coming on chance to see them & that was all the word I received from you since I left Pittsburg. Edward [-----?] of Bright wishes you to remember him to his mother he lives 50 miles from here with his second cousin Patrick Rogan Dan Mageenan is living close by the [Mer--ons?] & purchased 40 acres My health for this last 6 weeks back is indeed rather depressing to my spirits very much However I hope with the blessing of God to get round soon. Dear father I have fulfilled your request to me in your last letter thats to take the pledge not that I have any call since I can [came?] to this country only that I wished to enroll [enrol?] my name in the same Society with my dear father. Brothers Pray my dear father that I may continue so as you are no doubt convinced that every vice follows in the train of intemperance Give my love to uncle Mick & family to John and Patrick Give my since [sincere?] love to Aunt Rosy Catherine & family & likewise to Patrick McCrisican and family & I was sorry to hear of the loss they came to in there [their?] dear Mother Remember me to Michael Brisket['s?] family also J. Daughlery & family James McCarten & family McGaughlins McGlaves the Bohals Darbys Thomas Quice and remember me warmly to Big Frank Savage & family I wrote two letter[s?] to Pittsburg to try if I could get a letter from my Brother but received no answer give my love to the Fitzsimmons I now begin to the hardest to send my love to the kindest of mother & sisters & aunts I cant find words to say (sic) express the feelings I wish to convey to them My mother in your last letter wishes to have my brother & me there that we might put the last sod on her grave. But I would to God she could but see me or see the last [----?] But I trust & know she has an affectionate son there yet I never shall forget the parting of my little of my little (sic) brother Bernard But I guess I need not call him little now. I never shall forget the advise [advice?] he gave me coming a long the Balin[-?] Road But when we came to the lane at Sam Robinson when he saw we must part probably forever in this world he could not stand it any longer he say [said?] Neddy [Edward?] you might come home it has often made me shed tears since I hope dear Brother Patrick & Bernard you will make it your daily study to love God and honour & obey your tender parants [parents?] and may God Bless you both Give my kindest & most tender love to Richard Savage, [Skilliam?] Fitzsimmons Cathrine & Mary Weldon and to all my kind enquiring friends and believe me dear father to be your ever faithful & loving son Edward |
