| Title: | John Orr, Illinois River, USA, to Rev. John Orr, Portaferry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2028 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Orr, John M/34 |
| Year | 1848 |
| Sender | Orr, John Malcolm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Illinois, USA |
| Destination | Portaferry, Co. Down, USA |
| Recipient | Rev John Orr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | Copyright retained by John McCleery, 80 Circular Road, Belfast, BT4 2GD. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9702051 |
| Date | 10/09/1848 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 31:01:97. |
| Word Count | 550 |
| Genre | |
| Note | N.B. John Malcolm died in 1851 (Did various jobs and decided to go west where he expected to do some kind of business) |
| Transcript | AMERICA LIVERPOOL OC 9 1848 [Liverpool arrival postmark 9 Oct 1848?] Mendocia Ill [Illinois?] Sept 12 Paid 34 [cents postage?] Revd. John Orr Portaferry Co. Down Ireland Mendocia Ill [Illinois?] River 10 Sept 1848 My dear Father I suppose you will be surprised to receive a letter from me dated at this place but from the erratic life a person leads on this side of the Atlantic especially when he does the outdoor business of a concern it is not to be wondered at, 300 or 500 miles in this land of Liberty is a mere nothing nothing in comparison to a trip to Belfast with you. I sent you a paper from Jacksonville some days since. Mendocia is what you'd call a rather unenviable place to reside at I shouldn't like it it is situated on the Eastern Bank of the Ill [Illinois?] River which is a beautiful stream but here the bank is sand that gives birth to innumerable numbers of fleas and immense flocks of Musquitoes [mosquitoes?] are raised, as they say here, in the adjoining swamps and timber lands & besides which a goodly number of bed Bugs have taken up permanent residence in the sleeping apartments of some of the Taverns with all these comforts I have mentioned you can imagine the comforts of a residence on some of the Western Rivers better than I can describe them. Mendocia is notwithstanding a place of considerable importance it is about 200 miles south of Chicago and 121 from St. Louis. the adjoining country cannot be surpassed in fertility immense tracts of corn (Indian) which is the principal production extend as far as the eye can reach few of the farmers have less than 100 acres some of them over 1000 acres, it is a crop that does not require much labour in raising from $2 to $3 per acre will plant and stack or rather bin it. Sometimes when the price is low a farmer wont go to the expense of gathering it but will first put in a drove of cattle to fatten and then a herd of Hogs to eat up what the cows leaves the lazy farmers dont sell much corn some of them buy one old fellow about 16 miles from this keeps from 500 to 1000 head of cattle and I am told generally sells some 5000 Hogs during the packing season. the trade of this river as made up St.Louis, it is almost equal to that of the Ohio & Upper Mississippi together the Chicago folks are doing their best to bring the business that way. some five to seven steamboats pass this place daily besides numbers of Canal Boats & River Barges. This without doubt is a great country you have only to take a trip down the Illinois river to visit almost every place from London to Pekin [Peking?] we have Napels [Naples?] Venice Rome and all the other celebrated Cities of Europe along its banks besides a few from South America and no inconsiderable sprinkling of Indian towns with unspeakable names. I had a letter from Thomas Warnock yesterday he has taken a letter for me out of the office but did not send it lest I should be gone from this Mr Bentley has got better of the bilious fever. I am quite well heat or cold seems to agree with me alike I must conclude hoping that this will find you all in good health I am dear Father Yr [your?] [affectionate?] Son John M Orr |
