| Title: | Rev. John Orr, Portaferry, to John Orr, Chicago. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2035 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Orr, Revd John/89 |
| Year | 1847 |
| Sender | Rev. John Orr |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | clergyman |
| Sender Religion | Protestant |
| Origin | Portaferry, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Recipient | Orr, John M |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | father-son |
| Source | Copyright Retained by John McCleery, 80 Circular Rd., Belfast,BT4 2GD. |
| Archive | Ulster American Folk Park. |
| Doc. No. | 9702058 |
| Date | 30/06/1847 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 31:01:97. |
| Word Count | 1273 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | PORTAFERRY JU 30 1847 [Circular despatch postmark from Portaferry 30 Jun 1847?] POST PAID [locally applied mark?] 5 PAID JY 1 1847 A [Transit circular postmark 1 July 1847?] NEW YORK 4 SEP I [Circular New York arrival postmark 4 Sep 1847?] FORWARDED [Postal marking applied when letter forwarded from New York to Chicago?] John Malcolm Orr Post Office New York [crossed out?] North America [crossed out?] Chicago Ill United States Chicago Illinois Portaferry June 30th 1847 My Dear John We calculate / whether correctly or not I cannot say/ that you landed in New York on the 16th inst. We looked the Newspapers anxiously to see if there be any report of the Prince de Joinville having spoken at sea, but tho' we have seen accounts of the Huron, and others that sailed after you, the Prince's name has not appeared in that list. I wrote you a letter on the 31st May and directed it to the Post Office, New York, which I hope you have received before this time. The first thing of local public interest which took place since, was the death of Doctor Chalmers which occurred that morning in Edinburgh. He had just returned from London, where he had preached before Lord John Russell and many of the nobility - the General Assembly was sitting at the time - he was to have appeared in it on Monday and read the College report - he went to bed on Sabbath Evening in his usual health and was found dead on Monday morning. The sensation through Edinburgh, Scotland, Ulster - in short every place where he was known, was immense. His funeral was the largest that ever took place in Scotland - but I am persuaded that you will have the full accounts of it in New York long before this can reach you - perhaps before it is written. Fever still continues very bad in Belfast. I observe by the papers of yesterday that there were upwards of 1900 cases in the Hospitals and tents the latter of which have been erected for convalescents. Dr. Ringland has charge of some of the tents. We have been in great anxiety these some days about Doctor McCleery, who is at present very ill in fever. The accounts last night for the first time, are of a more cheering description. On Saturday and Sabbath he was so ill that he was confined for fear of injuring himself or others. He was yesterday more quiet and we have got about two hours sleep. Some hopes are now entertained of his recovery. There are at present twenty cases of fever in the townland of Cloughey alone. There are not more I think than four families in this town who have it at present. Saml. [Samuel?] Piper is at present ill, immediately opposite us. His wife is recovered. Andrew Maxwell and his wife at Ballysidley are both ill. There was a paragraph in one of the Newspapers about a fortnight since, that fever has been very prevalent in several of the passenger vessels to America, and that the mortality has been very great. Your mother was very uneasy for some days after that report appeared, lest it have broken out in the Prince de Joinville. We have had very distressing news, or rather I may say want of news respecting Henry Brown and the Catherine. She sailed from Whitehaven, on this day three weeks, the 9th inst. for this port coal laden. The William Henry left about two hours before her. The afternoon and evening became stormy and wet, and the crew of the William Henry say they saw her about 3 miles ahead of them, when they fixed round and ran for Wigtown Bay. They imagined she might have made Dromore Bay. She has not been since heard of. The sea was very heavy off the Mull of Galloway, and it is almost certain she has gone down. There were in her, Henry Brown, Geo. [George?] Nelson, Capt. Joseph Nelson, Wm. [William?] Shanks, and [McGeean?] from Derry. The anxiety experienced in town for some days was uncommonly great - that has now generally, if not universally sunk in the conviction that they are all gone. The only hope remaining is that they have been picked up by some passenger vessel from the Clyde, and that she had not an opportunity of landing them but this hope is very slight. In addition to the vessel, not insured, Henry Brown had lifted in gold and silver œ390 on the cargo of wheat, which at the time was not sold. Their friends are in great distress. Mary Anne is the only one who still cherishes hope that they will yet turn up. In passing from the sad to the joyful, the transition is something like what we yesterday experienced in Mr McCullagh's school, when immediately after the recitation of the Sailor's Orphan Boy, which brought tears to the eyes of several, then succeeded the '[Call?] of St.Keyne.' It was to the boys a gala day. There were no less than 20 ladies present, old and young, and the Boys acquitted themselves admirable. The examination lasted for two days, but yesterday at one o'clock was the recitation. Each boy recited two pieces all different but one, 27 pieces in all. I was greatly pleased with the self possession and the manliness and the gravity of William Henry, when reciting the Burial of Sir John Moore and 'the Graves of a Household' John Filson and John Coates made a fine exhibition. Mr McCullough at the conclusion presented each of them with a medal for distinguishing themselves in some department during the session. No person present but himself knew what the premiums were to be till he made the announcement as he began to distribute them - What joy was in every countenance! It is probable that you will have seen Thomas Warnock in New York before this reached you. I understand from a Miss Rachel that he sailed from Liverpool on the 15th Inst. Robt. [Robert?] Bowden sailed for Quebec on this day week. All here whom I have not referred to, are much in the same state as when you left us. The last account I have from Ballybeen they were all well. I have not been in Belfast since you left. I never saw the crops looking better at this season of the year than they do now. We have had a good deal of moist weather till this week, which is turning out very fine. The reports about the Potato crop are very contradictory, but in this neighbourhood there is no blight yet. We can purchase best Indian meal delivered in the Market House at œ12.15.0 per Ton. A month since, it cost us œ16.10.0. We are all well, your mother, Jane Ellen, Margaret, Eliza, & William Henry, all desire their love to you. We expect that you will write regularly once a month, and let us know how you are, what you are doing, what you purpose doing, whether staying in New York or going further. In short, every thing about yourself will be interesting here. And I fondly hope, and earnestly pray, that you will attend to the suggestions I formerly gave you and some of which I reminded you of in my last letter. Seek the Lord's direction in every thing - Keep holy his Sabbath, and reverence his sanctuary. Take care of your company, remembering Solomon's declaration 'He that walketh with wise men is wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.' Imploring our Heavenly Father's blessing for you, I am, My dear John, Your affectionate Father, John Orr. Since I have finished this letter I have seen Joe Wallace who told me that he had a letter from John Moffat yesterday, and that thro' Mr James Maxwell of New York, he had fallen into work at Newark, about 9 miles from the city. Miss Margt. Warnock is now with Mrs Patterson of Renfrew and her last letter states that there is some improvement in her health. |
