| Title: | Maggie Hall, Chicago to Annie Hall, County Armagh. |
|---|---|
| ID | 204 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Black, Maggie/9 |
| Year | 1891 |
| Sender | Hall, Maggie |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Destination | Loughgall, Co. Armagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Hall, Annie |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | D 2041/13: Purchased from J.A. Gamble Esquire, Taunton Avenue, Belfast 15 |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9310728 |
| Date | 12/02/1891 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Action By Date Document added by C.R., 25:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 1065 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Annie Hall, Eden Cottage, Loughgall, County Armagh, Ireland From: Maggie Black (nee Hall), 324 Winchester Avenue, Chicago, U.S.A February 12, 1891 342 Winchester ave [Avenue?] 12th Feb [February?] 91 [1891?] My dear Annie Your very welcome letter received last week. I was so glad to get as it seems such a long time since you had written. I began to think you did not mean to write again. we are all glad to hear that you are so much stronger & have got over the Winter so well just take a little extra care until you get March over and then I trust you'll be able to leave off the invalid altogether!! We have passed thro' [through?] quite a sick time lately but I am thankful to say we are all better now & going on with our usual work & business. Lytle & myself on Sabbath week were very poorly. I was getting quite anxious about him. however he seems all right again and his spirits have again risen above zero! we had two or three such cold days last week. one day I believe it was about six below zero. imagine that we kept up all the stoves night & day & have all the time since. I was going out to a lecture downtown & only got a few blocks when I turned back I felt I could not stand the cold. at any rate I was not feeling well and I daresay I felt it all the more. it appears they often have it 20 deg [degrees?] below zero here in Winter and they all like to have it a little cold in the season it is better for trade __ health [sic]. We had only a little shower or two of snow since these days are bright & frosty & feeling like Spring. We had again the pleasure of Margaret's company from Friday until Monday afternoon. I do not know what to make of her she seems to settle no place I fear she is too lazy or not capable of filling a situation. she was good enough to do my washing on Monday before going to her last crib we can see the back of the house she is living in out of our back porch so suspect we shall see as much as we want of her at least if she is #PAGE 2 allowed out. she thinks if her Mother comes in Spring she will set up a laundry & they can work together & she is to dress her mother so fine & take her to the Parks &c &c [et cetera?] she is silly __ she wonders how ever her Mother will manage to do without a cap. (all the ladies no matter how old here wear nothing on their heads not even a piece of lace. old old ladies with hair like snow with their [bangs?] cut & curled & their hair done up in style!!) Margaret got hers cut & paid 50 cents she has got her picture too a "Cavana" size. You shall have the honour of receiving I one guess. I had such a nice long letter from Mrs Sam Wilson this morg [morning?] she gives me such a lot of news when she writes. she says she never sees any of you but she asks [fearful?] about you & was so glad to find you were got so well she is to send me some of her pictures. just as I had written so far the postman rang the bell & I have now before me Mr & Mrs Wilson & little Jack!! & two papers from [Rev?] Mrs Wilson so I am well done for today. Mrs Wilson has sent me the Witness every week since I left Dungannon! I gave the Andersons the reading of it after that it goes to Mr Eccles. Miss Burke came to see us on Tuesday and remained till last night! she is just the same giddy little flirt as she was when in Mrs Sloane's. she says they are thinking of coming bcak to the city to live. dear knows she's as near us as we want her to be! she coaxed Tom to go out to Douglas Park skating the last two nights. We are to have a sociable on the 20th in connexion [conection?] with our young people's Christian endeavour society. Tom is now an active member of it & Florrie a social member as they are called. Lytle & I are going to a reception at Mrs H[eenn-?] tonight at 8 o'clock it is Mr H[eenn-?]'s birthday and it is to be quite an affair I'm at a loss for dresses for these things I was telling Lytle I thought I should loan one for the occasion. I got nothing since I came & I have appeared so often in anyhing I have that I feel shabby but I am not going to dress any better till I can afford it. we had to get a suit for Tom on Saturday & it takes quite a lot to do everything. Lytle got nothing since we came except a hat & pair of boots. Tom Florrie & Edna have each worn two pairs of boots besides what they had with them they are worn so light here that they do not stand much wear & they wear them so constantly no slippers so when all is kept going it takes a few dollars to do it without indulging in extras. Now enough of ourselves __ I was awfully sorry to hear of poor Billy Bleo[--?]'s death I am sure Dada would be sorry. he was such an old servant. #PAGE 3 I hope Dada & Mamma are quite well & all the others Mr & Mrs Clemence must be very good to you it is nice for you all to have their society. I was glad to hear Cindie has got over her confinement! I hope she is quite strong by this time I must write her but really seem to have so little time and then when I do sit down to write I feel rather unsettled except when writing Cloven Eden & it seems now almost part of my religion to write regularly there! Now with our united love to all & hoping you are all well not forgetting Martha has she picked up ever an old fellow since old Henry died? Hoping soon to hear from you again I am dear Annie Your loving sister Maggie. |
