| Title: | I. Pemberton, Philadelphia, U.S.A., to [T.Greer?], Co. Tyrone. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2116 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Pemberton, Israel/4 |
| Year | 1771 |
| Sender | Pemberton, Israel |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | linen trader |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Greer, Thomas |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | business, friends |
| Source | D 1044/313: Deposited by the Late Captain U. Mc G. Greer. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, N. Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9612193 |
| Date | 14/12/1771 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 03:12:96. |
| Word Count | 1184 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 12/14 1771 [14 December 1771?] Philada [Philadelphia?] 14.12mo:1771 [14 December 1771?] Dear Friend I have intended writing to thee ever since the receipt of thine with the Linnens [linens?], but knowing my son acknowledgd. [acknowledged?] the receipt of them was not so careful about doing it immediately, as I should otherwise have been. Had my letters to thee been sent as soon as we determind [determined?] on writing for those Linnens [linens?] it would have probably been much more for my son's interest, as they might have been here at a time they were very scarce & would sell for ready money to some profit, but before thee arrivd. [arrived?] such great quantity were imported & offerd [offered?] at such low rate, that the sale hath been & is very slow & the profits arising from them but small, which hath prevented my son's sending for more as intended. & poor Lad He is now in a very declining state of health that He is not capable of attending much to business, & his tender wife & mother, as well as myself are much affected with concern for him, yeh I hope Desirous of being resigned to the alwise dispensation of Divine providence & that the visitation may work for good both to him & us. Thy hints of the state of Friends in your Kingdom were the more acceptable as they conveyd [conveyed?] some renewal of Hope, that the gracious continuation of Divine Regard is receivd [received?] & attended to by some of the rising Youth. I hope the same may be said truly of many in these Countries & that a People will yet be [proved?] zealous for promotion of the Cause of Youth & to bear a faithful Testimony by their Examples & Conduct, but alas! it is too evident that many even of those who have long made a Profession of it, & even qualify to appear in this noble Cause lamentably decline & neglect the high & holy calling they have had & thus become stumbling blocks in the way of honest but weak enquirers; our valuable friend Samuel Neale hath visited most of the meetings in the several provinces Southward & Eastward - I expect he is now or will soon be in New York province on his return from New England & that he will spend the latter part of the winter in this province & probably be ready to embark in the spring - Joseph Oxley in about two weeks expects to have completed his service here & to return homewards by the first suitable opportunity -he makes more hast [haste?] than some of us think quite safe & cannot be dissuaded from attempting a winter passage - they travelld [travelled?] while together in much Love, in which they parted, as the courses they were led were different yet both right. S. Lightfoot was here lately on her return from a visit to some meeting in this & the next county - she is I hope in her place & that she will continue to be of service among us. Several valuable friends have been removed by Death in the last & this year whose places remain vacant & some who remain not likely to continue long particularly our worthy fd [friend?] Jos. [Joseph?] White whom thou knew & I doubt not lovd [loved?] when there - He hath been long afflicted with much sickness & pain & seldom able to get to meetings. if our friends Robert Willy & Wm. [William?] Hunt should come soon to visit you I desire thee to give thine & my dear wife's love to them. We fervently desire their preservation & a blessing on their labours. I must now request thy friendship for a poor man who is unable to help himself - his name is Jack or John Richardson he formerly livd [lived?] in Newry with James McCammon, who I suppose was thy neighbour, but is now dead - about 18 years since He was brot [brought?] by Capt. [Captain?] Moses Rankin into Maryland & sold to Exekl [Exekiel?] Kane, who lives in thy province near the borders & hath been retained as a slave. as He contends contrary to the intention of [P?] McCammon, who was Kind to him, while there & from some proofs made by some that came over with him; in sum that he was only to be sold as a servant for seven years & as a confirmation of it He hath a letter dated 27 Jun [June?] 1770 from James [Pake?] a son in law of McCammon's expressing his Concern to hear He was retained in slavery & that it was contrary to the intention of J. McCammon - one Johnathan Hill who knew him in Ireland declares He was in a Court at or near Newry, where McCammon produced this man then [alas?] as an Evidence ags [against?] a man who had stole some Tobacco from him - that he being a negro was at first refusd [refused?], but, on his master's proving that he had been sprinkled -or as they call it, baptisd [baptised?], his Testimony was receivd [received?] & from thence it is contended He was admitted to be free, at least not a slave - He acknowledges He was privy to the stealing of the Tobacco & says He was for that reason sent over as a convict & apprehending that He has a right to his Liberty, hath been striving to obtain it some years past, but could never obtain a fair trial He came hither lately being recommended by some friends who knew him as a sober orderly man worthy of assistance - I have been moved to interest myself in his Cause so farr [far?] that I expect He will obtain a fair Trial & if it appears He was not a slave to McCammon or that Rankin was not authorized to sell him as one, no doubt He will be releasd [released?] from his present master - if he fails I shall have the Costs to pay & He will be fixd [fixed?] in slavery & perhaps sold to some bad master, as often is the Lott [lot?] of these injurd [injured?] afflicted People - Therefore I request thee to obtain from James [Pake?] or any other of McCammon's family or from the records of the Court [House?] proof as can be had in his favour - if he was receivd [received?] as an Evidence or was tryd [tried?] & convicted a Criminal or was sent by McCammon by Rankin to be sold for a term of Years Testimony of all or either of these matters made before a public Notary will favour his purpose. Thy care in a speedy answer in sending a Duplicate for fear of Miscarriage will be an act of Charity to a poor Negro & will also oblige me thy [apprized?] fr [friend?] [G?] Pemberton if no ships are coming soon I desire thee to direct for me to the care of Jno. [John?] Barclay of Lond. [London?] to come by first despatch whatever expense arise I will repay thee |
