| Title: | Theophilus Potts, S. America, to Martha Potts, Armagh. |
|---|---|
| ID | 2172 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Potts, Theophilus/9 |
| Year | 1909 |
| Sender | Potts, Theo |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | civil engineer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Cerro de Pasco, Peru |
| Destination | Armagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Potts, Martha |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | D/3561/A/1/12: Deposited by Dr. E.R. Green. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9806856 |
| Date | 1/5/1909 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 25:06:98. |
| Word Count | 891 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Cerro de Pasco Railway Company April 1 - 1909 Theo [Theophilus ?] Potts Esqr Cerro de Pasco R. R. [Rail Road ?] Co Peru S. A. [South America ?] Miss Martha Potts. Dear Sis [Sister ?], Just a few lines in answer to your most kind and welcome letter of recent date ; which I have just received; I am very pleased truly to hear from you, and to know that you were quite well. I had a letter from Maggie to-day; she was speaking of you probably going to Belfast; I am sure it would be much nicer for you both to be together; but you may be like me, quite content anywhere; I hear you are grown to be quite a big pretty girl; you must take good care of yourself; dont work too hard; and above all things do not worry, let someone else do the worrying; and this old world will go around just the same. Do you get home often? it is not a very direct route from Armagh to Dromore; but there is lots of time, and I would advise you, to take a run home, as often as possible. You ask me when I shall go home; an altogether difficult question, and one that I could not answer; I have no idea Dear of when I shall go home; it seems farther and farther away as time rolls by; I have some dangerous and wonderful propositions in mind; that shall keep me busy for a long time; but I do hope that by Gods help, I will get home ere long. So you think of me on dark nights, when there is no moon or stars; to-night Love, I am on the Eastern Slope of the Great Andes; and there are lots of stars in the High Heavens; just now the Constellation of the Southern Cross is visible; we take our bearings from the star Crusis in this Constellation; and checks on betelguese in Orion. But we do not need to see the Sun, Moon, or Stars, to know where we are; when we start out, we take an exact bearing of the place; and if we run by Astronomy, our bearings are plotted by Latitudes and Departures; If necessary at any time of the day or night I could tell you just how many miles it was to any point on the world. I have been for days aye weeks at a time, when the brush was so dense, that I neither have saw Sun; Moon or Stars; nor a piece of Sky as big as a window glass. The first time that I saw the Southern Cross; I was camped at a place called Topolobamoa; on the beautiful, wild and lonely West Coast of Mexico; I remember well the night I was checking our bearings on the Star Aliath in the Great Bear, the old faithful Yaqui Indian that was holding my lamp, pointed South and said "Senor alla es la Cruz del Sur" (Sir there is the Southern Cross) I look on those past days as the happiest moments of my life; there I learned and practiced Engineering and Astronomy; aye more I learned to know and to love freedom; learned to know that an Indian was a human being; and more found them to be the most faithful servants; and some of them the best friends I have ever met. I have never had a gun quarrel with an Indian; not but they have slain many a good white man on the blazed trail. Dear Martha, you ask me for some pictures; I have got some reproductions of one of me, which you have often seen; however first time I be in Cerro, I will mail you one; which I will ask you to keep; it is not a very good picture but a true one; one that was taken at the most successful time of my life. You might mail me one of your pictures if you have got one, I never have had one of your pictures, except a snap-shot; and I would like very much to have one of yours; I'm sure I would hardly know you, but rather think that I would. I would also like to have a picture of Father & Mother, but would not like to ask them for one. Maggie did not say in her letter that you had a sweetheart, but she intimated just as much; now you might tell me his name and send his picture along also; I will make you a wedding present when you get married God Willing. If you are going to write me as often as you say, I will try and answer all your letters; if you note carefully how my name is spelled; and the address, I will be sure to get all of your letters; You write quite a pretty and intelligent letter and a very good hand; hope you will write me often as you say it is quite lonely here and a letter is always a welcome sight. Dont be afraid of me scolding you; I never shall be angry with any of my sisters; you can trust me Dear; and if ever you need a friend if I am alive, you can rely on me, I would do anything for you, under any circumstances at any time, if you will only ask. Now Dear Sis.[Sister ?] I will say Good Night: Begging to Remain Your Loving and Affectionate Brother Theophilus Potts Envelope : To - Miss Martha Potts Co Dodds Brothers, Scotch St Armagh, Ireland Gran Bretana From - T. P [Theophilus Potts ?] Cerro de Pasco Railway Co. Oroya-Peru, S. A. [South America ?] |
