| Title: | Andrew Richey, U.S.A., to "My very Dear Father & Mother" |
|---|---|
| ID | 2279 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Richey, Andrew/53 |
| Year | 1835 |
| Sender | Richey, Andrew |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | keeps a store with his brother |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Clinton, Mississippi, USA |
| Destination | Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | D/3561/A/6/1/11: Deposited by Dr E.R. Green |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9806849 |
| Date | 29/10/1835 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 25:06:98. |
| Word Count | 1294 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Clinton Mississippi Oct. 29th 1835 My very Dear Father & Mother After a very long & on my part a painful silence I once more address myself to my long neglected duty & nothing could in the slightest degree justify me unless the plea of my ill health. Many many times have I taken up my pen to write you a letter during the past two years & then I would conclude that as my health was so delicate that I would wait until I could say that I was quite well & as Brother Jas. [James?] had wrote several times I thought that would satisfy your minds some time longer till I should be quite well. I know you may think this a poor excuse for my long silence but I assure you that I thought it better not to write during my illness for I thought it would give you more uneasiness to know that I was sick than even not to hear from me for some time. Though I knew I must suffer in your estimation as being unfilial & unbrotherly & as having forgot you all: but my dear parents you may rest assured that I can safely say, that one week may I might safely say one day has hardly passed without my mind reverting back to the scenes of my childhood & youth. In fact when I was at home at my parents fireside I have long since found that the word home comprehends a great deal - in fact all that is worth living for is in that word & I never yet have found all that "sweet home" contains since I left you all. I recvd. [received ?] Sister Amelia's letter of the 20th March last it was a source of great satisfaction to me it contained a thousand little things that were highly interesting. In fact it caused me to shed tears I can hardly say of joy or sorrow it reminded me so much of home. I thought I just saw you all even the very trees & shrubs were brought up before me. Amelia must be grown a fine large girl long since, how time tears on since she was winding pirns for me when I was weaving. Those are happy recollections but their like is past forever. To speak something of my illness I must go back to one month after the date of my last letter which was in May 1833, I think, while I lived in Nashville. I was taken with the cholera about a month after I wrote. I had two or three attacks of it but as I used prompt means I soon got it checked but my recovery was very slow & I left the city & went out 2 miles into the country to establish my health & to use mineral water. I stopt [stoped?] at the house of an old Methodist & I believe his family were the happiest folks that I have ever seen. His wife & almost all his family were lately converted & the [they?] appear to live as it were in heaven & their pianoforte which formerly was played to all sorts of profane melody was now attuned to hymns of praise. A great many preachers stopt [stoped?] at the house & amongst the rest a Mr. Shephard an Irishman from near Portadown, I think he said he served his time with Thos. [Thomas?] Shillington of Portadown. He at least had lived with him & he knew a good many of our relations. I do not know whther you recollect anything of him or not, I think I have heard my mother mention the name. He gave me a great deal of satisfaction for though total strangers he knew a great many people that were known to me & we felt at once that we were friends. I staid [stayed?] at that place some time and I thought I had got strong enough to ride to Hopkinsville Ky. [Kentucky?] to Brother James' but my dreams of increasing health & strength were soon blasted. I took sick my the way & commenced discharging blood through my bowels & before I could get it stoped [stopped?] I was at the brink of the grave. I had to stop at a tavern by the way & send for Brother Jas. [James?] who came my the next stage & attended to me for 8 or ten days. When I got sufficiently strong to sit up he sent for his carriage & I rode to Hopkinsville where I recvd. [received?] every attention from Sister Eliza. I was for more than thirteen weeks that I had no passage through my bowels except by physic or injections. I had a dreadful time of it no person can tell what I suffered & after I got partly recovered the strength of my digestive organs & my bowels were some impaired that I was unable to digest or pass off the most simple food. When I got able to ride I kept going about for change of air agreeable to the advice of my physicians. I visited various watering places for health & at times my thoughts were strongly bent on home. I spent nearly twelve months out of business but as I had been economical my money still held out & I knew if it did not I still could draw on my brother but thank God I did not require it. I was threatened at one time with inflammation of the bowels but I got that checked & my disease settled into what is called dyspepsia or indigestion & in fact my stomach had never yet acquired its usual healthy tone but thank God I am comparatively well. I suppose Jas [James?] wrote you that we had moved to this State in May 1834. It is a fine State for making money but it is also in most places sickly & in fact I should have been afraid to risk it had it not been that my health was at that time so bad that I thought I could not be much worsted & I have been agreeably disappointed for my health has been greatly benefited by the change to a southern climate. Brother James offered me an interest in his store last February which I embraced. He gives me the one third of the profits for my part. I had one or two offers of the same kind from some of my acquaintances who were acquaint [acquainted?] with my business qualities previous to Jas. [James?] proposal so notstanding my long sickness which drained my purse I have still a fair chance of making some money. I think we will sell thirty thousand dollars worth of goods this year but the [they?] are mostly on credit and it requires a good while to collect but we have fine profits upwards of 100 per cent. I am glad to hear you have sold the Broomhedge land so well & got cash for it. I am in hopes your circumstances will now be more easy. Br. [Brother?] J. [James?] recd. [recieved ?] two letters some time since one from Sister Dinah & one from Jane. You have now got a goodly collection of grand children if they were all gathered around you. My dear parents I am still in hopes to see you yet if we are all spared a short time longer. I hope you will excuse my long silence in consequence of my illness. Thank God my health is now pretty good but I find my constitution a good deal impaired [blank] I must address a few lines to Sister Amelia so farewell & blessing. ever your truly affectionate Son Andrew Richey [Ritchie?] |
