| Title: | Bella M Smyth, Co Tyrone to J A Smyth Ontario |
|---|---|
| ID | 2564 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Bella Maggie/34 |
| Year | 1921 |
| Sender | Smyth, Bella Maggie |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | farming household |
| Sender Religion | Presbyterian |
| Origin | Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Recipient | Smyth, James Alexander |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge |
| Doc. No. | 0410263 |
| Date | 24/03/1921 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 28:10:2004. |
| Word Count | 788 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Front of envelope. Mr. Jas. A Smyth Doughal Ave. Schools Windsor Ontario. Canada Lisnacraigh [Lisnacreaght?] March 24th 1921 Dear Brother You will be surprised to receive a letter from me, it is such a long time since I wrote to you. Well I have been at Amy time & again to write & she still puts it off, she made a start at Xmas but did not finish. Her & Bertie are home now so she may write. They were in new lodgings since Xmas with a Mrs Bradley in the same street, her husband was a Sergeant & got wounded during a raid on Drumquin barracks, so he is off now with £95 pension & got £1500 compensation they told Amy they wouldn’t keep them any longer, as they can live now without working so we have got to search for lodgings again, sometime you get tired of it & would want to keep them at home & work. They have both got tall since you were home, if you saw them now you would hardly know them & Irene says "Amy is still proud It may run us hard enough to keep them going this year, as things look bad for farmers just now. There is no price for flax & we have three stacks that might have brought us £200 & if Canadian cattle gets in freely we are beat in that way as well, we wont get half the price we got last year, & eggs are very low at present. so money may not be made easy any more but if we are allowed to live here we will pull through someway The police made a great raid on Monday from Patrick Bradley up, they had nine lorries & five motors they took James Duffy but let him back again on Tuesday, they were in most of the houses before they were up so its likely they got a fright, but we were safe that day. so its only "tit for tat" ? What do you think of Ireland's state now, it is almost dangerous to live here now I suppose you saw in the papers that Andy McKelvey got a stack of flax burned but so long as they don’t shoot its not so bad. Andy Dunn is away to the Depot for training, so he will be in danger, as they have a great spite against anyone joining the R.I.C. I suppose Liza still writes & gives you all news, her & Tommys wife are getting on very well for so far but Liza still does her share of work & perhaps more I have not been up much since Mother died, I used to like going up for a day now & then, but its hardly the same after all, Mother was very kindly even she had some faults. Tom's wife has an easy beginning besides she had she has (sic) a nice house & everything in it though she has added a few things such as vases & flower stands & has got a fruit & vegetable garden made & has got your trees wired up the front, but she has only to give the order as the money is at hand & Mother had to make it as she went along. Amy has done some writing & has told you how her Father is getting on, so I will soon be done with all I can think off. Irene & Cyril has only been at school two weeks since as the teacher left in that time, but there is another expected after Easter, but she may not stop either. We could have got a good Master, that would likely have stopped all his life if suitable, as his wife is dead & he has four children to support, but he was non-denominational, so they were afraid he might be a (dipper) or the right name a child of God & wouldnt have him. This religion in national schools is a perfect humbug & ministers doing what they like. If this teacher doesnt stop our two & Wms [Williams] will go to the Plum [Plumbridge?], as Presbyterians can persecute as well as Sinn Feiners This man Mr McKeown is persecuted because he differs from Presbyterians & he cannot get a school any place, even he is a good teacher. He done duty for three months in Carrick for Mr Lyttle, as he is afraid of the cold weather. coming from Newtown [Newtownstewart?]. If you write you can tell us what you think about a case like that, we pity the man, but we can do no more. I will stop now & I might write again it may not be interesting to you but you can pick out something. Love from all Your Sister Bella M |
