| Title: | B Boyd, Charleston to John Boyd, Strabane. |
|---|---|
| ID | 257 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Boyd, B/43 |
| Year | 1808 |
| Sender | Boyd, B |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Charleston, S. Carolina, USA |
| Destination | Strabane, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Boyd, John |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 1873/1: Copied by Permission of Miss S. Boyd, Lifford, Co. Donegal, Ireland. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 8809159 |
| Date | 18/11/1808 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 27:09:1993 |
| Word Count | 686 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To Mr John Boyd Care of Mr [Sammy Gaston?] Mercht [Merchant?] Strabane Charleston Nov 18th 1808 Dear Brother A note was inclosed [enclosed?] in a letter to Wm [William?] son Robert Requesting me to Inform you what I know of your son John, I now will relate to you in Truth all that I know concerning him; in Aug 1806 he in part Loaded a large Ship bound for [the?] Havanna and just as she was ready to sail a storm came on which drove her [across?] the River to [Jasner?] Island opposite to Charleston where she was so much Damag'd [damaged?] that he could not proceed on his Voyage; he then purchased a fine brig as Ever Sailed from Charleston and put on Board of her all the Goods that was in the Damaged Ship and purchased as much more as filled the Brig (so that Brig and Cargo was all his own) and Employ'd [employed?] a Captain to Navigate her also a Sufficient Number of Sailors, and on the 29th Day of the Same Month Aug went on board himself (contrary of my wishes the Season being Stormy) and proceeded for the Havanna; Since which time I have never heard of him, not of this Brig nor Crew, so that if he was lost both Brig and all the Crew was lost also, as I wrote to you before I had some faint hope that he had Changed his Course and Gone to Africa for slaves; But seeing that he nor the Brig nor any of the Crew is never yet heard of I am afraid the whole of them Was lost. Brother this will be a Melancholy [Relation?] to you but you and I must [submit?] to providential events, one thing ought to Comfort you and I that if he is gone there is hope in his Death, Therefore do not grieve as those that have no hope; a fairer character in a young man never left Charleston nor one more beloved by the Most [Reputable?] Merchant of Charleston With Respect to William [Austons?] tale it is a positive falsehood for Neither him nor [Holmes?] failed; After John sailed for the Havanna Their Correspondent in Balimore [Baltimore?] sent a ship of Six Hundred ton to Mr Holmes to load and send to Africa for Slaves which he did and this Ship Returned in the Course of twelve Months with four hundred and fifty slaves as Andrew Holmes [& co?] own property and the Sale of these Slaves here would have amounted to one Hundred and Thirty five Thousand Dollars which would have a profit to A. Holmes & Co of Sixty Thousand Dollars; But A [Andrew?] Holmes died before the #PAGE 2 ship arrived and she with her Cargo of slaves was Carried by the Captain and Supercargo to Savanna executors have gone to Savanna to Receive the Nett amount of the Sale of those slaves but what they have [?] I know not this [Business?] is not yet Settled as soon as it is settled Either myself or Robert will inform you - as to John being in Wm [William?] [Auston's?] Debt I believe it was the reverse - Now my brother I have to give you another Melancholy Relation Respecting my own little family, on the 28th Day of Augt [August?] last my only Daughter Mary (wife of Wm [William?] Scott) died in Child-bed of a premature birth, which has much Distressed myself and her tender Mother for she was as Good a Child as ever was born to parents, the Child (a boy) is alive and Seems to thrive with its nurse [so?] brother let not you and I grieve at what was God's will is concerning us or ours, you and I will soon follow our children that have Gone before us let us prepare for the Solemn Event which is our [boundless?] Duty as well as our best Interest My oldest Son John lives Still in the country is Doing well and lives comfortably and has now two fine children, Robert lives with me he is now writing to his father the State of the present times [Disables?] him from making much for himself |
