| Title: | B M Smyth, Castledamph, to J A Smyth, Ontario |
|---|---|
| ID | 2590 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Bella Maggie/87 |
| Year | 1900 |
| Sender | Smyth, Bella Maggie |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | farming household |
| Sender Religion | Presbyterian |
| Origin | Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Essex Co., 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 |
| Doc. No. | 0507016 |
| Date | 16/03/1900 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | LTE |
| Log | Document added by LT, 16:08:2005. |
| Word Count | 1028 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Front of Envelope] Mr James A. Smyth Essex Box 234 Ontario Canada [Stamped] [NEWTOWNSTEWART?] PM 10 MR [16?] 00 [Written over address?] Ans [Answered?] 1st April 1900 [Stamp] Postage and Inland Revenue One Penny [Back of Envelope] [Stamped] PLUMBRIDGE A MR 16 00 OTTAWA MR 28 00 ESSEX MR 28 00 ONT. [Page 1] Castledamph, March 16th 1900 Dear Brother We rec. [received?] your letter of Mar 4th today. So you will soon make up for the loss & you will easily know that there has been something wrong here for you will get them pretty thick this last while I think father was writing nearly every day. Well we are all able to be up again but not as well as we should be yet, but we must have patience & we are content to be out of bed & none of us more than Mary As Dan used to say she [Page 2] had a heavy handling [troublesome time?] & us all in bed. she was glad to see any of us coming down the stairs. she had to attend two sets of pigs, 25 all together & milch [milk?] the cows with Tom's help: keep the house in order & attend us as well, she knew what work was for once, Tilda [Matilda?] Gilky [Gilkinson?] came up & gave her a help some times [sometimes?] Im sure you were suprised to hear of Uncle Wm [William’s?] death & Willie Smyth's, the people around here were a little terrified: by the two going so quick [sic] so very near each other. Matthew is in very low spirits, he hardly knows what to do: he wont be able to do all the work himself & men is [sic] hard to be got & the money to pay them has to be looked for [Page 3] too, Its a great pity of them: as they will hardly be able to hold the land they were bad enough before but they will be far worse now Old Wm [William?] Hay and Bell is [sic] both very bad now. Jamie says they will hardly recover its likely too [to?] set sore on them as they are very old Joe Duncan is improving but he is allowed no meat, nothing but brandy and sweet milk for six weeks he was very low at one time. They had no hopes of his recovery. Its an awful time of sickness in this country I think I never remember such a dull time. you would hardly know whether anyone was living but yourself or not John came from Gortin one night to see how we all were. And at bedtime he said he wouldn't stop here now [Page 4] for no money, it was so dull We see by your letters that you have good times over there Any amount of parties & lots of fun, but quite different from here everything very stylish. [You?] could not afford the money to fix everything in so grand a style in this country. But there is some pretty stylish ones down by Newtown Stewart [Newtownstewart?] they know they are living down there too But about here you would only be laughed at if you would only imitate any style I expect when you get home you will be able to learn [sic] some new dances but it will be the Irish you would have to learn [sic] & they wont be as smart as those Yankees you are so well used with [Page 5] It will be hard to take with the rules of this country. you are so long among the Yankees And I see that you fool them pretty well they never know but you belong to some quality so that you come in for all the swell parties & if you were at home you would remain where you should be: So you see the difference you come in for all the swell affairs & we would never get one, but it may be the learning makes the difference if so its a pity we missed it Robert McFarland appealed his case from Strabane it was tried in Omagh on Wednesday and he won this time so it was lucky for him to appeal The Catholics are [sic] badly dissapointed [disappointed?] when he won [Page 6] This is the Plum [Plumbridge?] fair Tommy is in the fair & Wm [William?] is at the forge since the [this?] morning Father is at home doing little things about the house and the rest of us has [sic] to churn after tea time: so we are all engaged for this day It is snowing today & last night and I think its a good thing it may help to clear the atmosphere & the people may get stronger after it is over Farm work is far back yet there is a good deal of ploughing to be done every place our people & Willie Ballantine has about a fortnights ploughing yet They were kept back a little by the horse getting hurt & then Wm [William?] was not in good health for a few days but he is at work again [Page 7] I see by your letter that you have got no word from Tommy hay yet either Its a wonder but he is writing [sic] some place Uncle John wrote to the War Office some time ago but they just told him that as his name had not appeared among the killed that he must be there some place Do you get any word from the McFarlands. Tilda [Matilda?] Gilky [Gilkinson?] got a letter from Maggie some time ago & she knew of you getting the school. I think she said that that girl that you used too [to?] write too [to?] was married, Jane McFarland, has some thought of coming home this summer, if so she will find a lively person before her, in [Page 8] Old Roberts place I believe she keeps them all going The Rector has service every Sunday evg [evening?] in Castledamph school since lent came in, he was ordered to do so by the Bishop I believe they will soon be as bad as the Catholics They are not allowed to marry during lent up at Omagh I dont know what they will make them do next I suppose they are as bad there when they do not attend the parties during that time I think this will do today hoping you are still in good health So Good Bye [Goodbye?] for the Present Your Sister Bella M [Margaret?] Smyth |
