| Title: | Cassie Smyth, Chatham Ontario to ‘Dear Cousin Dear’ [?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 2621 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Cassie/46 |
| Year | 1893 |
| Sender | Smyth, Cassie |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | student |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Essex Co., Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Castledamph, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | unknown |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, Castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge |
| Doc. No. | 604001 |
| Date | 25/11/1893 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 623 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Incomplete letter] [Page 1] Chatham Nov.25/93 Dear cousin Dear At last I have got down to writing you a letter. It seems a long time since first I talked of answering your letter. About two months ago I was all ready to begin one day had my paper out and was hunting [sic] a pen when some friends came in and of course I had to leave it for that time; since that I have never had an opportunity. Jim has probably told you how we were engaged all summer. I wrote two or three letters for father [Father?] while he was ill and some to Annie; that was the extent of my correspondence all summer until my return here a week ago Thursday. Since that I have been trying to pay off some of my debts to my correspondents. [Page 2] Have come back to Chatham to try to finish up in shorthand, Intended coming about the first of October, but we went to the Fair instead, and then on our return we found Mrs Fox - Jim I think told you about her - ill at our place. She is a full cousin of mother`s [Mother’s?]. After about five weeks of patient suffering she succumbed to the disease and went to receive the reward of a life spent in God`s service. Death was a welcome release to her. I presume Jim has told you a good deal about the Fair, I think we all enjoyed ourselves. I know I did. Belle and I had a little longer than the rest in the city as we stayed with friends for a week after they left. We left home on a Wednesday evening, travelled all night reaching Chicago about half past nine Thursday morning; the distance from home is about 300 miles, probably a little more. After securing rooms in a hotel close to the fair grounds [Page 3] we sallied out to hunt [sic] a restaurant at which to get our breakfast. Thanks to the directions of the minister before we left we had no difficulty in finding one. After breakfast we immediately went into the Grounds where we stayed until about half past nine at night. I am not very good at describing anything or I would give you a pen picture of what we saw The scene at night was like fairy land. The buildings were lighted by electricity inside and all along the tops outside were rows of electric lights, the dome of the Administration Building being almost covered with them. The bridges were hung with Chinese lanterns and the trees were garlanded and festooned with gas jets. All around the flower-beds were gas jets also Lights were gleaming everywhere from the tops of the buildings to the electric launches slipping so quietly through the water [Page 4] of the lagoons and ponds, making a scene never to be forgotten. Friday & Saturday we were on the grounds again. Sunday Sara Belle and I went to see our cousins who lived about ten miles from the fair but only a short distance from the heart of the city. The boys went to hear the famous preachers Moody and McNeil We did not see them again until Monday morning Then |Monday night they and Sara started for home and Belle and I went again to Mr Fair’s where we stayed until the next Monday. We visited the Fair two days after that; the other days were spent in visiting points of interest in the city. We went up to the top story [storey?] of one building 14 stories high The Columbus Memorial Hall it is called, a beautiful building built mostly of marble stone. We saw one building the Masonic Temple 21 stories high, but had no time to go through it. Transcribed by Gary Campbell |
