| Title: | Mary Smyth, Ontario to Miss Eliza C Smyth, Castledamph |
|---|---|
| ID | 2949 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Mary/26(3) |
| Year | 1904 |
| Sender | Smyth, Mary |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | Protestant (Presbyterian) |
| Origin | Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Castledamph, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Smyth, Eliza C. |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | sisters |
| Source | Copyright Retained by Mr & Mrs J Smyth, Castledamph, Plumbridge, Co Tyrone, Castledamph@btinternet.com |
| Archive | Mr & Mrs J Smyth |
| Doc. No. | 605046 |
| Date | 20/3/1904 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1253 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [Front of Envelope] Miss E.C. [Eliza Catherine] Smyth Castledamph Plumbridge Co. Tyrone Ireland Postage Stamp] Canada Postage Two Cents [Stamped] ST. THOMAS 12 MR. 20 04 ONT [Page 1] St. Thomas Box 1103 March 20th 04 Dear Sister I have got two letters from home since I last wrote also the pictures. I am glad to hear that Willie John is still improving though he may never get real well. I am sure he must be sorry that ever he left our place now. I was just thinking that if there was nothing else wthe [with the?] accident it brought you all into friendship again anyway. I wish you wouldn’t fall out & in so often over there. It seems so funny to hear of you one week falling out and in the next perhaps as good as ever again. Let the trifling disturbances go fast without recalling them. I suppose you and Tilda are all right again. Well as regards the pictures they are natural enough looking. I wonder if the Castledamph’s [Castledamphs?] had no better clothes. I was showing them to Annie & she said that that McKelvey boy would have to put sugar on his shoes to coax his pants down. The Eden pupils are better in every respect better dressed also better arranged. Master James looks well but Miss James is not very [nice?]. I picked out quite a few of them in both schools before I got the paper with the names. [Page 2] 2 I think Jack Nelson looks rather cute but Emily is still as cross looking as ever. I have been showing the pictures to some girls and they admire the appearance of Mr. James, Tell him so. He no doubt will give a few laughs. I think Miss Dunne looks awful if she had been dressed a little better she might not have looked so bad. I think Archie is just the image of what George used to be I thought it was him at first. Charlie and Bella are quite nice looking. Charlie looks like Robt [Robert?] J. I never saw him since he was six months old or along there. No signs of Miss James getting married, who does the Master keep with now? I suppose he and Bob Campbell are alright again. I think the Master is somewhat peculiar for I cannot understand him. When I was talking about coming out here he did a lot of talking and saying that it would be better for me to come and such like and how he thinks I could do as well there at the teaching. Though I don’t blame him for I think Jim put him up to do the talking to get Father and Mother to let me come out here. John did not want to do it himself I suppose for fear of blame afterwards. I know he dropped a few words last fall when we were arguing what I was going to do and he talked something about the trouble [Page 3] 3 he had to get me out here having other people to do the talking for him and that when I was out here I wouldn’t go according to his desires. From this I think it was he that had the Master do some talking, Well I think the teaching over there wouldn’t be as bad as here. I always think my worst trouble in teaching would be that I couldn’t control the pupils but I was looking at those two pictures and I think it would be easier ruling them than some of them here. I thought Lizzie McCullough was going to teach in Model school I think she is spending her time for nothing there She has gone two years longer to school than ever I have so I think she should be farther on than she is. I suppose she is 18 now and I was 14 when I left Castledamph school and I’ve been going 2 yrs out here I’ve not quite decided what I’m going to do until I see Jim at Easter but I think I’ll go home, though you needn’t expect me very soon. I am thinking now that I’ll wait till next spring because I will be going to school until July and after that I will have to visit around so that I cannot go much sooner than next spring. I also want to take violin lessons during that time so that I will be able to play pretty good when I go home. [Page 4] 4 Perhaps Jim will make out a new plan but I thought I would give you my situations. I suppose you will be thinking what time and money I have lost all for nothing. Well I don’t consider it lost I think I have benefited by it in many ways and probably will hereafter. I only wish that the rest of you could afford to get away a little bit from home and see what all the world is made up of. Now I would like to get Mother out and see some thing, I was always thinking that I wouldn’t go back until I would have some money of my own to make some changes around there and let you see something but I find that at present I will be unable to do it. I think of how she has worked there and always stayed at home when all others were away, when I was at home I never thought of this but slighted the work as often as possible never thinking that someone had to do it. I think if I was there now I might do a little better though I am sure I would still hate to go in and feed pigs and dirty work like that. I think that the men should do all; that kind of work. The women here on the farms don’t do it. The way I am situated now I should be content and I suppose it is spoiling me. I get up on the morning and [Page 5] 5 and sometimes practice before breakfast. After my breakfast sometimes help Anne with the dishes then goes to school gets home at noon and eats dinner and wash the dishes again and goes to school again gets home at 4.50 & that ends my day’s work never has to go outside sit in a rocking chair with my feet against the stove and carpets all over the floors. Oh how grand what a change I will find when I go home. I may make the best of it now as I will never likely have as good a time. This is Sunday afternoon Sun shining snow still on [Page 6] 6 the ground, - a fresh covering this week Annie is writing letters, the boys are reading, I was neither to church nor Sunday School as I did not feel very well. Charlie went out this morning Sunday and Saturday is the same in his business. Annie got your letter says she will write to you later Chas. [Charles] says you are a very good letter writer he read it as they always read each others letters (two-in-1) he thinks you are steadier than I not so changeable I don’t wonder but he is correct in his judgement. She didn’t give me the liberty to read it but she told me some of the things that were in it. You shouldn’t give them any idea of our financial standing that should be kept to yourselves for she tells me I shouldn’t do this nor that we cannot afford it. She doesn’t know whether we are well off or not so I wouldn’t let them know. Good Bye for the present M. [Mary?] Smyth Transcribed by Alan Houston |
