| Title: | Letters to and from Robert Taylor, Pennsylvania. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3107 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Taylor, Thomas/171 |
| Year | 1826 |
| Sender | Taylor, Thomas |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Ballygoskin, Co. Down, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Recipient | Taylor, Robert |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | T 1435: Copied by Permission of Mrs W.A.F. Martin, Tobermoney, Co Down. #TYPE EMG Extracts from Letters, Taylor Family, Ballygoskin & Rathcunningham, Co Down, to Robert Taylor, Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania U.S.A. 1799 - 1827. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9001021 |
| Date | 20/05/1826 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 16:01:1990 LT created 24:08:1990 CD input 29:08:19 |
| Word Count | 1058 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Ballygoskin, 20th, May, 1826 Dear Bob: I am yet in the land of the living, in March, 1824, I was very bad and expected to die, my feet and legs was greatly swollen, about a month before I took my bed my legs was greatly swoolen [swollen?], I found my legs always hurt in bed, at length the water ossed [oozed?] out of them and wet the bed, the latter end of April I got recovered and has enjoyed tolerable good health ever since. My wife has been in a delicate state of health for the most a year past but is now feeling better, I believe somewhat touched with a liver complaint. The rest of the family enjoys pretty good health. You will be anxious to know about my family; Thomas is about 5 feet 9 inches, slender make, very like me, but has not such a prominent chin, I think full as active as ever I was, and could take me off like garrick, you would know him by me if you met him in Belfast. Nathaniel is tall, about 6 feet, your cousin, James Thomas, Professor of Mathematics, in the Belfast College, wrote me if I would send any of my boys to him, he would take particular care of him, I could have sent Nath'l. [Nathaniel?] had I not purchased Land, as he is good at figures Your cousin is a man of the very first Talents, and excells [excels?] very much in Mathematics, he has given up his sallary [salary?] from the College, which was about 150 pound per Ann. [Annum?], and has still about 600 pounds or upwards of fees from the Students, and of a most exellent [excellent?] character. Mary is now near twenty, she is not tall, but stout made and resembles me. Your namesake, Robert, is an active lad, he is living in Belfast. He commenced his apprenticeship in Belfast first of October, 1824, to the Grocery business, with Messrs Raphael & Carson, Grocers, is bound for four years. I gave 80 pound fee for to get him board and lodging in his Master's house, he likes his place well and never thoughts long, he was born in 1808, is about 5 feet 9 inches. Jane is a tall active Girl of her age, Betty, Ann, Martha and Nancy are all at school with Betty Campbell. 1836 (Probably time of his death) 1759 You wish to know about your Age. You were born in 1759. 77. (The following as to his age appears in a former letter of Thomas Taylor under date of April 2, 1821.) "You wish to know about your age, your sister Sally says, you were born in 1760, but Jack Donnan, Hienkehim, and you are of an age, he was born in 1759 I was born in June, 1732, you see, I have no honor [honour?] in my hands, which (does) not come of at my age.") Were you to come to this Country, you would scarcely know it. Improvements are going very fast her, [here?], it is greatly cut with roads since you were here, and farming is carried on in a far superior sistem [system?] than when you were here, farming utensils has improved greatly in the last 10 years in this neighborhood [neighbourhood?]. You mentioned about your barn and house, we have a thrashing [threshing?] Machine in our barn, there is no baching [backing?] of sacks, and we have Carts that will take from 10 till 20 Cwt. to the Kiln, we have got a sifting Maching fix'd [fixed?] to the Mill, and when the shilling is put in the Hopper it comes out sifted meal. There is a great changes about the old Mills, there is a new line of road about the bottom of the hill crossing the Mill Dam by a Stone Bridge; there is a fine Cotton Factory built last summer 100 feet long 40 feet wide, 5 stones high (The "Stone" is the English unit of weight of 14 pounds. W.F.W.) cost upwards of 20,000 pounds, the water-wheel alone cost about 1300 pounds, she is built 5 or 6 perches from the old Kiln. My contemporaries here are all Dead, James Murdock (?) died in Belfast the 21st Ult. [Ultimo?] Aged 87, Hanse McBride died about 15 months ago, aged 89, John Gaddis died about a year ago aged 71 years. If I live till the 12th of June I will be 92 years. We have no carrying of Corps [corpse?] in this Country now, there is two Hoarses [hearses?] in this neighbourhood. The Ballygoskin Reading Society is still [active?] here yet, and is become very respectable, there is about 35 members, who meet once a quarter, the admission is one [torn] and one British shilling per Quarter, we have got between three and four hundred well chosen volumes (?) [torn], a good variety on the most subjects. We have not as yet heard whether or no you got the legacy left by your Father-in-law or by what channel you got it. (A legacy of $800 from John Gordon, the father of Mrs. Taylor. W.F.W.) The Cairs are all out of Ballygoskin now. I have now all the purchase money cleared off. Robert Kennedy died about a year and a half ago with gravel he had a long severe sickness, aged 71 years, Gawain Henry died about 9 months ago, Aged 75. You mentioned about your son being an excellent marksman, but my Son, Thomas, can shoot very well and has got a favorite [favourite?] pointing Bitch, he makes a complete Hobby horse of it, but Game here is very scarce and he shoots all flying. I am anxious to hear about your family, as soon as you receive this, you will send me a particular account of them as it is probably I may be in the Land of the living to hear from you once more If not my sons can correspond with you. I would write some were it not for my eyes watering. I bless God, my mental powers continue much as usual. Your Father-in-law made a fair will, excepting neglecting a little Son, he left by his Housekeeper. If your friends had been in Andrew Coffey's opinion, they would have contributed something for his support. From your Affectionate Cousin, Tho's [Thomas?] Taylor. Thomas writes for me. Addressed, Mr Robert Taylor Buffalo Valley, Mifflinburg, Union County, Pennsylvania. |
