| Title: | David Williamson, PA to [James?] Campbell, Templepatrick |
|---|---|
| ID | 3350 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Williamson, David/33 |
| Year | 1875 |
| Sender | Williamson, David |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | house builder (carpenter) |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Campbell |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | unknown |
| Source | D 693/2: Donated by A'deacon JR McDonald, Templepatrick |
| Archive | The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 9602018 |
| Date | 28/10/1875 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 01:02:96. |
| Word Count | 1604 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 1608 Catherine St. Philadelphia, Octr. [October?] 28th 1875 Dear Sir Among the many sins of omission of which I have been guilty since I came to this country that of writing to you before now, must take a place in the first rank. I knew you wd [would?] hear from mother and others of my safe arrival here, and some of my proceedings since: I on the other hand heard from time to time of the continued good health of yourself and household. Though I profited by the change in coming out here, still I continued rather restless for some time; and indeed the general tendencies of my thoughts and feelings at that time, were such as made me desirious [desirous?] of writing to any one. Indeed I felt altogether like what Mrs. Robin Gray must have done when she " gangd [ganged?] like a [ghaist?] and didnae care to spin" But happily I cannot act the character now as I keep too stout for a 'ghaist' (196 lbs [pounds?] ) and I mean to 'spin' you something of a yarn as the sailors say. It was said of a neighbour of yours in the Club Room, Roughfort, that he always began at the end of a book and read backwards to the beginning - In what I now write to you I shall adopt the same method. You will see where I live from the beginning of this letter. I am here about a week. I have entered with a Yankee Partner on a contract for the finishing of some houses which will probably engage me during the winter. Before that time I was in the State of Pennsylvania for six weeks assisting in building a school house about 30 miles from Philadelphia. I was right among the farmers and had a good time of it - I boarded in a farm house, they had a large garden and the fruit was plentiful and in great variety. I got liberty to 'go' for them as they say here and I did; especially the grapes, many of which clustered round my bedroom window. I think I enjoyed this part of my life more than any other since I came out here. Nov 20 ( After getting this length I was obliged to give up and as often happens with defence business, I was longer of getting finished than I anticipated. I have now the house to myself as all the others are off to hear [Moody?] and [Sankey?] who are said to be coming here to convert folks. They ought to do some good as 20.000$ have been expended in preparations for them. I resume; for the first place, I was tired of the continued city life of the previous six months and in The next this in itself was a very pleasant place to live in - The land in this district is fashioned after the manner of the 'Ring [Gaudis?]' with you only the 'ups and downs' are on a much larger scale. It is generally cleared for farming; but there are left many remains of the original forest especially round the tops of the small hills or [undulation?] rather which are more profitable for supplying timber than for farming. These woods are composed of a great variety of trees; such as beech, maple, hickory & black oak, walnut, chestnut, hemlock, cottonwood, locust &c &c [etcetera, etcetera?]. The leaves of these when dying in the early fall, assume almost every tint and hue and form a most magnificent and beautiful sight, more especially when the sun is setting, as it throws a [kind?] of golden halo over them all, or the maples beautiful yellow or the dark blood red of the oak and the clearer crimson of its neighbouring beech, the russet of the walnut and chestnut, the mild green of the weeping willow down by the edge of the little stream or the more [sombre?] green of the pine which the farmer has planted round his dwelling perhaps to remind him of his earlier home in the old country or elsewhere. All these [have?] combined like the plumage of beautiful bird has shown me the original of pictures which I have often admired but which have given me but a poor conception of the reality. All this and [kindred?] scenes, to any one having a look for the beauties of nature has a very soothing and beneficial effect. In fact it has done more good "tell it not no [Gath?]" than a dozen of the best sermons I have ever heard in church or any other place. I have felt forcibly the poets words that there are "tongues in the trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stone and good in everything" if a man only looks at it aright. I am again interrupted by the return of the [Moody?] and [Sankey?] party, who could not get in, although the building seats ten thousand, it was filled and as many more [in?] the Street. Some say it is a business speculation and some say it is bonafide. To continue the sunsets here are splendid, such as you see in Ireland only once or twice in a lifetime, but the farmers here generally seem to study them in order to prognosticate the next days weather. Talking of the farmers they are here a sober, thrifty and comfortable set of people, but grumble sometimes of the weather and other things, as farmers and others are prone to do everywhere - The [rule?] is, that they own their own farms which average 100 acres and have no landlords and no rents. But in some cases, where a man is too lazy or too busy or too something else to work his own farm he lets it out on shares. That is a man takes it and farms it and gives the owner half the produce and if the owner supplies seed and working plant he gets 2/3rds [two-thirds?] of the profits = In this way farm labourers often make enough to purchase the farm right out and the farmer whom I boarded with was once in that position. The land here sells at œ25 to œ50 pounds per acre, other things being equal the smaller farms give the higher proportionate price. They are making great preparations for this Centennial business here, and among other things in building and alternation of buildings. But this has not benefitted the mechanics (as they call the tradesmen here, as owing the general dulness (sic) [dullness?] of trade throughout of America, the people have come in from all directions to get work and so, more than supplying the demand : They generally get work but at lower prices than have [ruled?] here since before war times. But living here is also cheaper than usual, so that a man if careful can live almost as cheap as at home and the standard of living (that is eating drinking &c) is much higher all round = Indeed the common labouring man is not satisfied unless he gets fare which wd [would?] shame any farmers table in our own country. This is a very large a very clean city It is called among the people here the "city of homes" alluding to the large number of working people who own their own houses and in contrast with New York [etc?] where as many people are huddled up together in one tenement. All the houses or almost all are built for 3 feet high with white polished marble the window sills and arches also marble and the front door is approached with polished marble steps or stairs Going out at daylight in the morning you will see the girls out washing this marble all over, So that it is always clean as a 'pin' - I could write long enough so when I get fairly started but perhaps all this has little or no interest to you - so that it may be best to haul up. In working in New York I was generally in some department of the building trade. Carpentery pretty often, the one thing that pleasures me more than all other here, is the equality socially speaking of all who live here - or rather the freedom of intercourse between all classes of the people. I have not seen one instance of arrogance from a man on a/c [account?] of his position since I came here nor of serviles either such as may be too often seen in Ireland. They are a hard working people here and [-----?] if with us in the old Country, the people worked with the same push and energy they wd [would?] be much better off than they are generally - I had a good time of it in coming over in the vessel being surrounded by Germans, Italians, French, English, Scotch [Scots?] and of Course Irish - They all jabbered in their own languages but I noticed when that when they got sick they all expressed themselves in the same language over the side of the vessel = I shall probably return in the course of a year or so as if anything shd [should?] happen to the old folks at home, a little family might want my care, and if I stayed long enough here to get attached to the country, I might feel disinclined to return at all = How is Jamie and [Lily?] progressing in their studies ?. Give my love to them also to Lizzy (who has not sent me any brides cake yet)- and believe me Sincerely yours David Williamson Please write, c/o Mrs Magowan 1616 Copia St Philadelphia N.B. Mrs Magowan was Matty [Birkmyre?] of Craigavon |
