| Title: | A. S. Woodburn, Ottawa, Canada to Cousin Lowry. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3414 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Woodburn, A. S/56 |
| Year | 1897 |
| Sender | Woodburn, A.S. |
| Sender Gender | female? |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Ottawa, Canada |
| Destination | Belfast, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Lowry |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | cousins |
| Source | T 2284/1/8: Presented by Dr. E. R. R. Green, Manchester University, Manchester 13, England. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 8903132 |
| Date | 08/11/1897 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 21:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 1256 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Ottawa Canada Nov 8th 1897 Dear Cousin Lowry Having recently recd [received?] a letter from Mrs. Wm [William?] E. Mayne, who being the wife of my departed cousin, whom I saw only in his childhood, I was exceedingly glad to hear from I now take occasion to drop you a few lines, and thank you for bringing us together, even by ink and paper. Mrs. Mayne mentioned that you had spoken to her of my enquiries respecting her family, and thus her writing to me, of course, for we had never had any correspondence. I was indeed much pleased to hear from Mrs. M. and to learn something of her family and their employment and the litle book she sent me as a reminder of family authorship Blackthorn Blossoms - will be preserved as a mememto of 'Irish Verses' by an Ulster Youth. The litle book you send, also, will be preserved on the same shelf - the one with the picture and biographical sketch of dear Uncle, who in his life time and [hers?] was so kind and thoughtful to my dear mother. But perhaps I should in the outset have apologized for not writing to you recently, as I believe I owe you a letter Let me hope that your daughter, who is spoken of in Mrs. Wms. [Williams?] letter with exceeding kindness is at least somewhat better, for I take it that the trouble is not one got rid of quickly, but may gradually disappear. As you mentioned your daughter has grown very quickly - perhaps too fast - for I have a lively recollection of my own case, as it goes so fast that from 15 to 25 I was not strong while since that I have had [very?] excellent health and now at 66 am feeling as well as at 30. This is something to be thankful for. My brother and sisters are indeed all healthy - which argues of course, for a healthy [ancestry?], if not for Irelands [balmy?] #PAGE 2 atmosphere, which gave us all but one (George) a start in life. so let this be known to my afflicted cousin - who is of high [standing?], as I learn, - not so high, [?], [let?] it he [be?] [known?], as the writer, who stands six feet two! I was often told that 'bad weeds grew well' but I said there were exceptions - and my sick cousin and I are of that class, if I am not mistaken - As to family matters here I have nothing to report except confirmed good health, which it is my privilege to say of all our family James' married daughter, with [her?] young daughter, were over from New York for six weeks of the summer, stopping at her father's in the country. My own family (I may have mentioned this before) [summered?] on the St. Lawrence - Mrs. Sparks, Mrs. Rogers and all - the distance from Ottawa being about 70 miles. I went out once a month and enjoyed a three days visit each time so well that I would rather have remained This week the Sparks family move into a new house Mr. S. [Sparks?] built during the summer. It is a very fine residence costing about $1400. And while this means and is the evidence of prosperity. I am sorry to say that my other son-in-law has met with a severe loss in his business [partners?] [leaving?] for the states and taking all the money he could raise on the firms name with him - as far as can be [learned?] [some?] $40,000. Mr. R. [Rogers?] [trusted?] his [partner?] implicitly, he being a partner in one branch of his business, but the firms name was used in the Banks and [otherwise?] - all within a short time - and thus Rogers was completely driven out of business and had to assign. But he was not to be kept down, so within a few weeks he got matters straightened and last week opened up again - but on borrowed money. He is young however and active, and having only his wife to support will I feel [sure?] rise in business again - for he has the good will and [?] sympathy of the community, [owing?] to the treachery #PAGE 3 of a man he had befriended and taken into partnership, after his getting into difficulty in a bank in which he was teller. and so it is with business here - [more?] in a [young?] community than in a long established one - a [rush?] for business, [then?] a failure - [then?] a new beginning and another attempt. Ottawa has been indeed very prosperous this year as a whole Our streets and side-walks are all being laid with [asphalt?] and [granolithic?] pavement, and with our excellent [system?] of electric railway and electric lighting the city now looks smart and clean. This part of the country has suffered of late from want of rain there being ten weeks of almost continuous drought. There was great inconvenience in the country in consequence, but the crops are a fair average after all, the later seeding suffering chiefly. The [whole?] season indeed has been an unusual one in this part of Canada - very [wet?] and very [warm?] and very dry as the season progressed. But rain has not fallen to the joy of the people in the country, for the city being on the banks of a noble river, and having excellent works for the supply of water, found litle inconvenience owing to the drought We often have a fall of snow early in Nov, but none yet. The weather is now very fine although getting somewhat cool. No frost yet of any account, but the trees are leafless and summer is gone. Have you heard from your son in Australia and is he doing well? And what about Mrs. Dr Smyth in the other end of the globe? I often think of Mrs. Nelson and what anxiety she must have when she reads of the trouble and petty [wars?] going on in India. I hope the [Surgeon?] Major and his wife are far removed from them and that Mrs. Nelson hears good tidings from her much loved daughter. As to your own family at home I suppose Mr. L. #PAGE 4 is always engaged in business and that the other members of your family with the exception of your sick charge are all engaged one way and another and thus working out their destiny. I may be lucky enough to take a trip to Belfast some day next summer, or later, and thus be able to see you all face to face. We have many North of Ireland men here that go home nearly ever [every?] summer either on business or on pleasure and their accounts of what they saw does not generally agree with the newspaper accounts in regard to the failure of crops, the disloyalty and the poverty of the country. The news was a [?] of [content?] & prosperity in my memory according to the accounts [emanating?] from certain quarters, but Ulster I think is fairly prosperous, if I may judge from the remarks of recent returned Canadians. Crossing the Atlantic is now a small affair - about a day for [every week?] when I came over And as to the [comfort there?] is no comparison. And now, dear Mrs Lowry, I must close this epistle, hoping that it may reach you in good health & spirits, and that I may soon hear from you. Your cousin A.S. Woodburn |
