| Title: | James Wray, Spruce Creek, Penn. to his family, Coleraine. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3417 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Wray, James/82 |
| Year | 1818 |
| Sender | Wray, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | schoolmaster |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Spruce Creek, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Coleraine, Co. Derry, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | writes to his family |
| Source | T 1727/2: Copied by Permission of Messrs Wray & Baxter, Solicitors, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 8901011 |
| Date | 01/10/1818 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 21:10:1993. |
| Word Count | 915 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Mr Thomas Wray, Quilley [Quilly?] To the Care of Mr Daniel O Kane Mercht [Merchant?] Coleraine Ireland Spruce Creek, octbr [October?] 1st 1818 Dear and Beloved Mother and Brother With every sense of gratitude and affectun [affection?] I take up my pen to write to you from a far distant country but neither the distance of the country nor being absent from you shall ever draw away my attention from the kindest of mother and Brothers, Dear and Beloved Mother and Brother hopeing [hoping?] that these few lines will find you all in good health as the leave us at present thanke [thank?] God for all his mercies towards us the were never one of us better in our lives nor what we are, we are all three keeping school John lives 1 1/2 miles from me Robt [Robert?] lives about 4 miles from John he was down last Sabath [Sabbath?] day and he is hearty and well, and he was saying that he would write home this week, we wrote to you when we were in the state of New York, that we were going to leave that place and what way we were gouing [going?] to travel we bought tow [two?] horses and a wagan [wagon?] we left new york state on monday and we traveled [travelled?] that week and to thursday in the next week it was verey [very?] hot weather and verey [very?] bad road and we thought that we would make inquirey [inquiry?] about some work for we had got verey [very?] tired of traviling [travelling?], the man that we stoped [stopped?] with told us that the [they?] wanted a school master verey [very?] badly and on the next morning Robt. [Robert?] and me set out to see what we could do in getting one, I agreed that day for one and on monday next commenced, Robt [Robert?] and John got one on the same day, we have been teaching seven weeks we have all verey [very?] good pay we have as good as 50 pounds a year found in meat washing and mending, it is a verey [very?] fine Country here there is plenty of money and work for all that comes there is a great many Irish people living about here a young man will get for working about these Iron works that is Coaling or the like of that from 42 to 30 Dollars a month and he can find himself for eight Dollars per month the markets is verey [very?] high here on account of so many Iron works Carried on wheat is 1 Dollar per Bushel Indian Corn is from a Dollar to 80 cents a Bushel oats is 1/2 a Dollar per Bushel Ry [Rye?] is 80 cents a Bushel, we live about 6 Miles from John Holms [Holmes?] he is as Happy as he could wish to be he has nothing to do but to Clark to the furnice [furnace?], and take a house when he pleases, Dear Mother you were not satisfied that I should fetch any linnen [linen?] Cloth with me but I wish that I had fetched all the money that I had in linnen [linen?] cloth for this verey [very?] day I sold 31 yards and I got 25 Dollars for it if it had been a little whiter I would get a Dollar a yard for it (I only get $[?] per yd) & Thomas I Hope that you have come good Speed in getting the money from my uncle I Hope that you will get it and when you get it be sure and put it to Interest for my Mother untill [until?] that I send for it, Dr [dear?] Mother I Hope that in the Course of a year or two I will be enabled to go to see you for there is nothing in this world would give me more joy than #PAGE 2 to see you Dr [dear?] Mother once more, but if it be our lot never to see one another once more in this world may we strive to meet at the right hand of God where we will meet never to part no more, (we live about 90 miles from Pitsburge [Pittsburg?] the land here is cheap you will get unimproved land for 2 Dollars per acre there is a farm to be sold here with improvements at 5 Dollars which we are in some notion to purchise [purchase?] the [they?] want the third of the money in hand and the rest in 2 or 3 years I think that if Samuel Cochran were here he might do verey [very?] well but I would not advise him to come nor not to come but I think that he might do verey [very?] well in comeing [coming?] for if ever a man gets a farm here he can live as happy as he pleases. Dear Mother and Brother I must conclude by sending you tears of affection Give my kindest of love to Uncle James and Aunt Mary John James Robt [Robert?] and Mary Wray not forgeting [forgetting?] Marthaw and family Aunt Margert [Margaret?] and her family and Catherine McFaul Samuel Cochran and Family John [Tate?] and family John Cochran and family Widow Cochran and family Andrew Lees and family Widow Smiley and family to all enquiring friends while I remain Dr [dear?] Mother and Brother your ever loving Son and Brother untill [until?] Death James Wray N B When you write to me Direct you this letter To James Wray to the care of Mr John Anderson Marshals Mills Huntingdon State of Pennsylvania America |
