Home

CORVIZ

Main content

Title: Samuel Brown, Philadelphia to his Brother David, Belfast.
ID352
CollectionIrish Emigration Database
FileBrown, Samuel/47
Year1815
SenderBrown, Samuel
Sender Gendermale
Sender Occupationtea shop keeper
Sender Religionunknown
OriginPhiladelphia, Penn., USA
DestinationBelfast, N.Ireland
RecipientBrown, David
Recipient Gendermale
Relationshipbrothers
SourceD 3688/F/4: Deposited by C. McLaughlin Esq.
ArchiveThe Public Record Office, Northern Ireland.
Doc. No.9103023
Date12/03/1815
Partial Date
Doc. TypeEMG
LogAction By Date Document added by C.R., 10:12:1993.
Word Count654
Genre
Note
TranscriptLetter copied from Calender held in The Public Record
Office, Northern Ireland]

From: Samuel Brown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
To: His brother David [Brown?], Mill Street, Belfast
County Antrim, Ireland.

12 Mar 1815

"I take this opportunity of writing yoy [you?] a
few lines hoping them to find you and all the family in
good health and all my brothers and sisters... My family
all enjoys good health except our oldest daughter Eliza.
She has been in bad health this two years and little hopes
of her living many days unless a change. I am exceedingly
sorrow [sorrowful?] to hear of the death of sister Betty but
God
who has a rooling [ruling?] of all things and his will must
be done. We must not reflect for what is our loss is their
gain.... We have lost two of our children when young and
have four left, the youngest is a fine little boy of four
years old just got well of the hoping [whooping?] cough. I
suppose you have heard I have kept [a?] Tea Store for some
time, I have took James Brown in partnership two years ago
and he does very well and when I get him perfectly
acquaint [acquainted?] with the customers I intend giving
him up the
whole of the painting. The almighty has been kind to me
and although I have wrought very hard I enjoy as good
health as I ever did and I hope with care and attention to
the tea business to... live without working hard and
bring up our family genteel. I have been fortunate during
the late unfortunate war and although I never wished for it
I was one who always supported in money, believing it to be
the best govirment [government?] in the world. I purchased
during the
last nine months which was the time to try the friends of a
Republican govirment [government?], thirteen thousand dollars
worth of
stock at from 75 to 87 dollars for one hundred and the
interest paid four times a year....

...your brother Thomas keeps [a?] Dry good [goods?] store and
having a large stock on hand when the news of peace fell one
half in price, will loose [lose?] much, but he is strongly
attached to the govirment [government?] of England, still
believing the [they?] would destroy our Navy and bring us to
#PAGE 2
make peace on their own terms, he has been disappointed, him
and myself cannot gree [agree?] on politics.... Had the war
continued many years I should have been a looser [loser?] in
house rent and govirment [government?] taxes at least four
hundred dollars per year. This city has been more favoured
than any other during the war. We scarecly even felt the to
the English burned the City of Washington.... But that was a
fortunate day for this country than the opposite Party as is
called joined us and with one view. Every man turned out in
the City to the amount of twenty thousand. James was amongst
them and marched from the city towards Baltimore where
the [they?] lay in camp for 4 months and such as stayed in the
city turned out to make fortifications not less than from
fifteen hundred to two thousand daylie [daily?] for two
weeks, even on the Sabbath day. And one day the Sons of Eran
[Erin?] alone amounted to twenty five hundred.... The day the
news came that they were defeated at Baltimore and General
Ross shot was a great joy here. We have lost many valuable
lives here but nothing to compare with what the English have
lost. The [they?] must have lost by land and sea not less than
from fifteen to eighteen thousand men at the whole battle of
New Orleans. They acknowledge their loss was five thousand
and nine hundred and not an officer left to lead them... On
the whole I hope the English govirment [government?] will
find they never can do anything with the country when every
man has his own property to define and fireside....

...Hannah and children all join in love to you and all the
family"