| Title: | John McBride, Watertown to James McBride, Derriaghy. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3738 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mcbride, john/7 |
| Year | 1821 |
| Sender | McBride, John |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | weaver |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Watertown, NY, USA |
| Destination | Lisburn, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | McBride, James Jr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 2613/5: Copied by Permission of Mrs Emily McLister, Mosside Cottage, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007099 |
| Date | 29/04/1821 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 07:02:1994 |
| Word Count | 1905 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Dear Brother Watertown April 29th 1821 Your Letter of Christmas day I did not get till the 11th of this Month, I suppose the rough Winter Weather had detained it so long, I got one from J [John?] Craig with yours On the 3d of Feby I got one from John Craig dated October 23d it came by Charleston, I dont know the reason that Letters are so much longer coming than they used to be but suppose it is owing to the Inclemency of the Weather I shall pass over the contents of J: [John?] Craigs Letter as I intend to write to him next Month and confine myself to yours which has Given me so much Satisfaction - This leaves me in Good health as Usual I hope it will find you all in the Same as you say in Yours that your Father & Sisters are well All Praise and Thanks are due to that Great and Good Being who supports & takes care of us all in the greatest Dangers - You say I should write more regular but it is Just the same way with me as with Yourself I wrote to Wm [William?] Phillips & John Craig 29th Octor and waited from Month to Month till now before I got an Ansr [Answer?] and I think it strange that they had not got them when you wrote as I sent them with the Man I work for to N:Y: [New York?] who put them in a Ship bound he said to Belfast but I have said enough about Letters I shall now commence on my own Affairs I still stop where I was in my last and am still Weaving but I am at Preasent [Present?] Weaving another kind it is wove with Eight [treadles?] and is almost like an 8 [oz?] twill but the weave is turned in a zig zag way thus [diagram] the Warp is White & Blue Weft is it a Good Job but Perhaps wont continue long it is intended for Summer dress for Men and will do for Winter Dress for Women my reason for trying it was that it would bring my hand to Weave other kinds I can now Weave Diaper which is a very Profitable work here as there are not many who Understand it I am pd [paid?] 12 Cents per Yd [Yard?] Clear of every thing [everything?] & if I work hard I can earn two Dollars p [per?] Day but with ease I can make a Dol & half [Dollar and a half?] that is 7/6 Sterling XXXXX I began this Page at the wrong End The beginning of Winter an attempt was made to reduce our price but we stuck together and they could not get it manged [managed?] we are a Peaceable set of Men and they know that if they Part with us they'll have trouble in getting so many steady Men again & we are all determined to flee before we take less for our Work and we now get out Board for less than we formerly did we pay 8s 9d Sterling [per?] Week - You say you dont know whether my Cousin John will come this season or not and I would have been Glad if he had come when I encouraged him as I would have had no trouble then in getting him Work and since that time all the hands that could be employed have got Work and if John does come now it might cost me some trouble to get him Employ [Employment?] and I dont know if I could get him in at all he is the only one I ever encouraged and as I did so he #PAGE 2 shall not want a Friend if he comes to me and dont think I blame you for sending any one [anyone?] to me I do not [but?] you cannot help Peoples tongue when they come here - Wm [William?] Hoop has got Work here him and his Family are Well he knows nothing of his Brother John they Parted in Quebec - I dont think that the Accounts I sent home were sufficient to encourage any one [anyone?] to come here be this as it may I am determined to write the TRUTH not caring what any one [anyone?] may think of it and I again Repeat it that if this Country was like Ireland I would not stay here at all but it is far different Indeed the time are called hard here and I beleive [believe?] they are so compared to what they have been but they are still so that a man can do very Well Providing he be Industrious, I never in any of my Letters boasted of what I have but I am sure if I had stopped in Ireland till the end of my Days I would not have had as much as I will have in a Few Years - but it is not every one [everyone?] that fits this Country a Great many think if they can only get to America all their trouble is done when in Fact it is only beginning, but it never has been [?] I was very sorry when I heard that you had Double Postage to pay for my last Letter but you shall not have to pay so much again as I wont put a Ship in any more of nor dont you in any of mine your last altho'[although?] not Double I had to pay Double for on Account of the bulk it was thick Paper and they thought it was Double but if I had open'd it in the Office they could not have charged me for it _ but I dont care how large a sheet you write on as they cant charge me for it if I open it in the Office however the Postage here is but a trifle to what it is in Ireland - For 20 Miles at under 6 Cents from 20 to 100 12 1/2 Cents from 150 to 400 Nineteen cents and for 400 [faded] so that 25 Cents will pay for a Letter from the one End of the States to the other In my Letter to Wm [William?] Phillips I spoke freely of the Government of this Country & Perhaps he will be offended but I spoke the plain TRUTH I said then that the Army of the United States was 8,000 Men but [torn] is reduced to 6,000 and I am sure what one Sinecurist [torn] would Pay All the Great Officers of this Country the [torn] [torn] Dollar a Year the Governor of this State 4000 Judges of [torn] Supreme Court 3000 Members of the Assembly for the State [torn] their Pay to 3 Dol: [Dollars?] [per?] day they used to have 4 the Debt of the States is 70 Millions of Doll: [Dollars?] of which they pay 10 millions a year not like the Debt of G: [Great?] Britain which is always Growing more - And a law passed two or three years ago for building 12 Line of Battle Ships of which they have 4 or 5 Finished they are to be named after the States that is the Ohio the Delaware the South Carolina &tc: there is no doubt but the Country will rise to a height of Power such as the World never saw - there are now 24 States and there are new ones rising in the Western Country every year Spain also has Ceded the Floridas to the States which is a Great Territory We see the Extracts from London Papers regular and there are a great many in this Country who took a lively interest in the Queens trial the result of which #PAGE 3 Gave Universal Satisfaction Kingston Upper Canada was Iluminated [Illuminated?] on the occasion But that Outrage on Humanity the Invasion of Naples by the Emperor of Austria is [-----ated?] by every one [everyone?] Tyranny & Oppression Reigns in Europe The Winter was severe all over the States but now Spring begins to Clothe the Fields with Green - I get Letters from R: [Robert?] Craig regular the last left him in as Good health as he ever enjoyed he sd [said?] he had some thoughts of keeping Store I told him if he did to put but a little of his Money in at first till he'd see how he would come on I expect a Letter from him every Day but cant wait as I want this to go with the May Packet - I had a Letter from my Aunt some time ago she had been Ill three or four months with pains but was better She had got [?] Diaper from my Uncle John and expected some Money I would have sent a Letter to J: McKelvey but he sd: [said?] he was leaving Lambeg I did not know where to Direct but tell him what he asks me about his Friend is not in my power to Ansr [answer?] as a place I might think would suit him would perhaps be quite the Contrary however I think a man with a Property like him might do well either in Ireland or here as I told you before Shew [Show?] John my Letters & tell him Old times shall not be Forgot I intend to send a Letter to my Sisters Perhaps next month as I can get it sent by hand to N:Y: [New York?] and put in a Ship for Belfast and then the Postage wont cost them much Tell them altho' [although?] I never sent them a Letter I have not forgot them Give my kind Love to my Father & tell him I am striving for Independance To my four Sisters at home To my Sister Jane & Wm [William?] Phillips and tell [? [?] looking for a Letter from them every day tell him to excuse any thing [anything?] I said [?] in my Letter James [Hunter?] is Well he heard his Father was Sick but is rejoiced to hear he is better he has not had a letter [?] May last this he thinks very strange he will write next month - David Greenfield & Wm [William?] Abbot are Well - Provisons are very low Flour 2 1/2 Dol: [Dollars?] [per?] Barrel beef 3 Cents a lb all other things in Proportion Give my love to J: Blake - To my Aunt Betty & Family, J: Craig & Nancy My Uncle Harry & Aunt J McFarlan Uncle J Gilliland and Wife and their Family Aunt Esther & Uncle Moses - To Wm [William?] Nussen and Richd [Richard?], Jas [James?] & Mary - J McClieghan Matthew Alderice & E: Gayor - and all others that want of room wont let me name And now Dr [Dear?] James I hope I have told you all and I hope you will write when you get this & any thing [anything?] you want to know enquire and write such a one as your last some things in it I'll Ansr [answer?] in one I'll send to J Craig I write this sitting on my Loom in a Shop where their are 10 in real Good health & Spirits, and with my Prayors [Prayers?] to God for your Welfare & Happiness I am Dr [Dear?] Brother yours affectionately John McBride To Paid 8 Mr James McBride Junr Derriaghy Care of Mr Wm [William?] Phillips Innkeeper Lisburn County Antrim Ireland Single Letter |
