| Title: | John McBride, New York State, To James McBride, [Derriaghy?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 3748 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | mcbride, john/96 |
| Year | 1820 |
| 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 Sr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | T 2613/3: Copied by Permission of Mrs Emily McLister, Mosside Cottage,Dunmurry, County Antrim. #TYPE EMG John McBride, Watertown Factory, Jefferson County, State of New York, U.S.A., to His Father, James [McBride?], [Derriaghy?] c/o William [Phillips?], [ |
| Archive | Public Record Office Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 9007097 |
| Date | 09/01/1820 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 30:07:1990 JM created 26:10:1990 GC input 29:10:19 |
| Word Count | 1245 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To: Mr James M[cBride?] Care of Mr W[illia?]m [Phillips, Lisburn, County Antrim?] From: Watertown Jan[uar?]y 9th 1820 My dear Father With pleasure I received your Letter of the 3d Octo[ber?] and I am Glad to hear of you all being in good health since I left home, except the accidents you mention but since they were not fatal And you are getting well I am happy such things happen as to remind us of our Duty, and it is well if we are counselled by them, I also got a Letter from J[ame?]s Craig along with yours they came by Baltimore that Post mark is on them the 6th Dec[embe?]r and N[ew?] York the 23d and I got them here on the 29th. My Aunt enclosed them in one from herself and [?] In my Letter from Patterson I sent you poor News but I am glad to have it now in my power to send you Better I sent a Letter to W[illia?]m Phillips just before I came here I put it in a ship bound for Dublin, as I was coming here; I could get none going to Belfast, and I thought it best to send it by her, I sent a Letter to John Black dated Christmas day and I have not much new, to send to you now, - You know I always said when I was coming away I would write the truth no matter what it was, and you may depend I shall always do so no matter whether I am doing well or ill You advise me to come home but I trust in God I shall never have call to go home to stand like a Beggar at a Manufacturers Door this I have no occasion to do for if I wanted to go home could go from this to N[ew?]:Y[ork?] a distance of 350 miles and which would cost me Ten or Twelve Doll[ars?]: pay my passage to Ireland and and arrive there better Clothed than you ever seen me but Dr [Dear?] Father I am thankful to you for offering me the plan I left and dont think hard of me for talking as I do above I well know how the Weavers suffer in Ireland & so do you the reason that times are so much worse in Patterson than here is very plain, it is so near N[ew?] Y[ork?] that when people land there who perhaps have not a shilling in their Pocket it is easy for them to go there and another thing Foreign Goods can be so easily brought then to the great detriment of the Trade there Indeed any place near those Great frontier Cities is the Same This place being far from any Large Town makes my Trade pretty good here I can very easily earn 6 or 7 Shillings Sterling per day & that is not bad considering the way the times are in other Places I pay 9 Doll[ars?] a Month for my Board Washing & Mending and I live on the very best that the Country can afford a Well-behaved Man is much thought of here - Seventeen Years ago this place was one continued Wilderness but it now is settling up pretty fast there is but one Cotton Factory here it is not Large but it does well enough for the demand of this place there is a good deal of coarse Woollen Cloth made by the Country people which is wove[n?] Chiefly by Women, in this Factory are ten Looms which go by Water one young Woman attends two Looms & it is very curious to see them working they Weave all the Shirting & Sheeting that is made here I work in a Shop hard by the Factory in which are Seven Looms Five of which Weave Ticken [ticking?] two Apron Check & one Diaper the Ticken [ticking?] is in a 700 Reed and is drawn straight across in Heddles (or [?] as they are here called) with four in a spilt of the Reed it is tread the same way it is drawn in and makes a nice twill & very strong Cloth it is Ticken [ticking?] I weave it is paid ten Cents per y[ar?]d I have often Wove 18 y[ar?]ds per day but from 12 to 16 in a good days Work our bobbins are Wound on a Machine in the Factory and We have nothing to provide for our Looms not the smallest article except paying for the making of our heddles the twine for which we get from the Factory the Check is Woven with double boxed sleyes [sleighs?] (or lea[?] as they are called here) they are as well made as I ever seen them in the old Country I mention these things because I know they will be a satisfaction to you or some one else - I came here on the 29th Oct[obe?]r Ja[me?]s Hunter wrote for me which I mentioned in my Letter to W[illia?]m Phillips, in coming up the N[orth?] River to Albany there was a man on board from Manlius the Village where Mathew Hunters Son James Died he told me of his being Dead desired me to write to his Father to send the Power of an Attorney to W[illia?]m English to get his property Since I came here I have had a Letter from Manlius and I dont doubt if Mathew be there he will come here or write to me as the Man who told me of James's Death will tell him I am here - James Hunter has got no letter from his father yet but is every day expecting one, he is Well Dear Father My Cousin John McBride was often talking of this Country when I was at home I dont like to advise but I think if he was here it might be to his advantage [?] [?]is Well, and me being here before [?] quite easy to him not like me who [?] the Devils own place for Poverty and [?] thinks of Coming Ouebec is the [?] cost him much from that [?] by Water & if he does no come let [?] what he intends - I seen a Letter [?] my Aunt had got from my Uncle John [?] [?] so I send you [?] pay the postage [?] Month I would [?]ower to do [?] that way [?] different [?] Britain and I [?] under Tyranny [?] do Well here James Hunter has wrote to Benj[ami?]n Workman but got no Ans[we?]r yet I would be glad if you would ask Mr Workman how we can write to Benj[ami?]n and send me Word I was sorry to hear of Mr Hulls Death give my love to Ann & her Uncle Tell Sarah Graham & Tho[ma?]s McHenry I wish them a great deal of happiness Price of the following Articles here the Best Wheat Flour 5 Doll[ars?] per Barrel [?] Wheat 1 Doll[ar?] per Bushel Oats 18 per Bushel Indian Corn 3/0 per Bushel Potatoes 18 per B[ushel?] Beef 4 to 5 Dol[lars?] per CWT [hundred weight?] Pork 6 Dol[lars?] per [hundred weight?] Butter 1/3 per 1b Cheese 6 per lb Mutton [?] Sugar 1/3 per 1b Very best tea 5/0 to 7/6 per 1b Whiskey is so cheap a Man may drink himself Rich it is 3/0 per Gallon Rum from 10/0 to 12/0 per gallon the above at Sterling Direct to John McBride Care of Messrs Gilbert & Sigurney Watertown Factory Jefferson County State of N[ew?] Y[ork?] |
