| Title: | Normile, Michael Jr to Normile, Michael Sr, 1856 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4243 |
| Collection | Oceans of Consolation [D. Fitzpatrick] |
| File | oceans/5 |
| Year | 1856 |
| Sender | Normile, Michael Jr |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | storeman, carter |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | West Maitland, N. South Wales, Australia |
| Destination | Derry, Co. Clare, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | Normile, Michael Sr |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1569 |
| Genre | news, description of the colonies |
| Note | |
| Transcript | West Maitland August 3rd. 1856 My dear Father I am to inform you that I receivd. your welcomed letter dated April the 5th. 56 which gave me & wife great consolation to hear from you, & especily to find you Stepmother Brothers and Sisters in good health as this leaves us in a perfect state of health thank God for his mercy to us all. I am to inform you that I received a letter from my Sisters from America. They told me they were in good health. Mary is Married. Hanora would like to come to me, & she informs me that Mary is doing well. I got Lawyer to write for me to Captain Brown in Sydney that is the head Commissioner of the Emigration buisiness in this Colloney, to try and get a [erased: free] pasage for my Sister from America the Same as we get from home, I mean to say to pay her pasage but it failed me to do so. I got the answer of the letter to day from Mr. Brown. He informed me he could not do it Except she went home to Great Britian or Ireland. They have no Communication in the way of Emigration the same as we have from home to here, only pay for their pasage from America to here, which I am very sorry for. I am to inform you also that I get a letter from my Sister Susy very often. Her Husband is in Hospital this long time with bad eyes but the last account I got from him she told me that he was geting better & I am frithened he never will get better of the same disease, but the Almighty is the best Judge thanks be to his holy name. Its a good luck to her that he left her a home that nobody can turn her out of it. This place is not like Derry, when you buy a pice of ground here it's yours & yours after. She has a house & home of her own now thank God & would have good Deal more if the Lord God spares her Husband to her & leave him his eye sight, for he was a good husband to her & no mistake. I am to Inform you dear Father I get an account from Sister Bridget very often. She tells me that she is doing very well in Sydney & I cant tell you the reason she left me. She is coming to see us in Short. Sydney is only 170 miles from Maitland. The Steam Boats leaves Maitland twice a day for Sydney (Sunday except) & from Sydney the same way, most of the pasage is a Beautiful river called the Hunter Riv. It runs in a zigzag way that is the reason they take so long going there. Dear Father I am to inform you that I have a youngster a girl. She was born on the 25th. of March last our Leady's day, therefore I called her Mary [erased: & she is a regular Mary] every way & especily she being called after the old Mothers. Dear Father we are doing well and living very comfortable. I have a house free & 104 £ a year that is 2 £ per week and many other percuises [perquisites] besides. I am with the same men scince I came to Maitland, there adress is Solomon Vindin & Co. Millers & Storekeepers Maitland. My work is in the Store as usual. They like me very well & so do I like them. This store is a large shop of every kind of goods Drapery, Grocery, hoicery, Wine & Spirits stores and they keep a large Steam mill too. My wife is about Paying her Brothers Pasage to this Coloney. I wount say yes or no about it for he might blame me here after, therefore I wont say annything about it. I know a man can do very well that keeps himself sober & steady & minds his work regular, & at the other hand it will take him along time before he has a comfortable home. The feeble efforts of a stranger in this Coloney is weak & delicate for a long time. There is good wages & as for eating & drinking it is of the best, but as to say this Coloney is as healthy as home it's not nor annything like it. Winter time is very pleasant but summer time is too hot. There did a new digings open of late about 250 miles from Maitland Where the give it the name of the Rockeyriver diggins New England. It's the same as home climate in N. England there is plenty snow & frost there at this time. It will be the best part of the Coloney in Short for they are going to run a railway there. These new digings I mentioned to you it would surprise you to see how people were rushing there in hundreds & there is a good deal of them coming back again for the want of plenty capital when the went there but them that had plenty money they are doing well. The sinking was very heavey from 70 to 90 feet deep & about 20 or 30 feet of that Solid Iron Stone and they dare not blast it, onley work it with a pick & shovel underneath the Gold lays. Therefore people going there without money cant work for themselves & they dont like to work for others for any payment, especily the natives they dont like work at all. Bridget Healy got married here not long ago to a neighbour of her Fathers at home. His is one Markaham. This Country is Curious, dear Father its onley in its infancy as yet. There is no roads. No Bridges cross the rivers. The Mail that goes up the Country to N. England perhaps should stop for days or weeks through bad roads & floods in the rivers. I mean to inform you about the native Blacks of this Coloney. They are an ugly race of people they go about in numbers from one place to another. They have a King for every tribe or district. He wears a badge of honour a pice of Brass with his name engraved on it. When they come in to the town with there gins & pickenannys they go about cadging for the price of drink or tobacco they dont work. His Excellency the Governer in Sydney has to give them Blankets once a year & he dont like they should be disturbed. Shuch as them that shoeses to run away from there Tribe and goes to work for a settler he dare not go back again to his tribe or any other tribe they would speer him dead. They never sleeps inside doors always sleeps in the bush. Some there are fine horsemen or can drive bullocks very well. They never will let a white person see where they buyrey their dead. As for the American Blacks they are of a nice complection and very good worksmen & all of them roman Catholicks & very industrious. I will let you now more about them in my next letter if I go up the Country. I mean to inform you that I received the note that came in Patt. Ford's letter. He & his Sister is in good health & doing well. So is Annora McDonough. There is a great deal of the neighbours about this Town. I am very glad to hear that my Cousin Bridget O Neill is doing well & especily to be increasing her Family also my uncles & Aunts are in good health. I am very much rejoiced to Hear from you & to find you in good health also all your Family. I hope I never shall dye until I see yea. Expect you will have help of your own in short please God. Let me know has John my uncle any notion of geting Married as yet. Let me know how Mr Shannon & Brother Misses Lysight & son. My uncle Ned you never spoke of him. Let me know of him. I hope you & Martin Neylon will be good neighbours as usal & a little better now. Dont ye be frightend about us. Although we had but a weak bigining we might be happy enough yet. Dont forget in keeping my Brothers at School. I mean to conclude by scending my blessing to you My dear Father & Family. Likewise My Wife & me Joins in Scending our love & respects to my Stepmother Brothers & Sisters & all friends neighbours & relations it would be too teadous to mentin. Good by. I remain your loving Son Michl Normile West Maitland I forgot to tell you about a fitt of sickness I had last summer. There is carcely any person coming new to this coloney but gets a little or much. I was sick for a month very bad. I had very good attendance. My Master youst come once a day to see me & gave me my wages as well as if I worked for him during that time & plenty wine to drink. I hope Martin McDonell and Family is in good health for he would be angry to me. |
