| Title: | McIlrath, James L to McIlrath family, 1863 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4492 |
| Collection | The McIlrath Letters: A family history in letters from New Zealand to Ireland (1860-1915) [Bassett, McKee et al.] |
| File | mcilrath/11 |
| Year | 1863 |
| Sender | McIlrath, James L |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand |
| Destination | Killinchy, Co. Down, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | McIlrath family |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | son-parents |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 635 |
| Genre | correspondence, acquaintances, work |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Lake Ellesmere 1st December 1863 Father Mother & Brothers. I hope you will excuse me for not writing sooner I was up country at the time and did not receive your letter of the 22nd June until it was too late to write by the Home Mail and the next time I was in Christchurch I meant to see Hamilton before I would write so William Jas. Alexander and I went to see him. He is well and always in the same place. He appears to be very happy where he is he had bought a two year old Ally at £30 and was going to break it in. I have been very hard at work for some time past up here on the land getting a house up and fencing off a garden getting in some potatoes peas and parsnips and so the potatoes here this season is from £1 to £l/5s per cwt. The garden is 1 acre in size and may some day be a nice place but it is too late this season to plant trees but the first opportunity in the next spring I hope to see some planted you people at home would think it strange to begin on land where there was not a fence whatever nor one sod turned since it was land, and this is land of the richest quality. I should like a visit from you all some evening to have a walk by the lake side and then still further on to the sea beach and hear the roar and see the waves of the South Pacific Ocean. Strange fancy indeed but I think everyone can find pleasure where I feel it myself. There are times when the more lonesome the place or the wilder the scene I take the most delight. There is great talk of the Maorie War but we have nothing of it here. The people is surely getting scarce at home as there is so many coming here there is almost a ship every week comes in. I seen Thomas Lemon and William John about a month ago they are both well and was working in the one place. David Moorehead and Mrs is living about three miles from here I was over last Sunday week I did not see Thomas Logan since I wrote last. I seen Smith the policeman from Killinchy he is on the police in Christchurch he was asking me if I knew anything of Thomas Logan as he had a parcel for him from home and could hear nothing of him. I seen Hans Shaw several times lately. He is well I expect you heard of Robert Adair being killed by a horse he was living near to Hamilton and he did not know until after he was dead he is buried just over the road opposite to where Hamilton lives. The young man Cully you enquire of I only seen once after we landed in Australia and never heard of him since. William Martin from Newtownards left where we were in Australia, to go farther up country he was to write to me but I never heard of him since if it would be convenient any time for any of you to get his address if you could and send it to me I would much like it. I spoke to Hamilton about Mother wanting the likeness but he said Mother said she wanted to see no rough faces and he could not send what he had not got a smooth one. Hoping you are well which I am at present and with every good wish to you all individually I remain, yours and ever James Mcllrath P.S. I sent a newspaper two months ago you likely have got it by this time. Goodbye. |
