| Title: | Stewart, Frances to Dunlop, Ellen, 1869 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4796 |
| Collection | Revisiting Our Forest Home, The immigrant letters of Frances Stewart [J. L. Aoki] |
| File | stewart/78 |
| Year | 1869 |
| Sender | Stewart, Frances |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Goodwood, Upper Canada |
| Destination | Peterborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Recipient | Dunlop, Ellen |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | mother-daughter |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 835 |
| Genre | family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | [1869] To Ellen Dunlop, Peterborough, Ontario [1869] Friday afternoon. Dearest Ellen As your dear girls seem undecided about staying tonight or going home, I will prepare a few lines as our [ ] are so uncertain. I was truly glad to see them & particularly dear Mary who seems greatly improved in health, strength & spirits since the last time I saw her. I do hope she may not find any bad effects from this long walk. I fear too much for both of them. We wish them to stay tonight but Mary says you would be uneasy if they did. However, if we can we will keep them. Too much fatigue is very bad for dear Mary & I don't think you would have any uneasiness about her. She says she will go right off to bed when she goes home. I am grieved to hear of dear Ivans illness & fear it may go hard with him. Surely these are startling times, so many leaving us in sickness & death, so many warnings that the present moment is all we can [ ] on. It seems wonderful the troubles & trials now going forward in both public & private affairs, & yet the outside objects around us so very beautiful, surpassing former years in richness &c [ ] & so early when we anticipated a late & backward Spring. I hear poor Mr. Fortie also is ill & on Saturday he was apparently quite well & at Mrs. Browns funeral. I am so sleepy today that I cannot keep my eyes from closing as you may perceive by my mistakes & blots & all other causes, my arm for one, which is stiff from rheumatism. I think the East wind is the cause of both. I send you & Anna six letters between you, which you can exchange & return when read, but in writing to the writers of them or any of our friends don't mention that I sent you the letters or that you read them for I know they so much dislike having them sent round — & certainly one doesn't like it ones self. I am glad you enjoyed your visit to [Frank's] so much. I think you should leave home again & make use of the time when you can have Anna to look after the household. I am afraid the poor girls find us very dull, as Mary B. was obliged to go in the morning to help Annie all day with her packing & Mary M. had her school to attend to. But she is come home now. Oh see my ink is too thick. I must water it. You will think I am ill by this horrid writing & sleepiness, but I got up too early this morning & waited longer than usual for breakfast, which always makes me sleepy & weak all the day afterwards. But I am quite well & my nose has never attempted to bleed since the last day of that week when it bled so much, 3 weeks ago. Poor Jack & his family are to move into town for a few days & they think of starting on their long journey on Wednesday next, the 2nd June. The 1st of June 48 years ago we sailed from Belfast for Canada! 48 years is a good space out of the 761 have been in this world. I must write a wee bity to dear old Nan. When the roads get a little smoother 1 hope you will able to come out here but indeed dearest I do not wish you to come till you can do so without pain or danger of breaking down. I see a change in darling Henry lately. He seems anxious about Darcy & is wishing he could manage to have him home if he could get some one to keep house for him & take [over for] them both. But I don't know where he can get any one to do. I don't know a girl fit to undertake the charges. I am greatly disappointed at his not getting the place [Jose] so kindly wished he should have, but that is now all over. I had such hopes the old Capt. would do it for me. Oh this pen blots & my eyes close so I must stop. I send you Mary Wilsons last letter I don't think you saw, & 2 of Aunt Kates, & to Anna I send Mrs. Traills, Mrs. Bellinghams & 2 from Bessy Rothwell. I have not got any old country ones since. I had one I send from Mrs. Strickland. Perhaps you may see her. Tell me what you think of Gates so far. It is a [] book & some parts very good & at some too flighty. Goodbye dear. Anna wishes to read it too. Ever your own, RS. I wish I could send these dear girls home in the Buggie but I have no horse or driver. |
