| Title: | Graham, Samuel to Graham, James and David, 1851 |
|---|---|
| ID | 4866 |
| Collection | Dear Uncle. Immigrant Letters to Antrim from the USA (1843-1852) [R.H. Roy] |
| File | roy/2 |
| Year | 1851 |
| Sender | Graham, Samuel |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | unemployed |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Pittsburgh, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Newpark, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Recipient | Graham, James and David |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 987 |
| Genre | unemployment, friends, weather |
| Note | |
| Transcript | LETTER 16 From Samuel Graham to James and David Graham Pittsburgh, U.S.A. December 20th 1851 Dear Brothers I suppose by this time you will think that I am very neglectful for not writing sooner but the reason was that I did not write before this I was still waiting on a steddy Employment, but it is verry hard to get, this was one of the worst falls was this long time when I arived in Pittsburgh I wrote to David Kerr to find out if I could get anything to do in Cincinnati but he advised me not to come for it was verry sickly times there. I stopped here all summer working about the one-fourth of the time. I started on Coal boats for Cincinnati in Agust and was verry unfortunate we went to within about 35 miles of Cincinnati and sunk our boats and had verry hard work to save our lives I lost about 10 soverins and my Carpit bag and a good many Clothes I was intending to go down to stop some time in Cincinnati but owing to our misfortune and being left on the shore with nothing but my shirt and pants I had to come back to Pi ttsburgh for fortunattly I had some mony in my trunk. There was four of the men died after the came to Pittsburgh with the Fetagues of the trip. If it had been at night we would a been all lost. We had to ly on the shore all night and the first steam bot came up, we got on for Pittsburgh. The rules of Coal Dotting is that when you loss you get no pay when you mak a good trip you mak from one and half dolars till two dolars per day and bord. I was then idle for a long time sometimes working 2 or 3 days till the 17 of Nov. I went to Coal boating. I made a verry good tripe to Luisvale in 10 days. I came up and stopped a few days in Cincinnati and then come to Pittsburgh. William Kerr is in verry poore Health he is I am afraid in Consumption he is much in the same way as Matilda was, (he) was not working this long time David & Samuel is in good health. Samuel is learning to bee A steambot Carpenter, he went to the house Carpinter work first but could not stand it. He was idle a good part of the Summer he was sick sometimes but he is in good health now and working at his trade his boss thinks a great dale of him and say he is one of the quietst boys ever he had. John is left Orleans and gone to Vanburin Arkansas he is in a great better health than when he was in Orleans. John wrote me a letter but I never got it Samuel Raney & him was thinking of purchising a farm in Texes and going to raise Mules. It is a verry profitable bisness but it takes a good Capitable. I am in verry poore health at present myself since I came upe the river. I got a verry sivere cold on the steambot, has been confined to bedd for 2 weeks. I have a pane in my Left Brest and shoulder. I could not turn myself in the Bedd. I applied to a doctor and he Blistered me round the shoulder and brest and down to the small of the beck. This is the second day for me to bee out of bedd and i am so weake that I cannot travil across the Roome, but I am getting better now. Wm & David Kerr was expecting James out this fall. But if he is going to come the' expected him before now the' are verry uneasy to heare from him. Wm Kyle lives about 18 miles from this if I was well again I will go and see him. There is a grait many Antrim people here, Tom Laverys brothers Wm and Arthur Wm is at work the same place he was in - the are in good health. Wm Atchisons son Samuel of Niblock is here & in good health & a grait many others. It is verry cold weather here at present the Rivers is all frozen up now and so is the emails and bisness of every sort is verry flat here now. When you write let me know if John Brican wrote horn and where he is. There is a friend of his here Alexander Simson would like to know where he is - he never got any word of him after he left his acquaintances in York. Let me know if any word of Tom Reed I never heard any word of him since i left him in Philadelphia. Let me know all the particular news when you write. Give my best Respects to Mr & Mrs. Fleming and all the rest of my Acquaintances. Please excuse this short letter. I have no more to say at present. But remains your affectionate brother. Samuel Graham. When you write Direct to me to the care of Mr James Millar, Boot and Shoe Maker, Smith field Street, Pittsburgh, PA, America. P.S. Write as soon as this comes to hand S.G. On Account of my sickness I am rune short of money and hase incured a little debt and if you would bee so kind as to send me the sum of £25 which will grately oblige me at this time for it is verry unpleasant to bee sick in a strange place without mony I believe the best way to send it is to poot it in the Bank and send the Chack to me inside of a letter But Mr. Crawford will tell you all about it. Please send the mony as soone as possible S.G. |
