| Title: | Nathaniel Carrothers, Canada, to W. Carrothers, Co Fermanagh |
|---|---|
| ID | 560 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Carrothers, Nathaniel/31 |
| Year | 1853 |
| Sender | Carrothers, Nathaniel |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Ontario, Canada |
| Destination | Co. Fermanagh, N.Ireland |
| Recipient | Carrothers, William |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | brothers |
| Source | T 1888/2: Copied by Permission of Mr T. Law,"Regina" 19 Namie Rd.,Bournemouth, England. #TYPE EMG Nathaniel Carrothers, Westminster [London Upper Canada], to his Brother William Carrothers, Farnaght, Near Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland. 5th Dec, 1853. |
| Archive | Public Record Office, N. Ireland |
| Doc. No. | 8809087 |
| Date | 05/12/1853 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | 07:03:1989 LT created 23:08:1989 IR input 04:09:19 |
| Word Count | 2075 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | To Mr William Carrothers Farnagh [Farnaght?] Near Lis[?] Co Fermanagh Ireland Westminester [Westminster?] December the 5 1853 My dear brother I take up my pen after the lapes [lapse?] of a few years to write to you and many of my old friends and neighbours who seem to be anxious to know how I am and what I have been doing in america this informasion [information?] I have got in the letter you sent to Brother Josef from his son Paul in austrilia [Australia?] and we were all glad to hear of him being on the land of the living and doing well; likewise to hear of your self and fameley [family?] being well and in good health as these few lines leave me and fameley [family?] at present thanks be to the giver of all goodness for all his mercies to me and fameley [family?]; dear sir I shall Commence by restaiting [restating?] some of my former statementes [statements?] that is shortley [shortly?] after my arrival in this Country I bought two half acre bilding [building?] lotes [lots?] in the town of London and likewise that I and brother Thomas bought two hundred acres of land in the township of westminester; [westminster?] on my lotes [lots?] in the town I bilt [built?] two houses one to live in and a [leser?] one to rent this house rents at twelve pounds a year; nine years ago I thought I would go to the Country and improve my farm as there I intended to spend the better part of my life be my years many or few; so we removed to the Country there I have been coutting [cutting?] down timber and burning it in the clering of the land as much as would make a man [rich?] if it was in Ireland as you have heard so much about the clearing of the land in Canady? [Canada?] that I need not trouble you with a discription [description?] of it after a few years in the country I thought it better to sell the house that I lived in London and invest the price of it in buying more land and improving the farm that I live on; so I have bought 87 more acres 30 of it cleared and fenced this farm corners the one I live on; which makes me owner of 187 acres of land with 96 Acres improved free of any incumbrance as we have no rent Collectres [Collectors?] coming half yearley [yearly?] to our door to a noy [annoy?] us no end to my leas [lease?]; we pay a tax yearley [yearly?] which goes to the improvement of the roades [roads?] my tax is this year 9 dollars or 2 pounds I have got a good deacent [decent?] frame house deacentley [decently?] fineshed [finished?] and barn with other stabling for my cattel [cattle?] the barn is 50 feet long by 30 feet wide and 16 feet high in the side; in this I store my grain as it comes of the harvast [harvest?] field this saves a grat [great?] dale [deal?] of trouble in the stacking we trash [thrash?] our grain all trashed [thrashed?] by mashenery [machinery?]; the one most in esteme [esteem?] in this part of the country is a two horse tread mashene [machine?] the two horses that workes [works?] the mashene [machine?] drawes [draws?] it wright [right?] into the barn as our barns is so bilt [built?] that we Can Drive right through with a space of horses and wagon with any load for the conveniency of storing the grain; the floor is in the centre this mashene [machine?] trashes [thrashes?] and seperates [separates?] the straw from the wheat and the wheat pases [passes?] into the [faning?] mill and comes out clean fit for the mil [mill?] or market this costs me four doulours [dollars?] per hundred bushel; and the [they?] will trash [thrash?] from 100 to 150 bushels per day; the dwelling house and barn I have ensured [insured?] for two thousant [thousand?] dollours [dollars?] that being two thirds of the supposed vallue [value?] of them this amount I woud [would?] get if the [they?] were destroyed by fire; or suppose a part of them was destroyed I would be paid in proporsion [proportion?] to the amount of dammage [damage?] done this costs me three dollours [dollars?] a year; I planted out about an acre with fruit trees; such as apples pears plumes [plums?] peaches cherries these all do as wel [well?] in this country as I ever saw them them in Ireland if not better our verieteys [varieties?] are very good the trees grio [grow?] quick and bear soon I have had about 60 bushel on mine this season I allso [also?] Carry on a flour and vegible [vegetable?] garden all of which do well in this country we have a great many kinds of both that woul [would?] not grow in Ireland; farm stock of all kinds do well in this country and is very healthey [healthy?] I have had none that died of bad health in nine years that I have been farming in Canada onley [only?[ one pig and 2 sheep my flock of sheep number from 40 to 60 and pigs about 20 I keep a span of horses mostley [mostly?] maires [mares?] from these I raise foales [foals?] this payes [pays?] well as horses sell wel [well?] I keep allso [also?] [yolk?] of Bullockes [Bullocks?] these are the best on a new farm my stock of other cattel [cattle?] are 12 in number; my heard [herd?] is smal [small?] when compaired [compared?] to some of my neighbours we fat our pork on peas as we sow large fields of them I sold 22 hundred of pork last winter at 30 shillings per hundred and expectes [expects?] to do the same this winter; we destroy a large quantity of flesh in this country as we can raise it and not under the nesesety [necessity?] to sell it for the rent there is nothing but kill slay and eate [eat?] mutton beef and pork and fowls in any quantity as the [they?] do well and is easey [easy?] raised; I went 16 miles after a pair of pea fowl these are scarce in this part of the country; our eighting [eating?] and drinking are very good in this country when compaired [compared?] to that of the farmers in Ireland; this is a fine country for growing wheat we have had an abundant crop this harvast [harvest?] we sow two kinds the one in the harvast [harvest?] that is in the fore part of september this we call fall wheat the other we sow in april or the fore part of may this we call spring wheat and it will be ripe in agust [August?] of these there are a great many verieteys [varieties?]; I plant a bout [about?] an acre of potates [potatoes?] every year Chiefley [chiefly?] of cups and pink eyes this gives me an increase of 3 or 4 hundred bushels there has been a failour [failure?] in this country in the popatoe [potatoe?] crop to some extent but I never had any I have as good potates [potatoes?] this year as you ever had in farmangh [Fermanagh?] this has been a very dry and warm summer hear [here?]; farming produce of all kinds sell well this fall wheat is worth one doulour [dollar?] to one and a quarter per bushel of 60 pounds and other grain in proporsion [proportion?] if prices would continue for a few years the farmers would be all rich here in a little time; you have heard so much about our summer heat and [winter cold?] that I need [?] littel [little?] and that is that the [they?] are not near so intence [intense?] as the [they?] [are?] generely [generally?] represented; this is a fine Country for a man to live in an indousteres [industrious?] man that Cannot make out a good living hear [here?] need not go to the gold mines of Caleforna [California?] or Austrilea [Australia?] there never was a better time for emegration [emigration?] here wages of all kinds is good mechanickes [mechanics?] get from a doulour [dollar?] to one and a half a day; the [they?] are giving a doulour [dollar?] a day to all the labour on the great westren [western?] railroad which is a maiking [making?] through this part of the country it runs through London; London has become a large and fine place since we came to this Country there is a great many fine Churches; and merchant shops and wholesale warehouses all of [creek?] the land in this part of the country is very good I can raise as many potates [potatoes?] as I wesh [wish?] without any dung; the land is getting dear in this section of the Country it is worth from 20 to 30 doullours [dollars?] an acre and I woul [would?] not take even that amount for mine; there is no chance for the poor man getting a farm in this neighbourhood he will have to go back to some of the new townships where he may get it from 2 to 5 doullours [dollars?] an acre; Dear Brother If you had only plucked up courage and came to America a few years agoe [ago?] and got a good farm this part of the country before the land got dear you woud [would?] have had no cause to rue it and I ame [am?] sure your children woud [would?] ever bless the day that the [they?] came to Canady [Canada?]; I never was sorry for comming [coming?]; but ever shall be that I spent so many of my dayes [days?] in Ireland many a wish the [breakey?] ones gave that you were hear [here?]; the [they?] have bettered their condishon [condition?] a hundred fold by coming; the old shoemaker stands it wel [well?] and is making lots of money; Brother Josef seemed to be discontent when he came and to murmer [murmur?] after I know not what, but as he has kept writing to you he has given you his opinion of this Country; suffice it for me to say that he never was as well at the tanhousewater; and coud [could?] save meney [money?] if he likes; wel [well?] now to make a long story short all my Brothers and friends are well and have bettered their condistion [condition?] by coming to america far beyont [beyond?] what it was posible [possible?] for them to have done had the [they?] stoped [stopped?] in Ireland; with the exception that Jorge [George?] Carrothers is very ill and not expected to recover; Dear Brother I have often woundred [wondered?] that you did not send me a letter I would have wroute [wrote?] to you often only knowing that Josef kept writing to you and that he gave you all the newes [news?] that was needed without me troubling you; I hope you will write me a letter and fill it with a brief account of how many of my old friends and neighbours and acquantance [acquaintance?] are; and how the [they?] are doing in Ireland; if any of them shoud [should?] want any information about this country and write to me I shall give it truly according to my knowlege [knowledge?] of it give my bests rispects [respects?] to sister Eliza and husbant [husband?] and fameley [family?] and to gorge [George?] Carrothers of [foidragha?] and wife and fameley [family?], to Noble Graham and to the Blackes and many more to numerous to mention as my sheet is full; I remain truly Nathaniel Carrothers I forgot to mention that we had got six children 3 boyes [boys?] and 3 girls the two eldest ar [are?] boyes [boys?] and the next two are girls and the youngest is a girl we have had none that died nor none of them has had any sickness we never lost an our [hour?] of sleep with them yet I belive [believe?] children are fare [far?] more healthey [healthy?] in general than the [they?] are in Ireland gorge [George?] Trimble and wife and sister have arrived here and are well; I hear Thomas stuard had come to goddrige and that he left the wife behind him you will be pleased when you write to mention some pirtualars [particulars?] conserning [concerning?] it; give my bests respects to Bessey and the Children and I remain your ever affecned [affectionate?] brother Nathaniel Carrothers When you write direct your letter to London Canada west. |
