| Title: | 25. From James Prendergast to his children in Boston |
|---|---|
| ID | 5670 |
| Collection | The Prendergast Letters. Correspondence from Famine-era Ireland (1840-50) [S. Barber] |
| File | prendergast/25 |
| Year | 1845 |
| Sender | Prendergast, James |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Milltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland |
| Destination | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Recipient | Prendergast children |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | father-children |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 645 |
| Genre | illness, family, economy |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Mr Isaac Foster Stable Keeper Devonshire street (For Thomas Prendergast) Boston N. America Paid Milltown [...] My dear Children The receipt of your letter of 30th of September last [...] highest plea pleasure, as nothing could give us greater comfort than to hear from ye as often as possible, but we know your time is precious and that ye cannot as frequently as ye could ^wish^. One thing in your Letter gave us considerable trouble. It says that ye have but poor health. That troubled us much, very much. If ye were less dutiful and less kind to [...] ye are the feelings of parents would cause us to grieve for your trouble. But when ye are what I may say without flattery, dutiful tenderhearted and affectionate, our only support and the prop of our old age, how alarmed must we feel for your safety when ye say ye are not well. If your state of health be bad or continue so as not to change for the better, We would advise ye to change your place and come home. Nothing is so precious as health and without it the wealth of the world can scarcely yield any comfort. We would prefer seeing yourselves in good health to any interest or profit we could receive while ye were in any danger. Your Mother and I pray daily for the preservation of your Health. May God grant our humble request, and we hope that your own good sense will direct ye how to act should health not grow better with ye. Your Mother and I are well thank God and so are all your friends too many to be named in particular. Maurice and his family are well and still in the same situation. Your Brothers Michael is well if he [..] is not is not the best but we must only [...] family is well. As far as I could learn Margaret Forhan [...] truth when she said she wrote home. Neither she [...] Brothers sent a single penny tho' their mother really wants it. The beginning of this Harverst was very promi[...]. The crops in general had a very rich appearance, and it was generally expected that next season would be very plentiful. But within the last few weeks the greatest alarm prevails throughout the kingdom. It is dreaded that nothing less than a famine must prevail next summer unless the Almighty lord interpose. A disease has seized the potatoe crop which was the standing food of the Country. The Potatoes which were good and healthy a few days since are now rotten in the Ground. Even some which were dug in beautiful dry weather and stored in Pits seem to be affected with the same blight. The news papers teem with alarming accounts of the same disease throughout the kingdom. I cannot say whether the loss is equal to the alarm. But dread of the greatest nature pervades all classes insomuch that Parliament has been called upon to assemble to devise means for providing against the dreaded calamity. May God in his mercy avert such distress from his suffering poor. Dan Riordan is well and so is Mr Spring and family. Every Letter which his children send here contains accounts ,of, every one of ye. We had an account here a few days since, in a letter from Patk Quirk, that shortly [...] think it [...] [...] believe it [...] [...] next to hear whether she told truth [...] statement. Philip Kelly begged if any of his [...] ye would tell them that he is much troubled [...] writes to him. I will not trouble ye further than to say […] your Mother joins with me in sending ye our blessing […] forgetting Julia and her Husband. I remain your Affectionate Father James Prenderg[...] |
