| Title: | 36. From Ellen Prendergast to her husband Michael, and from James Prendergast to his children in Boston |
|---|---|
| ID | 5681 |
| Collection | The Prendergast Letters. Correspondence from Famine-era Ireland (1840-50) [S. Barber] |
| File | prendergast/36 |
| Year | 1848 |
| Sender | Prendergast, James / Prendergast, Ellen |
| Sender Gender | male-female |
| Sender Occupation | farmer / housewife |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Milltown, Co. Kerry, Ireland |
| Destination | Boston, Mass., USA |
| Recipient | Prendergast children |
| Recipient Gender | male-female |
| Relationship | father-children / wife-husband |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 741 |
| Genre | family, neighbours / family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Mr Thomas Prendergast 16 Pearlplace Boston State of Massachusetts N. America prepaid Paid Milltown 4th Febr 1848 My Dear Husband On Wednesday last I received your Letter of the 11th February last with its enclosed order of £13. Of that sum I got £8 and the rest was disposed of as directed. The children and I were really distressed and would be very poorly situated had not your father and Mother taken care of us. They never left us depending on any friend without sharing with us. I must only say that between them and my Father and Mother The children and I were better situated than many that boasted of Independance. My dear Husband, It is true that the relief ye sent was timely yet believe me it was not half so welcome ^as the acct^ that ye were all well. Your Parents, Mine, The Children, myself, your Brother Maurice and Family are well. Johnny is what you never expected to see him, now the very best you left. He is able to be with your Father every moment and cares for nobody but, as he says, for his grandfather and Grandmother. My dear Husband, you desire me make what I could out of what you sent but it is really impossible to do any thing now in this place. Everything requires a good capital m this season of the year, but as soon as the season comes on I will do as much as I can. Write very often. We will be better pleased to hear that ye all are well than any gift without that acct. Julia is very well attends the Convent school regularly and is considered to be daily improving. I will say no more than that I send you your Brothers and their Wives and my sister Julia and Con (not the last in my affections) my blessing and that I am affectionately and obediently your wife Ellen Prendergast P.S. Julia says she hopes that she will never die but with aunt Julia. My dear Children You can perceive by the first part of this letter from (to your Brother Michl from his Wife) that your letter arrived and that its contents was disposed of as ye directected. She stated truth in what she said. We are all well thank God, and I need not say that we can never have pleasure equal to that of hearing that ye are well. Father B. OConnor sent four Letters since he went to Boston. One to the Convent one to Father Buckley, one to Mr Moriarty, and the 4th to his nephew OConnor of Aglish. In each he said that ye are a credit to the Land of your birth, that ye received him, after his fatigue and hardships, as kindly as if ye were more than his cousins. I am glad ye did so for it was not an act lost. For that rea son I will be glad that ye will, in future, shew him the respect due from parishioners. Tell him that the Ladies of the Convent, Father Buckley, Mrs Moriarty and family and his nephew with the rest of his friends are well and that his parishioners, the most respectable, as well as the most humble, pray daily for his safe return. Dan Riordan is well. We have accts from him always thro Maurice. Your Mother and I are much stronger than you could expect us to to be. She says she would be ten years younger if she could once hold young James and that she is really thankful to father Batt for saying he was a real true blue, or Old James. Maurice desires to return ye sincere thanks from himself and family as it was your Bounty preserved them in their last illness when distress was so general. His son James is in raptures expecting th[…] ye will send for him. So are his parents. Your Mother joins me in desiring to desiring to be remembered to each of our daughters inlaw and in sending our love and blessing to them and ye and not forgetting Con and Julia from we wish to hear as often as they or ye can send us an account. My dear Children I will conclude by saying that I am affectionately your Father James Predergast James Prendergast |
