| Title: | Greeves, Thomas to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1821 |
|---|---|
| ID | 5995 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/41 |
| Year | 1821 |
| Sender | Greeves, Thomas |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | linen trader |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Smithsville, Niagara Co., NY, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | siblings |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1753 |
| Genre | offers to bring them back to Ireland, explains arrangement for their return, family |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Dungannon 11th month 7th 1821 Dear Brother & Sister The last time I wrote you was the 1st of 8th month by the John Dickinson to New York, enclosing uncle Sam Sinton's draft on Abraham Bell at 21 days sight for Twenty pounds Irish which I expect you have received ere this. Since which Anne's of 8th month by Jacob Taylor to Sister Mary got to hand last month, also one to Mary Sinton both of which we saw, & have all unanimously agreed on making you an offer of getting home to your native land, if you think it right & best you should come. But this conclusion we leave to yourselves - altho' perhaps you may not have thought it, but I may tell you that Danl & I have been contriving these several months (unknown to the rest except Mary) to endeavour to get you back and when home to put you in a way of making a livelyhood, which we could not feel full liberty to do until! now; & believeing the right time is come, it has been left to me to disclose to you our views; not that we have anything extraordinary or great to offer, but wishing to have the pleasure of seeing you & you the opportunity of seeing your friends occasionally, which we think will yield you more contentment & comfort than the manner you are now living. We have been looking all round the country in difft directions to see where would be the best place for you to begin the same business as Danl & John & I, as its a business we all so well understand & less difficulty in beginning on that acct., & thinks there is an open at present in Clonmell (Co. Tipperary) for that business, which we trust with economy & good management will succeed: Danl has been there examining &c thinks so. As our cousin Thos Sinton of Cork was in the States as well as Canada, I wrote him thinking he would know the best way for you to return by. & I have his answer which I intend copying verbatim on some part of this sheet. You will see he thinks Canada will be the best route as there is less travelling by land, besides much less expence; & I think Jas Sinton- would do his best to procure you a cheap comfortable passage & its this way we would wish [you] to come if it meets your approbation. But as you are better acquainted with the country than we & likely to get better information we leave it to your better experience, fully believing you will weigh the matter well & come which ever way you think best & least expensive. I intend to get a draft from Uncle Saml on Abraham Bell for £20 & send it to you direct, also a Bank of England Post Bill or a draft on some House in Quebec for forty pounds & send it to James Sinton (our cousin) who resides there, for to keep It for you untill you get there. This Bank Post Bill or draft which I shall get, I intend to get drawn in James's favour so that he can have it turned into Cash on your arrival. This draft on Abraham Bell I intend sending by the John Dickinson (or any other vessel which may sail for the same part about that time) which I suppose will soon be in Belfast and likely sail in about 5 to 7 weeks from this date. The draft for Jas Sinton I purpose sending by the first vessel for Quebec, or, as its likely on acct of the frost there will not be any vessel for Quebec so soon, I will probably send this letter also by the Jno Dickenson under cover to Abraham Bell; & in this case I will have the draft drawn in thy favour (William OBrien) with directions to Abraham to wait thy instructions, in either having the latter forwarded to James Sinton so as it would meet you there, or if you come by New York to keep it untill you arrive, & then thee might open it & Abraham would discount it for you, for I would take care to desire him to do so. The £20 we calculate on bringing you to Quebec or New York, whichever you come by, & the forty pounds to bring you to Dear Ireland. We expect this will be fully enough: however we would rather you would have something left than be pinched. Now all this I have mentioned I intend to do about the rime I have specified, provided your next letter (which we expect in a few weeks) does not inform us of your having left Cattarragus, as Anne in her last mentioned something of your removing to Canada or some other part. In this case we would have to direct the letter to your new abode with the £20 draft, bur at the same time pursuing the same plan as I have written respecting the other Bill for forty pounds. We will surely expect an answer to this without delay, on receipt of it, letting us know your determination & plans. Indeed you should write 2 or 3 letters one after the other, as I expect you will have money to pay the postage to the water edge. We wish if possible for you to get a passage to Belfast & I would go down to meet you there, & we also wish you to bring your certificate with you & have it directed to Carlow mo meeting. I understand Mary McDonnell is still in New York & likely to return in spring, so that if you came that way you would probably have her home with you; & if I recollect right I heard thee (Anne) say thee would not like to be shut up in a vessel with such an unhealthy person, indeed I would not think it desirable, or quite safe to inhale the breath. We would suppose that when you come to a place where you could procure money for any article you could spare, it would be best to dispose of them, as you could replace them for a much smaller sum here, besides save carriage. You may perceive Thos Sinton thinks you can find yourselves much cheaper than be provided by the Captain & we would like you could be here about the first of next Seventh month If practicable, so as to be fixed in your own habitation & at business by the first of 9th month. As you may know this is the best time in the year to begin, or earlier. However its first the weather & then the wind you have to depend on & so will leave all to providence. If thou hast not got thy clothes which are at Uncle Joseph's, I suppose it would be best to give direction to him to send them to Abraham Bell to have them forwarded to his brother Thos in Belfast, or to Dublin, by any of his own vessels, at the same time leaving the money you are due Uncle Jo with Jacob Taylor & get his receipt for it & a few lines from him to Uncle saying he bad got the money for that purpose. For we would wish you to come out honourable & pay your debts if you are at all able. I would have sent the Bills mentioned herein, now only waiting to hear from you on receipt of the ... knowing but perhaps, from what Anne says in her last, that you would when you received it, either appropriate it to the purpose of removing to some other part or homeward. Besides we were under difficulty what way to send you money for fear you could not get a bill turned into Cash. Then I hope your next will give some information on this subject. So now taking a view of it altogether, I may say that nothing I expect will cause me to deviate from what I have sad above, without its your next letter, for you will observe we fully expect a letter from you in about 3 or 4 weeks letting us know of the receipt of the bill. Consequently before we send off these bills & if your next letter points out a better mode of sending you money to where you are, its most likely I will adopt it. I hope you will be able to make sense of all this round about way I have written, for its all wishing to make your future movements & ours as clear as possible & cause no delay. For we are aware when this gets to hand, that the weather will be so severe that you would not attempt to set out. I need scarcely say we will be all glad to see you again. Father & Mother are tolerably well except the latter who is much afflicted with the pain of her tongue, altho' it does not appear to be getting worse, not does it prevent her from slitting about. They continue to live in Armagh and Bernagh is not disposed of yet. I had a letter from Dan yesterday & they are all well. If it should so happen that you would not have enough of cash, I think Jas Sinton of A. Bell (whichever of the ports you come by) would pass their word to the Captain for part of your passage to be paid here, which we could do on your arrival. I had a letter a few days ago from Jno G Greeves dated the 29th of 7th month: he was well & New Orleans was quite healthy. Frances Pillar & John Whitefield junr were married to day. Anna Nicholson has been very poorly (I suppose a liver complaint). She is expected from Belfast in a few days: I hope she will get better when she gets to the country air. I conclude with Deaf Love to you both & hoping to see you & your ... little one ... soon, in which I am joined by all here, your affectionate brother Thomas Greeves I may add that no one in this country but Danl & our family know of your coming home or in what way, but we do be saying we should not wonder to see you back again next year. |
