| Title: | Sinton, Joseph to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1835 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6055 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/86 |
| Year | 1835 |
| Sender | Sinton, Joseph |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | merchant |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Wilkesbarre, near Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | Lake Erie, NY, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne |
| Recipient Gender | female |
| Relationship | uncle-niece |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1071 |
| Genre | news of family and friends, new canal, bad state of trade |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Wilkbarre, Feby. 5ch 1835 Dear Niece, I received thy letter of 7th month last arid intended to have answered it sooner, but tho I have no wife to scold or children to plague me I have so much to attend to that its seldom that I have a quiet leisure hour. It gives me great pleasure to hear of thy comfortable prospect in respect to property, which must increase in value with the improvements around, and I presume there has been an alteration in the look and manner of the inhabitants. Our family much as when I wrote thee last. Jacob has not the cramp as often as formerly. Polly still troubled with dyspepsia. Phoebe single and as fat as myself. Sidney and Betsy [Tracey] still here in what used to be my den (I expect their daughter is to be married before long) and I have a den built back of the back store. I have had the hardest winter of Rheumatism I ever had and tried so many things without benefit that I pretty much let it take its own way and think its likely I may be quite a cripple, as my brother John was for many years before his death. I am still able to hobble about the store here and so far [have] gone to Phil a. spring and fall in the stage. But I seldom walk out here - indeed I have not been in a house in town for more than a year, except the Bank (of which I have been a Director more than three years and against my will). When I was last in Phila. I could not find M. G reeves: the two former trips I did. She had left her former residence - and I was too lame to look for Mary Greeves. Uncle John Mortons house is no longer occupied by any of the family. Daniel B. Smith and wife are at a sort of College established by the friends, The Doctor lives same when in the city. Mary Thomas and Hetty board with same, so that I have not seen any of them for nearly a year, as I make scarcely any visits and have a lodging near the Stores I deal with. The canal is finished up to where John Murphy lived at Lackawanna. It has lessened the price of carriage from the City about one half, but it has not produced so far such change as many expected, as coal would not do to send that way to Phila., as it is found so much nearer the City. Boats are engaged to start in the spring to carry passengers to and from the city, which by that route will be about 240 miles - to travel day and night and I hope will afford an easier jaunt than by the stage, which for some years I have found very fatiguing and painful. By the way, I am no chicken. I was 60 on the 3rd of Dec. last - yet I enjoy very good health, good appetite, and one comfort is that whatever I suffer in the day times, when warm in bed, I am pretty free from pain; and having no wife to plague me with curtain lectures, I sleep about as well as ever. People (I suppose by way of Blarney) say that I look young for me age, but my forehead is thin of hair and I find a good many gray ones among my curly locks behind. But when I look around and compare my lot with many others I find great cause to be thankful to the giver of all things. With regard to Emily and Sarah - the former no children that I have heard of. S ... her marriage, I really cant tell how many but has buried one or two I think. Her two older daughters married and how many squabbles they have I am sure I cannot tell. John and Jane Murphy still live in Ohio - people who have visited that country say they are comfortably fixed. Joseph [Murphy?] and his family moved down near Harrisburgh to a mill owned by his brother-in-law and I have heard nothing about him for some time. I have had no letters from Brother Samuel ['Uncle' Samuel to Anne] for a good while. I had one last fall from a daughter [one of Ann, Margaret or Martha] of my brother John of Cork, but nothing about my relatives in the North. I learn that her father being unable to attend to business, all was left in charge of his partners, with whom they had a good deal of trouble in settling, and compromised at last for a much smaller sum to each of the children than they expected would have been their share. I saw one of Thomas Nicholson's neighbours last week. He was well but his wife [Elizabeth née Barrington] has been a long time in poor health - it is supposed that she is consumptive. A single sister of his who came over to N. York some years ago became deranged and is in the hospital. John [Nicholson] I hear while in the South conducted badly and went back to Ireland or England some time ago. J.T. [Jacob Taylor?] was seen to pass through here and looked hard this way - he judged correctly about a call. This has been the dullest winter for business we have had for several years; when the canal was in progress and money came from ... to pay the hands, produce sold high - money plenty; ... lived well, spent freely and entered into speculations. Now they have gone off, produce has fallen, cash scarce and many are pushed for payment and much property will be sacrificed. I foresaw this would be the case and was not concerned in any canal contracts, nor furnished goods to those who did and hope we shall get along thro the hard times and hope for better. It would give me great pleasure to see thee or William or both if convenient for you to come. I dont see much prospect of my making a visit, but be assured I shall always feel deeply interested in your welfare and most pleased to hear from you whenever convenient. With love to you all in which all the family joins me. I remain, thy Afft. Uncle J. Sinton |
