| Title: | Greeves, Jane to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1835 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6056 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/87 |
| Year | 1835 |
| Sender | Greeves, Jane |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | shop keeper |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Lisburn, N.Ireland |
| Destination | Lake Erie, 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 | 1828 |
| Genre | their brother Thomas's illness, news of family and friends |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Lisburn, 3 mo 25 1835 4th day My dear sister I wrote thee a very mournful letter in 12th mo, which I expect thou hast received long ere this. Brother Thomas was then very ill & either gone or on his way to the Cove of Cork- where he has remained ever since, from which he has benefitted so much by the blessing of Providence that he seems quite restored to his usual health; and the Doctor there has given him permission to come & he is to leave the 1st of next mo if nothing occurs to prevent. It is a great cause of thankfulness that he is restored to health. Many feared that he would never return & thee may be sure we were very uneasy about him. Sister Mary Greeves has been very delicate all winter between grief & anxiety & occasionally getting cold. She has been in rather a critical way lately, so we are [as?] well, as the Doctor thought fit she should go to Cove for awhile. It might be of use to her as she seemed to require change of scene as much as anything else. So she left home last week and took Elizabeth her eldest child with her & left Wm John at home; & nurse & the baby came to us (whos name is Thomas) and he has been improving every day since he came; she had to get a wet nurse for him as her own suck left her: besides it would not have been good for him. He is a dear sweet pet & I fancy I see a likeness to his dear Father in him sometimes, which would make me love him better if possible. I do trust Mary will benefit by the change. I had a letter from her from Dublin & she seemed to think her cough was a little better. Cousin Elizabeth Walpole is also poorly with a cough & pain in her side: she is in Dublin at present taking advice. I wish it answered her to go to Cove as I think it might be useful to her. Her husband is still very poorly & not able to attend to business. His sister Debby lives with them & they have an assistant beside - which helps to relieve Elizabeth of the weight of the business. Mary left all strangers in her place except Charles Harden, Aunt Debby's son as we used to call him, who is an apprentice to Mary. I think when Thomas returns that Susanna will go to Armagh. She has been in Dungannon during his absence. Business has been very dull with us this winter & spring so we could do pretty well without her. Cousin James & Margaret Greacen are settled in Armagh & are getting along midling well. She is quite cordial with Mary now & will often go up to see how they are getting on during her absence. James is working at his trade & Mgt has a little shop which is offering better than it did at first, but it will require some time to establish them. Thomas Simons wire [Anne, née Rowan] has a son a short time ago, whom they call John Greeves for poor brother, & a good right he had, for Thos would not have a home now only for him - or John & Elizaberh Walpole either. Father continues to get his health wonderfully well - which is a great blessing - he has been in Armagh & Dungannon twice during the winter & did not seem to suffer by the journeys. He was recommended to take bicarbonate of soda, for his stomach some months ago & it has been of great use to him. Before using it he never travelled even for a short distance without suffering greatly for some days after with his stomach. We though, it was occasioned by the bile being stirred up. Aunt is much as usual, that is never very well, but she is still able to go about the house. She is sole housekeeper now when Susanna is from home, but there is not much in that way to attend to. It is time for me to acknowledge the receipt of Brother Wms letter, which was written at Buffalo or Lodi - I forget which - & was pleased to find you were then all pretty well and I hope you have got over the winter agreeably. We had not much snow here & 12 mo was remarkably mild for the season, but 2nd month was verry severe - cold & stormy & wet & the beginning of this mo also. It is now verry fine weather and the farmers are getting in their grain for the last few days - they reckon it a backward season. The country is pretty quiet at present: we had a great deal of disturbance during the general elections, occasioned by party spirit as usual - when will such things cease? The Torys are in office again and they promise to do great things for the country but few have much faith in them - but perhaps they may do better than is expected. Provisions have been reasonable for the poor all the winter; latterly oatmeal has advanced in price & is at present 2/4d p score (20 lbs) - flour is not much more expensive. Uncle and Aunt Simon ate well. I dont get often to see them as business requires my constant attention when Susanna is from home particularly - and she has been very little here for the past 12 months, with one person's illness after another. Did I mention Thomas Dawson's death in my last letter? He died in Autumn last and his sister Margaret died the 29th of last mo; he of consumption and she of a liver complaint: that family are greatly stripped as well as our own. There is only Cousin Peggy [née Haddock, widow of James Dawson] & [her children] Lucy & Joseph remaining now & not one of them is what might be called stout. The Elmfield family [William Dawson's] are all pretty well except Henry who has had a cough a great part of the winter. Charlotte lodged with us at the time of the Quarterly Meeting here; she is a very nice affectionate girl. Hannah has two fine boys, & Mary lives with her cousin Hannah Harvey as governess to her children. Both Cousins Wm & Sally attend Meetings now & several of the children who were not members applied & were received some time ago. Cousin Molly Phelps is still living & gets her health pretty well; Sally & Bess are still unmarried. Their sister Hannah Robinson, her husband [George] & family are settled in America not verry far from New York I believe. It must be a great change for them from the way they were brought up. One of her daughters, a verry highly educated girl, keeps a school, I hear. The company they now have to associate with is verry different from the society in Dublin. Saml Bewley’s son Charles died of fever a few weeks ago, greatly lamented. He was a young man of a very benevolent character & useful member of the Society of Friends. He left a widow but no children. He was the person who first sent out a vessel direct from Ireland to trade with the Fast since the trade was opened. The vessel just returned the day of his funeral, which seemed rather a remarkable thing - riches & prosperity wont always preserve life. I have not heard from Carlow for a long time, but the last account we had they were all well. We expect Margaret who is about 13 years of age to come to spend a year with [us] from the beginning of 5 mo. She is to assist in the shop or house or anything that we may require her to do. Her father thinks it will be an improvement to her to be with us for some time - she is too near Anna's age for her to have much control over her. Cousin Mgt Pike continues to live with Jonathon and Sarah at Beech-Grove & gets her health pretty well. Their youngest daughter Lydia is laid up with a spine complaint at present & I fear she wont be able to walk about for a year or so. She is 13 years of age & is nearly as tall as her Mother - she has outgrown her strength. Jane & Anna Nicholson are still living in Armagh, & I blieve are getting on pretty well. Their father [James], Stepmother & bro Edward are living in Grange in the same place. Cousin Wm Greeves formerly of the Isle of Man came to live in Ireland about 5 mos ago & he lodged at Susey Greer's of the [Grange] Bridge. So about 5 or 6 weeks ago he & her daughter Hannah were married in Moy church one 4th day morning, without anyone knowing anything of it but her own family. She was not a member so there was no unpleasant work about it: their friends on both sides are well pleased at the match. I think she will make him a good wife - she is not young any more than himself. He is about rebuilding Uncle Billy's part of the house & I suppose they will go there to live. His children are both at school & nice children they are. Pirn Barcroff has asked for Anna Malcomson, sister Rachel's sister; it is not known yet if she will accept of him but most people think she will. If she does they will go to Redford to live. Anna Hogg & family are to go to Caledon the 1st of 5 mo - John Hogg has £200 a year for being an overseer of the new canal that is making from Lough Erne. Cousins Thomas & Ellen [Boardman] are still to the fore but are both verry infirm. Sally & Ellen are still with them at Laurel Hill, & Co[usin] Thos Greer & Hannah live at Prospect. Joseph Gil more is to be married soon to a Rathangan girl whos name is Williamson, & his mother & the girls are to leave Lisson to them & ate going to live in a house near her father's. The Dree Hill family were pretty well, last account I heard of them. Anna [Johnston nee Shaw] was with us few weeks ago - she has two little boys who are soon to come to the school here. Does Maria keep school now? She would be thought a young teacher in this country. Hoping to hear from you soon, I will bid thee farewell with dear love to brother Wm and the children individually in which Father & Aunt unite, I am, dear Anne, as ever thy truly afft sister Jane |
