| Title: | O'Brien (n.Greeves), Anne to O'Brien, Joseph Sinton, 1842 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6120 |
| Collection | The Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson] |
| File | quaker/131(2) |
| Year | 1842 |
| Sender | O'Brien (n.Greeves), Anne |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | housewife |
| Sender Religion | Quaker |
| Origin | Collins, Lake Erie, NY, USA |
| Destination | NYC, USA |
| Recipient | O'Brien, Joseph Sinton |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | mother-son |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1051 |
| Genre | explains about family connection, finding work in NYC for William, debts, moving south |
| Note | |
| Transcript | 2nd day Morn C. Candee coming here yesterday, we thot we wd get him to take this to Buffalo, so kept it until I today, Maria having wrote so much that she has not left me much to write about. Cortes has received thy letter, he told Maria, but I wd guess he could not give much information as the young man he used to correspond with has not written to him for years and I believe he thinks he is dead or moved away. This David M. [Malcomson] is no relation, or at least so distant as to be hardly counted; but his sister, thee sees, is thy Aunt, so that connexions are almost like kindred. Does thee ever see his sister Maria [Todd] that lives in or about N.Y. She made a match of her own and done poorly703. Cortes say he can send letters from Buffalo sometimes by people for us and we mean to write in that way some times. Father and Thos has just gone to mowing: they are cutting the slashing meadow at present: they both get pretty tired but still get along as well as they expected and wd father work so and save all the money to pay our debts, I sometimes wish it wd do for thee to borrow anough from James Creeves to finish the mill and. when thee got able, pay him; and then thee could have thy share in it so as to ... it to thee; for what we have been out is all going to be lost to us at present untill we can finsh it. I must go to work. It is strange we dont hear from Ireland &c. I wonder thee dont thro Abram folks. Aunt Jane's husband is a sleeping partner with Richardsons. Thos wd hardly tell that he knows, but Abram knows it how well he must be off. Wm and Racheal Smith was up yesterday: Robert is dead, he died this spring. Lucy better [?]. David, old fashion. G. [George] Lennox's folks well. Once more thine A.O’B First day Dr Joseph This day two weeks I wrote thee a long letter but thot would just write thee a few lines in this. Father is more discouraged than living here now. ... whether it wd do to ask Abram to ask John Toulmin when in N York whether such a man as Father could get a situation in any business that thee know. He wd be capable of as dark, overseer or foreman or such like as he could turn himself to any thing but hard work. We have been telling Father he must go this fall and spend the winter in Mobile and see if he wd like it. He is ready to go any where to make out a livlihood, as here we cannot without more cows. We wont have 5 bushels off our 1 acre and our spring wheat is so covered with [rust?] that it cant be any thing; and it is only in the Mill of our neighbors that has large pieces of winter wheat would have enough to pay them for cutting; and that poor Caleb Woodward is going to just mow his down for fodder. H. Smith says he will give any one his 1 acre for 25 bushels of good wheat, and so on all over the Country. Thee wants to know how much we owe. Well, independent of the store debt we owe 68$, 25$ to N. ...[Nathan Starks?] this Mone[y?] for Hawks, 25$ to Steph Conger for W* South wick, 12$ for lumber and 7$ for potatoes and hay to Obad N to Uncle (Abr?)am Sherman [estate?]. It takes all the cows produce this summer to keep us in bread and clothing and we think our selves well off if we do that; and what is to become of us this winter. Still we will have plenty of potatoes, I'm in hopes. Is it any wonder we wd be glad to go from here, but the people will have to live by their dairies. I dont write thes things to make thee discontented but to try harder to please that thee may have a good situation, for we never have had to want, but if I am serious that I think Father could make out well in the southern countries where education is so poor, only it might be unhealthy for us northerners. Thee might talk to Rebecca about the country and find out how it is, with regard to health, for if Father could go and spend a good 6 months then he could finish the saw Mill and thee knows that wd do a good deal for us. E. Washburn says his will soon pay for its self and it has cost him over 100$. Father expects to try get it up this fall, but what more he can do I dont know. I thot of telling thee wd it not be cheaper for thee to have shoes to wear in the summer time, boots come so high: thee must try and be as saving as thee can and keep thyself descent for we cannot get along without thy help untill we get the mill built at any rate. Black berries are just beginning to be ripe and they are the only kind of fruit that there will be plenty of, as the frost has destroyed most all other kinds. How very early you do have fruit and vegetables, hut thee does not get as many as if at home, but thee must try and get used to it if it agrees with thee, that [is] the mean [main] thing. We dont use much milk now as I make a small cheese. I wish it wd do for to send thee one, but then thee wd have to do as the little boy did with the cake and thee cd not enjoy it; and we took up a box of honey while them young men were here, and delighted they were with it, and indeed every thing else we had. Mr. Remak said he could tell in Phia what good butter and honey we had and doubt he will often think of them and other thing. Thine in [haste?] A O'Brien |
