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Title: Candee (n. O'Brien), Maria Wright to O'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne, 1845
ID6163
CollectionThe Transatlantic Letters of an Irish Quaker Family_1818-1877 [B. Jackson]
Filequaker/166
Year1845
SenderCandee (n. O'Brien), Maria Wright
Sender Genderfemale
Sender Occupationunknown
Sender ReligionQuaker
OriginBuffalo, NY, USA
DestinationCollins, Lake Erie, NY, USA
RecipientO'Brien (n. Greeves), Anne
Recipient Genderfemale
Relationshipdaughter-mother
Source
Archive
Doc. No.
Date
Partial Date
Doc. Type
Logunknown
Word Count886
Genrefamily news
Note
TranscriptBuffalo 12—8th 1845

My dear Mother,
Margt says she will write to Ann [Widderfield] if I want to write thee, and I thought perhaps I would tell thee more
particulars than Margt would of herself. She has been at the shop a little more than a week now and is getting along
uncomonly well. The girls E and S like her very much and think she is going to be a very profitable apprentice to
them. So far they have not had to make her rip or do over any thing she has done, which is not the case with
another girl they have who spends most of her time ripping and doing over her work. Since M has been at that
shop they have not had near dressmaking enough to keep her busy all the time at such parts as she can do, so they
have set her at hoods and bonnets; and Cortes says she may as well learn both at once and it will be double
advantage to her. I think so too; and if she does not confine herself entirely to millenary [millinery] I do not think
it will hurt her, and she may get something to do at it in the country: at all events I think it will not hurt her.
Marg1 looks very well indeed, much better than when she came down, though she has had a very bad cold and
coughed a good deal, almost ever since she has been here, though she is getting better of it now. I get along very
well with her help. We breakfast at six oclock, then 1 fix up their dinners for them to carry with them, Cortes and
all. And then I see no more of them till 4 oclock PM when I get dinner and they all come home to eat and Margt
stays: (dont thee think we dine at a very fashionable hour?). In the morning she goes at 8 oclock and is at home
generally between 4 and 5, so she is not very closely confined. Cortes was out to his fathers a week ago last first-day; he went out with his uncle Lewis from N. Y. - but was
ill such a hurry he could not go up to Collins. He is very busey now as all of Austins hands setting up and prepareing
to close up his business which he intends doing by the 15 of nest month. He purposes going co N.Y. and going into
the same business. We will all miss Austin very much. I do not know yet what Cortes will do when he is done there,
but he says he do not think but he will be out of a place long, as he never has yet. So I do not borrow any trouble
about it. Cortes looks very well and he is well this winter. I think his health improves every year.
The children have been very well till within a few days. Little Willy has been rather unwell, I think with his
teeth. I weaned, him two weeks ago: it was not so hard a job as I was afraid it would be; after two nights he was
no trouble scarcely, and now I undress him and put him in bed awake just as I do Henrietta. I tell her if grand pa
could see her he would say she had a face like the full moon: she is as fat as a little gig and eats like one. Joseph
says Thomas is quite unwell and has been for some time. I am sorry to hear of it as it is such a had season of the
year for his complaint - he will have to be very careful. The cold water is performing such cures, do you not think
it would help him: why not try it? I suppose it could not hurt him at any rate.
Joseph look[s] well and thee says thy health is better and Joseph says he thinks father is better this winter. We
- Margt and I - often talk about you all when we are home alone in the evenings and wonder what you are all
doing. I am glad to hear thee gets along so well. I hardly [k]new what to [do] about writing for M to come down,
as did not see how thee could get along without her. I had a clutch girl for 4 weeks before she came down: she could
not speak a word of English and [had left?] Germany just 13 weeks before she came here. She pothered me very
much for a day or two but I never saw any learn so fast: she got so before she left she understood any thing almost
that I said to her about the work. How I wish thee could have her: she was a great stout thing and she could do
all thy hard work and think nothing of it. I gave 3 shilling a week and before she left me I got her a good place
for the winter where she has 50 cents. I asked her if she would go out and live with my mother she said no. I must
...[stop for?] want of room. With love to all,

afft
M W. Candee