| Title: | Fotterall, Stephen to Carey, Mathew, 1791 |
|---|---|
| ID | 6648 |
| Collection | Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan. Letters and memoirs from colonial and revolutionary America (1675-1815) [K.A. Miller et al.] |
| File | caanan/56 |
| Year | 1791 |
| Sender | Fotterall, Stephen |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | indentured servant |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Philadelphia, USA |
| Destination | Philadelphia, USA |
| Recipient | Carey, Mathew |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | not acquainted |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 683 |
| Genre | application for assistance |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Stephen Fotterall, Philadelphia, to the President of the Hibernian Society, Philadelphia, 15 June 1791 To the President of the Hibernian Society The Humble Petition of Stephen Fotterall A Native of Ireland & was Brought up in Belfast in the Countey of Antrim, Setting forth that your humble petitioner was in the mont<h> of April in the year of our Lord 1788 advised to come to America by Captain Blair then commander of the Ship, Rising Sun, then belonging to Gurney & Smith Merchants in Philidelphia who promised if I would Bind Myself for five Years to him that he would put me in Gurney & Smiths Office to Act as a Clerk in the Office which I verry readiley Embraced against all my Relations endeavours to hinder Me at which time your humble petitioner was onley Fifteen year Old, but when I came here to my utmost Disapointment I was Sold to a Mr Hubley who Lived at the Middle Ferry on Schuylkill, when I found I was So ill used by Captain Blair that I did Not know what to Do, for I Lived with the utmost discontent for two years & three months Never been used to Such buissnes as I had for to doe there which time Mr Hubley canot say but I behaved both faithful & Honest to him, About the 14th or 15th of Last September Mr Hubley Sent Me To Philidelphia to pay a sum of Money to the Bank which Sum I paid and Gote a Receipt for the same and returned home to the ferry & then I was sent in with ten dollars Cash & to receive a Sum to add to it, which time I took the oppertunitey of leaving him and sending him a Letter to acquaint him that I was a Goeing to try to get home to Ireland and that I would Remit him what he had Lost by me which was the Rema<in>ing part of my time & ten dollars Cash of his that I took with me he paid fifteen pounds penselvenia Currensy for my time at first after I had made my escape from him I went to Baltimore and their was neve<r> a vessel bound for Ireland and I went from there to Norfolk in Virginia and their was no vessel there for the vessel that I was to goe in was at Norfolk but had Sailed, after I arrived at Norfolk I got into an office as a Clerk and Stayed ther for Eight Months and in that time I Remited Mr Hubley fifteen pounds pens Curry thinking that it would satisfy him for my time having lived with him for better than two years and promised to remit him more when I could afford it— Mr Hubley after Receiving the fifteen pounds was Not Satisfied but Said he would Not Give up my indentures till I paid Some more to him, but Sent Me a Receipt for the money he had received in the followin Manner— Received 13th of December 1790 by the hands of Mr Hales Richardson Fifteen pounds penny Curry On Acct. of Stephen Fotterals time he had to Remain with me £15.0.0 At the expiration of the Eight months I came back to philidelphia supposing that the Receipt was a sufficient discharge and after I came here I went out to see Mr Hubley Expecting that he would give up my indentures but instead of that he employed a Constable and Sent me to Gaole which place I now Remain being Commited here as a Run away Servent, and having No friends nor relations in America to assist Me in my Distress I was advised to Petition the Hibernian Society which I am acquainted is errected for the Relief of Irish Emigrants, and your petitioner hoping you will take his case into Consideration and be So kind as to assist him in his Distressed Situation and hopeing you will Let me have an answer to know what my Distressed situation will come to Philidelphia Gaol} Stephen Fotterall June 15th 1791 |
