| Title: | William Colhoun, Pennsylvania to his father, Letterkenny. |
|---|---|
| ID | 670 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Colhoun, William/107 |
| Year | 1830 |
| Sender | Colhoun, William |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | schoolmaster |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Pennsylvania, USA |
| Destination | Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | son-father |
| Source | T 1466/3a: Copied by Permission of A. Colhoun Esq., Belfast. |
| Archive | The Public Record Office, Northern Ireland. |
| Doc. No. | 8910150 |
| Date | 04/10/1830 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by JM 25:02:1994. |
| Word Count | 972 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Washington County, Pennsylvania, October 4th 1830. Dear Father, I received your letter sent by Mr James Clarke dated the 28th of April 1830 which gave me more satisfaction than is in my power to express. It gave rise to a most ernest [earnest?] & almost uncontrollable desire to see you as I had for several years considered you dead to this World and me. But your letter in one part gave me much pain while it complained of my neglect to write to you - My dear father for at least three years I continued to write since I received any word from you then with a sorrowful heart concluded that you were dead and the familt [family?] probably removed or dispersed from Rosbraken [Rossbrackan?]. But my dear father consider that I live 300 miles from any seaport and have not for seven years seen any person that was going to Ireland from here so that there was no chance to send letters but to put them into the Post Office here and pay the postage to some of the seaports and then trust to the Postmaster there to have them shipped for Ireland which trust is very uncertain as I am certain that I sent more than ten letters since I received one from you. Dear Father I will proceed to give you an account of myself as you already know I lived with my cousin Wm [William?] Colhoun of Clarkesville the first five years that I was in this country for which I never received one cent. I then left him and went to a Mr Reed of Washington where I lived six months as he had then three sons he did not need my service any longer. I then went into the country and commenced teaching school which business I still follow - in 1822 I married a wife whose name was Clarke and thanks be to God she has and continues to be a help meet [helpmate?] for me - I have five children the eldest is a Boy and the other four are Girls - I still continue to have bad health though not so as to confine me to bed - The first and only great error of my life since I left you was that I ever went to my friends or trusted to them to put me into business - If I had at the first set in to work with strangers when my health was good I think it would have been better for my self [myself?]. but thanks be to God I have never been in want. I still make a decent liveing [living?] though I cannot get rich - The times is [are?] good here there is peace and plenty anybody that will use industry can live well and have plenty. You request to know what became of your Brother Johns wife and family I will comply with so far as I am acquainted, his wife still lives in Chambersburgh and have #PAGE 2 the use of all his property till her death - his eldest Son William that lived in Clarkesville died in May last and left a wife with six children he was I may say worth nothing but they will get something considerable from his fathers estate at the death of his wife who is a very old woman - His oldest Daughter who was married to Mr Campbell a lawyer is a widow and very poor, her husband died insolvant [insolvent?]. She likewise will get part of her fathers estate - His son Alexander has a family and lives in Chambersburgh he is cashier of the Bank there and is rich. His son Samuel is a Doctor and lives in Philadelphia not married and is with .... two sons John and Andrew are merchants in Kentucky not married and are rich. His youngest son James lives in Chambersburgh not married and rich he is a merchant. His youngest Daughter Eleanor is married to Preacher named Culbisen and lives in the state of Ohio - The most of family above mentioned I never saw - I have heard that your brother Johns property after his death was valued at 80 thousand Dollars. I also heard this Summer that your brother Samuel and his Wife are both dead they had three children John, Catherine and Eleanor - one of the girls is married and the other lives with her. John I understood was living amongst his friends in Chambersburgh. Samuel was brokeup [bankrupt?] and died not worth one shilling. I believe the cause was in consequence of his sending his Son to the State of Kentucky with a Store who did not manage well and run his father in debt more that all his property Real and personal were worth. I heard that after the sale of his property he and his wife went to her Brothers who lives in one of the Southern States, I think his name is Alexander Philson who had wrote for them to come and live with him - when they got there they could not stand it to live in the manner that he did, which is as represented to me was that himself & his Negroes live like Hogs. I didn't hear the date they died but understood there was but little time between them - My dear father no more at present But for God's sake write me often as you have opportunity from Derry and direct as follows. Mr Alexander Reed Merchant, Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania for William Colhoun. My earnest desire and prayer to God is that this may reach you. My brother Francis was not mentioned in your letter be so good as to inform me what became of him. Give my sincere love to all my Brothers and Sisters and all enquiring friends. William Colhoun |
