裹 / Wrap

Dear Margaret It is called Scarletteena the disorder

is all in the throat The boy I said

is a son of Henry’s that lives with us

and he has another James lives with his mother

this boy is about 8 years and the other between 6 and 7

Dear Margaret I cannot find words to express

at all times in sickness in death Dear Margaret

We are sorry about your house being burned

we hope you have got another

                                                                                         21, March, 1868

Dear John

The shoemakers is on strike here

and about 500 walking out. The masters

want to reduce them 20%

of the wages they had and the men

won't stand it. There is not

enough work here for the Blacks, let alone

white people. My mind is a hell to me.

There is about 100,000 people idle here and every

ship brings out hundreds more.

If you know anybody that is thinking

of coming out tell them for God sake

stop where they are. I found Maurice

Murphy and he gave me 1 dollar

on Tuesday, Saint Patrick Day.

He has no work either.  For God sake,

don't let anybody know the way we are off

nothing doing no

expectation, nothing to fall back on

in the way of trade, crops failed

these two or three year back, not much

provisions imported, exports limited

to deals, railroad Sleepers, and Grinding

Stones, our square timber

is all consumed or at least

the forest is done, this Will

give an idea of our State at present

also of our future prospects

over the Blooming
the downing sun
first on the mink
of love and think
that I ____ for by and ____

Dear Father Pen could not write the distress

of the Irish Passengers which arrived thro

Sickness death and distress of every Kind

there are thousands of them buried

on the Island, let me know

how James Burns and Sister are let me know

how John Burns is, Biddy Kelly and family.

Milk and Butter is very dear here

write as soon as you can

I will be uneasy untill I hear from you.

                                                                           January 23, 1873

As I have a notion to marry

again if I could get

a Safe Match please Send

some good young widows or old

maids Its a fact weman

of all kinds are rather Scarce here but

Especially good ones. Pick out one

for me and tell her I will take her

on your reccomend and pay her passage

into the Bargain I am one year younger

than you and have two good Horses

4 cows 8 sheep 20 Hogs 80 Acres

timbered land about 30 of it

improved and all tools to work

my farm and am a carpenter to Boot

Markets rate as follows Potatoes 1s.3d. p stone Butter 1s. 3d. p Pound flower for 196 Pounds 35 shillings Eggs 8d.

                                --Well Jack I will stop my scribbling for this time

                                By the way how is Tommy

                                getting along tell him not

                                to fall in love with some yankey

                                hooker doodle

Dear Cousin: Maggie
has not had a letter from you
for ever and of course
she feels slighted. I tell her that if I
was as long without a letter I
should be crazy really, Johnie,
you do not write, what is the trouble,
Good Night with love
from your cousin PS
You did well to hold onto your horse
do you remember, how did it get so wild

Edward McCarthy Dear Ned
You will think it strange of me to ask
as I already got one picture but the eyes
are so dull that you can harly notice them
the man said if I could get the lend
of others he would try to paint
one right away, he is a splendid hand
his name is Frost bookkeeper.
I hope you wont refuse
the first favour I ask of you for the lend
of Jims picture now to paint
I am trying to have one
coppied it will be so nice for the children
to look at when we are dead

Dear wife                                                                            
15 new cases + 9 deaths. Persons attacked
frequently do not live
more than 5 or 6 hours. If the Cholera
should increase I think I shall go
to Portland although I suppose
I should lose my situation
dont let this alarm you.
I will write again tomorrow
or next day—dont be too anzious +
give my love to all the dear children perhaps
I ought not to have written as I have

Bye Bye Johnie

My health thank God
is pretty Good, my age
is pretty round I am wrestling
with Mr Sixty but I hope
I will get at the other Side
of him, I am Gray,
and I wear spectacles,
I am sober and I do not drink
I am well liked, and I offend no
body, and I am happy
to hear from you at all
times when you are pleased to write

We had strawberries & cream
coconut chocolate & biscuit,
lobster salad & coffee

Wrote a leter to John John and send him 5D,
Wrote some poetry
 
Said Mary to a frolicsome brook
That was running away
 
The crosseyed fellow came & the fox
 
 
 
I’m going to leave tomorrow forever

Letters in “Wrap” from The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The New Brunswick Provincial Archives, and Patricia Ann Pawlak, The Diary of Mary McKeon, an Irish American Domestic Servant in Nineteenth Century America, Duke University MA thesis, August 2016.

• Jane and James MacKintosh to Margaret, Kilkeel, Nov. 13, 1858
• Patrick O'Neill, NYC, to his brother John O'Neill, Fall River, Massachusetts, 21 March, 1868, from "Letters of Irish Immigrants," Carlow County, Ireland Genealogical Projects
• John Browne to Michael Studdert, Jan. 16, 1849
• Mary McKeon diary
• Lewis Doyle, Kilkenny, Minn., to John Doyle, Pollerton, County Carlow, Ireland, January 23, 1873
• Letter from Robert Eddy to his family, Bathhurst Bay, Sept. 2, 1838, and letter fragment from J. Nugent
• Mrs. Jas. McCarthy to Edward McCarthy, Chatham, July 16, 1888
• Letter to Mrs Samuel Gilman from her husband, Sept. 2, 1848, Maine Historical Society, Maine Memory Network
• John Browne to Michael Studdert, Jan. 16, 1849