Dunsilly
Antrim
13th January
1913
Dear Brother
I write you a
few lines to let you know
that we are all well hopping [hoping?]
you are all the same I got
your letter and was glad to
to [sic] hear from you The Old country
is much the same but the Old people
is passing away and young ones
getting up It was a very wet
season last the crops was not
to [too?] good Potatoes and Turnips
was very small it was very
hard to get Hay and Oats saved
with so much wet weather
I keep one Cow and three
Calves and a few fowls
it is quite enough for me to
feed and look after. Well
Brother i [I?] will tell you about
some of our friends as far as i [I?]
know. James daughter Maggie
she is a widow and has six of a
family there is Four boys and two
girls the [they?] are all at buisness
[business?]. [Hessie?] she is Married
and lives in Ballymena she has six of
a family. Two boys and Four girls
the [they?] are small the [they?] are
at school Samuel and Margery lives at
Larne the [they?] are still single the
[they?] keep a posh shop and is getting
on well the rest of James family
is in New York i [I?] do not
Know what occupation the [they?] follow
Davids [David's?] widow and family is well
The two oldest boys work at
home with their Mother his
Daughter Jane is married she lives in
Belfast her husband is a chip carpenter
the [they?] have four of a family the
[they?] are all boys. The to [two?]
youngest boy is in Belfast [?] there is
one of them a ship carpenter he is married
about eight months ago the youngest one
is learning to be a [-latter?] Martha Ann
and Husband and son is well and getting on
well Brother John and Mistress [Mrs?] and
Family is well the [they?] have four 2 girls
and 2 boys Sarah Lizza [Eliza?] she lives
here with [me?] she is six years old
There is Maggie and [Sam?] and
John are the youngest Margets [Margaret's?] son
andy is well he is still working with
John I will tell you the ages of our
family as near as i [I?] can when the [they?]
died Father was 78 when he died Mother
was 90 James was 77 David 73 Robert
was 76 Margret was 69 Mary 36 Sarah
Eliza 46 I am 73 past myself so
you see i [I?] am wearing pretty old myself
we belong still to Kilswatter [Kilswater?]
and goes pretty regular Brother John has a
car. And his Mistress [Mrs?] can drive to
[too?] so i [I?] can get with either of them
as the [they?] generally go sabbeth [Sabbath?]
about I will now Close at this time
hopping [hoping?] to have a letter from you
soon I remain you [your?] Loving
Sister Jane Ritchie