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Phila April 28th 1883
Dear Daughter Eliza, I once more sit down
to write to let you know I am very
much troubled to know why you did not
write to me before this I have made all
the enquiries I could about you but I
did not find out much news only I had
a letter from my sister Eliza in New York
& she said Ann Mellon was waiting on
a letter from her people the last letter
she had from them stated you were
very ill I hope dear daughter your
health is improved since then, I have
wrote to you 2 letters & aunt Mary Ann
I wrote to& I strange & grieve very
much to think neither of you think
worth writing[writing?] to me we had a visit
from Rosanne McCallon last week
she is well & doing well I believe
she sent 20 home to her people but
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dear daughter if you wrote your letter
might have went astray on account
of us moving My health is very
poor with rhumitizam [rheumatism?] in my
bones & other inward diseases Your
sister Mary Ann is still with your
aunt Eliza in New York & the [they?] wrote
for me to come on there in the summer
& I think I will go I have been out
with Sarah to see your brother
Thomas he has a beautiful place
in the western part of the city
he rented his own house in town
& that keeps him sitting free where he
is he has a large store & a 7 room house
he gets along well his wife & family
is well he has two lovely children the
oldest one is about 9 year old his name is
Mark & the baby is named Thomas
Marthas sister Sarah was there the
day we went dear daughter as soon
as you read this write me a long
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letter & let me know all about you
& your family their names & ages
& I would love to have their pictures
& your own Sarah had a large
painting of me taken it is beautiful
it cost about 3 of the English money
I have it hanging in the parlor
I would like to have yours sent
to me & I could have a large one
taken from it tell Aunt Mary Ann
to write me a letter & let me know
how she is & how her mother is getting
along I directed the letter I wrote her
to Chas Hunter Newtown Stewart
the paper informs me of the hard
times in Ireland the[they?] are coming
here in ship loads I hope that
trouble has not reached yous [you?] yet
when you write give me all the
news about my old neighbours as
I like to hear of their welfare I have
been to see aunt Betty & cousin
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Eliza & Margaret & Sarah Hutchinson
are well Uncle David & aunt
Maria 7& family are well and wish to
be remembered to you he is still in
the Gas works & makes good pay
we live convenient to to them My boys
were not working all winter until
a few weeks ago it keep me a
little back Johnny has learned a
new trade as a molder making
sash weights I dont expect he will
marry we live right by the
school hill river where the boats
run It is very nice in summer
My house has 4 rooms & a bath
room with a bath tub & water
upstairs marble steps & a bell
at the door all for 9 dollars all papered
and painted through & furnished nice
here is a picture of myself it is not
(up top)
(written upside down at top of page 4 )
as light I am it is just my features
and all but it is taken too dark it
is not like the large one My girls
Sarah & Kate is working in a mill
(written upside down across pages 2 & 3)
I hope Joes people are all well give them our kind remembrance & we all
join in sending our love to himself & all of you