[Addressed to:]
To Mr William Keys
Coolaness Irvinestown County
Fermanaugh Ireland
Marmora October the 9th 1834
My Dear I take this favourable opertunity of writing these few lines
To you to let you know that we are all in a good State of health at
Present thanks be to God for all his Mercies to us unworthy sinners hoping
these lines will find yous in the same State of health as this leaves us in
at present. Dear Brother leting you know that I received your kind
Letter of the 24th of May on the 6th of August which gave me much
Pleasure to hear of yous being all well Dear Brother i had
a midling large family of Children when I parted you and i have not
many of them with me now. Isabella was maried on the 20th of March
1832 to her Cousin from Pettigo and lives on a lot of land in Marmora within
two Miles of us that the Purchased Anne was maried on the 10th of
May 1833 to a man of the name of Hugh Jones from Beside Colonel Creaton &
In the County Fermanaugh and have two lots of land in Marmora and
a lot up near York he lives uncomonly well it is on one of his places we
Live near this three years back. Hugh was maried on the 15th of June 1833
to a woman the name of Graham from Creve near Balishanon and he is living
on a lot of Land 36 Miles from me a place Called New township of Tyendinaga
Government have Purchased it from the Indians last year the have not got it
Surveyed yet and it is all taken up and Settled on already and the do not
know what the purchase will be yet It is within 15 Miles of Bellvile
which is our Nearest place of Market Dolly was maried on the 18th of February
1834 to a man of the name of Andrew Gauly from the County Fermanagh near
Roslea and Clones he have a lot of land which he lives on in the Township
of Marmora about 6 Miles from me and he lives Very well to. John
Bought 50 Acres of Land last year from my soninglaw Hugh Jones in Marmora
And there was a good House on it and Some Clearance he is within about
one half mile of me Living at present Them four of my Children i can go and
Stop a Space of time with Each and return home the same day to my own
place But Dear Brother I am going on a lot of wild land now i have a house
Raised on it and Some Choping done on it at present it is along side of
of my son Johns place I do Expect to Chop 5 Acres this winter and Crop it
Next Spring Dear Brother my son Hugh wanted his Mother and me to go
to live to him and his Mother would not go so far from her Daughters I would
have been Very fond of going on Acount of it being near Bellvile and the land is
So Very good it is alowed to be as good land as in the province of Upper Canada
Hugh have Choped and Cleared 15 acres and have it all under fall wheat
this fall Within one year he is doing uncomonly well I was down a while this
Sumer helping him to Log of the timber and burn them and I put up pot
Ash works for him Dear Brother we have only the want of Market we
have many profits hear Dear Brother Last March I went out to the woods
and I made withe the asistance of Mary I made three Hundred pounds
Weight of Shugar in about two weeks and a barel of Vinegar and Ceg of
Molasses or Treacle Called there and we can Make pot ashes and Soap
of the timber after that So we have only the want of Market we Could live
Hear perty well only to work hard Sumer and winter in winter we must be
out Choping when the Snow will be four or five feet deep and there will be
Isacles hanging to our Whiskers but we eat and drink well Good beef and
pork three times Each day and potatoes bread butter and tea but deere Brother
We have no money here the Best farmer in the Country must when he is going
Out a Journey he must take wheat rie or oats or Some such Comodity to bear
his Expence in the taverns traveling we will not see one Shilling in the Course
of a year the trade and turn and Give orders from one to another for any dealings
in place of money Dear Brother Catherine lived Eighty miles from me Since
We Com to america to last Spring She Come to Bellevile and is hired there
Since She have 5 S per week all the time Since She Come to America
She is as good a servant as in all America and uncomonly wise She is now
thirty six miles from me now Mary lives always with me
Dear Brother I can raise Potatoes plenty to Support us and fat Six hogs and
and feed six or Eight Sto- pigs each year and wheat and peas and keep
as many Cows or young Cattle as I please to keep without any Cost of paying
for Land or Grasing Better Grazed than the would be in the Generals deer park
I had a year old Calf Bulled this Sumer So that a young Man or Young
Woman Can live Very well here if the be Industrious and bahave themselfs
I thank my god that there Could not be said black was the Eye in Any of my Childrens
Heads since the come to America Dear Brother it was your prayers that
But You need not fear that Dear Brother we had a very fine wheat Crop this
Year there was but an Indifferent Crop of potatoes on acount of Sumer frosts and
a very Dry harvest There was in many places a great dale of Damage done by the
Drooth the severe heat of the Weather Catched fire and burned many houses
and fences and Destroyed the Lands very much I had a very fine potatoe Crop
this year and I have them raised since the last of September I have three Hundred
Bushels of potatoes and Each Bushel Contain four stone Weight Wheat do sell
at from 4 S to 6 d per Bushel Potatoes 2 S per Bushel, rie 2s..6d per Bushel peas
2 S per Bushel Beef 4 d per the Mutton the same pork are Sold from ten
to fourteen Dollars per Barrel Which Cary two Hundred pounds of pork
Dear Brother We have and Election going on at present in Bellvile and the
Methodist is striving to put in Methodist Members to strive to take the Clergy
Lands from the High Church of England Ministers which I fear the will and
Pull down our Church it is thought it will raise a rellion her.
The Ministers here have Every Seventh Lot of Land through all Canada
which is a Very Great Deal for the them but the have pased an act now In parlimen-
and Government sends them what the think Sufficient Dear Brother you will be
kind Enough to let my friends and old Neighbours know that we are all well at present
and sends our love to them Hugh Keys and Sister Isabella and family to William
Armstrong Tubbes and family to my old friend Robert Keys and family to John McMulkin and family and James McMulkin and family to William Keys
of the Hollow and family To long Francis McMilkin and family and I am
Sory for them death if it was gods will to have been otherwise and I send my
Love to all Enquiring friends or neighbours Dear Brother John and Isabella sends
their love to You and Mary and Children in the most Affectionate Maner and request
you to let Widow Odonel know that the are well and Bessey odonel and her
Husband William Ingster is well and have a son born the live in a quarter of a mile
of Me. Dear Brother I forgot when I named my Childrens Mariages to let you know
have Children Bell have two one daughter and a son we have the Daughter ----
She was 6 months old Hughs wife have a son and Calls him John Dick Anne
have one Daughter Dear Brother You will when you write you will let me
know who was the Bearer of Your last letter you sent me it had been opened it was greatly
reduced you will let black Jack know we never heard any thing of tommy only Hugh
San a boy was over in the Ship with and he started for New York and Likewis Cathrine
Allen We never heard any thing of her since we parted her at a place Called the Cascades
She lived with a sergants wife betwen Montrall and prescut and let widow Allen know
W[tear] we were on our Journey from Montreall to Prescut we met with a [tear]
William Keys from lough Mulharn and he ordered us to Stop awhile to refresh ourselfs
and wrote a line or two for Cit Allen to let him know the name of the township so
that when he would Stop he would write to us and he Never wrote or sent any word since
Dear Brother When you write you will let me know how Widow Odonel and
Children is and Thomas Maxwell and family is Betty Graham from Pettigo and
family went last year to the state of new york a place called Rochester.
Dear Brother When you write you will let me know the Particulars of
that Country in General William I received a letter from Hugh Keys of Drumbulkin
Dated the 23rd of May on the 6th of October which Surprises me much it
was Delayed so long after yours So I conclude with my love and Blessing
Royal and Mary Keys
When you Write Direct as Before
