Healdsburg the 1883
Sonoma, Co. Cal [California?]
December the
14
Dear margret [Margaret?] I
received your letter of November the
21 un [on?] December the 12 I was glad
to hear of you all been well and
also that your father got every thing
don [done?] feair [fair?] and squre [square?] and the papers
made out all right. James has bought
a home for him self [himself?] and Sam
California has another for him self [himself?]
and I think the [they?] wood [would?] be along
[a long?] time in Ireland before the [they?] wood
[would?] be thear [there?] one [own?] land lord
[landlord?] I moved on the sixt [sixth?] to James
house and I will have to pay no more rent
I was along [a long?] Tim [time?] in Ireland and
what was I look at my young
sun [son?] Sam that has a dead [deed?] of
a property in the City limits of
Healdsburg
margret [Margaret?] send me a Tables book
Dear margret [Margaret?] I was not a bit vext
to hear of spalan thear [there?] is 1 or 2 more
to go the same way and then I will
be all right and thear [their?] day is comming
[coming?] This is the coldest winter I hear
that ever was in Cal [California?] the frost at
night is as bad as ever I seen in
Ireland unto [until?] the sun rises and then
it wood [would?] burn you until night
the potatoes is 80 cents a Hundred
and the flour is 5 Dolars [Dollars?] a bas[-?] [basket?]
the bacon is 16 C a pound and
chickens is 7 $ a dusen [dozen?] and turkies
[turkeys?] is 50 c a pound and a quarter of
mutton is 1 dolar [dollar?] and beans is 3 c
and meat is 12 c a pound you can
by [buy?] a cow for 100 dolars [dollars?] and a good
Horse for 500 $ and a good sheep
3 1/2 $ and I think this is a
far better country than Ireland
you know as well as I that Ireland
is don [done?] and I will tell you the
reason that it will go down
because the [they?] took the glibs
from the ractors [rectors?] that was
preatching [preaching?] the true gosple [gospel?] out
of the Bible and the day is
comming [coming?] when the [they?] will be ractors [rectors?]
again in Ireland min [mind?] what stevenson
said if you wear [were?] hear [here?] you wood [would?]
not thank [think?] so much of the meting [meeting?]
house preatchers [preachers?] my Doughter [Daughter?] margret
[Margaret?] has got to be a big girl and she
wonders that her cousin margret [Margaret?]
graham do not rite [write?] to her she wood [would?]
like to hear from you she lives in Hea [Healdsburg?]
Dear margret [Margaret?] I have not very much news
to send you at preasant [present?] your Ant [Aunt?]
is Keeping verry [very?] doncie (sic) she is got very
thin but she is up every day and
waking [walking?] about and I think if the
frost was a way she wood [would?] be all
right again she wants for nothing
she has on hur [her?] tabl [table?] what she
wood [would?] not have in the sixtowns
and now she is in a House of
James living and she will be
Content now She has no mor [more?]
rent to pay and that is
a blisson [blessing?] Dear M [Margaret?] I am doying [doing?]
furestrate [first rate?] and I have good health
and I was out a good pile of
money un [on?] the acount [account?] of the cickness
[sickness?] and I have sum [some?] yet more nor I
cood [could?] make in the sixtowns in 10 years
and my children is doying [doing?] verry [very?] well
and if the [they?] were back there what wood [would?]
the [they?] be I wood [would?] not be able to give
them thear [their?] grub and what a bout [about?]
thear [their?] clothes and boots and hear [here?] the [they?]
have bouth [both?] the [they?] are drest [dressed?] well
and the [they?] can eat meat 3 times
a day and plenty on the table
of every thing that the [they?] want
to eat and I do not rue my trip
comming [coming?] to Cal [California?] un [on?] the acount
[account?] of my children I ntend [intend?] to take a trip
to Ireland some time to spend a mount [month?] or 2 and that
will be my last trip. we are all well Jo [John?] S Sinclare
[Sinclair?]
write soon
