(This letter was addressed to Mr. Andrew Colhoun, Rosbrakin,
Parish of Leck, County Donegal, Ireland. Letterkenny Post
office. Via Baltimore. Pain 1/shilling)
Washington County,
Pennslyvania,
October 4th 1830
Dear Father,
I received your letter sent by Mr. James Clarke
dated the 28th April 1830 which gave me more satisfactionn
than is in my power to express. It gave rise to a most
earnest & [and?] almost uncontrollable desire to see you as
I had for Several Years considered you dead to this World
and me. But your letter in one part gave me much pain while
it complained of my neglect to write to you - My dear
father for at least three years I continued to write since
I received any word from you then with a sorrowful heart
concluded that you were dead and the family probably removed
or dispersed from Rosbracken. But my dear father consider
that I live 300 miles from any seaport and have not for
seven years seen any person that was going to Ireland from
here so that there was no chance to send letters but to put
them into the Post office here and pay the postage to some
of the seaports and then trust to the postmaster there to
have them shipped for Ireland which trust is very uncertain
as I am certain that I sent more than ten letters since I
received one from you. Dear Father I will proceed to give
you an account of myself as you already know I lived with
my cousin Wm. [William?] Colhoun of Clarkesville the first
five years that I was in the country for which I never
received one cent. I then left him and went to a Mr. Reed
of Washington where I lived six months as he had then three
Sons he did not need my service any longer. I then went into
the country and commenced teaching school which business I
still follow - in 1822 I married a wife whose name was
Clarke and thanks be to God she has and continues to be a
help meet [helpmate?] for me - I have five children the
oldest is a boy and the other four are Girls - I still
continue to have bad health though not so to confine me to
bed - The first and only great error of my life since I left
you was that i ever went to my friends or trusted to them to
put me into business - If I had at the first set in to work
with strangers when my health was good I think it would have
been better for my self. But thanks be to God I have never
been in want. I still make a decent liveing [living?] though
I cannot get rich - The times is good here there is peace
and plenty anybody that will use industry can live well and
have plenty.
You request to know what became of your Brother Johns Wife
#PAGE 2
and family I will comply with so far as I am acquainted,
his wife still lives in Chambersburgh [Chambersburg?] and have
the use of all his property till her death - his eldest Son
William that lived in Clarkesville died in May last and left a
wife with six children he was I may say worth nothing but they
will get something considerable from his fathers estate at the
death of his wife who is a very old woman - His oldest
Daughter who was married to Mr. Campbell a lawyer is a widow
and very poor, her husband died insolvent. She likewise will
get part of her Fathers estate - His son Alexander has a
family and lives in Chambersburgh [Chambersburg?] he is
cashier of the bank there and is rich. His son Samuel is a
Doctor and lives in Philadelphi [Philadelphia?] not married
and is with [--------?] two sons John and Andrew are merchants
in Kentucky not married and are rich. His youngest son James
lives in Chambersburgh [Chambersburg?] not married and rich he
is a merchant. His youngest daughter Eleanor is married to a
Preacher named Culbisen and lives in the state of Ohio - The
most of family mentioned above I never saw - I have heard that
your Brother Johns property after his death was valued at
80 thousand Dollars. I also heard this Summer that your brother
Samuel and his wife are both dead they had three children John,
Catherine and Eleanor - one of the girls is married and the
other lives with her. John I understand was living amongst his
friends in Chambersburgh [Chambersburg?]. Samuel was brokeup
and died not worth one shilling. I believe the cause was in
consequence of sending his Son to the State of Kentucky with a
store who did not manage well and run his father in debt more
that all his property Real and personal were worth. I heard
that after the sale of his property he and his wife went to her
Brothers who lives in one of the Southern States, I think his
name is Alexander Philson who had wrote for them to come and
live with him - when they got there they could not stand it to
live in the manner that he did, which is as represented to me
was that himself & [and?] his negroes live like Hogs. I didnt
[didn't?] hear they died but understood there was but little
time between them - My dear father no more at present But for
God's sake write to me as often as you have opportunity from
Derry and direct as follows. Mr Alexander Reed Merchant,
Washington, Washington County, Pennslyvania for William
Colhoun. My earnest desire and prayer to God is that this may
reach you. My brother Francis was not mentioned in your letter
be so good as to inform me what became of him. Give my sincere
love to all my Brothers and Sisters and all enquiring friends.
William Colhoun.
