Letter from John & Mitilda Ferguson, Philadelphia, to Joseph & Elisa
[Page 1] Philadelphia November 1st 1874 Dear Joseph and Elisa I send these few lines to let you now [know?] we are all well thank God for his kindness to us hoping this will find yous [you?] in the same we received your kind letter which gave us great pleasure to hear of yous [you?]being all well and of being successful in having a good crop this season and it seems to me that Mr.and Mrs.Steele is treating yous [you?] very kindly with nice presents the times in this country is verry [very?] dull this summer the one half of the people is not in work for my part I have steady work yet I am working right beside where I live this two weeks back I am working by the foot I made 26dollars last week the weather is fine here yet but it changes verry [very?] suden [sudden?]and when the cold and frost sets in the work will stop right away [Page 2] There are a great many gowing [going?] home they are afraid of a hard winter it is expected to be so we had a son of Richard Monteith of Newtownstewart to see us about two weeks back he was to gow [go?] home at that time he said he would give yous [you?] a call when he would reach home Johnny & David is in work and David is back with us but he lost the job he worked at on account of a sore finger I got him a job in a box factory at 9 dollars per week and Seragh is steady with the same lady and she has three dollars and a half per week she was gowing [going?] to leave and gow [go?]to a traid [trade?] so the lady raised her pay and would not let her gow[go?] She gave her a great many nice presents and she got a good quantity of childrens close [clothes?] and shoes for Magys little ones Mary Anne is not in any place yet but I expect she will this week coming Thomas has a store and has a nice house he works every day and Martha minds the shop they are in a good way of doing [Page 3] I had a letter from your Aunt Elisa Carson last week She told us Magy was in the hight [height?] of want and she advised her to sell the little furniture and to come on to us and let Sammy gow [go?] where he liked he was discharged from the work 2 weeks before that and she had been giving them all the assistance she could but help dose [does?] not do for Sammy he wants all for nothing and will work none It is a pity of poor unfortunate Magy her aunt says if she dose [does?] not come to us she has no other remedy than the City authorities I rote [wrote?] a letter to her last week but I got no answer nor she has not come yet Samuel has been doing so many mean acts in Ireland and he just got on the same in Philadelphia and is trying to do the same in New York he is counted the meanest white man in the United States by all that nows [knows?] him his principal [principles?] is lower than a neager [negro?] [Page 4] Your mother got them goods from stores and he never paid one cent of it and she got his sister Mary Anne close [clothes?] and she went off to New York and left us to pay it so I must say they are a dirty concern I had to support Magy and the 2 children for 6 weeks when he went to Duchs county and then she went to him but when she went there he had no way for her so she came back to New York but I was almost supporting them while the [they?] were here for 5 months and nothing but ridicule from the mean fellow in the rear and sent their furniture to New York So you may think I had too much expense with him since he came here give our kind love to my mother and sister and brother and little Willy I will send them a letter in a few days I had a letter from them a little ago and was glad to hear of them being all well your mother is just the same as at home but she is poorly some times with rumatism [rheumatism?] in her feet but no headache but that is customary in the country No more We remain your affectionate Father & Mother John & Mitilda FergusonClose