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Philadelphia 16th November 1871
Dear Joseph and Eliza We received your kind letter yesterday
which gave us great pleasure to hear of yous [you?] beeing [being?]
well as regards our helth [health?] we are all well at present you say
you have been Dreaming about Little Samuel you ware [were?]
afraid of Something ban [being?] the mater [matter?] he is well
and is getting verry [very?] fat and I have had no pain in my Leg
since I came here. Your mother is just the same as at home I have
not been at work this last 8 days but I expect to be at work next
week my kind of work slacks off here in the fall the weather is
setting in now prety [pretty?] cold some frost but no snow yet
of course the winter will be cold as the summer was hot I have
been through a great part of the City but I could never see it all
The [There?] are 30 hundred miles long of streets in the City
you make think it prety [pretty?] large I would rote [wrote?]
sooner but
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I had a letter from Elisa Slone. She says Willy did not stop in
Canady [Canada?] and she says in her letter the [they?] will
gow [go?] home and the [they?] will call to see us this week on their
way. I think this country dose [does?] not sute [suit?] them for
the [they?] had too easy a situation when at home This country
dose [does?] not suit any one that is afraid to work until the [they?]
get some money saved and then the [they?] can doo [do?] first rate
we ware sorry to here [hear?] of your Flax dooing [doing?] so
poorly for yous [you?] but perhaps the next crop would come
off extraw [extra?] good the failure in the turnips is something new
but wee [we?] need not think it strange there is still something the
matter to keep the Farmer poor. I sent a letter to Samuel and
Magy three weeks past that is three I sent and has got no answer
I intend to rite [write?] to them steady untill [until?] I induce them
to send us a letter Perhaps the hurry of the harvest stoped [stopped?]
their inclination but not there is no excuse we had a Letter from
[Droit?] lately which gave us great pleasure to
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hear of them being well Let them see this letter Sending our best
respects to them all hoping the [they?] are in good health and I
intend to send them a Letter shortly your Uncle David and Family is
well the [they?] had an increase to the Family of a son about
three weeks ago but it died last week. The [They?] are sorry on
acount [account?] of it being a son the [they?] called it for
Mr [Stack?] George Hall wee [we?] had a Letter from your Aunt
Elisa Carson the [they?] intended to come on here but the [they?]
will not come now to the Spring the [they?] are all well Thomas
is in the same situation and has got the Charge over the men
Johney is steady in the situation he first went into david [David?]
is in a Barrle [Barrel?] Factory at 6 Dolars [Dollars?] per week
and Seragh is still attending her nursing. She has got a nice
winter dress of blue poplin trimed [trimmed?] with black
velvit [velvet?] and a hat of black and read [red?] velvet
trimed [trimmed?] with blue and read [red?] Feathers The
dressmaker charged 2 Dolars for making her dress Mary Anne
intend to gow [go?] out to live She was out for 2 weeks She
did not Like it and cam home She had 2 Dolar [Dollars} per
week. This countery [country?] is quit [quite?] different to
ireland the [they?] eat and Drink and ware [wear?] good to what
the [they?] can doe [do?] at home of course the [they?] must
doo [do?] so theprovisions is prety [pretty?] deer [dear?]
Flower [Flour?] 9 Dolars [Dollars?] per Barrle [Barrel?]
of 200 pounds Beef 14 to 16 cents per pound eggs 44 cents
per Dozen Butter 40 Cents per pound sugar 7 cents per pound
tea 120 cents per pound potaties [potatoes?] 75 cents per
Bushell [bushel?] a cent here is the same as your
halfpeny [halfpenny?] at home Coffee is greatly used in this
countery [country?] but your mother and I always
prefairs [prefers?] the tea we use freshmeat [fresh meat?]
twice every day to dinner and supper the Diet wee [we?]
use here the produce of three of the best Farms in Castletown
would not bring it even the [they?] had no rent to pay to [death?]
