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Philadelphia 28th March 1892
Dear Joseph & Eliza We received your
kind letter this morning which gave us
great pleasure to hear of your being well
We got three letters at the same time one
from yous[you?]and one from Rousky and one
from Droit yous [you?] appear to think I should rite [write?]
often but I thought when David rote [wrote?] to you
that I would not rite [write?] to the [there?] would come
an answer we are as kind as ever we were
and have no extra kindness to one more than
the other I always intend to rite [write?] regular
to each of yous [you?] as long as the Lord spares
me and gives me health in this country to
so to do we are glad to hear of yous [you?] getting along
so well with your plowing [ploughing?] but as regards
Johnny Colhoun not been steady to work he
never was of much account It has been
a very hard winter here I am informed
it is the hardest was this 20 years it has
been freezing pretty much all the time since the
fall the thaw has set in this week and this
is a nice sunshine day but the [there?] are no plowing [ploughing?]
down here yet the [they?] do not plant the crop
so early here as there
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This country is not the same as at home
The principal work stops at the fall and
dose [does?] not start to April I have not been
doing much all winter there is nothing
a moving in any traid [trade?] here in winter but
I intend to go to work on Monday first
to West Philadelphia that is about three
miles from where I live They would think it
very hard in Ireland to go so far every day
but here men go 7or 8 miles
and often has to travel when I go out to
work I go by the street cars I have been
but poorly in health this winter but I
think it was on account of the severe
weather and not doing my work but
thank God I am well now your mother
is often complaining but when she got
so many letters this morning it made her
a few years younger and enabled her to
get threw [through?] her housekeeping work
first rate Johnny left the man he was
with so long he was not paying him
according to contract he is with another
this week he is boarding at home but as
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soon as he can find another situation
he will embrace it David is in the same
store Mary Ann and Seragh is in
the same places they were in but
we are intend to bring them home
soon and put them to a traid [trade?]
that is to operate on stitching
machine it would take them about
3 weeks to learn and then they could
make from 4 to 5 dolars [dollars?] per week at
first and always be advancing and
they would be at home and could
assist their mother There is a great
many ways that people can make
money here that I could not instruct
you with except I was telling it to
you by word of mouth You think
it strange of Thomas been married
to Martha Graham the [they?] are very industrious
family in this country and is in
great respect Mark Graham has got to
be an elder in the meetinghouse your
uncle David is well and all the family
he was here when I was riting [writing?] this
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I had a letter from your aunt Elisa
Carson of N York the [they?] are all well and
the [they?] intend to come on here this spring
to live here it takes a great dale [deal?] of
money to keep a family anyway in
nice order and it would take one
here to have some money saved so as
if sickness or death would occur it
is not here as at home you cannot
bury your dead as you think fit
It will cost about 200 dolars [dollars?] to
have one buried here that is 40 pounds
of your money the small pox is very
plenty here and it is next door to us
now one of them died on Friday last
Mother and I will send our likeness this
Summer Yous [you] had some mind of coming
out here if the crop would not grow
better this Summer than it done last but
I would not advise any one to come
here that has no traid [trade?] money is not got
in this country lying on the streets very
often there is a rong [wrong?] description given of this
country rite [write?] as soon as you get this as
it enlivens us to hear from yous [you?] me more
John Ferguson
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You have been expecting a letter
from Thomas but Thomas is well himself
and that is principally all he
cares for he is living in the house
with me but that is all some
people in this country dont care
for their friends so much as might
be considered Thomas made an early
set of from us in the country the first
winter
we were in Mr. Wilsons last week
his wife Margret had got a
severe fall some days before
on the sidewalk and cut her
face badly the Doctor was obliged
to sow up the cut Mr.Adams and
family is well but their youngest
child died last week he is now on
the police Elisa Jane Park is well