Letter from John Ferguson, Philadelphia to Joseph & Eliza

Back to Search View Transcript
Document ID 200910003
Date 28-03-1892
Document Type Letters (Emigrants)
Archive Mellon Centre for Migration Studies
Citation Letter from John Ferguson, Philadelphia to Joseph & Eliza;Dermot Lyttle; CMSIED 200910003
47524
Page 1

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

Page 2

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

Page 3

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

Page 4

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

Page 5

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