Letter from John Ferguson, Philadelphia to Joseph & Eliza
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 wellClose