Letter from John Ferguson, Philadelphia to Mother, Brother and Sister

Back to Search View Transcript
Document ID 200911004
Date 18-04-1871
Document Type Letters (Emigrants)
Archive Mellon Centre for Migration Studies
Citation Letter from John Ferguson, Philadelphia to Mother, Brother and Sister; Dermot Lyttle; CMSIED 200911004
50883
Philadelphia 19th April 1871

Dear Mother brother and sister
 I should think by this time 
youse [you?] are verry [very] uneasy in mind
 not getting a letter sooner 
but as I said I did not like 
to rite [write?] to [till] I would gow [go?] 
to Thomas we had a long passage
 of 13 days we had a good dale [deal?]
of sea sick while on bord [board?] 
metilda [Matilda]  and the two youngest
 stood the voyage the 
there was 4 feet high of water
over deck you may consider
how I 

[page 2]

Loocked [Looked?] by that time we 
arrived at New York on the 
13th of April but on account 
of it being the evening we 
could not get out to next 
morning we had our beds all 
packed up and up on deck 
there we were obliedged [obliged?] to 
stop on deck all night which 
was verry [very?] hard  Elisa Carson 
came to Castle Gardin [Garden?] that
evening and sent a letter in 
to the master to us that she
was waiting for us she came 
next day and toock [took?] us to
 her house and used us 
more kinder than I could express 
we stopped there to Monday and 
then we went to Phildadelphia 
Thomas and his Unckle [Uncle?] and 

[page 3]

James Arthur and a great many 
others from the old countery [country?] met 
us at the Cars we then went to 
Davids house where we ware [were?]
 kindly treated Thomas has a house
 ready for us we are gowing [going?] to 
live in it this day it is 
one mile nearer town than
 where David lives it is a 
 beautiful house with 6 rooms
 the rent is 16 Dolars [Dollars?] per month
 David Calhoon and I was [were?] 
in town yesterday and got all our 
cases taken to our house we 
had no trouble on account 
of the childrens age 
nor nothing
 more to pay excuse me for
 this being so short as I have to rite [write?]
to Magy [Maggie] and to Elisa and then 
having to [flit?] to our house today.

[page 4]
We are all pretty well at 
present thank god for his kind
mercies to us hoping this will
 meet yous [you?] enjoying the same 
when you rite [write?] Direct to 
                        John Ferguson  2329
		Elsworth Philadelphia
		America

Little Sara has got the first 
situation She is gowing [going?] today 
to a brother of Maria he keeps
a grocery store in town where we
 intend to get our goods She will 
get one Dolar [Dollar?] and a half per week 
to take care of a little child She will
get home every Thursday and every 
alternate Sunday it is about one
 mile up town.