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.