Letters 1837-1840: Armstrong-McCoy

I take this present favourable opertunity of sending you these few lines hoping they will find you in good health as I am at present thanks be to God for all his great mercies. My Dear Sister you will be surprised at hearing from me but under the present - Sircumstances I cannot avoid it[.] Dear Sister you remember at one time cautionig me and my mother against bringing my sisterin Law within the house with us. O I wish that me had followed your advise at that time it would have spared us a gredale {great deal?} of anxiety since. Dear Sister I will not hear Enlarge upon her Carracter but it more than answers to what Mme Frazer has given you {page 2} of it[.] Dear Sister she has treated our Dear Mother very badly before her Death {here there is a line crossed out} I need not wonder at the treatment she is giving me at present Dear Sister she i staking Every opertunity of Casting Reflections on our Dear Mother[.] Dear Sister I am just like a stranger in Dublin I have not crossed my dear Fathers Door since whisten{?} Monday a Coolness Came between Ellin and me on that Day Ever since she is striving to do me all the Inguriy she can[.] she came heare and shiru {strove?} to ingury My connecton with Mrs Henderson but how I am not taking the desired affect she threatened to send a note to Mrs Henderson to Explain My conduct and my Brother Henruys {Henry} but has never affect to do so {page 3} since but thanks be to God I never left any thing in her power if I had I might dread the worst a few things since I called to see My Father as I do not go in calle dhim on the Stairs as I was pasing up it was late in the Evening and James was within but I did not know at the time[.] I called my Father several times and altho I had not seen James for a Considerable time he never Crossed the Door to ask me how I was and to tell me my Father was not at home[.] poor Ellin would not let eather of the Children out to answer me[.] I would not of sent you this now but the treatment to right to you about me and I did not like to lye under your displeasure unwarinted {page 4 - bottom part} My Father and the Family are all well thanks be to God I am still with Mrs Henderson I likeher and all the Family very mush She is a very motherly woman {part at the top} the all send their Love to you right soon and Direct to Me 104 upper Dorset St Dublin
Dont mention this to my Father when you right to him, it would fret him Your till Death

C Armstrong

{page 4 sideways} Miss Mary desires me to remember her to my little nephew or niece whichever it is. {sideways on page 3} I hope William is well forgive me for not mentioning he him sooner

I received your letter of the 7th July which gives me great pleasure to hear of you being well thanks be to God. I and all the children enjoy good health indeed it surprised me a little to hear that William had joined the service again so soon after puchasing his discharge from the 83rd. but the reason that you give for doing so, and the short period that he has to serve, causes me to think that he acted more prudent than if he had ventured on a piece of land when he had not the means to settle himself according to his wishes. My dear children you encourage me to exert myself to go to you, in the name of goodness what would I be doing there. I cannot bear intense cold and I'm sure one of your severe winters in that country would kill me, besides I should give up my Pension for there is no such thing as selling it. I wish you a great deal of joy in your young Daughter I hope that she will live to be a comfort and prop to you in your declining years. Henry {Armstrong 1824-1891 (his son)} returned to me in ten days after I wrote last to you. And I have him now bound to the Cutlery business, he was bound on the 1st of August and must give the first year for nothing, the second year he is to get 3/6d a week, and every year after it rises one {page 2} one shilling a week until the last year where he is to get half earnings. The times never was so bad in Dublin as they are at present, there is scarcely any business doing and therefore not a shilling to be earned and all kinds of provisions out of the way dear, Potatoes which is the general diet of the Poor are 6d a stone, which is an enormous price for this season, Oatmeal is from 2/6 to 3/- per stone and Flour is dear accordingly - a poor man with the earnings that is going cannot taste Beef or Mutton, and the worst Bacon is 6d a pound, and bad as everything is now I'm very much afraid it will be worse. the Harvest is so wet that a great quantity of the Corn rotted on the ground and was was only drawn home to be thrown in the Dunghill. the great floods that has been, has swept away entire fields of Corn & Potatoes, and such Potatoes as grew in low land has been so covered with water that they rotted in the ground - This is a black catelogue I am sending you, but I am sorry to say that it is too true, how things will turn out the Lord only knows, however the poor will suffer -. The Children join me in sending our love to you, and

I remain Your Affectionate Father

{signed} James Armstrong

{page 3}

P.S. Mr.Frazer has removed from Ellin Quay to 39 Arrau Quay Eliza Cunningham sends her love to you she still lives with Mrs.Conway - October 30

My Dear Sister -

My father forgot to inform you of our parting with James {Armstrong (son)} we left the [OR he left here] In the early part of the month when In 46 bridgeport Street, give my love to William and may the Lord watch over And protect you both shall be the Prayer of your Affectionate Sister

{signed} Catherine Armstrong {Note that 1 stone = 14 pounds weight.}

Sergt.McCoy, I am informed that there are some men in Kingston who preserve a favourite recollection of me, and who (it is thought) would enlist with me, did I ask them. As it is impossible for me to do so in person I should feel obliged to you if you would forward the names of such to me, (if such there are. I shall find other means of rewarding you for any trouble you may take for me; beside fine words - but I cannot resist saying that you will lay me under an obligation if you can get some fine Sober, Steady, Young Men for me. {page 2} I wish it clearly to be understood between us, that I retract any request that I have made in this letter to you if you are in any way promised to any other officer, of course then your exerting yourself for me would be out of the question. If you are promised to any one, I do not doubt that those Non-Commissioned officers who know me best - viz Sergt. Monahan or Aldon or Corporals Ferris fadden &c would endevour to serve me in the way I ask, at any rate you may mention it to them. I should be glad to hear from you in reply to this.

Believe me Your Sincere well-wishes

{signed} Joseph Smith Sec

I received your kind welcome letter on 1^st of June 1840 Dated 10^th of April 1840 and it gives me much satisfaction to hear of you being in good health as this leaves me at present in the same thanks be to God for it and hoping this will find you and my dear sister in the same. I was exceedingly sorry to hear of your dear little one’s decease, my namesake, but your loss was infinite gain to her[.] Dear brother & sister my Father and mother left this on 20^th of May to go to you[.] I trust they will be with you before this letter, I need not tell you of the sorrow I had when parting with my Dear Father and mother my unhappy mind can be better conceived than described and I am sure I shall never be happy till I see then again and I trust if we should never have the happiness of meeting on earth that you and my Dear sister with Father & Mother and Friends shall meet in Heaven where parting shall be no more

{page 2} Dear Brother as you have always been willing to confer favours on me I would ask another that is to write as soon as this comes to hand and let me know if my Dear Father and mother are landed safe[.] Please let my Father & Mother know that I did not keep the house that they took but I am stoping in the house with Mrs. Maitland who joins in sending her affectionate respects to my Father and mother[,] my Uncle Robert McKay and Aunt sends their love to you and my sister. James Whitton and Wife sends also his love to you[.] When you write let me know where the 74 Regiment is lying[.] Now Dear Brother in conclusion I may say there is nothing on earth would give me more comfort than receiving your letters and I hope you will continue to write me seeing I am in a strange place and I may say nothing but strangers to speak to[.] I hope you will not neglect writing often let me entreat you to write as soon as this reaches you for I am very uneasy to I hear from you whether My kind parents are to come your length or not

I am

Dear Brother your affectionate sister till Death

{signed} Lucinda McCoy Direct as usual

I received your letter of the 1st September, and am happy to hear of you being in good health as we are thanks be to God for his goodness to us poor sinful wretches. So your little Lucy is gone and your James, is gone and you are Childless, well it is the will of God and you should not refine{?} at his decree for he saith, as many as I love I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent, And indeed when it is the Lords pleasure to call a beloved child, in place of greiving we should rather rejoice, for he in Mercy removes them from the evil to come. I am very happy to hear that your Father, & Mother & little sister got safe to you, and that you have them settled comfortably on your farm[.] I hope that they are in good health and that the change of country & climate will not impare it. Dear William if you could now sit down with your Father on the farm how comfortably you all would be, but two years is a long time to look forward to, and how many {page 2} may happen in that time, God grant if there be any, that they may be agreeable, But your poor father must feel very lonely in that strange country and you so far from him. I reilly feel for him, I hope you write him often and see's him sometimes it would be a great consolation to him and make the time glide imperceptably by.-

Blessed be God we all enjoy good health and are living very comfotable for my part I am doing nothing, except now and then I may get two or three days work, but that is very seldom howeve James has been constantly employed since the middle of September and sticks closely to his work. I dont think he will ask to ramble any more in haste. Ellen is very well and keeps us all very comfortable[.] Kate is living with a daughter of Mrs.Foursides in Parkgate Street[.] Henry is sticking pretty close to his trade, indeed closer than I expected he would do when he was bound[.] Robert goes to school. And little William is growing up as fine a boy as you ever {page 4}

in[

regards in[

sending our[

{This is the missing corner part. There is a signature fragment probably that of James Armstrong Senior.}

P.S. We have had an abundant Harvest and provisions are getting cheap, except Fresh meat which continues dear --