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The arrival of an "American letter” generated huge excitement. Yet few have survived probably due to the fragility of the medium and the lack of importance ascribed to them by subsequent generations who often disposed of them with little thought. * Rose Hoover has very kindly donated a letter dated 13 April 1892 from a relative that had already immigrated to America urging another family of relatives still in County DOWN to make the trip. The letter tells them what to pack and bring and a little about what to expect in the voyage. Rose has asked that if anyone has any input on the translation to please get in touch. A WORD Doc and PDF of the original letter are available. Following the advice given in the letter, Sam and Annie Dunlap did indeed make the long journey arriving in America in a year or so after that letter. They settled in Pittsburgh, where Rose lives today. They are Rose's ggg grandparents. Their daughter Elizabeth met and married my gg grandfather, Robert Fadzen. Rose is currently concentrating on the McFadzen branch of the family and she has gotten back in time and space to Mochrum Wigtownshire, Scotland. However, she believes the McFadzens were most likely in Ireland before Wigtownshire, oral family history says they changed their name from McFadden but that has not yet been proven. Thanks for sharing their story Rose. |
The main collections of emigrant letters in Ireland are held in the PRONI and in the Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh. The majority of these letters are from emigrants from Ulster. The Irish Emigration Database was created by the Centre for Migration Studies. It has all sorts of migration related material on it - shipping news, passenger lists, official reports, indentures, emigrant letters, wills and diaries. * Source: EMIGRANT LETTERS early EMIgrant LEtter stories (EMILE) |
