James J. Wright, Sophie Estate, to his Aunt Martha Wright, Dublin
Item
Rights
Permission to publish from the Historical Library of the Religious Society of Friends in Dublin
Publisher
University of Galway
Format
JPG
Type
Manuscript
Number of pages
4
Source
Historical Library of the Religious Society of Friends in Dublin
Creator
James Jenkinson Wright
Identifier
Portfolio 35X_L12
Date
1838-02-28
Surname
Wright
Firstname
James Jenkinson
Title
James J. Wright, Sophie Estate, to his Aunt Martha Wright, Dublin
Translator
Kerby A. Miller, Patricia Miller
Description
James J. Wright, Sophie Estate, to his Aunt Martha Wright, Dublin
Transcript
001
Sophie Estate, February 28, 1838
Dear Aunt,
I was duly in receipt of the two acceptable letters of November 14th & 28 last past, the latter conveying the intelligence of the decease of Aunt Rachel and covering several papers relative thereto and although she had numbered so many years, still her death came unexpectedly upon me, for having got so well over the effects of the unfortunate burn, was considered by me as indicative of good vital powers for her advanced age.
I take up the former letter to reply to first and have to say, That my Brother William left a widow and child about 5 years old they will not be in want as her father is well off. All matters and persons were going on well in Ohio at my last dates and I trust will continue so to do. I wonder that you do not get more regular advices from them, it is pleasing to learn that the marriage of Uncle Williams daughter is expected to prove a happy one.
It is always satisfactory to me to learn from you the changes that occur in Old Ireland and I always note with attention marriage and births & deaths, the
002
latter has been numerous of late, and as you very justly observe the gaps created thereby in our later years are difficult to supply, but it is the lot of humanity and we must meet it with resignation and patience. It created a melancholy feeling to learn from yours
that at Ballinclay there was not “one rose of the Wilderness left on its stalk to shew where the Garden had been”. I should however like to see it once more before I die, and indeed it is possible that I may, for I have latterly been trying to dispose of the Estate, so as to have time at my disposal, and I may perhaps effect it, in which case who knows but I may have the pleasure of embracing you in the Cottage in Seville Place. Please to give my best love to John Knott & family and to all relatives and friends, for it pleases me to think that I am not forgotten by them.
I have perused and reperused all you have said about my Dear Aunt’s death with sympathy and interest, and it is a source of consolation that she departed from us without sufferance, and was respectably attended to the last home of all. I note that she left about £77, and that the draft which she declined using has
003
been found, and that Nathaniel Williams of Cole Alley has been named administrator and accepted thereof, to whom I now address a few lines open and undercover to you in order that you may peruse the same before forwarding it over to him and by it you will observe that I take for granted that the testamentatory [sic] will agreeably to your opinion be found legal, it would have been quite as agreeable to me had the document not existed, and that her verbal desire towards you had been acted on, but as it has turned out I have thought it meet, and a proper application of the means to make it over altogether to my Brother Nehemiah to aid towards the education of his children, and I therefore address him this day to that effect advising him to correspondence with the administrator through you.
The unused draft you will observe I have instructed to be handed to you by Nathaniel Williams, and I have to request that you will return it to me, cut in halves by two different opportunities the same as your usual correspondence through Kingston Jamaica, it is but fair and right
004
that any expenses which you may have incurred or may hereafter incur should be made good to you and I have written Nehemiah to that effect, now if I have in any part of this transaction from the hurry of business, acted without sufficient reflection please to say so to me, in order that I may correct what ever it may have incorrectly influenced.
It is not at all my intention to let our correspondence come to a close, in as much as it is a pleasure as well as a duty incumbent on my position, to retain a lien upon the land of my forefathers and relatives by correspondence at least, and not permit the silence and oblivion of the grave to envelop it while I am myself amongst the living. The past year has been a very troubling one for me as well commercially & politically and agriculturally, indeed in most material things except health for the preservation of which I sincerely thank protecting Providence in hope of hearing from you I remain always & forever
Yr. Affect. Nephew
James J. Wright
Sophie Estate, February 28, 1838
Dear Aunt,
I was duly in receipt of the two acceptable letters of November 14th & 28 last past, the latter conveying the intelligence of the decease of Aunt Rachel and covering several papers relative thereto and although she had numbered so many years, still her death came unexpectedly upon me, for having got so well over the effects of the unfortunate burn, was considered by me as indicative of good vital powers for her advanced age.
I take up the former letter to reply to first and have to say, That my Brother William left a widow and child about 5 years old they will not be in want as her father is well off. All matters and persons were going on well in Ohio at my last dates and I trust will continue so to do. I wonder that you do not get more regular advices from them, it is pleasing to learn that the marriage of Uncle Williams daughter is expected to prove a happy one.
It is always satisfactory to me to learn from you the changes that occur in Old Ireland and I always note with attention marriage and births & deaths, the
002
latter has been numerous of late, and as you very justly observe the gaps created thereby in our later years are difficult to supply, but it is the lot of humanity and we must meet it with resignation and patience. It created a melancholy feeling to learn from yours
that at Ballinclay there was not “one rose of the Wilderness left on its stalk to shew where the Garden had been”. I should however like to see it once more before I die, and indeed it is possible that I may, for I have latterly been trying to dispose of the Estate, so as to have time at my disposal, and I may perhaps effect it, in which case who knows but I may have the pleasure of embracing you in the Cottage in Seville Place. Please to give my best love to John Knott & family and to all relatives and friends, for it pleases me to think that I am not forgotten by them.
I have perused and reperused all you have said about my Dear Aunt’s death with sympathy and interest, and it is a source of consolation that she departed from us without sufferance, and was respectably attended to the last home of all. I note that she left about £77, and that the draft which she declined using has
003
been found, and that Nathaniel Williams of Cole Alley has been named administrator and accepted thereof, to whom I now address a few lines open and undercover to you in order that you may peruse the same before forwarding it over to him and by it you will observe that I take for granted that the testamentatory [sic] will agreeably to your opinion be found legal, it would have been quite as agreeable to me had the document not existed, and that her verbal desire towards you had been acted on, but as it has turned out I have thought it meet, and a proper application of the means to make it over altogether to my Brother Nehemiah to aid towards the education of his children, and I therefore address him this day to that effect advising him to correspondence with the administrator through you.
The unused draft you will observe I have instructed to be handed to you by Nathaniel Williams, and I have to request that you will return it to me, cut in halves by two different opportunities the same as your usual correspondence through Kingston Jamaica, it is but fair and right
004
that any expenses which you may have incurred or may hereafter incur should be made good to you and I have written Nehemiah to that effect, now if I have in any part of this transaction from the hurry of business, acted without sufficient reflection please to say so to me, in order that I may correct what ever it may have incorrectly influenced.
It is not at all my intention to let our correspondence come to a close, in as much as it is a pleasure as well as a duty incumbent on my position, to retain a lien upon the land of my forefathers and relatives by correspondence at least, and not permit the silence and oblivion of the grave to envelop it while I am myself amongst the living. The past year has been a very troubling one for me as well commercially & politically and agriculturally, indeed in most material things except health for the preservation of which I sincerely thank protecting Providence in hope of hearing from you I remain always & forever
Yr. Affect. Nephew
James J. Wright
Language
English
List of contributors
Kerby A. Miller
Patricia Miller
Giselle Gonzalez Garcia
Margaret Brohony
Cristian Sanchez
People
James Jenkinson Wright
Martha Wright
Jonathan Wright
Location
Sophie Estate, Santiago de Cuba
New York City, United States
Dublin, Ireland