HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-07-30, Page 431-1ccppy.BiOh4ify
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NANCY QUINN • 528-2033 LOOKNOW, ONT.
got a loan of a million and
a halt - pounds from
England• for public works
such as roads, canals and
railroads. What a country
this will be."
What a prophet was he
and an interesting writer
too.
I wonder are there any
other old letters hiding in
drawers or attics, letters
which make 'the past liVe
again? If you have any,
please let me know for
I'm sure that readers
. would like to share in the
pleasure of reading ex-
tracts from them,
So long now and the
best of luck.
• Barney McCool
It's a story which never
fails to thrill, but there
have been so many novels
and, films 'of that, period'
,that we. begin to take it all
for•granted.. At least I did
until recently, when I met
a 95-year-old lady who
showed me some letters,.
'which were, written to her
grandfather living On the
_borders :of,_ Tyrane„and-
Fermanagh, by . his
brother who emigrated to
Ca,trada away back in the
1830 period' :even before
Queen Victoria began to
reign.
The •old lady is a living
link with the past and
thank goodness she was
sensible enough to keep•
the old letters, for they
are intensely interesting.
A feature of thein is the
bold clear handwriting,
correct spelling and
grammar, all from a
yptigg ,country
left his 'Wee school before
he entered his teens.
Well, whatever schooling
he got must have been
good!
The ink must have been
good too, for it's scarcely
faded, although some of
the letters were written
as far back as September
1.842 - —and- that's not
yesterday!
Another feature is that
they hadn't any • en-
velopes. The letters were
simply folded in , three,
the address written on the
baCk, and then they were
sealed with red wax
pressed down with a
thumb. Those which I
saw didn't seem to have
the usual postage stamp
but simply a date franked
on them.
It seems to have been
usual too, to send letters
out from home by
someone who was
emigrating.i. Doubtless
this served: as an in-
troduction for the,
newcomer as well as
news from home.
Unfortunately, this
practice seems to have
caused delay for one
recipient wrote home
saying. .
"Your letter written on
15th April was not
received by rile until 16th
September carried by
W.H. James O'Bern, also
carried a letter to
Thomas and from both of
these we:are glad to hear
good of yourselves and of
the country."
Thomas was evidently
a brother who followed
oldek lkotlfetrotit
got a parcel of land near
-to hini So that in this way
the two of them could pool
their resources. This
Hello there! Row are, ye'
doin? -
I'm 'sure you have
heard it over and over'
again, many of .,ou'r
t •forefathers left their
native land early in the
last eentur-y-- --and
colonized the great'
Continent of North.
America, They arrived
on virgin soil, cleared it
of trees and undergrowth,
built their own log: cabin's
and ate whatever they
grew, all the . time con-
tending ,with the hazards
of wild men and wilder
animals.
-.1444 who, holped. to
practice was evidently sows out in the bush and
the beginning of thelarge don't see them for weeks
Canadian farms. on end; then they ,come
"Thomas has got a home with the young pigs
parcel of land opposite, to if they are lucky enough
us $8 acres at 2 pounds to escape the wild
British per acre and he animals, Unfortunately,' i as ten yeara,te pay---it,-;-the-wolves--and--the-foxes.,
Qur development corn- carry a great' many of
pany . is allowing us 12 them off,'
years to : pay for their 4 ,When the wOlf beginS
land, for every 100 acres to howl, it's like 'a dog
you pay 3, pounds at the :Crying at first and then it
end of the 'first year,. 4 raises to afea.rful howl at
pounds at the end of the midnight. It's veTy'
second year, the third frightening to hear at
. Year 5, pounds and so on to first."
:the twelfth When it is 1 'As a sample of the
pounds. When all the dangers as well as •the
installments are Raid* novelty 'of unknown wild
you get a deed forever' butanimals, t ' he next
Mark YOU, the land is a paragraph makes, in-
wilderneSS. We are near teresting reading.
Goderich. West Township 7
- a township being 12 "Lately , Thomas and
square miles on the Myself went down to cut
shorts of Lake Huron. cedar at.the river to help
(Prn,sure all our Ontario make things for his barn
readers will know where and we Spied an animal
that it.) moving through some
weeds. He was as big as a
“Between Thomas and s fox, brown---witiva--white
me, we have .a :,yoke of stripe down each side and
oxen, another yoke of with his tail turned over
four-year-old steers his back. I fired at him
(young bullocks), a yoke and he fell - not quite
of two-yeartolds and two dead. He began to crawl
cows. We have also about and-Thomas threw.an axe
40 pigs • between us; 14 'at him. The instant .the
that would weigh, 10 •axe hit the animal, it spat
score, a great number of in hiS face and almost
sucking pigs and six sows blinded him and I never
breeding. We put the smelt anything like, it. I
believe it is called a
polecat; they are not
plentiful, thank good-
ness!" •
(Then a few notes of
various friends from
home who had also
---emigrated
"Old "Old Mr, William Shaw
who lived in the Diamond
in Enniskillen, is our
schoolmaster, a civil old
Man.. He, boards and
lodges with us: at .61-• a
Week. 1tobert Beacom
has , got land 12 miles
from. Goderich but .a very
bad road and feW.
bolos. Robert. Acheson is
doing well-out here, and
the Misses Richardsons
are in good health."'
'Tin sure you'd like to
hear about our crop'. The
wheat that was sown on.
15th May is all cut and in
the barn (17th Sep,:
tember). The Oats were
sown after the wheat• and
they're cut too and our
potatoes. were planted
after-the-oats-no wonder
they are so small. Wheat
is sold down in States
from 15 to 25 pence per
bushel of 60 lb.
"Here are some prices
you might like to com-
pare: beef 3 d. lb; butter 5
d; eggs 5 d. per doz.;
geese 5/-a pair; ducks 2/6
and turkeys 0-per pair." .
"I see that Canada has
Happy Birthday
Dungannon
Best of luck on your
125th Celebrations and for
the future of your community
This wedding picture of George and Rebecca. (Smith) Caldwell in 1807
shows the style of clothes fashionable at the time.
From your friends
at the
LOCKNOW APPLIANCE
CENTRE
miaow Mon* 5284946