Digital Archive
"F. D.", Sandyhill, Maryland, to his parents, Maghera parish, County Derry, 12 August 1835
Cite this document IIIF Viewer
Collection Maghera Letters
Title "F. D.", Sandyhill, Maryland, to his parents, Maghera parish, County Derry, 12 August 1835
Description Excellent, eloquent letter, by a Catholic schoolmaster. The first section of the letter gives a detailed description of the emigrant's voyage, from Derry to Philadelphia, between 30 April and 7 June 1836. In the letter's second section, the emigrant urges his mother to quell her sorrow and declares his solemn intention to fulfill his duty to his parents by sending remittances sufficient to bring them to America or to purchase the tenant-right of a farm at home. This is the archetypical "Irish emigrant" response, as determined by familial, social, and religious mores, to the "begging" or guilt-inducing letters that emigrants often received from home. Of course, the John McBride Letters and the Patrick Nowlan Letters demonstrate that many emigrants were much more reluctant to "do their duty" to their Irish kinfolk. Arguably, "D." fulfilled a traditionally Irish Catholic or communitarian (or even pre-capitalist) ethos.
Date 12/08/1835
Date Issued 27/03/2023
Resource Type Text
Archival Record Id p155/6/8
Publisher University of Galway
Extent 6pp
Topic Maghera Letters
Geographic Sandy hill,Howard (county),Maryland,United States,Maghera (civil parish),Derry (county),Ireland
Temporal Nineteenth century,Eighteen thirties
Genre Transcript,Reproduction
Note Title, description and transcript text by Professor Kerby Miller.
Creator / Author Name F.D.