James McHenry, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Co., Pennsylvania, to Thomas Moore, Baltimore, Maryland, 10 February 1817
Description
This is an excellent letter by a physician, describing his and other Irish immigrants' motives for settling in Orwigsburg, a predominantly German (or "Pennsylvania Dutch") community. McHenry praises Orwigsburg's location and burgeoning economic opportunities, including coal mines and canal construction, which has attracted large numbers of poor Irish immigrants. McHenry is optimistic, is learning German, encourages more emigration, and relates a rags-to-riches story of his friend, John Kelly from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, who arrived penniless and illiterate but was now "worth a fortune". Letter is excellent on immigrant adjustment in favorable economic circumstances. McHenry's and Thomas Moore's relationship is uncertain: either kinsmen (cousins?) or very close friends.