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WhiteHall
Dec 4th
My dear Brother
It grieves me to think that we may never meet on earth as you [suggest?] but it is one great [consolation?] & hope [certain?] that we all shall meet in that [celestial?] home where we never
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more shall part [,] away from toil and trouble [.] I got Toms address[.] I wrote to him about 5 weeks ago[.] no one knows whither he will come home or not I don't know[.] where is Adam[?] he was in the poor house[.] his legacy is doing him little good[.] Moulsdale wont allow
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any one to interfere with him[.] poor Emy is not certain what she will do[.] I wanted her to stay here until the winter would be out[.] so did [R.?] Porteus want her to stay with himself[.] Margaret I think did not care about her for leaving father[.] some thought she would get married when
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she returned to [W?] [?]---you did not send your photograph here so I'll be expecting it along with some of your childrens[.] you made a [mistake?] Tom has no trouble his oldest son died at the age of 4 months[.] the next was a [premature?] birth in which his wife died[.] now excuse me for taken up so much of your time! I remain your ever fond sister J. W.
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You ought to advise Tom to come home if it was only to look after Adam I send you his address
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As always, brother Adam was at the forefront of Jane's thoughts. Jane was still pleading with Alexander to contact Tom and remind him of his obligations towards his brother. The Reverend Moulsdale had complete control over Adam's future as no one was nearby to watch over his wellbeing. Why was Adam in the poorhouse when he had money from the will to guarantee his upkeep? Jane once again sought help from her brother in America. In future posts I will try to delve more into Adam's story.
In this letter we learn the outcome of Tom's marriage. Sadly, his oldest son, his wife and another baby had just recently died. It looks like Tom handled the situation by leaving the country. As Drum House was to be his per the will of 1889, Tom took it upon himself to sell the property sometime in the early 1890's. More research is needed into the land deeds and sales of the time to find out what exactly happened. What happened to the proceeds of the sale? Did Tom take it with him to America and eventually South America? It seemed like the Burrows wealth in terms of land and properties was slowly dwindling to nothing by the turn of the century.
Emy had left her father several months before his death to go to America and make her own way. Jane seemed to think that their older sister Margaret disapproved of this decision. Emmy came back to Ireland only to claim her inheritance. Margaret's husband Robert Porteus made the offer to have Emy come and live with them at Clara, but Emy had other ideas. She got on another ship and went back to America.
These letters are a priceless and very personal window into my Great Great Grandfather's family. I feel profoundly thankful that they survived intact for over 130 years. The letters have provided clues and have confirmed relationships so that the Burrows Family Tree has expanded with more certainty. With the help of DNA cousins, the tree continues to grow as we put together a broader picture of the lives of our ancestors in Ireland. There is so much more work to be done!
Next post...one last letter from Elizabeth Burrows Bucher written to my Great Grandmother from New York in 1893. Stay tuned!
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