(7)
Rd with them for Different comodities which the
are always accompanied with their chief. th
are very particular indeed the wear nothing on
ie / except a girdle of Leopard Skin tied round th
and a cap made of the same and a great many
in it, and the are likewise ornamented with pieces
beads their chief does not Differ much except
in
has it painted about fifty colours and this
is / a large bow & a Shafe of Arrows on their back
these are
grand distinction which their chief is endowed
definite
l.e. i he is allowed to wear his finger nails an Inch longer than
any of the rest are permitted people in this country results Country generally
gives their children a tolerable good education.,Ti Servicely
the generally
teach them English Greek & Latin. A master can trushave
have here
lc for teachg. the above Languages 500 & 600 Doll. a year faildy paid by
a comittee, I wish very much William was here I first I know
he would be well liked and would be well treated JA:
also
out
of the salary pd for teaching he wd. have to pay for his boavding
which
bording
which
Ec/wd. be about 70 or 80 Doll. I wd. wish to advise all I CO witch to. come
to this country. you ought to advise Thos. Waugh to come before his Family
increases, I am extremely glad I came to this country stirely country single
for I have IO chances for one I wd have had otherwise. Iam
in good health now & the country agrees with me very well
1 I have nothing more particular to say but write soon and often & in
future direct for me, Trenton, State of Kentuckey. Please remember my
" love to all my brothers & sisters & Brother in law & uncle & Aunt
2.5/ Thompson & Aunt Mary and Cousins, Jacob Murray's family and Arthur
Richey and all enquiring friends. And I remain Dear Father & Mother your
seel N B you can Send yr letters
autiful Son
new as
all the way by post don't wait for an
oppertunity
James Richey
Trenton-
Mr.-James-Richey
-2/5
Kentucky
Lisburn
paid
Ireland
By-way-ef
New-¥erk
fex-the-Bsh-paeke
James Richey, Trenton, Kentucky, to his family, Ireland, 20 February 1819
Description
In his fourth letter home, James Richey writes to his parents that he has now safely settled in America but is uneasy not to have had a response from them as yet. Since arriving on 27 December 1818, everything is to his expectation or even exceeded them, while he is living with an "agreeable young man" and are in business "Keeping Shop" or known here as "Store Keeping". He states that it is different than in Ireland with more variety of products but they being much more expensive. He describes the country as an "open fruitful healthy country" with Kentucky still possessing considerable herds of "Deer Bears, panthers, foxes and pole cats" in its forests so that farmers had to keep ten to twenty dogs to protect his farm from them. He states that in the state there are 405,064 inhabitants of which "80,561 Slaves, the Baptist religon is the most numerous, the Presbiterian & Methodist are next in number, there are some Episcopelians & some shaking Quakers but there are no distinction whatever in respect to Civil Rights'. Richey notes that farmers can begin with nothing and yet amass thousands of acres in a decade and generally each owns "a great many slaves here they are all black negroes the[y] generally keep from Ten to 40. When a man ownes a fiew [sic] men and women his family soon increases and the more children the[y] get it is better for their owner. When a man gets too many of them he hires them out to his nieighbour [...] Negroes are brought to the market for sale as regular as Cattle [...] some masters are very indulgent to them & some beats them and abuses them more like beasts than human beings, the law won't take hold of him'. He gives his 'private opinion' of his objection to Slavery saying "in a free country [it] is a great stain" but the Americans don't mind that, the[y] are too much blinded by Self Interest". Richey informs his parents that while land is cheap, it takes a farmer a considerable sum to invest in his farm including hiring slaves and buying livestock. He concludes his letter detailing the native american tribes who were the sole possessors of the state up to fifteen years ago [but is incomplete due to the letter being partially damaged]. He concludes being '"extremely glad I came to this country".
Title and transcript by Professor Kerby Miller. This transcript includes handwritten corrections to original transcript from PRONI, made with reference to original letters. Letter description by University of Galway.
