Hopkinsville, Kentuckey, Novr. 12th. I822
Dear Father & Mother
I think great long to here from you all as I have had no news for a
long time, but I hope you are all well as I am at present thank god.
for my part I wd. write much oftener than I do only you are well aware
I can tell you nothing new nor interesting about any body here as
they are all strangers to you and all it is in my power generally
to say I am well and the like and it is putting you to enormous
expense of postage for that small gratification which a few lines
from me might afford you. but on the contrary you can have no such
pretax for not writing to me oftener you know every little
circumstance that transpires in the country would be new and interesting
to me as I am well acquainted with the generality of the people &
things about you, but I expect the postage on your side of the water
is much more than here. all I have to pay is I6 pence in your
currency which is about one quarter of a dollar here. times are very
dull here as ever they were seen and I see by the Public prints
that they are generally so all over Europe as well as America but it
is to be hoped they will mend before long as there is every prospect
for that supposition. I think extremely long to here from some of you
I would like to here oftener,
20
I
still continue in the same place I was going to say as happy as a
King, but instead of that word I beg leave to say as happy as a free
born Son of America- and a happy land it is where people can & makes
& sanctions their own lawj & government, and where the can appoint a
president to govern the State to please themselves and if he deviates
from the Straight Republican course in the twinkling of an eye they
can discard him and Elect another, not so with your Kings and governors
if you so much as grumble about them you are arrested for high
treason and hanged probably without an impartial trial, It is no
wonder the Sons of America can fight with the fierceness of Lyons
when they are opposed by such traitors and tyrants. and I can tell you
let the Hibernians come when they will they will find the Sons of
Columbia wide awake and duly sober, and an other, I am sure of we will
never go over to the English side of the water to either disturb or
fight them but if the tread on us let them look out I hope you all
strujeen
had a merry Hollieve as it is not many days over here let me know in
your next all the boys and girls fortunes for I expect they all tried
theirs, It is not celebrated by the Americans it is not known to them
though I spent mine extremely agreeable in the only Irish family in
this town, they are a small family too consisting of one boy & girl
about I5 yrs and as a pretty as ever came from the sod. they are
natives of Derry-and the old couple are just as friendly people as
I ever saw and I just feel as if I was in your home when there though
many miles between and they are indeed and in truth in every respect
of the word a real Irish hospitable people and in there house with
in company with some others we tried all the tricks and fortunes
that are common for that day. theyware numerous indeed/1 mention,
People differ here much in manners and customs from yr country, girls
commonly marries about I4 if the can and if the get to the shady side
of twenty they are called old maids and are repreach full name they
think it is, but it is a cerous fact that a girl here at I4 looks as
James Richey, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to his parents, Ireland, 12 November 1822
Description
Writing at midnight "when I ought to have been a sleep in my bed" and with "nothing new or interesting about anybody" James Richey writes to his parents that "times [the economy] are very dull here as ever they were seen and I see by the Public prints that they are generally so all over Europe". He informs them that he is happy here "as a free born Son of America [...] where people can & makes & sanctions their own laws & government" and thus glad not to be living under "Kings and governors". He wishes his family a "merry Hollieve" which is not celebrated by Americans so he spent it in the company of the sole Irish family in town, natives of Derry. They were joined by some others and celebrated the event with "all the tricks and fortunes that are common for that day". Richey relates that according local custom, girls get married "about 14" if they can and are "called old maids" if instead "they get to the shady side of twenty". He expresses his surprise that locally girls even "begin to primp and Keeps company at 10 years old" and that a girl of fourteen here looks as old as a 22-year-old in Ireland. He concludes that the "Public Papers describes the south of Ireland to be in a desperate state of starvation" and requests further particulars of it from home.
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.
