Clinton Mississippi March 12th 1838
My Dear Sister Eliza
Though some time has elapsed since I last wrote
you & many & important changes have taken place, yet my feelings of
affection for you & all my brothers &: sisters remains as warm & fresh
as in I829 when I first left the land of my birth. I received a most
welcome letter from you many months ago but the multiplicity of
business & perplexing cares & difficulties that I meet with renders
me a very bad correspondent; these causes or laziness or what ever cause
you may feel disposed to ascribe it to except want of affection must
be the excuse I have to offer for my long silence. I am not certain
that I wrote you except once since your marriage though I believe
since then I am not much your debtor as this when it comes to hand
will be an equal number to those received from you: I hope your
self & Brother John enjoy uninterrupted good health which is not
always my lot, though I have much reason to be thankful that it is not
worse. I have sold out our joint stocks of goods & am now settling up
my büsiness as quick as possible, I hope to see you all once again yet
in the land of the liveing though I defer the voyage from year to
year as it is so hard to get away from the entanglements of business
as I still find so many things that requires my own personal attention.
While I am talking of myself I may as well say that I am still a
single man in fact almost an old bachelor & I do not see any strong
symptoms of my being anything else for
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some time to come. You tell me you are keeping shop & nursing children,
two pretty occupations, the former I have had .much experience in but
the latter I am quite a stranger to. You throw in an admonition by the
way about just dealing which I appreciate as springing from a pure
donot;
source as it regards my dealings. I think to the best of my knowledge
I have never had a customer to ever suspect me of unfair dealing which
I do assure you gives me the highest satisfaction, I wish to be concerned
in that business which requires low Cunning & Chicanery & double
dealing to support it. my concientousness is to strong for that which
was greatly strengthened by the example & precept of our dear Father
& Mother. you know their maxim was "render unto Caesar the things that
be Ceasars & unto God the things that be Gods. The latter I
acknowledge deficiency in though my morals are unimpeachable yet I am
not religious by prefession but the religious instruction of my early
youth shall never be effaced from my memory. I look upon it as the
highest boon parents can bestow upon their offspring to inculcate
religious & moral feelings into their young minds but let it be example
as well as precept & add to that a good education & the arm their
offspring against most of the vices by which they will be assailed
in their passage through life. I speak from experinece which is the
best & safest monitor. Your letter was a source of much gratification
to me as it contained a variety of news, I long for such another. I have
not had not had a word from any of you for a long, time past.: How I
should rejoice to place my foot upon Irish soil & embrace my
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relations. by the bye I had almost forgot to mention your children.You
say you called the last Robt.Andrew, the latter name I suppose is
Andrew Richey, Clinton, Mississippi, to his sister, Eliza Phenix, Ireland, 12 March 1838
Description
Apologising for his neglect of writing Andrew Richey informs his sister Eliza that he has been preoccupied with business, having sold out "our joint stocks of goods & am settling up my business as quick as possible". He hopes to see everyone at home again but admits "I defer the voyage from year to year as it is so hard to get away from the entanglements of business'. In response to his sister's news of "keeping shop & nursing children" he admits to much experience of the former, but none of the latter (being a single man "in fact almost an old bachelor"). While not religious Andrew professes to be moral in his business dealings as learned from his parents. [The latter part of the letter is much damaged].
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.
