Letter written by Henry Ebenezer MacDonald - Harris County Texas John Hendry 13 May 2001 ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. ************************************************************************** Transcript of a letter from Henry E. MacDonald of Houston, Texas, to his brother Roderick in Melbourne, Australia. Houston Texas June 11th 1877 My Dear Roderick, I have received your welcome & very welcome letter dated April 30th, in Sydney May 3rd, San Francisco June 1st, received in Houston June 8th. Also the two papers for which I return you many thanks. You said that you were both pleased and surprised, I cannot say that I am surprised because I was watching every mail, but I am pleased and twice pleased that I received your very welcome letter from you. Well Roderick it is a long time since you and I had a really good chat and no wonder that you thought that I was no longer in the Land of the Living when your letter was returned marked “Not Found”. It makes no difference anyhow. I have been in Texas all the time and here I am now. You need not be a bit flattered by the intimation regarding your name sake for there is something curious about him and you and between you and myself. Well I will tell you the whole from myself down - I was born on 23rd April, my wife was born on the 23rd March, my little girl Emilly who is dead was born on the 23 January. Now the little fellow Roderick was norn on the 11 Feb’y - He missed 12 days of being on the 23 but in months you will find as follows : - Emilly Born 23 Jan’y Roderick “ 11 Feb’y Annie “ 23 March Henry “ 23 April Now to crown the whole I have named the little boy Roderick before he was born, and still curious that you named your little boy after me about the same time that I named mine after you and still we were both ignorant of the whole affair. I am just like yourself Roderick I would like to send little Henry a present but I am sorry I am not able just now. I hope the will is accepted as much as the deed -- over Page 2 (2) Now you speak about your little family. Why man I had no idea that it was so large. Why you got ahead of me. I do wish the little ones long life and prosperity. Also yourself and Joanna for --- If ne’er was wealth, it ne’er was wealth That cost contentment, peace, or pleasure Gala Water The bands and Bliss O’ Mutual Love Oh, that’s the chiefest warld’s Treasure I am glad to see that you have not forgotten the incidents of the past. It is really pleasing to refer to them. I remember when you was stung by a Serpent. I believe you were over in Jura. I will not be positive and I remember very well when my foot got crushed in a churning machine not a (thrashing machine). That was in Keills, Islay. and I cannot forget it either because the foot tells its own tale. I was thinking of some other things that have sliped my memory just now. We will leave these for the next letter and will remember the “Days of Auld Lang Syne”. I would like very much to send you our portraits but cannot get them in time for this letter. Annie wanted to have Roderick’s portrait taken to day but the little fellow is not very well being that he is cutting teeth. There is a great deppression in trade here just now, the cause I could not tell. There is one thing kept thing so dull was looking forward to the Party chosen to be President. If there was a Democratic Government things would be better. There was fraud every where Banks, Bussiness Houses, RailRoad failed untill the country is the poorest on the face of the earth at present. Page 3 (3) I received about two weeks ago a letter from home. I answered last Saturday and [gave] them all the news from you. I will now write you the news from home. I have been very sorry when I heard of Father’s death. I know we were all sorry. He was a good man and a good Father to us all. Well he is at rest and Mother is following the same path and soon will be at rest with him. I am so sorry that I have not the means just now to send some help home because they need it very much but as soon as I can I will do it. The H and T. C. RR has run into debt and was 5 months behind with paying the employes and on March issued circulars that they would not pay any back time untill everything was settled. Here was a panic amongst everybody from the working man up to the merchant, not alone in Texas but in NewYork and other Northern Cities. They have made a proposition to settle up claims from one to seven according to the ammount. The floating debt ammounts to over $3,000,000. There are over $300,000 due to employes on the road. The proposition is not accepted so far. 20th of this month will tell the tale. If not accepted a Receiver will be appointed then there will hardly be any chance to to get any of it, as there are yet the 1st and 2nd mortages to be settled first. I will not lose very much, only two months, as I gave orders on the other months before circulars were issued and paid all out to Grocers, Butchers, Druggists &c., so I consider myself Lucky. When the notice came out, you could not nothing on credit. The Notes on the Company was of no account. I know of a young man that got a situation in Page 4 (4) Mexico was sent for he had no money to go, so he quit work but could not get his money. A friend of his took the amount coming to him 50ct on the Dollar - Now the RRoad is paying every month but not a cent on the back money. I am occupied in the RRoad as Machinist I am sorry that I was not allowed to learn the trade when my Father and Mother asked me in Islay what trade I would like learn. I even told them machinist. Well I started in and got on very well considering since I came to Houston I got a house and a lot of my own, paid it, same as if I was paying rent and a little more when I could. The house is not fine but does very well untill I can do better. Texas is the best state in the Union for everything you could think of, but like all other States is very bad now. Labouring men are only getting 1 dollar a day and pay 22 dollars for board. You can imagine what they can save, and there are hundreds of thousands all over the States just now that would be glad to get a dollar a day. I think times will get better by the new year or may be sooner. There is some talk of United States of Mexico going to war and I think it is most likely for the Mexicons has for some years past being coming into Texas stealing cattle, sheep, hogs, horses, & every thing they could lay their hands on. Page 5 (5) [and] murders, even whole family at one time. So the United States Government has last week issued orders to Gen Ord commanding on the Texas frontier to pursue the Mexicans even into Mexico. This Mexico does not like and may cause serious trouble. Now Roderick I will close on news on Texas. I could give you very interesting accounts as far as I traveled in Texas but suffice the short account just now. Will give you more next letter. I will now start where I left off in regard to Maggies letter. Maggies letter is dated Glasgow April 16th. She gives the full account of Father’s death, also of her effort to do the best she could which I know she did and I will as soon as possible try to help them. Johnny and Alick are out of work. She spoke a good deal of how Robert acted when he came to Inverness. I have no doubt but she wrote in her last letter the same news to you. She says that there are 4000 out of imployment and it must be hard with them. If I could I would send some now but when I have not got it how can I. She says Neil Darroch of Islay was at the house. Poor man he is quite done with Asthma. She says that all our friends in Inverness are well. Robert McLennan is spitting blood, Johnny is still selling potatoes as usual, [and] Georgina is well. She says that Neil Darroch had a look at me and Annie in the album. He was minding about “Loigin, Islay”. It cheered Mother up to see him minding about Islay. They have a Man of War at Tom Finlay’s house for the practice of naval reserve men. This is about the gist of her letter. They have moved to 11 Clyde Street, Partick. She wrote a good deal about the circumstances that they are in. I wrote them that I will as soon as possible send some help and to keep up their spirits. If I could borrow it now I would do it but I am in debt. Page 6 on account of the way that I am placed with Rrd. We eat the commonest kind of food as every thing is very dear here. Clothes is about the cheapest of any article here. Roderick I hope that every thing will go right at home for a little while. Annie is most willing to send home some money. She tried several times to save as much as to send, but one thing or another happened [so] that we really could not do it. Well Roderick I do not know what else to write you now, only that Annie and Roderick is by the table while I write and the little fellow is showing me some pictures in a book. I have not being Galveston for over 2 years. They had a big overflow there. Then you will see by the paper that I sent you the account of the fire they had. There were some very large buildings burnt. There is no Yellow Fever here so far, it is a little to early for it. Farmers here raise all kind of vegetables all the year round and send to the Northern States. The Cotton crop is looking fine and will be a large crop, though the grassoppers made a great havoc amongst the vegetables as well as Cotton. They were so thick that they stopped trains on the CRRd. For hours the track was completely covered with them. I will now draw to a close. I promised you I would write you a long letter. I think this one is long enough, though I could spin it still longer. I will give you more news in my next. Myself and Annie would like very much to have your portraits. Try and send them in your next and we will try and send ours in our next. I will come to a close. Annie joins me in sending her love to Joanna and your self. Give little Henry a kiss for me. Be sure and write soon. Ever your Affectionate Brother H. E. Macdonald