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 Oct 3rd 1880 My Dear Roderick, I have received your very kind letter of July 11th and was glad to hear once more from you. It laid in the Post Office sometime before I received it. That was on account it was not addressed to H. & T. C. R. R. I am glad to learn that you and yours are all well, and I am happy to say that we are all well at present, though I have been sick for sometime with Fever. The is a great deal of Malarial Fever here. There is hardly a house that has not got Sickness. A great many dies. Doctors has got plenty to do and drug stores has as much as they can do to fill prescriptions, but the weather is getting coolier and sickness is subsiding. Malarial Fever is next to Yellow Fever Page 2 I have not received a letter from [Glasgow?] in a long long time. They sent me a paper, (an Inverness) where Mother’s death was in but no letter. Why they did not write I cannott imagine. I wrote at the or about the same time as I wrote to you (the one you did not receive) and so I did not write. If they are at the same address, that is if I knew I would write again however I will not until I hear from you. In you letter you spoke so kindly about your namesake Roderick, Poor little fellow, he is dead and gone. I never said anything in the note I wrote you first about his death for I did not know whether you would get the letter or not. He died of Typhoid Malarial Fever on the 13th of last October aged 4 years 8 months. Poor little Page 3 fellow he was a good boy. He was comencing at that age to write and read - but he is gone and we feel the loss. Since that time there was an addition to the family of a little girl, Georgiana , who is about 8 months old and a happy little girl she is. I send her portrait in the letter and the next time I write I will send ours. Times in Texas are very good just now. Cotton is comming in lively, only for the heavy rains which ruined Cotton to a great extent, there would be a large crop. It is estimated for Texas 1-500.000- Railroads are building in all directions. Texas is getting to be a little more civilized. In the letter I wrote you if you could find out anything of a certain Mr. Hart. Mr Hart is and friend of mine and an old Page 4 man who was in Melbourne many years ago. The boat they were in they tied to a tree on Yarra Yarra where Melbourne now stands. I will send the address to you and if you can find anything out from them thankfull for it. I have no doubt but you had a great time at (expositions?). I expect it was a grand affair. Be sure and send me the papers. I received both papers which for many thanks. I will as soon as the Mails arrive will send some papers to you. The Mails are behind time. I do not know of anything of interest that I can write only what you will see in the papers. Happy to see you and Mrs Macdonald & the children all well and remember them all to them. I send Henry and some little pictures we are longing to see Yours & Joannas