Letter written by Louis Alexander 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 Louis Alexander MacDonald, the son of Henry E. MacDonald of Houston, Texas, to his Uncle Roderick in Melbourne, Australia. Houston Heights Texas May 20 1907 Dear Uncle Rod, Tis’ with pleasure I write for it has been months since I wrote. We are all doing well at present all well and all working. Having fine weather and fine times. This is our prosperous year being as this is going to be one of the seven years of plenty as recorded in the Bible. We have lots of strikes among our Labor Unions all over the country. My Union went out on a Grand strike on the 1st of April 1907 for more money. $3.00 a day for 8 hrs work to $4 a day 8hrs and a half holiday Saturday afternoon without pay, making Journeyman Carpenters receive $22 a week. The more skilled mechanics will recieve $4.25 + $4.50 being voulntarly given by the Contractors. I was one of the leading men during the strike of about eight days and was congratulated from all of the 500 striking carpenters. We finally won out and have enough work ahead for the next two years - over - Page 2 2 I tell you Uncle this 1/2 holiday Saturday is a Gods gift to the Laboring class of men. The Union Carpenters, Plumbers, Brick Masons, Electricians and painters all quit Saturday at 12 o’clock sharp. The Scabs (I hate that word worse than a viper) of course work 10 & 11 hours every day in the week. I am strickly for organized Labor providing it is run in a respectable & gentlemanly and lawful Way. Sister has completed her trade as a Stenographer & Type Writter and is working steady. Father is doing well. We have a lot 56 X 132 ft planted in vegetables from which we get a very suitable living, also food for the cow. I quit railroad work because it was too hard, steady, dirty and some what on the order of being a slave & went carpentering,, got a book on steel square & building, studied them at nights & Sunday. Worked myself up from $2.25 - 9 hours a day to $4.00 a day and eight hours. I am Page 3 3 above the average carpenter of today and still learning. Thats a Scotchman’s way of doing - Work & Learn while the other fellow slumbers away. I also have a good opportunity to pick up bargains in Real Estate. Bought 6 lots close to our home, a south east corner with 20 beautiful shade trees for a trifle over $500.00 about eight months ago. Am offered $1150.00 for same piece of property today. Thats what ready cash does and savings also. I am getting ready to have a beautiful home of my own, to be far better than the one father now owns because I want to marry when I am 25. Will be 24 on 14 of November 1907. I read of my Cousins marriage in the paper sent to pa. Twas a fine writting or otherwise got up and certainly will be a honour to the Macdonald name. I certainly will keep it to remember him by. It’s no use for me to wish him any good luck because a Scotchman always gets ahead. For instance [you] will recall - over - Page 4 4 to your mind when father left the home of your mother and landed in Galveston, Texas on a Sunday morning with 3 cents in his pocket. He bought a loaf of bread with it and hunted all day for a job and finally caught one and since worked himself up to the present date. He being one of the best skilled machinists in the whole state of Texas. The railroad companies take his word that the locomotives is all right and if such is not the case, why these engines runing at the rate of 65 miles every sixty minutes, if not OK, the human bodies would be laid low. Now Uncle this is not boosting father up a bit, but it is the natural truth. He is known to have the best constitution then any other man that has been with the H. & T. C. RR. these 34 years 15 of this month. Thats a Scotchman. You know yourself that a puny & sick Scotchman is seldom seen. Page 5 5 I am a member of the Baptist Church, pray every night and am not ashamed of it! You will kindly excuse wording & writing of the letter as I want to put as much as possible in as many words. I’m wondering if you will ever all move to Canada or to this great United States. You know I’m longing to see my dear father’s kin people especially my Scotch girl cousins of far away Australia. Soon as my mother dies and goes beyond the veil I will take a trip to Australia and other points, that is if you do not move. When I say I [am] longing to see father’s kin people, it puts into my mind my favorite song that I play & sing on the piano entitled - Longing For You in ?4p key? Jack Drislane & Theodore Morse. Here is some of my favorite songs - Longing for you : When the Bees are in the hive In the Mansion of Aching hearts I’m wearing my heart away for you - over - Page 6 When the Whippowill sings Maugrette I’m trying so hard to forget you - and about 50 others The ship channel which when through will make Houston another Liverpool, England. I read in paper received from Scotland about the Thaw murder case in New York. Seems to be a very interesting case. The United States is noted for famous murder cases & feuds. The Kentucky feud started years ago from one small boy jesting his play mate about the patches in the seat of his pants. Fathers, brothers, sons, and their families on both sides took up the fight and it is not ended yet. Somewhere about 103 or 104 people killed or hung, all from a quarrel. Now kind Uncle I will close for the present. Wishing to hear of your good health and prosperity. I remain Fraternally Your Loving Unseen American nephew Louis Alex Macdonald 835 Cortlandt St Houston Heights Texas