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Reed Family Genealogy
Brennan Letter
Sent to Jane Brennan (Our Great Great Grandmother) from her Loving Niece Mary Brennan.
Dated 18th of June, 1873
Saddlestown Estate, Parish Stamullin, County Meath, Ireland
My Dear Aunt Jane,
You must think us both unkind and forgetful for not having answered your very welcome letter, which contained the photographs of you all. We were delighted to get them. I would have written to you long since, but I was still waiting expecting a letter from Uncle Peter as I wrote to him a few days before I got your letter.
I sincerely hope you are all quite well. I showed your likeness to everyone about here, they all say you are greatly changed. Miss Quinn (I think the name says Quinn) says she would not know you, but you have got a very fine lot of children. Miss Quinn is living at the Cross (Crass?) still, she has got an enormous size dreadful shawl (Not sure about the word “shawl either…looks like it could be “stand” too.). She and I are great friends.
I must tell you now about Aunt Lizzie. She is in Grier(sp?) Hall living but she is in a bad state of health for the last six years. She had to undergo an operation to get one eye taken out, of course you are aware she had delicate eyes, she was not able to go out, not even to Mass.
Aunt McGrath and family are are all quite well, we go see them very often. I have got a pony and I can drive myself. Aunt McGrath is greatly disappointed, Ned’s wife having no children. I think you ought to send him one. When I showed him the childrens likeness’s I said to him “Well Ned if you had one like theirs you would be very proud”
Nearly all the people in Greenanstown are gone to America that you knew. Old Mattie Kelly (sp?) expects to go soon, she has her three daughters out there. Mrs. Griffin of **linen (Can’t make out the name) got her youngest daughter married last week. Nannie and I were at the wedding. There were 50 persons at it, we danced all night, they were all Protestants but us. They were married in Duleek Church, Mrs. Griffin has no children now but one son. All the others are in America. They come home nearly every summer to see her.
Richard Arnold desires to be remembered to you. He came to see your likeness when he heard we had it home, and told me how he went to school with you. He is not married, living an old bachelor with his two sisters Ally and Mrs. Grace.
I must tell you now there is a bad promise of crops in this country at present. New and early meadows are very thin, oats all eaten by worms. Tilling over or given up and every one turn grarysirs (sp?). Cattle never sold so high as at present and working people so scarce it is impossible to farm. Servant girls are also very scarce and wages enormous, they have at present from 7 to 10 pounds per year.
The Mellowstown (sp?) Mares (sp?) will (unknown word) place the 22nd and 23rd of July. I dare say by this time Norah is confirmed.
Give my love to uncle Peter and Aunt. Tell us all about your children in your next letter as I love to hear about them.
I must now say farewell hoping soon to hear from you and joined by each here in love. (two words follow which I can’t make out)
Your loving niece Mary Brennan
Letter submitted by Scott Reed |