SUBMITTED BY JAN LIVINGSTONE

Rathscanlon, May 19th 1851
My Dear brother and sisters.....
     That cheering and encouraging letter which we were looking for arrived on the 6th of May. I need not be describing the comfort it brought, particularly to my poor mother. [ANN BLACK GOLDEN]. She is in a middling state of health at present, thanks to Almighty God for that and all other Mercies to us unworthy creatures. & O, what a privilege to hear from our most beloved friends who are always on our minds,
almost taking the place of Him who requires our first and best thoughts. But God Almighty grant of His goodness for Christ's sake , for any anxiety or suffering we not fall from Him with whom we have to do.
    We were also happy to hear how well my Aunt Sarah [SARAH BLACK GOLDEN] and cousins [William, John, Anthony and Sarah [PETTYPIECE] are. May God bless them for their kindness to you. You would be comfortless dear Jasper, only for them. We hope the Lord will prolong our lives another twelve months to see ye, also to thank our beloved Aunt and cousins for all their acts of kindness. You have still to admire the goodness of God in supporting us on the little means we have, as you and I often did.
    Our stock is as good as when ye went. We sold the mare and foal at November and bought £/5.7.6 worth of hon. (sic). I have the most of that money earned in plowing. Mr. H., [probably referring to his Landlord, O'HARA], the same kind man still. He got the Dean's plowing for me which came to 1.10.0.
We joined Mrs. BEATTY of Rue. We bought an iron plow for £2.1.6, a very nice but a light one. Let us know if you will encourage us to bring it with us, if so, we would keep it. We have only our potatoes set. We have some over.
We have had a very late spring but this month is coming on very favorably. We have about an acre and a half planted and intend to plant 3 more of turnips. We have half an acre of wheat sown. It did not make much progress yet. Have two acres of oats. It appears well. We had not enough grass of our own. We bought Roger GOLDEN's grass for £4.0.0. You know there is a good piece of meadow on it which will draw half of that money.
    Now I must let you know about the friends. Mr. HAMILTON and lady and baby are all well and very happy to hear from ye. My Uncle Dick and his family are well. John is still unmarried. Mrs. EERAUS house-keeps for him.
Aunt Mary HENDERSON is well. She is in Sligo yet and all the family. Eccles was home on a visit from the Army. They are gate-keeps of the old Abbey.
    Mrs. POWELL and family are much the same way in health, but not the same respect. Elicia got married to Robt. IRWIN about a half year ago and lives in the big house with Robert. Mr. FRAZER and family are well. Mrs. GOLDEN is well. Mrs. FRIZZEL is well but Miss FRIZZEL gave up teaching on account of bad health. She is not very bad now. Miss BLACK teaches in her place. I wrote you about the death of Mr. POTTER. You never spoke about him so I doubt if you got that paper. I also sent two papers written with ink. I think ye ought to have them before ye wrote. Benson is in Tubbercurry
dealing as before. The reason of his return, I think no person knows. Ellen stopped in New York and the rest of them came back. All in this town. John MULLARKEY came home too and is in this town. He left the two eldest sons in America. Tommy CONNOLY is home.
    Margaret GOLDEN is married to James CARROLL. Both go to church. They are living in Mathew GORE's house. Our cousins the BRETT's are well in America. George, their brother went at Christmas. He brought a wife with him by the name of Emily GUFF. I think ye know her (big George's sister). George got hurt on the vessel and he is in hospital in America. The girls sent their mother home £5.00 They are well at home. The MORRISON's are all gone to America. LOUGHEEDs except Jane that married Hugh LOUGHEED. Dick McGee's family are all gone to America. Mrs. FERGUSON's widower Clifford is married to Miss O'CONNOR, James GOLDEN's sister-in-law. Miss FERGUSIN, Robert BLACK's sweetheart is also married to a young man near Ballymote. Bessie WEST has gone to America. She went with the MORRISON's. Miss WALLIS is gone also. Pat GOLDEN is about going to America. There came no letter to Cloonacurrow from America, but what Willis sent. We hear Rich. PHIBBS got one lately. The old Uncle is well, at least he was well a month ago. I was down then. John BLACK, wife and child are well. Katherine FERGUSON's husband and daughter are well and doing well. Henry CONNOR is well and all the family.
    Mrs. ROGERS was teaching school in Chafpool and the priest opposed it and Mrs. ARMSTRONG gave it up. Her son is well. John MORRISON, Bob's son died last Christmas. I was sorry for him. Old Jack POWELL is dead. He left his carriage and all to Pat COAN. Old Jack YOUNG in Ballisadare is married.
Wm. GOLDEN, Mrs. GOLDEN's brother in Ballisadare came in to Tubbercurry and stopped half a year and then to Sligo to the poorhouse and two of his children are dead since he went. Jane WALKER of Carrane is gone to America.
Wm. WEST (George's son) sent home £6.0.0 to his father. His sister Jane went to America. Wm. WEST (Tom's son) is still in the Police. I sent you a paper that he sent me.
    The toothache pays me a visit betimes. My mother [Ann BLACK GOLDEN] hopes to see ye in America, God willing. My father [Richard Jasper GOLDEN] does be often thinking and planning how we will leave a row of trees behind the house. Then he says from all the ground William has [William PETTYPIECE,
who had immigrated the year before], if we have to go back farther in the bush, God help us. I hope Jasper [GOLDEN, his brother] will choose a good farm. It is very particular you ought to be in choosing a spot where we expect to live on earth. Anthony and John [PETTYPIECE] will assist you in making a choice. We are very happy Sarah [GOLDEN, his sister] is in a religious family, and that she is content, and I hope she will see my father's house surrounded by a good number of hens.
    Let us know as soon as possible how Maria [GOLDEN his sister] is situated and if content. It is lawful now to write in a paper if a person pay one penny for stamping it anywhere through the British Settlements.
    We expect that you will not forget to send us papers at least every fortnight or sooner. I wonder at Cousin Sarah's [PETTYPIECE] patience in waiting to get married till we go over. [She shouldn't of waited, as she never did marry!] I wonder how I forgot to mention and speak of John and family
[PETTYPIECE] in our last letter but as I did I hope he will excuse me for I often prove awkward in many things. I hope my son Anthony [PETTYPIECE --referring to Godson, son of William PETTYPIECE, who was only a few days old when he sailed for Canada] is doing well and that William
[PETTYPIECE] would bring him up in the fear of the Lord. I promised since for a son of Louis's a namesake of my own. I do not intend to promise for any other child in this country.
    Our Sunday school is doing well. Henry CONNER still attends it. We do have good congregations [this would most likely be St.George's Church of Ireland, in Tubbercurry]. We had on the 5th of May 105 people at Church.
      Dean HARE went to Waterford. He is replaced by a Lord MONTMORREY. I fear an exchange for the worse. Mr. O'BRIEN will get an atlas for you. Do not forget to remember us to William [PETTYPIECE] and his kind wife, John [PETTYPIECE] and family and also Thomas PETTYPIECE [? cousin of other
Pettypiece's mentioned]. If the bush is a lonely place he must be very lonely. It is my mother's wish she was there, then her wish would be fulfilled, but she says she will venture, at any rate, this year will be the longest passed for many years. Winny would wish when you would be writing to Aunt Fanny to inquire about his brother James' family. Do not forget to let us know in your next what requisites will be necessary to bring with us and if farming implements are cheap and easy to get.
    Mother is still in doubt about my Aunt Fanny and would like if you would be good enough to remove her doubts. Sarah GOLDEN wished to know if my mother fretted much. Not much now, it was mingled with joy ever since she heard of ye being at my Aunt's [Sarah BLACK PETTYPIECE]. She was wonderfully eased.
Jasper's [GOLDEN] medicine proved good. She uses it still. I cannot say whether any of the PHIBBS will go out or not. I saw none of them this long time.
    My mother thinks John lost all his good nature since he went to America. She says he was not so before he went. She hopes she will have nothing to answer of the promise she made for him. So I must conclude. We sent our love to you dear Jasper, Maria & Sarah and Aunt and Cousins. May the Lord bless ye.
[signed] Richard GOLDEN.
PS: John is well. He sends his love to you and M & S.
Wm. REID is gone to America this season.