Letter to South Carolina

I have published a new comment on the blog entry for 4 July 2009. Thank you, Sandra.

Last time I promised the letter to South Carolina. Here it is, with the permission of the Deputy Keeper of Records, Lorraine Bourke, Private Records, PRONI. Its reference number is T3655/1.

To : Robt [Robert?] McCarley
     Charlestown [Charleston?] South
     Carolina
     Newberry Courthouse
     [U.S.A.?]

From : James McCarley,
       [Knockboy?]
       [County Antrim?]
       [Ireland?]

5th October 1824

Dear Son
       I send you these lines to inform
you that your Grandfather is died
7th Nov 1823 and your Grandmother 1 Mon [one month?]
after your Grandfather left me
and the land I opposed and my own house
that I had before your Uncle Moses was
left 30Å“ & his former possessions his Daughter
Jenny 30Å“ your Uncle Mathews [Matthew?]  land
in & my old house in Knockboy together
with your Grandfathers chest & bed
your Uncle Mathew [Matthew?] was left 30Å“ &
your Grandfathers house & his land
your Uncle William was left 1Å“
but it equals him in money I gave
him 7Å“ & Moses 7Å“ & Mathew 7Å“ & 10Å“ that
he got before his death which makes him
equal in money but the land he should
have got was left to Jenny McCarley
at your Grandfathers death [your?] Grandmother
was left 10Å“ & the land & his [clothes?] as
long as she lived but at her death
it was equally divided between I & Moses and
Mathew & Moses children 7Å“ each who
are 5 yrs [years?] & your Uncle Saml [Samuel?]
was left 4Å“ your brother John wants to know whether
he could live better by his trade or Farming
if he was to come
Your brother Stafford has made
a good proficiency in learning
& whether he could better by a Clerk
or Schoolmaster & intends to come
positively again next fall your
sister Jenny is well and is coming
on well and has 2 daughters and a son named
Robert
  Corn is from 6/s [shillings?] to 6/s [six shillings?]
8 [pence?] p [per?] cwt [hundredweight?] butter 10/s
[shillings?] & [Carrots?] potatoes [8-?] p [per?]
[bushel?] & pork 50/s [shillings?] p [per?] cwt
[hundredweight?] cotton from 40/s [shillings?] to 200/s
[shillings?] p [per?] [----?] [---?] is married to
Widow Dale and mary Eliza Dale to David McCash
Junior of Knockboy [--?] Thos [Thomas?] Ferguson
is dead and carried out by the Sheriff Saml [Samuel?]
Wilson has bought all that farm and living in it.
We all enjoy a tolerable state of health
and join in love to you I add no more
at present but remain your affectionate
     Father till death 

James McCarley