The letters that follow were transcribed thanks to the considerable efforts of Wendy Jack. The footnotes were prepared by myself and then verified (and corrected or amplified) by Wendy. Many of the letters are the property of Betty Whiteside and/or Wendy Jack. Any researchers who wish to make use of them should check with them.
In time, I will hyperlink the letters to the pertinent biographies. For now, if you use a search function in your browser, you should be able to follow the occurance of each name whether that be a "nickname" or proper name.
Sharon Oddie Brown, August 15, 2003

DOCUMENT #15

Derryvalley,                  

                                                             April 28th, 1893.

My dear Tom, [1]

          You will be surprised to hear that I am married.  I suppose you have not heard of the minister [2] who came to Derryvalley after Mr. Reid [3] left.  Well he is leaving Derryvalley now and going out to California and I am going with him.  We sail (D.V.) Friday next from Derry in the "Anchoria".  We are going out to Jack [4] till my good man gets a congregation.  I feel it very much leaving the old home where I have been for so many years & have so many ties & friends.  Poor James [5] will only have Miss M.Cready [6] to housekeep for him now, and she, poor body, is getting very old and frail.  I was very glad to have a few lines from your wife a few days ago.  It was very kind of her to write & tell me how you all are and about the wee bairns.  So you have three now, little ones to train & care for  It must make you very thoughtful and earnest.  I am sorry, dear, your health is so far from good.  I often thought of you and wondered how you were. I wish you would write to me to California.  My address will be Mrs. Whiteside

    c/o Mr. John McCullagh [7] Eureka, Humboldt Co., California.  U.S.A. Box 161.

I shall be very lonely leaving the old home.  I do not know what news to tell you about it is so long since I wrote to you.  I was down in Cremore with the Reids saying good bye today.  Mary [8] has had a busy time sick nursing lately.  Two of the children took [Scarletnia] & then when they were better two more took influenza & now Howard [9] is ill with inflammation of the brain.  There are four of Mary's boys in America [10] & one in Hong Kong, all getting on well, & still seven children at home four girls and three boys.  Andy [11] & Maggie [12] are living in Slieveroe and have three daughters now, Sarah, Mary [13] & Elizabeth by name.  James [14] is the only one sticks by the old place.  Home rule is greatly talked about here now but I do hope Ireland may never get it.

Letter from Sarah (McCullagh) Whiteside

Shanghai

                                                             22/4/96                                                         _________

My dear Nephew Alick [15]

                  I received your very welcome letter, I hope you will always be a very good boy & learn your lessons, And be good & kind to your little Sister & Brother, and God will reward you &  and make you a good man.     X X X X X

kisses for                                       Your loving

Alick, Daisy                                         Aunty Bella

Andrew            X X X X

Dec 2nd 1903 
237 Rathdown St. Carlton, Melbourne

My dear Niece,
I was very grieved to see by your letter this morning that your dear Dadda was ill.  I do hope, dear, he has had a change for the better before this. I shall be quite anxious till I hear from you again.  I enclose a few stamps little money.  May be you will want to get some little thing for him or for Mama.  How I wish I was near you to help nurse both your dear parents.

We are not settled yet.  I fear it's not going to be very soon, but God know what is best, and if we have our health it is the principal thing.  We are all pretty well at present only the good man is feeling a little poorly and Mary [16] is not very strong.  I wish we were over some place near you, this climate is rather trying.  In my last letter from Ireland the news that poor old Mrs. Jackson [17] had passed away was the principal event.  She never recovered after the news of David's [18] death, but she was a good age (89.)  It was stupid of me not to remember the postage and only put a penny on my last letter.  I hope you will write to me very soon.  God bless you, dear and make your dear father and mother well again is the sincere prayer of your loving Aunt

                                            Sallie Whiteside [19]

The children join me in love and kisses to all

                                       For Saidie. [20]

Beaconsfield    

                                                         Victoria           

                                                               Nov. 14th, 1909

My dear Tom [21] ,

           I don't know how often I have made up my mind to write to you but, dear, I am kept so busy since we came on our little farm I have neither time nor heart for writing when my work being done I can sit down.  You see I never was much used to work and it "comes odd" to me in my old days.  I suppose you have heard before this of poor Jack's [22] death in Eureka.  He died on the 9th of August. He was sick off and on for about 13 months, had haemarrhages of the brain. After the second attack, he lost the use of his right side and partly lost his speech.  The last attack lasted three hours and as his sons, Tom and Jack, could not nurse him properly they sent him to the hospital, where he died after three days.  The doctor's bills have been very heavy & what with that & the funeral expenses the poor boys are left about $1000 in debt (about £200).  I wish I could help them but I can't.  We are badly handicapped now ourselves since Mr. Whiteside [23] had to give up preaching.  Poor Jack!  The news of his death came as such a shock to me though I knew for a good while that he had been ill.

And now, dear Tom, I want to know how you are yourself.  I hope better in health than you were when you wrote last, and how is the wife and the dear children?  How I should like to see you all again.  The bairns must be greatly grown since I saw them and very useful to you.  I don't know what we should do without our two.  Clair [24] does all the work nearly on the farm and is his father's right hand.  And Mary [25] helps me in the house.  Mary is still going to school though she has got her Merit [26] certificate.  She has grown greatly and is far stouter since she had the typhoid.  Clair is small for his age and very slight,  he is sixteen now.  Mary is thirteen.  Do you still get your money regularly from Canley Rutherford [27] ?  Where are you living now?  Are you renting a house? And how do you keep the pot boiling?  How I wish you were living nearer so that I could see you.  We could have a good chat.

  In haste with love to all

                          Yours

                              [Sallie] [28]

Write soon.

I Samuel Bradford of Carnbeg in the County of Louth gentleman do hereby for myself my heirs executors administrators and assigns promise and covenant to and with Thomas MCullagh [29] of Derryvalley in the County of Monaghan justice of the peace that in consideration that the said Thomas MCullagh shall execute a lease for twenty one years from the first of November last past at the annual rent of two hundred and forty seven pounds sterling of these parts of the land of Cavananore and Anaghvackey lately in the possession of Miss Mary Jane Oliver [30] now deceased I shall and will indemnify the said Thomas MCullagh his heirs executors administrators for and against all damages costs loss and expenses of what kind or nature soever that may or shall in any way (either directly or indirectly) or at any time be incurred by or entailed on the said Thomas MCullagh his heirs executors or administrators in consequence of the said Thomas MCullagh's executing said lease and more particularly for and against all damages costs and expenses of any action which shall or may be brought against the said Thomas MCullagh his heirs executors or administrators by Thomas Jackson [31] Esquire of Hong Kong as Residuary Devisee of the estate of Andrew Coulter Bradford [32] of Cavananore aforesaid or by his representatives in title. In witness whereof I have hereto put my hand and seal this eighteenth day of February eighteen hundred and seventy six.

Signed sealed and delivered in presence of

John W. MCullagh  [signature]

James M Cullagh  [signature]

Sam Bradford  [signature]

Ballibay  Co Monaghan
                                                     26 October 1888

Dear Sir
I enclose you an order for £12.6.4 balance of Rent due you up to 1st November 1887  As soon as I possibly can I will collect this year and forward it to you.  I have not the money myself to forward it or I would send it at once I assure you there is one tenant has not settled out yet for 1887 but I will make him settle both years the coming sessions I am sorry to see you are poorly I hope you are better by the time this reaches.  as soon as ever I can I will send you another remittance the whole year if in my power  All your friends are as usual [????]

With kind regard to you and your family
I remain yours sincerely

                     M M Rutherford [33]

PS  Edward M.[Barry] wanted us to allow him something for repairing his but he lived under a lease and he is just as able to pay it as you are expt to allow me I will give him nothing

                     M M

6 February 1892
 To Mr. Thos McCullagh
Adelaide

Dear Sir

       I send you the Rental for 4 years  You see Gray has paid none for these years  Their tenants have brought them to Court and reduced the rent so much they seem to say we owe them something for the annuity  I paid them nothing and I hope to be able to make them pay us [or you] rent as the undertenants we have nothing to do.  I have given the matter to Mr. McWilliam and when I have more news I will let you know.  [to Mills] I think we cannot make out the Title  have you any more Title Deeds if not I cannot see how the Title will be made out  I showed him all the papers I have of you and they cannot see how it will be made out.  I will ask James if he can give us any help.

        Hoping you are all well

Yours truly
M M Rutherford

M M Rutherford & Co.,
General Merchants
Ballibay
22 August 1894

Dear Sir

       In reply to yours in which you acknowledge the £25 I sent you.  I really couldn’t send you the £15 for quarter I have not the cash I am now in [????] and I sometimes get it hard to meet my a/c  The land Gray holds in [Tossy] he has not paid one penny of rent since 1888 and the same [he] has done with Mills [???] and Mr Hubbard.  Mr McWilliam has entered a [call] against them for you and Mills [???] and I expect they will pay with costs  the tenants that E W Gray [34] put in the land went into the Courts and got it reduced near the half so he [wrote] us to pay our share of the costs and take the reduced rent  I believe we will have to take the reduced rent but we will not pay Mr Wright [35] costs  when the matter is settled I will write you at once  In fact I have sent you more cash than I received off the tenants for the past three years  I neednt speak to your brother James [36] on the matter he is [getting] the [world] tight enough himself I dont like the way he is doing.  Hoping you and family are well.

Yours sincerely
M M Rutherford

To Mr T McCullagh [37]

Tue 10 Aug 97,
Ballybay

M.M. Rutherford & Co.
Grocers, Ironmongers
Seedamen, Stationers
Paint, Oil & Color MerchantS

Dear Mr McCullagh

I send you 8 years rental and draft to balance please look over the whole [thi??] and see if it is correct  I dont know when I sent you the last rental  You see all [??] Gray paid since 1888 is £8.17.5 nett.  We strove to make him pay as formerly and spent £2.18.6 in costs but the tenants got the rents reduced and all the parties suffer the same in future you will get something after paying the amounts due to Gray the whole property is awfully mixed  When you get this write at once and I hope to have 1896 rents by then and will forward them as soon as ever I get them and in future I will send you every year a/c complete in itself.  Please look did I send you a draft in 1895 I thought I did but cannot lay my hands on the duplicate but you will know I am sure whether I have entered all I have sent you correctly.  Your brother Andrew [38] died at Slieveroe on 21st July took something on his lungs was about two weeks sick your brother James [39] was with him for near a week before he died.  I suppose you know he has sold Derryvalley and Drummuck sold all out and is living in Lodgings in Warrenpoint still keeps [Annamere] I am managing it for him.  I believe he has plenty to keep him and he is improved and seems quite content.

Andy [40] made a will left all to the wife [41] in trust for his children

I hope you and family are all well Thank God we are all well here

With kind regards,
I remain

Yours sincerely
M M Rutherford