George Watson was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1823, son of John
and Ann Watson, and was the fifth of nine children. He emigrated to this
country as a young man and practiced the trade of cooper. It is not known
whether he learned the trade in Scotland or was indentured to a cooper
upon emigration. There also is some speculation that he may have come over
to live with an uncle, George, who is briefly mentioned in a letter. He
was 28 when he married Margaret Stephen and the family lived in Skaneateles,
Borodino, Philadelphia, and, finally, in Tully. Margaret and George had
five children, only one of whom survived infancy—John George Watson
There are four Paisley letters dated from 1855 to 1862 addressed to
George Watson. The first was written jointly by his father and mother;
the second was written by his father; the third was written by his
sister, Anne, after his father’s death; and the last written jointly by
his mother and sister.
[In this letter, we can get an idea of the time it took letters
to cross the Atlantic Ocean in that day. It expressed sorrow at the death
of Henry, the third child of Margaret and George. Family records show that
Henry died at 5 months of age in late September 1855. The letter is dated
late November 1855, or about 2 months after the death, so that a round
trip of information could have taken 3 to 4 months in those days.]
Paisley Nov. 30th 1855
Dear Son and Daughter--,
I take this opportunity of addressing a few lines to you. we received your last letter in due course, and wase sorrey to heare of your dear partner’s sickness and of your self having a bad cold, and like-wise to hear of the death of your Dear little Henry. My dear Children I simpathize with you in [ ? ] of your bereavement, no dout it would be a great greff to you both, but I trust that you can look up to your Heavenly Father and say not my will but Thin be done. He knows best what is best for us, and I hope we will all submit to whatever triels He sees fit for us to indure. I hope this will find you both in better health than when you wrote last. we wase glad to think that your Uncle George and family had attended little henery’s funerl. I hope the little memosety that wase betwixt you and them is now turned to a better channell. I had a letter from your Brother James from Glasgow this week his famley is now with him and they are all well. we had a visit from Brother William from Greenock last week. he cam hone from Constanople about six weeks ago, and he only came up to see us last week and he told us that he wase going out again to Constantenople, but William is still the old man. I would rather not seen him as to see him in the state that he wase in. it wase onley a greff to his mother and me. Dear George since I wrote you last the Belfast Bouts by Ardrosson is off since the 24th of October which is a great los to me it is a draw back of Eleven shillings per week of my wages, which is a great dale. I parted with McKean and Lamont on the best of terms, and I got a certiffect of my carector for Nine years service with them and I could not get a better, and they give me a present of a verry fine picture. I am still with the Railway company / I expect to get a little advance on my wages / I thought they would have done so by this time, but I must wate with patience hopping for the best. When you write again let me know if you Know any thing of Brother John and Sister Mary, I have not had no word from Sydney [Australia] since I wrote you last / George by the time you receive this scroll this year will be drawing near to a close. I am now 61 years of age past the 3rd of this month and I did not think six weeks ago that I would be living till now, nor any person that sa me. I had a very bad turn which I will leave for your Mother to tell you about / I am verry bad to night I will have to conclud for your Mother to finish the remainder / hopping to heare from you soon / I remain Dear Son and Daughter / Your Affecsionat Father
John Watson
Dear Daughter and Son,
I need hardly say that i feel sorrey to hear of your affliction / i hope it will be Santified to you both and that you will be able to se it all for god / gods ways must be all be rite and for those that love and strive to walk in his ways he will allways watch over and hold them by the right hand and this i can Say by my one esperience / he has done many good things for me and every day i rise i need to say mercy and goodness has shurly followed me. Dear george your father has has a great many sick turns since we rote to you / the last one he had i thought i was going to be left a lonley widow but thanks to my heavenly father he is spared to me yey tho very weak and unwell / it is now Drawing near to a year since the death of your brother David after that i had my leg broke and it was both painful and expencive / then there was Mournings to get for father and Sister Ann and since that time father has fallen of very much in health. Dear Margaret you said in your last letter that it was god that put it in Robert Patricks heart to send us the money at that time and Shurley it was for i could not has the comforts that i got had it not been the care / May we be thankfull for all his moneys and one other thing i must say we have to thank god for giving us your Sister Ann / She is strong and healthy, steady and percevering / takes pleasure in dooing every thing in her power for our Comfort and Shurly we ought to be thankfull to have her now in our old age / May god spare her to us and guide her in wisdom and holliness / Dear Margaret i hope you will be able to part of your next letter i think that george is not in good health and that you are not strong yourself / it often makes me thoughtfull about you. i try to pray for you and i hope you will remember us when you offer up your prayers to god. Now i Must say good by hopeing that i will soon have another letter from you both / when you see your unkle George give our love to him his wife and Son / i hope little John will be spared to be a blessing to you / tell him his grand Mother would like to see him.
Your Mother in love and Affection
A.W.
Sister Ann sends her love to you both / rite soon we will be anxious
/ George, I will pay the postage of my letters to you. it is enough for
you to pay them comming. J.W.
[The second letter indicates that two of George’s siblings may also
have emigrated to America. It mentions the families of his brother John
and sister Mary apparently being in contact with him in this country. It
also mentions other family members in Australia and New Zealand.]
Paisley 22 January 1858
Dear Son and Daughter,
I now take thiss oppertunity of addressing a few lines to you. I would
have wrote you before this time but hearing by the newspapers that tread
wase so bad in America that I would wate for soom time to heare if things
had when a turn with you, and I am informed that things is looking better
in America which I sincerely hope that it is the cace. it appears that
it is a dullness over all the Known World and a scarsitey of money we have
felt it verry much
in Paisley. the Western Bank stopt payment and of course wase the cause
of a good many firms becoming bankrupt. there is hundreds of people going
[ ? ] and cannot get nothing to do. George there is two soup kitchens in
the town and they suply a number daily with soup and you would be sorrey
to se decent Respecable tradesmen going through the street with there soup
can, but we think we have got the worst part past tread is
looking a little better
which I hope is the case that the workman can arn his bread with the
spirit of independence / I am happy to inform you that we had two letters
from your sister Mrs Robert Patrick since I write you last
they have sent us there liknesses an the three childring in one group and
all who have seen them says it is verry like them / they wish us to send
them out ours which we intend to do next month / Amelia sends her best
Respects to you and your Dear Wife
she wishes you to write her a letter / her husbands address is Mr Robert
Patrick, Baker, Pyremont By Sydney New South Wales / now George I hope
that you will write to her she complains verrey much that we
dont write oftener then we do to her. She will be verry happy to have a
letter from you. I hope this will find you and your Partner and my little
John injoying good health / I am happy to say that I fell better than when
I wrote you last which I desire to be thankfull to the Allmighty God for
all His goodness to me a poor siner who am not worthey for all the merces
bestowed on me-----Amelia mensions in one of her letters that she hears
that your brother Robert hase got married and has gon to New Zealand with
his Wife to her Brother. Brother James is still in Glasgow with his wife
and four children / they are all well / as fare as I know Brother
William I do not know wither he is in Greenock or not / he never writs
us, and I cannot say any thing about him but the time may com when he will
wish he had a Father to write to. When you write let me know if you know
how your Brother John Wife and family is doing likewise Sister Mary Husband
and family, likewise your Uncle George and how he is doing. give
them all my best wishes / now Margaret I would take it kind if you would
write part of the next letter, as we would be happey to have a few lines
from your own hand. I am sill at the Railway, and it is a great blessing
that I am in to such a place altho my wages is but small they are regular
/ what a differance if I had been at the Loom, but I think I will never
weave any more. I sent you two news pappers let me know when you write
if you have got them / we had a man Excuteted heare on the 14th for pousion
his sweetheart / it is 20 years since Perrie wase Excutuded heare for the
Murder of his Wife and I hope the like will never take place in Paisley.
I did not go to witness it----I went up to Glasgow last night to see your
Brother James before I send you thiss letter / they are all well and desires
to be remembered to you and your Dear Partner. George how often do I think
how happy I would be to see all my children again. many is the sleepless
nights that I spend thinking about them all and altho they are all fare
from me / I think I see them as plain as they ware all standing before
me but I think I will never se any of them, but I trust we will all meet
in Heaven and there to sing the praises of Redeeming Love through an endless
Eternity. Now George I must conclude / give my best wishes to your Dear
Partner / I often sit and take your likness in my hand and fancies that
I see you all and I have no dout but you do the same with ours / your Mother
and Sister Ann Joyns me in Love / we wish you a happy New Year from your
affesionat Father
John Watson
[In this letter from Anne, George and Margaret apparently have settled
in Tully, according to the address. Neither of the first two letters gave
any indication where they were living at the time. We now learn of family
support for the widowed mother.]
Mr. George Watson
Tully Onondaga
County New York
America
[postmark Feb. 28, 1862]
Dear Brother and Sister
Wee received your very kind letter and we were very glad to heare from
you, and I can asure you that wee are very thank full for what you sent
to us it cheeared Mother a good deal. She has been verry poorly since the
month of September last, the troubel was mostely in her head and eyes but
she is rather better, though not abele to write or read much yet. Amelia
and her husband are very kind to us and were it not for them wee would
not be so well
as wee are / they have paid our rent for us since Fathers Death and
they write to us every month so with what they send and my work wee try
to do the best wee can but work his been very dull of lat, but I hope things
will soon begin to look better / wee are very glad you were abel to send
what you did and I got it cashed quite ready / tell littel John that Grandma
was very proud of his letter and she says it is as good as his Cousins
Robert Patrick in Sydney. Dear Sister the [ ? ] you mention I sent to Glasgow
whenever I got them. Mother was saying that if George was coming back to
Paisley he would see a great many changes in more things than one. wee
have got a very preety Church here / there is a one hundred and seventy
one members and a good Congregation / wee hive also a large Sabbith School
with about 4 hundred Children / wee hive also a Bible class through the
week, and a Prayer meeting / wee hive also what is called a Mission School
2 nights in the week free of charge for the purpos of teaching Sewing reading
and writing [to?] those who are at work through the day and those whose
Education has been neglected. I must now close this. my pen is very
bad. Mother joines with me in love to you both from your loving Sister
Anne
[The last letter tells of the concerns of an ageing widow and an
overworked sister. We also learn of their concerns about the effects of
the Civil War on them all.]
Paisley, Oct. 3th 1862
Dear Son and Daughter
I think you will be wondering how your Mother and Sister is / i would have rote to you sooner but was waiting to hear how Emilia and her fameley was / i had no letter from them for 5 months and it made us very dull and uneasey / i got one with the last mail they are well at the time and She has got another son / it was 7 years since her last child was born / She was in bad health for a long time but was well when she rote / the childs name is John Thomas Patrick that is for your father and Roberts brother / now my Dear Children i may say i have been much in my usual way trying to bear up as well as can / i was very much cast down in the summer for your Sister Ann was very poorly an She had to work day and nite and her health has been very much hurt / her arms was so sweld and painful that it often made us both cry / she is rather better but very thin and often complains of her back and a pain in her side / i hope you are both well and that John is well also / i wish he may be spared to be a comfort to you both and that you may have plenty of work and health and strenth to do it / i thank you both for the pound you sent me / you dont no how happy it made us to no that you were able to do so / you will have a reward / Sister Emilia is very kind / her husband pays our rent which is a great deal for him to do for one that he was so little acquainted with / i have not seen brother William since i rote last and tho James is in the town he does not come to see us but we are trying to do the best we can in an onest way and Comitting our Selfs to the care of our heavenly father / I dont forget you and all the rest of my children when i lift my feeble voice to him that will not turn a poor Mother a way but will hear and answer in his one good time and way now i must Stop for i am very tired and my eyes is very weak and sore / i hope you will rite soon with Love to you both and to my Dear grandson your
Mother Ann Watson
My Dear Brother and Sister
Wee are wearing very much to have a letter from you America being in such a uncertain state makes us more anxious about you but I hope you are all well. I trust you are not near where any of the fighting is going on / I see by the newspapers that the Country is in a fearfull states / the War is also causing great distress hear for the want of cotton / there are so many thrown out of emploement owing to the want of cotton & all cotton articels are very much up in price / I hope you will write soon & let us know how things are with you / how is John getting on at Schols / I hope he is getting on well / I trust he will soon be abel to write a nice letter to his Grandmama & Aunt / tell him that his littel Cousin in Sydney write a very nice letter to us last Week & wee were very proud of it / I must now stop as it is nearing time this was posted---with love to you all believe mee
Your loving Sister Anne
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to Onondaga County Family Letters page.
24 July 1999
