Saturday, July 23, 2022

Another Sparks letter

As I am reviewing my English genealogy and going through old boxes of data I received and maybe looked at years ago, in preparation to a trip to England this fall, I am still finding new letters and data. Here are  the latest letters [This post has 2 letters, the next will have 2 more] Thank goodness someone in the family kept all these!!!!!    I'll post photocopies later.

1.   Letter from Ann Sparks Holmes to her niece Elizabeth Sparks Edwards. Photocopy of letter received from Patsy Davies. Transcribed by Susan Fairchild Barry  23 Jul 2022 . As always  my comments are in [ ] and any transcription unknowns are given.  All spellings are as in the original.... 


  Burley Dec 17 1892      [   Burley in Wharfedale?]

  Dear Neice

I write these few

lines to you hoping

this letter will find

you and your family

all well. You have oft

wanted a letter from

me to know how I was

coming on. I am very well

to say at 70 years old

plenty to do to get on.

with the help of a few

good friends

         [page 2]

Dear niece I could

like to hear from

you also. and you

will oblige me

cetainly by writing

to No 6 Iron Row

Burley -In- Wharfe

                        dale

Wishing you all

 a merry Christmas

and a happy new 

year when it comes

    [page 3]

so no more at

present from

your Aunt

Mrs Ann Holmes

No 6 Iron Row

Burley in Warfdale

near Otley

Yorkshire


2. Letter from John Morell to his cousin Elizabeth Sparks Edwards . Letter photocopy received from  Patsy Davies. Transcribed by Susan Fairchild Barry 23 July 2022. As always comments and unknowns are in [ ] .


Leeds England Feb 18th 1872

Dear Cousin    

       It is a pleasure for

me to write to you hoping it 

will find you in good health as

it leaves us pretty well at present

Dear Cousin I dare say that

will not know me but I am

your Aunt Elizabeth's Son &

my name is John I am turned

18 years of age my father left us

when my grandmother Died  &

was away 8 years [& 9 ?]  months&

then they brought him home

ill & he had the Deliriums

& he recovered & was at home

about one year & he Died

but I am very happy to say

he was prepared for another

world I am the only one

         [ page 2]

my mother [has?] but [ rest illegible]

we have had our share of trouble. I say

Cousin I never got your letter before the 

11th day of February  I was over at Burley

I went over to see my Aunt Jane for she

has been very ill in the Rhuematic but

she is on the recovering side again.

She showed me your letter & I read it

& I said that I would bring it

home and read it to my mother & then

I would answer it as I thought that

it was time some of us answered.

for I think you will think that 

it is very bad behavior but I 

never knew anything about it

until I saw it at Burley.

Dear Cousin you mention my

Cousin Thomas Footer I hope that

              [page 3]

he is doing well it is such a long

period since I heard from him

do you ever see him if you do ask

him to write to us & let us know

how he is going on in America

& what he is doing. My Aunt Jane

desires me to give her kind regards

to you she cannot write herself

& when she wants a letter ^writing to us

at Leeds she has to ask other

people to write for her & they

think it too much trouble to 

write a long letter & it is no

use to write a short letter into

America. My Aunt Ann is

quite well & she is living at

Burley & for my Uncle William

I never hear anything from

    [Page 4]

him My aunt was very ill

about one year since & when

we went to see her my Mother

& me & when we came away

they said they would write to

us & let us know how she was

but they have never wrote

to us yet  I think I have said

all me & my Mother sends 

our best respects to you all hoping 

that if we cannot meet in this

world we shall meet in 

heaven at last. please to

answering this letter as soon 

as you can Believe me Dear 

Cousin to remain your ever

Affectionate Cousin John

{written up side of page 4]

PS Please to direct your letter 

to Leeds as follows.

                                  John Morell

  please to excuse             Lamberts Yard Briggate

all mistakes                       Leeds

& the writing                      Yorkshire

                                             England

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