Dear Ian,
I wonder if these copies of old letters to Illinois from Trodigle and Belfast would be of interest to your Kintyre web page viewers. Feel free to publish them on the web page if you think it would be of interest.

(Typed copy made June 1994 of a letter to my GGGrandfather Peter Ralston in Illinois from his brother Alex Ralston in Scotland.  The letter back page is addressed: “Mr. Peter Ralston near Rosco Winnebago County Illinois America”.  I have attempted to leave the spelling and punctuation just as in the hand written letter however, I could not make out some of it.)

Trodigle
Aprile 11th 1849
Dear brother and family
When I wrote brother William I intended of writing to you very soon but
hoping a change of circumstance in the family I delayed till the present
you may say that I have forgotten you when pen and ink and paper has not
reached you ere now but often has mind crossed that wide waste of water
that lies between us as with lightening speed and imagination sees you
all as dear beloved brethren and children.    Martha has been
complaining these two years past    her complaint comenced like a
inflamation in the hip joint, first in the left side but while there she
was able to go about with the help of a stick or croch and do some sewin
and knitten stockings    the inflamation being over come and geting
beter and having good hopes of her being restored    till last May it
shifted to the other hench with twice more violence and still increasing
her constitution all the while being good till these few months past
she was mostly in bed, the pain she suffered is indiscrible till she
became very reduced,    she read a great part of her time at books   was
resigned and submissive under the chastning hand of God    for whom he
loves he chastens every son or daughter when he receives    for he
designed her for his own glory in his heavenly kindon    though dearly
beloved in our hearts the all wise God in his incrutible providence saw
fit to remove her by death on 4th March at 12 O’clock being our
sacramental sabath    she departed this life    God commisian his Angel
and bore away her spirit and rose far above suns mons and stars to the
realms of bless and now tastes the joys of her Savior    she longed for
singing the praises of redeming grace Unto him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in his own blod    Martha was other wise modest prudent
well respected by all who knew her    the rest of the family is all well
thanks unto God for his great mercies to us who are so unworthy    may
his will be done
little Peter is now runing a bout a fine stout boy of a fair complexion
as all the rest    he is the only Peter Ralston now in Kintyre that I am
aware of    Dear brother this is not all    yet another mournful tale of
woe    I have to relate our much loved and esteemed brother Duncan
McGeachy is no more    he departed this life on 18 March on sabath
morning being their Sacramental Sabath very suddenly    he was
complaining about a month scarcely   his complaint was a bile on the
stomach but he got of that beter    it was thought but had inmflamation
along with it and was geting considerably beter    he took a weakening
on sabath morning when our Sister was puting on her cloths but did not
get them about half on till she had to go behind him in bed to keep him
in a siting posture,  he recovered of the weakness and was quit sensible
this being about 7 o’clock in the mourning    he wished the family all
present    he said his saviour would soon come and praying much for him
self gave good counsels to his family    and about 9 o’clock he expired
leaning on Helen’s,  he left orders with Helen a few days before he died
some money that they had in Bank    secure it to her self over every
thing else,  Dear brother in all these mournful events may we have grace
given to say the lord reighneth and may we hear a voice from our graves
saying prepare to meet thy God    fortunately their son Arch’d. is at
home at present    was agreed for marriage the Friday before his father
died but it did not take place till eight days after    to a young lady
a friend of McTaggart the tailor in the Longrow    a miss McLean she
kept the books in the shop to Mr. McTaggart and it is talked that she
has some little money.  Arch’d. is doing well at sea  he was the last
voyage with London ship first mate    had £6 S6? month away by China and
East Indies for 20 months and saved a deal of cash    my son Thad’s. is
now with Capt. McKechnies vessel    sailed from Liverpool last Aprile
went to East Indies and China and is now we expect on his way home,
we had a very good crop all over this last year with the exception of
the Potato crop which is still a failure which we feel a great loss but
we should be thankful we have them doing better than many about the
country  being to the lighness of the soil    we sold a good many tons
this year  the price was from £4 to 5£ per ton    prices of all kinds is
very low    Bere 26 per 48 lb. in winter but less now   Oats from 16s -
18s per quartes   beans 14/   sweet milk cheese from 36/ to 40sh per ?
the greatest part of farmers is now making sweet mild cheese,    buter
at present fresh 11s to 13s    Horses are still hich in price    a great
many changes has taken place this year among the farmers I refair to
Proctor Galbreaths tenants    a number of them not having leases    he
took the advantage seeing the land testing higher this year on the Duke
of Argyles Estate    which is very surprising with all our cheap markets
and free trade    low country farmers still coming here    Andrew Smith
Moy lost his with 40t advance to David Gregg   Duncan Stewart
Machrihanish lost his and is let to three different men   to John Gregg
Rob’t. Cunningham Killavain?  an strangers    Rob Greenlees Craig gave
up his and is for America   Arch’d Mitchell Machrihanish gave up his and
was taken in few days by William Wallace with advance rent   John Gregg
lost his and it taken by a stranger of the name of Wallace at 300£
Lonnie? Mitchell has Dalbaddy and most of Balygreggan most at 100£   so
you see there is 400£ instead of 120£   Rob’t Maxwell gave up Ballochga
and Kildonald and is taken by a stranger with advance of 20£    Rob’t
intends to abide by the grass farms and live a part of the year in town
Arch’d Mitchel our neighbor died last week within days sickness    David
Donald died in winter with lockjaw very suddenly    Arch’d McDonald son
of James died last week    Alex Ralston Auchrua is going to America   I
think he will go to the wifs friends    I have seen your letter you sent
last to William Fleming and was glad to hear of you all being well
George Brown is still in measure of health and gets a little money from
the church   Cathrine McDonald is well lives in a small house at John
Gordon’s old habitation   receives ?? rates  works a little with John in
???  Our mother is much failed in bodily strength and the more? begining
to give way also but wonderful health  she is still in her own house
John and family is very attentive to her  she has plenty of money of her
own yet and gets from John anything she requires   I send down coals
frequently to her   Dear brother we simpathize with you of the loss you
sustained in the bereavement of the choise of your early days and first
love,  may we all cherish the hope of our much loved and departed
friends who sleep in Jesus   God shall bring with him meting there in
that place where no separation shall ever take place   I must conclude
not forgeting brother William and family   I shall write him when
harvest is past if I am spared   Elisabeth joins me in sending our best
respects to you all and enquiring friends and may the good will of him
who dwells in the bush? dwell with you all. I remain  Your Brother Alex’
r Ralston
 

(Typed copy made June 1994 of a letter to my GGGrandfather Peter Ralston and William Ralston in Illinois from their brother Alex Ralston in Scotland.  GGGrandfather Peter Ralston had left Scotland in 1840 and in 1843 moved from Ohio to northern Illinois. I have attempted to leave the spelling and punctuation just as in the hand written letter however, I could not make out some of the writing.)

Trodigal, January 7th 1852
Dear Brethren
It is now some time since I wrote you but how swiftly does our days pass
away and the events of Providence of his purposes concerning each of us
timeous can only reveal    we are all in a measure of health at present
thanks be to God for his mercies to us so unworthy    our Winter as yet
has been mild open with very little frost as yet our    Summer was very
cold and stormy all over    we had in the month of September very fine
weather but the rest of harvest very wet and crop long of being housed
I had it all housed before the weather broke much    a good many of our
stacks did not get a shower    our bear crop was the lightest we had
since we came to Trodigal but the corn crop was a very heavy one all
over the country.    The Potatoes this year was a worse failure than any
since 1847    in the East of Scotland there was a fine crop of them
these two years    bringing to Campbeltown and as dry as meal and very
large.    We had planted widely these two years but did me very little
good    this is now very trying times for us farmers here now.     I got
no abatement of rent as yet by promised some this next rent    some of
our Lairds tenants got some these two years    in some cases the
interest of houses and a trifle more    my neighbour W. Lethan has tried
them to take it of his hand but is unwilling unless another tenant
appears as good.
Dear brother it now revolves upon me a very painful duty to inform you
of the latter end of a respected beloved brother John who departed this
life on the night of the 17th December.    It is necessary that I should
make you acquainted with the way the all Sovereign God was pleased to
lay his hand upon him and number him among the things that were    on
the 1st? of the month he was at the funeral of James Gardners sister in
his usual health.    We met in the town and had a refreshment in Mrs.
Browns old house and had a friendly conversation for a short time, about
two or three days after he begun to complain his head and swet in his
body for some two days but rather kept it back but still on foot    his
head still more pained with a shivering of cold    he had to take his
bed on Sabbath.    I did not know of his complaining to the Friday
following when at Provost Colviles funeral    some of my friends told me
they thought it Bose? in the head    at first it struck him in his left
eyebrew    when I saw him it was some little swelled    Doctor Oliver
had bled him a little at his first visit by his own request and
blestered several times after but with no effect    his eyebrews still
swelling a little more    I got down Dr. McNab to see him    he said it
was purely Inflamation in the brain from which cause rendered him
unconsious of pain and unsettled in mind    I may say from a few days at
first his whole trouble was all in the head till his last hours    which
gave comfort to sorrowing friends   he became more sinsible    both
eyebrews very much swelled latterly   Every human medicine that was
requisite for body and soul was not awanting in his case but the
purposes of God shall stand and it becomes us fallen sinfull man to be
dumb and open not our mouth but with resignation to say thy will O Lord
be done    the Sentance had gone forth and on the above mentioned night
the Imortal part departed the clay tabernacle and this world of sin
sorrow & suffering to a world we trust where sin has never entered
sorrow never known and suffering never felt,    And on the 20 Dec. a
respectable company gave the favour of respect to the remains of our
esteemed brother to his last resting place at Keel to mingle with the
ashes of his first choice    We deeply sympathise with bereaved Widow
and family of the loss of a Husband and a father with ??many young
children    four boys and four daughters    Our    prayer to God for
them is to verify his promise to be the husband of the Widow and the
father of the fatherless    their God and guide through life and at
death their exceeding great reward.    Dear brethren what solemn warning
have we received from the case of our departed young brother    that
warning voice is prepare, prepare, for ye know not how soon or how
suddenly the summons of death may be put into Our hands.   God grant
that this afflictive dispensation of of his providence may be sanctified
to us all and as journeying nearer the end of our days may we be more
and more induced to seek the great salvation.    Duncan McGeachy our
friend at Ormsary I trust will have reached you in safety    he sailed
some now for the Illinois    their Farm is to be let this year but they
are none of them let as yet    the Dukes tenants is getting some
abatement this year from 5£ to 10£    20£ & 30£ and as high as 70£
this is only one farmer at Lergyside we know    have sales ? of farmers
now every week    two this week    Huie at Clonegart   Borland at
Bulochgain only 3 years and next week White in Gartlosgan    Donly at
Balergy & Mrs. Stewat at High Kalengy    so you may see that the low
Country farmers is lifting their wings but can not soar very high
they rather must creep away with very little cash notwithstanding    All
the indulgence they got from the Chamberlain    William Fleming &
Elisabeth & family is well    we have not heard from them this little
time    all the friends is well    give our respects to all our friends
you have more there than we have here now
write soon that we may know how your are geting on    I must conclude
hoping that you are all in good health    wishing every temporal and
spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus
I remain your brother Alex Ralston.
 

Best Regards and thanks for your excellent web pages,
Harold A Ralston, Racine, WI, USA
http://www.execpc.com/~haroldr/index.html

Wee Drams

Page  2:    Janet and Marie Morrison's 1999 Trip to Scotland - The Final Part

Page  3:    The Ralston Correspondence - Part One

Page  4:    Bits and Bobs / Genealogical Queries

Page  5:    Heather McFarlane's Page - The Will of Miss Lucy Campbell

Page  6:    Campbeltown's New Library & Museum, 1899

Page  7:    Aurora Borealis / Distribution and Breeding of the Barn Owl in Kintyre 1995-1998

Page  8:    By Hill and Shore - Part One

The A.I.B. Stewart Page