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This is one of the 77 letters & documents from the bog. NEWS: TJ's family has joined him in Hong Kong, except for Julius in school in England; weather was good to get in corn & hay; HSBC not thriving; Thomas McCullagh BROWNE improving in health & recalled to Bangkok; TJ's wife is in Malta; Mary Jane GILMORE's marriage to Rev. Thomas BARTLEY commented on; William BATES new bank manager at Crossmaglen (a relation by marriage).
Sharon Oddie Brown. October 24, 2006
Updated March 26, 2010

 

Urker Decr 9th 1896

 

My dear Tom

When this reaches you, I hope that you will have your wife and some of your children with you, safe and well. May God bless you all! I feel for poor Julius [1] , left back, alone in England. I wish he were in a grand school in Ireland, of which there are many.

 

            Notwithstanding the severe weather; we got all the corn and hay home dry. Many thanks to you for your offer of hay; but I think we shall have enough of our own.

 

            I received your letters of the 28th October & 5th November yesterday; and I would not have written to you today, only for one passage in the last relating to “the old cow” [2] from which I fear she is not thriving as much as she often did. I wished to remind you of what Job said “Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and not receive evil”? [3] and also to quote a [?]from old Francis Bourne’s [4] [?ification] of the forty sixth Psalm –

 

“God is our refuge & our strength

[?] straits a present aid

Therefore although the earth [?]

We will not be afraid”.

 

            This was sung by 3000 men at the great convocation in Belfast in 1892 [5] when there was danger of Home Rule. What a sound they must have made! It showed me that the old Puritan spirit is not dead yet.

 

            “The old cow” & her office bearers never want my hearty intercessions with Him, who can help; & I am assured that they will eventually overcome all difficulties; they have too many blessings to go down, “God a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last.” [6]

 

            It was a great pity that you had to recall poor Tom Brown [7] ; he was improving in health every day; but I fear he is only going to the East to get a grave. Could you manage to remove him to a healthier place than Bangkok? He says it is like a bakers oven.

 

            I had a note from Minnie [8] from Malta & am daily watching to hear more.

 

            Jeannie Gilmore [9] surprised us all. As you can say I am not as fortunate as the Queen in getting my Grandchildren married; but I am content, perhaps it is all for the best?

 

            There was a note for Sally [10] enclosed in yours of Oct 28th which I forwarded to her. I am in good health & have nothing to complain of, except the stiffness of my knees; but as you may see, my writing days are over.

 

            Peggy [11] and her ones are doing well. All your Irish friends are much as usual.

 

            Love and ten thousand times ten thousand blessings to you and yours from your ever affectionate Mother

                        Eliza Jackson

PS Mr Blackader [12] has been removed from the Bank in Crossmaglen to Saintfield and Mr Bates [13] who is married to Jeannie Clements [14] is Manager in his place.

 

 



[1] George Julius JACKSON, son of Amelia Lydia DARE & Sir Thomas JACKSON

[2] “the old cow” = HSBC

[3] Job 2:10

[4] Francis BOURNE?

[5] This was probably in June 1892 when a massive popular demonstration in Belfast, the Ulster Convention, attracted some 20,000 opponents of Home Rule from throughout Ulste. It was chaired by the Duke of Abercorn.

[6] I assume this is from a hymn.

[7] Thomas McCullagh BROWNE (1857-). He married Agnes CAMPBELL in Glascow in 1907 and subsequently had 3 chidlren. He was the son of Daniel Gunn BROWNE & Margaret JACKSON and cousin of Sir Thomas JACKSON. He worked with HSBC as the agent in Bangkok. He was on leave in 1896 and was again Bangkok agent in 1998. He retired in either 1904 or 1905.

[8] Amelia Lydia DARE, wife of Sir Thomas JACKSON

[9] Mary Jane GILMORE, daughter of Eliezer GILMORE & Sarah JACKSON (sister of Sir Thomas JACKSON). Four months after this letter was written, at age 21, she married Rev. Thomas Bartley who was 14 years older than herself.

[10] Sarah JACKSON wife of Eliezer GILMORE and a sister of Sir Thomas JACKSON

[11] Margaret (JACKSON) (REED) MCCULLAGH sister of Sir Thomas JACKSON

[12] BLACKADER – I cannot be sure that I have transcribed this correctly.

[13] William BATES appears in Jeannie MOORHEAD’s birthday book with a birthday of April 24. No year is given. He died in 1906.

[14] “Jeannie” Jane CLEMENTS AKA “Anne Jane” died 1925 in Montreal, Canada – presumably having gone to live with her daughter Dorothy (her only son was killed in WW!). She is also mentioned in the birthday book of Jeannie MOORHEAD with a birthday of April 23. Her mother was Esther GILMORE, daughter of Samuel GILMORE & Jane COULTER – again more family connections.

 

 

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