Corrinary[1],

May 5, 1886

My Own Dearest Mary[2],

I was very glad to have a little chat with you on Friday evg, especially when I was out to see you Yesterday at Church for I would have thought this week as long as Three if I had not seeing you on Friday, [?] You [?] to Johnny[3] failed a little, at best I would think He was, he was very glad to see You and was telling me he never saw You look much better, So I asked him when did he ever See You look half so well, My darling.

I was delighted to See You look so well, but to me My Dearest, You always do look so well and there is one thing that I do regret very much and that is that I cannot home and See You a little while every day, oh my dearest if I could I would be as happy as a King, but I hope in God that the time will not be long until we do have our own time for talking and looking at each other, Johnny was talking to your Father[4] when we were going into Cross on Friday but I was out, I drove Johnny to Cblayney[5] that evening and we had our tea in Mrs. Clements[6]. Johnny got a new situation in a House in Dublin[7] at a Salary of ₤120 a Year, he went to it on Saturday and is to get 18/6 per day for Expenses tis a very grand thing for him. It will be very pleasant for Sarah[8] to see him so often. He told me that he may come down Pretty often of a Saturday night to see me, [?] I go to Cross[9] Fair on Friday. I want home very much to do & I will go up to see You. I will be up about 11 O’Clock so You may be on the look out of me,

My own darling.

You must excuse the scribble for I am in a hurry & has only a short time for the Post, write soon

Good bye,

My Own dearest Mollie

I am your affectionate

[?] [?] F.R. Griffin[10]

---

[1] Corrinary, Castleblayney was the residence of Frederick GRIFFIN.

[2] Mary (née JACKSON) MENARY (1844-1921), widowed Feb 7 1874, resident at Urker Lodge, Crossmaglen, sister of Sir Thomas JACKSON

[3] John Gilmore GRIFFIN, son of Philip George GRIFFIN, married in 1888, died before 1912 and was born in Castleblayney. This connection is quite a leap of faith on my part, but enough details line up to make it a reasonably sure conjecture, so I am going with it.

[4] David JACKSON (1814-1899)

[5] Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan – close to Crossmaglen.

[6] Mrs. CLEMENTS - a good guess would be Esther (née GILMORE) CLEMENTS (husband’s first name unknown) d. 1900, birth date unknown. Daughter of Samuel GILMORE and Jane COULTER. The GILMORE connection is interesting here.

[7] I don’t know what “Johnny”s skills were, but it is worth checking.

[8] Sarah may be Eleanor "Nellie" Sarah PELAN (1863-1955), the future wife of John Gilmore GRIFFIN. She emigrated to Canada in 1912 after the death of her husband.

[9] Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh where the local fairs were held.

[10] Frederick Richard GRIFFIN who married Mary (née JACKSON) MENARY October 28, 1876 – five months after this letter. Curiously, we have no record of his death or of any other event that wold have included departure form the marriage. He simply evaporated.