Hurley Family Emigrant Letters (Ref. U170)

U170/

15 October 1894 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada to ‘My Dear Mother’. Writes that Michael ‘was in the “No Rent Manifesto” or sympathetic Pullman Strike movement’ and lost his job. Michael has enough means to ‘enable him to take the world easy as long as he wants to’. Business affairs are ‘much depressed and unsettled in this country. Some people think the times are owing to the Tariff, others to hostile silver legislation…’. He hopes the crops are pretty good, and mentions the lack of rain in Nevada, ‘Good weather to dry turf’. 2pp 1 April 1895 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada, to his brother Tim. He congratulates Tim on his recent marriage to a Miss Scannell, ‘Twenty Two years separation does not make me forget old times and scenes’. Asks questions concerning the wedding. He remembers two boys named Scannell when he was one of the sub-governors of the Clonakilty school. He believes that prices will be better for farm products in the future, making circumstances at home more comfortable, but ‘present times are very hard on the majority of people throughout the world. There is a great deal of destitution and lawlessness in this country’. 2pp 6 September 1895 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada, to ‘My Dear Mother’. He received a letter from Michael, who is well and has sufficient means to support his wants indefinitely, ‘But congenial employment is hard to get in the past few years, so he is waiting for better times’. Notes that you can ‘see, hear and enjoy life much better in San Francisco than here, if you have means’. Mentions the death of Bishop Manogue, who died at Sacramento of dropsy. He is proud of County Cork ‘in keeping out Redmondites, Unionists, and Tories’. 2pp 7 November 1895 Letter from Denis Hurley, Carson City, Nevada, to ‘My Dear Tim & sister’. He is glad to know that they are well and busy. He suggests putting the potatoes in drills in order to save labour, as is done in America. Advises them not to live exclusively on potatoes and to work in moderation, and hopes ‘you had the tubers in before the weather got very cold so as to save your pretty little wife’s fingers’. Mentions Father Kiely of Reno who is visiting Ireland. He hopes they will provide him with hospitality.