Sarah Bracher to W S Hall, 22 November 1882

File:Sarah_Bracher_1882_11_22.pdf

File: Sarah_Bracher_1882_11_22.doc

2009 July 22: typed by IB, and checked with MS.

Note: (i) this letter originally consisted of two sheets of paper, each 9.15 by 7.3 inches (232 by 185 mm) and folded once, to give four pages of 4.55 by 7.3 inches (115 by 185 mm). Part of the first sheet has been lost: the surviving text is written on the upper half of pages 1 & 2, and the lower half of pages 3 & 4. The text on the lower half of page 4 is continued on the second sheet.

(ii) the text on the upper half of page 2 is not in Sarah’s hand; the hand is possibly that of George Bracher.

Sarah Bracher to W S Hall, 22 November 1882

Transcription

[upper half of page 1]

Novr 22^nd 1882

Dr Ma’s wedding day

My dearest Brother

I was very glad to see your handwriting again & to learn of the health of your wife & family, have you only one Girl? Joy by name I think, by this Mail I

[upper half of page 2]

time instead of two pounds on account of being obliged to buy it in Sandhurst instead of the Importer in Melbourne, I paid 12/- for it & 8/6 for rail & freight to K G Sound, you will find a slight difference in flavour as I had to make up the quantity with essence of Pine Apple as I took all

[lower half of page 3]

Many of the old residents of this locality & surroundings are very near the end of their earthly pilgrimage. Gunn of the Glasgow Arms is very ill, old Mr Osbourne is not likely to live long he is always ill. You will be glad & perhaps surprised

[lower half of page 4 to end of letter]

Ted is worth £25,000 & Herbert is immensely rich, Aunt keeps her pair of ponies & has taught them some clever tricks, she is very well & quite as active as if she were only 30 instead of over 70 years of age. It is quite remarkable that all our Sydney relations should have done so well & began on so little they have been very careful & prudent no doubt in all transactions of consequence.

Gilbert is looking well & I think he is pretty well off, his eldest daughter is comfortably married, he wishes me to tell you, he still has a Furniture Van & gets plenty to do. Tullochs are living at Sandridge, [indecipherable] is in the Telegraph office, the rest of the family at various trades, [?Lucy] married [?Trant] the Carpenter & has 5 or 6 children.

Fred Hester & his wife have been very unhappy for yrs, Mrs H & the Girls are all in Melbourne, Fred is quite by himself & very poor, he has a nice cottage & garden but can neither let or sell. I had a note from him yesterday, he said I was to tell you about his troubles & also that he intended to make his way back to the old Swan. He would do well on a Station for he holds first class Testimonials as a wool classer both in New Zealand & Victoria, he came & staid with us for a few days about 1 month ago, he is looking very well, he tried to borrow some cash to go down to NZ to class this year but we & other friends are all too poor to help him & so he had to go back to Echuca to his empty house & take some harvesting work at 25/- per wk & found. He is quite a clever man as carpenter & Gardener & other things.

I only wish my husband was as skillfull, we would be better off all these long years. I am almost in despair of getting on even for a few remaining yrs it may be, for it seems impossible for an old man without means to get anything to do. Pa is still well able to fill a place of trust, for the last 3 weeks he has been [indecipherable] Moore’s Store as Mr M who is an old friend is ill & asked him to take his place.

Our son has bought the cottage we live in & the next to us, he said it was all for our use till he wanted it. I have had the empty house papered &c & must let it to pay the rates for they are rather heavy. I have not any thing to depend on except £2 per month from Fanny, we grow most of our vegetables & have some nice trees in full bearing but nothing to make money of.

I hope dear Brother you or your dear wife will write soon again. I suppose you heard that Louisa Mrs Carey has lost her baby boy May God continue to bless you & yours

Believe me yours

Sarah