Contact Person: btur@tpgi.com.au Letter No. 1 written by William Pender from Knowes farm, near Fauldhouse, West Lothian to his son Glaud in Australia. __________________________________________________________________ Knowes Janry 12th 1855 Dear Glaud, I Embrace the opertunity of sending A letter with uphimia Brown in hope of you Receiving it this is the 6 I have sent I am Sorry to inform you Andrew has met with an accident but I am Glad to Say that he is geting better he went away to go to Ardrie on the 6th of Janry and the mare shyed at A tynkers tent west from leadloch Cntry (1) whealed round and upset the Cart right on his throat the tinkers had Come and taking him from under it laid him down for dead ran off and left all they met 2 Engineers and told them there was A man lying on the roadside nearby kiled to run and give the Alarm they ran East to the den and A great many Came west but he was so disfigured they Could not know him til Wm Greenhorn came up with his Carts put him in one of his Carts and brought him home he lay About an hour in it Cold wet morning before any person Came to his Asistance the mare lying all the while under the Cart he has A Cut in one of his Cheeks 1 of his teeth brock and 2 loosed but had the tinkers not Come direct to his Asistance he could not have lived 10 minutes. David was here and went Away the day before Andw got hirt he has been working at muselburgh (2) this 4 months Robt has got married on gone forest (?) he has got A daughter your cousin Wm Storry northfield died of fever in Septr last Sir W Bailee is dead John Bishops Son halfway house (8) dropt down dead at his breakfast on Wednesday the 10th Janry Mr Griffin is very poorly he is not keeping the School John Thomson has left him he is keeping A School at lismahaggo (?) he is geting A good School and Mr Griffin has A young man from harthill (3) keeping the school for him trade has been very good this some time here and wages pretty high the farm has paid well this 2 years but I had the misfortune to lose A good horse last year of lockjaw I have not sen any of your friends in Whitburn this 2 weeks but they are all in good health Robert Bayton has been out of work this some time but he is back to Mrs Smith Again Whitburn is A sturing place now there is a great deal of work going on About Capers (4) they have got A Railway in to it from bathgate (5) they have got an Exelint cheam (?) of Ironston East from Whitburn on Sir Wm's land at burnbrae (6) and also plenty of good Coal James McCulloch is very poorly he has not wrought any this 10 months your mothers neck is A great deal more Swoln Since you left Scotland We ar all very Anxious to hear from you I think there has been 6 or 7 letters Sent away Since July last Dr Mitchell is often Enquiring about you I Supose you will hear as much about the war in the East as we do here they ar in A bad State it is reported here that word has Come to Edinburgh on the 11 that Nicoles had given in (7) if you have the good fortune to Receive this be Sure and write Soon after I am still in the hope of Seeing you in Scotland yet I had a letter from Jas lately they ar all well our friends ar all in health as far as I know hoping this will find you all Enjoying the Same blessing give our kind love to Grace and Mary Ann I Remain Dear Glaud Your Affectionate father Wm Pender (1) Not very far from home - Leadloch is SW of Fauldhouse and NW of the Storry's Badallan farm. (2) Musselburgh, 6 miles east of Edinburgh, at mouth of Esk River. (3) 2 miles west of Whitburn. (4) Cappers, 1 mile north of Whitburn. (5) 18 miles SW of Edinburgh. (6) 1 m SW of Shotts, Lanarkshire. (7) Crimean War. This is about 6 weeks after the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava. He is possibly refering to Nicholas I, emperor of Russia ? (8) Halfway House is just to the west of Whitburn. __________________________________________________________________ Letter No. 2 from James Pender to his brother Glaud in Australia Ramsey, Isle of Man March 23rd 1856 My Dear Brother I am sure you must think me very carless in not writing you oftner than I have I do not know whether you ever got the two last that I sent as I never heard of any mention being made of them in any of yours but I must confess it is a long time since I had wrote to you, although I have often thought of writing and been also anxious to hear from you, but I was glad to hear from Father a week ago that he had had a letter from you and that you was then all well ... and that Grace had had another Daughter. I hope she is doing well and likewise the little one Mary Ann will be getting a big girl now. I Daresay you will have heard before this of the increas that we had in our Family it was a very strange circumstance to have two births under a month. the first was a little girl born on the 28th of April 1855, but it only lived 5 1/2 hours. the second little James was born on the 21st of May 1855 I thought sure enough that I was going to lose frances at that time. the Doctor told me half an hour longer. but thank god she is quite well again we had no hopes at all of him living for about 3 weeks although he looked as healthy a child as ever was born for 2 or 3 days I think there never was a child suffered as he did and lived. for the second week we had to watch over him day and night and many a time we thought he was dead it was truly heart rending to watch the little sufferer and oft I prayed that it might pleas the Lord to releas him and take him to himself you will think it strange when I tell you that a Child of a few days Old should have suffered so much with Jandice, for that was his disease which all went into his eyes I cannot say that he was blind, but he never opened his eyes for about a week, only when they were opened to be washed with green tea, which had to be done every hour for several days and then every 1 hour and then 2 hours till the diseas was over come. we did not think he would ever see if he lived, but it pleased the Lord to restore both his sight and health for he is now as fine a child as any of them was when I saw him last, but as you will see I have been hear between three and four months. we are puting up a corn and flour Mill and I am working for Mr Benjamin Goodfellow, Millwright and Engineer ..... I had a letter from David (1) last week and they were all well then he says he is coming over to Manchester when I have finished here but I daresay that will be 6 or 7 weeks yet. he was very much inclined for coming to Australia when his time would be out but I do not know what he thinks of it now I think a good deal will depend upon what encouragement you can give him. I have no doubt but you have had both discouragements and anxiety of mind (?) enough since you left home, but I hope with all you have not forgot the one thing needful to our happiness both in this life and that which is to come I have got (?) without the houses that I built some time since, you will remember me speaking about them when you was going away they caused me a great Deal of trouble and anxiety of mind and I lost a deal of money by them I may say 100 pounds but I must conclude this as I have little more to say at present I hope you will write soon and let me know how you are geting on, for believe me, Dear Glaud, you are not forgot by me although I have not wrote so often as I ought to have done hoping this will find you all enjoying the same great blessing afar as I know thank God for it, and may God bless you, and your family and spare you to return once more to our native land in health and prosperity I remain your Affectionate Brother James Pender 153 Bradford Road Manchester we still live in the same house yet (1) David later came to Australia. _________________________________________________________________ Letter No. 3 written by William Pender to his son Glaud in Australia. Knowes Nover 30th 1856 Dear Glaud, I take the Opertunity of Sending you a few lines with James King and George Brown (?) to let you know that we ar all Enjoying Good health hoping this will find you all Enjoying the Same great blessing we have been looking this long time for A letter from you if you receive this I hope you will Send an Answer the first opertunity and let us know where you ar and how you ar geting on there are A Great many Alterations here Since you left you would Scarcely know the place They are puting A pit down about 60 yards East from the house and have put a Railroad right through the Garden almost on the house I have had my Crops Some damaged this year with Smoke and the potatoes in this place is Almost A Complet faleour markets is very high here butter /14 Cheese /10 ham /9 per lb Eggs 1/ per doz there is A Great many houses built here of late William Wypper has built A large Publick house on John Storry's land at the head of the driving rigg and is doing A Great deal of busnes your Brother John has taking his farm for Another year he has 10 Score of Sheep on it this year I will have to look out for Another farm as I will be Smeeked out of this if they ever Comenced burning on it and they have the Engine nearly up I Saw one Bowie from West Calder lately that was along with Thos Muir at the diggings he had A nuget of Gould worth 50 with him I was Enquiring at him About you he Said he never had Seen you and that he was Some times in Geelong you Said in your last letter you had got Another daughter I hope they ar all doing well I have not Seen Any of your Whitburn friends this Some time but I think they ar all well I may tel you that Whitburn Church is under repair this 6 months it will be redy in About two weeks we have got A Mishoner here A young man newly Lisensed he preaches in the Fouldhouse (1) School Every Sunday night I had A letter from Glascow lately Robts family has all had A Sore Could he was of work for A week but he was going to the Shop in a day or two he has got A good Situation he is Oversman of the Shop and David has left the Shop and working at the Steam Boat Engines I had almost forgot to tel you that John has got Another Daughter Dear Glaud we are very Anxious to see you home there is plenty of work here and you would be as well here as in Australia your Mothers neck is Greatly Swolen of late be sure and write Soon I Remain Dear Glaud Your Affectionate Father Wm Pender (1) Fauldhouse _________________________________________________________________ Letter no. 4 from William Pender to his son Glaud in Australia. Knowes Jun 10 1859 Dear Glaud I take the opportunity to writing you A few lines to let you know that we ar all in the Enjoyment of good health hoping this will find you all Enjoying the same Great Blessings I was at Ths Grosarts making Enquirey about the money. he says thear is only 5-19 sh and 2d to your Share and you war to send œ8 in 3 years to Mr Mitchell so there will be still œ2 and /10 Standing yet but I saw Robt Taylor and he is going to try and get it out of the writers hands in Bathgate or he thinks he will take it all and he thinks there will be another Deviden before long and the Edinburgh lawyer Says it will be best to let it ... until it be all wound up as ther is A good deal of Expense on it for writers Every time they draw the money Robert Taylor is very bad at walking the Sinews up his leg is all Contracted there is A Great deal of building geting on in Whitburn the South Side of the Road is nearly all filled up and you would Scarce know your ould place there is A good many houses built beside it it is nearly filled up from the den to Crofthead and as for working man it is just about the Same as when you went away. I am still of the opinion that A man will make as much money here all things Considderd as in Australia and I think it will be more Comfortable to be in ones native Country than in A Strange land So I think you will take A thought by and by of Coming back to auld Scotland when Jacob heard of Joseph being alive he Said it is Enough Joseph my Son is yet alive I will go and See him before I die So I hope you will Reverse the question and Say my father is yet alive I will go and See him before he dies Your mother is geting very Stiff aand bad at walking I think Robt had sent you word about him geting A Situation in Derby and he has got an Adition to his family and Aunt Browntree Died on the 4 of May there is a Great many people going away to Ne.....Calan there was 15 left longridge last week your Cousin William Bussel and Mary and famely has all left your uncle John Storry is Acumulating A Great deal of land he has bought other 3 farms lately he will have Above 2000 of yearly income I am thinking to try if he will let one of them to me as I will Soon be nocked out of here but I will draw to A close at this time I remain Dear Glaud your Affectionate Father Wm Pender