Last Letters from the Jones’ in the UK.

Transcript of a letter from Mr & Mrs Jones of Birmingham 3rd November 1853

My Dear Daughter and son in law Mr and Mrs Perrin

It is with the utmost pleasure I am enabled to answer your kind letter of the 6th of August we received your letter on Saturday the 29^th of October, and was exciting (exceeding) happy to hear you were both well at that time, your father thank god is quite well, as for myself I am thanks be to God much better than I was when I answered your first letter from Melbourn, and it is our intention by the help of God, and your kind assistance, for we can do nothing towards Paying our passage, we have some money but we want to buy some things and also many comforts which we shall want in the ship as you was so kind as to say we might procure with our own money and I also hope not to be penniless when we arrive in Melbourn.

My dear I suppose you had not received the answer I sent you to the first letter you wrote after you arrived in Melbourn, your father will put the money right with Mark as fast as we can after we arrive in your town and we feel much obliqued very much indeed for your father won’t like to get more (than he does?) while he is able that he may not have to work all the days of his life for (?) he ought to have according to his knowledge of work, but as to me my work will be but little. Perhaps I can nurse the babe a bit or do something to help, may the god of heaven grant us a safe voyage over the seas that we may enjoy the company of each other in this life as long as god sees fit.

Your brother and sister and the dear little children a dear girl they have 5 weeks old (a fat?) and beautiful infant that you ever saw, we will endeavour to bring what comforts we for you and ourselves, my dear if we have all got good luck you may not be surprised to see your brother and his family sometime if he should leave where he is, but it’s uncertain.

Mr Harper in Benacre St sent his son to know if I had heard of you and how you are getting on he desired best respects to you and he would come and help you but he have plenty of children and no money therefore I think he had better stop at home as he is still working at (Briggs?)

Your uncle and aunt they are preparing a great stock of cloths

Mrs (?) .desire respects to you and glad to hear.

You Uncle’s ship is the “Marion Moon”, Captain Tweedy, they will sail the 15^th of this month

……….on hole will be all on fire as soon as they know of our going and we must start by the light of it. God bless you both from your loving Father and Mother Mr & Mrs Jones.

Transcript of a letter from Mr & Mrs Jones of Birmingham 2nd July 1855

Dear Daughter and Son in law

We received your long looked for letter on 22^nd of May. We was glad once more to hear from you for we had quite given you up I knew you was alive a little while ago. Some of your Uncles friends had a letter from him and they made mention of you, they told us you had another baby and then we thought you had entirely cast us off as you did not write or authorise them to say anything, but thank God you still remember us, we are very sorry you have not met with better luck not on our account for it would have been next to impossible for Mother to think of ever getting there alive, we are too old both of us to do much good at immigration. We think Old England with all her faults is better still. You told us of the heat you had to endure and how old you looked and with all the scarcity of work and high price of provisions, not very encouraging account to draw others out there at any rate but thank God we are at present very well provided for, all we want is to see you back again but I suppose you must stop your 4 years.

Whether you are able to keep money enough to bring you back or no, your father has the Holloways Place and the Cottage and all so he is doing pretty well, the letter quite revived mother she is pretty well in health but she can see very little They was both very glad to hear from you I hope you will send oftener in future whether you are prosperous or not never mind that, it’s Hoped Mark was successful in finding those fellows you spoke of, I suppose he had a long journey to seek them, and also that they had some money when they were found. Putting them to prison will not restore your money you must through them upon the Parish if there is one. We received the present the gold and the hair off our Grandson God bless him. We hope he will have his health and come back to the fatherland Give him lots of kisses from us both, hoping this may find you both in health and prosperity as thank God it leaves us quite as well as we can expect at our time of life. We now conclude with our best love to you all, your loving Father and Mother Mr and Mrs (or W and M) Jones.

Dear Sister and Brother

I felt very glad to receive your letter I was very anxious to hear from you myself but more so on mothers account for she done nothing but fret about you continuously. I hope this will find you in health as thank god it leaves us all at present. We have 4 children now 1 boy and 3 girls. We are living at Erdington so I have got 3 miles to walk to work every morning but it is very healthy and we have got a large garden and a very nice house out there. I saw Mark’s sister she was glad to hear from you she is in service somewhere by the five ways. She desired to be remembered to you both. I am very sorry you did not continue so fortunate as you did at first that is a bad job having those 2 children left with you as food is so dear. Things is very dear here on account of the war but there is a great many going for soldiers , none of us knew anything of war before and I hope ,please God, it will soon come to an end but I fear not the news is more favourable now, you see the accounts in the papers there I never received but one paper from you only with the letters we had the two with this last letter we will send you one with this when you write again Please to give one all the information you can. I thank you for all you sent before.

(Turn over the next sheet, made a mistake, read it backwards and forwards you will find it out)

(We have had very cold weather ever since the middle of January it is as cold as Christmas now and colder too.)

Things is dearer according then the wages but with so many coming out what can one do. The walls are stuck up with vessels coming out as much as ever, when you write again tell us how much you paid for the letter you sent last and also what you had to pay for this. I now conclude with all our love and best wishes your affectionate Brother and Sister, John and (?) Dadge. Direct for me at the Benson’s Bull St, Birmingham, England

MARK DROWNED 22^ND DEC 1863 IN DENILIQUIN, NSW

MARY ANNE DIED 27^TH JAN 1885 IN DENILIQUIN, NSW

NEITHER HAD ANY CONTACT WITH THEIR UK RELATIVES AFTER 1855.

George Henry Perrin, son of Mark and Mary Anne Perrin tried desperately to re-connect with the Perrin’s and Jones’ of Birmingham, following the death of his mother in 1885.