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Dear
brother;
I for the first time in my life take my pen to write you a few lines as I am
anxious to know how you are getting on. In the first place I must beg to be
excused for not writing to you before, which I know as a brother was my duty to
have done long since.
But since Father died which is now eleven years, I have scarcely been at one
place long enough to write to anyone. I have been through England, Ireland and
America, and nearly three years in this colony and still am not much better off
then when first I left home. While in America I stood in a pretty good position
until Robert persuaded me to come to this country, and bring Mother to look
after his Family for him, and now he's got married to a young drawing room lady
about 25 years of age and I hear he as got a young Daughter added to his Family,
and you may depend it has caused a great deal of ill feeling among his children
as his first wife is still alive in New Zealand. But it's a blessing that the
most of them are able to take care of themselves. It has caused a dissolution
between himself and George, and I don't think he has spoken to his daughter
Avice since the affair came off. George & Avice are both married. Avice is
married to a man that can realize a great sum of money and stand in a very good
position. And her sister Mary cannot agree with her new Mother so she is living
with Avice; so he has only three children home with him. I think he has been
accumulating money pretty fast of late, as he is Manager for a Quartz Mining
Company, and also he as got a quantity of Surveying to doo, so Mother is left
entirely on my hands and I think I am a very good dependent as I am of such a
roving disposition. Still she shall not want a home while I am able to care for
her which I think I am able to doo as well as has in times gone by, and I have
no one else to care for, neither am I likely to unless you know of a young woman
in New Zealand that you could recommend to me for a wife and send her here to
me, as the generality of women in this colony on the diggins are of an inferior
class, excuse jokes.
Had I been numbered with the many lucky Digger& that I have known in this
colony, I should have been down to pay you a visit before this, but it seems my
lot is cast among the unlucky. Still its of no use to dispair as Gold digging is
a great Lottery. If you never expect to come to this colony I hope I shall be
able to get money enough some day to come down to see you as it seems so strange
to have a brother that I have no recollections of ever seeing.
Mother often says she would like to ace you once more But she thinks there's
little chance of so doing as she is getting old still she look quite young you
would be surprised to see her; she is an lively as a young woman of twenty.
Still 1 don't expect you will ever have the pleasure of seeing her any more
unless you make up your mind to come to this Colony, which I would not recommend
anyone to do if they could get a comfortable living where they are. I expect you
have heard of Frank's death through Robert ? his widow is married again to one
of the Barretts of Tavistock, a son to Ale.
Barratt and I hear they are getting on very well. his daughter Ellen is living
with Betsy and her husband where I am happy to say she is well cared for as they
have no Family of their own, and they are in very good circumstances. Our sister
Mary Ann has lately arrived in this country the last of the Family except
Thomas' Daughter Elizabeth which I expect will come as soon as possible she can.
but I am sorry to say her (Mary Ann's Husband as loosed a great deal of money of
late in speculating in Mining.
Mary Ann and her Husband and Betsy and her Husband and Mother and myself are all
living near each other and getting on pretty comfortable at present so we all
give our Kindest of love and best wishes to yourself Wife and Family and hope it
will find you enjoying all the necessary comforts of this life.
From your wellwishing Brother
John
Nankivell
P.S
I should be most happy to have a letter at any time from some of my nieces or
nephews
as I am quite ignorant has to how many there are -
Please
to answer this as soon as possible.
Amherst
Victoria
Australia
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