Among our family treasures are a number of letters which were sent to my great, great grandfather, John Charles Ryan. John was born in Portlaw, Co. Waterford, Ireland in about 1837. He died in Sydney on 15th November 1910.
The letters were written from Portlaw, Co. Waterford, Toowoomba, Laidley (both in Queensland) and the property Yanga in Balranald, New South Wales. Various names and places are mentioned in the letters. My aim is to work out the connections between the letter writers, those mentioned in the letters and John Ryan.
I've written about the first letter here. The next letter is from Portlaw, Co Waterford, Ireland. It was written after John sent money to the doctor to pay for his mother's medical expenses before she died. It may have been written in the last half of 1883 or 1884.
Miss Charlotte is quite forgotten it.
well wishes to be I have one way or
remembered to you other lost over two
thousand pounds the
Woodview last ten years. However,
Portlaw I am thankful to God
who enables me still
Dear John Ryan to earn my bread
& give me enough.
My hand wr- Mrs D? & ? John
iting is very bad so I have one fancy ?
I will try and make the only two of the
this legible. I got the family alive of the Shaws?
P. order £3 all right as ? ? tho alive
but you need not have is insane & blind
fretted over for though
far from rich I would
not have thought bad
of you as I believe you
to be honest intentioned
and the fact is I had
but no great things as a ferent place from
commercial traveller what it was half the houses
My sons are well but Wm ? & only 400 people
is in India at ? at work. Mrs Wm Neal?
Charles has 3 sons & a cousin? is still alive
daughter. Dr John doing but does nothing his two?
well in Sheffield as a sons Martin Willy Joe
Doctor. Mrs James lives own? run? the factory the
in Bath? has no family latter is married and lives
but is very well to do. in Mayfield House
Dr John has 3 children Mr Medlycott Jnr?
Mrs Hough is still alive lives at Rocketts castle
I paid all your Mothers The old man is dead
debts so that we are many years
now quite clear & that
is now off your mind
From the letter
- The author of the letter lived at Woodview, Portlaw
- Only 400 people from Portlaw are working
- There appears to be a factory in the Portlaw
- The following places are mentioned - Woodview, Mayfield House, Rocketts Castle
- There are many names mentioned but a number are very difficult to read
- The old man is dead many years.
What I need to discover
- Who wrote the letter?
- Who was Charlotte?
- Where was Woodview, Portlaw?
- Who lived at Rocketts Castle and where was it?
- Where was Mayfield House?
- What factory was in operation in Portlaw in the 1880s
- When did John Charles Ryan's mother die?
1. Who wrote the letter?
Dr James Martin appears to have written the letter to John. In about 1837 Dr Martin had been appointed by the Malcolmson family to be the resident doctor for their factory. Dr Martin rented Woodview from the Malcolmsons.
James Martin was still living at Woodview, Portlaw when he died from bronchitis on 28th April 1890. One of his sons, Joseph Samuel Martin from Bristol was present.
Dr Martin's obituary was published in the The Waterford Chronicle on 30 April 1890. It stated that he had lived at Portlaw for almost 50 years.
"In his own useful way he was a benefactor to the poor, who could always command his valued service and his sincere sympathy when overtaken by illness. It is a testimony to the benevolence of his disposition to know that he never allowed consideration of fees to prevent the poorest classes from availing themselves of his skilful treatment."
James Martin stated in the letter that he had lost over £2000 in the previous 10 years. When he died he left personal estate in England of £110. I wonder how he lost more than £2000?
2. Who was Charlotte?
James Martin's daughter Charlotte, asked to be remembered to John Ryan. Charlotte, who died in 1920 at the age of 78 would have been a few years younger than John and must have known him from childhood. Charlotte was still living at Woodview when she died.
3. Where was Woodview, Portlaw?
Woodview is just outside the main town of Portlaw.
4. Where was Rocketts Castle?
The Medlycott family lived at Rocketts Castle. The old man who had been dead for many years, I assume was Rev. John Thomas Medlycott who died 13 April 1877. (Weekly Irish Times, 21 Apr 1877)
5. Who lived at and where was Mayfield House?
The Malcolmson family lived at Mayfield House which is only a couple of hundred metres to the east of Woodview. There are several useful links about Mayfield House.
6. What factory was in operation in Portlaw in the 1880s?
The obituary of Joseph Malcolmson Esq., published in the Cork Examiner on 21st April 1858, talks about the Mayfield Cotton Factory.
"His conduct and that of the firm, was characterised by the greatest consideration for these workpeople - they were kind and generous employers. The concern at Portlaw, at which nearly 2000 people were at work, showed the great thoughtfulness which was extended to the morals of the education of the employees - schools and lectures and medical attendance were provided to them by the proprietors"
I have ordered a copy of Portlaw, County Waterford 1825 - 1876 Portrait of an Industrial Village and its Cotton Industry by Tom Hunt. I'm hoping this will give me some idea about Portlaw and perhaps allude to a possible reason why John Ryan chose to leave.
7. When did John Charles Ryan's mother die?
John Charles Ryan's death certificate states that his mother was Catherine Ryan, nee Crawley.
Other interesting articles that may provide further information about the Ryans, Portlaw and the Malcolmson's factory.
Facebook - Tipperary Museum of Hidden History
This link to occupiers of houses in Waterford
https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/62024/images/62024_b952332-00904?usePUB=true&_phsrc=hZL128&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1316153
Possible death of Catherine Ryan
http://curraghmorehouse.ie
https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1881/06437/4849397.pdf
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