Family Letter to Thomas Bissell in Monoghan, Ireland

              1840 [written in pencil and underlined] 
Nov 13 
East Liverpool Columbia County State of Ohio 
Dear Tom 
I have at length taken up my pen to write to you.  I would 
have wrote sooner but as we thought you had some inclination of coming to 
America we have been gathering what information we could where you would 
be likely to do best but it appears that you would be likely to do well in 
any of the large cities such as New York Philadelphia or Pittsburg there 
is a family in Pittsurg of the name of Everson from England  they 
have a son that has learnt to play the Piano Forte he [crossed out] for amusement 
he says [crossed out] he says if you would come there is no doubt but you would do well 
and he would do all in his power to serve you  he is a very agreeable 
young man and much liked in Pittsburgh  he has given 300 dollars 
for a Piano and a very Handsome one it is  he works at a Foundry 
and gets a deal of money  I was at Pittsburg about fortnight ago and 
was at thier house  it was a Sister of his that came out with Harkers 
he says they have but one good Teacher and he is a German and they 
charge from 12 to 15 dollars per Quarter  a dollar is about 4.2 of English 
money and they are pretty well paid for tuning instruments there.  he 
fetched Mary Harker Yesterday as they are going to have a concert or two and 
they want Mary to sing at them 
Pittsburg is not the cleanest part of America as it is where most 
of the Ironworks are and it looks more like the old country than any other place 
I have seen here and there are more English in it I suppose than any other 
place about here  there is a M rs [superscript] Neville gone to England from Pittsburg 
that Martha knows very well and had used to live by them  if you should 
write to Father you will ask him to let Martha try to find her out and 
to send us some letters and some News papers with her when she comes 
back in the spring if you should not summons up to come  I am persuaded 
that anybody that strives to get a living in America will not fail of so doing 
We only reflect that we did not come some years sooner  we are in a very 
Healthy and pleasant part of the country and we have all been very well 
ever since we came and it may please God that we remain so 
We are about 48 miles from Pittsburg and can come from there in a 
few hours in a steam Boat and they are going up and down the river 
every day more or less   We have finished Brickmaking this Season and 
have sold but about 2200 this year  the people say the times are very hard