Herein “The Myola Carmody Letters” – priceless jewels from long ago.
We start with a letter dated 26 June 1883 from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, USA, written by Hanorah Carmody née McNamara to her son Thomas Carmody (my mother’s grandfather) in Myola via Toolleen, Victoria, Australia. It was written over 30 thirty years after the family had left Creevagh More, Quin, County Clare, Ireland, with Thomas coming to Australia in search of gold, while his mother and siblings went to Wisconsin and Illinois, USA.
After the death of Hanorah, the letters continue from Thomas’ sisters in Wisconsin and Illinois and finally between the first cousins after their parents have died. The last letter from USA is dated 3 September 1916.
My heart screams with emotion every time I read these letters.
Also included are letters received from my mother’s uncle Thomas Carmody, who left Victoria in the 1890s to seek his fortune in the Western Australian goldfields.
The discovery of these letters is a story in itself. Legend has it that Mum’s cousin Joe Carmody was passing by Doll and Mag’s farm one day and noticed smoke coming from a barn. By this stage, Mag and Jack Tohill had moved into Elmore. On investigation, Joe found some pesky Tuohey neighbour children trying to start a bit of a bonfire. On dispersing the Tuohey children, Joe discovered the letters and, unfortunately, other family documents which were mostly burned.
You can download the Carmody Letters : The Myola Carmody Letters
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