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KENNY FAMILY |
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Joe's letter to his brother Frank c/o
Consolidated Fish Co. Dear Frank, I suppose Mother will have already told you about me joining a ship in Hull and leaving it in Philadelphia, U.S.A. Well, I don’t really know whether you will be surprised or not but I can tell you, you will not be more so than myself. Isn’t it surprising the changes that can happen in a few weeks. When I think it all over it is as much as I can do to believe it myself. Two months ago I was in Hull out of work. Since then I have crossed the Atlantic and am now fishing in New Jersey. Not only that but I have set the example to two of my friends in Hull. Two weeks after I sailed one of them sailed for Canada and the other for Australia. Neither of them ever went to sea before. Well, dear brother, I was very pleased to hear from Mother yesterday that you have got your old job back again and that you are doing so well. I hope Elsa and the little nephew of mine are well. Give my best regards to Elsa. I should like, if you allow me, to give you a visit when I leave here. You know I only intend staying here until about next March and then I’m going home. I am getting good money here, between £15 and £16 a month with food and lodgings thrown in. I intend saving it up. Except what Mother will get, I’m going to save every cent I can. Well, dear brother, I should be very pleased if you would write to me and let me know what you think of it all. I’ll now close wishing you the best of luck. My Regards to Elsa I Am Your Loving brother Joe |
Letter to Mary Ellen Kenny
from John Dunkirk
The following letter was written by
a friend of Joe to Mary Ellen Kenny. Whether it was a letter of
condolence or a letter actually informing her of Joe’s death I don’t
know. I don’t know what would be the mechanism for informing a
family across the Atlantic of the death of a poor, young and
possibly illegal fisherman. January 5 1924 Phila.Pa Dear Mrs Kenny, You’ll have to excuse my poor writing and the way I write because I don’t write very often. You might think it strange to get a letter from someone you have never seen. I was your sons mate for the last two months up till the time he died. I can’t express my sorrow in words but I sure am feeling miserable. We use to go ashore together every weekend. He was on watch when he fell unconscious and I remember hearing his last words. They were Oh my head. Then they came and took him and away and next morning I heard he died. I thought you would like to hear from someone that was with him. So I wrote. Everybody on board liked him and was sorry. If I ever come to England I will explain it better as now I feel too grief stricken to write very much as he was my best friend. Well I just quit the job as I cant stay aboard much longer
Regretfully Yours, John Dunkirk Clymer Penna Box 511. P.S You can reach me by this Address. As I am never in one place long. |
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If you have information about any of these families, please send an email to cooksandkennys@hotmail.com (copy and paste) |
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