Letter from David Evans to Children
Dowlais Sept; 6 1875
Dear Children Ve)
I do take the opportunity of writing this few lines to you
to let you know that I received your letter dated 18 of June the 15 of July and
was very glad to have it and was very glad to hear from you and that you are
all well as your Old Father are at present after the lock out and the strikes
and all, and to let you know that only Dowlais alone have started since neither
Gyfartha nor Plymouth nor Pendaron have started yet here nor Abernant nor
Gadlys nor Llowydiaed have started in Aberdare only some Coal works in each of
them and only Coal works at Hirwaum.
I was there since I had your letter everything is going on
well there as much as is going, there it is to full of workmen there to do much
good for there is so many works idle in other places that men must get little
work where they can and shift as they can such time as this.
It is very likely that the orders for Iron is very short at
present and that is the reason that the iron is so slack everywhere, there is 15
Furnases in blast here and most part of the Forges is kept off working now but
the money is very scarce here yet and I am afraid that they will remain so for
sometime, people in general have gone so far back good many of them in debt
that it will require a long time to them to get out of it again as they was
before the lock out, and by that you may see that the sum which you sent me
will do me great good such times as these and I do feel myself very thankfull
to you for your kindship in thinking of your old Father at such times as these,
which I never did see their like before nor never again, I hope nor anybody
else I hope neither people will think of these as long as they shall live most
part of them however if not all.
I sent you 4 or 5 news papers from the beginning till the
end I sent the best with full account of the settlement and how much the
reduction was to be throughout the whole district, if you had all that I sent
you you did have all the accounts about the whole affairs better than I could give
you in letters, we sent from 16 to 20 to all of you if you had them all from
Hirwaun at the time.
When I was at Hirwaun a fornight ago I heard that John Jones
late husband of Anne my sister is dead about 2 months ago but I heard nothing
about the children since nor rightly where he was at the time of his death
neither, I will inquire again about them I believe that 4 of them is living in
Cwmrhonda still but I should like to hear from them or go there myself to see
them.
I think that I have gathered together all that I do know at
present of different news but since I have begun to write this letter I heard
from Hirwaun that there is a strike with the Coliers in one Coal work there
again, for how long I do not know nor what purpose neither they ought to have
enough of the strikes and lock out for sometime, I should think, they have
thrown hundreds of Families to great poverty through them and that for the
remainder part of their lives most pity for them without doing no good to
themselves but great harm there. I must
conclude at present because I have no more to write to you now---
They send their best respect to all of them from Hirwaun and
so do your Old Father
David Evans or the old shoemaker--
