Nathaniel Holmes emigrated from Strabane, Ireland, to the Philadelphia area sometime prior to August 1791. Having apparently emigrated for economic reasons, Nathaniel was not venturing into uncharted territory -- his brother, John, had already settled in Pennsylvania, though he died shortly after Nathaniel's arrival. While his mother, Isabella, and siblings, Gabriel and Elizabeth Weir remained in Ireland, Nathaniel married and raised a family in America, and evidently prospered enough that he was able to send money to his Irish relatives. A Gabriel Holmes is listed in the Philadelphia city directory for 1809, suggesting that he, too, may have joined the Irish exodus.

Scope and contents:

The Holmes Family Papers consists of twelve letters written by Isabella Holmes, Gabriel Holmes, and Elizabeth Weir addressed to Nathaniel Holmes between 1791 and 1805. These letters document the abysmal economic conditions in northern Ireland and the consequent stream of immigration to the United States. The dismemberment of families through immigration and the sense that relatives might never see one another again pervades the Holmes letters. The letters, particularly, Isabella's, are written in halting English, but provide useful examples of Irish-English dialect.

M-2888.11
cat. 10/93 sms

Subject index to the Holmes Family Papers

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