Introduction to Lynch Clan

My Lynch ancestors from Ireland came to America in 1848. The group included my Grandfather James Lynch and his five siblings, ages 10 to 18, who sailed without their parents to New York City. Soon they were living in a tenement house in Massachusetts working in a textile mill. From there they gradually migrated west. This blog will contain information gathered by my mother, Hazel Lynch Skonberg from her father, giving details of the trip over and life in America. There is also a diary written by his son, Will Lynch, who was with the American Consular Service of the State Department, and was taken hostage on Dec. 8, 1941, by the Japanese Army who had captured Shanghai that day. I hope you enjoy this blog about the James Lynch family in America.
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Civil War Veteran Letter Page 1

This letter to James Lynch is from an old Civil War comrade.  It was written in 1922, about a year before James died.   James Lynch was living in Illinois when the war began in 1861.  Roselyn


Letter from a Civil War Veteran written in 1922
Click on letter to enlarge
Yale, Iowa
June 13, 1922
James Lynch, Miller Kansas


Dear Old Comrad,
     After 57 years, I think that it is about time that we begin to renew old acquaintance. Don't you?  I have been a poor hand to write letters, and it is very seldom I write to anyone.  Jess Moore and I have managed to keep track of each other most of the time, although we have been lost a couple of times.
     Finally, Jess wrote me that he had heard from you and gave me your address,but before I got around to write you, I lost the address, so never wrote although I have often thought of you as well as the other old Comrads.
     I received a letter from Jess about two months ago and in that letter, he spoke of you and said that he had not heard from you for a number of years, and that he feared that you had gone over the Divide.
     A few days after, I got a letter from Prescott.  He had sent to the Pension Department and got a list of the names and Post Office address, of all of the Boys now living that belonged to the Old 74th.  I cannot express the joy I felt when I saw your name listed therein and that is how I found out where you were located.  Knowing that Jess would be anxious to hear from you, I went immediately and had two copies of that list of names typewritten one for you and one for Jess, as I knew you would be glad to know how many of the Old Comrads were left on July 4, 1921  Find enclosed, the list.

3 comments:

  1. Amazing they found each other after so many years. Very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They found it by checking with the government which keeps track of pensions given out. I think that information is still available.

    ReplyDelete