| My father was a Scotch
Seceder Minister and came over when very young to Ireland,
where he was placed in Roseyards and Ballderstrean (Ballyrashane*). Soon after he married my
mother in the County of Londonderry - called Nancy Patton -
and brought her over to Ballaghmore, where my sister
Isabella and brother William, sister Nancy, brother Robert
and sister Peggy - who died young and whom I never knew -
and sister Peggy and myself was born, I being the last who
was born Ballaghmore, from whence we went to Ballylough,
where brother James was born. (This Ballylough was near
Bushmills) We lived
there a few years, during which time William and Robert was
at their grandfather’s at Newton at school. (Newtown is
Limavady) Peggy and me went to Billey to school with Mr.
McKeown, with whom I first learned the rudiments of reading.
To the best of my remembrance I was very proud of all the
little accomplishments I was master of, and when I could
excell or say a lesson properly I was as happy and happier
than a king. My mind, I may say, is clouded. It is
impossible to convey an adequate idea of my mind when a
child; this much is certain, that even men at that time
would be very far from discovering by my outward actions my
inward feelings. However, what a child wants in knowledge is
made up by the little knowledge they have of the cares and
anxieties attendant on human life, and it is very happy for
them that they are ignorant of the different vicissitudes of
fortune they have to encounter in a future period. (impressive
prose from a young apprentice)
In Ballylough we had some
disputes with a family of the name of Miller, which in the
end occasioned us to leave it (it not suiting my father's
profession to have disputes with any persons) and go to a
town (he means townland) in the parish of Ballymoney
called Ballyrobin, which my father took a farm in it from
James Leslie Esq. Did not get a lease, and set that part of
Ballylough which he held to John Caskie and others. When we
came to Ballyrobin my father had to build a new house. From
our first coming to Ballyrobin, though I was very young, I
conceived very bad ideas of our new neighbours, for the boy
that brought Peggy and me to it (Hugh Robinson) took a cock
of ours, and fought him with some of the people in that town
and although he was a stranger, began and fought with him,
from whence a bad opinion of them , which was partly
verified afterwards, for it seemed to be still our fortune
to have, some bad neighbours wherever we went. Before we
went to Ballyrobin, William had gone to Scotland to a
friend of my father's called John Simpson, with whom he
stayed a long while. During the time he was with him, Mr
Simpson met with many heavy losses, which occasioned him to
fail, and then my brother William came home, and went to
Drogheda, from whence he came to Belfast.
After we came to Ballyrobin
Bell (Isabella) married John Shaw, without her
parents' consent. Robert, intending to be a doctor, was
bound to Joseph Walker of Ballymoney for two years. During
the time we were there I was at school with Mr Richard
along with Peggy. Mr, McMullan having a school in Roseyards
Robert and me was sent to it, where I began to learn the
Latin first and went as far as Ovid's Metamorphoses The time
I was there, I think, was the happiest time of my whole
life, for with Robert to take care of me and learn me, and I
was learning faster than any in the same class, I think was
enough to make me quite happy. But I did not know the value of
my opportunities till they were gone. Then indeed I knew it
- but too late : all the advices my father and mother gave me
to improve my time and of the inestimableness of learning, I
considered all calculated to keep me from play, and to
follow them, I could not conceive the use they would be to
me. But Robert going to Ballymoney, I soon found the want of
him, for there was nobody to show me lessons, which was the
first real sorrow I ever knew, although at that time no one
would have thought I was sorry, because children cannot
express their own feelings.
During the time Robert was at
Ballymoney I was sometimes at one school, and sometimes
another. I went frequently with a horse to bring him out.
After his time was out, he stayed for some time at home, and
the time he was at home, I was at school with a Mr. Ford. Going one day to school found Mr. Ford was sick, so when I
came home, Robert learned me for a while, and I received
more good from him than from Ford. Soon afterwards, Robert,
intending to go to Scotland, I accompanied him as far as
Belfast, where I left him, and came home with heartfelt
sorrow, for I loved him above all my brothers. Nancy and me
went to Belfast, where we stayed about a fortnight. Before
Robert went to Scotland, Samuel was born, who is the
youngest child my father has.
Robert came home after
staying about a year, but only to go further away, for in
this country he would not stay. After some fruitless trials
to get into the navy, he determined on going to Jamaica
where he did go. I went again with him to Belfast, where he
sailed to Scotland, a ship being to sail from thence to
Jamaica. In her he went and arrived safe in Kingston and
went to Doctor Fullerton' s where he had a severe fit of
sickness, but recovered, and is now living in Jamaica . When
I left him last at Belfast I could not bid him farewell, my
grief having stopped my utterance.
After he was gone, my father,
wishing to put me to some business, gave me my choice, which
profession I should follow not knowing what would be
truthfully the best, he wrote to William, but got no certain
answer, and I, being too forward, desired to be sent to
Coleraine and be made a grocer. My father not taking time or
pains to enquire into the business he was going to place me
in bound me to S. Givin of Coleraine
On July 12th, 1786 my father
agreed with Samuel Givin that I might serve him four years
and 10 guineas [fee paid]. Samuel Taylor bought the
indentures from H. Newton. Cost six shillings with liability
to go to school.
In the diary John tells us
that on Saturday 25th October 1788 - This day I
am 16 years of age, and I perceive myself growing wiser and
better than I have been for this long time. (This means
that he was born in 1772).
He also mentions that on
the 13th of October 1788 Mrs Leslie wife of James Leslie
of Ballymoney died. She was buried in Coleraine. By her
death Archdeacon Hutchinson comes to a very handsome esatae.
She possessed the land my father occupies at present.
(This explains why John's
father held his farm from Leslie when he first came to
Ballyrobin and why his father's name appears in the list of
tenants for Ballyrobin in the Hutchinson estate maps of
1805).
The last entry in the
diary was Ballyrobin July 13th 1790. Yesterday I left
Coleraine. Before I came away S.G. got another apprentice of
the name of Hamilton from Dungiven. He got four years of him
and £20 of a fee. On Monday I intend going up to Belfast, as
I cannot get away rightly before that time.
* My thanks to Alex Blair for
this information. |