November 12, 1942

From: Mai Baker, The Cottage, Ballincollig, Co Cork
To: Frank Gleasure, 56 Gardner Street, Allston, Mass. USA

My dear Frank,

What a pleasant surprise when I was just going to take my breakfast this morning at getting your letter, you bet I did not bother with breakfast until I read your letter over a couple of times so glad to hear yourself & family are well, its a relief to you they are all grown up now, you had a lot of worry while they were young but in married life there is always something or another.  I have not heard from Listowel for past two months they are a bit slow sometimes in writing or I think they are busy making lots of money, they are doing very well down there they have got the house next door and are enlarging their business.  There is not many in Listowel that you would know now the only ones belonging to your time would be girl & boys of Buckley's family.  Mollie Lyons.  Leane the Chemist & Dr. Dillons.  You know Behan house next door got burned to the ground.  George came near losing his home at that time also there are strangers there now all the Behans are left town & some of them are dead.  I suppose you remember Nell Dowling who used bring us the milk she has a provision shop at end of the Square & has a grown up family she used often ask about you her sister Maggie went to New York & done very well.  Paddy has the house at Woodford.  All the old people of Tullig & Mt. Cole are dead James Connor Uncle Adam & Wife some of the Parkinsons etc. and all their family's are grown up and have children of their own grown up also I would not know half of them as I am over twenty years left Listowel and it's 19 years since I was down there they never invite me down for a few days and I would like to go John & Jim Connor are at Mt. Cole John is married but Jim is not.  Sarah is married she was very bad during summer & had to be put in hospital suffering from cancer.  as you know all the Dillons are out of the police now Tom is here in Cork he has five in family all doing splendid Paddy is living in Listowel his wife is dead and he drinks a good deal himself Bridge is living near Lixnaw & has a grown family also do you ever meet Mike he buried his wife last March and then the Carrolls there is only one of them left here Henry & Matt are dead Jerry is in New York also two others and are doing well by what themselves say.  And now about myself I don't know if I told you I have seven boys eldest 21 and youngest 9.  my eldest boy is motor Mechanic and is very good at his trade my second boy is trying at present to get to Belfast to do some war work if he can but the country is a bit upset and its hard to get anything [?].  I had a hard struggle to rear them as the father is very much given to drink and I've had a terrible life up to this he is over in England at present and I hope he stops there you said you did not hear from George after you wrote to him they told me they answered your letter & did not hear from you since so you got a wrong idea about it the world is so upset for past few years a person don't know if the letter goes right or not.  I do not know how many times I've written to Annie but I'm sure it's about 20 letters anyway I never got an answer to any of them I even sent them to Mrs. Smyth.  I am posting another along with this to her.  I'll be delighted to get the parcel if you will be able to manage it I hope I did not give you too much trouble I never knew you should look for permission to send them.  George was not very well for past twelve months I met them in Cork last May they were up to take their boy home from hospital as he was in with apendix George got very old looking his wife is very good to me as she sends me all my clothes as the same things fit us and she get finished with hers before they are worn I'd be lost for clothes only for her as I could not buy them myself I will send them your new address this evening and I'm sure they will write to you you will be tired reading all this I hope you will write to me very soon again I've often and often thought about you and wished you would write ask Annie to write me also Hope this finds you all in best & wishing you all a Very Happy Xmas

Your loving sister,
Mai

June 26, 1913

From: May Gleasure, The Square, Listowel
To: Frank Gleasure, 4 Bayard Street Allston, Mass. U.S.A.

My dearest Frank,

I received your most welcomed letter a few days ago and was delighted at hearing from you.  We are all quite well here at home.  but we have some very bad weather all the time, we have had no summer as yet nothing but rain almost every day.  I suppose ye have some very good weather over there before now.  Katy Buckley did not call to see us since she came home but I see her out walking a few evenings ago but I had one of the opposite sex along with me I suppose she did not like to stand and speak to me, Nell Dowling was speaking to her and she told her all about you how that you had a splendid time and a lovely place.  There are a lot of people at home here in the town from America within the last month.  Its a wonder you never think of taking a trip home.  I suppose you'll hardly ever again come back here and it's no wonder, Listowel is an awful dull old place I wished I could leave it in the morning.  There was an awful highway robbery committed here on the 2nd June about 6 miles from Listowel it was a banker that used to carry money from this to Abbeyfeale and four masked men jumped out from behind the ditch and took L780 = 5/ from them I am sending you the paper about it.  I am also sending you some more Photo's of myself the one on the post card is more like me than any of the others.  I hope you'll take out yours and send them to us, it was an awful pity you did not take the baby's Photo, I would love to have seen it.  Jim Connor is laid up sick since last January it was a cold he got and did not mind himself and then he got pains all over him and he is not over them since none of them got married yet although they want a housekeeper badly they have nobody with them only a servant girl James is getting old now its time he gave up the place to one of them.  Do you get any music in the newspapers now if you do I hope you'll keep them for me.  and don't forget to send us some papers to read as I am always in the shop now I like to have something to be reading so I hope you'll send me something I did not get the letter from your wife yet I hope she has not forgotten to write to me.  and I hope you'll write yourself again soon I will now close for this time Hoping ye are well
I remain
Yours loving sister
Mai.

August 14, 1911

From: May Gleasure, The Square Listowel
To: Frank Gleasure, 437 Cambridge St. Allston, Mass. U.S.A.

Dearest Frank,

A few lines hoping it will find you in good health as we all are here at present.  The old man out at Tullig passed away on the 27 July.  he was sick for a few week before he died and was very troublesome as he was quite helpless and had to be handled very gently Father George and I were out at the Wake he had both a very large wake and funeral.  i stopped out there for a fortnight after the funeral.  Annie got your letter this morning and is very thankful for what you sent her.  I had to laugh when I heard you were getting married just imagine how the time flies you never told us what the girls name was about last Xmas Nell Dowling and Annie Buckley's sister was telling us that you were married and that you had turned a Catolic  I wonder is it true  I did not give it a thought since until I saw it mentioned in your letter this morning.  I hope you will be lucky anyway and that you will enjoy a long happy married life.  Write to me as soon as you can and tell me all about her as I would like to know what kind my future sister-in-law will be.  I am not playing the organ since the old man died and I miss it very much we will be hardly able to play now for a little while now as father would not like too I was in Tralee a few weeks ago and got my Sticky Backs taken I will send you one when I get them  I got those last papers all right  I hope you will send some more soon we have awful heat here also we had a dreadful thunderstorm last Friday night.  I don't think I have any more to say at present so I will close Hoping you will write very soon
I remain
Your loving sister
Mai.

February 14, 1910

From: May Gleasure, The Square, Listowel
To: Frank Gleasure, 4 Franklin St., Allston, Mass, U.S.A.

My dearest Frank,

I received your most welcomed letter on Friday night and was very glad to hear from you. I got a post card from Mrs Morris on Friday morning and a bundle of journals from her this morning. I also got the bundle of music (which you sent) this morning. I am very thankful to you for them we are very fond of music and we like the songs very well. I hope you were not sorry with parting from them. I get a bundle of books from Mrs Morris every month. We have very bad weather here now since Xmas we had two or three falls of snow, we had a very bad winter altogether there was a lot of rain and hail and was very cold all the time. There is nothing strange going on around here, Paddy Dowling got married last Tuesday to a girl out near Ballybunion. I think Nell will have to be shipping out now when they get settled down. Tell us if you went to the Kerry Ball. I am sure you must have some good times over there, it is so dull here sometimes that we actually don't know what to do with ourselves. I don't go to any dances because the Pater would not leave us. I often wish I could go to them. I am able to dance just a little. He don't leave us go around very much if we went out in the country for a Sunday he would be scolding us when we get back. You ought to speak about Annie getting some place again, it would be nearly time for her to be doing something now he never spoke about it since you mentioned it to him.

I suppose you have no notion of coming to Ireland this year there will be a cheap excursion this year I wish you'd come home to see us for a little while. Did you hear that Father Paul Dillane got a Parish of his own now out in Los Angelous he was very lucky to get it and he is so young he is doing very well. I often saw Priests and they'd be old men before they'd get a chance of a Parish, so he is very lucky. We are all very well at home hope you are enjoying health as well. I hope you won't be long till you write again I remain with best love from
Your loving sister
Mai.