This letter was written by Elizabeth Fullerton (1822-1899), a native of Country Antrim, Ireland, who married George B. Hill (1818-1895) on 29 May 1850 at Ballycastle, Ireland, and came to the United States shortly afterward. Elizabeth was the daughter of James Fullerton (1790-1841) and Marcella Stewart (1790-1864).

Elizabeth wrote the letter to Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876), an Irishman who moved to New York and made his multimillion-dollar fortune in the most extensive and lucrative dry goods store in the world. Stewart was born in Lisburn, Ulster, Ireland, and abandoned his original aspirations of becoming a Presbyterian minister to go to New York City in 1823. He spent a short time teaching before returning to Ireland to receive the money his grandfather had left him, purchase some Belfast linens and laces, and return to New York to open a store.

Stewart had extraordinary skill in business, and by 1848 he had built a large marble-fronted store on Broadway between Chambers Street and Reade Street, which was devoted to the wholesale branch of his business. In 1862 he built a new store covering an entire city block between Broadway and Fourth Avenue and between 9th and 10th streets. It was eight stories tall and attracted the wonder and business of upscale New York. Trainloads of wealthy customers from outlying cities came to shop. Stewart made most of his money through wholesaling and especially New York City real estate. He opened branches of the company in other parts of the world and owned several mills and factories. He had an annual income of US $1,843,637 in 1863 (equivalent to $35.8 million in 2023). His business success is estimated to have made him one of the twenty wealthiest people in history as of 2007, with a fortune equivalent to approximately US$90 billion in 2012.

Transcription

Mr. A. T. Stuart,

Dear sir—it is in compliance with a request from Mother that I now write you. She is living at a place called Walkmile Bally Castle, County Antrim, Ireland, about 40 miles from Belfast where you dispatched the brig Jessie Banfield loaded with corn & provisions for the suffering poor. She having seen this announcement in their weekly paper hopes that in you she has a lost nephew, or cousin, she having both of that name in this country, but with the early history of the former. Mother used to make her children more familiar, she having lived in her brother Alex’s house while going to school in Belfast where he was a merchant for some years, I do not recollect how many.

About the year 1811 he with his wife & two children Thomas and Mary Jane left Belfast for New York where they arrived safe, Mother having a letter from them shortly after. The next news she got of them was that her brother & his wife were both deadm leaving their children amongst strangers, On hearing this she wrote at once in hopes of getting them home again. Grandmother Stuart was then living & wished to have the children brought up in her care, but this was not to be for no letter that Mother or her wrote was ever answered so they concluded that someone had taken the children to raise who did not wish them to know their whereabouts.

All Mother’s brothers came to this country and are all dead but one. George who was a merchant in Danville, Kentucky, when we last heard from him. Grandmother lived with us after her last son came to this country. She died in 1826. Mother & one sister is all that is living of that family. Mother is now 70 years of age & Aunt Faris 5 years older. I am Mother’s fourth daughter. Was married in 1850 to George B. Hill, a second cousin of my own who had been in this country for nine years previous & had come home for a few months to visit his native land. He & I came to Illinois where we still live & have a comfortable home. George getting land enough for a large farm though we have none.

Now dear sir, you will excuse me this writing you when I tell you that Mother’s last words to me were “try to find out brother Alex’s children, They were as dear to me as you are.” Should you be her nephew, I will be glad to communicate the news to her not because you are rich & great but because of your benevolence & generosity towards your suffering countrymen for which you will, I trust, realize all the blessings contained in the 49 Psalm, 3 first verses. Please address me, Mrs. E. Hill, Iacusa, Christian county, Illinois. Should you ever visit Illinois, you will receive a hearty welcome from myself, your sincere friend, — E. Hill