Coral’s family history · Chapter 2

Preface

The year is 1786. This is the story of Thomas and Mary Frame, then living in County Derry in Northern Ireland where the living was hard, trying to scratch an existence out of the wild barren land.

There were too many people living on the farm in one household, including Thomas the oldest son, with wife and baby daughter. There were Father and Mother and Thomas’s siblings all living there. Grandfather and Grandmother were also living in the house. There was barely enough to eat and no hope for any great future.

A letter came from Uncle Thomas in Chester County in Pennsylvania. He was the first to immigrate. The letter said “The weather here is great, the land abundant and there is no one to tell you how to worship. Best thing that T ever did.”

After much pondering Thomas said, stroking his chin “I think that’s what I want to do. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.” He had a habit of stroking his chin when he was deep in thought. He said to Mary “It will be hard at first, but we are strong and we can make it.” Thomas had an adventurous spirit and Mary was willing to do whatever he wanted. It was a chance for a better life and food on the table.

Thomas had married Lady Mary McNoll about 1871. She was born in Derry but was descended from Scottish Nobility. Her title was not recognized in Ireland, however. Along came daughter Margaret and they were still living with Thomas’s parents, not able to afford a place of their own.

There was a cache under the floorboards of the small farmhouse that grandfather had started filling with sixpence long ago. It was for someday when it was needed and everyone decided it was time to use it. Thomas and Mary were going to use it to get to America. A few relatives donated what little they could for the adventure.

It was a sad time parting with everyone, knowing they would probably never see one another again, especially Gram and Gramps. The others making vague promises that they might someday follow, knowing that they probably never would.

Most were too poor to leave. The ones that left for America were mainly from the poor and middle working class. Some went as indentured servants and had to work to earn their freedom. The voyage was hard as the ship was overcrowded but they had fresh air and food and freedom. It was like heaven. Thomas was free---free!

For a few years they lived in Chester County Pa. where Edward was born in 1788 and James in 1791. Sometime after that, as there was no work they packed up their possessions and headed for the Susquehanna River Valley on foot, then the last frontier, They found an old abandoned house that someone had once lived in and then moved on to greener pastures. It could be fixed up and the field cultivated so they had a small farm.

This was in a place called Dunnstown which strangely enough, was only a few miles from Hyner Mountain where my Angevine ancestors settled about 75 years later.

There was an operating still in the neighborhood and Thomas learned the art of making whiskey, which served him well later on in Crawford County where he was destined to live for the remainder of his life.