Series 2 - Kerr letters

3 sub-series

The original letters and associated Graham/Kerr documents are held in PRONI (MIC144/1).

Materials pertatining to the Kerr Letters, a series of letters written by emigrant members of the Kerr and Graham families of County Antrim between 1843 and 1852. These letters were published in the book Dear Uncle: Immigrant letters to Antrim from the U.S.A., 1843-1852 by R.H. Foy (Antrim & District Historical Society, 1989). The Kerrs and Grahams were Scots-Irsh farmers and merchants in the Randalstown and Newpark areas just outside of Antrim town. John Kerr, the eldest child of the Kerrs and author of most of the letters, was the first to emigrate (to New Orleans ca. 1842); his four brothers and a Graham uncle followed him between 1847 and 1852. 14 of the 22 letters in this series were written by John Kerr while four are from James Kerr, two from William Kerr and one from their uncle Samuel Graham. The final letter was sent by a sea captain named Kelly some twenty years after the final letter from the Kerrs and is included as it contains a description of an incident involving some of the characters mentioned in earlier letters. The letters, emanating from places such as New orleans, New York, Ohio, and Arkansas, were also sent home to Newpark, mainly to James Graham.