Mail Order Bride

By Linda Morrow

Twenty-two-year-old Sarah Catherine McNairy and her mother Elizabeth leave Ireland in 1847 on a ship bound for America. During the journey Elizabeth dies of Typhus, Sarah is devastated and alone.
She finds work in Boston at a boardinghouse but soon realizes how much she misses living on a farm. She answers a newspaper ad from a Willis Harwell who lives on a farm in Kansas and wants a wife.
After months of corresponding, Willis sends Sarah money to come to Kansas, but her journey did not end as planned. She arrives in Kansas only to find out, Willis has died and left two young children.
She is overwhelmed and panic stricken. She does not have enough money to leave, where would she go?
Sarah meets Willis's family. His mother and father invite her to stay on the farm with them and help with the children until she can decide what to do.
Logan, Willis's brother begins to fall in love with Sarah but feels tremendous guilt, what would people think if he got involved with the woman who came to marry his brother?
Jesse a farmhand is showing interest in Sarah. Logan becomes jealous. Sarah's Irish temper flares when Logan orders Jesse to stay away from her.
In the midst of the turmoil, love shines through, and Sarah falls in love with the man of her dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350907735

Linda Morrow

Linda Morrow has many hobbies; she loves to travel with her husband. Enjoys reading, and writing, crocheting, gardening, and is interested in genealogy. She is learning how to quilt. Each day Linda tries to find something creative to do. She exercises daily, says it is good for the body, mind and soul. Linda and her husband have two married daughters, and four grandchildren. All live in beautiful Southern California.

Book preview

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Mail Order Bride

©2021 Linda Morrow

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 978-1-66780-921-2

eBook ISBN: 979-8-35090-773-5

Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter One

April 1847 County Kildare, Ireland

Chapter Two

Dublin

Chapter Three

The Lady McNaughton

Chapter Four

Boston Harbor and Molly McGuire’s

Chapter Five

Stagecoach Journey to Council Grove, Kansas

Chapter Six

Council Grove, Kansas

Chapter Seven

Meeting the Harwells and Jesse

Chapter Eight

Church Picnic

Chapter Nine

Sarah rides Logan’s horse to visit Gretchen

Chapter Ten

Logan’s Illness

Chapter Eleven

A Swim at the Lake

Chapter Twelve

The Barn Dance

Chapter Thirteen

Sarah, Jesse and Logan

Chapter Fourteen

Dinner at the Hotel

Chapter Fifteen

Courting and the Engagement

Chapter Sixteen

The Wedding

Chapter Seventeen

After the Wedding

Chapter Eighteen

Three Months Later

Chapter One

April 1847

County Kildare, Ireland

Twenty-two-year-old, Sarah Catherine McNairy stood at the foot of her father’s grave that cool April day. She thought back over her childhood and her memories of her father. Her favorite had to be when he taught her how to ride a horse. On Sundays after attending church, they would borrow a couple of horses from their landlord and go riding. Oh, how she loved to ride.

Sarah, unlike her mother, had a love of horses and the sport of just riding. Whether it be a walk, trot, gallop it didn’t matter. She continued to ride on Sundays even after her father’s untimely death. Although it never was the same without him. He had made it so fun for her.

As she stood at his grave, memories continued to flood her head of the special times they shared together. She pulled her woolen shawl tighter around her shoulders as a breeze picked up and then ran her hand over his grave marker. The wood felt smooth to her touch.

Her father, like thousands of others, perished during the winter of 1846 due to the disease caused by the potato blight. The tuber had such a great food value that the Irish adopted it as their main food. They became economically dependent upon the potatoes. Due to Britain’s market demand for beef, large parcels of land in Ireland were used for grazing cows. This left only small plots for farming. No other crop besides the potato could be grown abundantly.

So, when the spores of the blight were carried by wind, rain and insects that came to Ireland from Britain and the European continent, a fungus affected the potato plants, producing black spots and a white mold on the leaves, soon rotting the potato into a pulp. Because of the potato famine over three million people were being fed by the government soup kitchens and tens of thousands of people died during the winter of 1846, including her father, Thomas McNairy.

The McNairy’s were cottiers, they paid their rent by working for their landlords. They reared pigs to sell and with the small amount of cash they bought clothes and necessary goods.

Sarah gazed out over the once lush grassland. To the right, cows grazed and to the left the muted purple of heather grew wild. Straight ahead she could see areas of rolling farmlands that once were filled with the potato crops. She thought of the many hours she had spent through the years taking the heather and making brooms and brushes and the trailing shoots she wove into baskets.

With the death of her father, however, there was no choice but for her and her mother Elizabeth, to get out of Ireland along with thousands of other Irish, because the alternative to death was immigration.

Sarah laid some wild flowers on her father’s grave and gazed out over the misty green countryside again. As she walked back to the path that would lead her home, she looked over her shoulder, blew a kiss toward his grave and said aloud, Daddy, I know you will be with us in spirit.

There were so many thoughts dancing in Sarah’s head. The wagon trip to Dublin, the long trip on the ship and what they would find when they finally reached Boston.

She found a map and had been studying it. This trip was indeed going to be the biggest event that had ever happened in her life.

Sarah hurried along the pathway toward home to help her mother finish packing the wagon. Just as she reached the stone walkway in front of St. Catherine’s Catholic Church where she and her mother attended, she saw Father O’Donavan coming out. He spotted her and waved.

His big bundlesome body hobbled down the three steps almost tripping over his long robe. He walked where Sarah stood. Leaving tomorrow are you, Sarah?

Yes Father, the ship leaves tomorrow, it will be a big day. Mother is sad and afraid to leave but I am excited. When we reach Boston, Mother and I are planning to get sewing jobs. We both do sterling work, you know.

Yes, I’m sure you do. Well Sarah, you take good care of yourself and your mother. My prayers are with you.

Thank you, Father are you planning to leave soon?

No, not now. I will stay as long as possible. He nodded and gave her a pat on the shoulder, turned and hobbled toward a bench placed near the entrance of the church. He plopped down and gave a wave as she took the path home.

Sarah knew she was going to miss her homeland, the only home she had ever known. She had never been so far from home, never even out of Ireland.

Sarah was the only child born to Elizabeth and Thomas. She had her mother’s build, small, dainty and slender. She inherited from her father, lots of beautiful strawberry blonde curly hair and his large blue eyes. She was indeed an attractive young woman.

Sarah picked a couple of Shamrocks for good luck and put them in her skirt pocket.

When she walked up the path to their small thatched roof cottage, she saw her mother putting their belongings in the wagon. Elizabeth turned to Sarah, Well, this will do it except for our cooking utensils and your clothes.

I’ll get the cooking pots Momma, and my clothes are already folded and in the knapsack. Elizabeth reached out and gave Sarah a big hug. Oh Sarah, life will have to be better for us in America.

It will Momma, I just know it.

Chapter Two

Dublin

When Sarah and Elizabeth arrived at the seaport of Dublin the fog was thick and the air cool and damp. The westerly wind blew gently. There were hundreds of people walking around. Peddlers selling everything from food to hair ribbons and lace. Passengers lugged their belongings from here to there. People were hugging and kissing and saying their goodbyes, children were running around playing tag. The sound of flutes, fiddles and bagpipes mingled with all the noise of the people. Sarah noticed one very large lady crying loudly with the lady’s body shaking with each sob. Sarah wasn’t sure if she was crying because she was leaving or maybe being left behind. A tall man tried to console her.

As Sarah and Elizabeth sat upon the wagon seat looking above all the people, they could see the Lady McNaughton sitting so large in the water. One hundred and seventy feet long, this unarmed ship had painted on gunports that gave it a threatening appearance. One of the sails had a painted red star, the emblem showing the owner of the ship line. Some called these ships the white sails, others more realistic, called them coffin ships, because thirty to forty percent of the passengers died of disease and the elements. People were still willing to take their chances.

High above the ship flew great flocks of noisy seagulls waiting for someone to drop some food on the ground so they could swoop down and retrieve it.

Two men approached the wagon. Good day to you, the shorter of the two said as he removed his hat. He was missing a couple of his front teeth so he made a whistling sound when he spoke. Would you be selling your wagon and mule ladies?

Elizabeth spoke up. Oh yes sir, we would like to very much.

The two men walked around the wagon a couple of times looking it over, checking the wheels as they patted the mule on the rear. They offered a fair price and when Elizabeth and Sarah accepted, they helped them unload their belongings.

When the two gentlemen were finished, they gave a nod, hopped up on the wagon seat and drove away.

Elizabeth felt so fortunate. She’d thought for sure she would have to hunt for a place for the mule and maybe she would have to give her away. Now they would have more money to find living quarters when they reached Boston.

Sarah, you stay here with our belongings and I will go purchase our tickets. Elizabeth hurried toward a small building near the vessel, and Sarah sat down to wait and watch the people. When Elizabeth returned, she was waving the two tickets in the air.

You got them, Sarah shrieked. Elizabeth nodded and placed the tickets in her pocket.

I didn’t think I would have a problem, but when I saw all these people here, I began to worry maybe we would have to wait for another ship.

Let’s gather up our things, Sarah, and get in line."

Sarah smiled as the butterflies in her stomach fluttered.

As they walked toward the line of people to board the ship, Elizabeth stated to Sarah that the two tickets she bought were for the steerage section of the ship, which was the upper hold between the decks. She told Sarah they would be sharing it with many other people and the cargo. Sarah assured her mother everything was going to be okay, and she understood tickets for a private cabin were very expensive.

Neither Sarah nor Elizabeth knew anything about the steerage section of the ship. As they approached the vessel there was a man taking tickets, a couple more men watching to make sure no one snuck onboard the vessel.

Sarah’s stomach was still fluttering from all the excitement.

The young man took their tickets and directed them to steerage. There were a lot of people in front and behind them. Elizabeth couldn’t believe they were all headed for the steerage section of the ship, but she was right, they were.

Chapter Three

The Lady McNaughton

When Sarah and Elizabeth reached the steerage section of the ship, what they saw was a poorly ventilated gloomy place. It was fitted with rows and rows of rickety wooden berths fastened to the deck beams. The mattresses were thin and filled with straw.

They noticed right away there was no separation of the sexes. Men, women and children were all going to be in this space together with no privacy.

Sarah grabbed her mother’s arm and pulled her along, passing people in the narrow aisle. They managed to get to the corner by the ladder and dropped some of what they were carrying onto two of the beds and placed the rest of their belongings under the beds. Sarah told her mother, This will be the best spot. We surely don’t want to be on the top bunks, it will be way too hot.

I know we were not expecting the conditions to be like this, but we can endure. We have to be strong.

I know Sarah, we have no choice. But I feel like crying.

It will be okay Momma.

The Lady McNaughton creaked, rumbled and groaned as she pulled away from the dock. After about thirty or so minutes they reached the open seas. The waters were calm and smooth.

Maybe this won’t be too bad after all, Elizabeth said.

Whatever we have to endure we will, we just have to remember America will be so wonderful for us when we reach her shores. Sarah replied.

I surely hope so, Elizabeth said in a soft voice.

They soon learned that to prepare their own meals they would have to climb the ladder to reach a galley stove and cooking grates on the main deck. With one look they realized the grates would never be able to accommodate all of these passengers at once. That would most likely be a major problem.

With the purchase of their tickets, they were issued rice, stringy beef, herring and soup. It wasn’t going to be enough, to last for the whole journey, Sarah thought. And then what were they going to do?

The passengers began putting their belongings under their bunks. Sarah observed the people. There were families, the young, the old and the frail.

Sarah knew they would have to set up some kind of a system for cooking or it would be utter chaos. A middle-aged gentleman with a mustache and beard spoke loudly and got everyone’s attention. He suggested just what Sarah had been thinking. Within minutes everyone had a time when they could go up on deck and cook for themselves and their families. They all agreed, that the passengers with small children should be able to cook, before anyone else. They put their plan to work immediately, but by the time the last person got their food cooked it was very late at night. Hopefully, they would be able to improve that plan.

One late afternoon about five days into the trip, Sarah was up on deck cooking for her and Elizabeth when the wind began to blow and the squalls moved in. The waves were high. The sky turned black and streaks of lightning lit up the heavens. A storm was straight ahead of them for sure. Sarah was trying to hold on as the ship rocked back and forth. She managed to get the food off the cooking grates and made her way to the ladder that led back to the steerage hold.

Elizabeth was there holding the ladder for her. Just as they sat on their beds