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After migrating to Hawesville from Pennsylvania with his close relatives four years earlier, Magnus Taylor often dealt with health disorders while roaming around the mining locations of the western coal region. On Christmas Day back in 1855, he had thoughtfully sent a dollar's worth of gold to his sister Mary, although someone filched the money before the sealed letter reached Orphir. The young Scot's kindnesses had been a great help to JOHN and to his father, ROBERT. In the year of 1856, JOHN received his brother's assistance when he was recovering after breaking an arm. And yet, Magnus still sent a portion of his earnings back to Kirkwall for his father's welfare again in 1857. Magnus, Robert, and JOHN had always directed money to the Orphir family periodically. Magnus was highly regarded by several people who knew him personally. On an 1857 early summer Monday, JOHN was concerned that he hadn't heard anything from his younger brother since May 1st. After nearly two months, on June 29, JOHN finished drafting a letter to Magnus before he would present the dispatch to a red-haired courier named Jack, a friend of theirs soon to be leaving for Airdrie, KY. JOHN had been doing shift work in the coal bank near Hawesville, but he was doubtful the job would last much longer since the river level was receding and the boats could not transport coal in low water. So he wondered if he could get a job at Airdrie, where brother Magnus had been staying, and what the wages and housing situation might be. JOHN's personal rule of thumb was to strive for total earnings equaling twice his family's cost of living. Only three days earlier, JOHN had received a letter from their enfeebled father back at Orphir; ROBERT TAYLOR had not been well for several months and had not attended church for a full year. JOHN's cousin, Robert K. Taylor, was himself trying to find his own immigrant brother John. Back at Hawesville in late June, Robert was very earnestly thinking of wandering down to Airdrie, where his cousin Magnus was still thought to be staying. Five months later, during the autumn of 1857, Robert K. would be working down in Tennessee while Magnus would apparently end up in Missouri, both staying at locations essentially right next to the very banks of the immense Mississippi River. Sometime during the year's middle segment, Magnus Francis Taylor journeyed to St. Louis, MO, the large city where the ailing young Scottish native would establish his permanent and final residence. |
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