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Letter to family in New Brunswick, New Jersey from M. T. Brite in Buenos Aires, Argentina 1873. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3KW5FFF
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Letter to family in New Brunswick, New Jersey from M. T. Brite in Buenos Aires, Argentina 1873. 1873. New Brunswick Free Public Library. RUcore: https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3KW5FFF
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TitleLetter to family in New Brunswick, New Jersey from M. T. Brite in Buenos Aires, Argentina 1873
Date Created1873
DescriptionM. T. Brite, one of a group of American dentists who relocated to Argentina, describes the hardships the dentists have gone through while trying to open their businesses. He also writes personal messages and holiday greetings to his family.
NoteBuenos Aires Nov 22nd 1873
My Dearest father and Mother:
I only wrote you a few lines by the last American mail just to let you know I was well but principally to send you a little Christmas present of a Bill of Exchange for one hundred ($100.00) dolls Gold. I am almost ashamed to think it was the first I have sent you since I left home but you will overlook this seeming neglect when you remember that all of my little spare money was invested in opening the new house, and in that undertaking you know by this time was not paying. Any how! I am only too happy to be able to forward even so small an amount. Half is for you Father and the other half is for my sweet little Mother. I want you to spend it for all those nice things which are so much needed in the winter time and when you eat your dinner with my dear Brother and little Dosie give me your loving Manny. Who even if so far away from you remembers you all and sighs a deep drawn home-sick sigh when thinking of your happy faces when assembled together on Christmas day. Well my Dear Father and Mother Brother and Sister “God bless you all! May he protect you through all danger as he has me and finally unite us all on some future Christmas, Now I bet anything Mother is crying so it is high time I brought this melancholy strain to en end. “Business now! I want your pictures two larger ones card de visite and two small ones to put into the locket on my chain. I must tell you about my good luck. I have won the first thing I ever won in my life. I begin to think that old dame future will smile on me yet if I only coax her a little more. Ralph had a beautiful gold stem winding watch with a gold chain and locket attached. Well he wanted to buy a new one so one evening at Coquet’s house he put it up at raffle among eleven of us at ten Dolls (U. S. money) a chance and as I liked the watch very much I was tempted to take four chances which cost me $40.00 (U.S.) and won it by Jove it was the first thing I ever gained by chance in my whole life. But I came very near loosing as I only beat his wife’s throw by one. The locket is a neat one. Gold enameled black and that is what I desire both of your pictures for small ones. I want to see your faces when ever wish to
Since I wrote to you something over a mouth since there has been the deuce to play among the Dentists here. What do you think it is? Why all the old native Dentists who have examinations joined hands and denounced all of us Americans to “El Facultad de Medicina” the result was we were all, eight in number, called upon to appear before the board of health and ordered to take down our signs until we procured examinations. First-thing on the programme Coquet wrote a slashing article in favor of the Americans and inserted it in all of the leading papers for ten or fifteen days. I will send you a paper with the article to allow you to judge for yourselves. The next thing was to see the medical faculty and demand an examination. After two or three days delay they told us to prepare ourselves as they would call upon us in a few days and test our abilities in the profession. Now at the present time all are hard at work studying expecting to be examined any day excepting me and I will not take just now for several reasons. One is that it does not make any difference in my present position. Besides I do not want to pay out so much money for such a thing unless I can see the advantage in the way of renumeration. All this fuss can not harm Coquet in the slightest as he passed through the hospital and was on the board of examinations for some time. The only thing they can do is make Ralph take his sign down, which of course would not effect our business a particle. You would have laughed to have seen the large sign on the balcony at 24 Calle Artis you know it read “Brito & Small Dentistas Americanos” well the law only forbids our advertising as Dentisto, so American fashion we beat that law and advertised all the same. This is the simple way we did it. Tacked a piece of black muslin over the dentistas and then there was Brito & Small _________ Americanos. My name has not been taken down yet because the carpintios has never found time to attend to it so it was all through B. A. (Buenos Aires) every street where any American Dentist had his office one would see the strange looking sign of so and so Americano. Why every one in the City is talking about it. Coquet says it is the best advertising we could have.
Your letter of the 23rd of September which you state was written in the N. Y. P. O. (NY post office) just previous to the sailing of the steamer reached me all safe and sound. I passed more than two weeks after that anxiously expecting to see Dr. Rubio every hour or at least hear from home. This waiting for some word about the letters which you forwarded by the Dr. I postponed writing until the day the day the steamer left here and on that same date I received your letters which were directed in your hand writing and post marked “Rio” from this I am led to suppose that Dr. Rubio has concluded to remain in “Rio de Janeiro” however if he should come here he will never want a friend so long as I can help him but as it is I think it is better he did not reach this City because there are many Dentists here now and the chances of opening a new house would be very slim and in regard to procuring a situation it is very difficult for every one here to have good assistants. An other thing I would like to speak of that is to warn you against going to Dentists large opinions about making money in this part of the world for we have too many Dentists out here now.
I have inquired about Senior Don Emilio Albean and learn that he is now in Europe. He is a patient of our house and Don Tomas assures me that I shall make a set of teeth for him when he returns, so you see I will have a good opportunity of renewing your acquaintance of 1848. The brother who you said kept a jewelry store in Canal St. in the 1850 is now living in town But Don Tomas said you must be mistaken about his being in the jewlery business or else there was an other brother. For he told me that the one here now studied for a dr of medicine in the States. I am sure I have written quite a long letter so I must bring my composition to a close especially as I have not written to Josie and John yet. This I will send tomorrow by way of Falmouth Eng. (?) by the steam ship “Bonita”. Love to all and Maggie and Susie’s family. Inclosed you will find the second of Exchange of the Bill of One hundred Dolls. It is impossible to procure a bill or any house in N. Y. for so small an amount. But I guess you will have no difficulty in cashing it. Mrs. Newberry will give you any information which you may require. Good by Merry Christmas and Happy new Year from your affectionate M. T. Brite 108 Maipu
Cuidad de Dr. Don Tomas Coquet
108 Calle Maipu
My Dearest father and Mother:
I only wrote you a few lines by the last American mail just to let you know I was well but principally to send you a little Christmas present of a Bill of Exchange for one hundred ($100.00) dolls Gold. I am almost ashamed to think it was the first I have sent you since I left home but you will overlook this seeming neglect when you remember that all of my little spare money was invested in opening the new house, and in that undertaking you know by this time was not paying. Any how! I am only too happy to be able to forward even so small an amount. Half is for you Father and the other half is for my sweet little Mother. I want you to spend it for all those nice things which are so much needed in the winter time and when you eat your dinner with my dear Brother and little Dosie give me your loving Manny. Who even if so far away from you remembers you all and sighs a deep drawn home-sick sigh when thinking of your happy faces when assembled together on Christmas day. Well my Dear Father and Mother Brother and Sister “God bless you all! May he protect you through all danger as he has me and finally unite us all on some future Christmas, Now I bet anything Mother is crying so it is high time I brought this melancholy strain to en end. “Business now! I want your pictures two larger ones card de visite and two small ones to put into the locket on my chain. I must tell you about my good luck. I have won the first thing I ever won in my life. I begin to think that old dame future will smile on me yet if I only coax her a little more. Ralph had a beautiful gold stem winding watch with a gold chain and locket attached. Well he wanted to buy a new one so one evening at Coquet’s house he put it up at raffle among eleven of us at ten Dolls (U. S. money) a chance and as I liked the watch very much I was tempted to take four chances which cost me $40.00 (U.S.) and won it by Jove it was the first thing I ever gained by chance in my whole life. But I came very near loosing as I only beat his wife’s throw by one. The locket is a neat one. Gold enameled black and that is what I desire both of your pictures for small ones. I want to see your faces when ever wish to
Since I wrote to you something over a mouth since there has been the deuce to play among the Dentists here. What do you think it is? Why all the old native Dentists who have examinations joined hands and denounced all of us Americans to “El Facultad de Medicina” the result was we were all, eight in number, called upon to appear before the board of health and ordered to take down our signs until we procured examinations. First-thing on the programme Coquet wrote a slashing article in favor of the Americans and inserted it in all of the leading papers for ten or fifteen days. I will send you a paper with the article to allow you to judge for yourselves. The next thing was to see the medical faculty and demand an examination. After two or three days delay they told us to prepare ourselves as they would call upon us in a few days and test our abilities in the profession. Now at the present time all are hard at work studying expecting to be examined any day excepting me and I will not take just now for several reasons. One is that it does not make any difference in my present position. Besides I do not want to pay out so much money for such a thing unless I can see the advantage in the way of renumeration. All this fuss can not harm Coquet in the slightest as he passed through the hospital and was on the board of examinations for some time. The only thing they can do is make Ralph take his sign down, which of course would not effect our business a particle. You would have laughed to have seen the large sign on the balcony at 24 Calle Artis you know it read “Brito & Small Dentistas Americanos” well the law only forbids our advertising as Dentisto, so American fashion we beat that law and advertised all the same. This is the simple way we did it. Tacked a piece of black muslin over the dentistas and then there was Brito & Small _________ Americanos. My name has not been taken down yet because the carpintios has never found time to attend to it so it was all through B. A. (Buenos Aires) every street where any American Dentist had his office one would see the strange looking sign of so and so Americano. Why every one in the City is talking about it. Coquet says it is the best advertising we could have.
Your letter of the 23rd of September which you state was written in the N. Y. P. O. (NY post office) just previous to the sailing of the steamer reached me all safe and sound. I passed more than two weeks after that anxiously expecting to see Dr. Rubio every hour or at least hear from home. This waiting for some word about the letters which you forwarded by the Dr. I postponed writing until the day the day the steamer left here and on that same date I received your letters which were directed in your hand writing and post marked “Rio” from this I am led to suppose that Dr. Rubio has concluded to remain in “Rio de Janeiro” however if he should come here he will never want a friend so long as I can help him but as it is I think it is better he did not reach this City because there are many Dentists here now and the chances of opening a new house would be very slim and in regard to procuring a situation it is very difficult for every one here to have good assistants. An other thing I would like to speak of that is to warn you against going to Dentists large opinions about making money in this part of the world for we have too many Dentists out here now.
I have inquired about Senior Don Emilio Albean and learn that he is now in Europe. He is a patient of our house and Don Tomas assures me that I shall make a set of teeth for him when he returns, so you see I will have a good opportunity of renewing your acquaintance of 1848. The brother who you said kept a jewelry store in Canal St. in the 1850 is now living in town But Don Tomas said you must be mistaken about his being in the jewlery business or else there was an other brother. For he told me that the one here now studied for a dr of medicine in the States. I am sure I have written quite a long letter so I must bring my composition to a close especially as I have not written to Josie and John yet. This I will send tomorrow by way of Falmouth Eng. (?) by the steam ship “Bonita”. Love to all and Maggie and Susie’s family. Inclosed you will find the second of Exchange of the Bill of One hundred Dolls. It is impossible to procure a bill or any house in N. Y. for so small an amount. But I guess you will have no difficulty in cashing it. Mrs. Newberry will give you any information which you may require. Good by Merry Christmas and Happy new Year from your affectionate M. T. Brite 108 Maipu
Cuidad de Dr. Don Tomas Coquet
108 Calle Maipu
NoteAvoid handling
Genrecorrespondence, letters
Time PeriodThe Industrial Revolution (1870-1900)
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3KW5FFF
CollectionMiscellaneous Collections
Organization NameNew Brunswick Free Public Library
RightsThis resource may be copyright protected. You may make use of this resource, with proper attribution, for educational and other non-commercial uses only. Contact the contributing organization to obtain permission for reproduction, publication, and commercial use.