BIO: A treasure trove of 120 letters written to family members by Michael HURLEY and his brother Denis, who emigrated to Nevada from the family farm in the townland of Tawnies Upper, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, in the early 1870s can be found in the Cork Archives Institute along with many photographs. (See Spring 2000 issue of "The World of Hibernia" magazine also for six-page article, letter extracts, photos). The brothers emigrated to Nevada from the family farm in the townland of Tawnies Upper, Clonakilty, Co. Cork in the early 1870s. The collection of HURLEY letters were written to family members in the Clonakilty area and span a period of 67 years. They left behind their parents, Timothy and Mary (HAYES) HURLEY, as well as siblings John, Timothy, and Kate. While Michael likely arrived in the U.S. in 1870, brother Denis is known to have disembarked in Boston in April 1873, traveled to NY, and then took a train out west to Carson City, NV, to join Michael who was emplo! yed on the railroad. Nevada was an attractive location for immigrants in the early 1870s as the state was reaping the benefits from the discovery of silver in the Sierra Nevadas in 1859. During the 1860s and early 1870s the Comstock Lode produced over $300 million worth of silver and gold out of a total state production of over $440 million. The Irish were one of the largest ethnic groups in Nevada. In 1870, out of a total foreign-born population of 1,908 in Ormsby Co, where Carson City was located, 243 were Irish-born. The majority of the Irish in NV worked in the mines. Michael and Denis were employed on the railroad, but like many others kept a keen eye on mining stocks and shares, hoping to make their fortune. For most of his working life Michael was employed on the railroads across the NW including OR and WA, and from 1906 until his death in 1926 he lived as a boarder with a family called ANDERS in San Francisco. His letter home written in the aftermath of the 1906 SF earthquake revealed, "I was not injured by the catastrophe... though it was frightful. It happened about 5 o' clock in the morning. I thought it would never quite shaking... When I got up and went out and saw so many large buildings thrown down and what was not thrown down burning; it was a sight not to be forgotten." On Michael's death in June 1926, Denis wrote to his eldest brother John in Clonakilty: "Our brother Michael died in SF last evening, June the 9th at 6 p.m. and will be buried here in my plot on the 12th inst. He died with friends with whom he was makin! g his home for upwards of 30 years. His wants were seen to both spiritually and corporeally." Denis HURLEY had settled in NV, living for the most part in Carson City. His marriage to Margaret BURKE took place in Reno on 13 Jan 1887; Margaret was born in Roscommon and census records indicate that she emigrated to the U.S. in 1884 at the age of 18. A brief report of the wedding was carried by the "Nevada State Journal:"of 15 Jan 1887. The wedding is spoken of as being one of the "grandest of the season and the presents superb." Her death was poor throughout their marriage and her death from typhoid fever in 1910 at the age of 50 was a severe blow to Denis; they had no children. Denis was employed by the Virginia and Truckee RR Co. until his retirement in 1906. He served as a guard at the Nevada State Prison, was appointed bailiff at Federal Court at age 70, was active in politics as a Republican. His death from a "heart ailment" was reported in the "Carson City Daily" (NV) March 4, 1938. The eldest brother, John HURLEY, inherited the family farm in Ireland and raised four daughters - Mary, Catherine, Hanorah, and Eileen. A letter to the family from Michael on the 43-acre farm near Clonakilty in 1890 advised younger brother Tim "to pin up the collar of your shirt and get married and run that place yourself, I don't want it." In October 1892 Denis wrote, "I believe Tim is foolish to be postponing his marriage so long under the circumstances. As dairy farming is the most profitable he should get a good looking and affectionate wife that would make first-class butter. If he cannot get one in Cork, why I will give him a letter of recommendation to go wife seeking down in Connaught." Youngest brother Tim eventually married Catherine SCANNELL in February 1895, and there is a marvelous photo of their large family in the magazine. The letters are personal but mirror events in Ireland of which the brothers were very interested -- commenting on the Parnell & Mrs. O'Shea scandal, praise for Michael Collins, etc. On the death of his brothers jJohn and Tim in the late 1920s, Denis continued to correspond with family members in Clonakilty, primarily his niece Mary DEASY, the daughter of his eldest brother John HURLEY. While Denis had never met any of his brother's daughters, and his only link was with them through his letters, yet family ties remained strong and the affection he held for his nieces in Ireland is very evident from his letters. Denis, the more eloquent of the two correspondents, revealed an educated and cultured man. He died on March 3, 1938 and was buried in Carson City beside his wife and brother. Brother Michael, in contrast, roamed throughout the American NW, speculating unsuccessfully in stocks and shares and enduring frequent periods of unemployment. The contrasting lives of the! brothers in the U.S. as portrayed in their letters home clearly illustrate the diversity of the emigrant experience.