1911 Courtship Letter: Oct 29 Dear Ethel

c1915 - (L to R) Mrs. Walter Young, Ethel Nelson, Midge Draper (b Sep 1913). Photo back: Mrs. Walter Young. He was killed in elevator at G.C. Mom - Midge. From the Norma Draper Family Personal Collection.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: October 29/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Belhaven, Ont., Dear Ethel 
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form with the unnumbered pages. However, if they were numbered, they would read 1, 3, 2, 4, but I've posted them here as if they were in order.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Mrs. W. *Young  - see photo on 1911 Courtship: Oct 1 Dear Ethel
The photo at the top of this week's post is from the an album dated 1912-1924 which belonged to Noah and Ethel's daughter, Norma. It's not clear who the man in the vehicle is from the notation on the back of the photo.


Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- *Regina
- G.C. - *Grand Coulee
- Jobe's comforters - It sounds like a commercial product for a tooth ache, but I couldn't find anything other than a term for imagined pain
- Thanksgiving
- plumber 
- **tin-smith
- *hired man
- threshing - see *harvest
- drawing wheat - threshing without using a threshing outfit


*Cliche/Phrase:
- Rome was not made in a day


Legend: 
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this 
  person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see Genealogy Notes below

Grand Coulee, Sask.
October 29/11.

Miss. E. Nelson
         Belhaven, Ont.
Dear Ethel; -
     Well one more week has passed
& I will be glad when seven more
has become the past instead
of the future for it seems
lonesome out here dont suppose
it is the same down there.
     Well it is 12 oclock but we
did not go to church this moining
as mother has a bad cold & I
havew one of Jobe's comforters
on my cheek I tell you I am 
fat. Ha. Ha. 
     I suppose you remember
Mrs. W. Younge she is here now
making mother a dress say she
has been away for four years  &
hasnt changed a bit. I wonder

if there are many people like that.
Oh. say Ethel tomorrow is thanks-
giving I wish we could have
dinner togeather & that would
be something to be thankful
for. eh. but I look forward to the
future (to h--l with the present.)
it seems far more cheerful. say
only 7 more weeks it does'nt sound
like a long time but it seems
like it to me any way.
     Well Ethel I expect the
plumber will be out here on
Tuesday & the tin-smith 
Wednesday to finish up their
work then the house will be
all finished but painting
& I don't hardly think I can
get it painted this fall on
account of the bad weather
but Rome was not made in 
a day was it. & I know it took
me longer than that to get an 

an answer to a question I asked
a certain young lady, What do
you know a bout it. eh. dont you
think she was mean. Ha Ha.
     Well I have finished drawing
wheat at last. & it took some work
but I am glad it is out now instead
of having it to draw in the winter.
     Well this is another blue day did
not get your letter last week so you
see there is a reason. eh.
     Say Ethel just to give you
an idea of the work going on
around these parts I will tell
you of a few of the troubles of
a farmer. to start with Icould
not get a man for a week after I
fired that man & his wife. & I have
to pay him $50 a month what do you
know about that but still some
people will say they cant get work.
     Well again the threshing gang I
had here went on strike they

were geting $2 1/2 a day but wanted
$3 but I got them to stay untill they
finished my job. but I was in Regina
Friday & saw some of the men in
town they said they had been
offered $3 a day but would not
take it I know of four other
gangs that have gone on strike
and that is the way things
go.
     Well I guess you will think this
is a funny letter but you know
these things do not bother me
now. as I am all through Ha. Ha
     Well old girl I guess that I
will have some help next summer
all right but I certainly need
your love more than help that
is the best thing of all. Well I
guess I will have to ring off for
this time. So Bye Bye.
Love & x x x x      N. C. D.

Genealogy Notes

Tin Ceiling

Noah mentions that the tinsmith will be in to finish up their work so that got me thinking about what work a 1911 tinsmith might need to do. I came up with these possibilities off the top of my head:
- stove chimney, heat registers, etc
- tin ceiling

I remember seeing my first tin ceiling in a recreated drug store with soda fountain up in Cold Lake, Alberta back in the 1980's. The ceiling reflected light from the large front windows, but it was deflected from the eye by the amazing workmanship. I found out later that tin ceilings could be made with tiles or pressed metal panels. I've been impressed with them ever since. 

1912 - Interior of Hagel and Held general store, Beiseker, Alberta. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

According to Wikipedia, tin ceilings found favour in North America as an alternate for detailed plaster work used in Europe. As rolled metal sheeting became available for pressing or stamping, residential and commercial buildings were installed with the beautiful and fireproof tin. 

Music room in a private home, 1906. Interior view of a music room which features a pressed tin ceiling and two large windows. Courtesy Wikipedia.

Now I'm wondering if Noah installed a tin ceiling in the home he built for Ethel at Adams, Saskatchewan. So far, I haven't found a photo of the interior, and the house itself is long gone. 

Does anyone know if there was a tin ceiling in Noah and Ethel Draper's house in Adams, near Grand Coulee, SK? Or what else a tinsmith would have been used for in 1911?