Anita Mae Draper
  • Home
  • Books
    • Secret Admirer
    • American Heiress Brides
    • Austen in Austin
    • Here We Come A-Wassailing
    • Riding on a Christmas Wish
  • Blogs
    • Writing/Author Blog
    • Author Memories
    • Inkwell Inspirations
    • Heroes, Heroines, & History
    • Draper's Acres
    • Photo Blog
  • Research
    • The Oregon Trail Ruts
  • Fun
    • Text-Free Photos
    • Recipe Blog
    • Jigsaw Puzzles >
      • Christmas
      • Fauna
      • Flora
      • Travel Destinations
    • Free Reads >
      • The Shepherd
    • Poetry >
      • You Were By My Side
  • About Me
    • Long Bio
    • Media Kit
  • Contact

1911 Courtship: Mar 20, Dear Ethel

10/15/2012

 
Our last 1911 Courtship letter was Mar 19 Dear Noah.  If you've missed some of the courtship letters, click here for  a list of links.

Although I have a receipt that states Noah bought five quarters of land back on Dec 29th, 1909 for $1412.75, this is Noah's first letter where he talks about the home he is building as he readies himself for married life. I notice that when he first starts talking, he's saying my barn and my house and then suddenly, he crosses out the my and adds our. I can only imagine what Ethel is thinking at that point.


Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper
Dated: Mar 20 (1911)
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont.
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places
Writing Paper: Thick,  textured, linen-like paper,  9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form although unnumbered.

People mentioned in this letter:

Louie - Sarah Louisa Draper, Noah's older sister
The Mahoneys and Della* - First mentioned in the Mar 12th letter when Ethel writes, "Mr Mahoney's had buggy to S. School."
 

Picture
Grand Coulee. Mar 20.
Dear Ethel,
        Received your letter last
Thursday & was glad to hear
you were still in the land
of the living.
         Well Ethel I some times
miss writing on Sunday as
you will see but I was down
to Louies for tea & didnt get
home untill the wee small
hours.
         Am busy building my
barn. & it will take about
2 days yet. I can tell you it
is a change from watching
other people work but it does
a person good.
        I dont know wheather I told
you in my last letter or
 
Picture
not but I have sent for a tent
& am going to live in it untill
fall & then build my house
(the nest for my bird). eh
        Say kid I am going to send
you my plans for our house
& if you see any alterations
you would like to make.
why you can just say so
& it will be as you want
it. is'nt that fair. you will
be the one that has to run
it. so i think you should have
it preety nearly as you want
it.
         Am going to dig the cellar
& cement it this summer so
as to have it ready for fall
for when I start it I want it
done quick. (in the sweet bye & bye.

Picture
am going to the Coulee in
the morning after lumber so
will have a chance to post
this.
        The roads are preety near
impassable so expect to
have a big time but cant
stop for that as spring work
will soon start. & I have
got to clean over 800 bushel
of wheat for seed. & over a 100
of oats. & I have no strawing
done yet. Oh. say you might
come out & help.
         Well Dearest I guess you
will think I am trying to
stuff you but it is all to
true. Ha. Ha.
        How is Mahoneys getting
along. Isent Della a card.
but have not got any answer
Picture
another case like 2 years ago (eh)
        Well I guess you will be
in bed while I am writing
this. it would be half past
ten by your time now.
        & we have just come in
from the barn.
       Well Ethel I have not much
to tell you in aletter but
if I were there I guess I
could find lots to say.
but just now I am going
to say. Bye Bye &
write soon to your
Prairie Boy.
N.C. Draper,
Although Noah isn't the greatest writer, I believe this is his worst letter yet for grammar and spelling errors. But when you consider how tired he must be after working all day doing the physical work out in the cold, the mistakes in his writing doesn't matter. It's the fact that as tired as he is, he's taken the time to write to Ethel and let her know his plans.

Genealogy Notes

To find out who Della Mahoney was, I went to the ancestry.com website and searched for Della Mahoney who once lived at Belhaven, North Gwillimbury Township, York County, Ontario, Canada which is the address for Ethel.

The results brought up an 1891 and a 1901 Canada census as possibilities. I clicked on each in turn which showed that the Thomas Mahoney family lived down the road from the James Nelson (Ethel's) family and the David Draper (Noah's) family.  But 10 yrs between census records is a long time in a family's life, and I wanted to see where the Mahoney family was at the time Noah wrote this letter. The 1911 Canada census is dated on June 1st of that year and shows the Mahoney's living on the same farm down the road from Ethel.

As to why Noah asked about Della and no one else in the Mahoney family... the census records show that Della was born in 1887, while Noah was born in 1888. To confirm that they knew each back as children, I pulled up the 1897 school photo of SS #4 Belhaven school as seen below.
Picture
SS #4 Belhaven 1897 School Photo. Mom is Ethel Nelson, Dad is Noah Draper. Noah's sister, Jennie, is check-marked in 2nd row from the top.
Picture
According to the above info, Della Mahoney is 2nd from the right in the 2nd row from the top. That puts her right in from of Noah. Not only that, but the Newmarket Era regularly printed exam results for each grade from Primary up and prove that Della and Noah competed against each other in the one-room Belhaven school.

The 1911 census records Della as being 24 yrs old and still living at home. Her occupation is listed as Farmer's Daughter with 5 younger siblings, all in their teens. Most farmers' daughters were married at that age - partly because they'd found a love, but many because they tried to escape the drudgery of home life and have freedom from siblings. Her older sister, Stella, is already married with a small family. What was Della's case?

And then I noticed that the 1911 census didn't show the mother, Ellin Mahoney and that Della's father is listed as a Widower. If Ellin died recently, and the family was in turmoil, that could explain Noah's worry.

So I went back to the 1901 census and realized that it also listed Thomas Mahoney as a widower with 7 children and in the column for relationship to the head of the family, Ellin is listed his Housekeeper and single. Since they share a name, and she's listed above the children's names, (and not below where their 17 yr old domestic servant is listed), I can only conclude that Ellin is Thomas's sister. 

Yet there must've been a Mrs. Mahoney at one time to produce 7 kids. So, I went farther back to the 1891 census, and there she was - Lucy Mahoney. Since with the youngest Mahoney child is listed on the 1901 census as 5 yrs old, Lucy Mahoney died in the 5 yrs before the 1901 census was taken. Between the years Dellas was 9 and 14. That's a rough age to lose a mother in any period of time.

But, did I really need to do all this research to discover a mention in Noah's letter?

Nope. However, I wanted to show you how easy it sometimes is to find your ancestors. All you need is a name and a location. They don't even have to be exact since the internet and computer systems offer suggestions of similarly spelled names and a range of close dates. Give it a try and then let me know how you made out. And let me know if you need help and I'll try my best to help you on your journey.

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Recent Posts

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Genealogy Posts Index

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    February 2019
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    November 2015
    April 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    19th Century
    19th Century
    20th Century
    20th Century
    21st Century
    Abingdon Press
    Adams
    Africa
    Africans
    Agriculture
    Alberta
    Albert Rogers
    Alcohol
    Alice
    Ancestry.ca/com
    Ancestry.ca/com
    Anniversary
    Antique
    Antique Photograph
    Antique Photographs
    Arnold
    Auction Sale
    Aunt
    Aurora
    Australia
    Banff
    Barbour Books
    Barker
    Barn
    Barnhart
    Baseball
    Beechnuts
    Belhaven
    Belhaven School
    Belle Plaine
    Bellhaven Choir
    Bennett
    Bertha Hamilton
    Bethany House
    Bible
    Birkenhead
    Birthday
    Birth Records
    Blessing
    Blizzard
    Book
    Books
    Box Social
    Brandon
    Brighton Beach
    Brooch
    Brooks
    Brother
    Bruels/breuls
    Buggy
    Burks Falls
    Canada
    Canadian War Museum
    Car/streetcar
    C Deverell
    Cecil Prosser
    Censored
    Census Records
    Census Records
    Certificate
    Chapman
    Charisma House
    Charivari
    Chatham
    Childhood
    Children
    Christie Nelson
    Christmas
    Church
    Circus
    Civil War
    Cliche Or Phrase
    CNR
    Cole
    Connecticut
    Consumption
    Coronation
    Courtship
    Cousin
    Coventry
    Cowieson
    Cozy Mystery
    CPR
    Crafts
    Croquet
    Crossway Books
    Croutch/Crouch
    Crowder
    Cyclone/tornado
    Dafoe
    Daily Routine
    Dales
    David Draper
    Davidson
    Davidsons3828f1982c
    Depression
    Destruction
    Deverell
    Deverell In Toronto
    Diphtheria
    Discala
    Disease
    Ditty Box
    Document
    Dora
    Draper
    Dry Dock
    Easter
    Eatonaposs30973d10cc
    Eatonscf75de7cf3
    Edith Draper
    Edithedyth Draper7f425b64a8
    Education
    Ella
    Elva & Wm Mitchell
    Emanuel Nelson
    Emmanuel Nelson
    England
    Entrance Exam
    Ernie Glover
    Ernie Winter
    Ethel Marie
    Ethel Maud
    Ethel Nelson
    Europe
    Eva Amelia Perrault
    Even Before Publishing
    Excursion
    Exhibition
    Fabric
    Fair
    Fanny Joes Niece
    Farm
    Farm Equipment
    Farm Equipment
    Fashion
    Father
    Fauna
    Fern
    Ferry
    Finland
    Fire
    Fire Insurance
    Flag
    Flewell
    Florida
    Food
    Foresters
    Fort Battleford
    Fountain Pen
    Fox Island
    France
    Fred Coventry
    Fred Coventry
    Fruit Cake
    Fundraiser
    Genealogy
    Generations
    Geoff Bowerman
    George Caleb Nelson
    George Metcalf
    George Milburn Draper
    Geraldton
    Ghosts
    Glover
    Google Earth
    Grainery
    Grand Coulee
    Grand Coulee
    Grandparents
    Graveyard
    Great Grandparents
    Great Great Grandparents
    Great Lakes
    Great Lakes Romances
    Great Parents
    Greenwood
    Guns
    Hail Insurance
    Halifax
    Hamilton
    Harlequin
    Harvest
    Hearst
    Henry Nelson
    Herbert
    Hired Girl
    Hired Man
    Historical
    Historicals
    History
    HMCS Niobe
    HMS Achilles
    HMS Bacchante
    HMS Pembroke
    Holiday
    Holland Landing
    Hollywood
    Holt
    Homestead
    Horses
    Hot Springs
    House
    Housework
    Hunting
    Huntley
    Huntsville
    Hustle
    Hymn
    Ice Harvest
    Ida Amelia Glover
    India
    Indian Head
    Industry
    Ink & Inkwell
    Insurance
    Iowa Relatives
    Ireland
    Irwin Or Erwin Perrault
    Jacksons Point
    James A
    James H Nelson
    JD (James David)
    Jennie Draper
    Joe Perrault
    Kavanagh
    Kellington
    Kelowna
    Kentucky
    Keswick
    Kidnapping
    Kids
    King
    King George V
    Kings
    Kit
    Lake Superior
    Lanigan Dist Ha
    Laundry
    Lennox
    Lepard
    Leslie Nelson
    Leslie Thomson
    Letter
    Life Insurance
    Lighthouse
    Linstead
    Little Willie
    Liverpool
    Location
    London
    Longlac
    Louie
    Louie Sarah Louisa
    Louie Sarah Louisa39defa3554
    Louisiana
    Love Inspired
    Love Inspired Historical
    Love Inspired Suspense
    Lyceum
    Mabel-winter
    Mahoney
    Mail
    Maine
    Man
    Manfredmanford
    Manitoba
    Mann
    Map
    Margaret Glover
    Marguerite
    Markham
    Marriage Record
    Mary Smith
    Massachusetts
    Matt Or Matte
    Maud Bruels
    Medieval
    Memoirs
    Memorabilia
    Memorial
    Merlin/Murland
    Methodist
    Midge (Mildred)
    Military
    Ministry
    Miss Hunt
    Mitchell
    Money
    Montana
    Moody Publishers
    Moose Jaw
    Morrison
    Mortgage
    Morton
    Morton Park
    Mother
    Mothers Day
    Mount Albert
    Mr Brooks
    Mr Young
    Music
    Muskoka
    Navy
    Nelson
    New Daly House
    New England
    Newlywed
    Newmarket
    New Orleans
    Newspaper
    Niobe
    Noah
    Noah Draper
    Norma Draper
    Norman Draper
    Norman Yorke
    North Bay
    North Dakota
    North York
    Oak Tara Publishers
    Ohio
    Olympic
    Ontario
    Orillia
    Ourroots.ca
    Owen Sound
    Parthena Fisher
    Party
    Patty
    Pembroke
    Pense
    Percy
    Percy Draper
    Percy Draper
    Pets
    Phillips
    Photograph
    Photography
    Pie Social
    Playhouse
    Politics
    Pollack
    Pollock
    Portage Flyer
    Postcard
    Poster
    Post Office
    Poverty
    Prairies
    Prince Albert
    Prohibition
    Prosser
    Queen Mary
    Queensville
    Quincy/quinsy
    Railroad/railway
    Ravenshoe
    RCNVR
    Realms
    Recipes
    Reciprocity
    Regina
    Remembrance Day
    Reuben Perrault
    Rheumatism
    Rigler
    River Mersey
    River Thames
    RNCVR
    Rochester
    Rodeo
    Rose
    Royalty
    Roys
    RPPC
    Ryland
    Sadiesayde Nelson
    Sarah E Greenwood
    Sarah Elizabeth Glover
    Sarah Louisa Louie
    Sarah Louisa (Louie)
    Sarah Louisa (Louie)
    Sarah S Deverell
    Sarah Sophia Deverell
    Saskatchewan
    Scent
    School
    Scotland
    Sedore
    Seeding
    Seneca
    Sentry Duty
    Series
    Sharon
    Sheppard
    Ship
    Shivaree
    Singing
    Sintaluta
    Sister
    Sk
    Sleighs
    Slideshow
    Snow
    Soldier
    Song
    Soules
    Speech
    Sprague
    Stamp
    Stephen Draper
    Stewart Draper
    Stockings
    Stoker
    Store
    Summerside Press
    Suspense
    Sutton
    Sweet
    Taimi Discala
    Tarter
    Teacher
    Terry
    Texas
    Thames River
    The Waltons
    Thomas Nelson
    Thunder Bay
    Tobacco
    Togo
    Tomlinson
    Tornado
    Toronto
    Toys
    Train
    Transportation
    Travel
    Traviss
    Tubercolosis
    Tyndale
    Udora
    Uncle
    Uncle Emanuel
    Uncle Frank
    Uncle John
    Uniform
    Update
    USA
    Vaudeville
    Veda Perrault
    Victoria Maud
    Video
    Vintage
    Viola
    Violet
    Wages
    Wagon
    Wardell
    Washing Machine
    Wass
    Wawa
    Weapons
    Weather
    Wedding
    Well Water
    West
    Western
    Westgarth
    Whitaker House
    Whitefire Publishing
    White Rose Publishing
    Whooping Cough
    Willie Sedore
    Willoughby
    Will Rigler
    Winch
    Winnipeg
    Winter
    Women
    Woodblock Print
    Word
    Work Bee
    World War 1
    World War 2
    WW1
    YMCA/YWCA
    York County
    York/yorke
    York/yorke
    Zenuk


Created on Weebly  - Copyright Anita Mae Draper 2011-2022