Dated: Apr 23, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N. C. Draper... Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink
Written on: Light bluey/gray, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6 inches, folded in half. Ethel has written straight front to back like a booklet, with a PS page tucked inside.
- Our English man - *hired man
- Robert Davidson - a Belhaven neighbour
- Manuel - *Emanuel Nelson - Ethel's 5 year old brother
- *Sedores - Hugh Sedore and his family had diphtheria
- Pa - *James Henry Nelson
- Rob't - the Nelson's hired man, Robert, who plays the violin
- Herb Deverell **
*Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below
Belhaven. May 1st 1911. Mr N. C. Draper Grand Coulee. Sask. Dear Noah,- I missed your letter last night, but I will be looking for one to-morrow night. I sometimes get them on Monday. Say I just wish you were here to hear our English man talk, He gave us girls a great old lecture last night (Perhaps we need it eh) Well I would rather have you lecture us anyway. |
2. I was down to Mr Robt Davidson's yesterday. They had a barn raising. There were about 125 men there There little boy has pneumonia Glen) Manuel got bit on Friday night by our dog. It is torn to the bone on the one side of his leg. Say: did you get that letter, if you did not I think it must have gone astray for I posted one to you that week. You may depend I will write if I possibly can. |
3. For I know just how I look for your letters. I don't know but I don't believe you are quite as foolish as I be. You say absence make the heart grow fonder. I think by the time I see you again that love surely will reign, for I thot it did before. I have no objections to how strong my love grows to thee in your absence. But oh! I wish it was just so you could run in once in a while. Is your mother still thinking of coming down? Wish you were coming to. But never mind it wont be long after I hope until I see you. I am awfully glad you sent your |
4. photo. It don't let me for get you. I tell you there was no danger of me forgetting you. The card is handled quite a bit. How are all the folks up there. There is quite a bit of sickness around here just at present. 4 cases of pneumonia. It was Mrs Sedore that was sick at Sedore's they are out now & Hugh is working here. I think Pa has about ten acres to sow yet. I don't know wether Robt can play "I don't know why I love you but I do" true I think I will wait and ask you. instead of asking Robt. Pa has told Robt twice for to leave, if he don't soon pay attention I think Pa will be tempted to walk with him to the road unless he soon does better. hope your man is better than ours. Well I think I am nearly to the closing point for this time. I am the same as B 4. with all love x lots x this x time x eh x from Ethel Nelson x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x |
P.S. I am going to send you the piece that was in the paper about Herb Deverell's death. Suppose you have heard of it before this reaches you but perhaps not got the little piece of the paper. It was in the News. I wrote my letter Sunday. So to-day when I had it ready to post I just happen to think that I intended to send it to you. So here I am, finishing up on Monday. It has been raining nearly all day. I guess I am making my P.S. rather long. so Good-Bye Ethel |
THE TOMB DEVERELL - At 107 Chester Aven- ue, Toronto, on Thursday, the 20th April, 1911, Herbert Wil- liam Deverell, aged 36 years. Funeral last Monday. Internment at Queensville. * * * Herbert Deverill Fasted and Died from Weakness We clip the following from the To- ronto Star. Mr. Deverill was a native of Ravenshoe. Herbert Deverill took sick with the grip this winter and refusing to give up and go to bed continued work ev- ery day in Medd's grocery store in Gerrard street east. On an occa- sion of a former illness, due to dia- betes, he had obtained good results from a prolonged fast of 21 days, and he became firmly convinced of the efficacy of that treatment. He tried it again for this grip and after fifteen days, during which he grew steadily weaker, he died at his home at 107 Chester avenue. The funeral will be from his widowed mother's house at 291 Palmerston avenue on Monday. Herbert Deverill was well known in New Ontario. He was the manager Revillon Brothers' store at McDou- gall Chutes for some time, and con- ducted stores of his own at Abilibi Crossing and at Corcoran. It is said that he strained his vitality by too heavy and too prolonged work. When the prospectors came in for outfits, they were always in a hurry and Deverill would frequently work all night. He worked all day carry- ing 100 pound bags of flour and sugar half a mile to the boat from his store, or from the railway station. He was never a heavy or robust man, but on the termination of his former long fast, he became very fleshy and continued so for a consid- erable period. He came to Toronto on the death of his father about a year ago to settle the estate, and he still owned a general stock of goods in the north country. He is survived by a wife and three children. * * * |
Genealogy Notes
Noah's mother is *Sarah Sophia Deverell and Noah's father is David Draper. Both Sarah and David were born and raised in Belhaven in North Gwillimbury Township. But in 1867 when David was 25 and Sarah was 21, they went all the way to Haldimand Township which is around the western tip of Lake Ontario and almost directly across from Erie, Pennsylvania, to get married. Why so far away? I can't find any record of family living there. Or did they elope?
The following info on Sarah Sophia's family is taken from the 1861 Canada census for North Gwillimbury:
Father - William H Deverell b1808 in England, Occupation: Minister
Mother - Fanny b1815 in Ireland
Note: the following children were all born in the above house.
Mary b1840 Robert b1855 | Sarah b1846 Letitia b1857 | Frances b1848 Thomas b1860 |
Father - William H Deverell b1814 in Ontario (English heritage), Minister
Mother - Fanny b1818 in Ontario (English heritage)
Residence: Conc 4 lot 1 Queensville, North Gwillimbury
This William H and Fanny live with their son's family:
William Deverell b1846 and his wife Euphemia b1848
And among their many children born in Queensville are:
- Charles b1869
- Herbert b1876
So, we finally found Charles Deverell and Herbert Deverell and from the above information, it looks like they could be Sarah Sophia's nephews thereby making them Noah's cousins. And that would explain why Ethel is sending Herbert's obituary.
Except for a few things... it would also mean their father - William Deverell b1846 - would be Sarah Sophia's brother, right? But they can't be siblings for the following reasons:
1. they share the same birth year but were born a couple months apart
2. their parents have the same names & jobs, but not the same birth years
3. if they were siblings, William would show up on Sarah's 1861 census.
So what relation are Charles and Herbert to Sarah Sophia?
(If you know, please tell me as I've exhausted all my leads.)