Since Noah's letter mentions the devastating fire at Ethel's farm, this week's genealogy notes will concentrate on that event.
Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: May ? (Suspect May 14 - see below)
Addressed to: Miss E.Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont., Dear Ethel
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks grey in places and pencil-like in others.
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, and written in a 4-page booklet form. The paper is ripped on the first page so we can't read the date, but because Noah writes every week with his last letter dated May 7th, and his next one dated May 21st, the evidence is there that this is dated May 14th, 1911.
People/places mentioned in this letter:
Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, Noah's widowed mother
Bertha - wife of Noah's cousin, *Stewart Trueman Draper of Indian Head, Sask
*Louie - Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Draper, married to Fred Coventry
*Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva & Joseph Perrault who live nearby
*Joe - Veda's father, Joseph Perrault
** The Belhaven fires
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below
Dated: May ? (Suspect May 14 - see below)
Addressed to: Miss E.Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont., Dear Ethel
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks grey in places and pencil-like in others.
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, and written in a 4-page booklet form. The paper is ripped on the first page so we can't read the date, but because Noah writes every week with his last letter dated May 7th, and his next one dated May 21st, the evidence is there that this is dated May 14th, 1911.
People/places mentioned in this letter:
Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, Noah's widowed mother
Bertha - wife of Noah's cousin, *Stewart Trueman Draper of Indian Head, Sask
*Louie - Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Draper, married to Fred Coventry
*Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva & Joseph Perrault who live nearby
*Joe - Veda's father, Joseph Perrault
** The Belhaven fires
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below
| Grand Coulee M---------- Miss. E. Nelson, Belhaven, Ont. Dear Ethel ; - Received your letter last week and was glad to hear you were still in the land of the living. Hope you are well as this leaves me at present. So you have had a fire eh. Well it is a good thing no one was killed. you dont know how it started. Well I was home all day Sunday. & have not been to church for two weeks |
| so I must be getting bad. Mother came home Saturaday ght & Bertha and the children me up with her. They e going home tonight. Mother & Bertha went down to Louies today. Well we had a great old rain yesteraday it must have fell about 3" of water. but it is fine today. Have not sowed my oats yet but guess I will sow them as soon as it drys up. Say Sadie has not had her final examinations yet has she. |
| Am going into the Coulee to night base ball pratice We play Pense on the 24th. Veda is in Regina now doctoring with her hands. I guess they will cure them all right. Joe has the frame of his barn up but it will take about a month yet to finish it. Say didnt you get my card you didnot say any thing about it. Well Ethel you know them five words allright and all remains is to say them |
| Well Idont want you to think I am so selfish as it may seem Ethel. & I guess you will have lots to do there for a while. Eh. Well I guess I will have to close once more for I do not know what to write outside of a lot of foolishness &. I will leave that unsaid this time. So Bye Bye .Write soon to your Loving Friend & future Hubby. X X X N.C.D. |
Genealogy Notes
Here's the newspaper article about the fire that burned the barn at Ethel's place in Belhaven...
Clipped from The Newmarket Era. May 12, 1911 - Page: 6
| BELLHAVEN. The 5th paragraph down is about the barn fire at Ethel's place: Mr. James Nelson's barn was burn- ed on Monday and Mr. Roy Murrell's on Tuesday. We sympathize with them. Mr. Nelson's barn was com- pletely destroyed, together with three calves, five fat pigs, poultry, imple-ments etc. The wind was blowing from a favorable quarter, so that his dwelling was saved. The loss of barn, and contents will probably reach from $1500 to $2000. There was a small insurance on barn and contents. Mr. Nelson was not at home when the fire first commenced, but returned before it was all over. |
It's estimated that Ethel's family lost $1500 to $2000 all things considered. That doesn't seem like much by today's standards, but to put it into perspective, here's what costs were back in May 1911:
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Newmarket lies halfway between Belhaven and the city of Toronto. I know it's hard to read, but a pound of butter costs between 16 and 25 cents between the 2 markets, while potatoes are from between 80 cents and 1.05 a 100 pound bag. Put in that light, the Nelson's have lost a huge amount.
