Blog Archives

1911 Courtship Letter: Oct 29 Dear Ethel

1/26/2014

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?

2 Comments

1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

1/18/2014

0 Comments

1897 S. S. Belhaven #4, Belhaven, Ontario, Canada. Clipping from Ethel Nelson Draper's Treasure Box. Newspaper source unknown.

I'm showing the 1897 photo of the Belhaven school because the student photo that was included with it is part of this post's Genealogy Notes below. Unfortunately, I don't have a source for this newspaper clipping and accompanying text, but it seems to have been published in 1965 - probably the Newmarket Era or Sutton Review. I'd appreciate any info on this old Belhaven School.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Oct . 22nd. Oct 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven. P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink - Once again, the ink still smudges upon touch as if it still hasn't dried. Since writing last week's post with the Genealogy Note about ink and pens, I'm wondering if Ethel is using a low-quality ink instead of a high quality one like the Stephens brand I mentioned.
Written on: Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and written as 1, 2, 3 with page 2 being turned and written across the short side and down the length.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Mary Smith - friend, neighbor, relative - 1911 Courtship: Oct 8 Dear Noah
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 10 yr old sister
- Jennie Draper - Noah's sister - school photo under Genealogy Note #2

- **Walter *Yorke and Squire Yorke - Genealogy Note #1
- **Walker Morton's **Genealogy Note #2
-*Mahoney girls - friends and neighbors
- **Wm Arnold - Genealogy Note #3
- Herb *Winches - neighbor and friends
- Steve Leopard (*Lepard) - many Lepards in Draper family tree
- *Manford Terry - Noah's cousin - 1911 Courtship: Sep 10 Dear Noah

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Ravenshoe - 7 km/4 ml south of Belhaven
- Aurora - 35 km/22 mls SSW of Belhaven (south of Newmarket)
- *Newmarket *Fair

- **chattel mortgage
- upset - buggy or sleigh accident (now called rollover)

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing. If you don't see a label, use the search box at the top of page.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven. P. O.
Oct 22nd. 1911

Mr N. C. Draper.
Grand Coulee.
Sask.

My Dear Noah, -
Rec'd your letter on
Saturday morning and the same
as usual was very glad indeed
to get it.
Well to-day is not as
fine a day as last Sunday was
it is windy & cooler to-day. but
not raining yet. Mary Smith & Sadie
& myself are going down to Ravenshoe
Church this afternoon. Mary says she
will be our young man to-day. So
you you may depend we are
going to have a fine driver. "ha ha"
She can't take his place. "eh".

Say, you know about what Mr Walter Yorke
is? Some man in Aurora is selling him out
to-morrow. Every thing is to be sold. even to the
place. Mr Yorke has nearly all his stock under a
chatill mortgage. Squire Yorke is hired here for a
year. he started last Monday. we like him allright
So far. but don't know how long it will last.
Mr Yorke is talking of going West in the Spring.
Do you ever see any more of Walker Morton's? We
heard that her Uncle had left. her four thousand
Dollars. if he has it certainly will help them out
Some. Christie is hear giving me a good, solid
lecture. now I think you will know how to
sympathise with me. "ha ha"
Remember the last time you were to New market
Fair. Say if we certainly was'nt a happy three.
Little I thot thought it would be one of my last
Such days with Jennie. And little I thot. "eh"
that I'd break those few words I said I'd never
do. time tells & is so un certain. This week is
the New market Fair again. I may go down
on Thrusday if nothing happens. Sadie will be
their to go with me. Mahoney girls & going also.
As to the time you had planed on staying down this
winter I guess perhaps you will know best just how
long you can. So I will try & do as you think best
for us both. You certainly ought to be the one to
know & say what you think about it. for you are
coming from your own home. and you know just how you

left things. Mr Wm Arnold was buried
on Friday. Herb Winches baby was playing
out in the back yard. & went
into a bed of ashes where Herb had a
bonfire a couple of days before. & her clothing
caught fire. & she was burned badly. but
they think she will get better. and on
Friday also Steve Leopard was working
at some bridge with Manford Terry
and a heavy timber fell on him. We
heard he could'nt get better. but we hav'nt
heard of his death yet. Friday seems to be
an very unlucky day. Say I heard yesterday
you had an upset one day last winter.
Oh, I hear lots of news now a day.
It don't bother me much though it
passes the time as you say. and
anything to do that. It must be
nearly noon now and we want to have
an early dinner for you know our young
man for to-day wont want to wait long
"ha-ha" So must say good bye for this time
write often to you old Sweetheart at Belhaven.
xxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxx
x

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Walter York and Squire York

Ethel writes... Some man in Aurora is selling him out tomorrow. Everything is to be sold. even to the place. Mr Yorke has nearly all his stock under a chatill mortgage.

I've checked different sites for the best definition of a chattel mortgage, and wikipedia has the easiest to understand:
Under a typical chattel mortgage, the purchaser borrows funds for the purchase of movable personal property (the chattel) from the lender. The lender then secures the loan with a mortgage over the chattel. Legal ownership of the chattel is transferred to the purchaser at the time of purchase, and the mortgage is removed once the loan has been repaid.

The Newmarket Era. Oct 20, 1911

That meant Walter York was in debt up to his eyeballs, so to speak.

Here's the sale listing that shows Walter York's sale on Monday, Oct 23rd. Walter lived on Conc 5, Lot 11, North Gwillimbury, just a few farms south of Ethel's family, and close to where Noah's family lived before they sold out and moved west.

Walter York has been the topic of our Genealogy Notes before when Ethel reported the death of Mrs. Walter York back in her Dear Noah letter of June 25th.

At 14 yrs of age, Squire York, born 1897, is the new hired man of Ethel's family farm. He's also the son of Walter York and Wife #1 Minnie (Mary) Pollock. But as Ethel says, if Walter decides to move West, Squire may choose to accompany his widowed and destitute father.

Genealogy Note #2 - Walker Morton's

Walker Morton and his wife Tillie (Matilda) Doane, are shown living in North Gwillimbury in 1901, then in Regina (close to Noah) in 1911, then in Hamiliton in 1921.

I suspect that their daughter, Emma Fern Morton, is the same Fern Morton who went to school with Ethel and Noah because of this photo and caption which I found in Ethel's Treasure Box. Although it came with Noah and Ethel marked, the accompanying newspaper article doesn't give a newspaper name or date other than that it's dated 1965.

1897 Belhaven School Students, Belhaven, Ontario, Canada. From Ethel Nelson Draper's personal collection. Source unknown.

As you can see above, Ethel is sitting next to Fern Morton. Also in the photo is Noah in the back right corner, and Noah's sister, Jennie, checkmarked in the row in front of Noah. (Several other names may ring a bell if you've been following these courtship letters.)

Anyway, it's Fern's mother, Tillie, who was left $4000 by her uncle - a lot of money back then when prices looked like this:
- a 3 lb tin of beans = 25 cents
- 20 lbs dark brown sugar = $ 1.00
- a roll of wallpaper =8 cents
- in 1919, a Ford Runabout cost $660.00 and a Touring car cost $690.00

But who was this mysterious uncle? I couldn't find anything relevant in the Newmarket Era, and I didn't have the Walker Morton's in our family tree. Although I had found them in the 1911 census, Tillie had too many uncles in her family to figure out which one had money, and I didn't have time for the hours of research it would take to figure out.

So I took the next step of checking out who else had the Walker Morton's in their family tree. I happened on a private Glover Family tree on the Ancestry site which was exciting because we have Glover's in our tree. I sent off a quick email to the Glover Family Tree owner explaining why I wanted to see their tree and within a day, I had received a nice email from a man named Grant who said: Matilda "Tillie" Doane had an uncle Charles Doan, who never married, and who died on September 11,1911 in East Gwillimbury, York North, Ontario, Canada.

Grant also sent an invitation to look at his tree although he confided that his Glover branch originated from the Channel Islands and settled in Welland, Ontario. I accepted his invitation and checked it over, but nothing connected them to us except for the common name. Sending out a big thank you to Grant for the privilege of allowing me to see your tree.

Genealogy Note #3 - Wm Arnold

Ethel wrote... Mr. Wm Arnold was buried on Friday. William Arnold had been sick for a long time. The Newmarket Era reported the following:

June 30, 1911 - On account of continued ill health, Wm Arnold has deemed it advisable to sell his farm and be rid of so much care. His son-in-law, Mr. Fred Thompson, is the purchaser. It is one of the most productive and valuable agricultural properties in North Gwillimbury and is in perfect condition and modern and commodious buildings. There were many desirous of securing such a paradise.
Oct 13, 1911 - Sorry to report Wm Arnold is not improving very fast.
Oct 27, 1911 - We regret to state that Mr. Wm Arnold passed away last week.

William's death was not unexpected then, but who was he? I was surprised to discover that he was part of our family tree. Using Noah as the home person in the tree, Ancestry has figured out this progression:

William Arnold (1860 - ) husband of wife of 2nd cousin:
Nellie Ellen Young (1853 - ) wife of William Arnold
*James Edward Wardell (1871 - 1852) husband of Nellie Ellen Young
Thomas Wardell (1829 - 1908) father of James Edward Wardell
Susan Draper (1808 - ) mother of Thomas Wardell
Joel Draper Sr Rev (1789 - 1856) father of Susan Draper
Joel Draper (1815 - 1897) son of Joel Draper Sr Rev
David Draper (1842 - 1909) son of Joel Draper
*Noah Clement Draper You are the son of David Draper

What it means is that James Wardell and Noah are 2nd cousins as they are both great-grandsons of Joel Draper Sr...and that William is a relative by marriage because James Wardell married Nellie who was William's widow.

0 Comments

1911 Courtship: Oct 21 Dear Ethel

1/8/2014

0 Comments

Ink and Inkwell at Fort Battleford Living Museum, Saskatchewan, Canada. Photo by Anita Mae Draper.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: Oct . 21 . 11 .
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Belhaven, Ont., My Dearest Ethel
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Pencil
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 inside paper turned sideways and written across the short side for the full length. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he has written them in the order that I've shown them below.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Percys - Noah's brother, *Percy Draper
- Louies - Noah's sister, *Louie (*Sarah Louise) & husband, *Fred Coventry
- Stan & May - Stanley *Mahoney and Mae Anderson - friends/neighbors

**Beating or Bettie or Bready ???

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Regina
- drawing wheat - threshing without using a threshing outfit
- **ink

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing. If you don't see a label, use the search box at the top of page.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Written up the side:

So Say I addressed
this
envelope.
three weeks ago.
N.D.

Grand Coulee Sask.
Oct. 21. 11.

Miss. E. Nelson
Belhaven, Ont.

My Dearest Ethel; -
Well another week has
gone by. & it brings me that
much nearer my hearts desire.
the time seems to pass but
I dont seem to get much done
on account of rainy weather
I tell you Ethel I struck a
good week for threshing the
gang I had left a week a
go last night & have been
at Beating ____ farm for
3 days threshing I see they
finished there last xxxx
night but part of the men

are still there. they go back to Percys
from there to thresh oats about
1/2 day I guess.
Say Ethel you will have to excuse
the pencil but I told you
before I was out of ink & I never
think of it when I am at the
store. Was down last night but
did not get a letter from you
& was so dissapointed I forgot
to get bread so have to eat
biscuits today. ha. ha.
Regina
Say I was in town last night
after fruit got a couple of boxes of
plumbs 2 baskets of grapes & a box
of crab apples. quite an asortment
eh. bet you will say I know
how to can fruit when you get
a taste of them. Ha. Ha.
Say I guess I am going down to
Louies after church this morning
wish you were here to go along
it seems like ten years since I
left Belhaven so you dont
want to be surprised if you see
me an old man this winter.
But never mind if I am maby I will
get young a gain next summer. eh.

Oh say Ethel guess I will
not get out to shoot geese
after all the rain last week
stoped me drawing wheat
so I have to do it this week
have about two day s yet I
guess but enough other work
to keep ten men going until
it freezes up. & that wont be
very long now if the weather
does'nt change.
Oh say you never told me
who got your box at the big
social & what kind of a
time you had. Suppose Stan
& May are back by this time
and she has changed her name.
Well Ethel I guess I will
have to close. and getready
for church. so good by. love and
kisses xx N.C.D.

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note 1 - Ink and Pens in 1911

I love the way Noah wrote about going to the store for ink and being so disappointed by not receiving a letter from Ethel that he even forgot to buy bread. That got me thinking about what kind of ink Noah would have used in 1911...

Wikipedia states, Progress in developing a reliable pen was slow until the mid-19th century, because of an imperfect understanding of the role that air pressure plays in the operation of pens and because most inks were highly corrosive and full of sedimentary inclusions...

Then in 1832, Dr. Henry Stephens (1796–1864) invented an indelible "blue-black writing fluid" which became the famous Stephens' Ink around the world.

In the information part of my 1911 Courtship Letter posts, I always include the type of writing instrument and paper used. Usually, I've said it was black ink that faded to a grey or bluey-grey until the pen was dipped in the ink. After researching ink and pens, I now know that the pens weren't dipped, but filled with ink, and that all ink was a blue-black to start with.

Ink was sold in bottles and then poured into inkwells with a hinged or screwed-on lids to prevent:
- contamination
- evaporation
- accidental spillage; and
- excessive exposure to air

Inkwells were as expensive or cheap as a person could afford, depending on the material used in manufacturing. Clear or blue glass inkwells similar to the one on the right are the kind I've found at most museums and forts out here in Western Canada.

English: Glass inkwell 2¼" square with rounded shoulders and corners. silver collar, slightly domed and hinged silver top (Hallmark Bimingham 1910). Wikipedia picture taken by author John Beniston.

As for the type of pen Noah would have used, the fountain pen seems to be the pen of choice...

If you'd like to learn more about fountain pens, check out these videos:
- Fountain Pen Maintenance http://youtu.be/OxH5VS9BeO8
- Filling Mechanisms http://youtu.be/tMNxzOFJ5fw

Genealogy Note 2 - Beating or Bettie or Bready ?

Noah writes on page 1, "have been at Beating ____ farm for 3 days threshing"

Page 1 looks like a mess because of the multiple images which look like they may have been caused by old-fashioned carbon copy paper, or perhaps just someone fooling around. We'll never know for sure. However, I spent some time trying to decipher what he meant by the Beating farm.

I pulled up the 1911 census record for Noah in Grand Coulee and then checked the pages around it. I found one messy entry for a name which the transcriber listed as BETTIE but to me looked like BATTIY...

Since Noah starts page 2 by saying the threshing crew then goes to Percy's, I checked the old land location map to see if any names similar to the ones above lived near Percy who lived at NE 29-17-21 W2 and found a Margaret E. Bready living on the SW quarter of the same section as Percy, but that was it.

0 Comments

1911 Courtship Letter: Oct 29 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Oct 21 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories