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1911 Courtship: June 21 Dear Ethel

4/29/2013

His Majesty King George V, Real Photograph on a Tuck Postcard #1459, first used 1906, sold in Great Britain and Canada.

Her Majesty Queen Mary, Real Photograph on a Tuck Postcard #1460, first used 1906, sold in Great Britain and Canada.

Although Noah and Ethel haven't mentioned it, the newspapers are full of images and snippets of the June 22nd Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. The above images are the same ones published on the first page of the June 23, 1911 edition of The Newmarket Era except those images are so dark, you can barely make anything out. From what I did see however, I was able to find the matching images on a huge database website called TuckDB Postcards which states: TuckDB is a free on-line database listing antique postcards published by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Thank you to creators and maintainers of this wonderful look at history portrayed in postcards.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 21st, 1911
Addressed to: Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
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, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across short length and down both pages.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Louie: Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Nelson, married to Fred Coventry
- Mother: *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Sadie Nelson: Ethel's 16 yr old sister

- a Scotch man: *hired man to work on the farm
- your Englishman: *hired man to work on the farm

League Games: Base ball played between the following 3 close towns:
- Grand Coulee (Noah's town)
- Bell Plain (Belle Plain)
- Pense

* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.

**More info under Genealogical Notes

Grand Coulee, Sask.
June. 21st/11.

Dear Ethel;-
Received your letter Sat.
& was glad to hear from you
Hope you are well as this
leaves meat present.
Well Ethel I am buisy as
a hen drawing rails drawing
lumber & cement & ect for the
house have the lumber
nearly all home & the carpenter
is coming up in the morning
to put up the form for
the cement cellar.
I wish I could walk in
and see you to-night but
I guess I wont. eh.

Say I would certainly like to see
you for a while.
Louie came up with mother today &
is going back tomorrow she just
told me to send you her best love.
Well Ethel we have had another
game of base ball with Bell Plain
and beat them 9 to 7. so we have
won the first 3 league games wheather
we win any more or not. We have
to go up to play B.P. onthe first so
I will have a holiday. was to play
Pense tomorrow but it was postponed
& I dont know when we will play
them.
Suppos Sadie will soon be trying
her examinations & wish her all
kinds of success.
Say wont you be glad to getout
of a place where they have such
thunder storms as you have there
We have not had any thunder
to speak of for two years but cant
tell when it will start.
Say I have a Scotch man
working for me now and he is a
dandy. and can be depended on
to take care of things. hope you
have got rid of your Englishmen. Haha

Well it is just 10 minutes
after twelve by your time
& 22.10 by ours or 10 after 10.
Oh say did I tell you I am
in the tent & it is fine &
cool at night. Ha.Ha.
How are the men getting
along at the barn?
Well Ethel I guess I will
have to close for this time
& dont you be as slow about
writing as I am but I am
to lazy to write much at
this time so good Bye
with lots of Love & a great big
hug and half a million
kisses. N. C. D. x x x x x x x

Genealogy Notes

Since this week in 1911 is the Royal Coronation, I'm posting an image and snippets to give you a sense of the grandeur of this period.

The Coronation Ceremony of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V in Westminster Abbey. 22nd June 1911, by John Henry Frederick Bacon, Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Newmarket Era. June 9, 1911 - Pg 4

The Newmarket Era. June 23, 1911 - Pg 2

A brilliant function held last
Friday night, was the Coronation
ball of the Royal Club at the Bota-
nic Gardens, in London, England.
The grounds were illuminated - the
trees being studded with 50,000 elec-
tric lights in various colours--form-
ing a veritable picture of fairyland.
The ball-room was large enough to
hold a thousand couples in comfort.
It was temporary erected for the
occasion.

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1911 Courtship: June 18 Dear Noah

4/22/2013

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Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, c 1922

Another relative - a grandson of Noah's brother, Percy - has found his way to this blog. And he's blessed us with pictures!

The image on the left is Percy and Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell, born in 1846 in Whitby, Ontario, and widowed in 1909 when David Draper died in Regina, Saskatchewan.

In this week's letter, Ethel mentions Sarah's decision not to go east for the summer, which from Noah's last letter, we know is because Sarah doesn't like travelling alone.

Thank you, Norm, for the gift of photos.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (born 31 May 1890)
Dated:  June 18th, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N. C. Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask. (Dearest Noah)
Mailed from:  Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink
Written on: Light bluey/gray, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6 inches, folded in half. The paper is folded in half with the first page on the front and last on the back, but inside, she's turned the paper and written across the short width and turned both pages into one long page. Hence this letter has only 3 pages.

People/places mentioned in this letter:
- Pa -  *James Henry Nelson
- Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover
- Noah's mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell (see photo above)
- Mr. *Bruel's - Belhaven neighbours of the Nelson's
- *Fanny - niece of Joe Perrault, husband of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia

The following men are mentioned as part of the work bee to bring the new lumber from Keswick home to the James Nelson farm: Mr. Young, Wilbert Anderson, and Wallace.

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven. P.O.
June. 18th 1911

Mr. N.C. Draper,
Grand Coulee,

Dearest Noah;-
Your letter
reached me yester day evening
was glad to know you were
still able to write. Really I
don't know what I would do
if any thing should happen so
as to prevent you from writing.
I look for your letters like a cat
watches for a mouse.

Suppose you are very busy just now getting
ready to build. Pa had a bee on Friday
and had one carload of timber drew home
There is one carload to draw yet. The masons
finished the wall yesterday. They were just
2 weeks.
Well I am sorry your Mother is thinking
of changing her mind. I so wish I could have
said come this summer and yet I know Ma
would have so much extra work sometimes. I
wonder if I am doing wrong by you but Noah
you know it is not because I dont love you
I try to do what I think is best for us all, and
yet if I am not, why I want to know and
do whats right. Oh Noah I guess you will think
I am a little crazy. but I am so lonesome to
day to see you I hardly know what do do with
myself.
Mr Bruel's have Scarlet Fever in their
home. I think it is a light case though.
Pa & Ma were down to Toronto on
Thursday. They got us a new buggy & harness
The buggy has'nt got here yet.

I think if I was up there I should
have to take pity on poor Fanny.
Nothing like having a good time, "eh"
The day of the bee Mr Young was so
mad he wouldnt stay for his dinner.
He was supposed to be third team. but
the men loaded all the other teams
first & so made him come last. but
he thot he could try & get head anyway
so started driving by. but Wilbert
Anderson run him into a telephone post
a broke a spoke in Wallace's waggon.
So Wallace un hitched and started for
home with his team, some one persuaded
him to bring his load. Says he will fire
that Anderson boy. I guess I must close
for this time. I will be more than glad
when I am where you are. and dont
have to write, but can just talk. Good Bye
from your ever loving Sweetheart
xxxxxxxxxxxx Ethel Nelson

Genealogy Notes

1912, Barn Raising Contest Teams, Roland, Manitoba, Courtesy of Glenbow Archives

This image is entitled, "Barn raising contest teams, Roland, Manitoba" dated July 4, 1912. The Glenbow Museum have it annotated as:
Remarks: West team, J. McCallum, captain and east team J. Parkinson, captain.
Two teams ready to start. The sections of frames are put together on the ground with mortise and tenon and pinned. The sections, or "bents" are raised and the plates, purline plates, and braces are put into place and pinned.

undated Barn Raising Bee, Redwater, Alberta, Courtesy of Glenbow Museum

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1911 Courtship: June 15 Dear Noah

4/14/2013

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Lightning Bolt captured at Draper's Acres, Montmartre, Saskatchewan, Canada, August 2010 by Anita Mae Draper

Although this photo was taken 99 yrs after Ethel writes about it in her letter, electrical storms still have a whop of power behind them. In this week's genealogy notes, I'm posting some of the newspaper articles that talk about that week of June 1911 because what Ethel didn't know is that a tornado whipped through the area to the north and west of her... within an hour's drive by today's standards.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (born 31 May 1890)
Dated:  June, 1911 (from the content, I've deduced it was written on June 15th)
Addressed to: Mr. N. C. Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask. (To my Dear Noah)
Mailed from:  Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink
Written on: Light bluey/gray, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6 inches, folded in half. The paper is folded in half with the first page on the front and last on the back, but inside, she's turned the paper and written across the short width and turned both pages into one long page. Hence this letter has only 3 pages.

People/places mentioned in this letter:
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Pa -  *James Henry Nelson
- our man - *hired man
- *Sheppard's - neighbors
- *Crowder's - neighbors
- Morell's - neighbors
- John Warner
- Dora *Mahoney - Ethel's neighbor and school friend
- Hattie and Stella - more school friends

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven June, 11

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

To my Dear Noah,-
Rec'd your
letter last night. Sadie and
I were up to the office, and
had to run nearly all the way
home, to get out off the rain,
Pa and our man were up
to Keswick. They saw 4 fires
coming home. Say do you have
such thunder storms up there
They seam to do so much

damage. The thunder last night was just
a continuous roar.
The masons have been here working all
last week. We are having a bee to-morrow
getting the timber home. It was shipped to Keswick.
You ask if we thot the barns were set
on fire. We heard Morells said they thot
Sheppards set them on fire. Of course it
looked rather suspicious because we decided
that we wouldn't sell to them. And
the day of Morell's fire, Shepard & Morelle
had a lawsuit and sheppard had to pay
Morell $600.00. But we never have had
any idea how ours was started.
I started this letter this forenoon so here
I am again to finish up. We were up to
S. School and since we came home there
has been a very heavy wind & thunder
storm we couldn't see over half way
to Crowders. It blowed one of apple trees
all the way across the field, blowed
the fence nearly quite a bit all down. The big tree
between our place and the corner is partly down.
Our harvest tree was blowed down too.

Edna Crowder & Sadie are going to sing
at Belhaven to-night.
Pa is just going to hire men to
work at the barn, and John Warrner
is going to oversee. Say! will you
have to board the men. I guess
some body will have some work.
We cooked for 16 nearly all last
week. Well they tell me now it was
an elm that blew across the field.
It is just lovely out now. every thing
seems so fresh.
Saw Dora & Hattie to-day.
Stella has been up this last week.
left her old hubby by to keep batch.
Hope you were successful
in your base ball game. I guess
I must ring off for this time. Just
wait until I see you. and I guess I'll
have enough to say. "eh" Love from your Sweetheart
xxxxxxxxxx

Genealogy Notes

The weather in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States was horrid in 1911. Perhaps not the worst on record, but bad enough to have everyone talking about it... including an Aussie newspaper I've posted below. It seemed every time I turned a page in the June 16th edition The Newmarket Era reports of the tornado, electrical storms, damage and destruction were waiting. I've transcribed some of the more illegible ones.

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 6

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 6 (Under Belhaven)

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. Australia) Monday 12 June 1911 Page 7

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 5

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 7

BELHAVEN.

Mr. James Nelson has started at
his wall and intends framing as soon
as possible.
The thunder-storm and the wind on
Sunday night did a great deal of
damage. The lightning struck Mr.
Ezra King's barn, tearing off a few
boards. The wind took some of Mr.
John Brook's hen house coop off and
broke the telephone wires.
...
The Bethel people had a bee on
Wednesday and fixed up the church.
Since the storm, they need another.

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 Pg 3

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 Pg 6

Great Electric Storm,
About ten o'clock last Saturday
morning thick clouds stretched across
the heavens like a pall and the dark-
ness of night settled down upon us,
followed by a thunderstorm and a
downpour of rain. Again on Satur-
day night lightning was almost contin-
uous and the most spectacular for
many a day. Vivid forks descended,
followed by crashing peals of thun-
der and accompanied by more heavy
rains.
Farmers in Whitechurch tells us that
they could see four fires burning at
once and information since received,
continues the report, Fred Ham-
shaw's barn in Pickering Township,
was burned to the ground, with prac-
tically all the contents; Mr. Wagg,
near Stouffville, lost his barn and
other outbuildings; another barn was
destroyed in Vaughan Township and
one in King Tp. Jas. Stewart, a
Scarboro farmer, had a mare and colt
struck and instantly killed.
During another storm on Sunday
afternoon Wellington Curtis of Ket-
tleby had a similar experience, los-
ing a mare and colt, and another
farmer in the same neighborhood had
a cow killed by lightning. But the
storm Sunday afternoon appears to
have been more severe at Roache's
Point and Orchard Beach. Capt. El-
din says the storm on Lake Simcoe
was the worst he ever knew. Five
large boats were blown down on Dr.
Westley's lot at the Point, nearly half
of the pine trees in Mr. Edgar's
grove were levelled, part of a veran-
dah was torn off a cottage at the
Point, about a hundred trees were
blown down in the old Dodge deer
park as well as a long stretch of the
Idzh? cedar fence; a windmill was down
and a barn nearby and a number of
good trees were blown across the road
way along the Orchard Beach shore.
Mr. Porter's boat was at anchor in
the bay and had some of the rigging
torn off. Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Wat-
kin was out in the storm and had an
exciting experience, as well as Mr.
G. A. Bills?, who went to the rescue.

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 6

Rev. Hugh Ross and Ross Milne es-
caped serious injury Sunday by the
falling of a wind mill at Richard
Young's, caused by the wind storm.

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 Pg 1

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 Pg 6

The Newmarket Era. June 16, 1911 - Page: 8

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1911 Courtship: June 12 Dear Ethel

4/7/2013

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Saskatchewan c1911, Courtesy of the Prairie Postcard Collection, http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/postcards/PC002983.html

In this week's letter, Noah writes that he's now living in a grannary, (or grainery) next to the tent on his land. A grainery is a small building, traditionally wooden, but more recently metal, which is used for storing grain. In the above postcard, the grainery is the small building in the centre of the image, on this side of the fence. The smaller building beside the grainery could very well be an outhouse or an equipment building of some sort. The above image is a typical layout for a Saskatchewan farm and the house could even be an Eaton's kit house as shown in 1911 Courthship May 21 Dear Noah.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 12th, 1911
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed from: Grand Coulee (Saskatchewan)
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, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across short length.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- Fred's - Noah's sister, *Louie, is married to Fred Coventry, and they live nearby
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister- *Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia and Joe Perrault
- *Fanny - niece of Joe Perrault, husband of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia
- your Aunt's - Ethel's Aunt *Sarah Elizabeth Glover, sister of Ethel's mom, Ida Amelia Glover
- Dora *Mahoney - a neighbor and school friend of Sadie's

- "get a man" - a *hired man to work on the farm
- Bell Plain - a town (Belle Plain) to the west who play baseball with Grand Coulee

- a rod** = approx 165 feet

* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.

**More info under Genealogical Notes

Grand Coulee, June. 12./11

Miss. E. Nelson,
Belhaven Ont;-
My Dear Ethel;-
Received your letter Saturaday
Morning and was glad to hear
you were well as this leaves me
at present.
Am going into Regina today
to order the lumber. also a circus
in town but dont know as I will
go. As I want to get a man and
get back home to work.
Well Pense did not get down
to play ball last Wed. on
account of the rain but will
be down this Wed. We were
up to Bell Plain on Sat.
and beat them 10 to 7. not
Bad for the coulee.

Say I guess Dora would be mad all
right when the teachers told her
she could not pass her exams. I'll bet
she told the teachers a few things.
No I dont think mother will go down
in the winter for it is not near as nice
as it would be in the summer time
for her as she does not like the cold.
Say I hope you can go up for a few
weeks to your Aunt's it would do you
a lot of good I am shure.
Guess I will not get down to the
raising but I would like to I guess
I would be a dandy at it as I have
only been at two that I helped
at.
Oh. say Ethel! Veda seems to know
me better than you do but still I guess
I would not have to die an old bachelor
if I had tried very hard. HaHa.
She sure is a great kid I showed
her that part of the letter and she said
it was Fanny sent it. Fanny asked her
what but she wouldnt tell so Fanny
said some more of your lies eh.
I was down to Fred's last night
after church for a couple of settings
of eggs. sothegirls went along and I
laughed untill I thot. I would
hurt my self. Veda kept bothering
Fanny untill she got about half mad.
so she said if we would stop the

horse she would get out & walk
back home. so of course we
stopped & she got out and started
back she went about 10 rod & we
sat in the buggy laughing at
her and she turned around & run
back. Oh gee but it was funny.
Am living in a grannary beside
the tent and having a bigtime.
batching mother will be coming
down this week I guess. so it will
soon be over for this time.
Well I guess this is all for this
time only be a good little girl
untill I get down & after that
I will make you. Ha Ha.
Well good bye untill next time
I am yours as B. 4. N. C. Draper.
xxxxxxxxx and a thousand
and one more.

Genealogy Notes

Note #1: A Rod

In this week's letter, Noah writes, "...she went about 10 rod & we sat in the buggy laughing at her..."

Do you know what a rod is? In its simplest term, a rod = 16.5 ft, so if Fanny walked 10 rods ahead, she was about 165 feet away. I tried writing a good explanation, but after struggling, I decided to give you the wikipedia version:

The rod is a unit of length equal to 5½ yards or 16½ feet. Under an agreement in 1959 between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, the yard (known as the "international yard" in the United States) was legally defined to be exactly 0.9144 metres. Prior to that date, the legal definition of the yard when expressed in terms of metric units varied slightly from country to country.

In surveying, fields were measured in acres, which were one chain (four rods) by one furlong (in the United Kingdom, ten chains). Bars of metal one rod long were used as standards of length when surveying land. The rod was still in use as a common unit of measurement in the mid-19th century, when Henry David Thoreau used it frequently when describing distances in his work Walden.

Note #2 - An update on Melvina Cole

In the Genealogy Notes of 1911 Courtship letter of May 7, Ethel mentions that her cousin, Melvina Cole, will have a June 1911 Wedding. Although Ethel doesn't mention it further in her June letters, I found the following snippet in this week's 1911 Newmarket Era:

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1911 Courtship: June 5, Dear Ethel

4/1/2013

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www.ourroots.ca Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 pg 185

In this week's letter Noah mentions the Blink Bonnie school as being 2 miles west of his land, so I've included an image from the local Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 history book. Noah also says the railroad is putting down track which will go through his land, so I'm adding a map and some family information in this week's Genealogical Notes.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 5th, 1911
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Dearest Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed from: Grand Coulee (Saskatchewan)
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places until he refills his pen
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, with a front and back page, but inside, the letter is written straight across the full 9 inch width. Although this might have looked good to Noah, it makes for hard reading in pdf form as well as here as a jpeg image.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Percy - Noah's older brother who lives nearby with his family
- *Ethel - Ethel Maud Rigler, Noah's sister
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- G.C. - Grand Coulee, Sask.

Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.

Grand Coulee, Sask.
June. 5th./.11.

Miss. E. Nelson,
Belhaven, Ont.
Dearest Ethel;-
Received your letter
Saturaday night and was
glad you were pleased with
your watch. So you think
I have received nothing eh.
What about the love of the
Best Little Girl in the world.
I think it is me that needs
to be thankful and I am.
also I try to be patient.
untill the time comes to go
down after said little girl.
Well Ethel we have had

quite a wet spring here. had a big
rain yesteraday so I was not working
on the land to-day xxxx so have been
fixing up a place to live in. am still
at Ethel's but wont be much longer.
I hope for it makes her so much
extra work.
Better come up to the base-ball
match Wed night. expect a big time
but dont think we will git beaten.
hope not any way.
Louie & Fred were up yesteraday
also Percy so we had quite a day ofit.
Suppose you are in bed now it
would be just 10 past 11 by your
time & I just came in from the barn.
Have you started to build yet and
who is doing it. I have not got started
yet but have let the contract & they
will start some time this month.
Well I guess when you come up
we wont have to come very far from
the station as they are gradeing
next farm to mine now & will be
on mine by the end of the week & the
station is to be on my place. isnt
that handy.

Percy has the well diggers at
his place now has to pay them
a dollar a foot. I hope he gets
water for a person gets tired
drawing it so far.
Dont know wheather mother
will go down East this summer
or not for she doesnt like to
go alone. guess she is nervous.
Tell Sadie to cheer up the
worst is yet to come. & if she
does not pass this summer I
wont let her teach in the
Blink Bonnie school. which
is just 2 miles west of here but
I will give my consent to her teaching
in G.C. Well Ethel I guess this is all
for this time so Bye Bye. Yours as B.4.
xxxxx xxx N.C.D.

Genealogical Notes

Grand Coulee and area showing Noah Draper and family. (Click to enlarge)

As you can tell, I owe the above map (click to enlarge) to the nice people at GoogleEarth who have opened the world to our eyes like no other cartographer has done before.

When you look at the map, if all you see is a bunch of squares, then you're looking at it correctly. To simplify, the land is broken in townships (36 square miles each) and then sections. Each section is 1 square mile, so by counting the squares, we can figure out how far it is between points by the road, or the way the crow flies, which is a lot shorter.

Close up of Grand Coulee area showing distances and routes of travel.

In this closer view, I've tried to show the path Noah takes to get from his land to Ethel's house, where he's staying until his house is built. I didn't want to gum it up with too many squares and colours, so I've done the bare minimum...

- top left is the Blink Bonnie school (yellow pin) which is 2 big squares from Noah (orange pin). Each square equals one mile, hence the school is 2 miles away. (As he confirms in the letter.)

- if you look closely at those 2 white squares, you'll see from the different shades of green that they are divided in half. It probably looks that way because different crops are growing, or they could belong to different owners. Some sections are divided into 4 quarters, into eighths, etc. Regardless the divisions, each square mile section is 640 acres, a half section is 320 acres, and a quarter section is 160 acres.

Noah has 2 routes to get to Ethel's house:
- red line - 3 miles cross country (hope he asks permission!)
- blue line - 4 1/2 miles if he walks/rides by road

From the census records, I believe Louie & Fred, and Percy & Parthina live in neighboring townships. With each township being 6 sections/miles across, they shouldn't be too away. I'll keep checking and let you know as soon as I find out.

Clear as mud? Let me know if you need clarification. :)

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1911 Courtship: June 21 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: June 18 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: June 15 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: June 12 Dear Ethel

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1911 Courtship: June 5, Dear Ethel

Genealogical Notes

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