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1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Ethel

8/25/2013

Barn built by Noah Draper, 1911, Adams, Sask. From the Collection of the Norma Draper Family.

Take a look at the above photo because you are all in for a treat! Have you seen the TV commercial where the woman checks her receipt as she's leaving IKEA and shouts to her husband, "Start the car! Start the car!"

Well, that's how I felt last weekend in Grand Coulee... and if you check the Genealogy Notes after this week's letter, you'll find out why.

And the treat... a photograph of Noah with a small portion of the house he's building for Ethel behind him. (Note - Like most pioneers, Noah had to hunt for their food, so if you're squeamish, or an animal activist, you may not want to look.)

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: July 30/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dearest Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed to: Huntsville, Ont
Mailed from: Grand Coulee. Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Black ink pen which lightens as he writes, until he dips it in the ink pot.
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 the wide width of both pages.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:

- *Percy Draper - Noah's 28 yr old brother
- my man - *hired man
- carpenters
- well diggers
- plasters
- furnace men
- plumbers

*baseball
*Belle Plaine

Phrases/Cliches in use at the time:
- O.K.
- eh
- loading a car of oats: filling a railroad grain car
- lathing: nailing thin lath strips to the inner walls prior to plastering
- drawing sand: ?
- greenhorns
- plod along

* 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.
July 30/11.

Miss. E. Nelson,
Huntsville. Ont.
My Dearest Ethel; -
Received your letter all
O.K. and was glad you were
having a good time hope
it may last as long as time
and then some. Eh.
Well Ethel I guess you will
be wondering what I am
doing, but I wish you
were here to see and give
me a little advice once
in a while but I wish you
were here to see and give
me a little advice once
in a while but it could
not be that way. buthope
it will be soon eh.
Well. the carpenters are

here yet. they have the frame up. and two ply of board's
on also shingled and they will be here about a week yet
before it is ready for the plasters. expect to have the men
out to put in the furnace and also the plumbers
this week.
Have been loading a car of oats for Percy and
we will finish it tomorrow. I guess. then I will be
lathing and my man drawing sand. I can tell
you I will be glad when the house is finished.
The well diggers are still here. they have went
down 75' in two holes and struck stones in both
so they could not go any farther. they are down about 30'
in another. but the other holes will not cost me any
thing.
Say Ethel after our good start in base ball we
did not get the cup. Bell Plain beat us the last
game. 5 to 3. boo hoo. but out of 11 games we played we
won 8 and lost 3. not bad for greenhorns. Eh.

Well Kid in less than 5 months
you will I hope change your
name. Gee I wish it were
days. but I have a lot to
do before that time or rather
in the next 16 weeks for by
that time the rush will be
over thank goodness. say I
dont think I am much good
in a rush. or any other
time but still I manage to
plod along and intend to
keep on aploding as long
as possible. Ha. Ha. Well I
guess I will have to close
for this time so Bye Bye.
wish Icould deliver these
xxxxxx personally. write long letters
to your lover. N.C.D.

Genealogy Notes

I had to go to Moose Jaw last week, so I had phoned Sharon, grand daughter of Noah, several days ahead and asked if I could stop in Grand Coulee for a visit on my way. I told her I'd be bringing my portable scanner and asked if I could scan some photos. She said sure, and that she'd phone her sister, Patty, and see if she could join us since Patty was the family historian.

When I arrived, I was greeted by both Sharon and Patty - and a wide assortment of memorabilia and photo albums. Oh my Goodness there was lots. As Patty showed me image after image of a young Noah and Ethel and their growing family, tears sprang to my eyes. A photo of the first building Noah built on his land at Adams, near Grand Coulee was the barn pictured above. After turning the page, my gaze set on an image of the finished house. Oh, what a blessing to see the house he built for Ethel during those long months of separation filled only by the Courtship letters.

Here's a sneak preview of Noah and their house:

Noah Clement Draper after a hunting trip, standing in front of the house he built in 1911, Adams, Sask.

But as I pulled out my scanner, Patty said that I could take everything with me and scan/photocopy it all at home. Oh my Goodness!

And that's why I felt like the woman in the IKEA commercial as I drove away from Grand Coulee - I couldn't believe they'd let me borrow the hundreds of photos the albums contained. Oh my Goodness!

I think I've said 'Oh my Goodness' more times this past week than I have during my entire lifetime. And I'm not the only one who's amazed at what we're calling Norma's Treasure Box because I've seen Nelson pour over the albums with an expression of wonder on his face - sometimes because he recognizes a person or place, and others because it's the first time he's seen an image of someone - like Ethel's grandma.

It's an amazing time of discovery here at the Draper house, and I sure hope you join us on this adventure as we post photos of people mentioned in the Courtship letters.

1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Noah

8/19/2013

Royal Lyceum Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, ca. 1888. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library online collection.

In this week's Courtship letter, Ethel mentions going to the Lyceum show. Read the Genealogy Notes, after Ethel's letter, to discover the world of Lyceum.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 31 May 1890)
Dated:  July 30 (1911)
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask - My Dearest Noah
Mailed from: Huntsville, Ont.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink
Written on: Off-white, beautifully textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 7 inches, folded in half with a blue forget-me-not motif. This is standard early 20th century notepaper, pre-folded in booklet form. Ethel has written on the pages in booklet form numbering 1-4.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

Mother (usually called Ma) - *Ida Amelia Glover Nelson
- *Elva Mitchell - Ethel's cousin in Indian Head, Sask
- Aunt Sarah - *Sarah Elizabeth Glover, sister of Ethel's mother
- Ernie - Aunt Sarah's 9 yr old son
- Uncle *Emanuel Nelson - Ethel's Pa's paternal uncle
- Percy - Noah's brother in Saskatchewan

Huntsville locals:
Mr Bradley's - the whole family as shown by use of the apostrophe
Mr Mays - no apostophe - unsure if him alone or family as well
Mrs. Harman
Mrs. Wallace Youngs' mother

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
**The Lyceum Show

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

Huntsville.July 30.

Mr N. C. Draper.
Grand Coulee.
My Dearest Noah; -
I rec'd your letter
last week & was glad I'm sure to
get it. and to know you were still
able to be hard at work. & have a good
time. You must'nt work too hard
for that is what is killing me. So
take warning! 'ha ha'. Had a letter
from Mother on Sat Morning. they are
well, & have got the barn nearly done.

Poor Old mother working & me up here.
I was out for a row on Friday evening
Mr Bradley's took me & Mr Mays out
& say we certainly did enjoy ourselves.
We are going to have a private picnic.
Some of these days before I go home. I
just do wish you were here to go out
for a row. Say you don't want to get
to nce a girl. or I am afraid you
may. think she the only one. 'he'
I had a letter from Elva. asking me
to come & see her when I went west.
She has been made wise, "eh. Every body
even here in Huntsville seems to be.
Ernie here the other night, we had
company. Aunt Sarah was sort of
joking & Ernie shouted to the top of

his voice, She's going to get married.
I felt like saying. "You little rat".
Aunt Sarah & I were down town last
night to the Lyceum Show 1 play was
The shadow of the Past
Young man married a very extravagant
wife. she wanted a diamond necklace
but could'nt afford it, so her husband
stole it. So of course he had to go to jail
He returned after 30 yrs. all in rags &
his wife about the same. He did'nt
want to be friends & she did. finally
he pushed her over & she died. Oh
is'nt it awful to watch them
sometimes. & yet I enjoyed myself.
Mrs. Harman, Mrs Wallace Youngs' mother
is here this afternoon. My it is lonesome
on Sunday's. As you say, you're certainly

not far from me in my mind, but I
wish you were nearer. Well I have had my
tea & been to church & home again. it is
just a lonely evening. Uncle Emmanuel
Nelson isvery low I guess. the Doctor says
he cannot live long. & I would like
awfully well to be home to see him, but
dont know whether I will get there in time
or not. I expect to stay about 2 weeks
longer if it is so I can. I suppose there
isnt another boy in all the West like Percy's.
Your country surely isnt so forsaken
that the people here are all afraid to go
up there. No I dont know of anyone going up
Just at that time. "Wish I were". I guess I
have scribbled enough foolishness for this timew. So Bye Bye with love & kisses
from youre Sweetheart faraway. x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x

Genealogy Notes

"Aunt Sarah & I were down town last night to the Lyceum Show 1 play was The shadow of the Past" (Page 3)

When I googled "Lyceum Show" a list of Lyceum Theatres in the UK, US, and Canada appeared. My first thought was that it was a theatre chain such as the Odeon, Famous Players, and Strand theatres, among others. It wasn't.

My dictionary.com app shows the following definitions for lyceum:

1. an institution for popular education providing discussions, lectures, concerts, etc.
2. a building for such activities.
3. (cap.) the gymnasium where Aristotle taught, in ancient Athens.
4. a lycee.

The Lyceum movement was about community groups and organizations who sponsored educators, lecturers, and entertainment groups like plays and minstrels to educate and entertain their communities.

Although many public speakers used the lyceum approach to promote their cause, the movement branched out into drama clubs, literary societies, Chautauqua, and vaudeville. Although some lyceums were traveling shows, many were permanent venues that still stand today.

For more information, check out these sites:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_movement
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_Theatre,_London

To get back to Ethel's letter, she attended a Lyceum Show with at least 2 plays. She doesn't say if it was a travelling Lyceum show, or a weekly or monthly event in a play or opera house. My research in Huntsville history hasn't overturned any information, and the local newspaper, The Huntsville Forester, isn't online.

However, I find her statement, "Oh is'nt it awful to watch them sometimes. & yet I enjoyed myself" a fascinating study of human nature.

Don't you?

1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 25th Dear Ethel from Mother

8/11/2013

A JOKE IN THE BERRY PATCH ca. 1909, courtesy of the Baldwin Room of the Toronto Public Library

Author of Letter: Ida Amelia Glover Nelson
Dated:  July 25th, 1911
Addressed to: Dear Ethel (Ethel is up in Huntsville, Ontario visiting Ida Amelia's sister, Sarah Elizabeth Glover)
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship:  Ethel's ma
Profession:  Farmer's Wife
Writing instrument: Pencil
Written on: Off-white, beautifully textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 7 inches, folded in half with a red carnation motif on the first page.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Uncle *Emanuel Nelson - brother of Ethel's Pa
- Lill - Lillian Blizzard - married to James A Nelson, cousin of Ethel's Pa
- Bob - the *hired man
- Miss Hunt - a good friend of the family (use search box for photo)
- Mother - Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood Glover - Ida Amelia's mother
- *Sarah Elizabeth Glover - Ida Amelia's sister
- Brownhill - a nearby village
- Buffalo, New York

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 July 25th .11

Dear Ethel
I got your
letter last night
I was out picking
berries yesterday at
Brownhill. just got
them don up had 7 quarts
and enough for one pie.
it was 10 oclock when i
got there. we have 4 men
to day shingling Bob
has gone went Monday
to Buffalo said he would
wRite and let us Know

how he gets along
he sold the ducks to
youie for 3 1/2 dollars
I washed Monday
but didnt hang clothes
out untill yesterday
it has been so windy
Sadie had 4 men for
supper and renshegl?
the clothes. she has
made pies twice and
she can make them
to day.
Well Uncle Emanuel
is very sick we set
up tuesday night

Doctor says he wont
live long he has gall
stone in the liver
Lill is getting better
sits up some.
well I want to
wash to day am
cleaning up bobs
bed and room and
I want to get my
black dress cleaned
up for fear something
does happen to uncle.
Miss hunt sent word
to the preachers i guess
they will go down to day

Written down the left side of last page:

Say Ethel did you send one of the new plats down to Glovers

say Ethel you had
better rite to Mother
she will not like
it if you dont tell
Sarah to get ready
and come home
with you for a couple
of months it will
do her good and she
will get strong here
as well as there.
Sadie had company
last night.
guess this is all
good by
from Mother

Written up the right side of the back page:

as one is gone we cant find it.

Genealogy Notes

Here's a run-down on Ethel's Pa and his brothers in case you're getting confused:

Parents:
John Nelson b 1808 England married Mary Ann Green b 1810 England on 26 May 1829 in Upwell, Norfork, England.

John and Mary Ann emigrated with their 6 children to the US after the 1841 UK census and they are shown as a family living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 1850 US census.

Here's the info I have on their children:
1850 - Frances (b 1832) last seen on the 1850 US census
1850 - William H (b 1834) on the US census, but several William H Nelsons in Ont
1850 - Jemima (b 1831) marries James Lucas and stays in Wisconsin
1857 - Henry (b 1835) marries Eliza Crouch in Ontario (Ethel's grandparents)
1861 - James (b 1829) appears as Married on the 1861 Canada census in Ontario
1861 - Emanuel (b1833) appears as Single on the 1861 Canada census in Ontario, but marries in 1865 in York County

To go one step further using the above:

- Henry moved to Iowa leaving several children including James Henry Nelson behind in Belhaven (post about Eliza's letter from 2 wks ago)
- James has a son, James A who married Lillian Blizzard
- Emanuel is Uncle Emanuel who lives near Belhaven and is very sick

To sum up, we know that 3 for sure of John and Mary Ann's children ended up in Ontario - 4 if you include William H because there are several William H's in York and Simcoe Counties at that time. Jemima stayed in the US and we have info on her children, grandchildren, etc. And Frances just disappeared.

I hope that clears up the ancestry of Ethel's paternal side for you.

Ontario Bound

8/7/2013

This week's 1911 Courtship letter has been delayed until Aug 11th. I didn't have time to create it before leaving for my trip and once I hit that Ontario border, I couldn't get any 3G service to text or message on my iPhone never mind trying to read email messages and work on my website.

Although I had planned on visiting my mom in Thunder Bay this summer, my plans didn't come to fruition until I learned that Auntie Taimi Discala - who regularly comments on this blog - was coming over from France. I hadn't seen her in a dozen years or more and this time she was bringing my cousin, Edward, whom I've never met as he was born in England.

I hoped to see my Dad this trip, but with all that driving and my arthritis acting up, the Sault Ste. Marie area seemed a long way to go - another 8-10 hrs drive east of Thunder Bay along Lake Superior's North Shore.

My schedule fell into place when my sister, Bonnie, became available having taken time off work and could accompany me. Together, we traveled from Saskatchewan, through Manitoba, and into Ontario. We stopped in Thunder Bay awhile to see our mom, then continued east to WaWa to have lunch with our dad and his wife, Judy. It was the best solution to the distance with each of us traveling halfway. We sat with them for 3-4 hrs talking of our families and looking at photos. Judy had made a collage with info on the Muir side of the family and it was the first time I'd seen pics of Dad's sisters. That was a treasure, as was this photo...

Annie B Gibson Muir, Bill Muir, Crystal Anne Draper, Anita Mae Muir Draper, 1982, Geraldton, Ontario.

I'm not sure how funny Dad's pants were, but I loved the pants I was wearing, patches and all. I treasure the image above because it is one of the 2 times I met Gramma Muir.

And here's the photo I took last week using the delayed timer function on my camera which was mounted on my tripod. Yes, that meant once I pushed the button, I had 10 seconds to scurry around the tripod and get in my place before the camera clicked. :)

Bill Muir flanked by daughters Bonnie on the left, and Anita on the right, with wife, Judy in front. Taken on Aug 2013 in Wawa, Ontario.

So even though I didn't make it all the way to the Lake Simcoe area of York County where Ethel Isabell Nelson lived, I saw many relatives, discussed the family tree, and added lots of pics to the family album.

And speaking of Ethel, it's time I got back to this week's letter.

1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 25th Dear Ethel from Mother

Genealogy Notes

Ontario Bound

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