Anita Mae Draper
  • Home
  • Books
    • Secret Admirer
    • American Heiress Brides
    • Austen in Austin
    • Here We Come A-Wassailing
    • Riding on a Christmas Wish
  • Blogs
    • Writing/Author Blog
    • Author Memories
    • Inkwell Inspirations
    • Heroes, Heroines, & History
    • Draper's Acres
    • Photo Blog
  • Research
    • The Oregon Trail Ruts
  • Fun
    • Text-Free Photos
    • Recipe Blog
    • Jigsaw Puzzles >
      • Christmas
      • Fauna
      • Flora
      • Travel Destinations
    • Free Reads >
      • The Shepherd
    • Poetry >
      • You Were By My Side
  • About Me
    • Long Bio
    • Media Kit
  • Contact

1911 Courtship: Oct 15 Dear Noah

12/29/2013

 
Picture
1915 - 4 Generations (L to R) Ethel Nelson Draper, Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood Glover holding Ethel's daughter, Mildred "Midge" Draper, and Ida Amelia Glover Nelson, daughter of Sarah and mother of Ethel
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  15th Oct 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, 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. 
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, 3, 2, 4 although I've set them in order here for legibility.  


People/places mentioned in this letter:


- *Edyth Draper - Noah's cousin, sister of George and Stewart Draper
- *Veda - Noah's niece in Grand Coulee, Sask
- *Miss Hunt - 2nd time mentioned with Uncle *Emanuel Nelson 
- Grandma - Ethel's maternal grandmother *Sarah E Greenwood 
- Grandpaw - Sarah E Greenwood's 2nd husband, *Albert Rogers
- John *Prosser - Neighbor and Retired Fox Island Lighthouse Keeper
- *Mahoney's - friends and neighbor
- **Norman *Yorke & Minnie Traviss - (related to Cecil Prosser)
- Willie *Sweet & Laura *Traviss  see Genealogy Note 3 - Sept 18 Dear Noah
- Carl Morton & Leslie Morton - may be cousins, but Carl marries Clara Pringle

Boys home from the West:
- Orville *King - friend and neighbor
- *George Milburn Draper - lives near Belhaven, Noah's cousin on paternal side.
 
 Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick

Cliche/Phrase
- bad pennies are sure to return


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



Picture
Belhaven. P.O.
15th Oct. 1911.
 
Mr N. C. Draper
        Grand Coulee.
                   Sask.

Dear Noah
                       I missed your letter last
night, but Ill be looking for one to-
morrow night. Well this is another
fine Sunday. our rain storms seem
to be staying away now for this
last two day have been
lovely. It rained all day Wednesday
and Morm Yorke was married to
Minnie Traviss. Also Willie Sweet
was married to Laura Traviss. So
it was'nt much of a day for the
wedding. , 'eh' Morm came home last
night. and they certainly made things 

Picture
2.
lively.  Willie came home Wednesday.
brought his bride up here to Elis's
where I suppose she had to get her
own supper. for there is no one
their but Elis. Then they tried to
fool the people by slipping out the
back door and through the fields
but the ony followed them. "ha ha".
Say. I hope you are having some
fine weather by this time, for
really it must be very discouraging
to think your grain is out in so
much rain.
Quite a few of the boys have come
home from the West. Orville isnt
here yet, but I hear he does'nt think
much of it. George Draper is home so
I hear, and I hear again that Edyth
Draper is to be married. Say! there is
no end to the number of people that

Picture
are engaged around here. Carl
Morton & Leslie Morton are engaged
for I hear. they are Second
Cousins too.
I got your card. But I believe either you
or I failed to be at the Kings for we
didn't happen to meet one another "ha ha"
I hope it is not long before will be
able to meet some place anyway.
How does Veda like going to College?
Uncle Emanuel & Miss Hunt were here
last tuesday. Grandma & Grandpaw
were here on Friday. & we had quite
a visit with old people last week. Old
John Prosser was here yesterday. Say
you remember him dont you. every
thing is the fool. or the brute. "ha ha"
Hello. here I am again. I been
away for a little while. but
bad pennies are sure to return. 
We have been to Sunday School
& home with Mahoney's for tea


Picture
had a lively old time. We walked
up to church, & home again. and
here is where I land first of all.
Our church was nearly full to-night
So many young people were there from
Keswick. We were late so did nt all
go up in the choir.
Oh! say I wish you were only starting
down here to-morrow. I'll be glad
when you get all that work of yours
done. I think you had better leave some
and let me help you. for that is just
what I want to do. "We two'. work together
all alone by ourselves. I think you
must be doing to-much, wait for me
my good old boy.
Oh I wish your home was right near
here some where. so I could see you
oftener. I wonder whats the use of
my wishing so much. I think I had
better stop for this time. Iclose with
      Love & xxxxs Your Sweetheart      Ethel
                                                                    forever.



Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1: Norman Yorke

I knew Ethel had mentioned Norman Yorke and Minnie Traviss before, but when I went searching, I kept coming up with Morin York because that's the way Ethel had written it. Even in this week's letter she writes, "Morin Yorke was married to Minnie Traviss." Here are other letters mentioning Norman:

1911 Courtship: May 14 Dear Noah - Morn Yorke
1911 Courtship: Sep 10 Dear Noah - Morin Yorke
1911 Courtship: Oct 8 Dear Noah - Norm Yorke

I wonder if it's just a habit for Ethel to write Morm instead of Norm? Regardless, I found this snippet in the era about the happy occasion: 

Picture
The Newmarket Era. October 20, 1911
   Mr. Norman Yorke of Belhaven and
Miss Minnie Traviss were married at
Newmarket on Wednesday last. We
wish them every happiness.


Genealogy Note #2: Shivaree or Charivari

A shivaree is an old-fashioned way to welcome a the newly married. Friends and relatives surround the newlyweds' house when they think the couple has gone to bed and then make as much ruckus as possible with all kinds of noisemakers. Sometimes this keeps up for hours before the newlyweds invite them in for some refreshments. Most newlyweds try to sneak away.

In this week's letter, Ethel writes... Then they tried to fool the people by slipping out the back door and through the fields but the ony followed them. - Ethel's words are verbatim - as if she was trying to write the words so fast her fingers couldn't keep up to her thoughts.

 The second pararagraph of this hard-to-read snippet talks about the shivaree for Norman Yorke & Minnie Traviss, and also Willie Sweet & Laura Traviss:

    A couple of young men left us on
Wednesday, and returned after a short
absence with their wives. Congratu-
lations. The young people of this vi-
cinity with various instruments, such
as dinner bells, cow bells, plow coul-
ters and tin pans, gave them lively
music on the nights of their arrival.
   
Picture
The Newmarket Era. October 20, 1911
This charivari is from Nov 26, 1926 and the newly married couple is Edith Draper who is often mentioned in Ethel's letters. Edith had health problems as a youth and married William Crowder later in life, but that didn't stop the 'boys' from welcoming them home. And if you notice, after they were done with Edith and William, they went to 'pay their respects' to the next newlyweds. 

Picture
The Newmarket Era Nov 26, 1926
Writing this post about the charivari reminds me of my tour at the Canadian Armed Forces Base in Cold Lake, Alberta back in the early 80's because we encountered something similar. 

I remember that my parents were visiting and it was the first time they ever came for Christmas so I was trying very hard to show my best front. But around 11 pm a day or two after Christmas, several people showed up outside our door and living room window - singing and yelling for us to let them in. We did because it seemed quieter that way. So in they came and we offered refreshments. They sang carols, etc, and then when we encouraged them to go, they said we had to go with them because that's how it went.  

As their admonitions grew, we realized the only way to get them out was to go with them and since my parents were there in case our daughter awoke, both Nelson and I went with the crowd. I can't say I enjoyed the experience because some people - all co-workers - just didn't want to get up and let us in, but the partyers insisted until the lights came on and we were invited inside. We corralled our hosts as we went along so the crowd grew with every house call until we finally escaped and headed home around 4 am.

The next day, I tried to explain to my parents this Christmas charivari-like tradition, but I can't say they were impressed. If I remember correctly, only one of us went the following year while one stayed back, and I don't remember ever being bothered by anything like it since. My parents never came back for Christmas, either. 

If you google shivaree or charivari, you'll find all kinds of stories including several that turned into murders, etc. At times, it's a fine line between a charivari and a riot depending on who's doing the 'music' and who's doing the running.

Christmas Card from Jim Nelson

12/24/2013

 
Picture
Christmas Card showing the James and Ida Nelson Family Farm south of Belhaven, Ontario.
The front and back of a Christmas card sent out from Jim and Ida Nelson from their family farm south of Belhaven. Unsure of the date but suspect 1920-30 since they moved to their new Sutton West home around 1930. These are Ethel's parents and the home she grew up in prior to moving west with Noah Draper.

Picture

1911 Courtship: Oct 8 Dear Noah

12/17/2013

 
Picture
"Beechnuts" from A Year in the Fields, by John Burroughs, a Project Gutenberg EBook. 1st Printing 1875 by The Riverside Press, Cambridge.
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  8th Aug 1911 (Markham Fair dates and beechnut picking confirm date should be 8 Oct vice 8 Aug)
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My Dear Noah  
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, Ont. 
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. 
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, 3, 2, 4 although I've set them in order here for legibility.  


People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Harold *Winch - one of the Belhaven men who went west in Aug 1911
- Adele - neighbor and unmarried sister of Harold Winch
- Frank Terry - Noah's uncle who lives in Newmarket, Ontario
- **Mary Smith - This week's Genealogy Note #1
- Della *Mahoney - close neighbor and friend
- Stanley and Mae - Stanley *Mahoney  and Mae Anderson - friends/neighbors
- Norman *Yorke - neighbor (not a relative until Sadie marries Cecil Prosser)
- **Gertie Glover - This week's Genealogy Note #2
- Wm King - William *King - friend and neighbor


Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Newmarket - largest town between Belhaven and *Toronto
- Markham *Fair - Markham, Ontario - near *Toronto
- Beechnuts
- Song - I Love You Only
- Hymn - Nearer, Still Nearer - Lyrics and Midi available here.


Cliche/Phrase
- hustle - seems to be a favorite word of Ethel's


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



Picture
Belhaven. P. O. 
8th Aug. 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, - 
                                Well another Sunday is
here, and say it is a much different
day that last Sunday. it is just a
beautiful day. the sun is so nice and
warm. Friday was a dredful day
rained, hailed & snowed of course
the snow didnt stay on at all. but
lately it just seems to rain every
other day. We were all back in the
bush this forenoon, looking for some
beech nuts. but we didnt get a one.
We had a good walk anyway.

Picture
2.
  Harold Winch is home. came on
Friday morning. The West certainly
seemed to agree with him. It was
quite a surprize to his people when he
walked in. Adele was telling me last
night up at choir practice about Harold
being at your place. said he had a fine
time.
I was down to New market yesterday. I
saw your Uncle Frank Terry there too.
I am thinking of going down in a 
couple of weeks to stay over Sunday.
Well Noah you said you thot I must
have found some one else that had changed
my mind. But I don't think there is any 
one else living for me. Perhaps there is for 
you though. I guess you have often heard
the song. (I love you only". and for me the
"you" is to be emphasised for I am sure
your the only one in my eyes. So now
the rest lies with you. Oh Noah, if you 
were only here.

Picture
3.
We are going up to S.S. and Mary Smith is
coming home with us to practice. she &
Sadie are going Duet to-night. - "Nearer
Still Nearer: They'll do-it won't they.
Della Mahoney is away on a couple of
weeks visit. and Stanley & Mae drove
down to Markham Fair Friday & hav'nt
returned yet. I guess they must be
getting married "eh:  Norm Yorke is to
Married a week from Wednesday. so I hear
Mr Stacey, a student, is to be at Belhaven
to-night.
Say! what is it you, get your lectrises over
you might tell me and then maby I
could sympathise with you. unless it
is some thing awfully bad. and I know
its not so bad as that. I tell you I caught
it on Saturday. i met Gertie Glover and
she flew into my wool. She didnt know
any thing about you and me until that day. she
said she was told after she got to New market.


Picture
4.
Well "Evergreen Farm" was certainly
alive yesterday. Mr Wm King had Ladies
Aid. Did your place have your place
named when you were here.
I am awfully glad your grain is turning
out as well as you think it is.
Noah hustle up your work and send
me a letter saying you are coming
East (Such & Such a time) and there'll
be one happy girl, if ever there was one.
You speak of getting lone some, but really
I simple don't hardly know what I am 
doing some times. I got your letter last
night, it seems like a long time from
the time I get one until the next one
comes. There's never one comes before I
am ready for it. The girls are hustling
me up to get ready for Sunday School.
I am neare a close for this time anyway.
So bye-bye with all love & xxxxx
                          from Your Loving Sweetheart
                                                                         Ethel     




Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Mary Smith 

Ethel has mentioned Mary Smith several times during the course of these letters, including the time that Mary was visiting Huntsville during Ethel's holiday there. So who was Mary Smith other than a school friend and neighbor? 

Once again I used the Search pattern that I used last week (and other weeks) as well as below when I searched for Gertie Glover, and that began by searching for Mary Smith of Belhaven, York County with a date of 1911 because that was the current year, as well as a census year.  By the time I finished my search, I had discovered:

Step 1: Results: Mary Elizabeth Smith, b 4 Jul 1885 in Belhaven, York County, Ontario. That put Mary at 26 yrs old during 1911. 

Step 2: Mary's marriage record for 27 Dec 1916 to Malcolm McDonald.
Results:  Mary's Parents: William Henry Smith and Sarah Diana Wass. This rang a memory bell because we have a Rebecca Wass in the Family Tree. 

Step 3: Marriage record for William H Smith and Sarah D Wass
Results: Sarah's parents: Noah Wass and Mary Ann Marshal
Realized that Noah and Mary Ann were also the parents of Rebecca Wass, which meant Sarah and Rebecca were sisters, but I hadn't filled out the tree that far.

Rebecca Wass was married to Thomas Barker  who was the father of Harry Barker - a familiar name to me because Harry was married to Ethel's Aunt Maggie Glover who I recently posted a photo of with her house. 

Final Result: Since Mary Smith was the daughter of Sarah Wass and William Smith, that made her official relationship "1st cousin of husband of aunt".   That's such a mouthful, forgive me if, in future, I simply refer to Mary as Ethel's cousin. 


Genealogy Note #2 - Gertie Glover

Since I didn't have a Gertie Glover in the family tree yet, I used the search engine of  the Ancestry.ca site to search for a Gertrude Glover and found these facts:

Step 1: Search for Birth Record for Gertrude Glover
Results:  Elizabeth Gertrude Glover born 25 Jan 1887, East Gwillimbury, York, Ontario. Parents William Daniel Glover and Maryette Willson
Note: Gertie is 24 yrs old in this letter

Step 2: Search for Marriage Record for William D Glover and Maryette Willson
Results:  Marriage Record of Oct 2, 1883 in Pickering, Ontario for:
Groom: William Daniel Glover, 28,  Bachelor, Farmer, residing in Ravenshoe, York County
   Groom's Parents: William Glover and Mary Ann Bunce 
Bride: Maryetta Wilson, 26, Spinster, residing in Pickering Twp, Ontario County
   Bride's Parents:  Seth C. Willson and Mary Ann Ernest
Witnesses: *Thomas J. Glover of Ravenshoe, and Susan Willson of Pickering

*Although Thomas J. Glover is not in our family tree, we do have 2 x Thomas Glover's.

Step 3: Search for for William Glover and Mary Bunce
Results: Marriage Record of 20 Feb 1837, Home District (York Co)
Groom: William Glover of East Gwillimbury
Bride: Mary Bunce of East Gwillimbury
No parents names given on this marriage record
Witnesses: William Miller and John Bunce
Married by Publication of Banns, Home District Record Vol #10 1831-1840

Step 4: Search Census Records for actual location and names of offspring for William Glover and Mary Bunce
Results: 1871 Canada Census for East Gwillimbury:
Father: William Glover born 1813, England, Primitive Methodist, Married Farmer
Mother: Mary A. Glover born 1819, England, Prmitive Methodist, Married
Child #1 - Charlotte b 1850 - age 21
Child #2 - William D b 1855 - age 16
Child #3 - Thomas Joseph b 1859 - age 12
Child #4 - Albert James b 1864 - age 7

Results confirm that Thomas Joseph is William Daniel's brother so I have the right William and Mary A Glover, and the right location since all our Glovers live in East Gwillimbury area. 

Step 5:  Search for William Glover, b 1813 in England and Thomas Glover, b 1811 in Yorkshire, England to discover if they are brothers. 
Results: I didn't find anything conclusive on the ancestry.ca or .com or  .uk sites, but I was successful on familysearch.org (a free site) which found records for:
- Thomas Glover, Christened 1 Jan 1811 at Loftus, York, England, Father: Thomas,
          Index Project (Batch) Nbr:  C10551-1
- William Glover, Christened 5 Apr 1813 at Loftus, York, England, Father: Thomas and                Mother: Mary,  Index Project (Batch) Nbr:  C10551-2


Since Thomas Glover is Ethel Nelson's great grandfather, if William is his brother, then Gertie Glover would be Ethel's ***third cousin.  Phew.

***Update on Gertie Glover (eff Dec 28, 2013):

After receiving confirmation from another Glover descendent (through my contact page here) that William and Thomas were indeed Glover siblings, I've filled in the Draper Family Tree on ancestry.ca and they have deduced that:
Gertie Glover is Ethel's second cousin 1x removed.


1911 Courtship: Oct 1, Dear Noah

12/10/2013

 
Picture
1900 Belhaven, Ontario looking South. Courtesy of http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/
Picture
2013 Belhaven, Ontario looking South. Courtesy of Google Earth.
Can you spot the differences between the 2 photos above? If you click them they enlarge for clear views of Belhaven taken from the same spot but 102 yrs apart. Sure, the false front is gone from the bottom photo and the front verandah is enclosed, but look at the shape and positions of the windows, as well as the placement of the power poles. 

If you compare these photos with the one in last week's 1911 Courtship Letter you see that the James Nelson family farm is situated down the road and among those trees on the left.

 
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  1st Oct 1911 (events confirm date as 25th)
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My Dear Noah  
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, Ont. 
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter  
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, black ink - In Ethel's last letter she blamed the pen for the messy letter with smudges, but this letter is almost as bad, if not worse. I believe it may be the ink and not the pen because even after 102 yrs, the ink smudges on my hands - as if it still hasn't dried. Good thing I've made a point of placing each opened letter in a large ziploc bag while handling it or it will be illegible before the next 100 yrs rolls around.  
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, 3, 2, 4 although I've set them in order here for legibility.  


People/places mentioned in this letter:
 - *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- *Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia and *Joe Perrault of *Grand Coulee, SK
- *Fanny - 16 yr old cousin of Veda's on the Perrault side (Noah teases her)
- **Mabel Wright of Queensville - this week's Genealogy Notes
- Mrs. Walker *Prosser - neighbor and mother of *Cecil Prosser
- *Cecil Prosser - future husband of Sadie
- Frank *Morton - neighbor and friend
- Stanley *Bruels - neighbor and brother of Ethel's friend, Maud
- Edith Draper of Belhaven - check labels for *Edith/Edythe Draper
- *Mahoney girls & Dora - close neighbors and friends
- Stanley *Mahoney - brother of the Mahoney girls
- West boys - the men who went to work the huge *western *harvest in August


Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Sutton Fair - Sutton is a few miles northeast of Belhaven
- *Queensville - several miles south of Belhaven

Cliche/Phrase
- hustle - I've always thought this was a modern word


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

Picture
Belhaven. P.O.
1st Oct. 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, - 
                                  Well another Sunday
is here. and it is much like last
Sunday. raining of course. we are
having such of a lot of rain. It
rains about ever other day. We had
planed on going to church this
morning. but guess we will stay at
home now. Say you must be getting
in a hustle for winter having it
snow up there all ready. we heard that
it snowed nearly 8" and that you
could'nt see the shocks of grain for
snow. You have your threshing done.
hav'nt you? hope so anyway.

Picture
2. 
Mabel Wright of Queensville came
home with Sadie Friday night to stay
over Sunday. We three girls are going
up to Sunday School and home with
Mrs Walker Prosser for tea. that was
our plans but of course if it keeps
on rainging why it just means
Stay at home. Say Cecil Prosser
has left home. and is working for
Frank Morton. We heard Stanley Bruels
left home also. I hav'nt saw any of
our West boys home yet. Suppose there
would be some of them disapointed
that is as far as work goes. Say Noah,
May I ask how long do you intend to
Stay down here this winter? until
Spring "eh" as long as you get home
in time to do your spring work. and
come as soon as you can, for. I am
rather lonesome. for its a long time to be

Picture
3.
apart from one whom I really
love, Time is passing though.
Edith Draper of Belhaven has been
very low. with her heart, they think
She is better though now.
Saw Mahoney girls & Stanley up at
at choir practise last night,  Say
Dora is the same old girl. She
certainly can talk. There is no danger
of going to sleep at our practises.
The girls are down in the front
room playing the organ, so am
having lot of music while I am
writing. I wonder how many more
Sundays I will be found here at
this certain place writing. I hope
not many, that is as I am writing
to-day. Oh say! it is just pouring
now. Wish it only quit for a while.

Picture
4
I hav'nt saw a soul go to church yet. 
Suppose Veda has got started at College
now. think I shall have to write her a
card. I guess she will have a lively time
something like Sadie has at H. School.
I don't blame them for it, do you?
I'll never forget the last year I went
to school. if we did'nt have a good
time it was'nt our fault. we did our
best. Christie is here waiting for me
to study our S. School lesson to-gether.
Such good little girls as we are "eh",
Well Sutton Fair is over. and such a
day as they had, rained all day long,
Newmarket isnt until nearly a month
yet. Say would'nt I delight in walking 
into your place now. I wonder what
I'd find you doing. or would I find you
down at Fanny's. "ha ha" you kid.
I must close for this time. Love & xxxxxEthel
      and a good embrace.                                xxxxxx



Genealogy Notes

Mabel Wright - Mabel Wright of Queensville came home with Sadie Friday night to stay over Sunday.

Ethel had written the line about Mabel as if Noah knew who she was talking about. Was Mabel one of the many relatives of the Draper and Nelson families who resided in and around Queensville, East Gwillimbury Twp? 

A quick search of the family tree showed only one person of the Wright family - Clarinda Wright b 1794 who married Lewis Card b 1793. But with Wright being Clarinda's maiden name, any offspring would bear the surname of Card. Of course, Mabel could descended from one of Clarinda's brothers, but with 100+ years between Clarinda's and Mabel's birth dates, I'd need more information before trying to search for that connection. 

Instead, I decided to go backwards using the ancestry.ca search engine...

Step 1 - Search for Mabel Wright, Queensville, 1911
     Result: 1911 Canada census showing Mabel Wright, 16 yrs old of East Gwillimbury
           Parents - John and Mary Wright and lots of siblings
            Ancestry Hints - Mabel Wright Birth Record

Step 2 - Pull up Mabel Wright's Birth Record for Mother's Maiden Name
      Result: Parents - John A Wright and Mary Ann Cunningham

Step 3 - Search for marriage record of John Wright and Mary Ann Cunningham 
      Results: Marriage Record of Oct 16, 1878 in East Gwillimbury
      Parents of John A Wright: John and Mercy Wright

Step 4 - Search for marriage record of John and Mercy Wright as no hint given
      Results:  Early Marriage Record showing Jan 11, 1848 
      No parents listed, but shows bride as Mercy Pearson and John's birth of abt 1809
      
Step 5 - Search for John Wright b 1809 and Mercy Pearson 
      Results: Another member's tree showing John William Wright b 1809 Hull, England

Step 6 - Search for John William Wright, b 1809, Hull, Yorkshire, England
      Results: - Several member tree's with slightly different dates and spouses
                        - many 1841 England census records for John Wright 

Step 7 - Search Passenger and Immigration lists for travel between 1808 and 1848
      Reason - John married Mercy in 1848 Ontario which is where she was born
      Results - pages of listings for several England & Wales Criminal Registers, 1791-1892, and the discovery that the name of John Wright is as common in the UK as John Smith is in the US
      Summary - I stopped searching the ancestry records as it became too intensive and I wasn't getting anywhere. 


New Search using Local history book on East Gwillimbur :
East Gwillimbury in the Nineteenth Century by Gladys M. Rolling, Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1967

This book contains several mentions of the Wright family in East Gwillimbury and Queensville including some of those mentioned above. It also has many references to other families who are related to the Drapers, Glovers, and Nelsons. Again, it's too inconclusive to make a direct connection at this point, so I'll let the search end here for now. 

Although I didn't get the answer I was seeking, I hope that by following the steps of my search, you will have gained an idea of how easy it is to find people, and in particular maiden names, etc to help in your own search.

1911 Courtship: Oct 1 Dear Ethel

12/1/2013

 
Picture
1914, Adams, Saskatchewan (L to R) Mr. Walter Young, Noah Draper holding daughter Midge, Mrs. Young, Johnny Young.
Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: October 1st 11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Belhaven, Ont., My Dearest Ethel 
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Black ink pen, but looks grey in places and then darkens as he dips his pen in the ink jar.
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he has written them - as usual - in the order of 1, 3, 2, 4.  For your benefit, however, I've shown them here in the order they should be read. 


People/places/things mentioned in this letter:

Will - *Will Rigler married to *Ethel Maud, Noah's sister. Will and Ethel's kids:
    1. Viola - Mary Viola b 9 Sep 1903
   2. **Violet - Clara Violet May b 7 Jul 1905
   3. Merlin - David Murlin/Murland b 28 Mar 1908       

Percy - *Percy Draper - Noah's brother
Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper - Noah's widowed mother 
Eva & Joe -  Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia and her husband, *Joe Perrault 

- **whooping cough 

*Cliche/Phrasing:
- his bite was not as bad as his bark
- ring off

* 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
** see Genealogy Notes below 


Picture
Grand Coulee, Sask. 
October 1st 11.
Miss. E. Nelson,
        Belhaven. Ont.
My Dearest Ethel; -
     Well Ethel a nother week
has passed & it is that
much shorter time before
I can squeeze you again
say it certainly will be a
happy day when I leave
for the East. for I get as
lonesome as the d---l. Ha. Ha.
     Well we are good & buisy
here now. threshing has
started. Will has his wheat
threshed. Percy is threshing
Picture
and I will start Tuesday if it
dont rain or any thing else
happen, Say you seem to
think our crops are all spoiled
but they are not I should have
at least 5000 bushels of fair wheat
so that will help some and
about 2400 bu. of feed which
will help some more. eh.
and wheat is a good price
this year so things are
not so bad. Will had
between 35 & 40 hundred bu.
of good wheat & has 100 acres of
flax yet to thresh & Percy
has a lot but I dont know
how much yet.
     Well I guess this is enough
of this kind of talk sonow
for something else.

Picture
Mother went down to church
with Ethel this morning
so I am at home alone & expecting
them at any minute. guess
Eva & Joe will be up to but
I had rather spend the
after noon with you than
a week with them. but that
is impossible.
     Say I dont know wheather 
I told you last week that
Viola Violet & Merlin have
the whooping cough. I was
over yesteraday & asked Merlin
what he was barking at & he
said at me. Ha. Ha. told him
I was glad his bite was not as
bad as his bark.

Picture
  Oh say Ethel do you remember
Mrs. Walter Young. I think I 
told you she went over to 
England four years ago. she is
back here now & I guess she
will be up for a few days
on Monday. she said she was 
going to bring her sister back
with her for me. but I guess
she forgot. Ha. Ha.
    Say Ethel I don't know wheather
Percy's have named that boy
yet or not but will find out
later. HaHa guess there is no
name good enough - eh.
     Well I guess I will have to ring 
off for this time so good bye with 
lots of love and 1 000 000 xxxxxxx
PS. guess I will go down        N.C. Draper
to night & post this. N.D.         x x x x x x x



Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 -Whooping Cough


The definition of Whooping Cough according to the Centers for Disease  Control and Prevention (CDC) is, "Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease. It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis."

You can check the CDC website for more official information, because I thought I'd share my family's experience with this disease...

Back in the late '90s, my kids and I developed a cough. We didn't think much about it, but over a few days the phlegm thickened in our throats. Jessie was around 9-10 yrs old, and Nick was 3-4. I don't remember if little JJ was affected as he was just a baby at the time. 

But after a couple days, the coughing sounded like barking - just like Noah says in this letter. The kids would cough and cough and then suddenly throw up without warning. It wasn't fun. But it was different for me, because the phlegm clogged my throat and interfered with my breathing. I remember standing in my kitchen unable to catch my breath - straining for air. Several times I kicked the cupboard in frustration and I don't know if it was the kicking that did it, but the phlegm would come up and it would be okay for a couple hours. 

The doctor said we were the first confirmed cases of whooping cough in Saskatchewan for years and they didn't have any antibiotics to combat the new strain. 

Please don't take what I say next as medical advice in any way, but I can't say the above without telling you the rest... After another day of puking and breathing problems, I turned to natural herbal remedies and bought a bottles of cough syrups known for clearing chest congestion with ingredients like garlic, coltsfoot, elderberry, and mullein. Within a week, the doctor confirmed we were free of whooping cough - and then with pen poised over his note pad, he asked what we'd taken for the disease.  As Noah and Ethel would say, Ha Ha. 


Genealogy Note 2: Clara Violet May Rigler

Remember Ethel's Treasure Box - the source of all of these letters and many of the photos? Here's one of the photos I found in that box:

Picture
Merlyn Rigler, George Nelums, Ted (Violet) Rigler, May Kent, June 27, 1928 on George and Violet's Wedding Day
Picture
Merlyn Rigler, George Nelums, Ted Rigler, School Teacher - Back

As you can see in the above image, it doesn't seem to match the people it's referring to: Merlyn Rigler, George Nelums, Ted Rigler, School Teacher. Mainly because  Ted Rigler in the photo is a female and Ted is usually attributed to a male.

The names are written in Ethel's handwriting, and since Noah's sister, Ethel Maud married Will Rigler, I was able to confirm that Merlyn was indeed Ethel and Will's son, who was also written as Merlin, Merlund and Merland on census records and other documents, although his birth record had him listed as David Murlin. 

Next in the image was George Nelums, but he didn't match anyone in the Draper family tree, nor was he shown in any other photos. 

My research began by using the ancestry.ca search engine where I found a Death Certificate for Violet Sarah May Nelms. It didn't sound promising, but as I read down the document, I saw that Violet Sarah May was born on July 7, 1905 in Grand Coulee, Sask and  her parents were Ethel Maud and William Albert Rigler. Although the birth month and date was off by a month, the year was correct and the informant for Violet's death was her husband, George Nelms. That document provided a well of information for the family tree about the woman Noah called Violet, but it didn't mention anyone named Ted.

I googled George Nelums and all known different variations of Violet's name and finally got a hit on www.ourroots.ca for the Peace River, Alberta history book, Across the Smoky, for a George and Violet Nelms.
 
The history book contains a listing written by George Nelms and although it's chock-full of information, he doesn't say anything personal. Of the several photos he included, however, is this one with a caption that reads...
Nelms family, back row: George Nelms, Roy, Ted, (mother) holding Joyce. Front: Margaret and Cousin Joan Mitchell.

The comma after Ted threw me off at first, but clearly, Ted is the mother in this family photo.

I'm confident I finally found the Ted Rigler from Ethel's photograph, who happens to be the Violet Noah mentions in this week's letter.


Picture
The George and Violet Nelms Family, Page 220, Across the Smokey. Courtesy of ourroots.ca


    Picture

    Recent Posts

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Genealogy Posts Index

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    November 2015
    April 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    19th Century
    19th Century
    20th Century
    20th Century
    21st Century
    Abingdon Press
    Adams
    Agriculture
    Alberta
    Albert Rogers
    Alcohol
    Ancestry.ca/com
    Ancestry.ca/com
    Anniversary
    Antique
    Antique Photograph
    Antique Photographs
    Arnold
    Auction Sale
    Aunt
    Aurora
    Australia
    Banff
    Barbour Books
    Barker
    Barn
    Barnhart
    Baseball
    Beechnuts
    Belhaven
    Belhaven School
    Belle Plaine
    Bellhaven Choir
    Bertha Hamilton
    Bethany House
    Bible
    Birthday
    Birth Records
    Blessing
    Blizzard
    Book
    Books
    Box Social
    Box Social
    Brandon
    Brighton Beach
    Brooks
    Brother
    Bruels/breuls
    Buggy
    Burks Falls
    Canada
    Canadian War Museum
    Car/streetcar
    C Deverell
    Cecil Prosser
    Census Records
    Census Records
    Certificate
    Chapman
    Charisma House
    Charivari
    Chatham
    Childhood
    Children
    Christie Nelson
    Christmas
    Church
    Circus
    Civil War
    Cliche Or Phrase
    CNR
    Cole
    Connecticut
    Consumption
    Coronation
    Courtship
    Cousin
    Cowieson
    Cozy Mystery
    CPR
    Crafts
    Croquet
    Crossway Books
    Croutch/Crouch
    Crowder
    Cyclone/tornado
    Dafoe
    Dales
    David Draper
    Davidson
    Davidsons3828f1982c
    Depression
    Destruction
    Deverell
    Deverell In Toronto
    Diphtheria
    Discala
    Disease
    Document
    Dora
    Easter
    Eatonaposs30973d10cc
    Eatonscf75de7cf3
    Edithedyth Draper7f425b64a8
    Education
    Ella
    Elva & Wm Mitchell
    Emanuel Nelson
    Emmanuel Nelson
    England
    Entrance Exam
    Ernie Glover
    Ernie Winter
    Ethel Marie
    Ethel Maud
    Ethel Nelson
    Europe
    Eva Amelia Perrault
    Even Before Publishing
    Excursion
    Exhibition
    Fabric
    Fair
    Fanny Joes Niece
    Farm
    Farm Equipment
    Farm Equipment
    Fashion
    Father
    Fauna
    Fern
    Finland
    Fire
    Fire Insurance
    Flag
    Flewell
    Florida
    Food
    Foresters
    Fort Battleford
    Fountain Pen
    Fox Island
    France
    Fred Coventry
    Fred Coventry
    Fundraiser
    Genealogy
    Generations
    Geoff Bowerman
    George Caleb Nelson
    George Metcalf
    George Milburn Draper
    Geraldton
    Ghosts
    Glover
    Google Earth
    Grainery
    Grand Coulee
    Grand Coulee
    Grandparents
    Graveyard
    Great Grandparents
    Great Great Grandparents
    Great Lakes
    Great Lakes Romances
    Great Parents
    Greenwood
    Hail Insurance
    Halifax
    Hamilton
    Harlequin
    Harvest
    Hearst
    Henry Nelson
    Herbert
    Hired Girl
    Hired Man
    Historical
    Historicals
    History
    HMCS Niobe
    HMS Pembroke
    Holiday
    Holland Landing
    Hollywood
    Holt
    Homestead
    Horses
    Hot Springs
    House
    Housework
    Hunting
    Huntley
    Huntsville
    Hustle
    Hymn
    Ice Harvest
    Ida Amelia Glover
    India
    Indian Head
    Industry
    Ink & Inkwell
    Insurance
    Iowa Relatives
    Ireland
    Irwin Or Erwin Perrault
    Jacksons Point
    James A
    James H Nelson
    JD (James David)
    Jennie Draper
    Joe Perrault
    Kavanagh
    Kellington
    Kelowna
    Kentucky
    Keswick
    Kidnapping
    Kids
    King
    King George V
    Kings
    Kit
    Lake Superior
    Lanigan Dist Ha
    Laundry
    Lennox
    Lepard
    Leslie Nelson
    Leslie Thomson
    Letter
    Life Insurance
    Lighthouse
    Linstead
    Little Willie
    Liverpool
    Location
    London
    Longlac
    Louie
    Louie Sarah Louisa
    Louie Sarah Louisa39defa3554
    Louisiana
    Love Inspired
    Love Inspired Historical
    Love Inspired Suspense
    Lyceum
    Mabel-winter
    Mahoney
    Mail
    Maine
    Man
    Manfredmanford
    Manitoba
    Mann
    Map
    Margaret Glover
    Marguerite
    Markham
    Marriage Record
    Mary Smith
    Massachusetts
    Matt Or Matte
    Maud Bruels
    Medieval
    Memoirs
    Memorabilia
    Memorial
    Merlin/Murland
    Midge (Mildred)
    Military
    Ministry
    Miss Hunt
    Mitchell
    Montana
    Moody Publishers
    Moose Jaw
    Morrison
    Mortgage
    Morton
    Morton Park
    Mother
    Mothers Day
    Mount Albert
    Mr Brooks
    Mr Young
    Music
    Muskoka
    Navy
    Nelson
    New Daly House
    New England
    Newlywed
    Newmarket
    New Orleans
    Newspaper
    Niobe
    Noah Draper
    Norma Draper
    Norman Draper
    Norman Yorke
    North Bay
    North Dakota
    North York
    Oak Tara Publishers
    Ohio
    Olympic
    Ontario
    Orillia
    Ourroots.ca
    Owen Sound
    Parthena Fisher
    Party
    Patty
    Pense
    Percy Draper
    Percy Draper
    Pets
    Phillips
    Photograph
    Photography
    Pie Social
    Playhouse
    Politics
    Pollack
    Pollock
    Portage Flyer
    Postcard
    Poster
    Post Office
    Prairies
    Prince Albert
    Prohibition
    Prosser
    Queen Mary
    Queensville
    Quincy/quinsy
    Railroad/railway
    Ravenshoe
    RCNVR
    Realms
    Recipes
    Reciprocity
    Regina
    Remembrance Day
    Reuben Perrault
    Rheumatism
    Rigler
    River Mersey
    River Thames
    RNCVR
    Rodeo
    Rose
    Royalty
    Roys
    RPPC
    Ryland
    Sadiesayde Nelson
    Sarah E Greenwood
    Sarah Elizabeth Glover
    Sarah Louisa Louie
    Sarah Louisa (Louie)
    Sarah Louisa (Louie)
    Sarah S Deverell
    Saskatchewan
    Scent
    School
    Scotland
    Sedore
    Seeding
    Seneca
    Series
    Sharon
    Sheppard
    Ship
    Shivaree
    Singing
    Sintaluta
    Sister
    Sk
    Sleighs
    Slideshow
    Snow
    Soldier
    Song
    Soules
    Speech
    Sprague
    Stamp
    Stephen Draper
    Stewart Draper
    Stockings
    Store
    Summerside Press
    Suspense
    Sutton
    Sweet
    Taimi Discala
    Tarter
    Teacher
    Terry
    Thames River
    The Waltons
    Thomas Nelson
    Thunder Bay
    Togo
    Tomlinson
    Tornado
    Toronto
    Toys
    Train
    Transportation
    Travel
    Traviss
    Tubercolosis
    Tyndale
    Udora
    Uncle
    Uncle Emanuel
    Uncle Frank
    Uncle John
    Update
    Veda Perrault
    Victoria Maud
    Video
    Vintage
    Viola
    Violet
    Wagon
    Wardell
    Washing Machine
    Wass
    Wawa
    Weapons
    Weather
    Wedding
    Well Water
    West
    Western
    Westgarth
    Whitaker House
    Whitefire Publishing
    White Rose Publishing
    Whooping Cough
    Willie Sedore
    Willoughby
    Will Rigler
    Winch
    Winnipeg
    Winter
    Women
    Woodblock Print
    Word
    Work Bee
    World War 1
    World War 2
    WW1
    YMCA/YWCA
    York County
    York/yorke
    York/yorke
    Zenuk


Created on Weebly  - Copyright Anita Mae Draper 2011-2021