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1913: Spring Letter from Sadie Nelson

8/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Veda Josie Perrault, ca 1910-1915. Courtesy of Doreen Proctor Burnett.
Finally, a photograph of Veda Josie Perrault, the niece Noah is always teasing. We've posted a couple letters from her so far but I only had the one photo of her as an older woman from the 1960's. So when I was drafting this week's letter where Sadie talks about Veda's upcoming wedding, I was especially blessed when cousin Doreen stepped forward with pictures of Veda and some other Perraults. If you want to read more about Doreen's fantastic timing, check the Genealogy Notes at the bottom of this post.

This week's letter is missing page 1 & 2 which means I've had to do some research to decipher the date, but I think I'm pretty close due to Sadie discussing several people and their events including Veda's wedding in June 1913.

Author of Letter:  Sadie Nelson
Dated:  Spring of 1913 
Addressed to:  Dear Ethel and Noah (presumably)
Mailed from:  Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship: Sister
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter 
Writing instrument:  Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Thin weight, textured, linen-like paper, each written page 5" x 6". Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form but with the inside page written across the short width so it looks like foolscap. Only the first page is numbered with a 3, but we are missing pages 1 and 2.  

People/places mentioned in this letter:


**Veda - Noah's niece, daughter of his sister Eva Amelia & Joe Perrault
*Leslie Peter Thomson - Veda's intended
*Uncle Will - could be Ethel's mom's brother, or their uncle - both *Glover's
Pa - Ethel's dad,  *James Nelson
Uncle *Emmanuel Nelson - uncle of  *James H Nelson
Grandma Nelson - Eliza *Croutch - mother of *James H Nelson
*Leslie Nelson - Ethel's maternal cousin who is somewhere out West
Harry *Barker - husband of the sister of Ethel's mother, *Ida Glover

Edna *Crowder, *Ella, and Mary - friends and neighbors
Gordon *Crowder & Rosie Andrews - Gordon is a neighbor and friend
Carl *Morton & Clara Pringle - friends and neighbors
Dr. Pringle - Sutton physician
*Miss Hunt - check post on her and her Bible. This is 1st mention of her intended. Perhaps died from sickness?

Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- **quincy or quinsy (Sadie spells it quinzy)
- *Sutton - a nearby town


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




Picture
                            3.
and as to Sadie Nelson, well,
I guess, she is out of it 
altogether. Edna still has
a long list of suitors and
Gordon is to be married to
Rosie Andrews so I have
heard several times. He makes
frequent calls down there
anyway. He and I are, as 
usual, a little on the outs, also
Edna and I. Ella and Mary
have been my chief standbys.
Carl Morton is soon to be
married to Clara Pringle, 
Dr. Pringle's daughter at
Sutton. Next time you
write to Leslie tell him I


Picture
want him to write to me right
away soon. I sent him a couple
of cards soon after he went away
and he never answered them.
   Well Ethel I was weighed yesterday
and the scales went 151 easy. You
can't beat that. Uncle Harry
Barker has been sick with
quinzy but he is getting better
now. Miss Hunt is over to see
her intended this afternoon. He has
a severe cold. Uncle is getting a
little better, he slept fairly well
last night. Pa has sold dan to
some man out near Mt. Albert.
The man bot him & took him
yesterday. I was just real angry
when they told me but he was
getting awful ugly. He Pa has bought
one colt that he is going to break
in soon and he is going to buy
another horse. We are having
quite nice weather now but it
is very cold. Suppose Veda will
be having a swell wedding.


Picture
you had better be getting
your gown ready, and
after you get that one
finished you can start
another for my wedding
I am to be married the 31st 
of June to a flourishing
old bachelor so be ready.
Well I will, speaking in
telephony phraseology, ring
off. 
           Au Revoir.
                  Love sis Sadelia
Answer immediately and
excuse writing. I have just
used 3 diff. pens & none are any good.

          


Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note 1: Perrault Photographs

I was pleasantly surprised (interpret that as thrilled to pieces) when Doreen Joan Proctor Burnett left a comment on the post, 1909: To Noah, A Letter From Home. Here's her initial comment:
Sarah Sophia Deverall Draper was my great grandmother
Eva Amelia Draper Perrauault my grandmother
Dora Evelyn Perrault Proctor my mother..I was amazed when I found your web..So very interesting..I just loved Aunt Veda .the letter she wrote to Noah sounded so much like her..Thanks so much

What caught my eye first on her comment was the name of Sarah Sophia Deverell - Noah's mother - because the maiden name of Sarah's mother is still a mystery so I grasp any mention of the Deverell name. And then my gaze latched onto the Aunt Veda part and my day brightened considerably.

A quick check on Ancestry confirmed that Doreen is Nelson's 2nd cousin and although I knew her name on the family tree, I didn't know anything about her branch, other than the fact that her mother was one of Eva Amelia's kids. To put this into perspective, Joe and Eva had 8 children. Born in 1895, Veda was the oldest, and the youngest wouldn't be born until 1914. Doreen's mom, Dora, was born in 1907. So she would have been 4 yrs old during Noah and Ethel's Courtship year, but most of the time, Noah only spoke of Veda - probably because she was teenager and so easy to tease. 

Last night Doreen shared 4 photos with us, including the striking pose of Veda at the top of this post. My, oh, my. Being born in 1895, Veda was 18 in 1913 when this week's letter was written - the year she married 25 yr old Leslie Peter Thomson, a Canadian Pacific Railway station agent. 

Veda mentioned Les once before and that's the post of 1912: Jan 12 Letter fm Veda Perrault when she wrote, "Leslie did not get down.  I was sorry although I expect him down here some time before long. He is working up at Tugaske, Sask, on the Outlook branch from Moose Jaw."

So I'm sending out a bouquet to Doreen Joan Proctor Burnett for leaving a comment on my post and then sharing her photo treasures with us.  

This reminds me of something I read on the Ancestry blog recently where a member said he hesitated switching his family tree from private to public for years in case he and his mom had wrong facts. But finally, they reached a dead end and thus, took the plunge to see if they could rouse out some family members with their cousin bait. The post went on to show a photo of the man and a relative who saw their public ancestry tree and contacted them. 

Cousin bait. That's the affectionate term in the genealogy world. 

And although we didn't intend on using this blog as cousin bait, or making our Ancestry tree public for the same reason, we've been blessed with cousins finding us. In all, 5 more cousins contacted us in the past 2 weeks by either leaving comments on this blog, emailing us through my contact page, or connecting through our Ancestry inbox. 

Cousin bait. It sounds crass, but the results are ... wonderful. 



Genealogy Note 2:  Quinsy and Quincy 

This is an old disease which is still around. A fellow in our area had it a couple years ago, and thousands of cases are seen every year around the globe. Check the links below for more information.

Old Diseases & Their Modern Definitions: 
QUINSY or QUINCY: Severe attack of Tonsillitis resulting in abscess near the tonsils.

NHS Choices:  
Quinsy, also known as a peritonsillar abscess, is a complication of tonsillitis that is left untreated.

Remedy's Health Communities in conjunction with Johns Hopkins and Cornell University: 
Quinsy is usually a complication of tonsillitis, a bacterial infection of the tonsils. 
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1912: Dec 1st Letter from Ma & Sadie

7/13/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Written on the back: Mr. Jewel & Mr. Brooks at Adams, SK.
The above photo is from Ethel's Treasure Box. The names  of Young and Brooks have come up several times in these letters and yet this photo is in my Unknown folder because I don't know if these 2 men in this circa 1930+ photo are the same ones mentioned in the 1911-1912 letters. If anyone recognizes these men, please email me through my contact page. 

Author of Letter:  Ida Amelia Glover Nelson & Sadie Nelson
Dated:  December 1 (1912)* 
Addressed to:  Dear Ethel and Noah
Mailed from:  Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship: Mother & Sister
Profession:  Farmer's Family
Writing instrument:  Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Medium weight, textured, linen-like paper, each written page 5" x 6". Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form with numbered pages. Although they've been written in the order of 1,3,2,4,5,7,6,8, I've shown them here in the order they were meant to be read. 

People/places mentioned in this letter:


Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
Uncle Will's - could be Ethel's mom's brother, or their uncle - both *Glover's
Grandma Nelson - Eliza *Crouch - mother of *James Nelson
Pa - Ethel's dad,  James Nelson
Marry - Mary the milliner?
**David Sprague - David Henry Sprague, Noah's 2nd cousin 1x removed
Mrs. Draper - Noah's aunt, *Martha Barnhart, wife of *Stephen Draper
*Edith Draper - wife of Frank *Kavanagh
Mrs Rob Smith
Mrs. Andy Tompson (or Thompson ?)
Mrs. Joe Stickland (or Strickland ?)
*Gertie Nelson - Ethel's 2nd cousin (same great-grandfather John *Nelson)
Santy - Santa Claus
Dr Clark - Ethel's old dentist
*Martha & Mr. Brooks - see Genealogy Notes on 1912: Letter Fm Hester Soules Prosser
*Mrs. W. Young - ? Mrs. Walter Young has been mentioned a couple times already, with 2 photos posted of her and her son with Noah & Ethel in Adams, but unsure if this is the same one or if there are 2 with the same name.


Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- Santy heading north
- consumption


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


Picture
December 1.                  
Dear Ethel and Noah
           I got your letter one
day last week and was
as usual glad to get it.
it has been some time
since I wrote you but
than Sadie has been
writing and I thought
you would rather have
her write as she does
so much better than I do.
Sadie and Christie are 
at church and I am


Picture
2
Writing Grandma Nelson a letter
also we got one from her
a bout a month ago and
got a card from Aunt
anna last week.
     Sadie was in to Newmarket
thursday and came home 
friday.  she got a new hat
and the stuff for a dress
the hat is white felt
trimmed with pale blue
and the dress is blue
I will get marry a day
to start it off and than
I can finish it

Picture
3
I made Christie one last
week. it is navy serge
trimmed with plad.
     I and your pa was down
to Uncle wills last
wensday.  and it was stormy
and I got cold in my face
and it has been verry
sore since an I was
afraid it was going to
gather and brake but
it is getting better I think
I will have to get some 
of my teeth out. 


Picture
4
Mrs W. Young has been
verry poolely but is some
btter  Just now  doctor
said she was apt to
die at any time from
hart trouble and she has
a terrible cough people are
getting afraid to go there
for fear of comsumption so
think I wont go so often
as I have.
        Mrs Andy Tompson
has a little girl a bout a
week old,  and Mrs Joe
Stickland has a little
boy a bout a weak old.


Picture
5
Martha Brooks is home
  got here last tuesday,
mister Brook was in to
day.  and said she think
she would rather live here
but thinks they will stay out
there till they get some money
as they can make more out 
there.
        Mister David Sprague
was burried last friday,
        I suppose you have got your
house cleaning all done by this
time ore did you keep it so
clean that it does not need
it.   I have got mine to do yet


Picture
6
down stairs I done the up
slairs a couple of weeks
ago but didnt feel like
doing much last week  I have
had a lame back
how is your face is it
broke out yet.
Your pa does not have 
to go so far as your place
to hunt. there was a hawk
      chicken hawk lit in
one of the elem trees north
of the house yester day and
he got the gun and killed
it, thinks he is a great
  marksman now,


Picture
7
I was talking to Mrs
Draper one day last week
and she said Edith and
her husband expected
to be hone for christmas.
Your pa said he seen
Santy in Belhaven
one day last week and
he was going north so
you had better get your
stockings ready. as
he might get there by 
christmas.
Hello Ethel - this is Tuesday 
and we have been washing


Picture
this forenoon. We cleaned 
the front room yesterday
and the parlor.   Mrs Rob
Smith is here this afternoon
She just came a little
while ago. I am going
up to the market so
am in a hurry. Dr Clark
was asking Gertie Nelson
how you were getting
along. Guess he thot it
was time you were back
getting your teeth fixed.
Pa and Ma have both
had lame backs and tooth
ache lately. Write soon
and come to see your loving       Mother
                           little Nell - Sadie



Genealogy Notes

As you may have noticed, this letter doesn't give a date it was written. However, it does give 3 dates of reference:
  • Death and burial of David Sprague
  • New baby girl to Mrs Andy Tompson
  • New baby boy to Mrs Joe Stickland

Searching the Newmarket Era, I found this clipping which threw me off guard because it states David Sprague died on Nov. 26, 1913... however it was released on page 2 of The Newmarket Era of November 29th, 1912: 
Picture
The Newmarket Era. November 29, 1912
To complicate matters, I did not find a reference to either of the births but that wasn't too unusual because Ida could have spelled them as variations such as Thompson vice Tompson, and Stickland as Strickland. All were valid names, but none came up in a search for births for Nov 1912 or 1913. 
PictureThe Newmarket Era. April 4, 1913
Another reason I wasn't worried is because not all social news was carried in the paper. Some families didn't like their news being broadcast and the paper respected those wishes. Having a birth or death announcement in the paper has always been a courtesy - not a requirement. 

In my search I stumbled upon one other bit of evidence confirming David Sprague's death of Nov 26th, 1912 and that was the settling of his estate in the spring of 1913.  

Since it usually takes several months to settle an estate, there is no doubt of David Sprague's death in 1912, thus this week's letter of Dec 1st is definitely from 1912. 





And now I'm off to sort through my files for births, deaths, marriages, etc in the coming year and match them up with newspaper clippings and photos and bring them to you in an order that resembles true life in Noah and Ethel's family as well as their loved ones. 

As these posts may be irregular over the coming weeks until I starting posting Noah's WW1 letters, your can keep informed of new posts by clicking on the link for RSS FEED in the right sidebar and you'll get an email notification whenever I publish a new post. 


2 Comments

1911 Courtship Letter: Nov 12 Dear Noah

2/17/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
Elva Nelson Mitchell and Ethel Nelson Draper, cousins, Swift Current, Saskatchewan. From the Norma Draper Family Collection.
The above photo is one of several I scanned from the photo albums passed down from Ethel Nelson which now make up the Norma Draper Family Collection. I'm including the others in this week's Genealogy Notes below.


Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Nov 12th 1911  
Addressed to: Mr. N C Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask.
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, P.O. 
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter  
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink 
Written on:  Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form with pages numbered 1, 3, 2, 4 but I've posted them here in the order they are to be read.


People mentioned in this letter of part of the Genealogy Notes:


Pa - *James H Nelson
Mother - *Ida Amelia Glover
*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
*Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
S. Draper's - family of *Stewart Draper, paternal cousin of Noah
Walter *Yorke - stepson of Noah's 1st cousin 2x removed
Squire *Yorke - Walter Yorke's son
*Fanny - niece of Noah's brother-in-law, Joe Perrault
*Mary Smith - Ethel's neighbor and friend
**Elva Mitchell - Ethel's paternal cousin
**Aunt Mary - Mary Glover *Linstead - Ethel's maternal aunt 
**Florence P - Ethel's 2nd cousin (they share great-grandfather George *Croutch)


Places/things mentioned in this letter:

*Indian Head
the *West & North West - Canadian prairie provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)
*Toronto

Picture
- Bram or Brown Dick - ? - book or story - possibly in a reader

- Peck's Bad Boy - by George W. Peck , late 1800's
Stories of a naughty boy. Free online read available at http://www.readbookonline.net/title/32610/  

- Astray in the Forest - by Edward S Ellis, Illustrations by Stanley Wood, 1908


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.          
                  Nov 12th 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, - 
                             Sunday is here once
again, and say such a cold
stormy day as it is. I think it
must be one of your North West
blizzards. We were up to Sunday
School this afternoon, and you would
certainly think the wind would blow
your head off. Would'nt be any loss
if mine did go, be some body's gain 
for when they found it they'd 
think they had a pumpkin sure.
Talk about blizzards. Indeed I wouldnt


Picture
2
care a bit, if one would land you right
here on this farm. Hope something will
bring you along soon, anyway. Six weeks
sounds much better than six months
but 6 days will sound ever so much
better "eh"
I had a letter from Elva Mitchell
on Friday, she spoke as though
they were going to stay with Mr
S Draper's this winter. Said they
had been looking for you down
but that you never had come yet. 
    Mr Walter Yorke is talking of
going West in the spring, Say's 
after he and Squire have been out
there two or three years they will
own over half of the West. He
has high ideal's "eh"


Picture
3
We are not going to church to-night
I guess we. think we will be most
comfortable here in the house. Christie
is reading, "Bram Dick" to Pa & Ma
and Sadie is here with me reading
"Pecks bad boy"  Say! it certainly is
a book worth reading, I read "Astray
in the forest" this forenoon.
   How is your face now? and did it
prove to be much of a comforter, "ha ha"
   The mason's are coming to-
morrow to put in Stable floors
and we certainly will be glad when
the Stables are finished, for it certainly
is getting cold enough for to put
the stock in.
   Mary Smith is in Toronto now.
A cousin of her's is to be married this
month so of course she is to be at the wedding


Picture
4
Now you never told me in your
last letter. how Fanny was getting 
along. you must'nt forget to mention
her, for you know how anxious I am
to hear about her. "ha ha", not her,
but your the one I am anxious to hear
from. Oh Noah if you were only here,
we would forget all about the storm
just think though only five more
letters we will have to write, and
then the next Sunday instead
of writing we can just make
our tongues run "eh" I am afraid
there would'nt be any church
for us, even if it was'nt
storming. I guess I must say
Good Bye for this time with
love and kisses from your Sweetheart.
          x x x x x x x    E. Nelson.


Genealogy Notes

Picture
Ethel Nelson Draper and Elva Nelson Mitchell at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Collection.
Ethel has mentioned her paternal cousin, Elva Jane Nelson, several times before in these courtship letters, but this is the first time I'm posting photos which I scanned from Ethel's albums. If you recall, Elva married Will Mitchell and are working on the Indian Head area farm of Stewart Draper, paternal cousin of Noah. 

In this week's letter, Ethel says she received a letter from Elva saying her and Will were staying with Stewart through the winter and that they hadn't run into Noah yet. The 1911 Canada census shows William and Elva Mitchell living near Indian Head. This is confirmed in the Courtship Letter Special: July 15 From Elva Mitchell  where Elva writes that "we only live 4 miles from the head."

The caption written in the album that holds the above photographs says "Elva and Ethel in the coulee, Swift Current."  According to the 1916 and 1921 census records though, Elva and Will lived in Johnston Lake near Mossbank which is a couple hours east of Swift Current, and a couple hours west of the Grand Coulee/Regina area.
 
Picture
Google map showing Swift Current (left), Mossbank (middle), Grand Coulee (right).
From reading Ethel's journals I know she had a penchant for travel. So it's quite possible Ethel & Noah, and Elva & Will had gone on a sightseeing trip to Swift Current. Especially since the back of this next photo shows them in Mossbank in 1926. 

Picture
1926 Mossbank, SK possibly at the Mitchell farm. Contains Ethel, Noah and Norma Draper; Elva, Will and Merle Mitchel; Laura and Wes Cain.
As you can see, I've added the names on the front of the image so it's easier to make them all out. Also note that Will and Elva's only child (that I can find so far) is Hannah Merle Mitchell who is standing between Laura Linstead Cain and Wesley Cain. 

PictureIda Glover, Florence P Croutch, Mary Glover
Laura Linstead is Ethel's cousin as her mother, Ida Amelia, is sister to Mary Ann Glover who married William David Linstead. 

Mary is the Aunt Mary mentioned in several of these letters who was living in Sintaluta, Saskatchewan in 1911, although they had only moved there from the Gwillimbury area in the past few years. 

This photo on the right was taken at the Ida Glover & James Nelson house on Baseline Rd, Sutton West sometime in the 1940's. The back of the photo is written in Ethel's handwriting and it is one of the photos she passed on to her daughter, Norma. 

Florence P was a mystery to me but after some time spent in research, I believe her to be Florence P Croutch, daughter of John Francis Croutch and Cordelia/Fedelia Cryderman of East Gwillimbury. Florence P is Ethel's 2nd cousin as they share a paternal great-grandfather George Caleb Croutch. 

Picture
Back of photo of Ida Glover Nelson, Florence P Croutch, Mary Ann Glover Linstead
2 Comments

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

8/11/2013

4 Comments

 
Picture
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


Picture
           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
Picture
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

Picture
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

Picture
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.



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1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 14 from Iowa

7/28/2013

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Picture
Map showing migration of Henry Nelson and Eliza Crouch Nelson and their family from York County in Ontario to Atkins, Iowa. (brown line)
The Courtship Letter Special: July 20 From Ma & Sadie mentions this Iowa letter from Ethel's paternal grandma, Eliza Crouch...

Author of Letter: Eliza Crouch Nelson 
Dated:  July 14th, 19011 (1911)
Addressed to: My Dear Son
Mailed  from:  Atkins, Iowa (on last page after signature) 
Relationship: Ethel's paternal grandma
Profession:  Farmer Laborer's Widow
Writing  instrument: Fine Black Ink
Written on: Off-white and yellowed with age, lined note paper, 5 1/2 inches by 9 inches. 


Note: This letter is easy to read if you sound out the words as they are written and ignore the spelling.

People/places mentioned in this letter:
Picture
Eliza Crouch Nelson ca. 1890 (1840-1919)
- Son and doter
- Jimmey

Ethel's parents:
*James Henry Nelson and 
*Ida Amelia Glover
Picture
James Henry Nelson (1864-1953) ca. 1905
Picture
Ida Amelia Glover (1874-1953) ca. 1905
- George - **George Caleb Nelson, James's brother
- Alice - Eliza Alice Nelson Wer, James's sister in California

- Annie - Eliza Ann Nelson, James's sister

Picture
Eliza Alice Nelson Wear (1869-1946)
- Mammey - Mamie E Fritz, wife of Emanuel

- Emanuell - Emanuel Francis Nelson, James's brother



Picture
Mamie E Fritz Nelson (1881-1916) ca. 1905
Picture
Emanuel Francis Nelson (1876 - unk ) ca. 1905

- Annie - Eliza Ann Nelson, James's sister

- Willes - Willis A Crouch, son of Eliza Crouch's brother, Alfred


Picture
Eliza Ann Nelson (1872-1946) ca. 1917
Picture
Willis A Crouch (1862-1946) ca. 1917
 - Mode - *Victoria Maud - Ida Amelia's sister  with the newborn Ethel mentioned
- John - John Rogers - *Victoria Maud's husband
- Ida's mother - *Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood (Ethel's maternal grandma)
- Cristey - *Christy Maud, Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- 2 boys - Ethel's brothers, 6 yr old *Emanuel Henry and 3 yr old James A.
- Rose - Rosetta Nelson Cozad, James's sister

- Jim and hunkle from Canada - Unknown as the family tree is foggy at this level 

Places mentioned:
- Caleforna - California
- **4th of July holiday

Phrase/Cliche:  "prettey sick" 

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
Julie 14 19011
Well my Dear son and
doter and famley all as i
got a letter and more from
you i Was much saprised as
i thoght you Was like gorge
you ad for got that you
ad a mother on the earth
eney more but i Wos very
glad to hear you Was well
but sorey to hear of youre
lose i Wos very glad to
hear that you got youre
in surence that Will help
quite a bit o Gimmey i think
you a very ondutifull son
as you sertnley right oftener
to your pore old mother how
is skarce able to be a round
i ave ad quite a sick spell

Picture
2

a gain but i do thank god
that i ame able to be up
a gain We ave ad som of
the hotest Wether i ever can
rember of it Was 100 and 10
in the shade and we ave a
dredfull storm the other
nite it Was fearfull all
nite long but i thank god
that our lives Was spared.
i got a letter from Caleforna
and tha Was all Well but
Alice and she wos prettey
sick  The folks hear is all
rite so far i did not get
eney card or eney thing about
youre barn but mamey said
tha did Emanuell is bisey
harvisting his Wife and young

Picture
3

ones Was down 2 days doing
the Baking as i cod not and
annie Went out and help
to shok oats Well we ave
lots of frout this year and
the Cosn loks good now
i ad a good time Wen i
Was in Caleforna and i wood
ave stade longer but the
peapil that i went With 
tha got home sick and i
did not like to Com back
a lone i saw som Wonderfull
sites Willes is a talking of
seling is plase and if he
do it may be posable we
ma go out there a gain ari
ave no one to stop With me
so i must do som thing

Picture
4  (across the top)  did you get your pictor that mamey sent you

i hope saday Will be able
to teach Willes and anney as
gone up to my garden to pick
chereys and curents the treas
Was so loded i sold 3 dolars 
Worth and there is lots yet
so i told them tha cod ave
them if tha ad a mint to
pick them as i cod not now
you give my love to mode
and John and all so to Idas
mother how is Cristey
and tehm to boys Rose and
her famley and Emanuell and
his famley Was all down hear
on the 4 asit is quite a holoday
and tha made hyse Cream
and ad a good time in general
now as I ave told you
turn over

Picture
5

all i can think an i want
you to be sure and ancer
quick and dont for get
and tell me how you are
getting a long i was very
much disapointed in not 
sean Jim and hunkle for
i sure thoght if tha com
to the states tha wood
com and see me now as
i cant think of eney more
i Will say good by trusting
god Will bles us all and
gather us all in to is
kindomn Wase parting
Will be no more this is
from youre loving mother
mrs JH nelson Atkins Iowa



Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Henry Nelson and Eliza Crouch

I've mentioned the Iowa branch of Ethel's family a time or two before in passing, but this is the first post detailing the Henry and Eliza Nelson family. (Hubby Nelson's 2 great-grandfather)

The Nelson family has been a mystery trying to figure out because one branch emigrated to Ohio in the United States after immigrating to Canada from England. And if it hadn't been for Eliza Crouch Nelson's letter posted above then I wouldn't have known anything about them. But when I added the basic information to the family tree on ancestry.com a nice lady named Sharon who happens to be the 2 x granddaughter of Eliza Crouch contacted me and said some of my information was wrong and/or missing. Between Sharon and ancestry.com I was able to fill in so many leaves on our tree it looks quite coloringful and interesting now.  Thank you, Sharon for sharing your tree info and photos with us - like the one below which is the only one we have of Ethel's grandfather and grandmother. (For the full photo, see 1911 Courtship: May 7 Dear Noah)

Picture
Henry Nelson (1835-1900) and Eliza Crouch (1840-1919). Photo taken about 1890, Iowa, USA.
Henry Nelson - b 3 Mar 1835 in England married Eliza Crouch - b 16 Apr 1840 in England on 5 Oct 1857 in Ontario, Canada 

I have the following census records for Henry and Eliza after their marriage:
 - 1861 Canada Census: living in East Gwillimbury Township of York County, Ontario
 - 1871 Canada Census: (same as above)
 - 1881 Canada Census: (same as above)
 - 1895 Iowa State Census: living in Benton, Iowa 
 - 7 Oct 1900: Henry Nelson died and was buried in Benton Co, Iowa
 - 1900 US Census: Eliza living in Atkins, Benton, Iowa
 - 1910 US Census: (same as above)
 - 28 Oct 1919: Eliza Crouch Nelson died and was buried in Benton, Iowa

We've been above to correlate that Henry and Eliza had the following children born in East Gwillimbury, York County, Ontario, although several of them died here:
Born in Canada
 - George Caleb b 1857 
 - John Thomas b 1860
 - Mary Pricilla  b 1863
 - James Henry b 1864 - Ethel's father
 - Elizabeth Jane b 1866
 - Unnamed Nelson b 1868
 - Eliza Alice b 1869
 - Eliza Ann (twin of Edwin) b 1872
 - Edwin (twin of Eliza Ann) b 1872
 - Jemima Isabelle b 1874
 - Emanuel (Manuel) Francis b 1876
 - Rosetta b 1878
 - Mariah Victoria b 1880
 - Fannie Louisa b 1882

Died in Canada





- born and died in Oct 1868


- died in 1872 - 19 days days
- died in 1882 - 8 yrs old


- died in 1891 - 10 yrs old
- died 1884 - 17 months old
Eliza's brother, Alfred Crouch, had emigrated to Ontario with the family, but in 1860 moved to Fremont, Iowa. Eliza's other siblings followed. Henry and Eliza decided to emigrate to the US as well which they did in the early 1880's taking most of the family with them. Eliza's brother, Francis Croutch, was the only sibling to stay in Ontario. He is also the only member of the family who uses a 'T' in the Croutch name.

When Eliza and Henry left Canada, only 2 of their children stayed behind and they are the 2 marked in red in the above list, namely, George Caleb and James Henry.

Eliza's parents, George Crouch and Percilla, are listed on the 1852 census and then they moved down to Iowa. But George shows up on the 1861 Canada census with a wife named Mary.  Percilla died in 1876 and is buried in Mound Cemetery, Benton, Iowa. But not George. Family rumour says George broke up with Percilla and came back to Canada, however no one can find a record of him dying and being buried in Ontario, either. 


Genealogy Note #2 - George Caleb Nelson

In Eliza's letter, she says, "i Was much saprised as i thoght you Was like gorge you ad for got that you ad a mother on the earth eney more"

Eliza is talking about her son, George Caleb Nelson, who - along with Ethel's dad, James Henry, didn't emigrate to the US once they'd settled in Ontario. I checked the family tree to see what could have prevented George Caleb from writing to his mother and at the first glance, saw the problem...
1857 - George is born. He is 17 yr old Eliza's 1st child.
1880 - 23 yr old George marries 18 yr old Hannah Victoria Latham
1894 - Hannah dies of consumption leaving George with 4 children aged 4-12 yrs***
1895 - George marries Hannah's sister, 22 yr old Emma Latham
1896 - Emma dies, childless
1897 - George marries 25 yr old widow, Mary Tryphena Smith
1913 - Mary dies of heart failure leaving an additional 11 yr old and 1 month old baby
1914 - 57 yr old George marries 55 yr old Mary Ellen Travis

By the time 1911 rolled around and Eliza wrote her letter, George was on his 3rd wife with a 9 yr old and 3 yr old still at home. And then Mary dies a month after giving birth in 1913.  So yes, George is busy with children and wives, but that shouldn't stop him from writing to his mother. 
But perhaps this is the reason... when George marries Mary Ellen Traviss, he makes an X in place of his signature. 
In other words, he can't sign his name.
Picture
Mark of X for George Nelson
Wife #3, Mary, could have written Eliza in 1911, but perhaps she didn't want to or perhaps she was too sick. She signed the marriage certificate, so we know she was able to write, but I guess we'll never know why she didn't. 

*** You've met 2 of George Caleb's children before in Ethel's letters:
- Elva Jane married Will Mitchell and is working for Stewart Draper in Indian Head
- Leslie is the missing cousin who is 'somewhere out west'

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