Category: Genealogy

WW1 Letters - Louie to Ethel Mar 9, 1917

4/10/2022

Fred Coventry & his children L-R: Sarah, David, Beatrice (on Fred's lap), James, 1920. Courtesy of Jim Hagen

Author of Letter: Sarah Louisa Draper Coventry aka Louie
Dated: Mar 4 or 9, 1917
Mailed from: Rutland, British Columbia
Profession: Farmer's wife
Rank: N/A
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Dear Ethel, Mildred & J.D.
Relationship: Louie is a sister of Noah Draper, author of the WW1 letters
Writing instrument: Pen, black ink
Writing Paper: 2 sheets,  8 1/4" x 10", lightweight textured writing paper. Louie has written on 3 of the 4 sides of paper.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Nelson, 26 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs
Mildred* - aka Midge, Noah & Ethel's daughter, 3 yrs old
JD* -  James David Draper, 10 months old, aka Jay in early months
Alice* - daughter of Sadie (Ethel's sister) & Cecil Prosser
Ethel's mother - Ida* Amelia Glover Nelson in Belhaven
Louie's mother - Sarah* Sophia Deverell Draper (visits from Sask)
** Louie and Fred Coventry, and their children: David, Sarah, and James
Fred's parents - David Coventry* and Eliza Grogan Stevenson Coventry
Siblings Ethel, Helen, & Eric Thompson - neighbours
Della Mahoney* - Ethel's close friend and neighbour
Millie & Ethel Morton* - friends and neighbours
** old Mrs Draper (Hannah Bennett*) & Edith Draper**
Aunt Jennie Terry - Mary Jane Draper who married Frank Terry*
Etta Terry* - Louie and Noah's cousin
Mrs Campbell - Fred Coventry's sister Margaret who married William Campbell*?

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
Keswick - where Ethel is staying with family
Rutland - where Louie and Fred Coventry live near Kelowna
Kelowna - city in the Okanagan region of British Columbia
the Coulee - Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan
Toronto - 45 miles south of Keswick, Ontario

Word or Phrase Use:
OK
C.S. - Christian Science? (Louie was an ardent member.)

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 History Note below

Top left corner:

Monday. I was up in the bush for some wood it is lovely up there LC.

Rutland BC Mar 4th 1917

Mrs N.C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.

Dear Ethel, Mildred & J.D.-
I received your letter on
Friday and was very glad to hear from you and
know you were all well. Sorry to hear Alice had been
so sick, hope she is OK before this. How is Sadie & Cecil
are they still at Mr Prossers. Give them my love.
I guess your Mother will have her hands full with
with her Grand children. Ask her for me how she would
like to have 17 like mother has.
How does Mildred like it down there I suppose
those boys will just work her How big is J.D. now
Well Ethel the children help me busy Sara is just
a little terror climbs all over today she learned to
climb on Davids stool Mother is used to her but
I am afraid she will make Mr & Mrs Coventry fairly
crazy when they get her. We expect them any time
now. They intend to stay up here now. I hope they take a
house in Kelowna.
We named the baby James Lloyd he was two months
old today and weights 14 1/2 lbs.
Mother is just going to bed so she said to rember
her to you and that she wanted to hear more about
the children when you write - x x x from her
I was glad to hear about our old neighbors. Where is

Ethel & Helen Thompson. It hardly seems possible that Eric
is old enough to be a soldier, but times certainly flies.
How is Mrs Herb Winch and family I often think of them
Has Della any children? Do you ever see anything
of Millie & Ethel Morton. If you see Milly tell her I
would like to hear from her. It seems such a little
while since we were at school.
How is old Mrs Draper. it seemed to bad she had
to fall. Poor Edith will be left alone where will
she be staying.
Have you been over to see Aunt Jennie Terry
she must be having it hard. But I hope Etta is
home before this. Where was she staying? and did
she have any of the children with her?
It is over two weeks since we heard from the
Coulee. They were all well and everything at your
place was O.K.
Did you ever get your broach & other things?
Mother & I wrote Noah a long letter tonight. Had a
card from him last week. We sent him a box
about three weeks ago. And intend sending one
this week. Do you send him parcels? I wonder
will he ever get them.
I was to a concert in the school last Friday went
with a neighbor and left Fred home with the
children Had a good time. And found everyone
asleep when I got home. Mother went down to

Kelowna on Tuesday and came back Saturday
I started to go after her but met her coming
with Mrs Campbell.
They have come back to there ranch I am
afraid they will find it pretty cold
Mr Hardy our storekeeper says there is no
use any one telling him this is a mild
climate as he lived 27 years in Toronto and
never felt the cold so much. But I guess
it has been a hard winter all over.
Have you got your Science and Health with you?
Did you tell your Mother and Father about it?
And what do you think of C.S.
Well Ethel it is after 12. so I guess I had
better go to bed.
Tell your people I send my regards.
Kiss the children for me.
Fred joins in love to all
Write soon to Louie & Mother.

History Notes

History Note 1 -  Louie Draper and Fred Coventry

Louie is Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa who married Fred Coventry while both families lived in Saskatchewan. At the time of this letter, Louie and Fred had 3 children and would go on to have one more:
- David Ross born 1913 in Grand Coulee, SK
- Sarah Elizabeth born 1915 in Kelowna, BC
- James Lloyd born 1917 in Rutland, BC
- Beatrice Letitia born 1918 in Kelowna, BC

It was a lengthy search to discover details of her adult life, but with the help of Ethel's 'treasure box' and other surprise blessings, I finally unravelled the mystery which is detailed through these links:
- the search for Louie and Fred
- update on Louie and Fred (looks like another update is needed too)

The image at the top of this post shows Fred Coventry in 1920 surrounded by his children.

History Note 2 - Edith Draper

Edith Draper was born in Belhaven, Ontario, in 1868. She is 2nd cousin once removed to Noah. I first posted about Edith Draper back in Noah and Ethel's 1911 Courtship Letters, after Ethel wrote to Noah "Saw Edith Draper this forenoon. She is the same old girl."
And now in this letter, Louie writes, "How is old Mrs Draper. it seemed to bad she had to fall. Poor Edith will be left alone where will she be staying."

Edith Alicia Sarah Jane Draper was the youngest of 13 children born to Luther Draper (1819 - 1904) and Hannah Bennett (1823 - 1917). Twelve years separated Edith from her next older sisters, twins Martha and Margaret, born in 1856, so Edith may have stayed home and single to care for her aging parents because she was the youngest daughter and felt obligated.

By the time Noah's sister Louie wrote this letter to Ethel on Mar 4, 1917, Edith was a 49 year old spinster still caring for her mother, Hannah Bennett, in Belhaven, Ontario.

However, on July 28th of 1917, Hannah Bennett Draper died and Edith was left alone for the first time in her life except for the numerous friends and relatives she'd included in her social circle throughout the years.

The Newmarket Era dated April 18, 1919, carried this article about her:
"Miss Draper had a very successful wood bee on Friday afternoon, when a number of the young men of the vicinity cut up nearly all her wood. Some of them brought their sisters along. They spent the evening most enjoyably, but could not finish all the fine repast provided by the hostess."

The 1921 Canada Census shows Edith living alone on her family's farm near Belhaven.

And then, on Nov 6, 1926, at the age of 58, Edith Draper married William Gordon Crowder, a widower who owned the Belhaven store, although it appears he lived in nearby Baldwin. (The newspaper clipping of her happy wedding shower is on the right.)

On Nov 19, 1926, the ERA reported that: "Mrs. William Crowder is moving from Belhaven to-day to her new home at Baldwin where she and her husband will be glad to see their many friends come to patronize their general store, at Baldwin."

The following week on Nov 26, Edith's family farm, which had been passed down from Luther Draper and Hannah Bennett, was up for Tender. The newspaper clipping (on the right) stated a brick house, wood frame barn, stable and shed, situated on 50 acres in North Gwillimbury.

The same Nov 26 issue of the ERA mentioned that Crowder's store at the north end of Belhaven looked abandoned since the owner and his new partner in life have moved to Baldwin, and are wished success in their new step in life.

Sadly, William Crowder died on Sep 28, 1938 after 12 yrs of what appeared to be a happy union according to local news snippets. William's obituary stated he and Edith had moved to Ravenshoe, just south of Belhaven, in 1931 where they bought and managed that store. After his death, Edith continued to run "Mrs. Crowder's store" as well as enjoying her always-present social life.

1913: Spring Letter from Sadie Nelson

8/4/2014

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

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

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.

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.

1912: Dec 1st Letter from Ma & Sadie

7/13/2014

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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,

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

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:

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.

The 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.

1912 Harvest Photos & Noah's Sisters

6/30/2014

ca1900-1910 - The 4 daughters of David Draper & Sarah Sophia Deverell. (L to R) Sarah Louisa "Louie" (Coventry), Eva Amelia (Perrault), Ethel Maud (Rigler), and Jennie F., sitting. Photo courtesy of Jim, grandson of Sarah Louisa.

If you're wondering if you missed any posts...no, you haven't. I've been busy writing and time slipped away on me, but I haven't been idle. Besides my writing, I've been working on the family tree and making contacts with new family members. One of these is a grandson of Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Draper who is always referred to as Louie. The grandson is Jim - a 2nd cousin - and we are honored that he's made contact with us and is willing to share photos and information.

I've also been scanning old newspapers for info on Noah and Ethel and it seems our newlyweds have nested quietly. Since they both like a social life of visiting with family and friends, I'm sure they're doing it in the Adams-Grand Coulee area, but it's not making the Regina newspapers.

Interesting articles I found in the Newmarket Era included their articles on Regina's cyclone which was the subject of my post June 1912: Regina's F4 Cyclone. Here's what the Era said:

The Newmarket Era. July 5, 1912

ca 1912-1916 Noah Draper's Threshing Crew, Adams, Saskatchewan. Percy Draper far right standing on the wagon. Noah Draper 3rd from right standing on thresher behind horses. Noah really blends in with background so click to enlarge.

The Newmarket Era. September 27, 1912

I first posted the above threshing photo on 1911 Courtship: Dear Ethel Sep 3. As you can see, it took a large crew to run the threshing machine of the early 1900's.

However, I found the article on the right in the Sept 27, 1912 issue of the Newmarket Era where they talk about a new threshing machine which only requires a crew of 4 instead of the previous crew of 14 like Noah needed.

The photo below is another one from Noah & Ethel's 1910-1924 album. I believe Noah is the man on the right side of the top row. Either of the women could be Ethel, but from the photo at the top of this post, I'm thinking that Ethel is on the left. Or perhaps the women are Noah's sisters, Eva Perrault and Ethel Rigler, and our newlywed Ethel is taking the photograph with Noah's camera.

Regardless of who is in the photo, it's a 16 man threshing outfit.

ca1912-1916 Noah Draper's Threshing Outfit, Adams, Saskatchewan

This next photo looks like there are only a few men working while the thresher is in action which makes me suspect that not only is it a different year, but that Noah has bought one of the new thresher's mentioned in the above newspaper article.

ca1912-1919 Threshing on the farm of Noah & Ethel Draper, Adams, Saskatchewan.

The threshing photos on this page are courtesy of the Norma Draper Photograph Collection.

Sep 1912: Letter from George Draper

5/25/2014

The Adams, SK house that Noah Draper built for Ethel Nelson in 1911 prior to their 1912 marriage. Photos courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Photograph Collection.

The Draper's house at Adam's, SK after enclosing the veranda in screens. Noah and Ethel's album says the front windows were blown out in the 1912 Regina cyclone.

In this week's letter, Noah's cousin George Draper comments that Noah probably witnessed the Storm from his place at Adams, SK. Although Ethel didn't mention it in her post card in last week's post about the June 1912: Regina's F4 Cyclone, they may have spotted something because the distance along the track from the C.N.R. station in Regina to the siding in Adams is an official distance of 13 miles (20 km).

Author of Letter: George Draper
Dated: Sept 15th, 1912
Addressed to: Mr Noah Draper, Grand Coulee
Mailed from: Keswick (North Gwillimbury Twp, York County, Ontario)
Relationship: Paternal 1st cousin of Noah Draper
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Blue-Black ink
Written on: Textured ivory-colored notepaper 5" x 8", 2 pages written on the front only.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Noah Draper, age 23 (Newlywed, moved west in 1905)
- *Ethel Nelson, age 21 (Newlywed, moved west Feb 1912 upon her marriage)
- *Stewart Draper - George's brother near Indian Head, SK
- *Joe Perrault - married to Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia, and living near Grand Coulee
- *Will Rigler - married to Noah's sister, *Ethel Maud and living near Grand Coulee
- Aunty - Noah's mom, *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Edith & *Frank - George's sister, Edith who married Frank *Kavanagh

Places/things mentioned in this letter or in the Genealogy Notes:
- the storm - the 1912 Regina F4 cyclone I blogged about last week
- a man engaged - the hired man

Cliches/Phrases
- cuz - George signs the letter "your Cuz, Geo Draper"

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

Keswick Sept 15th 1912

Mr. Noah Draper
Grand Coulee
Dear Noah.
Pretty near time I answered
your Card July 12th. was glad to
hear from you My was'nt that
Cyclone desperate Suppose you could
see the Storm from your place. It
would certainly look fierce Stewart said
He went & saw the ruins and is
going to send me some pictures of it
I got a letter from him on the 9th Sept
has all his wheat cut & oats
without Frost or Hail pretty Lucky I hope
you escaped the same was your
crops pretty Good this year. It dont
seem long ago. since Iwas up
there with you. driveing around
through the wheat. How is Aunty

2
I hope She is well. is She liveing
with you or Ethel Rigler
we are not through Harvest yet Barley
to Draw yet & some Peas to cut. & Draw
Pretty slow In Ont, Eh. But In order to have
a crack shot He has to come from
North Gwillimbury and show Noah how to
tumble the Ducks. no doubt you have
said to your self many times | if I
could only shoot like | George Draper |
I would give a good deal | But you
may learn after a long time. of
course I showed you quite a Bit.
I am going up at the Head of the Baye
Tomorrow to shoot a few Doz Ducks
Come along Noah and I will give you
another Lesson It is raining to
Beat the Devil to Day we have had a
Desperate lot of Rain this Summer.
Come East this Winter and we will do
nothing but Fish I have a Man Engaged
for the Winter & I am going to Fish
everyDay Come along I know Ethel
would like to come Home guess Edith
& Frank are comeing for the Winter
write me Noah soon With kind Regards
to all In your Home your Cuz GeoDraper

Genealogy Notes

George Milburn Draper has been mentioned several times in Noah & Ethel's 1911 Courtship letters - most recently Feb 1912: Letter from Noah's Cousin, Edith Draper.

On Sep 23rd, 1908 George, 28 yrs old, bachelor farmer, married Eliza Alberta Hamilton, 23 yrs old, Spinster, daughter of David Hamilton & Priscilla Stevenson. George and Eliza both reside in North Gwillimbury, and both attend the Christian church.

The 1911 census finds George and Eliza living on the Draper Homestead near Keswick in the house where he'd been born, where his father Stephen Draper had been born, and where his grandfather Joel Draper Jr had worked the crown-deeded virgin uncleared land when York County was first being settled.

(Joel Draper Sr is my husband Nelson Clement Draper's 3rd great grandfather born 1789 in Boston, Mass)

1911 Canada census showing George and Eliza living on the Draper homestead along with his parents, Stephen Draper and Martha Barnhart, and his unmarried sister, Edith.

I'm not sure where George's oldest brother, Charles J, is in 1911, but he'll eventually take over the family farm while the rest of the siblings headed west, returning to Ontario to spend the winters with family and friends.

In this letter, George mentions driving through the wheat fields with Noah and although he doesn't give a date, we can surmise he's talking about the trip he took west during the summer of 1911, partly because of this clipping:

The Newmarket Era. August 18, 1911 - pg. 6

George also mentions the 1912 Regina cyclone in his letter, and how he's waiting for pictures from his brother Stewart, who's renting a farm at Indian Head, east of Regina. I don't have Stewart's photos, but if you haven't looked yet, check out last week's post for images of the ruins.

1913 finds George heading west on a business trip. Perhaps the trip was to buy land?

The Newmarket Era. October 3, 1913 - pg. 6

I only make that assumption because a mere 4 months later, George and Eliza are preparing to move to Wolfe, Saskatchewan.

The Newmarket Era. February 13, 1914

By the time the special 1916 Western Canada census rolled around, George's sister, Almeda and her husband, James Edward Baker and their 2 children, Milburn and Ruby, had joined George and Eliza on their quarter section of land at Wolfe, RM of Reford, Saskatchewan.

It isn't until 1919 where we find the first mention of a child born to George and Eliza and that's thanks again to the newspaper back in York County:

The Newmarket Era. December 12, 1919 - pg. 2

George and Eliza named their son, Ernest David and there is no record of any siblings for him. I spent hours searching for Ernest. Thanks to the Sask Genealogical Society, I found obits for an Ernest and Lillian Draper who retired from farming in the same area and moved to North Battleford. Every matched ... until I realized it couldn't be George's son because this Ernest was born in the late 1800's in Wisconsin and not 1919 in Saskatchewan. What a letdown.

George, Eliza, and Ernest show up on the 1921 Canada census and I have newspapaper clippings of them for a few years after that, but then they fall off the radar. A very brief - too brief and sketchy - description is given in the Landis Record history Book, where it shows them renting the land and moving back to Ontario until 1950, and then spending the summers at Wolfe, and the winters in York County.

There's hope though because I still have Noah's WW1 letters to post and although we know where George and Eliza are during the war, I still have several years of Ethel's diaries from the 1940-50's left to go as well as a batch of letters which I glanced at but not made notes for. Hopefully somewhere in there is a clue to their whereabouts.

Of course, if you have any information about this family - pictures would be lovely - please help us fill in the blanks:

George Milburn Draper
Eliza (Elizabeth) Alberta Hamilton
Ernest David Draper

<<Previous

WW1 Letters - Louie to Ethel Mar 9, 1917

History Notes

1913: Spring Letter from Sadie Nelson

Genealogy Notes

1912: Dec 1st Letter from Ma & Sadie

Genealogy Notes

1912 Harvest Photos & Noah's Sisters

Sep 1912: Letter from George Draper

Genealogy Notes

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