Category:

1911 Courtship Letter: Oct 29 Dear Ethel

1/26/2014

c1915 - (L to R) Mrs. Walter Young, Ethel Nelson, Midge Draper (b Sep 1913). Photo back: Mrs. Walter Young. He was killed in elevator at G.C. Mom - Midge. From the Norma Draper Family Personal Collection.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: October 29/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Belhaven, Ont., Dear Ethel
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form with the unnumbered pages. However, if they were numbered, they would read 1, 3, 2, 4, but I've posted them here as if they were in order.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Mrs. W. *Young - see photo on 1911 Courtship: Oct 1 Dear Ethel
The photo at the top of this week's post is from the an album dated 1912-1924 which belonged to Noah and Ethel's daughter, Norma. It's not clear who the man in the vehicle is from the notation on the back of the photo.

Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- *Regina
- G.C. - *Grand Coulee
- Jobe's comforters - It sounds like a commercial product for a tooth ache, but I couldn't find anything other than a term for imagined pain
- Thanksgiving
- plumber
- **tin-smith
- *hired man
- threshing - see *harvest
- drawing wheat - threshing without using a threshing outfit

*Cliche/Phrase:
- Rome was not made in a day

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

Grand Coulee, Sask.
October 29/11.

Miss. E. Nelson
Belhaven, Ont.
Dear Ethel; -
Well one more week has passed
& I will be glad when seven more
has become the past instead
of the future for it seems
lonesome out here dont suppose
it is the same down there.
Well it is 12 oclock but we
did not go to church this moining
as mother has a bad cold & I
havew one of Jobe's comforters
on my cheek I tell you I am
fat. Ha. Ha.
I suppose you remember
Mrs. W. Younge she is here now
making mother a dress say she
has been away for four years &
hasnt changed a bit. I wonder

if there are many people like that.
Oh. say Ethel tomorrow is thanks-
giving I wish we could have
dinner togeather & that would
be something to be thankful
for. eh. but I look forward to the
future (to h--l with the present.)
it seems far more cheerful. say
only 7 more weeks it does'nt sound
like a long time but it seems
like it to me any way.
Well Ethel I expect the
plumber will be out here on
Tuesday & the tin-smith
Wednesday to finish up their
work then the house will be
all finished but painting
& I don't hardly think I can
get it painted this fall on
account of the bad weather
but Rome was not made in
a day was it. & I know it took
me longer than that to get an

an answer to a question I asked
a certain young lady, What do
you know a bout it. eh. dont you
think she was mean. Ha Ha.
Well I have finished drawing
wheat at last. & it took some work
but I am glad it is out now instead
of having it to draw in the winter.
Well this is another blue day did
not get your letter last week so you
see there is a reason. eh.
Say Ethel just to give you
an idea of the work going on
around these parts I will tell
you of a few of the troubles of
a farmer. to start with Icould
not get a man for a week after I
fired that man & his wife. & I have
to pay him $50 a month what do you
know about that but still some
people will say they cant get work.
Well again the threshing gang I
had here went on strike they

were geting $2 1/2 a day but wanted
$3 but I got them to stay untill they
finished my job. but I was in Regina
Friday & saw some of the men in
town they said they had been
offered $3 a day but would not
take it I know of four other
gangs that have gone on strike
and that is the way things
go.
Well I guess you will think this
is a funny letter but you know
these things do not bother me
now. as I am all through Ha. Ha
Well old girl I guess that I
will have some help next summer
all right but I certainly need
your love more than help that
is the best thing of all. Well I
guess I will have to ring off for
this time. So Bye Bye.
Love & x x x x N. C. D.

Genealogy Notes

Tin Ceiling

Noah mentions that the tinsmith will be in to finish up their work so that got me thinking about what work a 1911 tinsmith might need to do. I came up with these possibilities off the top of my head:
- stove chimney, heat registers, etc
- tin ceiling

I remember seeing my first tin ceiling in a recreated drug store with soda fountain up in Cold Lake, Alberta back in the 1980's. The ceiling reflected light from the large front windows, but it was deflected from the eye by the amazing workmanship. I found out later that tin ceilings could be made with tiles or pressed metal panels. I've been impressed with them ever since.

1912 - Interior of Hagel and Held general store, Beiseker, Alberta. Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

According to Wikipedia, tin ceilings found favour in North America as an alternate for detailed plaster work used in Europe. As rolled metal sheeting became available for pressing or stamping, residential and commercial buildings were installed with the beautiful and fireproof tin.

Music room in a private home, 1906. Interior view of a music room which features a pressed tin ceiling and two large windows. Courtesy Wikipedia.

Now I'm wondering if Noah installed a tin ceiling in the home he built for Ethel at Adams, Saskatchewan. So far, I haven't found a photo of the interior, and the house itself is long gone.

Does anyone know if there was a tin ceiling in Noah and Ethel Draper's house in Adams, near Grand Coulee, SK? Or what else a tinsmith would have been used for in 1911?

1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

1/18/2014

1897 S. S. Belhaven #4, Belhaven, Ontario, Canada. Clipping from Ethel Nelson Draper's Treasure Box. Newspaper source unknown.

I'm showing the 1897 photo of the Belhaven school because the student photo that was included with it is part of this post's Genealogy Notes below. Unfortunately, I don't have a source for this newspaper clipping and accompanying text, but it seems to have been published in 1965 - probably the Newmarket Era or Sutton Review. I'd appreciate any info on this old Belhaven School.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Oct . 22nd. Oct 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My 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. Since writing last week's post with the Genealogy Note about ink and pens, I'm wondering if Ethel is using a low-quality ink instead of a high quality one like the Stephens brand I mentioned.
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, 2, 3 with page 2 being turned and written across the short side and down the length.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Mary Smith - friend, neighbor, relative - 1911 Courtship: Oct 8 Dear Noah
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 10 yr old sister
- Jennie Draper - Noah's sister - school photo under Genealogy Note #2

- **Walter *Yorke and Squire Yorke - Genealogy Note #1
- **Walker Morton's **Genealogy Note #2
-*Mahoney girls - friends and neighbors
- **Wm Arnold - Genealogy Note #3
- Herb *Winches - neighbor and friends
- Steve Leopard (*Lepard) - many Lepards in Draper family tree
- *Manford Terry - Noah's cousin - 1911 Courtship: Sep 10 Dear Noah

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Ravenshoe - 7 km/4 ml south of Belhaven
- Aurora - 35 km/22 mls SSW of Belhaven (south of Newmarket)
- *Newmarket *Fair

- **chattel mortgage
- upset - buggy or sleigh accident (now called rollover)

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing. If you don't see a label, use the search box at the top of page.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven. P. O.
Oct 22nd. 1911

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

My Dear Noah, -
Rec'd your letter on
Saturday morning and the same
as usual was very glad indeed
to get it.
Well to-day is not as
fine a day as last Sunday was
it is windy & cooler to-day. but
not raining yet. Mary Smith & Sadie
& myself are going down to Ravenshoe
Church this afternoon. Mary says she
will be our young man to-day. So
you you may depend we are
going to have a fine driver. "ha ha"
She can't take his place. "eh".

Say, you know about what Mr Walter Yorke
is? Some man in Aurora is selling him out
to-morrow. Every thing is to be sold. even to the
place. Mr Yorke has nearly all his stock under a
chatill mortgage. Squire Yorke is hired here for a
year. he started last Monday. we like him allright
So far. but don't know how long it will last.
Mr Yorke is talking of going West in the Spring.
Do you ever see any more of Walker Morton's? We
heard that her Uncle had left. her four thousand
Dollars. if he has it certainly will help them out
Some. Christie is hear giving me a good, solid
lecture. now I think you will know how to
sympathise with me. "ha ha"
Remember the last time you were to New market
Fair. Say if we certainly was'nt a happy three.
Little I thot thought it would be one of my last
Such days with Jennie. And little I thot. "eh"
that I'd break those few words I said I'd never
do. time tells & is so un certain. This week is
the New market Fair again. I may go down
on Thrusday if nothing happens. Sadie will be
their to go with me. Mahoney girls & going also.
As to the time you had planed on staying down this
winter I guess perhaps you will know best just how
long you can. So I will try & do as you think best
for us both. You certainly ought to be the one to
know & say what you think about it. for you are
coming from your own home. and you know just how you

left things. Mr Wm Arnold was buried
on Friday. Herb Winches baby was playing
out in the back yard. & went
into a bed of ashes where Herb had a
bonfire a couple of days before. & her clothing
caught fire. & she was burned badly. but
they think she will get better. and on
Friday also Steve Leopard was working
at some bridge with Manford Terry
and a heavy timber fell on him. We
heard he could'nt get better. but we hav'nt
heard of his death yet. Friday seems to be
an very unlucky day. Say I heard yesterday
you had an upset one day last winter.
Oh, I hear lots of news now a day.
It don't bother me much though it
passes the time as you say. and
anything to do that. It must be
nearly noon now and we want to have
an early dinner for you know our young
man for to-day wont want to wait long
"ha-ha" So must say good bye for this time
write often to you old Sweetheart at Belhaven.
xxxxx
xxxxxx
xxxx
x

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Walter York and Squire York

Ethel writes... Some man in Aurora is selling him out tomorrow. Everything is to be sold. even to the place. Mr Yorke has nearly all his stock under a chatill mortgage.

I've checked different sites for the best definition of a chattel mortgage, and wikipedia has the easiest to understand:
Under a typical chattel mortgage, the purchaser borrows funds for the purchase of movable personal property (the chattel) from the lender. The lender then secures the loan with a mortgage over the chattel. Legal ownership of the chattel is transferred to the purchaser at the time of purchase, and the mortgage is removed once the loan has been repaid.

The Newmarket Era. Oct 20, 1911

That meant Walter York was in debt up to his eyeballs, so to speak.

Here's the sale listing that shows Walter York's sale on Monday, Oct 23rd. Walter lived on Conc 5, Lot 11, North Gwillimbury, just a few farms south of Ethel's family, and close to where Noah's family lived before they sold out and moved west.

Walter York has been the topic of our Genealogy Notes before when Ethel reported the death of Mrs. Walter York back in her Dear Noah letter of June 25th.

At 14 yrs of age, Squire York, born 1897, is the new hired man of Ethel's family farm. He's also the son of Walter York and Wife #1 Minnie (Mary) Pollock. But as Ethel says, if Walter decides to move West, Squire may choose to accompany his widowed and destitute father.

Genealogy Note #2 - Walker Morton's

Walker Morton and his wife Tillie (Matilda) Doane, are shown living in North Gwillimbury in 1901, then in Regina (close to Noah) in 1911, then in Hamiliton in 1921.

I suspect that their daughter, Emma Fern Morton, is the same Fern Morton who went to school with Ethel and Noah because of this photo and caption which I found in Ethel's Treasure Box. Although it came with Noah and Ethel marked, the accompanying newspaper article doesn't give a newspaper name or date other than that it's dated 1965.

1897 Belhaven School Students, Belhaven, Ontario, Canada. From Ethel Nelson Draper's personal collection. Source unknown.

As you can see above, Ethel is sitting next to Fern Morton. Also in the photo is Noah in the back right corner, and Noah's sister, Jennie, checkmarked in the row in front of Noah. (Several other names may ring a bell if you've been following these courtship letters.)

Anyway, it's Fern's mother, Tillie, who was left $4000 by her uncle - a lot of money back then when prices looked like this:
- a 3 lb tin of beans = 25 cents
- 20 lbs dark brown sugar = $ 1.00
- a roll of wallpaper =8 cents
- in 1919, a Ford Runabout cost $660.00 and a Touring car cost $690.00

But who was this mysterious uncle? I couldn't find anything relevant in the Newmarket Era, and I didn't have the Walker Morton's in our family tree. Although I had found them in the 1911 census, Tillie had too many uncles in her family to figure out which one had money, and I didn't have time for the hours of research it would take to figure out.

So I took the next step of checking out who else had the Walker Morton's in their family tree. I happened on a private Glover Family tree on the Ancestry site which was exciting because we have Glover's in our tree. I sent off a quick email to the Glover Family Tree owner explaining why I wanted to see their tree and within a day, I had received a nice email from a man named Grant who said: Matilda "Tillie" Doane had an uncle Charles Doan, who never married, and who died on September 11,1911 in East Gwillimbury, York North, Ontario, Canada.

Grant also sent an invitation to look at his tree although he confided that his Glover branch originated from the Channel Islands and settled in Welland, Ontario. I accepted his invitation and checked it over, but nothing connected them to us except for the common name. Sending out a big thank you to Grant for the privilege of allowing me to see your tree.

Genealogy Note #3 - Wm Arnold

Ethel wrote... Mr. Wm Arnold was buried on Friday. William Arnold had been sick for a long time. The Newmarket Era reported the following:

June 30, 1911 - On account of continued ill health, Wm Arnold has deemed it advisable to sell his farm and be rid of so much care. His son-in-law, Mr. Fred Thompson, is the purchaser. It is one of the most productive and valuable agricultural properties in North Gwillimbury and is in perfect condition and modern and commodious buildings. There were many desirous of securing such a paradise.
Oct 13, 1911 - Sorry to report Wm Arnold is not improving very fast.
Oct 27, 1911 - We regret to state that Mr. Wm Arnold passed away last week.

William's death was not unexpected then, but who was he? I was surprised to discover that he was part of our family tree. Using Noah as the home person in the tree, Ancestry has figured out this progression:

William Arnold (1860 - ) husband of wife of 2nd cousin:
Nellie Ellen Young (1853 - ) wife of William Arnold
*James Edward Wardell (1871 - 1852) husband of Nellie Ellen Young
Thomas Wardell (1829 - 1908) father of James Edward Wardell
Susan Draper (1808 - ) mother of Thomas Wardell
Joel Draper Sr Rev (1789 - 1856) father of Susan Draper
Joel Draper (1815 - 1897) son of Joel Draper Sr Rev
David Draper (1842 - 1909) son of Joel Draper
*Noah Clement Draper You are the son of David Draper

What it means is that James Wardell and Noah are 2nd cousins as they are both great-grandsons of Joel Draper Sr...and that William is a relative by marriage because James Wardell married Nellie who was William's widow.

1911 Courtship: Aug 28 Dear Ethel

10/21/2013

Postcard c1911 Young man harvesting with horse drawn binder and a man carrying grain stooks. Published by The Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. Courtesy of Peel Library, University of Alberta Postcard Collection.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: Aug 28/11
Addressed to: Miss E.Nelson, Belhaven, Ont., My Dearest Ethel
Mailed from: Grand Coulee, Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks grey in places and pencil-like in others.
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, written in booklet form, but Noah has written the pages in this order: 1, 3, 2, 4.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, Noah's widowed mother
- Steward - Noah's cousin, **Stewart Trueman Draper of Indian Head, Sask
- **George Draper - Stewart's brother from North Gwillimbury, Ontario
- Uncle - *Uncle Emanuel Nelson is an uncle of Ethel's Pa
- 3 men for stooking (stooks are shown in postcard above)
- well-diggers
- plasterers
- carpenters
- Regina - nearest city to Grand Coulee

Cliche/Phrasing:
"Will ring off..." - reference to new telephone system where the caller must turn the handle to sound a bell that makes a ringing sound so the Operator knows the caller is finished his call

* 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

Grand Coulee, Sask.
August. 28/11

Miss E. Nelson,
Belhaven, Ont.
My Dearest Ethel; -
Received your letter Friday
and was glad to hear you
were still able to be around.
Hope this may find you as
well as this leaves me at
present.
Well Ethel I have not started
harvest yet I got out to the
field Sat. morning when
it started to rain so had
to quit and will start again
Tuesday if nothing hapens.
George Draper is up at
Stewards now got a card from

him Sat. he is comeing up as
soon as Steward gets thro
harvest (I wish it were you)
for a hunt.
Say do you know where
all the fellows went to from
down there? I havent saw
any of them yet!
Well the well diggers are
away at last but they didnt
get water that hole turned
out to be no good but it
cost me $375. to find it out.
The plasters were here
and put on the first coat
and will be back on Wed.
to finish up. the carpenters
are here now or are supposed
to be. it will take about

2 weeks yet to finish it up.
Well Ethel I guess Mother
is going down East with me
this winter but I dont think
she will come back as soon
eh.
I am expecting the machine
agent out this afternoon to
start my binder have not
git it going yet.
Was in Regina Sat for
a piece for the binder and
stayed all night & came
back yesteraday. say I will
be glad when the harvest
is over I have 3 men for
stooking and they cant do
anything while it is wet &
I dont like them laying around.

Well I hope your Uncle is better
by this time, sickness is an
awful thing. There is quite
a few sick around here now.
Say there is over 500 men
in Regina waiting for harvest
some of them have been
here 3 weeks I guess they must
be tired of it by this time.
for I know how it goes only
I am waiting for something
else. eh. & it cant come to
soon for it seems lonesome
out here now. far more so
than before last winter.
Well dear I guess this is
about all for this time
so I will ring off. so Bye Bye.
Write long letters to your lazy
lover. N.C.D xxxxxxxxxx

Genealogy Notes

In this week's letter Noah mentions that George Draper is at Steward's place. Noah is talking about his 1st cousin, Stewart Truman Draper who farms in the Indian Head area east of Regina, and Stewart's brother, George, who lives in North Gwillimbury Township - the same township where Ethel lives.

Stewart brought his immediate family west, leaving the rest of them in North Gwillimbury. When Noah says that George is now out west with Stewart, I wanted to know if George had also brought his family out west.

George Milburn Draper was born on 28 August 1880, 4 yrs after Stewart's birth, which makes George 31 yrs old at the time Noah wrote this letter.

In 1908, George married Eliza Alberta Hamilton whom I suspected was a sister of Stewart's wife, Bertha Hamilton. When I couldn't find evidence of that relationship, I went back a generation to see if the wives were cousins. I couldn't find a relationship there, either. However, I noticed that Bertha's father, Robert Hamilton, and Eliza Alberta's father, David Hamilton, were born 5 years apart in Nova Scotia. That was too much of a coincidence not to investigate.

I found an 1861 Canada West census with a Hamilton family that looked similar to the one I was seeking. At that time, Canada West was Ontario as the real west was under exploration and still run by the Hudson's Bay Company.

1861 Canada census showing George Hamilton and Jane Patchell and their 5 children, 4 of whom were born in Nova Scotia with the youngest, John (from Image 1214) being born in Canada West/Ontario.

I realized I'd found the right family when the census jived with the following information I'd already collected:

Eliza's Father: David
David's Birth Place:
David's Father: George
David's Mother: Jane

Bertha's Father: Robert
Robert's Birth Place:
Robert's Father: Unknown

My records

David b 1845
Nova Scotia
George b 1801
Jane b 1807

Robert b 1840
Nova Scotia

1861 CW census

David b 1845
Nova Scotia
George b 1800
Jane b 1802

Robert: b 1840
Nova Scotia

The above chart has enough compelling evidence to show me that David and Robert are brothers, that their father is George Hamilton b 1800 in Ireland, and their mother was Jane (Patchell) also born in Ireland. I'd like to add that I clicked over to the next census image/page to see if there were any other family members and there was - the youngest in the family - John Hamilton, whom I added to the above screenshot, was born in 1847, 2 yrs after David.

I now knew that Bertha and Eliza were Hamilton cousins who married two brothers, Stewart and George Draper. It also meant that I now had a whole lot more people to add to the family tree when you include all the brothers and sisters as well as 200 yrs of descendants. Plus, I can research the Irish records with the names George Hamilton and Jane Patchell.

Getting back to George and Eliza, although I couldn't find a newspaper snippet, their marriage record shows they were married 23 Sep 1908 in North Gwillimbury.

The 1911 Canada census finds the couple living next door to his parents, Stephen Draper and Martha Barnhart, and his sister Edith, all whom we've met before in the Genealogy notes of 1911 Courtship May 7.

1911 Canada Census showing Stephen Draper and his wife, Martha Barnhart, and daughter, Edith, followed by son George, and his wife, Eliza Hamilton. (The transcription only shows four names at a time)

According to this 1911 census, George and Eliza don't have any children. Although one other Ancestry.com family tree shows George and Eliza with a girl born in 1911, my search of the newspapers and records, including the 1916 census record, didn't produce any mention of live or still births until 1921 when a little one-year-old boy appears with them.

So to answer my question if George went west alone, I found these snippets. The first one mentions that George, or Geo. as they call him in short form, is leaving for the west, and the 2nd one states that Geo. Draper has left Keswick for the west.

The Newmarket Era. August 11, 1911

The Newmarket Era. August 18, 1911

Since Aug 1911 had a huge demand for harvest workers, I can only assume that the above mentioned men have gone west to find work and perhaps have a look-see around while they're there. And where else would George go but to help out his brother, Stewart.

I'm looking forward to Noah's letter where he next mentions cousin George so we can perhaps learn what he thinks of the new Canada West.

1911 Courtship: Aug 13 Dear Ethel

9/30/2013

1911 Regina street scene on a postcard published by Valentine & Sons. The opening day of the Dominion Fair on July 28th, 1911 was the inaugural run of the Regina streetcar system. Courtesy of http://peel.library.ualberta.ca

Peel's Prairie Postcard Collection describes the above postcard as "Corner of 11th Avenue and Scarth Street with Post Office (later Old City Hall) on left, Imperial Bank of Canada on left foreground. A streetcar is visible in the road."

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: Aug 11/11, but has been overwritten to show 13/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed to: Huntsville, Ont
Mailed from: Grand Coulee. Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Black ink pen
Writing Paper: Thick paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across the short width and down both pages.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:

- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell
- Joe's - Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia, and her husband, *Joe Perrault and family
- *Fanny - Niece of Joe Perrault

- my man *hired man
- well diggers - they are on the 3rd well site as the first 2 were dry

- the big Regina fair *Exhibition
- the coulee - *Grand Coulee
- 6 30 train - to *Regina
- **harvest
- **hail - see a recent video of hail in our yard

* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.
**More info under Genealogical Notes below this week's letter

Grand Coulee, Sask.
Aug. 13/11.

Miss. E. Nelson,
Huntsville, Ont.
My. Dear Ethel; -
Well this is the end of a
nother week also the end
of the big Regina fair. was
in 3 days. had Fanny in on
Wed. had a big time but she
was not feeling very well don't
know how she is now havent
seen her. but I guess she
is alive. ha.ha.
Well I hope you feel as
well as this leaves me at
present only I am so lazy
I hate to get up for meals.
Ha. Ha.

Well I am all alone to day. Mother
went down to church and stayed
down and I am to go down tonight
after her but I am getting used to being
alone. for Thursday morning Mother
took my man down to the coulee
in time to catch the 6 30 am train
and came back Friday after noon
then I went down and met him
Friday night. Saturaday morning
when I got up he was out at the wagon
fooling with a blanket and & I went
in and built a fire & went out &
he had dissappeared and I havent
saw him since. but his clothes
are all here i guess he got dry and
went back to town. Ha. Ha.
Well we are having nice weather
here now to make up for the summer
I guess. will be starting harvest
week after next I guess and every
thing looks fine now if it dont get
frozen or hailed.
Well it is now Monday after-noon
just as I finished the other line along
come 3 fellows so I did'nt finish my
letter.
Went down after mother last
night & while there it hailed &
rained but the hail did not do

much damage. Mother & I went
over to Joes to wait untill
the storm was over & about
9 oclock we struck for home
and just got about half
way when it started to
pour. say I felt just as if
I had sat down in a
tub. Ha Ha. Mother got
wet to but not as much
as I did.
Well the well diggers
are still here but I hope
they will have water before
long I am getting tired of them.
Well. I guess this is all for
this time so good Bye. With
Lots of Love & a great big hug. xxx
And half a million kisses. xxxx
N.C.D.

Genealogy Notes

In this week's letter, Noah writes that the weather is finally nice and the crop will be ready for harvesting in the week after next. Of course, weather plays a big part in the timing of the harvest and there's always the threat of hail.

Hail can best be explained as chunks of ice, from tiny to golf-ball size or bigger, that fall in the summer when the weather is hot. You can have a perfectly wonderful day and suddenly, the sky will cloud over and you hear pinging as the hail bounces off of any exposed metal and plastic. It could be devastating to a gardener whose perfect tomatoes are bombarded, an orchardist whose fruit is pitted, and a farmer whose crop is flattened. One farmer might have a field of grain plastered to the ground, while in the next field, another farmer's crop is stil standing straight and waving as if in defiance of the weather.

The following video was taken this past July when a pebble-sized hail fell in our farmyard.

Before an hour or so had passed, the farmer who rents our land zipped down our road on his quad as he checked all his fields for damage. He was blessed because he didn't find any damage to speak of.

And if it wasn't hail, it was frost. But the harvest of 1911 had other problems because this new bread-basket of Canada had potentially the biggest crop ever. And now men were needed to get the grain off the land - hand labor for the most part. Because the western harvest was being been predicted as HUGE, the shortage of manpower had everyone scrambling, as can be attested by these newspaper snippets and ads...

The Newmarket Era. July 28, 1911, Pg 1

Like I said, the Canadian government had this huge harvest and they plastered the eastern newspapers with their ads. These ads are from just one newspaper - the Newmarket Era in York County, Ontario - and at a glance you see the cry for harvesters are listed on 4 different pages. Similar ads were carried for both the Canadian Northern Railway (CNR) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The CNR on the right, however reads: Where the best crops are, the best wages are paid.

And this:

IMPORTANT - To reach Canadian Northern points it will be necessary to travel by Canadian Pacific Railway to Winnipeg.

Now that's interesting. So is the fact that the CPR is giving a discount for the ride home on a FARM LABORER TRAIN if the laborer can prove he worked 30 days or more in the west.

How many papers carried these ads? Take a wild guess and you begin to feel the magnitude and urgency the Canadians felt at getting the harvest off the ground.

But what happens when 50,000 men reach the west and the crops aren't ready? Keep reading...

The Newmarket Era. July 28, 1911, Pg 3

The Newmarket Era. July 28, 1911, Pg 7

The Newmarket Era. July 28, 1911, Pg 6

The Morning Leader (Regina), Aug 7, 1911, Page 8 of 18

The Morning Leader (Regina), Aug 9, 1911, Page 9 of 28

It must have been mayhem in the west at that time. Thousands of strange men walking the streets just waiting for the crops to ripen. Where did they sleep and eat? They went west to work, not to sleep in hotel rooms while sitting idle.

And yet, they weren't going to leave the populated areas and head out to the farms where they were needed until they were needed.

All anyone could do was wait for the crops to ripen and pray the weather stayed nice. What a stressful time.

1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Ethel

8/25/2013

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

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

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

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

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: July 30/11
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dearest Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed to: Huntsville, Ont
Mailed from: Grand Coulee. Sask.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Black ink pen which lightens as he writes, until he dips it in the ink pot.
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across the wide width of both pages.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:

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

*baseball
*Belle Plaine

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

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

Grand Coulee. Sask.
July 30/11.

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

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

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

Genealogy Notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<<Previous

Forward>>

1911 Courtship Letter: Oct 29 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Aug 28 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Aug 13 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: July 30 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories