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1913: Spring Letter from Sadie Nelson

8/4/2014

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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. 


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1911 Courtship: The 1912 Wedding

3/16/2014

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1912 Marriage Certificate image
The image on the top page of Noah Draper's and Ethel Nelson's 1912 four-page Marriage Certificate
It's finally here...

Noah's and Ethel's 1912 Wedding Day!


If you read last week's post, you know that Noah Draper is now with Ethel Nelson in the Belhaven area of York County, Ontario, and their wedding day is finally here. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate a photo of the happy event, although I was able to scan their Marriage Certificate when we visited Nelson's cousins, granddaughters of Noah and Ethel, last summer. Norma's girls are the holders of the albums and photos which I refer to as the Norma Draper Personal Photograph Collection.

Scanning the marriage certificate was very tricky though as I didn't want to disturb its 100 yr old appearance by undoing the polished twisted cotton string because I knew I'd never get it back in the same position and it would then end up looking messy. Instead, I scanned each page as best I could which means you don't get to see the ribbon running through the holes at the top, and have to trust me that it's there. The dark areas are from the scanning process due to the knotted string.

The handwriting in Noah's and Ethel's Marriage Certificate is written in black ink and it's approx 5 inches x 6.5 inches. Made of 4 vellum sheets tied together, there is a copyright notification on the bottom left cover as such:  COPYRIGHT 1898,  J. S. KENNARD. 



1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson - front cover/Page 1
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson - Page 2
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson - Page 3
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson - Page 4
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson
1912 Marriage Certificate for Noah Draper & Ethel Nelson - back of Page 4
As usual, I wanted more, and since newspaper snippets of the wedding weren't included in either Ethel's Treasure Box, nor Norma's Collection, I pulled up The Newmarket Era looking for any information about Noah and Ethel surrounding this date. As stated last week, there is no record of December 1911 issues on file, but I had hopes for January. 

Nope. There were no mention of them - or anything Belhaven - in the first 2 wks of Jan 1912. And then when I pulled up the January 19, 1912 edition, I almost cried. Instead of telling you about it, I made this collage to show you what found...
Picture
Collage of remaining pages of The Newmarket Era, January 19, 1912 edition.
And when I checked the following week's January 26 edition, there was no mention of Noah or Ethel either. But that couldn't be, could it? After all those letters and news snippets?  I needed closure!

For the lack of anything else to do, I pulled pulled up the Our Ontario News website which shows not only the Era but many more Ontario historical newspapers, and I searched for both Draper and Nelson. Two hits came up - both for the Jan 19 edition above. Ugh!

But a blink later, I realized Ethel's shower news made it through ... in the bottom right corner of Page 7:

Belhaven.
    On Sat. Jan. 6, the young ladies
of this vicinity met at the home of
Miss Ethel Nelson and gave her a
shower. We are sorry to lose Ethel
from our midst.

Picture
The Newmarket Era. Jan 19, 1912, Pg 7
Well, that was something at least. With trepidation, I checked on the next hit and this time almost cried with relief because miracle upon miracles... it was the snippet I was looking for. Now, you have to ignore the dark parts, and I've adjusted the exposure a bit, but it's quite legible considering that we have it at all.

Wedding News:
Picture
The Newmarket Era. January 19, 1912 - Page: 8
                                 BELHAVEN
Too Late for last week.
     Belhaven has now been invaded by
the prevailing North Gwilimbury
fever and has taken away one of our
bright young women.     Miss Ethel
Nelson who on Wednesday, Jan. 10th,
at the home of her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. James Nelson, was married to
Mr. Noah C. Draper.     The wedding
was a very quiet one, the ceremony
being performed by Rev. W. P. Flet-
cher, Keswick.    The bride was mar-
ried in her travelling dress, and the
young couple left after the wedding
dinner for Huntsville and other plac-
es.    They expect to return to Bel-
haven to say good-bye to their friends
before leaving for their new Western
home at Grand Coulee, Sask.    The
bride will be very much missed by
her many friends and the workers in
the Belhaven Sunday School.


Although we don't have a record of Noah and Ethel's gifts, I found some gift tags in Ethel's Treasure Box amongst a couple Congratulatory letters which I'll be posting in the coming weeks. 

This 1st one is from Alice Winch, a Belhaven friend of the family.
Alice has written in black ink on a beige manilla card, blank on the back.

To Ethel
                  With Best Wishes for
a very Happy Life.
                               Alice Winch

Jan. 6th 1912.




Picture

This card is from close neighbor Cecil Daniel Prosser who has been spoken of often this past year and will marry Sadie in 1915. Cecil has used black ink on a card that is similar in thickness to the letters Noah has sent Ethel. From the 2 holes above the word, YOU, I suspect this card may have been pinned to a package or bouquet.

Picture
 With All Good Wishes
        for You    a
              Happy Future
                      Sincerely C.D.P.
Cecil Prosser.   

Florence Sweet is the 15 yr old daughter of neighbors Willson Sweet and Susannah Thompson, the oldest of their 8 children. Florence has written in black ink on a cream colored piece of lined foolscap, newsprint weight. It is 5 inches wide and has a watermark with 'Vic' before it runs off the right edge.
To Ethel with Best Wishes
From       Florence Sweet.
Picture

This last one is a bit over 3 in x 5 in unfolded and consists of some type of slippery paper reminiscent of parchment. It's blank on the back and without a name so we don't know who gave the gift, but it must have meant something for Ethel to have kept it. My guess is that it came from a box of candy or chocolates - from Noah perhaps?
Picture

As for the house Noah spent the summer building for them... here's one of the best views because it shows the depth of the house. It's also  the only photo of the house before the porch was damaged and subsequently changed after the Summer of 1912 Cyclone hit the Regina area.  More of the cyclone in a couple weeks. 

Picture
The house Noah Draper built for Ethel Nelson in 1911 at Adams, SK. Courtesty of the Norma Draper Personal Photograph Collection.
The photo looks neglected because of the ripped corner and edges, but most of the ones I've found in this condition were once glued in those old photograph albums with the black pages. When the owner wanted to remove the photo to either put it in a frame or give it to someone, etc, it was physically pried from the page with dire results. 

With this photo of Noah's house, I didn't want to cut the damaged portion off because a good part of the house - and porch detail - would have been lost in the process. 

Doesn't this remind you of the problem we're having with those magnetic photo albums of the 70's and 80's? The glue at the back is ruining the photos, but ripping them out is sometimes doing more damage than leaving them in. I'm so glad I saved all my negatives, especially since Nelson bought a negative reader to turn all our photos into digital images. 

Well, that's it for this special wedding post. Noah and Ethel are on their way to Huntsville for a honeymoon. January in cottage country? Well, they'll certainly have privacy and solitude. I daresay they'll have to cozy up to each other for warmth, too. Ha!

Next week we'll keep the celebration going with a letter from Veda Perrault asking Uncle Noah how it all came off. 


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1911 Courtship: Nov 26 Dear Noah

3/2/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brandon College, Brandon, Man, 1910. Courtesty of http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/postcards.html
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Nov 26 inst. 1911  (inst. = Latin meaning this month)
Addressed to: Dear Noah
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, P.O. 
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter  
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink 
Written on:  Beige lined foolscap, newsprint quality, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form with only page 2 numbered. It seems that Ethel has run out of quality notepaper - a common gift of the Edwardian period. A good thing Christmas is only 4 weeks away.  


People mentioned in this letter or Genealogy Notes


Pa - *James H Nelson
Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover
*Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
Uncle Will *Glover's - Ida's older brother living in East Gwillimbury
Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva Amelia and Joseph Perrault
Mr. *Dafoe - resident of Belhaven until widowed in Mar 1911
Herbie Hainer - a member of the Hainer preaching dynasty from Newmarket


Places/things mentioned in this letter:
*West
the office - Belhaven post office
*Newmarket
*Brandon
Christmas

Cliches mentioned in this letter:
- "Hot time in the old town"
- "they say no news is good news"
- "better late than never"

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 26 inst. 1911.
Dear Noah, -
                         Well here I am again. the
same old story 'eh' but thank goodness
I'll only be found or have the same
privelege of writing to you two or
three more times. Something better
to take its place, 'eh' better than a 
dozen letters. Four weeks from to-day
is Christmas Sunday. I look forward
to see you by that time anyway. and
I don't in the least expect to be
dissapointed. But if I am. Oh say!
I don't know what will happen: have you 
any ideas? Hot-time in the old town, eh.

Picture
2.
Well Noah. I wrote the first page of this
letter this forenoon, and now am going to
try and finish it up. Pa and I were
down to Uncle Will Glovers this afternoon
and Sadie and myself were up to
church to-night. Herbie Hainer preached.
     You din'dat say how Veda was. but 
they say no news is good news. hope
so in this case anyway.
     Christie says to tell you she is sitting
here beside me seeing that I write
properly. "ha ha"
     Well Noah as to your last letter, I
hardly know how to answer it. But 
if you come Christmas and stay
until sometime in February (about the
six weeks..) I supose we had better be
made one about the middle of January.

Picture
For you intend to come home here again
after we are married before going
West don't you, Oh Noah if you were
only here we would know exactly
each others ideas. and so could arrange
things much nicer. I don't feel like
setting the day this time anyway. perhaps
when you come everything will be
made right. I feel though now as
though anytime will suit me. Ma
says we can't go away until the
very last minute. not until you think
you really have to go back. All I seem
to be looking forward to now is 
seeing you. and I hope I soon 
can close my eyes to that and see
the rest.
     Guess you will wonder why you

Picture
did'nt get a letter sooner last
week. But really it just seemed
as no one was going to the office
after I did get it wrote. But I
hope it is better late than never.
     Well there does'nt seem to be
much that I can write to-day, for
I can't seem to settle my mind on
any one thing. But I know or hope
there's a great Day coming by and
by, "eh".
     Mr Dafoe was here Saturday
he has been out west all summer
he was saying if he knew then that
I was going he would have stayed. and
so on it goes. ha ha. I guess you
know about what it tis. "eh". I must
close for this time. so Bye-Bye Love from
your Sweetheart, Ethel          x x x x 




Genealogy Notes

In this week's letter, Ethel mentions Veda once again. In the post entitled 1911 Courtship: Oct 30 Dear Noah, I showed a photo of Veda as an older adult - the only image I have of her, but this time - with only a couple courtship letters left, I wanted to know exactly where Veda was attending school back in 1911. In a recent letter, Ethel had asked Noah if Veda was taking music in Brandon, but we don't know Noah's answer because we're missing his letters - the ones that cover these last few week before he returns to Belhaven to claim his bride.

However, once again I've been going through Ethel's Treasure Box in preparation for the next stage in Noah and Ethel's life. While sorting Noah's WW1 letters from those received from friends and family I found a letter from Veda with Brandon College letterhead and her mention of Clark Hall. 

With the confirmation of where Veda was attending post-secondary school, I did some digging. For those who missed the first time I posted this map, here it is again with Brandon located in the southwestern corner of the Canadian province of Manitoba. 

Picture
Map showing places mentioned in the 1911 Courtship letters.
The image on the right is a sketch of what Brandon College looked like when it began as Prairie College in 1880. Located in Rapid City, Manitoba it was an academic school for the general public as well as a training ground for Baptist ministers. In 1890 the school had moved to the growing city of Brandon, 20 miles south of Rapid City. 

1900 saw the laying of the cornerstone of the renamed Brandon College,  a new 3 1/2 story brick and Manitoba limestone building. (see postcard above) It offered a liberal arts program with theology courses and included high school and commercial departments. 
Picture
Sketch of Prairie College. Source: Archives of Manitoba, Schools 5, Prairie Baptist College, c1884
In 1906, a school of music was added, and in 1910 Brandon College officially affiliated with McMaster University in Ontario. At first I thought Clark Hall was the actual music department of Brandon College, but the Historical Sketch page for Brandon University records that Clark Hall was first used as the women's residence of the college. 

By the time Veda started her instruction in 1911, Brandon College music graduates in voice and piano were gaining national reputation, but I haven't found a source yet for any of those graduates. Hopefully I'll discover more by the time I post her actual letter which will be in a couple week's time. Meanwhile, here's a list of courses Veda could have been taking during 1911...

Picture
Henderson's Brandon City Directory for 1911, page 22 - Brandon College. Source: Peel's Prairie Provinces from the University of Alberta
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1911 Courtship: Nov 23 Dear Noah

2/24/2014

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Picture
John Zenuk, paternal uncle of Nelson Draper, driving double-axle sleigh, Chelan, Saskatchwan
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Nov. 23rd 1911. 
Addressed to: My Dear Noah
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, P.O. 
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter  
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, blue-black ink 
Written on:  Beige lined foolscap, newsprint quality, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and pages labelled as 1, 3,2,4, however, I've posted them here in the order they are to be read.   It seems that Ethel has run out of quality stationery - a common gift of the Edwardian period, but with Christmas a month away, she may get a new supply.


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

Mother - *Ida Amelia Glover
*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
*Veda - Veda Perrault, 16 yr old daughter of  Noah's sister, Eva & Joseph Perrault
*Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
Herb *Winches - friends and neighbors
Walter *Yorke - stepson of Noah's 1st cousin 2x removed
Raymond *Yorke - son of Walter *Yorke, friend and neighbor
Squire *Yorke - Walter Yorke's son & *Hired Man of Ethel's family
**Stanley and Mae - Stanley *Mahoney & Mae Anderson
Professor *Dales - frequent fill-in preacher from Toronto 


Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- *West - Western Canadian provinces
- **sleighs, cutter, buggy
- *Brandon - community in southwestern Manitoba

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. 23.rd 1911.
My Dear Noah, --
                                Rec'd your letter all O.K. 
on Monday. I guess you will think
I am a little Slow in writing this time
but I was up to Mr Herb Winches over
Sunday and Monday so did'nt have any
chance to write sooner. So I guess you
can forgive 'eh'.
                                My gracious I'm afraid
you'll freeze to death up there if it gets
any colder. good thing you're coming
down here there'll be more chance for you
living another year or so. "ha ha"


Picture
2.
                    No! Stanley and Mae are not
married. I don't know when they are to
to be married, but I hear sometime before spring.
Again I hear Raymond Yorke has decided
not to marry but go West in the Spring with
his father. 
                        Well I amy very glad indeed to
hear you intend coming as soon as you are
for certainly it can't be to soon for me. for
I am a lonesome girl sometimes, and
often I think if I get as homesick to see the
ones at home as I do to see you now. I
might pity you, for it gives one the blues.
                    My we had a splendid Service in
Belhaven Sunday evening. Professor Dales
spoke he is a Baptist, and he certainly can
speak. What church do you attend? And
do you believe their's a Father above?
Do you believe as I do? You may think these

Picture
3.
funny questions. Noah: I will tell you
sometime why I ask them.
     When ever I meet Herb Winch if
any one else is around he ask's them
if they heard Noah Draper was to
be married, then he'll ask me if I had
heard about it, The great clown he is; 
that's all I have to say for him.
     Well four weeks from now I
Suppose you will be here and you may
depend I want be here writing letters "eh"
Something better. I'll have you
right before me giving you a good lecture
"eh" I am sure I'll enjoy it better than
any show or writing letters.
     Squire has just come in from
Belhaven. and the rest have all gone
to bed.

Picture
4.
     We are having awfully rough and
cold weather this last week or so. but
hav'nt much snow yet. Have saw one
or two sleighs out. Guess we will
have to go sleigh-riding in the buggy
for we hav'nt any cutter or sleighs yet. "ha ha"
They helped to make a fire one day. "eh"
How is Veda? hope she has improved
and was she at Brandon? Sadie was
awfully anxious to hear from her.
     When I told our folks you would be
here in three or four weeks, Christie
was right on hand and said your
mother could come, but you could'nt
What do you think about that? ha ha
You know what a time you had last
winter. You'll remember Christy
"eh" the same old tease. Space says         x x x
you'd better close for this time , 
                      so bye bye love,    Sweetheart




Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Stanley Mahoney and Mae Anderson 

While posting these letters, I tried not to post events before they happened, but in the case of Stanley and Mae, a search showed their wedding date of Jun 17, 1912, and since Noah and Ethel marry in Jan 1912, I decided to post the information in case we didn't get back to them. You can read more about Stanley and Mae on the post 1911 Courtship: Mar 26.


Genealogy Note #2 - Winter Travel Vehicles

In this letter Ethel talks about a sleigh and cutter and how they haven't a new one yet. If you recall, the Nelson's lost lots of equipment when their barn burnt down in the early summer. 

The photograph at the top of this post is of Nelson's Uncle John Zenuk up in Chelan, Saskatchewan. John still works the farm where his father homesteaded back in the 1920's although the next generation is taking over in John's retirement. His mother - Nelson's grandmother - was the first white woman in the Porcupine Plain area, a fact detailed in the local history book. 

In the last couple of years, I've published a series of Sleigh posts on my Inkwell Inspirations group blog which show the different types of winter conveyances used throughout the years. It's not a comprehensive list, but one that shows what was available:

19th Century Sleighs - a basic primer on sleighs of all kinds

19th Century Children's Sleighs - small size sleds for kids and animals 

Royal Sleighs - Rich and extravagant sleighs spanning the centuries

Historic Winter Travel: Caboose - Enclosed sleighs for passenger travel


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