Category: Kings

1911 Courtship: July 2 Dear Noah

5/20/2013

1910 The 'Courting House' on Lake Shore Drive, Jackson's Point, York County, Ontario, Canada

For a color view of the Lake Simcoe shore with people and boats at Jackson's Point check out my post at 1911 Courtship: May 28 Dear Noah.

The date on this letter is in error. It looks like June 2, but the facts are July.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (born 31 May 1890)
Dated:  June 2, 1911 suspect July 2nd, 1911
Addressed to: Dear Noah (Mr. N. C. Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask.)
Mailed from:  Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink
Written on: Light bluey/gray, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6 inches, folded in half. The paper is folded in half with the first page on the front and last on the back, but inside, she's turned the paper and written across the short width and turned both pages into one long page. Hence this letter has only 3 pages.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Pa -  *James Henry Nelson
- Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover
- **Grandpa - Albert Rogers
- Wm Henry Rose (died July 1st, 1911)
- Orville *King - close neighbor
- Mr and Mrs John **Kellington visiting
- Mr R Davidson's - unable to find them (only know Robert Davidson, neighbor)
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- Aunt Maggie - Margaret *Barker - sister of Ethel's ma
- Lennox and his picnic at **Jackson's Point

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven. P. O.
June 2nd, 1911

Dear Noah, -
Rec'd your last letter
on Tuesday, was very glad
to know you were still
able to be around. but I
guess you would be busy
something like we are just
now. We are going to raise
our barn about next Saturday
if nothing happens. Ma & Pa
are going down to Grandpa's
barn raising tomorrow.

Well Noah I would just like to be
were it is a little cooler. The heat
to-day is some thing fierce.
Mr Wm Henry Rose was taken sick
on Thrusday night & died on Friday
night. His funeral is to day. Meet at
the Church at 2 o'clock. We are going
up to the Church & then down to Uncles
so that I could write this forenoon.
How did you get along in your baseball
game yesterday. There was nothing
doing around here, only the same old
picnic at Jackson's Point. None of us
were down.
Orville King has been here helping with
our barn. He says he is going up West
this fall if it is possible at all.
Mr & Mrs John Kellington are
here visiting & Mr R. Davidson's are
they living anywhere near you.
Sadie starts to-morrow to try her
exam's. She says you'll see if I dont teach out West

Lennox is having a picnic
at Jackson's Point on July 20th.
Have you got your Electric
batteries yet? Aunt Maggie
was saying she had rhuematism
in one of her fingers. and since
you gave her that shock she has
never been bothered with it since.
So much good you did when you
were here, "eh". I just wish it was
possible for you to be here today.
it certainly would cheer someone
up.
I guess I must close for this
time it is now just 12-o'clock
So Bye-Bye With love from your
xxxxxx all of these True Sweetheart
as you wish for. Will be looking for your letter
to-morrow night.

Say, Sadie & Christie have just been trying to
get this letter. Guess you will have quite a time
to read it. E.N.

Genealogy Notes

There are 3 Genealogy Notes in this post:

Genealogy Note #1 - Grandpa:

I had a major problem with this one because Ethel has a maternal and paternal grandfather and yet both were dead at the time of this letter, as were here great-grandfathers. So who did she call Grandpa? After many days of mulling, I was looking for the death date of Ethel's maternal grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood when I remembered that Sarah had remarried in 1896.

Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood's first marriage was to James Glover who died in 1887. He had already passed when Ethel was born in 1890, and she was 6 yrs old when her grandma Sarah married Albert Rogers. As such, Ethel would have called him Grandpa since that's who she knew him to be.

Genealogy Note #2 - John Kellington:

Until this courtship letter, I only listed one Kellington in the Draper Family Tree and that was James Wesley Kellington who married Hattie (Ida Elizabeth) Draper in 1904. According to the ancestry.com figuring, that makes Noah and Hattie 3rd cousins as their great-grandfathers were brothers.

A search then followed to find out where John Kellington fit in the family - especially since Ethel mentions R Davidson from the west in the same sentence. My research revealed that John was the father of James Wesley and according to the 1901 census they were all in the Belhaven area. Normally the next census would be in 1911, but the Canadian government took a special census in 1906 for the prairie provinces only so they could keep track of the rate of settlement in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

The special 1906 census shows John Kellington living in the Estevan area of Saskatchewan along with his wife, Charlotte Fairbarn and 3 of their children, one of which is James and his wife, Hattie who now have 2 small boys of their own.

So when Ethel says the John Kellington's are visiting, it makes me wonder if it's just John and Charlotte who came back to Ontario for a visit, or did James and Hattie as well?

Genealogy Notes #3 - The Lennox Picnic at Jackson's Point:

This was an easy one to figure out because the event is covered efficiently in The Newmarket Era in the weeks leading up to the annual North York M.P.P. picnic, whereby the M.P.P stands for Members of Provincial Parliament (Ontario).

The Newmarket Era. July 14, 1911, Pg 5

I've been able to figure out most of the wording, although I question them leaving Toronto at 7.40 pm vice am.

Conservative Pic-Nic

The annual political and social ev-
ent at Jackson's Point, called by the
name of "Herb. Lennox Picnic," is an-
nounced to take place on the 20th
inst. Particulars as follows, have
been furnished the Mail & Empire---
The great and only "Herb Lennox"
picnic will be held at Jackson's Point
on Thursday the 20th of July. A new
feature this year will be a decorated
automobile parade. It is expected
that there will be 150 take part
in the parade. The Highlander's
Band has been engaged, and also hve
other brass bands. There will be at
least three Ministers of the Crown
and ten or twelve members of Parlia-
ment present to deliver address.
Special trains will be run from the
different points and arrangements
have also been made to use excursions
by boat from Barrie, Orillia, and
Peterboro. A large sum of dollars is
being expended for prizes for athletic,
land and aquatic sports. There will
be a grand pyrotechnic display in the
evening. A special train will leave
the Union Station, Toronto, at 7.40
p. m. and returning, leave Jackson's
Point at 4 p. m.

I'll post more about the picnic in weeks to come because Ethel writes one letter on the day of the picnic and it's quite - amusing - to read about the effect it has on Sadie. :)

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1911 Courtship: May 21 Dear Noah

3/3/2013

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In this Courtship letter, Ethel mentions that her Pa will buy whatever he needs from Eatons. That's the T. Eaton Co. Ltd - a giant retail and mail order family- owned business. Eaton's had everything a person and their house and barn needed - including the house itself. Eaton's houses bought by mail order and shipped in kit form are still standing strong across the prairies 100 years after assembly.

Like this one to the right:
Henry Rockel ordered this house from the T. Eaton Co. Ltd. It was shipped on the train from Winnipeg to Lanigan. The package, including the house and building materials, was $1,509.10. A return of 20 cents a sack for unused cement was allowed.

T. Eaton Co. Ltd. House, ca. 1927, Location: R.M. of Usborne, Saskatchewan, Credits: Ruth Wildeman, Lanigan and District Heritage Assoc.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Dated:  May 21, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N. C. Draper... My Dear Noah, Grand Coulee, Sask.
Mailed from:  Belhaven, P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink
Written on: Light bluey/gray, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6 inches, folded in half. The paper is folded in half with the first page on the front and last on the back, but inside, she's written on the right side first, and then the left.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- Pa - *James Henry Nelson
- Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover
- Noah's mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell
- Herb Nelson's - Ethel's cousin Herb and his wife, Francis Jane Smith & 2 kids
- *Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva & Joseph Perrault who live nearby
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister (see photos last post)
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 11 yr old sister (see photos last post)
- Uncle John Rogers married *Victoria Maud Nelson, Ida Amelia's sister
- R Glover's - possibly Ida Amelia's family although Family Tree not advanced there yet
- *Elva - Ethel's cousin, Elva Jane and husband, Wm Mitchell
- *Crowder's
- Sam Cuthbertson's mother
- Jack Hopkins
- Mary Smith - school friend
- Martin Rose's
- Blanche Morton
- Mr. Davidson - Mr. Robert Davidson and his family have been mentioned in other posts (click on the search box to find them). At first, however, I thought he was talking about his daughter being like no other on the fifth, but upon reflection, I believe he's talking about his barn. Haha. By the Fifth, he means the Fifth Concession which was one of the major thoroughfares through North Gwillimbury.

** John Prossers - farmer and Fox Island Lighthouse Keeper (see lighthouse photo below). I'm using John Prosser as the subject of a mini-research genealogy lesson under this week's Genealogy notes.

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven, P.O.
May 21. 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, -
Well I was rather
disapointed last night. I did'nt get
a letter from you. I will be looking for
one to-morrow night.
We are having very
hot weather the last week or so.
The heat Friday & to-day is some
thing fierce. We had a very heavy
thunder storm last night about
Eleven o'clock. It struck R. Glover's
barn & burnt it. Also struck a tree in
Crowder's lane and burnt it.

I guess I would like to be the
first one to have a ride in that
newly painted buggy. We have'nt got
us one yet. Except one Mr Kings
let us have until we could get another.
Pa thinks he shall go to Eatons
to get what things he really has
to have now.
Mr. Sam Cuthbertson's mother is
buried to-day.
We hav'nt got our barn started
yet, but Pa has had extra men
on trying to get ready to start as
as soon as possible. He is going
to build a longer barn & not quite
so wide as the old one.
I am not sure but I think Jack
Hopkins will be puting it up.
Mr Davidson has his barn nearly
completed. He says there isnt a girl

on the fifth like his. Suppose Mrs
Davidson will have lots of help now.
There little boy is better now of the
pneumonia.
When does your Mother expect to
come East. Will it make any difference
in the time if you come, or not?
Oh Noah! I wish you could come, but I'll
wait and hear what you have to say.
in your next letter. for I ask your
opinion.
Herb Nelson's are just driving in
and as it is nearly dinner time I guess
I will have to say good Bye for just the
present.
Monday. Well as you say, I am back.
again. I was up to S.S. and home with
Mary Smith for tea yesterday.
Herb was telling us there were
three different barns struck by
lightning and burnt, and Martin
Rose's was struck but they got the fire out.

I think I am keeping you well posted
on the engagements. Blanche Morton
and Milton Hamilton are to be married
in June.
Hope you are not manless yet as
you say. especially if you are as busy
as pa seems to be. Uncle John Rogers
was here all last week helping him.
I think I shall go up to night and
post this. and call to see Mr John
Prossers they both are very low.
Hope Veda is successful in
having her hands doctored. and
will be able to go to college. I
suppose she is quite anxious to go.
Sadie is feeling a little discouraged
there school has'nt been graded &
now they have to take up some more
subjects. and she is afraid she wont
pass. I close now with love and
lots of xxx from, Ethel. P.S. I hope I get your letter to-night. Ethel Nelson, Christie has just brought your
letter, also one from Elva.

Genealogy Notes

Ethel mentions that she is going to visit the John Prosser's because they are low. That means they aren't in the best of health. The Prossers are neighbours, and although Ethel isn't related to any of the Prossers in 1911, she will be before the decade is out. (Hint, hint.)

I have to admit, when I first found the census record showing a John Prosser with the occupation of a Lighthouse Keeper, I sat up and took notice. After all the yeoman/farmers and labourers, it was refreshing to see something different.

John Prosser: born 14 Jul 1825 in North Gwillimbury Twp, York Co, Ontario, Canada
Father: Eld. John Prosser born 8 May 1796 in Florida, Montgomery, NY, USA
Mother: Sarah Willoughby born 9 Aug 1803 in Midland, Ontario, Canada

The first record I've found of John Prosser is in this 1851 Canada West census:

1851 Canada West census Image 35 for John Prosser, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada.

Genealogy Tip #1: To find out where your ancestor is located on the image when it first opens, look at the bottom right where I have the red arrow. That is the indication where the name you've searched will be on the page. Then, move the image up or down until you see it. Usually, the transcript (the typed lines at the bottom) will show the line numbers of the image, so #1 on the bottom - Sarah Prosser - will match #1 on the image, which it does.

Genealogy Tip #2: On the 1851 Canada West census, the transcript lines match the image HOWEVER they don't start at #1. That is why in this case, Line #1 - Sarah Prosser, is beneath Line #50 Margaret Keef in the transcript only. (Yes, I took a learning curve figuring that one out.)

Line #1 (blue) is Sarah Prosser, John's mother. She's followed by John's brother, George, and the rest of John's siblings. John is recorded on line #9 (red) - out of order if you look at their ages. Why is he down there?

Genealogy Tip #3: Subsequent censuses will have a column for 'Head of the Family'. Wherever you see the word, HEAD, that means everyone listed next will belong to that family until you see the next word, HEAD. Generally, the Head is the Father, followed by the mother, eldest child, and so on until the youngest child. Then, a new Head of a family will start.

Other choices for Head could be a Widow, Eldest Adult Child if orphans, Grandparent if custodian of grandchildren, etc. In a multi-generational family, the Head is the person who is the Head of that household, so it could be a matriarchal or patriarchal family. If the son takes over the family farm but the parents are still there, the son will be listed as the Head, and his parents listed beneath the children.

The 1851 Canada West Census is different than other years because it contains more information on the next page (Image 36), and this is where we go to find out if John lives with the rest of his family:

1851 Canada West census Image 36 for John Prosser, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario, Canada.

This image doesn't have the typed transcript at the bottom of the page, but we know that Sarah Prosser was on Line 1, and John was on Line 9:

Line 1 - Sarah Prosser and her family lived in a Frame house, 1 storey, 1 family dwelling.
Lines 2-8 are people who live with Sarah.
Line 9 - John Prosser lived in a Frame house, 2 storey, 1 family dwelling.

This 2nd page/image of the 1851 census shows Marital Status:
Line 1: Sarah Prosser was a widow (W)
Lines 2-8: John's siblings were all single (S)
Line 9: John was single (S)

Genealogy Tip #4: The letter following the line number is the Marital Status of the individual.

What we've learned from the 1851 census is that John Prosser was an enterprising young man. Although he lived next door to his family, he lived in his own house, which would have been a fine one at that time. We know this because you could generally tell the monetary worth of a man and his family by the type and size of his dwelling, and by the amount of people/families who reside in it. Census records usually indicated the type of dwelling by its construction starting with the most expensive to the least: Brick, Stone, Frame/Wood Boards, Log, or Shanty. Also, the bigger the home, the more expensive to build.

In the 1851 census, John lived alone in a 2 storey frame home.

In 1853, John married Lucretia Emes, also from North Gwillimbury, as shown on their marriage record:

1853 marriage record of John Prosser and Lucretia Emes

In the above record of John and Lucretia's marriage (1st red box) we see that they married on 25 Nov 1853, by licence, and the names of their 2 witnesses. The bottom red box shows the transcript. If you notice in the transcript, Lucretia's name is in italics. That's because it originally read 'Lucritia Ennes' and I put in an update to read 'Lucretia Emes'. Anyone looking at the record will now see both names and either confirm or dispel my update. The bottom right of the image shows the location where the marriage took place, which in this case, is North Gwillimbury.

Genealogy Tip #5: The final column, Marriage County or District, shows HOME DISTRICT. Back when Ontario (Canada West) was first settled, York (now Toronto) and York County, was considered the Home District. Ontario records which simply state Home District will mean York County.

The next time we see John and Lucretia is on the 1861 Canada West census which shows everything on a single page:

1861 Canada West census for John Prosser

This image shows John married to Lucretia with 4 children, although only 2 children show up on the official typed transcript at the bottom because it is limited to viewing 4 people at a time. Scrolling with show the rest.

The 1861 census shows marital status and dwelling along with ages and religous denominations, etc. However, we now find John and his family living in a 1 storey frame house which means it's smaller than the previous census. Is it an error? Although census records can be wrong, in this case, John has moved away from the family farm as evidenced by the other people on the lines above and below him. He may have sold his farm to a sibling, or someone else, or even is renting it out. All I know is that after marrying, John moved to a farm in the Belhaven area of North Gwillimbury where his land bordered the family farm of Noah Draper (before David Draper moved Noah's family to the North West).

Genealogy Tip #6: The 1861 and subsequent censuses recorded the age of the person. The estimated birth year (red arrow) was then filled in during the transcription process.

For the record, don't assume it's right because it's in the transcript. The 1891 Canada census is notorious for age and date errors, but they can happen anywhere. Census takers didn't always have the best handwriting and transcribers took their best guesses.

Between 1861 and 1881, John and Lucretia raised over a dozen kids on their farm, with nothing much changing except for kids leaving home and others being born. The census records continually show John's occupation as Farmer.

But things change in the 1901 census because at the age of 76 (his age, not the census estimate), John's occupation is now listed as Lighthouse Keeper - shown beside the little hand in the centre of this image:

1901 Canada census for John Prosser, wife Lucretia (Emes) and youngest child, Ida.

Since when did he become a Lighthouse Keeper? Or perhaps a better question was, is this the John Prosser I've been researching? But yes, same man, same wife, same youngest child. Birth dates as close as you can get on a census. Religion the same, location the same.

Still skeptical, I searched out the 1911 Canada census and found this:

1911 Canada census for John and Lucretia (Emes) Prosser, James Nelson's, Crowder's, and King's.

The 1911 census shows John Prosser as a Retired Farmer (red arrow). Well, at 86 yrs of age, he deserved to be retired. But look at who his neighbours are:
- James Nelson and family - that's Ethel!
- Crowder's and King's - both families regularly mentioned in Ethel's letters

This confirms that we have the right John Prosser, but where does the lighthouse keeper come in? For that, I turned to the wonderful Our Ontario website with its online newspaper collection. Being the largest town between Belhaven and Toronto, The Newmarket Era printed tidbits of information from the surrounding area. Here's what I found in my search about John Prosser and the Fox Island Lighthouse:

The Newmarket Era. February 19, 1897 - Page: 3

Fox Island Lighthouse, courtesy of www.lighthousedigest.com

The Newmarket Era. April 23, 1897 - Page: 6

The Newmarket Era. April 30, 1897 - Page: 6

The Newmarket Era. October 22, 1897 - Page: 6

On the left below is an article about an excursion on Lake Simcoe including a stop-over at Fox Island Lighthouse for Tea. It doesn't give credit to the author, but I can only imagine that the person who was so cordially received by the Lighthouse Keeper was a member of the wide-spread Prosser family, since Queensville is only a stone's throw from Belhaven. Not only that, but I'd assume it would be lonely for a father of over a dozen children to suddenly be alone.

The Newmarket Era. August 27, 1897 - Page: 7

The following news items show us John Prosser working the Fox Island Lighthouse from 1902 - 1910, except for 1909 when his son, Leslie takes over.

The Newmarket Era. April 4, 1902 - pg. 2

The Newmarket Era - Mar 7, 1902 - Pg. 7

The Newmarket Era. April 3, 1903 - Pg: 7

The Newmarket Era. March 28, 1957 - Page: 2. Under the heading, 50 YEARS AGO. (1907)

The Newmarket Era. Oct 29, 1909 - Pg: 6 (Leslie is recorded as a Blacksmith on the census records.)

The Newmarket Era. Mar 4, 1910 - Pg: 6

The Newmarket Era. May 12, 1911, p. 6 (Should be Leslie vice Lester)

The Newmarket Era. May 31, 1912 - Pg: 8

I couldn't find any further news items in The Newmarket Era mentioning the
Fox Island Lighthouse.

One further note to the story of John Prosser and Lucretia Emes... in Ethel's 1911 letter above, she's going to visit John and Lucretia because they've been 'down'.

They will recover. I know, because of this:

John Prosser died in his Belhaven home on April 30th, 1916 at the age of 91 yrs. The immediate cause of death is listed as Sclerosis of Arteries, in part due to 8 months of Senile Decay/Old Age.

Lucretia Emes died on May 9th, 1916, just 9 days later. Her death record is listed next to John's and states that she died, at 81 yrs of age, in Belhaven, after 9 days of Pneumonia.

Both John and Lucretia are buried in Queensville Cemetery, Queensville, Ontario.

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1911 Courtship: Mar 19 Dear Noah

10/8/2012

4 Comments

I find that as each week passes and Noah and Ethel mention more people, I find myself with a growing list of people to research. Who are friends, and who are relatives? Who do I give details on, and who do I merely mention? I'd love to research them all, but unfortunately, time restraints won't allow that.

And then I find a letter like this one when Ethel turns her thoughts inward and reveals how she's really dealing with this courtship year.

Our last 1911 Courtship letter was Mar 14, Dear Ethel. If you've missed some of the courtship letters, click here for a list of links.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Dated: March 19th, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N. C Draper, Grand Coulee
Mailed from: Belhaven
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer's Daughter

Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink,
Written on: Slightly thick, textured linen-like paper,
9 inches x 6.5 inches. Ethel has written page 1 and 4 as covers, but inside,
pages 2 and 3 are written together as one long page.

People mentioned in this letter:

- the Kings including Orville - neighbours of Ethel's family
- the Crowders - neighbours of Ethel's family
- Professor Dales*
- School Teacher, Miss McClure
- Mrs. Dafoe*
- Pollacks
* see Genealogy notes at bottom of post

Famous quote: "Time flies"

Belhaven, Mar 19, 1911

Mr N.C. Draper,
        Grand Coulee,
My Dear Noah, -
                           Well here I am again
with some more of my scribbling.
and I was disapointed last night
for I missed your letter last
week. And I wonder why it failed
to get here? I will look for two this week.
                                We were up to
Sunday School this afternoon, and
Kings came home with us for tea.
We were to go to Church but it
was snowing to hard. And my
Ma said I had better stay at home.
Oh say; I have a dreadful cold in
           my head.

We rang Crowder's up and they were
telling us, Professor Dales preached
and our School Teacher, Miss McClure
gave a solo. Orville King plays his
violin in the Sunday School now. He
says we've got to make the music go
now.
         Mrs Dafoe died last Monday
at 12 o'clock. and buried on Thrusday.
Will Dafoe came down from Swift
Current, but he did not get here until
the next morning after the funeral.
          Well it seems to me the past
week has been a very lonesome one,
I don't know but I guess I must be
foolish, for I get so lonesome I hardly
know what to do to pass the time.
          People say, Time flies.
but I don't think it is fling any
to fast to suit me at the present
time. I don't know what you think
about it.

The clock has just struck
eleven, and everyone is asleep
but me. I guess. So I think
you would be saying you had
better say your prayers and
go to bed.
There has been quite a few
from around here start for the
West this spring. I think Pollocks
went last week. Saw a man
from the west. and oh the
wiskers he had. He said it was
cold up there, so he grew them
to help keep his face warm.
What about it, Eh. Well Noah. I
close my scribble for this time
and hope to hear from you.
Soon. Hope all are well. From
One who loves you. Ethel.
X X X x & lots more.

That point about growing the whiskers to keep your face warm is a fact. One of the worst things you can do in sub-zero temperatures is shave and then go outside while your face is raw. It'll sting and hurt for sure. This photo isn't even old enough to be called vintage, but it's right on topic as it shows my husband, Nelson Draper, when he was in the Canadian military and serving at Alert, which is the closest inhabited site to the North Pole. The CAF doesn't allow beards unless you're in the Navy or you have doctor's chit for a medical condition, but men in remote northern stations are allowed to grow one if they wise. Nelson served there for 4 long months and when he came home, his beard was three times as bushy as this:

Nelson Clement Draper, grandson of Noah Draper and Ethel Nelson, 1987, Canadian Forces Station Alert, Northwest Territories (now known as Nunavet).

Genealogy Notes

Back to the courtship letters of Nelson's Grandpa Noah and Grandma Ethel...

This week while looking for one of Ethel's mentions, Professor Dales, I stumbled upon the website of http://news.ourontario.ca/newmarket/ which lists newspapers of the Belhaven area. I couldn't resist and brought up the issue that carried the same date as this courtship letter of Ethel's. Although it's digitized, the newspaper is difficult to read in the bottom left of every page which happens to be where the Belhaven news is, so like the letters, I'll post the image then transcribe the words except this time, I'm skipping the hyphenated words.

The first column talks about something Ethel and Noah have mentioned a couple times - that of her Pa selling their farm. That's when I knew this was the perfect type of newspaper to get all the information I've been searching.

Belhaven

   It was reported that Mr. James
Nelson has sold his place. Don't
you believe it.
   The sleighing has nearly gone, we
use buggies now.
   The special meetings at Keswick
still go on. We thank Mr. McCarthy
for the good he is doing.
   Sorry to hear Mrs. Albert Dafoe
passed away on Monday, March 13.
We mourn the loss in Belhaven.

    Service was held in Belhaven on
Sunday night.   But Keswick got
the largest crowd as a very queer subject was to be discussed. Ask the men about it.
     Mrs. W. Rose is still improving.
We rejoice with her relations.
    Belhaven is looking up. Mr. Norman York is buying butter and eggs
and shipping them to Toronto.
     Mr. Ough and Mr. allison made a
flying visit to friends near Fish Market.
     Mr. Wm. Wrightman is moving to
Mr. Steve Winche's house at Belhaven.
     Mr. Wm. King is still in Toronto.

Of course, the first paragraph in the 2nd column intrigued me, especially since it was about Mr. McCarthy who was also mentioned in the right column, so I dug out Ethel's last letter and this is what she'd written:

There are special meetings being held
in the Christian Church, Keswick by an
Evangelist, Mr McCarthy. I have been up
three times and say he is a fine speaker.
Friday night his topic was Impure
Amusements. He spoke of Theatre, Dances
and card tables. His topic to-night was
"He blamed his wife for it". Wish you were
here to hear him.

And that's when it clicked in what the newspaper was talking about... "He blamed his wife for it." It must've been a fun speech if the reporter said to "Ask the men about it." Haha

On a sad note, the newspaper gave a brief mention that Mrs. Albert Dafoe died. Another issue of the newspaper mentions her son, Will, came down for the funeral. What the paper doesn't say is what Ethel says with such emotion in her letter - and the misspelling is Ethel's not mine:

Mrs Dafoe died last Monday
at 12 o'clock. and buried on Thrusday.
Will Dafoe came down from Swift
Current, but he did not get here until
the next morning after the funeral.

However, back to Professor Dales, several editions mentioned he would be conducting services in Belhaven, and one mentioned that he was from Toronto. I'm assuming his title is for theological training.

I've read some upcoming issues of the Newmarket Era and think showing the stories side-by-side with Ethel's will had a new dimension to these posts.

What do you think? Did you like when I added the newspaper clipping above?

4 Comments

1911 Courtship: July 2 Dear Noah

The date on this letter is in error. It looks like June 2, but the facts are July.

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: May 21 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Mar 19 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

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