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1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 14 from Iowa

7/28/2013

Map showing migration of Henry Nelson and Eliza Crouch Nelson and their family from York County in Ontario to Atkins, Iowa. (brown line)

The Courtship Letter Special: July 20 From Ma & Sadie mentions this Iowa letter from Ethel's paternal grandma, Eliza Crouch...

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

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

People/places mentioned in this letter:

Eliza Crouch Nelson ca. 1890 (1840-1919)

- Son and doter
- Jimmey

Ethel's parents:
*James Henry Nelson and
*Ida Amelia Glover

James Henry Nelson (1864-1953) ca. 1905

Ida Amelia Glover (1874-1953) ca. 1905

- George - **George Caleb Nelson, James's brother
- Alice - Eliza Alice Nelson Wer, James's sister in California

- Annie - Eliza Ann Nelson, James's sister

Eliza Alice Nelson Wear (1869-1946)

- Mammey - Mamie E Fritz, wife of Emanuel

- Emanuell - Emanuel Francis Nelson, James's brother

Mamie E Fritz Nelson (1881-1916) ca. 1905

Emanuel Francis Nelson (1876 - unk ) ca. 1905

- Annie - Eliza Ann Nelson, James's sister

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

Eliza Ann Nelson (1872-1946) ca. 1917

Willis A Crouch (1862-1946) ca. 1917

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

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

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

Phrase/Cliche: "prettey sick"

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

Julie 14 19011

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

2

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

3

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

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

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

5

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

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Henry Nelson and Eliza Crouch

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

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

Henry Nelson (1835-1900) and Eliza Crouch (1840-1919). Photo taken about 1890, Iowa, USA.

Henry Nelson - b 3 Mar 1835 in England married Eliza Crouch - b 16 Apr 1840 in England on 5 Oct 1857 in Ontario, Canada

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

We've been above to correlate that Henry and Eliza had the following children born in East Gwillimbury, York County, Ontario, although several of them died here:

Born in Canada

- George Caleb b 1857
- John Thomas b 1860
- Mary Pricilla b 1863
- James Henry b 1864 - Ethel's father
- Elizabeth Jane b 1866
- Unnamed Nelson b 1868
- Eliza Alice b 1869
- Eliza Ann (twin of Edwin) b 1872
- Edwin (twin of Eliza Ann) b 1872
- Jemima Isabelle b 1874
- Emanuel (Manuel) Francis b 1876
- Rosetta b 1878
- Mariah Victoria b 1880
- Fannie Louisa b 1882

Died in Canada

- born and died in Oct 1868

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

- died in 1891 - 10 yrs old
- died 1884 - 17 months old

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

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

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

Genealogy Note #2 - George Caleb Nelson

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

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

By the time 1911 rolled around and Eliza wrote her letter, George was on his 3rd wife with a 9 yr old and 3 yr old still at home. And then Mary dies a month after giving birth in 1913. So yes, George is busy with children and wives, but that shouldn't stop him from writing to his mother.

But perhaps this is the reason... when George marries Mary Ellen Traviss, he makes an X in place of his signature.
In other words, he can't sign his name.

Mark of X for George Nelson

Wife #3, Mary, could have written Eliza in 1911, but perhaps she didn't want to or perhaps she was too sick. She signed the marriage certificate, so we know she was able to write, but I guess we'll never know why she didn't.

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

Courtship Letter Special: July 15 From Elva Mitchell

6/18/2013

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada, looking North, ca 1909. Courtesy of the SCAA Virtual Exhibits Mainstreet Images. http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/mainstreet/main.html

Sorry about last week's missing letter. I've decided to put Eliza Crouch Nelson's letter aside for now and I've posted an explanation as **Genealogy Notes #4 below as to why.

This week's letter is another special one - this time by Elva Jane Mitchell, cousin to Ethel since their mothers are sisters.

Author of Letter: Elva Mitchell, age 24 (Ethel's cousin)
Dated: July 15, 1911
Addressed to: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Mailed from: Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Relationship:  1st cousins (mothers are sisters)
Profession:  Farm worker's wife
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Blue ink
Written on: Cream-colored, slightly thick, unlined writing paper, 5 inches x 8 inches. This letter seems straightforward with page 1, 2 and 3, however it's not quite that cut-and-dry. At the top of page 3, Elva has written, "3. the first one" although I don't know what that's about.

People/Places mentioned in on Page 1, 2 and 3 of this letter:

- *Elva - Elva Jane Nelson and husband, Will Mitchell
- Mrs Draper (pg 1) - *Bertha Hamilton, wife of *Stewart Draper, of Indian Head
- Norma - **Norma Draper, 7 yr old daughter of Bertha and Stewart
- *Lennox's Picnic - see the Genealogy note on July 2 Dear Noah
- Roy Cowieson and wife (Roy's wife, Lavina, is the daughter of William Rye and Hartie Draper - 2nd cousin to Noah)
- Ernie Glover - Ethel's 1st cousin (Ethel's mom, Ida, is sister to Ernie's dad, William)
- Jim Philps/Phillips (Ernie eventually married a Phillips)
- Ethel's Aunt Mary - Mary Ann *Glover, sister of Ida, and wife of William *Linstead of Sintaluta, Sask (about 10 miles from Indian Head)
- Mrs Draper (pg 2) - Noah's mom, *Sarah Sophia Deverell, in Grand Coulee, Sask
- Uncle Jim - *James Nelson, Ethel's dad
- Fathers - **George Caleb Nelson (Elva's father who was on his 3rd wife in 1911)
- Uncle - possible Emanuel since he was very sick in an earlier letter
- Miss Hunt - still haven't discovered the identity of this gentle spinster

- *Indian Head, Saskatchewan - 1 town (about 10 miles) west of Sintaluta on Hwy #1
-  Sintaluta, Saskatchewan - 34 miles north of our farm

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

Indian Head July the 15.1911

Miss Ethel Nelson.
Belhaven.
My. Dear. Cousin.
Received your welcome
letter a short time ago we are well
hope this to find you folks all the
same. Ethel this is Saturday
afternoon well Ethel this is Saturday
but a week later. it is Just a lovely
day. Mr's Draper is getting supper.
she came home on Wednesday.
morning she has been away for
6 weeks up to the home stead
Norma and I are going to town
to night Mrs Draper Just has
2 children the same two
that she had down East.
But they are big youngester's now

2.
Well have you folks got the Barn
raised yet. I suppose you will be
going to Lennox's Picnic I was there
last year but I guess I will
not be there this year. Roy
Cowieson and wife just live about
3 or 4 mile from here. I was to see
them a few sundays ago.
Ernie Glover is working for Jim
Philps. I think perhaps that
Will and I will go over to Philps
tomorrow. Ethel I have not
been over to see your Aunt Mary
yet but will go. some of these
days. we only live about 4 mile
from the head. go in quiet
often. I have not been up to
see Mr's Draper. is she down
East yet. Well Ethel when you
come west don't for get to come

3. the first one

and see me.
tell Uncle Jim he had better
come up West there is lots of
money up here. people I think
can do a lot better up here.
Well Ethel I can not think of much
to write this time do you ever see
any thing of Fathers. and is Uncle better
now. is Miss Hunt married yet. and
does Benie still go to see her.
Well Bye Bye with Love to all.
hope to here from you soon
Elva Mitchell
Indian Head.
Box 142, Sask.

P.S. Please Ethel do not forgot to
put the number of the Box
142, as you other one ws in the
office for nearly 3 weeks.

Genealogy Notes

There are 4 Genealogy Notes this week.

Genealogy Note #1 - Elva Nelson and William Mitchell

Elva Jane Nelson married William Mitchell in 1907 and sometime after they headed west. In Noah's letter of May 1 Dear Ethel, he writes, "So you did not know Elva & Will were in the West. yes they are working for Steward this summer."

Since 1911 was a census year in Canada, I thought it would be easy to confirm the above fact. Nope. I couldn't find them anywhere. Not in the East. And not in the West. Elva is the sister of Leslie Nelson, the missing cousin, also spoken of in the May 1st letter.

And then I couldn't find several of the names Elva mentioned in the 1911 census - people who were all living around the Indian Head area. (see the map) But a quick look at the census revealed an inky mess and it's a wonder anyone was able to transcribe it at all. What I had to do was find the record in Qu'Appelle's subdistrict #20 and go along page by page. That's what I did and I was on pg 13 of 28 when I found this gem:

1911 Canadian Census for William and Elva Mitchell

Whoever took down this census had the worst pen and very rough handwriting. I've highlighted 4 names in the top half of this image:
- Rigler, Joseph (Joseph Walker Rigler)
- Mitchell, William (Elva's husband)
- " , Alva (should be Elva)
- Linstead, Norman (Aunt Mary's boy from Sintaluta)

The problem is that whoever transcribed the image couldn't read the handwriting and so the 4 names were typed as follows (lower red box):
- Royles, Joseph
- Midahild, William
- Midahild, Alva
- Lumhead, Normon

No wonder the search engine didn't pick them up. One or two letters off would have been okay, but with these errors, the names would have been at the end of thousands of records if I went by search alone. So in this case, knowing the small area to be covered and the small population of it, bypassing the search engine and checking each page was the most efficient way to get a result. Actually, I'm just thrilled I found them!

This presented another problem since, as I said above, Elva and Mitchell are working for Stewart for the summer. If so, why are they listed under Joseph Rigler who happens to be the brother of Will Rigler, husband of Noah's sister? It seems that the 4th person mentioned in this record is 5 yr old Norman Linstead - son of William Linstead and Mary Ann Glover of Sintaluta - yes, the same as in the letter. (And yes, that makes 3 Williams in the same paragraph.)

Since Will Mitchell is listed as a laborer and not a lodger of Walker's, does that mean he's working for both Walker and Stewart? Perhaps they're next door?

I'm not sure how little Norman fits into this if the census was recorded on June 1st and Elva's letter is July 15th, yet Elva hasn't been over to visit her Aunt Mary in Sintaluta yet. But perhaps Norman was only visiting Walker during the census taking period.

When Elva says on Page 1, "Norma and I are going to town to night Mrs Draper Just has 2 children the same two that she had down East" I assumed she meant Norman but left off the N. But no, Bertha and Stewart have 2 children: Norma (b1904) and Lennox (b1906) - both born back in Belhaven before the family moved west. So Norma is with Elva yet I don't know if she's only visiting or if Elva's job is babysitting/child care for Bertha during the day so Bertha can take care of the men.

Genealogy Note 2 - Elva's father, George Caleb Nelson

One more thing about Elva... she's the daughter of George Caleb Nelson which means her grandmother is Eliza Crouch Nelson of last week's missing letter. In this week's letter, she asks Ethel, "do you ever see any thing of Fathers"?

I'm not sure why she added the s at the end of fathers, but here's the story of George Caleb Nelson:
#1 - Hannah Victoria Lantham died in Jun 1894 - mother of 5 kids including Elva
#2 - married Emma Lantham April 1895 - (Hannah's sister) Emma died Aug 1896
#3 - married Mary Tryphena Smith Jan 1897 - she died Aug 1913
#4 - maried Mary Ellen Traviss Aug 1914 - she died May 1922
George Caleb Nelson died in 1936 having outlived his 4th and last wife. His 5 children were all from Hannah.

Perhaps with his record, she was ready for bad news at any moment.

Genealogy Note 3 - Ernie Glover

As for Ernie Glover, I found him on 2 different 1911 Canadian census records. At first I thought perhaps the censuses were recorded with a few months between them which would give Ernie time to move west, but they're both dated June 1st, 1911. Take a look at this first one:

1911 Canada Census for Ernie/Ernest Glover living in Saskatchewan

As mentioned earlier, Ernie is found at the farm of Jim Phillips. In the upper image, he's the last one in the red box, and in the bottom image, he's the red box.

Everything looks good. According to this letter, he's where he's been confirmed as being. So how can he be on another census? Let's take a look...

1911 Canada Census for Ernie/Ernest Glover living in Ontario

Okay, now it's starting to make sense because Ernie Glover on this census has been scratched out - as show in the thick red box which means he was written in then as an afterthought, they realized he was probably going to be counted out west so they scratched him out. Same goes for his sister, Georgie, in the blue box. I'm not sure where she was at the time this census was taken, but she was a 25 yr old of marrying age and I haven't found her anywhere else in the records for 1911 yet.

One more thing about this census - the search engines will continue to find this census for Ernie because he is indexed in the transcription (the red box in the bottom image). As long as he's there, he'll be found. Because of that, I left a note in the update option beside his name in order to save others the same grief I had while searching for him.

Genealogy Note #4 - Last week's missing letter by Eliza Crouch Nelson

As can often happen in the field of genealogy, I ran into a couple problems just prior to posting the July 14th letter from Eliza Crouch Nelson in Atkins, Ohio. The main problem was that some of the information couldn't be confirmed - or sourced. I had originally planned to post it anyway in the hopes that another 'hidden' relative would find the post and come forward with new information. However, with suspected problems on both the Nelson and Crouch side of the tree, I used last week to research - not intentionally, but one day lead to another and suddenly the week was gone. Although I've made strides, much of it is still speculation.

So until I can confirm more details, I've put Eliza's letter aside.

And that's it for this week. Wow, what a week!

1911 Courtship: May 1 Dear Ethel

1/13/2013

Celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday on the grounds of the second Government House of Upper Canada (the first outside of Fort York), at the corner of King and Simcoe Streets, Toronto. ca 1854. Courtesy of wikipedia. Date 1854

This week's letter marks the first of several that mention Victoria Day which fell on May 24th in 1911. Noah's letter is dated May 1st, so when he simply asks Ethel if she is going to a 'big picnic on the 24th', all Canadians know he's talking about Victoria Day. This start-of-summer holiday isn't always on the same calendar day, so check the Genealogy Notes below for more information.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: May 1st 1911
Addressed to: Miss Ethel Nelson, Bellhaven, Ont., Dear 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, with a front and back page, but inside, Noah has turned the paper lengthwise and written straight down both pages.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

*Maud
*Della
Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper, Noah's widowed mother
*Louie - Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Draper, married to Fred Coventry
*Elva & Will - Ethel's cousin, Elva Jane Nelson, married to William Mitchell *Steward - Noah's cousin, Stewart Trueman Draper of Indian Head, Sask
*Leslie Nelson (the missing cousin) - 20 yr old brother of Elva Nelson (above)
- Manfred - I suspect Noah is talking about his cousin on the Draper side, Manford Terry, married to Etta May Prosser, and living in the township of North Gwillimbury (same township as Belhaven).

Other mentions:
** Picnic on the 24th
*the Head - see my map of Indian Head, Saskatchewan

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

Grand Coulee, Sask.
May. 1st 1911.

Miss Ethel Nelson,
Belhaven, Ont.
Dear Ethel;-
Well I did not get your
letter last week but hope
to get it today hope you
are well. I have a little
cold & am feeling blue but
guess I will pull through.
Well we have had 3 days
rough weather & it stoped
the seeding but we are at
it again now. suppose you
are through down there. I
have about 135 acres of wheat
to put in yet and 30 of oats.
that means about 4 1/2 days.

Well I suppose you will be going to
a big picnic on the 24th. Have not
heard of any around hear yet but
guess there will be one all right.
Have not started batching yet
& you bet I hate to start so come
up and help me out. I tell you
that batching is not what it is
cracked up to be when you have a
nice little Lassie only 1600 miles
away.
Say you said I would have to
tell you what I most wanted to
hear. cant you guess. it is only five
words and starts with come and ends
with me say I wouldn't be long
in doing it you bet.
Has Maud gone out to B.C. yet
or has she gave up the notion?
And is Della back from Toronto
or did she get spliced up & stay there.
Well I guess you would think I -
was not very buisy just now if
you could see me. it is about
2 p.m. & my teams are out in the
field and I have to soon go &
draw out wheat for them.
Mother is down at Louies for
a few days then she is going down

to the Head for a while.
So you did not know Elva
& Will were in the West. yes
they are working for Steward
this summer.
Dont know wheather that
cousin is out hear or not but
will try & find out and let
you know.
Oh say Ethel you asked me
who told you about the man
having the money it was
Manfred.
Well Dearest I guess I will
close for this time. & will
be glad when I do not have
to write way down there
but can jaw you all I like.
Ha. Ha. Bye Bye write often
Your wee Lover. N. C. D. xxxxxx
an a lot more xxx

Genealogy Notes

The picnic on the 24th - In 1911, May 24 was Victoria Day, which is a celebration of the Queen Victoria's birthday as well as the reigning monarch.

Although Queen Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819, we don't always celebrate on the 24th. Officially, the holiday falls on the Monday closest to, but not past, May 25th, which is usually, but not always, the third Monday in May. Yes, it sounds confusing, but thankfully, we all have accurate calendars that show us the date from year to year.

I checked the Newmarket Era, which is the newspaper Ethel received, and found that even back in 1911 the day was spent in athletic tournaments like Baseball games just as we have it today. In fact, as you'll find in the next few weeks of letters leading up to the 24th, both Noah and Ethel will talk about the sporting events and festivities happening in their locales.

Unofficially, Victoria Day is the first day of summer to Canadians, just as Labour Day is our last. For more information on what Victoria Day means in Canada, check out my It's Canada Day post I did for my group blog over at Inkwell Inspirations.

What do you do to celebrate the beginning of summer?

1911 Courtship: Apr 16 Dear Noah

12/10/2012

Look what I found in a collection of prairie images called Prairie Postcards in the Peel Library virtual collection at the University of Alberta holdings....

Victoria Avenue (looking West), Regina, Sask, after 1910, Prairie Postcards PC002741, Published by Lewis Rice, Moose Jaw, Sask,

I wanted you to see it is because this is how it looked back in Noah and Ethel's courtship year of 1911. Noah has probably travelled this road dozens of times since it's one of the main east-west throughfares in Regina, and Grand Coulee is due west of Regina. For all I know, Noah could even be one of the two men driving in the vehicle. Isn't that a thought!

Of course, it looks a lot different now as it's one of the busiest roads in Regina, being commerical buildings to the east of Albert St and residential to the west. I'll see if I can find this exact spot my next trip in an take a photo so we can see what a difference 100 yrs makes.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Dated: Apr 16, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N. C. Draper... My Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ontario
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 6.5 inches, folded in half. Ethel has written with a front and back page, but inside, the letter is written across the short width and down the full 9 inches so that the paper must be turned to read the inside.

People/Places mentioned in this letter:

- *Elva & Will: Elva Jane Nelson is Ethel's cousin (Genealogical notes Apr 11 Dear Ethel)
- **Steward's: Noah's cousin, Stewart Trueman Draper and family, in Indian Head, Sask.
- *Pa - James Nelson of Belhaven
- *Ma - Ida Amelia Glover
- Leslie Nelson: another of Ethel's cousins, and 20 yr old brother of Elva Nelson (above)
- **Martha Brooks
- *Edna Crowder
- Mrs Ellie/Ellice Sweet
- *'that man' - the hired man

- ** hustle
- ** Galloping Consumption

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

Belhaven. Apr 16.

Mr N. C. Draper.
             Grand Coulee.
My Dear Noah, ---
                         Rec'd your postal
card on Friday evening. Hope
you had a good time while
you were visiting.
                          We never were more
sup rized than when we
heard Elva & Will were up
there. Are they working for
Steward's? Would you try and
find out if Leslie Nelson is
up there or not? His people don't
know where he is.

Think you had better hustle and get
started at your seeding, or Pa will be ahead
of you. I think he intends starting in the
morning.
             Martha Brooks is engaged, and her
Fiance wants to go west. but Mrs Brooks
say's he'll never take Martha with him.
What will poor Martha do?
              Edna Crowder is the same old girl
having a good time. Mr. Crowder. Suppose you mean (Father Crowder.) ha ha, Oh Crowders are
all well. I guess. Hav'nt saw Gordon that
to speak. for about 2 weeks.
                   I don't know why but it makes me
feel lonesome, when I am writing to you.
I wonder if I am spending my
Easter at home to-day for the last
time. (at least for some time) Wish you
were with us. I hope to be with you next
-Easter. Anyway. I have eaten three eggs to-
day.
                      Ma and I were down to see
Mrs Ellie Sweet to-day. she died last
night about half-past six. Galloping
Consumption she had.

You seem to be affully busy.
Hope you soon get that man
and get him to work.
         Say : you will get to be a
pretty good coook this summer.
You will be able to learn me
a little about it. (If you can
pound in my old head) eh. that
will be the trouble won't it.
       How are all your people?
   I shall now close with love
and lots of x x x. not as stingy now
as you say I was when you were
here.        Bye - Bye from one who loves.

          E. Nelson.

Genealogical Notes

- Stewart Trueman Draper: In the Genealogical notes of Apr 11 Dear Ethel we first learned of Noah's cousin, Stewart Trueman Draper living in Indian Head, Sask with a map included. Stewart has one of those names that no one seems quite sure how to spell, including the man himself:
1876 Birth Record - Steward Trueman Draper
1881, 1891, 1901 Canada Census - Stewart
1902 Marriage Certificate to Bertha Charlotte Hamilton - Stuart
1916 Canada Census - Stewart
1937 & 1941 Border Crossing Cards into the United States - Stewart

As his cousin, Noah refers to him as Stewart, whereas Ethel uses his birth name. Since Stewart seems to be his own preference, that's how I shall refer to him from now on.

- Martha Brooks: since neither Martha, nor her finance, are part of our family tree, I haven't taken time to research at her this time. However, it will be interesting to see what plays out. Will love win out, or will parental pressure?

- hustle: I honestly thought this was a modern term, probably because of the connection with the Disco era of the 80's. It sounds out of place for Ethel to be using it in a 1911 conversation. Very interesting.

- Galloping Consumption: An infectious disease which is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was known as consumtion, or TB for short. Although there are several forms, Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common form where a patch of inflammation develops in the lung, with formation of an abscess. This often heals spontaneously, leaving only scar tissue. However, when the disease spreads rapidly through both lungs, it was often referred to as ‘galloping consumption’. Another form is miliary tuberculosis where the disease is spread throughout the body via the bloodstream. Tuberculous meningitis is when the disease enters the membranes surrounding the brain.

Back in 1911, the vaccine (discovered in 1920) and the drugs to combat the disease (released in 1940's) weren't known yet, and people with TB walked, shopped and lived among the rest of the general population. No one knew it was spread by air-borne particles similar to the common cold.

Today, even with vaccines and drugs readily available, millions of people around the world contract TB every year. Once in decline, the disease is making a comeback:

The increase has been most marked in deprived inner city areas, particularly in the USA, and here there is a clear link between TB and HIV, the virus which causes AIDS. TB is the main cause of death in HIV positive individuals.
For more, click here.

Cast of the TV Show, The Waltons.

I remember watching the TV show, The Walton's, which aired from 1971-81 and was set in the years of the 1930's and 40's. Do you? Many people don't remember what happened to Olivia Walton when she disappeared from the show, but for some reason, that's one of the subplots I remember most. During that 7th season, Michael Learned, the actor who played Olivia Walton, wanted to go on to other projects yet the character she played wouldn't just leave her kids. Because her persona was so ingrained in the show, they didn't want to replace her, either. Having Oliva die would have set the show in a dark direction where they'd all be dealing with the after-effects instead of being a loving, family that put smiles on our faces as well as tears every week.

The writers and producers of The Waltons solved this by showing Livvy as getting sick. As she coughed more, we began seeing a spot of blood here and there on her hanky. Finally, the episode came where she left for a sanitorium in Arizona to heal from the consumption, or TB that was slowly killing her. The theory was that a dry climate would enable easier breathing and heal the lungs. Many people did return after spending years in a sanitorium, and that's exactly what Livvy did in The Waltons when she made occasional guest appearances both on the tv show and in the special made-for-tv movies afterward.

Tuberculosis in Popular Culture is a very interesting Wikipedia site that shows how TB has been portrayed in books, songs, operas, film, art, and even videogames. Although The Waltons TV show isn't mentioned, here is a small sampling of what you can find:

- In Anne of the Island, the third book of the Anne of Green Gables series, Ruby Gillis, one of Anne's childhood friends, dies of "the galloping consumption."

- Mimì, the heroine of Puccini's opera, La bohème has tuberculosis.

- Jimmie Rodgers (1897 - 1933), country music singer, sang about the woes of his
tuberculosis in the song "T.B. Blues" (co-written with Raymond E. Hall) which he recorded on January 31, 1931, at San Antonio, Texas. He also recorded Whippin’ That Old T.B. in 1932, but ultimately died of the disease days after a New York City recording session.

- In the Samurai Shodown series of videogames, Ukyo Tachibana is depicted to be at times coughing out blood, which is a symptom of tuberculosis. In order to heal himself of his illness, he sought the Ultimate Flower. However, out of gratitude, he
presented it instead to his confidant Kei Odagiri. He later found another way to cure his illness, but he instead gave it to his final lover, Saki (when Kei married another man), and died of the illness.

That's it for this week. Let me know if you want any more research done on anyone or anything you read here.

1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 14 from Iowa

Genealogy Notes

Courtship Letter Special: July 15 From Elva Mitchell

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: May 1 Dear Ethel

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Apr 16 Dear Noah

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