Category: Morton

1912: Letter Fm Hester Soules Prosser

5/11/2014

1912 RPPC Ethel Draper with horses, Adams, SK. Photo by Noah Draper from Noah & Ethel's 1912-1924 Photo Album. Courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Photograph Collection

Ethel is now in Adams, Saskatchewan and enjoying her life as a newlywed. How do I know? Because this week's post contains a letter from Hester Prosser - close neighbor and friend of Ethel back in Belhaven - and Hester mentions what Ethel wrote her.

In the above RPPC, it looks like the object on the near right is the CNR track laying machine from last week's post.

Author of Letter: Hester Prosser (nee Soules, wife of Walker Prosser)
Dated: Mar 21st, 1912
Addressed to: My Dear Friend Ethel
Mailed from: Belhaven (Ontario)
Relationship: Close friend and neighbor
Profession: Farmer's wife
Writing instrument: Black ink
Written on: Linen-like cream-colored folded notepaper. Hester hasn't numbered the pages but if she had they would read 1, 2, 3, 4 in booklet form

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Noah Draper, age 23 (Newlywed, moved west in 1905)
- *Ethel Nelson, age 21 (Newlywed, moved west Feb 1912)
- *Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- *Sadie/Sadye - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Ethel & *Will Rigler - Noah's sister and her husband, living near Noah & Ethel

- **Mr. Brooks & Martha - we find them in Regina later on
- Annie *King & Mr. King - neighbor
- Mr S. *Winch - Stephen Winch? - neighbor
- Lulu ?
- Mr Dave *Sprague's - neighbor
- Mary *Sheppard, John *Sheppard - neighbor
- *Breuls boys, Whetford & Mr. Breuls - neighbors
- Herbert *Winch, Erwin *Winch, Adele *Winch - neighbors
- **Prof. Dales & Lowell - ministers (mystery solved)
- Mr. Frank *Morton's - neighbor
- Blanche B ?
- Alma & Johnnie - probably elementary school-aged children
- Alice - Hester Soules & Walker Prosser's only daughter, Alice Alma (1896-1901) died at 6 yrs old from diphtheria
- Isaac Prosser (1846-1912) died 24 hrs after apoplexy attack (stroke)

Places/things mentioned in this letter or in the Genealogy Notes:
- *Toronto
- Owen Sound - 170 km/106 ml fm Keswick on the southern shore of Georgian Bay
- Paisley - 55 km/34ml south of Owen Sound
- The West - Canadian prairie provinces of Man, Sask and Alberta
- Newmarket Era - local newspaper
- the car - the streetcar

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

Belhaven Mar 21st 1912

My Dear Friend Ethel
Your very welcome
letter was duly received and read
with a great deal of interest. Am
so glad to hear you like your
new house, and that the climate
agrees with you. so far, I presume
it is pretty well settled, Where you
are. So nice to be near Ethel Rigler.
I would like that part of it myself.
She was my neighbor here for a short time
and I was sorry indeed to lose her. I
liked both her and Will, give them
my kindest regards. When you see
them next. Mr Brooks called in
for a while yesterday. Martha is at
home this week, but expects to start
for the West next week. She and a

sister-in-law, their husbands went
a couple of weeks ago. I think you are
wise to subscribe for the Newmarket Era
am sure it would be an interesting
letter to me, if I were to move away
there is so much home news in it.
Say, Ethel. We had the worst storm
last Friday that I ever witnessed, all
day long, and half the night. the roads
were in a terrible state, and the scholars
from High School, will not be apt to
forget it very soon, they had such
an experience getting home. & some did
not reach home. Annie King stayed at
Mr. S. Winch's all night, and Lulu stayed
at Mr Dave Sprague's. Mr King started
to go for Annie, but only got as far
as your place, the road was full.
We heard the sleigh pass here about

nine o'clock, with Mary Sheppard and
the Breuls boys. Whetford & Mr Breuls
had went after them, each put in a horse
the car was late getting in, and then the
horses tired out, or got discouraged, several
times, the men had to go ahead, and
tramp roads. Herbert Winch & his family
(they had been to the city.)
were all in the sleigh, and Erwin Winch
so it was heavily loaded, twelve altogether,
but Saturday morning the road breaking
commenced. Our Choir was invited to
Mr John Sheppard's that night, and
bad as the roads were, there was eleven
young people there for practise. We
had a very pleasant evening. Lowell
preached on Sunday, his last two
sermons have been the best he has
ever preached, he is a fine boy
just what he seems to be. We are
expecting Prof. Dales for the next two

Sundays. the Choir spent a pleasant
evening at Your Father's two weeks ago
(We are invited to Mr. Frank Morton's this week.)
and I got Sadie to come home with us
we spent the next day together, it was
a busy one too. We went to Isaac Prossers
funeral in the morning. S.S. in the afternoon
and Belhaven service in the evening.
hope to have her again if she will
come. Adele came home with us last Sunday
from S.S. She & her Father have gone away
to spend a couple of weeks, they started out
Monday. will visit in Toronto, Owen Sound, &
Paisley, his two brothers live in the two
places & his sister in Toronto. Adele deserving
the trip. She is a good worker. Christie sang
(she did fine)
a pretty solo in S.S. last Sunday. Blanche B.
is to sing one next Sunday. Alma & Johnnie
sang one two weeks ago. I love the pieces from
the little ones, it reminds me so much of Alice
Glad to hear you are attending Presbyterian Church.
How much we miss you here, but our loss is Noah's
gain. God bless you both in your far away home.
Your Sincere friend,
H. Prosser
Write again

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note 1 - Mr Brooks and Martha

At the bottom of page 1, Hester mentions Mr. Brooks and his daughter Martha:

Mr Brooks called in for a while yesterday. Martha is at
home this week, but expects to start for the West next week. She and a sister-in-law, their husbands went
a couple of weeks ago.

And here's what the local newspaper had to say about the wedding:

The Newmarket Era. March 8, 1912 - Page: 2

The Newmarket Era. March 8, 1912 - Page: 6

Genealogy Note 2 - The Great Storm

Hester relates about kids unable to get from school due to the snowstorm that descended upon them that March. Here's what the newspaper said about it:

The Newmarket Era. March 22, 1912 - Page: 7

The Newmarket Era. March 22, 1912 - Page: 1

The Newmarket Era. March 22, 1912 - Page: 6

Genealogy Notes 3 - Prof. Dales & Lowell

Prof Dales has been mentioned as a minister several times over the course of the 1911 Courtship letters, and the closest I've came to his identity was that he came from the Toronto area.

And now in this week's letter, Hester Prosser mentions:

Lowell preached on Sunday, his last two sermons have been the best he has ever preached, he is a fine boy just what he seems to be. We are
expecting Prof. Dales for the next two Sundays.

From Hester's words, I wondered if Lowell might be a son of Prof Dales and following in the old man's footsteps. A quick search on Ancestry.ca for Lowell Dales brought up this 1911 census listing:

In 1911 Professor John Nelson Dales, and his family, including 20 yr old Lowell, were living in Drayton, Ontario. A few columns to the right on this census shows Prof Dales as a minister and Lowell as a student. Although we don't know what or where Lowell was studying, I'm presuming it was theology like his dad.

Stay tuned for next week when we find out about the 1912 Regina cyclone which Ethel mentions on the back of the RPPC shown at the top of this post.

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1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

1/18/2014

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

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

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Oct . 22nd. Oct 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven. P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink - Once again, the ink still smudges upon touch as if it still hasn't dried. Since writing last week's post with the Genealogy Note about ink and pens, I'm wondering if Ethel is using a low-quality ink instead of a high quality one like the Stephens brand I mentioned.
Written on: Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and written as 1, 2, 3 with page 2 being turned and written across the short side and down the length.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

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

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

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

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

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

Belhaven. P. O.
Oct 22nd. 1911

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

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

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

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

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Walter York and Squire York

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

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

The Newmarket Era. Oct 20, 1911

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

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

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

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

Genealogy Note #2 - Walker Morton's

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Genealogy Note #3 - Wm Arnold

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

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

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

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

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

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1911 Courtship: Oct 15 Dear Noah

12/28/2013

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1915 - 4 Generations (L to R) Ethel Nelson Draper, Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood Glover holding Ethel's daughter, Mildred "Midge" Draper, and Ida Amelia Glover Nelson, daughter of Sarah and mother of Ethel

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  15th Oct 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink - Once again, the ink still smudges upon touch as if it still hasn't dried.
Written on: Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and written as 1, 3, 2, 4 although I've set them in order here for legibility.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Edyth Draper - Noah's cousin, sister of George and Stewart Draper
- *Veda - Noah's niece in Grand Coulee, Sask
- *Miss Hunt - 2nd time mentioned with Uncle *Emanuel Nelson
- Grandma - Ethel's maternal grandmother *Sarah E Greenwood
- Grandpaw - Sarah E Greenwood's 2nd husband, *Albert Rogers
- John *Prosser - Neighbor and Retired Fox Island Lighthouse Keeper
- *Mahoney's - friends and neighbor
- **Norman *Yorke & Minnie Traviss - (related to Cecil Prosser)
- Willie *Sweet & Laura *Traviss see Genealogy Note 3 - Sept 18 Dear Noah
- Carl Morton & Leslie Morton - may be cousins, but Carl marries Clara Pringle

Boys home from the West:
- Orville *King - friend and neighbor
- *George Milburn Draper - lives near Belhaven, Noah's cousin on paternal side.

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick

Cliche/Phrase
- bad pennies are sure to return

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

Belhaven. P.O.
15th Oct. 1911.

Mr N. C. Draper
Grand Coulee.
Sask.

Dear Noah
I missed your letter last
night, but Ill be looking for one to-
morrow night. Well this is another
fine Sunday. our rain storms seem
to be staying away now for this
last two day have been
lovely. It rained all day Wednesday
and Morm Yorke was married to
Minnie Traviss. Also Willie Sweet
was married to Laura Traviss. So
it was'nt much of a day for the
wedding. , 'eh' Morm came home last
night. and they certainly made things

lively. Willie came home Wednesday.
brought his bride up here to Elis's
where I suppose she had to get her
own supper. for there is no one
their but Elis. Then they tried to
fool the people by slipping out the
back door and through the fields
but the ony followed them. "ha ha".
Say. I hope you are having some
fine weather by this time, for
really it must be very discouraging
to think your grain is out in so
much rain.
Quite a few of the boys have come
home from the West. Orville isnt
here yet, but I hear he does'nt think
much of it. George Draper is home so
I hear, and I hear again that Edyth
Draper is to be married. Say! there is
no end to the number of people that

are engaged around here. Carl
Morton & Leslie Morton are engaged
for I hear. they are Second
Cousins too.
I got your card. But I believe either you
or I failed to be at the Kings for we
didn't happen to meet one another "ha ha"
I hope it is not long before will be
able to meet some place anyway.
How does Veda like going to College?
Uncle Emanuel & Miss Hunt were here
last tuesday. Grandma & Grandpaw
were here on Friday. & we had quite
a visit with old people last week. Old
John Prosser was here yesterday. Say
you remember him dont you. every
thing is the fool. or the brute. "ha ha"
Hello. here I am again. I been
away for a little while. but
bad pennies are sure to return.
We have been to Sunday School
& home with Mahoney's for tea

had a lively old time. We walked
up to church, & home again. and
here is where I land first of all.
Our church was nearly full to-night
So many young people were there from
Keswick. We were late so did nt all
go up in the choir.
Oh! say I wish you were only starting
down here to-morrow. I'll be glad
when you get all that work of yours
done. I think you had better leave some
and let me help you. for that is just
what I want to do. "We two'. work together
all alone by ourselves. I think you
must be doing to-much, wait for me
my good old boy.
Oh I wish your home was right near
here some where. so I could see you
oftener. I wonder whats the use of
my wishing so much. I think I had
better stop for this time. Iclose with
Love & xxxxs Your Sweetheart Ethel
forever.

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1: Norman Yorke

I knew Ethel had mentioned Norman Yorke and Minnie Traviss before, but when I went searching, I kept coming up with Morin York because that's the way Ethel had written it. Even in this week's letter she writes, "Morin Yorke was married to Minnie Traviss." Here are other letters mentioning Norman:

1911 Courtship: May 14 Dear Noah - Morn Yorke
1911 Courtship: Sep 10 Dear Noah - Morin Yorke
1911 Courtship: Oct 8 Dear Noah - Norm Yorke

I wonder if it's just a habit for Ethel to write Morm instead of Norm? Regardless, I found this snippet in the era about the happy occasion:

The Newmarket Era. October 20, 1911

Mr. Norman Yorke of Belhaven and
Miss Minnie Traviss were married at
Newmarket on Wednesday last. We
wish them every happiness.

Genealogy Note #2: Shivaree or Charivari

A shivaree is an old-fashioned way to welcome a the newly married. Friends and relatives surround the newlyweds' house when they think the couple has gone to bed and then make as much ruckus as possible with all kinds of noisemakers. Sometimes this keeps up for hours before the newlyweds invite them in for some refreshments. Most newlyweds try to sneak away.

In this week's letter, Ethel writes... Then they tried to fool the people by slipping out the back door and through the fields but the ony followed them. - Ethel's words are verbatim - as if she was trying to write the words so fast her fingers couldn't keep up to her thoughts.

The second pararagraph of this hard-to-read snippet talks about the shivaree for Norman Yorke & Minnie Traviss, and also Willie Sweet & Laura Traviss:

A couple of young men left us on
Wednesday, and returned after a short
absence with their wives. Congratu-
lations. The young people of this vi-
cinity with various instruments, such
as dinner bells, cow bells, plow coul-
ters and tin pans, gave them lively
music on the nights of their arrival.

The Newmarket Era. October 20, 1911

This charivari is from Nov 26, 1926 and the newly married couple is Edith Draper who is often mentioned in Ethel's letters. Edith had health problems as a youth and married William Crowder later in life, but that didn't stop the 'boys' from welcoming them home. And if you notice, after they were done with Edith and William, they went to 'pay their respects' to the next newlyweds.

The Newmarket Era Nov 26, 1926

Writing this post about the charivari reminds me of my tour at the Canadian Armed Forces Base in Cold Lake, Alberta back in the early 80's because we encountered something similar.

I remember that my parents were visiting and it was the first time they ever came for Christmas so I was trying very hard to show my best front. But around 11 pm a day or two after Christmas, several people showed up outside our door and living room window - singing and yelling for us to let them in. We did because it seemed quieter that way. So in they came and we offered refreshments. They sang carols, etc, and then when we encouraged them to go, they said we had to go with them because that's how it went.

As their admonitions grew, we realized the only way to get them out was to go with them and since my parents were there in case our daughter awoke, both Nelson and I went with the crowd. I can't say I enjoyed the experience because some people - all co-workers - just didn't want to get up and let us in, but the partyers insisted until the lights came on and we were invited inside. We corralled our hosts as we went along so the crowd grew with every house call until we finally escaped and headed home around 4 am.

The next day, I tried to explain to my parents this Christmas charivari-like tradition, but I can't say they were impressed. If I remember correctly, only one of us went the following year while one stayed back, and I don't remember ever being bothered by anything like it since. My parents never came back for Christmas, either.

If you google shivaree or charivari, you'll find all kinds of stories including several that turned into murders, etc. At times, it's a fine line between a charivari and a riot depending on who's doing the 'music' and who's doing the running.

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1911 Courtship: Oct 1, Dear Noah

12/10/2013

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1900 Belhaven, Ontario looking South. Courtesy of http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/

2013 Belhaven, Ontario looking South. Courtesy of Google Earth.

Can you spot the differences between the 2 photos above? If you click them they enlarge for clear views of Belhaven taken from the same spot but 102 yrs apart. Sure, the false front is gone from the bottom photo and the front verandah is enclosed, but look at the shape and positions of the windows, as well as the placement of the power poles.

If you compare these photos with the one in last week's 1911 Courtship Letter you see that the James Nelson family farm is situated down the road and among those trees on the left.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  1st Oct 1911 (events confirm date as 25th)
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, My Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink - In Ethel's last letter she blamed the pen for the messy letter with smudges, but this letter is almost as bad, if not worse. I believe it may be the ink and not the pen because even after 102 yrs, the ink smudges on my hands - as if it still hasn't dried. Good thing I've made a point of placing each opened letter in a large ziploc bag while handling it or it will be illegible before the next 100 yrs rolls around.
Written on: Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and written as 1, 3, 2, 4 although I've set them in order here for legibility.

People/places mentioned in this letter:
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- *Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia and *Joe Perrault of *Grand Coulee, SK
- *Fanny - 16 yr old cousin of Veda's on the Perrault side (Noah teases her)
- **Mabel Wright of Queensville - this week's Genealogy Notes
- Mrs. Walker *Prosser - neighbor and mother of *Cecil Prosser
- *Cecil Prosser - future husband of Sadie
- Frank *Morton - neighbor and friend
- Stanley *Bruels - neighbor and brother of Ethel's friend, Maud
- Edith Draper of Belhaven - check labels for *Edith/Edythe Draper
- *Mahoney girls & Dora - close neighbors and friends
- Stanley *Mahoney - brother of the Mahoney girls
- West boys - the men who went to work the huge *western *harvest in August

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Sutton Fair - Sutton is a few miles northeast of Belhaven
- *Queensville - several miles south of Belhaven

Cliche/Phrase
- hustle - I've always thought this was a modern word

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

Belhaven. P.O.
1st Oct. 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, -
Well another Sunday
is here. and it is much like last
Sunday. raining of course. we are
having such of a lot of rain. It
rains about ever other day. We had
planed on going to church this
morning. but guess we will stay at
home now. Say you must be getting
in a hustle for winter having it
snow up there all ready. we heard that
it snowed nearly 8" and that you
could'nt see the shocks of grain for
snow. You have your threshing done.
hav'nt you? hope so anyway.

Mabel Wright of Queensville came
home with Sadie Friday night to stay
over Sunday. We three girls are going
up to Sunday School and home with
Mrs Walker Prosser for tea. that was
our plans but of course if it keeps
on rainging why it just means
Stay at home. Say Cecil Prosser
has left home. and is working for
Frank Morton. We heard Stanley Bruels
left home also. I hav'nt saw any of
our West boys home yet. Suppose there
would be some of them disapointed
that is as far as work goes. Say Noah,
May I ask how long do you intend to
Stay down here this winter? until
Spring "eh" as long as you get home
in time to do your spring work. and
come as soon as you can, for. I am
rather lonesome. for its a long time to be

apart from one whom I really
love, Time is passing though.
Edith Draper of Belhaven has been
very low. with her heart, they think
She is better though now.
Saw Mahoney girls & Stanley up at
at choir practise last night, Say
Dora is the same old girl. She
certainly can talk. There is no danger
of going to sleep at our practises.
The girls are down in the front
room playing the organ, so am
having lot of music while I am
writing. I wonder how many more
Sundays I will be found here at
this certain place writing. I hope
not many, that is as I am writing
to-day. Oh say! it is just pouring
now. Wish it only quit for a while.

I hav'nt saw a soul go to church yet.
Suppose Veda has got started at College
now. think I shall have to write her a
card. I guess she will have a lively time
something like Sadie has at H. School.
I don't blame them for it, do you?
I'll never forget the last year I went
to school. if we did'nt have a good
time it was'nt our fault. we did our
best. Christie is here waiting for me
to study our S. School lesson to-gether.
Such good little girls as we are "eh",
Well Sutton Fair is over. and such a
day as they had, rained all day long,
Newmarket isnt until nearly a month
yet. Say would'nt I delight in walking
into your place now. I wonder what
I'd find you doing. or would I find you
down at Fanny's. "ha ha" you kid.
I must close for this time. Love & xxxxxEthel
and a good embrace. xxxxxx

Genealogy Notes

Mabel Wright - Mabel Wright of Queensville came home with Sadie Friday night to stay over Sunday.

Ethel had written the line about Mabel as if Noah knew who she was talking about. Was Mabel one of the many relatives of the Draper and Nelson families who resided in and around Queensville, East Gwillimbury Twp?

A quick search of the family tree showed only one person of the Wright family - Clarinda Wright b 1794 who married Lewis Card b 1793. But with Wright being Clarinda's maiden name, any offspring would bear the surname of Card. Of course, Mabel could descended from one of Clarinda's brothers, but with 100+ years between Clarinda's and Mabel's birth dates, I'd need more information before trying to search for that connection.

Instead, I decided to go backwards using the ancestry.ca search engine...

Step 1 - Search for Mabel Wright, Queensville, 1911
Result: 1911 Canada census showing Mabel Wright, 16 yrs old of East Gwillimbury
Parents - John and Mary Wright and lots of siblings
Ancestry Hints - Mabel Wright Birth Record

Step 2 - Pull up Mabel Wright's Birth Record for Mother's Maiden Name
Result: Parents - John A Wright and Mary Ann Cunningham

Step 3 - Search for marriage record of John Wright and Mary Ann Cunningham
Results: Marriage Record of Oct 16, 1878 in East Gwillimbury
Parents of John A Wright: John and Mercy Wright

Step 4 - Search for marriage record of John and Mercy Wright as no hint given
Results: Early Marriage Record showing Jan 11, 1848
No parents listed, but shows bride as Mercy Pearson and John's birth of abt 1809

Step 5 - Search for John Wright b 1809 and Mercy Pearson
Results: Another member's tree showing John William Wright b 1809 Hull, England

Step 6 - Search for John William Wright, b 1809, Hull, Yorkshire, England
Results: - Several member tree's with slightly different dates and spouses
- many 1841 England census records for John Wright

Step 7 - Search Passenger and Immigration lists for travel between 1808 and 1848
Reason - John married Mercy in 1848 Ontario which is where she was born
Results - pages of listings for several England & Wales Criminal Registers, 1791-1892, and the discovery that the name of John Wright is as common in the UK as John Smith is in the US
Summary - I stopped searching the ancestry records as it became too intensive and I wasn't getting anywhere.

New Search using Local history book on East Gwillimbur :
East Gwillimbury in the Nineteenth Century by Gladys M. Rolling, Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1967

This book contains several mentions of the Wright family in East Gwillimbury and Queensville including some of those mentioned above. It also has many references to other families who are related to the Drapers, Glovers, and Nelsons. Again, it's too inconclusive to make a direct connection at this point, so I'll let the search end here for now.

Although I didn't get the answer I was seeking, I hope that by following the steps of my search, you will have gained an idea of how easy it is to find people, and in particular maiden names, etc to help in your own search.

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1911 Courtship: Aug 20 Dear Noah

10/6/2013

2 Comments

The James H Nelson family farm, Belhaven, Ontario. Courtesy of the Norma Draper Photo Collection.

In this week's letter Ethel is back in Belhaven and she mentions the new barn. The above photo is one of the ones from Norma Draper's Photo Collection and since Aunt Norma lived most of her life in Saskatchewan, the back of this photo simply says, "Nelson home in East, Belhaven, Ont." When I asked Nelson's cousin, Patty, who's the family custodian of these photo albums, she confirmed it was the home Ethel grew up in, and the barn in the image is the one Ethel's Pa built in 1911 after fire razed the original one.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson and Sadie Nelson (blue transcript)
Dated: Aug 20th, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask - Dearest Noah
Mailed from: Bellhaven, P.O. (Province of Ontario)
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, black ink
Written on: Off-white, beautifully textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 7 inches, folded in half with a red carnation motif. This is standard early 20th century pre-folded notepaper. Ethel has written on the pages in booklet form numbering 1-4.

People/places mentioned in this letter:
- Pa - *James Henry Nelson
- *Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Mr. W. *York(e ) - husband of Minnie *Pollack York
- Herb *Nelson's - Ethel's cousin (son of Pa's brother *George Caleb Nelson)
- **Mr. & Mrs. Kellington - John Wesley *Kellington and wife, Charlotte Fairbarn
- Veda - *Veda Perrault, Noah's niece
- Veda's father - *Joe Perrault, married to Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia Draper
- Uncle *Emanuel Nelson - Ethel's Pa's paternal uncle
- *Uncle John Winter - husband of Ethel's maternal aunt *Sarah Elizabeth Glover

**The men who are heading/have headed West:
- George Morton
- Howard Mortons
- Harold Winch
- Percy Willoughby
- Harland Huntley
- Orville King

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Belhaven Choir
- The West - comprised of all those Canadian lands west of and including the province of Manitoba
- North Portal - in the Genealogy Notes, not the letter

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

Belhaven. P.O.
Aug 20th, 1911

Mr N. C. Draper
Grand Coulee. Sask.

Dearest Noah.
Well here I am
home once again, came home
on Wednesday evening, found,
everything fine. Pa was all
done harvesting I guess he
must be ahead of the Western
people, but the crops here are not
very good this year, on account

of so much dry weather. Say what
do you think of this Mr W. Yorke was
just here to the door & he found no-body
at home. Sadie & I are all alone to-day
we both have been sleeping & Sadie is
yet. I did'nt see much use of going down
to let him in. anyway he had started
out by the time I saw who it was.
There are quite a number going West this
week. George Morton is going to-morrow. I
think his family are going in the spring also
Howard Mortons, Harold Winch, Percy Willoughby, Harland Huntley & Orville King are going
Tuesday. I think Orville said he intended
to be some where near your place. liklly he
will be to see you, Hello Noah!
have just got home from church

got your card and it certainly was
a busy time for me just then too.
Don't know what Ethel will say
when she sees this. She went
down stairs in such a hurry
that she forget and left her letter
lying right where I could get it.
Here she comes Good-bye S.E.M.
Say what would you do if you had
such a sister as I have got. Herb
Nelson's drove in here so I had to go
down & get tea, we were up to church
seemed rather nice to get back to our
church again. Sadie wants to know
if you remember she went to the front
of church & then had to come back
and sit beside of you.

Mr & Mrs Kellington went home last week.
They made quite a stay, are they anywhere
near you? Say if you like music you just
want to come to hear Belhaven Choir they are
Just starting one up now. Well time is
passing, and nearing the time when
I'll expect to see you again, only wish
it were to-night. Sadie had a letter
from Veda since her father went away.
Hope he is stronger when he comes back.
Uncle is gaining strenth, although we
don't expect him to last long. Uncle John
Winter is talking of goint West to homestead
I think I will some day. 'eh' I wish I could
get Pa persuaded to go out sometime. Maybe
to go next fall. 'eh' I guess I must close for this
time hoping to hear from you soon. from your
all x x x x x x x Sweetheart.

Genealogy Notes

Miss Ethel Nelson has returned after spending
a few weeks visiting friends and relatives.

The Newmarket Era. August 25, 1911 - Page: 3

Genealogy Notes #1 - Westward Ho

When The Newmarket Era came out a week following Ethel's return from Huntsville, the Belhaven correspondent reported Ethel's return on Page 3 as well as the men who were heading west:
- Elgin Barker
- Harold Winch
- Orman Willoughby
- Orville King

On page 6, a similar list appears under the heading Local Items:

The following left for the West this
week :- Messrs E. J. Barker, H.
Winch, O. King of Belhaven, Mr. Wm
Horner and wife also Mr. G. J.
Morton of Zephyr and Reeve ????-
berry of Virginia. They all secured
their tickets from Mr. F. G. Tremayne.

On the same page, we find this tidbit:
Hr. Howard Morton has returned
from his trip West.

The Newmarket Era. August 25, 1911 - Page: 3

Local Items

The Newmarket Era. August 25, 1911 - Page: 6

The Newmarket Era. August 25, 1911 - Page 6

Genealogy Notes 2 - The Kellingtons

In this weeks' letter, Ethel asks Noah if the Kellingtons are "anywhere near you?" In fact, they are 260 Km/162 Miles southeast of Grand Coulee. Of course, that distance is on present day highways. The map below shows where North Portal, SK hugs the border with Portal, ND. Today, Kellington descendants live on both sides of the Canada/USA border.

Ethel first mentioned the Kellingtons in Genealogy Notes #2 in the July 2 Courtship Letter. Since then, I have visited North Portal and found the headstones and graves of many Kellingtons who were alive in 1911, as well as some of their descendants.

North Portal Cemetery showing the combined headstone and graves of John Wesley Kellington and Charlotte Fairbarn, taken July 2013 by Anita Mae Draper

I won't post the photos of the individual or combination headstones and grave sites here as I've posted them all on the Find A Grave website. The link will bring you to John Wesley Kellington's page. If you wish to see other Kellingtons graves, click the link for North Portal Cemetery in the left sidebar of John's page.

2 Comments

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1912: Letter Fm Hester Soules Prosser

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1911 Courtship: Oct 22 Dear Noah

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1911 Courtship: Oct 15 Dear Noah

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1911 Courtship: Oct 1, Dear Noah

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1911 Courtship: Aug 20 Dear Noah

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