Category: Mother

WW1 Letters - Louie to Ethel Mar 9, 1917

4/10/2022

Fred Coventry & his children L-R: Sarah, David, Beatrice (on Fred's lap), James, 1920. Courtesy of Jim Hagen

Author of Letter: Sarah Louisa Draper Coventry aka Louie
Dated: Mar 4 or 9, 1917
Mailed from: Rutland, British Columbia
Profession: Farmer's wife
Rank: N/A
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Dear Ethel, Mildred & J.D.
Relationship: Louie is a sister of Noah Draper, author of the WW1 letters
Writing instrument: Pen, black ink
Writing Paper: 2 sheets,  8 1/4" x 10", lightweight textured writing paper. Louie has written on 3 of the 4 sides of paper.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Ethel Isabel Nelson, 26 yrs old, Noah's wife of 6 yrs
Mildred* - aka Midge, Noah & Ethel's daughter, 3 yrs old
JD* -  James David Draper, 10 months old, aka Jay in early months
Alice* - daughter of Sadie (Ethel's sister) & Cecil Prosser
Ethel's mother - Ida* Amelia Glover Nelson in Belhaven
Louie's mother - Sarah* Sophia Deverell Draper (visits from Sask)
** Louie and Fred Coventry, and their children: David, Sarah, and James
Fred's parents - David Coventry* and Eliza Grogan Stevenson Coventry
Siblings Ethel, Helen, & Eric Thompson - neighbours
Della Mahoney* - Ethel's close friend and neighbour
Millie & Ethel Morton* - friends and neighbours
** old Mrs Draper (Hannah Bennett*) & Edith Draper**
Aunt Jennie Terry - Mary Jane Draper who married Frank Terry*
Etta Terry* - Louie and Noah's cousin
Mrs Campbell - Fred Coventry's sister Margaret who married William Campbell*?

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
Keswick - where Ethel is staying with family
Rutland - where Louie and Fred Coventry live near Kelowna
Kelowna - city in the Okanagan region of British Columbia
the Coulee - Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan
Toronto - 45 miles south of Keswick, Ontario

Word or Phrase Use:
OK
C.S. - Christian Science? (Louie was an ardent member.)

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** See History Note below

Top left corner:

Monday. I was up in the bush for some wood it is lovely up there LC.

Rutland BC Mar 4th 1917

Mrs N.C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.

Dear Ethel, Mildred & J.D.-
I received your letter on
Friday and was very glad to hear from you and
know you were all well. Sorry to hear Alice had been
so sick, hope she is OK before this. How is Sadie & Cecil
are they still at Mr Prossers. Give them my love.
I guess your Mother will have her hands full with
with her Grand children. Ask her for me how she would
like to have 17 like mother has.
How does Mildred like it down there I suppose
those boys will just work her How big is J.D. now
Well Ethel the children help me busy Sara is just
a little terror climbs all over today she learned to
climb on Davids stool Mother is used to her but
I am afraid she will make Mr & Mrs Coventry fairly
crazy when they get her. We expect them any time
now. They intend to stay up here now. I hope they take a
house in Kelowna.
We named the baby James Lloyd he was two months
old today and weights 14 1/2 lbs.
Mother is just going to bed so she said to rember
her to you and that she wanted to hear more about
the children when you write - x x x from her
I was glad to hear about our old neighbors. Where is

Ethel & Helen Thompson. It hardly seems possible that Eric
is old enough to be a soldier, but times certainly flies.
How is Mrs Herb Winch and family I often think of them
Has Della any children? Do you ever see anything
of Millie & Ethel Morton. If you see Milly tell her I
would like to hear from her. It seems such a little
while since we were at school.
How is old Mrs Draper. it seemed to bad she had
to fall. Poor Edith will be left alone where will
she be staying.
Have you been over to see Aunt Jennie Terry
she must be having it hard. But I hope Etta is
home before this. Where was she staying? and did
she have any of the children with her?
It is over two weeks since we heard from the
Coulee. They were all well and everything at your
place was O.K.
Did you ever get your broach & other things?
Mother & I wrote Noah a long letter tonight. Had a
card from him last week. We sent him a box
about three weeks ago. And intend sending one
this week. Do you send him parcels? I wonder
will he ever get them.
I was to a concert in the school last Friday went
with a neighbor and left Fred home with the
children Had a good time. And found everyone
asleep when I got home. Mother went down to

Kelowna on Tuesday and came back Saturday
I started to go after her but met her coming
with Mrs Campbell.
They have come back to there ranch I am
afraid they will find it pretty cold
Mr Hardy our storekeeper says there is no
use any one telling him this is a mild
climate as he lived 27 years in Toronto and
never felt the cold so much. But I guess
it has been a hard winter all over.
Have you got your Science and Health with you?
Did you tell your Mother and Father about it?
And what do you think of C.S.
Well Ethel it is after 12. so I guess I had
better go to bed.
Tell your people I send my regards.
Kiss the children for me.
Fred joins in love to all
Write soon to Louie & Mother.

History Notes

History Note 1 -  Louie Draper and Fred Coventry

Louie is Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa who married Fred Coventry while both families lived in Saskatchewan. At the time of this letter, Louie and Fred had 3 children and would go on to have one more:
- David Ross born 1913 in Grand Coulee, SK
- Sarah Elizabeth born 1915 in Kelowna, BC
- James Lloyd born 1917 in Rutland, BC
- Beatrice Letitia born 1918 in Kelowna, BC

It was a lengthy search to discover details of her adult life, but with the help of Ethel's 'treasure box' and other surprise blessings, I finally unravelled the mystery which is detailed through these links:
- the search for Louie and Fred
- update on Louie and Fred (looks like another update is needed too)

The image at the top of this post shows Fred Coventry in 1920 surrounded by his children.

History Note 2 - Edith Draper

Edith Draper was born in Belhaven, Ontario, in 1868. She is 2nd cousin once removed to Noah. I first posted about Edith Draper back in Noah and Ethel's 1911 Courtship Letters, after Ethel wrote to Noah "Saw Edith Draper this forenoon. She is the same old girl."
And now in this letter, Louie writes, "How is old Mrs Draper. it seemed to bad she had to fall. Poor Edith will be left alone where will she be staying."

Edith Alicia Sarah Jane Draper was the youngest of 13 children born to Luther Draper (1819 - 1904) and Hannah Bennett (1823 - 1917). Twelve years separated Edith from her next older sisters, twins Martha and Margaret, born in 1856, so Edith may have stayed home and single to care for her aging parents because she was the youngest daughter and felt obligated.

By the time Noah's sister Louie wrote this letter to Ethel on Mar 4, 1917, Edith was a 49 year old spinster still caring for her mother, Hannah Bennett, in Belhaven, Ontario.

However, on July 28th of 1917, Hannah Bennett Draper died and Edith was left alone for the first time in her life except for the numerous friends and relatives she'd included in her social circle throughout the years.

The Newmarket Era dated April 18, 1919, carried this article about her:
"Miss Draper had a very successful wood bee on Friday afternoon, when a number of the young men of the vicinity cut up nearly all her wood. Some of them brought their sisters along. They spent the evening most enjoyably, but could not finish all the fine repast provided by the hostess."

The 1921 Canada Census shows Edith living alone on her family's farm near Belhaven.

And then, on Nov 6, 1926, at the age of 58, Edith Draper married William Gordon Crowder, a widower who owned the Belhaven store, although it appears he lived in nearby Baldwin. (The newspaper clipping of her happy wedding shower is on the right.)

On Nov 19, 1926, the ERA reported that: "Mrs. William Crowder is moving from Belhaven to-day to her new home at Baldwin where she and her husband will be glad to see their many friends come to patronize their general store, at Baldwin."

The following week on Nov 26, Edith's family farm, which had been passed down from Luther Draper and Hannah Bennett, was up for Tender. The newspaper clipping (on the right) stated a brick house, wood frame barn, stable and shed, situated on 50 acres in North Gwillimbury.

The same Nov 26 issue of the ERA mentioned that Crowder's store at the north end of Belhaven looked abandoned since the owner and his new partner in life have moved to Baldwin, and are wished success in their new step in life.

Sadly, William Crowder died on Sep 28, 1938 after 12 yrs of what appeared to be a happy union according to local news snippets. William's obituary stated he and Edith had moved to Ravenshoe, just south of Belhaven, in 1931 where they bought and managed that store. After his death, Edith continued to run "Mrs. Crowder's store" as well as enjoying her always-present social life.

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 29, 1916

12/29/2016

Sinking of the Linda Blanche out of Liverpool, 1915, Painting by Willy Stower (1864-1931). Courtesy of wikipedia

My previous post showed a map with Noah Draper's presumed route to Chatham, England, according to his letter of Dec 19, 1916 where he wrote that he was headed overseas. Since I read his letters beforehand, I knew he wasn't going straight there, but I didn't want to give out information before Noah himself told us. This letter, dated Dec 29, explains how he arrived in Chatham. Read the History Notes under his letter below for an explanation of how the above image relates to his journey.

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated: Dec. 29, 1916
Mailed from: Chatham, England
Attached to: HMS Pembroke (21 Dec 1916 to 31 Dec 1916)
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 10" x 6.5" medium weight, semi-rough, folded into booklet form. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he's using the same technique he used for most of his previously posted courtship letters to Ethel, where his first page is the outside, then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Percy* - Noah's older brother, lives near Adams, Saskatchewan
mother - Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell* Draper, widow of David Draper

The babies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 6 months old (later called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick - where Noah's family lives (the ones who didn't move west)
- Liverpool** - a huge busy port on the River Mersey (**see map below)
- London** - on the River Thames, the capital of England, and the U.K.
- Royal Naval Barracks Chatham - aka HMS Pembroke
- the N.P. - Naval Police (see Naval Police and Shore Patrol)
- whiffletree and tandem hitches (**see Historical Note #2 below)
- hut - barrack building

Word or Phrase Use:
car - short for street car
navel barracks - Noah's spelling should read naval barracks

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see History Notes below

Chatham, England
Dec.29. 1916

Mrs. N. C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.
My Dear Wife & all; -
Well I have arrived here
all safe & sound and right
side up & am fealing fine
got here last night after
midnight .left Liverpool about
2 P.M. but could not see much
of the country as it gets dark
about 4 P.M. here now. had
a fine trip over no rough
weather at all they said
although I was sick 1 day

but enjoyed the trip very much.
Say I wrote a long letter
on board (3 pages) but the
N. P. told me it was held up
as I was giving information
which I had no right to
give, but I dont know what
it was so will have to be
careful I guess the letters are
censured from Canada to
so private news is not
private.
Al that came over here
with me are quartered in
one hut. about 50. and we are
quite comfortable. there is
two long tables & three is told
off for cooks for each day I

am cook to day.
Well I have not been out
in the city yet so can not
tell you much about the
place but you never see
a team hitched up as we
hitch them they are all
driven tandem or else
the tugs are hitched right
onto the frame of the tongue
no whiffletrees. but they
draw big loads, of course the
roads here are all good nearly
as good as our paved streets.
Had supper in London last
night was there about 45 min.
but just took the street car

from one station to the other
so did not see much (only Lady
guards) they take the railway
tickets before you get on the car
here & it saves a lot of trouble.
Well I want to write to
Percy & Mother so will have have
to close soon in order to
get my address on this page
it is N.C Draper.
Hut 16 East Camp
Royal Navel Barracks, Chatham,
England.
Will try & send some little presents
next week if the stores are open
when I am out on leave, get out
every other night I guess. Well.
this is all for now. Write soon, love to
you and the kiddies. N.C. Draper

History Notes

There are 2 History notes for this letter...

History Note 1 - Port of Liverpool
In this letter, Noah mentions that he disembarked at Liverpool and left there shortly after 2 pm, crossed the country, stopped in London for supper, and arrived in Chatham after midnight. Historical references mention Troop trains crossing England. I've also found reference to boat trains carrying troops. Boat trains are dedicated trains carrying passengers from a particular place to/from a port.

However, there was one major hurdle before arriving in Liverpool: In February 1914, Germany had announced that the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland, including the English Channel, and the western portion of the North Sea, was a war zone and any ships, be it British, neutral, or merchant, would be fired on and destroyed without warning.

Germany wasn't fooling. In the seven-month period between March and September of 1916, 480 vessels were sunk by German U-boats in that area alone. In case you're wondering, a U-boat stands for undersea boat aka submarine. And that's where the image at the top of this post comes in... you never knew where the U-boats were hiding or if the ship you were traveling on would get fired on by torpedoes. We must never forget the brave captains, sailors, troops, and even passengers who risked everything by running the U-boat gauntlet, and to the ones who lost their lives along the way.

Whatever ship Noah sailed on to get to Liverpool, he would have had to go through U-boat territory, yet he doesn't give Ethel any inkling of the danger.

Upon disembarkation in Liverpool, it seems most troop ships used the Riverside Railway Station to send the troops on their way, and although I couldn't confirm this is the dock where Noah disembarked, considering that I don't know what ship he sailed on, the following shows the station as it appeared around 1914.

ca 1914, Riverside Station and Princes Landing Stage, Liverpool, England

The Port of Liverpool's 7.5 mile/12.1 kilometre dock system is mostly on the eastern shore of the River Mersey, but also contains docks on the west side of the river. See wikipedia for detailed 1909 maps of the dock system.

History Note 2 - Whiffletrees

In this letter, Noah mentions that the British don't use wiffletrees, so here's the definition of a whiffletree and it's other name variants.

Wiffletree, whippletree, swingletree

Four-hitch with a set of whiffletrees. Courtesy of wikipedia

He goes on to say that instead of using a single or set of whiffletrees as pictured above, the British hitch their horses in tandem or right onto the frame of the tongue. Tugs and traces are also regional name variants as you can see by the following diagram.

Harness Diagram. Courtesy of wikipedia

To end this post, here's an image of two ponies being driven in tandem, much as you would see two riders on a tandem bicycle. I wonder if this is what Noah meant.

Ponies Driving in Tandem. Courtesy of Wikipedia

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 19, 1916

12/19/2016

WW1 Troop Movements of RCNVR from Canada to England, December 1916. Map outline courtesy of macmillanlearning.com

Today's letter was written on the verge of Noah Draper's journey to Chatham, England after being attached to HMCS Niobe for 3 weeks while awaiting orders to go overseas. The route I've drawn is direct from Halifax to Chatham as per Noah's letter here.

Author of Letter: Noah C Draper, 29 yrs old
Dated: Dec. 19, 1916
Mailed from: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Attached to: HMCS Niobe
Profession: Farmer, Temporary Sailor
Rank: Ordinary Seaman
Addressed to: Mrs. N.C. Draper, Keswick, Ont.
Relationship: Wife
Writing instrument: Fountain Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: 10" x 6.5" medium weight, semi-rough, folded into booklet form. Noah hasn't numbered the pages, but he's using the same technique he used for most of his previously posted courtship letters to Ethel, where his first page is the outside, then he's opened it and written on the right side, then moved over to the left side and written there, and finally, he's closed it and written on the back. For clarity, I'm posting the pages in the order they were meant to be read.

People mentioned in this letter:
Ethel* - Noah's wife of 5 yrs, Ethel Isabel Nelson Draper
Percy* - Noah's older brother, lives near Adams, Saskatchewan
Sadie* - Ethel's sister, Sadie Nelson Prosser, 21, Grandview Farm, Belhaven, Ont
Cecil* - Sadie's husband, Cecil Prosser, 24, farmer, Grandview Farm, Belhaven
mother - Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell* Draper, widow of David Draper
Louie* Coventry - Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Draper Coventry, 37, lives in Kelowna

The babies:
- Mildred* aka Midge, 3 yrs old
- James David* aka Jay, 6 months (later called JD)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Keswick - where Noah's family lives (the ones who didn't move west)
- Halifax - historic, protected harbor on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia
- Regina - in Saskatchewan, closest city to Noah's farm at Adams
- Kelowna - city in British Columbia where Noah's sister, "Louie" Coventry, lives
- England - a country in the United Kingdom
- Chatam/Chatham - Royal Naval Barracks in Chatham, England
- London - London, England
- the Thames - the Thames River runs west from coast, past London
- The Olimpic - HMT Olympic* - Dec 13, 1916 post

- quarenteen - under quarantine**
- proofs - photographs

Word or Phrase Use:

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see Genealogy Notes below

Halifax, Dec. 19/16.

Mrs. N. C. Draper,
Keswick, Ont.

Dear Ethel;-
Well I am told off in
a draft for Chatam and we
expect to leave to night or
tomorrow morning but
do not know for shure our
leave is stoped & we have
been ordered to be ready
to leave at a moments notice
so am writing to night
for we have no time
after we are told to get

ready I wrote a card to one
fellows sister in Regina
for him after he left telling
her he had gone but he
is still in Harbour on the
Olimpic I heard she is in
quarenteen but do not
know for shure.
Well there is to much
excitement on board to
write much so you will
have to excuse me if I
write down something
they are saying and it would
shock a deaf man. HaHa.
Well Ethel I dont know

what money you mean for
Percy to send down but if
it was for that life insurance
I dont think I would pay it.
Say tell Sadie I started
to write her that letter she
spokeabout Sunday, but my
pen went dry so I did'nt
finish it but will try &
do so in old England if
Cecil does'nt object. Ha Ha.
Chatham is about 24 miles
from London on the Thames
I guess so will see part of the
old historic river any way.

Well I guess I will have
to close as we have to fall
in on deck in a minute
so you write to mother
at Kelowna and tell her I
did not have a chance after
I found out. I sent her a card
yesteraday. Say Ethel if
them proofs are better than
the ones you sent they must
be good.
Well I guess this will be
the last letter for a couple
of weeks but will write whenever
possible. so good bye Oceans of love
to you and the kiddies. N. C. Draper

Genealogy Notes

In Noah's last letter dated Dec 13th, he mentioned that the RMS Olympic had left Halifax. Apparently one of the men didn't have time to write his wife that he was heading overseas, so Noah did it for him...and then Noah discovered that she, the ship, was still in the bay under quarantine. Why?

I did some digging and although this isn't definitive, I found a possible reason in the book, RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister, by Mark Chirnside.

The Olympic's surgeon hadn't been aware that one of the crewmates was found suffering from venereal disease. When it was discovered, the man left the ship. The director of transports then advised stricter inspections to avoid putting the onboard troops at risk.

According to the book, one young soldier said the Olympic pulled away from the dock on the day after 15 December 1916, and anchored in the bay. There, they took on more troops and provisions. Then came 2 days of laying about, sleeping in hammocks, and eating in what used to be the Olympic's sun parlor, except it was now closed off to outside light.

I suspect the medical examinations were being carried out at this time.

Noah's letter was written on Dec 19th, where he confirms the Olympic was still in the bay.

The book continues with, "Olympic left Halifax...at 4.41 pm on 20 December 1916, drawing 34ft 9in, and she arrived in Liverpool six days later..."

And speaking of the RMS Olympic, here's a diagram that explains the reasoning behind the dazzle paint camouflage shown in my Dec 13 post. I found it on the article Whatever Happened to Olympic, Titanic's Sister? written by Jason Ponic, at Owlcation.

1912: Dec 1st Letter from Ma & Sadie

7/13/2014

Written on the back: Mr. Jewel & Mr. Brooks at Adams, SK.

The above photo is from Ethel's Treasure Box. The names of Young and Brooks have come up several times in these letters and yet this photo is in my Unknown folder because I don't know if these 2 men in this circa 1930+ photo are the same ones mentioned in the 1911-1912 letters. If anyone recognizes these men, please email me through my contact page.

Author of Letter: Ida Amelia Glover Nelson & Sadie Nelson
Dated: December 1 (1912)*
Addressed to: Dear Ethel and Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship: Mother & Sister
Profession: Farmer's Family
Writing instrument: Pen with Black Ink
Writing Paper: Medium weight, textured, linen-like paper, each written page 5" x 6". Paper is folded in half and written in booklet form with numbered pages. Although they've been written in the order of 1,3,2,4,5,7,6,8, I've shown them here in the order they were meant to be read.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
Uncle Will's - could be Ethel's mom's brother, or their uncle - both *Glover's
Grandma Nelson - Eliza *Crouch - mother of *James Nelson
Pa - Ethel's dad, James Nelson
Marry - Mary the milliner?
**David Sprague - David Henry Sprague, Noah's 2nd cousin 1x removed
Mrs. Draper - Noah's aunt, *Martha Barnhart, wife of *Stephen Draper
*Edith Draper - wife of Frank *Kavanagh
Mrs Rob Smith
Mrs. Andy Tompson (or Thompson ?)
Mrs. Joe Stickland (or Strickland ?)
*Gertie Nelson - Ethel's 2nd cousin (same great-grandfather John *Nelson)
Santy - Santa Claus
Dr Clark - Ethel's old dentist
*Martha & Mr. Brooks - see Genealogy Notes on 1912: Letter Fm Hester Soules Prosser
*Mrs. W. Young - ? Mrs. Walter Young has been mentioned a couple times already, with 2 photos posted of her and her son with Noah & Ethel in Adams, but unsure if this is the same one or if there are 2 with the same name.

Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- Santy heading north
- consumption

Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing, or use the search box in the header at the top of this page
** see Genealogy Notes below

December 1.

Dear Ethel and Noah
I got your letter one
day last week and was
as usual glad to get it.
it has been some time
since I wrote you but
than Sadie has been
writing and I thought
you would rather have
her write as she does
so much better than I do.
Sadie and Christie are
at church and I am

Writing Grandma Nelson a letter
also we got one from her
a bout a month ago and
got a card from Aunt
anna last week.
Sadie was in to Newmarket
thursday and came home
friday. she got a new hat
and the stuff for a dress
the hat is white felt
trimmed with pale blue
and the dress is blue
I will get marry a day
to start it off and than
I can finish it

I made Christie one last
week. it is navy serge
trimmed with plad.
I and your pa was down
to Uncle wills last
wensday. and it was stormy
and I got cold in my face
and it has been verry
sore since an I was
afraid it was going to
gather and brake but
it is getting better I think
I will have to get some
of my teeth out.

Mrs W. Young has been
verry poolely but is some
btter Just now doctor
said she was apt to
die at any time from
hart trouble and she has
a terrible cough people are
getting afraid to go there
for fear of comsumption so
think I wont go so often
as I have.
Mrs Andy Tompson
has a little girl a bout a
week old, and Mrs Joe
Stickland has a little
boy a bout a weak old.

Martha Brooks is home
got here last tuesday,
mister Brook was in to
day. and said she think
she would rather live here
but thinks they will stay out
there till they get some money
as they can make more out
there.
Mister David Sprague
was burried last friday,
I suppose you have got your
house cleaning all done by this
time ore did you keep it so
clean that it does not need
it. I have got mine to do yet

down stairs I done the up
slairs a couple of weeks
ago but didnt feel like
doing much last week I have
had a lame back
how is your face is it
broke out yet.
Your pa does not have
to go so far as your place
to hunt. there was a hawk
chicken hawk lit in
one of the elem trees north
of the house yester day and
he got the gun and killed
it, thinks he is a great
marksman now,

I was talking to Mrs
Draper one day last week
and she said Edith and
her husband expected
to be hone for christmas.
Your pa said he seen
Santy in Belhaven
one day last week and
he was going north so
you had better get your
stockings ready. as
he might get there by
christmas.
Hello Ethel - this is Tuesday
and we have been washing

this forenoon. We cleaned
the front room yesterday
and the parlor. Mrs Rob
Smith is here this afternoon
She just came a little
while ago. I am going
up to the market so
am in a hurry. Dr Clark
was asking Gertie Nelson
how you were getting
along. Guess he thot it
was time you were back
getting your teeth fixed.
Pa and Ma have both
had lame backs and tooth
ache lately. Write soon
and come to see your loving Mother
little Nell - Sadie

Genealogy Notes

As you may have noticed, this letter doesn't give a date it was written. However, it does give 3 dates of reference:

Death and burial of David Sprague
New baby girl to Mrs Andy Tompson
New baby boy to Mrs Joe Stickland

Searching the Newmarket Era, I found this clipping which threw me off guard because it states David Sprague died on Nov. 26, 1913... however it was released on page 2 of The Newmarket Era of November 29th, 1912:

The Newmarket Era. November 29, 1912

To complicate matters, I did not find a reference to either of the births but that wasn't too unusual because Ida could have spelled them as variations such as Thompson vice Tompson, and Stickland as Strickland. All were valid names, but none came up in a search for births for Nov 1912 or 1913.

The Newmarket Era. April 4, 1913

Another reason I wasn't worried is because not all social news was carried in the paper. Some families didn't like their news being broadcast and the paper respected those wishes. Having a birth or death announcement in the paper has always been a courtesy - not a requirement.

In my search I stumbled upon one other bit of evidence confirming David Sprague's death of Nov 26th, 1912 and that was the settling of his estate in the spring of 1913.

Since it usually takes several months to settle an estate, there is no doubt of David Sprague's death in 1912, thus this week's letter of Dec 1st is definitely from 1912.

And now I'm off to sort through my files for births, deaths, marriages, etc in the coming year and match them up with newspaper clippings and photos and bring them to you in an order that resembles true life in Noah and Ethel's family as well as their loved ones.

As these posts may be irregular over the coming weeks until I starting posting Noah's WW1 letters, your can keep informed of new posts by clicking on the link for RSS FEED in the right sidebar and you'll get an email notification whenever I publish a new post.

1912: Jan 14 Letter fm Eva Perrault

3/31/2014

1913 - Winter in Pense, Sask. Courtesy of University of Saskatchewan Libraries Special Collections

The postcard above shows the grain elevators of Pense, Saskatchewan - the community to the immediate west of Grand Coulee. However, in 1905, it could have been taken of any town on the Canadian prairies depending on the amount of farmers in the area which would have influenced the number of grain elevators.

Author of Letter: Eva Amelia Draper Perrault b 1876, North Gwillimbury, Ont
Dated: Jan 14, 1912
Addressed to: Dear Brother
Mailed from: Grand Coulee (Saskatchewan)
Relationship: Oldest Sister of Noah Draper
Profession: Farmer's wife
Writing instrument: Black ink
Written on: Linen-like cream-colored folded notepaper. Eva hasn't numbered the pages, but if she had, they would read 1, 3, 2, 4 with the third page turned sideways much like her daughter Veda did last week.

*Last week's letter shows the history of Eva and Joe until these letters of Jan 1912.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Noah Draper, age 23 (b 1887, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario)
- *Ethel Nelson, age 21 (b 1890, North Gwillimbury, York, Ontario)
- **Louie & *Fred - Noah's sister Louie (Sarah Louisa) and her husband, Fred Coventry
- Mrs Coventry - Fred's mother, Eliza Grogan Stevenson, lives south of Grand Coulee
- **Veda - Eva's 16 yr old daughter who is studying at Brandon College
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Joe Perrault - husband of Eva (author of this letter)
- **Uncle Frank's - Frank Matt married Joe's sister, "Nettie" Josephine Jeanette
- *Edyth Draper - Noah's 1st cousin (their fathers, Stephen and David, are brothers)

**Mr. Wright - A.D. Wright -store owner in Grand Coulee who is selling out
Sample - new store owner in Grand Coulee

Places/things mentioned in this letter or in the Genealogy Notes:
Pense - shown in top postcard

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

Grand Coulee Jan th
14
1912

Mr N. C. Draper
Belhaven. Ont.
Dear Brother ---
I dont know
weather you think you have
wrote me or not But I did
not count a postcard, a letter
However it may be as well
not to wait for a letter as
I might not write at all if
I did. Well Noah how are
you and Mother getting

along? and does mother keep
well. It is very cold here
since the 20 of Dec. What
is the weather like down
there? it is any place from
20 to 56 below zero since
Christmas. Louie and Fred
was here to day Louies eyes
are much better again.
Mr Wright has sold out
to a man by the name
of Sample and they are
selling out the old stock
now. You aught to be here

So you could get some thing cheap
in Grand Coulee Mrs Coventry got a pair
of boots for 25 cents and it might be
a good time to lay in a suply I told
Veda I thought I had better go over
and get her suplyed for the summer.
Veda was home for 12 days She likes
it fine down there now and is looking
forward to your return home. Well
Noah have you got that little business
setteled up yet. people are asking

and we just have to tell
them we dont know. However
Noah we wish you all happyness
and a prosperous married life
when the time comes. I have
not heard from Ethel just
lately but they were all well
the last we heard. How are
Uncle Franks and all
the rest down there? Is Edyth
Draper married yet? Write
me a good longletter and
tell me all the news.
From your Loving Sister Eva.

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Notes # 1 - Veda's Opinion of College

I think it's quite hilarious that Eva would say about Veda, "She likes it fine down there now..."

Wasn't it just last week that Veda wrote a very different view of being back in Brandon College? Read Veda's letter here.

The amazing part is that both mother and daughter wrote the letters within days of each other and here it is - 102 yrs later - and we have both of them. :)

Genealogy Notes # 2 - Louie's Eyes

This is the first time Louie's eye problems have been mentioned in these letters. A search of the local Newmarket Era found these snippets with the dates of 1897-98. Louie was born in March 1879, so she would have been 18 yrs old when she had her operation, and since Eva's letter is dated 1912, Louie at 32 seems to still be having problems.

Genealogy Notes # 3 - Uncle Frank's

Uncle Frank's is the family of Frank Matt and Josephine Jeanette Perrault (Joe's sister). This family is special to me because of Melissa Matt, the Cultural Services Representative of the Georgina Pioneer Village and Archives.

I first heard of Melissa when she emailed me through my website's Contact page about a pleasant surprise...she enjoyed reading my Author Memories blog and thought it might be of interest to people who were interested in the local history of Georgina, and what used to be called North Gwillimbury.

As an aside, she mentioned that we might be related because Jeanette Josephine Perrault was her great-grandmother. And she's right. The connection is the marriage of Jeanette's brother, Joe, to Eva Amelia Draper.

Genealogy Notes # 4 - Grand Coulee store

I spent several hours researching Mr. Wright, Mr. Sample, and the Grand Coulee store, but the only written information I could find is a local history book published in 1955 for Saskatchewan's Golden Jubilee - its 50th anniversary as a province. This soft-covered book is held at the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society (SGS) but you must be a member to view it. And from extensive research, if anyone else has a copy, they're keeping it well hidden - as are anyone with other information and images of the village and surrounding area.

According to Grand Coulee A Social History, A.D. Wright was the owner of a general store in the early days of the village until his store burned down. But it doesn't say when it burned down or how Sample plays into it. Did the store burn down before any papers were signed, or right after but no one remembers the new owner, etc.

Book: Grand Coulee A Social History, 1955

If anyone knows
where there is a copy
of this book for sale,
please Contact me.

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WW1 Letters - Louie to Ethel Mar 9, 1917

History Notes

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 29, 1916

History Notes​

WW1 Letters Home - Dec 19, 1916

Genealogy Notes

1912: Dec 1st Letter from Ma & Sadie

Genealogy Notes

1912: Jan 14 Letter fm Eva Perrault

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