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1911 Courtship: Oct 30, Dear Noah

2/4/2014

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Picturec1932 - Miss Hunt at 82 yrs and Cousin Alice
This week we learn the identity of Miss Hunt, a retired teacher according to Ethel's granddaughters, who lived her remaining years with Ethel's parents. The girls showed me Miss Hunt's 1849 Bible which they'd received from their mother, Norma, a daughter of Ethel. 

Although Noah & Ethel included Miss Hunt several times in their letters, they never referred to her by a Christian name, so this week's research was discovering the identity and life of Miss Hunt.

A puzzle for another time however, is the woman in this photo with Miss Hunt. The woman is also in the Nelson Family photo below and is simply identified as Cousin Alice in Ethel's handwriting, although after that someone has added Great, Great Cousin. The latter writing looks like Nelson's and probably is because he sat down with his father, Wayne Draper, and looked over the contents of Ethel's Treasure Box when he first inherited it upon his sister Norma's death. 


Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Oct 30th. 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C.Draper, Great Coulee, Sask. (should be GRAND Coulee)
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, P.O. 
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter  
Writing  instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink - Ethel starts this letter with a light colored ink, but then changes to blue. This is better quality ink than she's been using as it is dry and doesn't smear. 
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 - Ethel's 16 yr old sister 
- *Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- the kids - includes Ethel's other siblings: JA (Jay) 3, Emanuel (Manuel) 6
- **Veda - 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva and her husband, Joe Perrault
- Pa and Ma - *James H Nelson and *Ida Amelia Glover
- Margaret *Barker - Ethel's maternal aunt
- Uncle Emanuel (newspaper shows Manuel) - Ethel's paternal grand uncle

- **Miss Hunt 
- Herb *Winch - neighbor whose little girl received burns from hot ashes/coals
- Orville *King - friend and neighbor who went West for harvest
- Edna *Crowder - friend and neighbor
- Jorden *Crowder (Gordon?) & Miss Little John 
- Helen Munro - friend
- Desten *Sheppard - 19 yr old neighbor 
- Mr. Stiles 

  Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Sutton - a few miles northeast of Belhaven
- *Toronto - within an hours drive of Belhaven 
- *Brandon- where Veda is attending school 

Cliche/Phrase
- 'kids' in reference to Ethel's siblings

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



Picture
Belhaven, P.O.
Oct 30th. 1911
Mr N.C. Draper.
         Great Coulee,
                            Sask.
My Dear Noah, - 
                          Received your letter
Friday evening and as I always
am. was much pleased to get it.
We are not going up to Sunday School
to-day. it is so awfully windy and I guess
perhaps a little on the lazy side 'eh'
I think maybe we will be able to
get ready in time for church.
                              Sadie & myself were in to
Mr Herb Winches for a few minutes
last night before going to choir practice
There little girl is getting along
nicely.            Well Orville has reached
home at last. but hav'nt had a
talk with him yet. to know how
he likes it out West.

Picture
2.
We had the threshermen yesterday
threshing buckwheat and cutting corn.
Sadie & Edna Crowder were to Sutton
yesterday. said they heard that I was
married and living in the West.
Helen Munro was telling them, so of
course when I heard the news. I
congratuled my self imensely.
You ask who I had tea with at the
Social. Desten Sheppard and say what
a time. Suppose you know what a
sport he is.
Good ness me! I thought fruit season
was over long ago. you people out
there must be behind times. fruit
is all gone here unless it is some
grapes and say I had some grapes the
other day that came from a friend
of Miss Hunts in California. 


Picture
3
Pa and Ma got ready and went
to Church this morning and it
happened their was'nt any.
Edna Crowder was telling Sadie
yesterday that she thot Jorden was
engaged to a Miss Little John in toronto
She told Sadie she was'nt to tell so you
see she only told me. and so on I am
only telling you. "ha ha" I don't care
how many get married, I've got the
best of them all. Well Noah I
started this letter when the kids where
going to Sunday School and Christie
has just come in now. I have simply
just been sitting here dreaming
writing part of it down and the
rest I am dreaming over it yet I am
a great day dreamer as well as a
night dreamer. I often see you in my  
                                             dreams.


Picture
4.
   I only wish some of them were real,
Herb Winch is here, trying to bother
the kids.
   Is Veda's special subject at school
Music. I like you do think that music
is some thing worth while. I often wish
that I had taken more time and so
understood music better, I guess.
I can talk enough Mr Stiles says I
use to be able to talk a wheel of a
wagon. I've never tried it yet. ha ha
Well time seems to be passing
but very slow it seems sometimes
In two more months at the least
I hope to see you, do you think I
will? Well this certainly is a funny
letter. but you can guess my mind
to-day. I am lonesome, just simple
love sick as you may call it.
Must close for this time  with lots
      of love and xxxx  Ethel


Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Veda Josie Perrault Thomson
PictureVeda Thomson
On the right is the only photograph I have of Noah's young niece, Veda Josie Perrault born 1895, who has been mentioned so many times in these Courtship Letters. First, Noah and Ethel were talking about Veda's hands and how she was being treated by x-ray for them, and now about Veda going to school in Brandon, Manitoba.  Veda married Leslie Peter Thomson in 1913. This cropped photo is from the Norma Draper Personal Photo Collection and was taken in the late 1960's.



Genealogy Note #1 - Miss HuntMiss Hunt has been mentioned several times in these Courtship Letters:
  • 1911 Courtship: May 21 Dear Ethel - Info and photo
  • 1911 Courtship: May 14 Dear Noah - Uncle Emanuel is very sick. We are afraid he'll not recover. Miss Hunt speaks of you each time I see her.
  • 1911 Courtship: Oct 15 Dear Noah - Uncle Emanuel & Miss Hunt were here last tuesday. 
  • Courtship Letter Special: July 15 From Elva Mitchell  - is Uncle better now. is Miss Hunt married yet.

Prior to this week's research, this was all I knew of Miss Hunt:
- the 1911 Canada Census shows Miss Hunt working as a domestic for Emanuel Nelson. Uncle Emanuel is the brother of Henry Nelson, Ethel's paternal grandfather who died in 1900 down in Iowa.  
- that Miss Hunt was included in a family photo because she lived with Ethel's parents.
Back in August when I visited Norma's girls, they'd lent me Ethel and Norma's photo albums to scan. Upon my return to Grand Coulee after digitizing all the images and information, Norma's girls bestowed Miss Hunt's Bible in my care to be kept with Ethel's Treasure Box. 

Miss Hunt's 1849 Bible included a marriage record and birth information for the Joseph Joshua Hunt and Emily Lundy and Family. And that's where my search for Miss Hunt began. 

Hunt Family as recorded in their 1849 Bible
Joseph J. Hunt and Emily Lundy were married by
Rev'd Edmund Sheperd, August 27th 1839

Joseph Joshua Hunt Born Carlton Nottinghamshire, England 
April 19th 1815
Emily Hunt Born the township of Windham, London District,
Canada West, December 31st 1818
George Lundy Hunt
Maria Jane Hunt
Margaret Ann Hunt
Ann Eliza Hunt

Whitchurch, CW.  April 26th. 1841 Whitchurch, Dec'r 12th. 1842
East Gwillimbury, Jan'y 5th. 1847 
East Gwillimbury,  Feb'y 4th. 1849

Starting at the bottom, I added Ann Eliza Hunt's information to the ancestry.com search box and received hints for dozens of females named Ann Hunt, Annie Hunt, Eliza Hunt, Elizabeth Hunt, etc as both maiden and married names.  For the location, most said York County but when I checked them, they were for the city of York - the old name for Toronto - instead of the rural areas of York County.
I tried searching for Lundy but there were dozens of hits and none were names I recognized.

My next step was to see if there were any newspaper items such as birth, wedding, and death announcements, so I pulled up the Newmarket Era and typed Lundy with the same results as above. Finally, I put Hunt into the search box although I didn't have much hope. Sure enough, hundreds of hits popped up for Hunt, Huntley, Hunter, and all other names with those letters. Included in the hits was everything I wanted to know about hunting like who was hunting, what was hunted, and when were they doing it. And back then, many if not most people hunted for their food.

Finally, I pulled up the free www.familysearch.org site. I've used this a few times before when I was stymied, but not often because it only gives a name or two and not all the records that you find on www.ancestry.com (which is where your membership fees go). However, in this case, all I needed was a name confirmation and hopefully a death date.

On the Family Search site, it's easy to get overwhelmed with lists of names, so I only typed in Ann Eliza Hunt with North Gwillimbury for the location since that's where the Nelsons lived. And then I clicked Death as my search filter.

I couldn't believe it when Eliza Anna Hunt showed up on the first page with the parents as Joshua Hunt and Emily Lundy thereby confirming I had the right person! I clicked the link to pull up the record and there it was - Ann Eliza died in North Gwillimbury on 23 Feb 1934. That date is consistent with the Nelson Family photo which was taken in 1932.

I now had a name, location, and enough vital statistics to kick the ancestry system into gear and start giving me some hints to relevant records.
I started searching the parents' census records and discovered that Miss Hunt was known as E. Annie and or just Annie and that she lived with her parents in Aurora until 1881 at which time she was 32 yrs old without an occupation listed.  Here's what follows:

1881 - No further information found on mother, Emily Lundy after this census
1884 - Death of father, Joseph Joshua Hunt
1891 - No census record found for Miss Hunt
1901 - No occupation listed; Living with Uncle Horace & Aunt Kate Lundy, Aurora
1911 - Working as a Domestic for widower, Emanuel Nelson, North Gwillimbury
1913 - Emanuel dies in April and in June, Miss Hunt goes to stay with Maggie Barker
Picture
The Newmarket Era. April 4, 1913
Picture
The Newmarket Era. April 18, 1913
Picture
The Newmarket Era. June 13, 1913
1921 - Miss Hunt, 72, is living with her widowed sister, Margaret, 74, in Toronto
1932 - Miss Hunt is living with Ethel's parents, James and Ida Nelson

Picture
The Nelson Family c1932, (L to R back) Leona Thompson, Christie Nelson, James A Nelson, Emanuel Nelson and wife Vera May Horner, Cousin Alice ?, Miss Hunt, Ida Amelia Glover and James Henry Nelson; (L to R front row) Frank Thompson, Leeland Nelson, Glenna Nelson, Clifford Thompson, Benny Thompson
The above photo of the Nelson family looks like it was taken at the house Ethel grew up in just south of Belhaven on Concession 5, but around that time her father was building a new house on the Baseline, Sutton West. Since I have over a dozen photos taken on that day, I'm wondering if this was a celebration for the 'big move'. Only James and Ida moved to the new house along with Miss Hunt, and also Ethel when she visited during the winters. The house was left to JA (James A) who married Leona in Feb 1933 and raised their family there.

Feb 23, 1934 - Miss Hunt dies and the newspapers report:
Picture
Newmarket Era, 2 Mar 1934, Page 4
Picture
Newmarket Era, 2 Mar 1934, page 8
And there you have the story of Miss Hunt which will be typed up and placed in her Bible near the Family Record  page  for when her Bible is passed on to the next generation.




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1911 Courtship: Oct 15 Dear Noah

12/29/2013

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Picture
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



Picture
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 

Picture
2.
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

Picture
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


Picture
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: 

Picture
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.
   
Picture
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. 

Picture
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 8 Dear Noah

12/17/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
"Beechnuts" from A Year in the Fields, by John Burroughs, a Project Gutenberg EBook. 1st Printing 1875 by The Riverside Press, Cambridge.
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  8th Aug 1911 (Markham Fair dates and beechnut picking confirm date should be 8 Oct vice 8 Aug)
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 - 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:

- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Harold *Winch - one of the Belhaven men who went west in Aug 1911
- Adele - neighbor and unmarried sister of Harold Winch
- Frank Terry - Noah's uncle who lives in Newmarket, Ontario
- **Mary Smith - This week's Genealogy Note #1
- Della *Mahoney - close neighbor and friend
- Stanley and Mae - Stanley *Mahoney  and Mae Anderson - friends/neighbors
- Norman *Yorke - neighbor (not a relative until Sadie marries Cecil Prosser)
- **Gertie Glover - This week's Genealogy Note #2
- Wm King - William *King - friend and neighbor


Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- *Newmarket - largest town between Belhaven and *Toronto
- Markham *Fair - Markham, Ontario - near *Toronto
- Beechnuts
- Song - I Love You Only
- Hymn - Nearer, Still Nearer - Lyrics and Midi available here.


Cliche/Phrase
- hustle - seems to be a favorite word of Ethel's


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



Picture
Belhaven. P. O. 
8th Aug. 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, - 
                                Well another Sunday is
here, and say it is a much different
day that last Sunday. it is just a
beautiful day. the sun is so nice and
warm. Friday was a dredful day
rained, hailed & snowed of course
the snow didnt stay on at all. but
lately it just seems to rain every
other day. We were all back in the
bush this forenoon, looking for some
beech nuts. but we didnt get a one.
We had a good walk anyway.

Picture
2.
  Harold Winch is home. came on
Friday morning. The West certainly
seemed to agree with him. It was
quite a surprize to his people when he
walked in. Adele was telling me last
night up at choir practice about Harold
being at your place. said he had a fine
time.
I was down to New market yesterday. I
saw your Uncle Frank Terry there too.
I am thinking of going down in a 
couple of weeks to stay over Sunday.
Well Noah you said you thot I must
have found some one else that had changed
my mind. But I don't think there is any 
one else living for me. Perhaps there is for 
you though. I guess you have often heard
the song. (I love you only". and for me the
"you" is to be emphasised for I am sure
your the only one in my eyes. So now
the rest lies with you. Oh Noah, if you 
were only here.

Picture
3.
We are going up to S.S. and Mary Smith is
coming home with us to practice. she &
Sadie are going Duet to-night. - "Nearer
Still Nearer: They'll do-it won't they.
Della Mahoney is away on a couple of
weeks visit. and Stanley & Mae drove
down to Markham Fair Friday & hav'nt
returned yet. I guess they must be
getting married "eh:  Norm Yorke is to
Married a week from Wednesday. so I hear
Mr Stacey, a student, is to be at Belhaven
to-night.
Say! what is it you, get your lectrises over
you might tell me and then maby I
could sympathise with you. unless it
is some thing awfully bad. and I know
its not so bad as that. I tell you I caught
it on Saturday. i met Gertie Glover and
she flew into my wool. She didnt know
any thing about you and me until that day. she
said she was told after she got to New market.


Picture
4.
Well "Evergreen Farm" was certainly
alive yesterday. Mr Wm King had Ladies
Aid. Did your place have your place
named when you were here.
I am awfully glad your grain is turning
out as well as you think it is.
Noah hustle up your work and send
me a letter saying you are coming
East (Such & Such a time) and there'll
be one happy girl, if ever there was one.
You speak of getting lone some, but really
I simple don't hardly know what I am 
doing some times. I got your letter last
night, it seems like a long time from
the time I get one until the next one
comes. There's never one comes before I
am ready for it. The girls are hustling
me up to get ready for Sunday School.
I am neare a close for this time anyway.
So bye-bye with all love & xxxxx
                          from Your Loving Sweetheart
                                                                         Ethel     




Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Mary Smith 

Ethel has mentioned Mary Smith several times during the course of these letters, including the time that Mary was visiting Huntsville during Ethel's holiday there. So who was Mary Smith other than a school friend and neighbor? 

Once again I used the Search pattern that I used last week (and other weeks) as well as below when I searched for Gertie Glover, and that began by searching for Mary Smith of Belhaven, York County with a date of 1911 because that was the current year, as well as a census year.  By the time I finished my search, I had discovered:

Step 1: Results: Mary Elizabeth Smith, b 4 Jul 1885 in Belhaven, York County, Ontario. That put Mary at 26 yrs old during 1911. 

Step 2: Mary's marriage record for 27 Dec 1916 to Malcolm McDonald.
Results:  Mary's Parents: William Henry Smith and Sarah Diana Wass. This rang a memory bell because we have a Rebecca Wass in the Family Tree. 

Step 3: Marriage record for William H Smith and Sarah D Wass
Results: Sarah's parents: Noah Wass and Mary Ann Marshal
Realized that Noah and Mary Ann were also the parents of Rebecca Wass, which meant Sarah and Rebecca were sisters, but I hadn't filled out the tree that far.

Rebecca Wass was married to Thomas Barker  who was the father of Harry Barker - a familiar name to me because Harry was married to Ethel's Aunt Maggie Glover who I recently posted a photo of with her house. 

Final Result: Since Mary Smith was the daughter of Sarah Wass and William Smith, that made her official relationship "1st cousin of husband of aunt".   That's such a mouthful, forgive me if, in future, I simply refer to Mary as Ethel's cousin. 


Genealogy Note #2 - Gertie Glover

Since I didn't have a Gertie Glover in the family tree yet, I used the search engine of  the Ancestry.ca site to search for a Gertrude Glover and found these facts:

Step 1: Search for Birth Record for Gertrude Glover
Results:  Elizabeth Gertrude Glover born 25 Jan 1887, East Gwillimbury, York, Ontario. Parents William Daniel Glover and Maryette Willson
Note: Gertie is 24 yrs old in this letter

Step 2: Search for Marriage Record for William D Glover and Maryette Willson
Results:  Marriage Record of Oct 2, 1883 in Pickering, Ontario for:
Groom: William Daniel Glover, 28,  Bachelor, Farmer, residing in Ravenshoe, York County
   Groom's Parents: William Glover and Mary Ann Bunce 
Bride: Maryetta Wilson, 26, Spinster, residing in Pickering Twp, Ontario County
   Bride's Parents:  Seth C. Willson and Mary Ann Ernest
Witnesses: *Thomas J. Glover of Ravenshoe, and Susan Willson of Pickering

*Although Thomas J. Glover is not in our family tree, we do have 2 x Thomas Glover's.

Step 3: Search for for William Glover and Mary Bunce
Results: Marriage Record of 20 Feb 1837, Home District (York Co)
Groom: William Glover of East Gwillimbury
Bride: Mary Bunce of East Gwillimbury
No parents names given on this marriage record
Witnesses: William Miller and John Bunce
Married by Publication of Banns, Home District Record Vol #10 1831-1840

Step 4: Search Census Records for actual location and names of offspring for William Glover and Mary Bunce
Results: 1871 Canada Census for East Gwillimbury:
Father: William Glover born 1813, England, Primitive Methodist, Married Farmer
Mother: Mary A. Glover born 1819, England, Prmitive Methodist, Married
Child #1 - Charlotte b 1850 - age 21
Child #2 - William D b 1855 - age 16
Child #3 - Thomas Joseph b 1859 - age 12
Child #4 - Albert James b 1864 - age 7

Results confirm that Thomas Joseph is William Daniel's brother so I have the right William and Mary A Glover, and the right location since all our Glovers live in East Gwillimbury area. 

Step 5:  Search for William Glover, b 1813 in England and Thomas Glover, b 1811 in Yorkshire, England to discover if they are brothers. 
Results: I didn't find anything conclusive on the ancestry.ca or .com or  .uk sites, but I was successful on familysearch.org (a free site) which found records for:
- Thomas Glover, Christened 1 Jan 1811 at Loftus, York, England, Father: Thomas,
          Index Project (Batch) Nbr:  C10551-1
- William Glover, Christened 5 Apr 1813 at Loftus, York, England, Father: Thomas and                Mother: Mary,  Index Project (Batch) Nbr:  C10551-2


Since Thomas Glover is Ethel Nelson's great grandfather, if William is his brother, then Gertie Glover would be Ethel's ***third cousin.  Phew.

***Update on Gertie Glover (eff Dec 28, 2013):

After receiving confirmation from another Glover descendent (through my contact page here) that William and Thomas were indeed Glover siblings, I've filled in the Draper Family Tree on ancestry.ca and they have deduced that:
Gertie Glover is Ethel's second cousin 1x removed.


2 Comments

1911 Courtship: Apr 2, Dear Noah

11/11/2012

2 Comments

 
After a week off to promote some historical fiction, we're back to the real-life story of Ethel Nelson and Noah Draper and their courtship letters of 1911. For a record of all the courtship letters, see the Genealogy Posts Index.
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In honour of Remembrance Day, I'm showing you a photo of Noah taken while he served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during 1916-1919.

I'm not sure when the photo was taken, so he could have been an Ordinary Seaman (OS), or an Able Seaman (AB) at the time, but it was in a batch of photos in Ethel's treasure box that Noah took while in England.

I'll post the letters and photos of those WW1 war years in chronological order after these.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21
Dated:   Apr 2, 1911
Addressed to: My Dear Noah  (This is the first time either of them has used their given name only, without surname or title. And a first for the endearment to start off the letter.)
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, Ontario
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing  instrument: Fine  point  pen, Black  ink
Written on: Slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half. Ethel has written on the pages in order from 1 to 4, so it reads like a book.

People mentioned  in this letter: 
 - Sadie - Sadie Nelson, Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- Mr. Flint - James Nelson's hired man
- Bruel's - Maud *Bruel 
- Ethel - Ethel Maud Rigler - Noah's older sister
- Hugh Sedore's Family - the Sedore's are related by marriage to Noah via his sister, Ethel Maud Rigler
- Della *Mahoney
- Uncle - whichever one lives en route or in Belhaven

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

Mentioned in this letter: Diphtheria - see Genealogy notes below

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Belhaven, Apr 2, 1911,
My Dear Noah, ---
                 Well here I am to scratch
you off another letter, but means
this is my first one I guess this is
not another. (Sadie Lib.)
P.S. I forget to tell you that it
wasn't me that wrote that just
above the first paragraph.
                 Hello! I guess Sadie thot
she would write you a few
lines, as you will see, I got my
paper ready, and off to get my
ink when I came back paper
was gone, So I hunted up some
more. and wandered again,
came back I found a letter
already written to you. So I
guess you are going to get two
                                     this time.

Picture
2.
Our hired man, Mr Flint, is
turning the organ up a little
He certainly under stands music
Studied it for nearly nine years.
Is playing a piece. (Love will
not let me go) now (Some blessed
day) --- bye & bye, (eh, Two very fine
pieces.
            Have been home all day
so far, but think I will go up
to church to-night. Sadie & I were
to have gone to Bruel's for tea.
             Mr Hugh Sedore's have
the Diptheria. We phoned six
times for a Doctor for them before
we could one to come. Sedore was
here the day the Doctor came.
Picture
3.
I hope we escape with out it.
  Well Easter will soon be here..
Guess I will take a trip up to
see you. (in my mind) How many
eggs may I have if I come?
I'll help you with all that
work you have to - do. Say what
is strawing, anyway. Now don't
laugh at my ignorance. I
guess you know simple me.
            Della Mahoney is down
to Toronto. I wonder what for.
            I wish I could go tenting.
It will be rather cool at present
won't it. Do you stay with
Ethel now? Our hired man ask
Pa if it was oats he had sowed out
         here in this field by the house.
Picture
4.
   What kind of a Farmer do
you think he will be?
   Sadie is getting ready to go
over to Uncle's, and she is going
to post this, so guess I will have
to close for this time. Hope this
finds you able to be as busy as ever.
Say the mistakes are in this
letter are not to be counted
                Bye Bye. With Love from
                                           Ethel, xxxxxx
                                                           xxx
                                                             xx
                                                              x
P.S. Can you imagine how slow
        I be, Sadie has gone. and
        here is my letter, so I guess I
        will be in for a walk up to
        Belhaven to-morrow. It'll be
        worth the walk, "eh" if I get your letter.
                                                     (it sure will)

Genealogy Notes

Diphtheria: Since this is an infectious disease and I don't want to give erroneous information, I'm going to quote from the Public Health Agency of Canada website:
Diphtheria is disease that affects primarily the upper respiratory system and is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The bacterium is most commonly spread through person-to-person contact. Diphtheria can be prevented by a vaccine. Canada has included diphtheria in its infant immunization schedule since the 1930's.  The success of this program led to a dramatic decline in the number of cases, with very few occurring in Canada since the early 1950s. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends immunization against diphtheria.

Some persons infected with diphtheria do not look or feel sick; others develop a sore throat, fever and chills and have difficulty swallowing within 2 to 5 days of becoming infected. This is followed by the formation of a gray, thick membrane at the back of their nose, mouth and/or throat. Complications of the disease include suffocation, paralysis, heart failure, coma and death. One in 10 people with diphtheria die.
Ethel is right to be worried about the disease as it is spread in the same way as the common cold. I can't tell you how many people died - especially children - from diphtheria before a vaccine was discovered. Here are some facts:
- 1924 was the worst year in Canada with 9,000 cases of diphtheria recorded
- diphtheria was one of the most common causes of death in children from 1 to 5 years old
- and again from the Public Health Agency of Canada website: "The number of diphtheria cases is highest during the colder months in temperate zones. In the tropics, seasonal trends are less distinct. In North America, vaccination has greatly reduced the incidence of diphtheria; however, diphtheria was a major problem in countries of the former Soviet Union during the 1990s, with over 150,000 cases and 4500 deaths reported during 1990-1995."

So yes, Ethel should be worried, and yet it's scary how casual she states the fact.  
2 Comments

Cheryl St. John: Grandma Stretched the Meal with Noodles & Giveaway

10/16/2011

25 Comments

 

This week we welcome Cheryl St. John to Author Memories.

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Cheryl St.John is the author of almost fifty Harlequin, Silhouette and Love Inspired Historical books for which she has received multiple Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards and four RITA nominations. In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real life situations.” Her motivational gifts of exhortation and encouragement make her a sought-after speaker. She's the worship leader at the fastest growing Word of Faith church in her city, serves on her church's advisory board, and is active in  her local RWA chapter, the Heartland Writers Group.

Grandma Stretched the Meal with Noodles
by Cheryl St. John

Most of my best memories from my childhood are of my grandparents, my grandmother in particular. She was a devout Christian woman who raised six children during the depression, and who never had an unkind word to say about anyone.
Picture
Grandpa and Grandma
Neither Grandma or my mother ever drove. On Saturday mornings, my grandparents used to pick us up. Grandpa gave me $2 a week for shopping, and it was enough to buy Barbie clothes and accessories. My own clothes were all hand-me-downs from my cousin, but my Barbie had new outfits and was always in style.

In the fall, we’d get in the car and drive out into the country, where we’d all get out on a secluded road and pick up walnuts. Back at home, my mom and Grandma cracked walnuts until their fingers were stained dark.

On Saturday evening Grandma washed her hair and my mom set it in pin curls with bobby pins. My grandfather never attended church, but he drove Grandma every Sunday and stopped to pick me up. She sang in the choir and often sang solos in her sweet soprano voice.  Grandma never wore trousers. Even cooking, she wore a dress, with an apron.

Grandma was a great cook, and we had a big dinner every Sunday after church. She made noodles with every meal, even if there were potatoes. Now I realize it was one of the many ways she’d learned to stretch a meal. They had fruit trees, so apple and peach pies were a staple.

Picture
She never threw anything away, even reusing bread wrappers and twist ties. If there was a craft to be made, she tried her hand at it: Sewing, doll making, doll clothing. When the church choir got new robes, she’d always bring several home for the costume wardrobe that sat in the basement. My cousins and I spent hours dressing up and putting on plays with those recycled choir robes.

Once during a snowstorm, I was riding with my grandparents, my grandfather driving, when we hit a patch of ice and the car slid and spun. My grandmother said one word: “Jesus!” The car stopped sliding, and we drove safely home. She lived her life as an example of a person who loved her Lord and her family, and who trusted in the power of that mighty name of Jesus. I’m convinced her prayers for me played a big part in the person I am today.

I have a few beloved items that belonged to her and several recipes in her handwriting, but what most reminds me of her are the small moments, like when I’m spending time with my granddaughter, when I tie on an apron—or when I set a bowl of noodles on the table. I treasure those memories as I treasured her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leave a comment with a valid email address by midnight, Oct 23rd
to be entered to win a copy of the Snowflakes and Stetsons anthology
which contains Cheryl's newest release, A Magical Gift at Christmas.

Note: This book is a Harlequin Historical and won't be found in a Christian bookstore. If you don't want to be entered in the draw, say so. Otherwise if you win the book, skip the parts which may offend you. Regardless, it will be an entertaining, heartfelt read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Snowflakes and Stetsons, Harlequin Historicals, Oct 2011

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The Snowflakes and Stetsons anthology contains:

 A Magical Gift at Christmas, a novella by Cheryl St. John

Back cover blurb...

Meredith has always dreamed of a grand life but, stranded on a train in heavy snowfall with two young stowaways, she unexpectedly finds she has everything she needs with just one strong man to protect her.

Cheryl St. John can be found online at

http://www.cherylstjohn.net/


http://cherylstjohn.blogspot.com/

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/
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