Playing Croquet in 1900-1920's Ontario. Courtesy of Burlington History Collection, http://www.bpl.on.ca
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (born 31 May 1890)
Dated: July 9th, 1911
Addressed to: My Dearest Noah (Mr. N. C. Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask.)
Mailed from: Belhaven, Ont.
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink
Written on: Ivory, slightly thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 7 inches, folded in half. Ethel has folded the paper in half and written in booklet form where the front and back are pages 1 and 4, but inside, she wrote the right side first and then the left, so the order of pages are 1, 3, 2, and 4. Of course, I've rearranged them here for clarity.
People/places mentioned in this letter:
- Pa - *James Henry Nelson
- Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- *Christie Nelson - Ethel's 10 yr old sister
- *Veda Perrault - Noah's 16 yr old niece (Joe & Eva Amelia's daughter)
- *John Winter - husband of *Sarah Elizabeth Glover, sister of Ethel's ma
- **Mr John Warriner (Ethel spells it Warner)
- G.C. - It appears we're missing one of Noah's letters.
- **Edith Draper
- Orville *King - close neighbor
- Update **Kellington
- croquet - a game played with mallets, balls, and wickets, shown above
- Ethel mentions the heat wave which will be in next week's Genealogy Notes
- *Hunstville
- *Keswick
- ** Pink Pills
Word/Phrase Use - 'go for' for 'gopher'
Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing.
** see Genealogy Notes below
| Belhaven. July 9.th 1911, My Dearest Noah, Well I was glad to know you were able to be having a good time. as it leaves us all well but very tired indeed. we have been as busy as anyone could be. We did'nt have our raising yester day. but are having it tuesday afternoon. Say! just come along now and we can give you enough to eat now. if you never did get enough here before. Oh Say it is hot in this kitchen of ours, (baking) |
| 2 Pa & I were up to Keswick this morning to Mr John Warner's funeral. He dropped dead on thursday night. amid the excitement of a game of croquet. We dont find much time to play croquet this summer, Sadie is going to write a letter to Veda this afternoon. Say. Sadie got your card all safe & sound. I hope she never has the misfortune that poor girl was having. I am going to Huntsville on Saturday July 15 if nothing happens. I hope your letter happens to come on Friday next. Send my letters to Huntsville in careof John Winter. I certainly do wish you were going there too. I expect to stay |
| 3 about a month or 6 weeks. Say! you had better "don't suppose" I was with G.C. on the first. I hav'nt been in his rig since you went home. Nor do I want to be when I am with other people sometimes. I just get so lonesome. thinking about. you. I don't half enjoy my self. I think it will be my happiest day when I see you again. wish it were to-morrow. It was 90 in the High School on Monday last. the heat here has never been so. for 100 years back. Saw Edith Draper this forenoon she is the same old girl. Say don't let those old railroad men carry you away. I hope they are finished by your place when I go up. for if they are anything like the |
| 4 gang of men that worked on this track down here. I'd want to be out of their reach. even though I wouldn't be much loss if they did carry me away. "eh" If I were you I would 'go for' that (gopher) Were you able to read your last letter Sadie & Christie thot they would like to read it, so of course they had to do their best to get it. Sadie is lying here on the bed sound asleep. It is starting to rain. My it will do ever so much good. & Ihope it cools the air a bit. I don't know wether Orville King is going west in time for the fair or not but he says he's going this fall. He wanted to know if I was going and I told him I thot I would wait until he came back. Lahs (?) I close now with love from your Sweetheart. x x x x x x x Ethel Nelson |
Genealogy Notes
There are 3 Genealogy Notes this week:
Genealogy Note #1 - Kellington Update re 1911 Courtship: July 2 Dear Noah where Ethel writes, "Mr & Mrs John Kellington are here visiting & Mr R. Davidson's are they living anywhere near you."
When I posted the above letter, I didn't quite understand what Ethel was saying. My genealogy notes for that post shows my research for the James Kellington family, but nothing on R Davidson's because I couldn't find any appropriate R Davidson's in the North West. However, Ethel kept mentioning Robert or Rob't Davidson who lived on the 5th Concession near Belhaven. She mentions him in the following letters:
- 1911 Courtship: July 2 Dear Noah
- 1911 Courtship: May 7 Dear Noah
- 1911 Courtship: May 21 Dear Noah
After more research into last week's letter for James Kellington however, I've found the following obituary of 1958:
 The Newmarket Era. Dec 11, 1958 Pg 5 | The obituary at left is for James Wesley Kellington who married Hattie (Ida Elizabeth) Draper in 18 Feb 1904. James and Hattie moved west to Estevan which is about 190 km/118 miles southeast of Grand Coulee where Noah lives. However, this obituary states that James' sister, Lillie, married Robt (Robert) Davidson and lives in Belhaven. Robert and Lillie married 19 Mar 1904 and their children match those of the Robert Davidson mentioned in Ethel's letters. |
Genealogy Note #2 - Edith Draper In this week's letter, Ethel writes, "Saw Edith Draper this forenoon. She is the same old girl."
This is not the same Edith/Edyth Draper mentioned in 1911 Courtship: Mar 5, Dear Noah who was Noah's 1st cousin since his dad, David, and her dad, Stephen, were brothers.
Although this week's Edith Draper was also born in Belhaven, she was born in 1868, so in 1911 as a 42 yr old spinster, she really is "the old girl" as Ethel writes. She was Noah's 2nd cousin once removed as they share the same g-g-grandfather.
Edith Alicia Sarah Jane Draper was the 14th out of 15 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 female and felt obligated. However, another reason may be that she was ill much of the time.
This is not the same Edith/Edyth Draper mentioned in 1911 Courtship: Mar 5, Dear Noah who was Noah's 1st cousin since his dad, David, and her dad, Stephen, were brothers.
Although this week's Edith Draper was also born in Belhaven, she was born in 1868, so in 1911 as a 42 yr old spinster, she really is "the old girl" as Ethel writes. She was Noah's 2nd cousin once removed as they share the same g-g-grandfather.
Edith Alicia Sarah Jane Draper was the 14th out of 15 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 female and felt obligated. However, another reason may be that she was ill much of the time.
 The Newmarket Era. July 6, 1894 - Pg 2 |  The Newmarket Era. May 31, 1901 - Pg: 7 |
In fact, if it hadn't been for the above snippets and others, I wouldn't have believed the following ad which not only appeared in The Newmarket Era, but also in the February 17, 1898 edition on Page 7 of the Qu'Appelle Progress in The North West Territories (now Saskatchewan).
 The Newmarket Era. February 12, 1897 - Pg: 5 |  The Newmarket Era. Feb 12, 1897 - Pg 5 |
Whether Luther and Hannah Draper approved of the ads, or perhaps even was paid a stipend for them I can't tell you. Neither do I know if Edith suffered from the ailments
mentioned in the ads. At the time, ads for Dr. Williams' Pink Pills abounded in the local papers and I have nothing to prove or disprove their value. However, for a girl who suffered heart failure, etc in 1894 as a 26 yr old and stayed sick for several years, she went on to live a fulfilling life.
Luther's death record states he died at 85 yrs of age from old age. In 1911 during Ethel's letter, Edith was still living at home and caring for her 88 year old mother, Hannah, as shown in the following 1911 Canada Census:
mentioned in the ads. At the time, ads for Dr. Williams' Pink Pills abounded in the local papers and I have nothing to prove or disprove their value. However, for a girl who suffered heart failure, etc in 1894 as a 26 yr old and stayed sick for several years, she went on to live a fulfilling life.
Luther's death record states he died at 85 yrs of age from old age. In 1911 during Ethel's letter, Edith was still living at home and caring for her 88 year old mother, Hannah, as shown in the following 1911 Canada Census:
1911 Canada Census for Hannah Draper and daughter, Edith.
As the above census shows, Hannah is a widow and is the head of the house, and her daughter, Edith, is living with her. The last column shows neither have an occupation, so Luther must have left them enough money to live in comfort without having to work.
Since I don't think Ethel mentions Edith again, I'll tell you the rest of her story because it's quite inspiring and I may even use her for a character model some day...
Hannah died in June of 1917 at 93 years old with the official cause of death being old age after 2 yrs of senile weakness. Edith is listed as the informant...
... and was for the first time in her 49 yrs, Edith was alone.
There is much more to the story of Miss Edith Draper, but it will have to wait for another day.
Genealogy Note 3 - John Warriner - he's not in the family tree according to my research to date, but I found a very ineresting Era snippet about him when you look at it in context with Edith's snippet above...
Since I don't think Ethel mentions Edith again, I'll tell you the rest of her story because it's quite inspiring and I may even use her for a character model some day...
Hannah died in June of 1917 at 93 years old with the official cause of death being old age after 2 yrs of senile weakness. Edith is listed as the informant...
... and was for the first time in her 49 yrs, Edith was alone.
There is much more to the story of Miss Edith Draper, but it will have to wait for another day.
Genealogy Note 3 - John Warriner - he's not in the family tree according to my research to date, but I found a very ineresting Era snippet about him when you look at it in context with Edith's snippet above...
 The Newmarket Era. July 14, 1911 - Page: 6 | It was with deep regret I learned of the sudden termination of the life of my esteemed friend, John War- riner of Keswick. I feel confident that in the use of patent medicines such as Dr. Wil- liam's Pink Pills, etc, his life might have been prolonged for many years. But medical etiquette is inexorable. Under no circumstances would such remedies be prescribed. Our sin- cere sympathy is with the bereaved friends. |
Of course, now I want to know about these little pink pills that Miss Edith Draper took and thrived, and Mr. Warriner didn't take and died. The snippet seems to imply that many considered them more of a 'snake oil' remedy than a proven medical alternative. If anyone out there knows, please share your knowledge. Otherwise, I guess I have more research waiting.
