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1911 Courtship: Sept 18 Dear Noah

11/17/2013

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Picture
Aunt Maggie Barker (Margaret Ellen Glover) in front of her home on Concession 5, Sutton West, York North, Ontario, Canada.
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  18 Sep 1911
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
Written on:  Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form as 1, 3, 2, 4 although I've showed them here in order. The letter is very hard to read - as if the ink was still wet when the letter was closed and folded.



People/places mentioned in this letter:
 
- Uncle Harry Barkers - family of Harry *Barker and Margaret Ellen *Glover (Aunt Maggie) sister of Ethel's ma
- Ma - *Ida Amelia Glover Nelson
- Pa - *James Henry Nelson
- Ellie Sweet - Elizabeth Lepard - 1st of 3 wives of Alexander Sweet (1864-1929)
- **Willie Sweet & Laura Traviss (both have Draper Tree connections)
- Uncle Stephen Draper - brother of Noah's deceased father, *David Draper (Stephen Draper is the father of *Stewart Truman Draper in Indian Head)- *George Draper -  Stewart's brother (both cousins of Noah)
- Percy's - *Percy Draper (Noah's brother) and wife *Parthena Fisher

- Old Mrs. Pine - local resident
- Belhaven Choir

**The men who headed West:
- Orville *King 
- Elgin Barker (unsure if relative of Harry Barker) is at Phillips - ?


Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Ravenshoe - a few miles south of Belhaven
- *Huntsville
- Holt
- Chicken Pie Social 
- **Box Social

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. Ont.
18 Sept. 1911

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

Dear Noah, - 
                         Rec'd your letter
last week and was very glad
to hear once again. It certainly
was quite a letter I rather
enjoyed what you wrote from 
your own mind. rather than 
the dictators. You see I like queer
peoples letters better the ones from
the ---------  Say I had my fortune
told yesterday. Even if it was 

Picture
2
Sunday. We were down to Uncle
Harry Barkers for dinner. and
Old Mrs. Pine was there. Say you
certainly would nearly die laughing
to hear her talk & tell our fortunes.
They had Harvest Home services
at Ravenshoe yesterday & there
is a chicken Pie social there
to-night. I don't expect to go 
to-night.
Our Belhaven Choir is getting
up a box social it is to be held
Friday evening in the Sunday
School Hall. You had better come
along & get a box & enjoy your
tea.
I was weighed yesterday & i have
gained nearly 10 pounds since I went

Picture
to huntsville. so I guess that is
proof enough that I am not very
bad. "eh" getting lazier every day
I guess.
I was awfully sorry to know that 
your grain was all frozen. It 
seems funny one goes to work and works
all that time & then lose nearly
all. The crops down here were
not up to much. Pa says the oats
are light in weight. (not color) ha ha.
The men are cutting corn to-day.
The phone is ringing in great
style to-night. Wish you were
on this line: and I  wonder how 
many wishes I made this last year
& they never seem to come true
The young people are going to decorate
the hall on Wednesday evening for
this great social of ours. 

Picture
4
Say there is a big wedding to-morrow
(Wed) Willie Sweet. Ellie Sweet's son
is to be married to Laura Traviss of
Holt.
Well have you run across any of the 
boys yet. Orville is with his cousin & 
Elgin Barker is at Phillips so we heard.
Pa was talking with your Uncle Stephen
last night and he said George was
having very good luck hunting.
You never told me what Percy's
call their little boy.
Well I guess I must close for this
time hoping to see you some
time soon. but I hope you
dont have to walk by rail.
you might happen to play out
before you got here and that would
be worse than ever. ha ha.
                              Bye-Bye
                                            from Ethel Nelson.


Genealogy Notes

There are 3 Genealogy Notes this week:
1. Pie and Box Social
2. 1911 Telephones
3. Willie Sweet and Laura Traviss



Genealogy Note 1 - Pie and Box Social

These events were used in the past and are still used today as fundraisers. For the box social, single ladies would decorate a box and fill it with a meal - a boxed lunch. At the Box Social, an auctioneer would hold up the decorated box and the single men would bid on it without knowing who had contributed it, nor what it contained.  Sometimes, a lady would give her beau a hint so he'd buy the right one. Once all the boxes were auctioned, the men would claim their box and dinner partner and they'd enjoy a meal together. 


Picture
Genealogy Note 2 - 1911 Telephones

In 1911, this is the type of telephone Ethel would use when she writes in this week's letter ... The phone is ringing in great style to-night. Wish you were on the line.


To phone out, the person would grasp the funnel shaped receiver in their left hand and place the wide part to their ear. They would then lean in with their mouth close to the speaker - broken on this old phone - and they would use their right hand to crank the handle on the right side which would making a ringing sound as it turned. It would also make a ringing sound in the headset of an operator at the local switchboard who would ask who you wished to speak to and then she would connect you by physically plugging in your line. 

When your conversation was done, you would turn the crank and ring off which would signal the operator that you were finished so she could unplug your line. In reality, however, the operator had a grand old time listening in on everyone's phone call and rarely needed to hear the ringing to confirm the fact. 


Genealogy Note 3 - Willie Sweet and Laura Traviss

In this week's letter, Ethel says, "Say there is a big wedding to-morrow (Wed) Willie Sweet. Ellie Sweet's son is to be married to Laura Traviss of Holt."

As I mentioned in the previous post, the Draper Family Tree has descendants named both Sweet and Traviss, but because they were distant cousins, I hadn't filled in all their historic details. I've taken several days to do that and finally have this Sweet - Traviss connection figured out...

William Sweet (1775-?) of Pitney, Somserset, England married Keziah Rogers (1781-1828) of England
William and Keziah had 7 children between 1796 and 1818 including a William, but it's the Andrew Sweet line we're interested in. Half of the children were born in New York State, and the rest in Upper Canada (now Ontario).

Andrew Sweet (1810-1893) b in New York, moved as a child to Ontario, married:
- 1834 - Laurilla ? (1813-1840) offspring: Eunice b1834, Orrin b1836, William b1838
- 1840 - Matilda Lydia Ryner (1820-1854) offspring: 7 children
- 1854 - Elizabeth Willoughby (1801-1881) 2 x widow, offspring: 1 daughter

In 1851, Andrew Sweet lived next door to Joel Draper Jr, grandfather of Noah Clement Draper, the groom of these Courtship letters.

Picture
1851 Canada census for North Gwillimbury Twp, York County, Ontario showing the Joel Draper Jr and the Andrew Sweet families
William Sweet (1838-1907) lived in North Gwillimbury, Ontario, married:
- 1859 - Jane Coomer (1841-1864) offspring: Andrew 1860, Hannah 1862, Alex 1864
- 1868 - Mary Matilda Sedore (1850-1915) offspring: 8 children incl'g 1 set twins

Alexander Sweet (1864-1929) lived in North Gwillimbury, Ontario, married:
- 1888 - Elizabeth Lepard (1859-1894) offspring: Ellen 1888, William 1891, John 1893
- 1895 - Edith Ellen Sedore (1870-1911) of illegitimate birth, offspring: none
- 1911 - Mary Ann Sedore (1867-1951), offspring: 6 from previous marriage only

William Sweet 1891 is the one Ethel mentions in her letter of Sep 15. While researching William's family, I found the 1911 census which had been taken June 1st - just three months earlier ...

Picture
1911 Canada census showing Robert Davidson family
In the above census, the red block is the Robert Davidson family whom Ethel and Noah have spoken of often since they were relatives as well as neighbors. But look below the blue line and you find 2 employees in the Davidson household:
- William Sweet, 20 yrs old, Laborer
- Laura Traviss, 19 yrs old, Domestic

So while William worked in the fields for Robert Davidson, Laura worked in the house as a Domestic for Lily Kellington Davidson and helped care for the children. Since both William and Laura are recorded on the census, they lived there as well. I wonder if they applied for work there because they wanted to spend time together, or if they met and fell in love while working there? In any case, William and Laura are about to be married.


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1911 Courtship: Aug 27 Dear Noah

10/13/2013

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James H Nelson and family
ca 1899-1900 James H Nelson and wife Ida Amelia Glover with daughters Ethel Isabell and Sarah Eliza (Sadie/Sadye). Courtesy of the Norma Draper Photo Collection
Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson 
Dated:  Aug 27th, 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N.C. Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask - Dear Noah  
Mailed  from:  Bellhaven 
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 pansy motif. This is standard early 20th century pre-folded notepaper. Ethel has written on the pages in booklet form but she must have been very distracted because her page numbers are all mixed up for she has written them in this order: Unnumbered, 4, 3, 4 whereas the writing shows she has written them in this order: 1, 3, 2, 4 - her normal writing order. Regardless, as usual, I've posted the letters in the order they should be read. 

People/places mentioned in this letter:
Grandpa - *Albert Rogers - 2nd husband of Ma's mother Sarah E. *Greenwood
Pa -  *James Henry Nelson
*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
*Sadie/Sadye -  Ethel's 16 yr old sister
Uncle Harry's - family of Ma's sister Maggie Glover & husband Harry *Barker 
Percy - Noah's brother *Percy Draper and wife *Parthena Fisher live near Noah
Will Linstead's - Family of William *Linstead and Mary Ann *Glover (Ma's sister)
Laura *Linstead - daughter of William and Mary Ann who all live in Sintaluta, SK
Orville *King - close neighbor
Dora *Mahoney, Della and Hattie - close friends of Ethel
Mr. Walker *Prosser's - family of Walker Prosser and Margaret Hester Soules 
*Cecil Prosser b 1891 - son of Walker Prosser and Hester Soules
Stanley & Mae - Stanley *Mahoney and Mae Anderson
**Mr. Robinette - Liberal Candidate for North York
Mr. Mann ?

Places/things mentioned in this letter:
- Exhibition - held in Ontario Provincial Exhibition held in Toronto
- great fair in Regina - the Dominion *Exhibition
- North York - that part of York County north of Toronto
- **Silent Places - a novel
- examinations - Entrance Exam
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. Aug 27.
Mr N. C. Draper,
            Grand Coulee Sask.
Dear Noah,
                         We are just getting
ready to go up to Sunday School
so had a few cpare minutes just
now to start my letter. Its the
first Sunday I've been up for about
seven weeks so it is time I was
starting eh! Grandpa is here to
day. he came up to bring Christie
home she has been down there for
a weeks holiday's. Well I guess may be

Picture
3.   (should be 2.)
by the time you get this you will see Orville
for I thinks he intends staying not far
from your place
Well I started this letter on tuesday,
Sunday I mean, to-day is tuesday.
We had Uncle Harry's here on Sunday.
Dora Mahoney & I were up to Mr
Walker Prosser's on Sunday for tea.
Say that Cecil Prosser is a clip. he
goes out of an evening and reaches
home sometime the next day.
Exhibition started yesterday. none of us
are going down. Della, Dora & Hattie
are going Tuesday & stay until Friday.
Stanley & Mae are going to stay over
Sunday. What do Percy's call their
son. I suppose their isn't any name
nice enough for him.

Picture
4.  (should be 3.)
Sadie failed her examination by
two marks. but they are letting her
gown just the same. Do you ever see
anything of Will Linsteads. Sadie had
a letter from Laura. but of course she
never says how they are! You know
about what I mean. Do you know 
whether Will works any or not? or is he
any better than what he was down
here. If you know, you need not be
afraid to tell me just how they are getting
along. for we would like to know. very much.
Laura said she was in to Regina one
day to that great fair. 
I am glad you are coming when you
are it will be four months from the
day I received your last letter. I only
wish it were sooner but I know you are

Picture
4.
doing what you think best. Pa, Sadie
and I are going to political meeting to night
to hear Mr Robinette. He was here this afternoon.
Noah did you say that a new railway
track was going through your place. Pa
was asking me th other night. But I didn't 
know if it went through your place. Mr. Mann
is going up in a couple of weeks to see a lot
he bought somewhere near this track
Say! you certainly will have quite a number
all of you. How do you think yu like such
a houseful. I think you must be taking
great pains with that new huse. & I guess you
will think there is a lot of work building
one. Sadie is reading 'Silent Places! she
says she don't like it , & yet she can't 
seem to stop reading it. I guess I must
close for this time hoping to get your
letter as soon as it possible.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx  Love from your Sweetheart


Genealogy Notes

PictureThe Newmarket Era. Aug 18, 1911
Genealogy Note #1 - T.C. Robinette Esq, K.C., The Liberal Candidate for North York

One thing I've learned while working on the genealogy of the Nelson family is that they were very much into politics. They went to political rallies and events, and hosted candidates in their home, such as the Liberal Candidate mentioned in this week's letter, T.C. Robinette.

Ethel's father, James H. Nelson, was a councilman of North Gwillimbury Township for many years as were other members of their family.



Picture
Genealogy Note #2 - The Silent Places by Stewart Edward White (1873-1946) ; illustrated by Philip R. Goodwin; Published by McClure Phillips & Co.; April, 1904.

"A strenuous detective story, laid in the author's chosen field of the North Woods. The dramatic power of the book alone would make it famous. In addition, it has the fascination of the great, white, quiet forests--the Silent Places." goodreads

Wikipedia says this about the author: From about 1900 until about 1922 he wrote fiction and non-fiction about adventure and travel, with an emphasis on natural history and outdoor living. Starting in 1922 he and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Grant White wrote numerous books they say were received through channelling with spirits.

Ethel said, "Sadie is reading 'Silent Places! she says she don't like it , & yet she can't 
eem to stop reading it.
" I wonder if Sadie felt the 'spirit influence' while reading the book and that's why she has mixed feelings for it?

Picture
Picture
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1911 Courtship Letter Special: July 25th Dear Ethel from Mother

8/11/2013

4 Comments

 
Picture
A JOKE IN THE BERRY PATCH ca. 1909, courtesy of the Baldwin Room of the Toronto Public Library
Author of Letter: Ida Amelia Glover Nelson 
Dated:  July 25th, 1911 
Addressed to: Dear Ethel (Ethel is up in Huntsville, Ontario visiting Ida Amelia's sister, Sarah Elizabeth Glover)
Mailed  from:  Belhaven, Ont. 
Relationship:  Ethel's ma
Profession:  Farmer's Wife
Writing  instrument: Pencil 
Written on: Off-white, beautifully textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 7 inches, folded in half with a red carnation motif on the first page.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- Uncle *Emanuel Nelson - brother of Ethel's Pa
- Lill - Lillian Blizzard - married to James A Nelson, cousin of Ethel's Pa
- Bob - the *hired man
- Miss Hunt - a good friend of the family (use search box for photo)
- Mother - Sarah Elizabeth Greenwood Glover - Ida Amelia's mother
- *Sarah Elizabeth Glover - Ida Amelia's sister
- Brownhill - a nearby village
- Buffalo, New York


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 July 25th .11

                          Dear Ethel
                   I got your
                letter last night
            I was out picking 
       berries yesterday at
    Brownhill. just got 
them don up had 7 quarts
and enough for one pie. 
it was 10 oclock when i
got there. we have 4 men
to day shingling   Bob
has gone went Monday
to Buffalo said he would
wRite and let us Know
Picture
how he gets along
he sold the ducks to
youie for 3 1/2 dollars
I washed Monday
but didnt hang clothes
out untill yesterday
it has been so windy
Sadie had 4 men for
supper and renshegl?
the clothes. she has
made pies twice and
she can make them
to day.
Well Uncle Emanuel
is very sick we set
up tuesday night

Picture
Doctor says he wont
live long he has gall
stone in the liver
Lill is getting better
sits up some.
well I want to
wash to day am
cleaning up bobs
bed and room and
I want to get my
black dress cleaned
up for fear something
does happen to uncle.
Miss hunt sent word
to the preachers i guess
they will go down to day

Picture
Written down the left  side of last page:

Say Ethel did you send one of the new plats down to Glovers
say Ethel you had
better rite to Mother
she will not like 
it if you dont tell
Sarah to get ready
and come home 
with you for a couple
of months it will
do her good and she
will get strong here
as well as there.
Sadie had company 
last night.
           guess this is all
             good by
                       from Mother


Written up the right side of the back page:

as one is gone we cant find it. 

Genealogy Notes

Here's a run-down on Ethel's Pa and his brothers in case you're getting confused:

Parents: 
John Nelson b 1808 England married Mary Ann Green b 1810 England on 26 May 1829 in Upwell, Norfork, England.

John and Mary Ann emigrated with their 6 children to the US after the 1841 UK census and they are shown as a family living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 1850 US census. 


Here's the info I have on their children:
1850 - Frances (b 1832) last seen on the 1850 US census
1850 - William H (b 1834)  on the US census, but several William H Nelsons in Ont
1850 - Jemima  (b 1831) marries James Lucas and stays in Wisconsin
1857 - Henry (b 1835) marries Eliza Crouch in Ontario (Ethel's grandparents)
1861 - James (b 1829) appears as Married on the 1861 Canada census in Ontario
1861 - Emanuel (b1833) appears as Single on the 1861 Canada census in Ontario, but marries in 1865 in York County



To go one step further using the above:

- Henry moved to Iowa leaving several children including James Henry Nelson behind in Belhaven (post about Eliza's letter from 2 wks ago)
- James has a son, James A who married Lillian Blizzard
- Emanuel is Uncle Emanuel who lives near Belhaven and is very sick

To sum up, we know that 3 for sure of John and Mary Ann's children ended up in Ontario - 4 if you include William H because there are several William H's in York and Simcoe Counties at that time. Jemima stayed in the US and we have info on her children, grandchildren, etc.  And Frances just disappeared.

I hope that clears up the ancestry of Ethel's paternal side for you.



4 Comments

1911 Courtship: July 19 Dear Ethel

7/1/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Reaping, Indian Head, Assiniboia, on Canadian Pacific Railway. c1886. Prairie Postcards PC002464. Courtesty of http://peel.library.ualberta

See the Genealogy Note at the bottom of this post for more info on the above photo and the Experimental farm, mentioned by Noah in this letter. 

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: July 19th/1911
Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, My Dear Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee, Sask
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places 
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, written on front and back like a book, but inside, paper is turned sideways and written across short length and down both pages. 

People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Joe & Eva - Joe Perrault and Eva Amelia - Noah's sister
- *Parthena - wife of Noah's brother, *Percy Draper
- Parthena's baby - Royden Wallace Draper b Jul 1911 but what date?
 - *Stewart Draper, Noah's cousin, in Indian Head, Saskatchewan
- *Louie:  Noah's sister, Sarah Louisa Nelson, married to Fred Coventry
- Fred's sister in Alberta - Probably Margaret Jane *Coventry

* Regina, Saskatchewan
** Experimental Farm, Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Local - Twice daily passenger train that runs from Regina to Indian Head. Used for excursions such as field trips to see the world famous Bell Farm, etc. 

* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.
**More info under Genealogical Notes

Picture
Grand Coulee, Sask
               July 19th/11
Miss. E. Nelson,
        huntsville. Ont.
My Dear Ethel;-
     Received your letter last
week and was glad to hear
you were going to get a few
holidays & hope you have
a good time,
     Well we are good and buisy
here just now. just got
the cellar cemented and am
now digging a drain. expect 
the well diggers and carpenters
tomorrow. so will have 7 men
here for a while and a girl
if I can get one but they are

Picture
like hens teeth few and far between. 
    Joe. Eva. & I were down to the
experimental farm at Indian Head
yesterday. I went into Regina on 
the morning Local with out any
intentions of going down but I got
through with my business by
the time the excurtion train
came along so I jumped on and
went down. it rained nearly all
afternoon. but we hired a livery
rig and got out to Stewarts before
it started so we didnt mind
it. but there was a good many.
dissapointed people on the train
coming home.
     Osay Ethel Parthena has a baby 
boy. about a week old have not seen
it yet but i hear it looks like
the Drapers. Ha. Ha.
     Louie & Fred went up to his
sisters in Alberta last Saturaday.
to pick raspberries. they said but
I guess they wont get many.
     Say you must be getting old to
be able to say the heat is the worst
for a 100 years back. Eh.

Picture
I hear it has been very dry
down there this summer how
do the crops seem. they are
very good here only a little late
but we have had such a
cold summer we will likely
have a hot fall. hope so
any way.
     Well it is getting nearly
time to get out to work again
am writing this at noon
and expect to post this to 
night. Well i guess this is
all for this time so Bye Bye
write soon and a long letter
to your Western Lover. N.C.D.
X X X X X X X 


Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note 1: Margaret Jane Coventry

Fred Coventry had 2 sisters. Mary Catherine stayed in Ontario, married, and died there. 

But Margaret Jane is shown on the 1901 census where she and her parents are living in Kenlis, Assiniboia - about 10 miles northeast of Indian Head. She is not with them on the 1916 census, though, where they have moved close to Fred and Louie near Grand Coulee. Did Margaret Jane marry and move to Alberta? Or did she just move there because of a job opportunity?

Update! 
- Mary Catherine did NOT marry and die in Ontario - her Aunt Catharine did. In 1911, Mary Catherine and her husband lived in Strathcona, Alberta. 
- Margaret Jane moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  sometime between 1916 and 1920. She didn't show up on the 1916 census because it was a special one for the prairie provinces only so that the government could keep track of immigrants on the newly opened prairie land.


Genealogy Note 2: The Experimental Farm

The Experimental Farm had it's beginnings as part of the 
53,000 acre Bell Farm which started operations in 1882 by the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company - before the railroad tracks had been laid on the bald prairie - before there was the town of IndianHead - and before Saskatchewan became a province, which is why the postcard at the top refers to it as Indian Head, Assiniboia. Once the railroad went through, the Bell Farm built a hotel, grain elevator and flour mill and Indian Head came into being. 

Using the most modern farming practices and equipment of the time, the Bell Farm drew  interested people from several countries to see for themselves how farming had/could progress. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) carried tourists and farmers on daily excursions from Regina out to Indian Head to explore the farm for the day. 

The unique round shape of the Bell Farm Round Barn was one of the main attractions of the Bell Farm. Due to having its silo in the centre of the building, the layout provided ample space to stable 36 horses surrounding the silo - a time-saver when it came to supplying feed for the hard-working heavy horses. 

Picture
Stable, Major William R. Bell's farm, Indian Head, SK, 1884, by William McFarlane Notman. VIEW-1388 © McCord Museum
In 1887, part of the Bell Farm was sold to create a Dominion Experimental Farm - one of Canada's first agricultural stations. 


Picture
Experimental farm, Indian Head, SK, about 1920, MP-0000.25.431, © McCord Museum
A lasting legacy of the Indian Head area is the tree nursery located one mile south of the town which had been established in 1897 to supply trees for shelterbelt purposes to cut down on wind erosion. Called the Prairie Shelterbelt Program, the nursery of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration  (PFRA) supplied seedlings free of charge to all legitimate homesteaders and farmers. 

Although The Shelterbelt Program ended in the Spring of 2013, the PFRA tree nursery is a showcase of tree varieties which is open to the public and a favorite spot for summer picnics as well as information gathering.

Picture
Image of a man holding a cloth sack and picking something off of a tree - possibly at PFRA tree nursery. Courtesy of http://saskhistoryonline.ca/fedora/repository/indianhead%3A31270
According to the Indian Head History Page by 1902, the Town of Indian Head was incorporated and had become "...one of the world's largest initial shipping points for wheat." 
Picture
1900-1909 Image of ten grain elevators at Indian head that read "Jos Glen No. 1", "Jos Glen No. 2", "Dominion Elevator Co. Ltd. No. 72", "Ogilvie's No. 67" - various structures in between elevators, Canadian Pacific railroad cars next to elevators - man and several cows in foreground on other side of fence. Photographer: Denison Indian Head. Courtesy http://saskhistoryonline.ca/fedora/repository/indianhead%3A31195
And that's the history of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, which Noah mentions in this week's letter and which has been mentioned several other times when talking about Elva Nelson and Will Mitchell, and Stewart Draper and Bertha Hamilton. 
2 Comments

1911 Courtship: June 5, Dear Ethel

4/2/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
www.ourroots.ca Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 pg 185
In this week's letter Noah mentions the  Blink Bonnie school as being 2 miles west of his land, so I've included an image from the local Pense Community, 1882 to 1982 history book. Noah also says the railroad is putting down track which will go through his land, so I'm adding a map and some family information in this week's Genealogical Notes.

Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper (24 yrs old)
Dated: June 5th, 1911
Addressed to: Miss E.  Nelson, Dearest Ethel (21 yrs old)
Mailed from:  Grand  Coulee (Saskatchewan)
Relationship: Courting
Profession: Farmer 
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink, but looks blue-grey in places until he refills his pen
Writing Paper: Thick, textured, linen-like paper, 9 inches x 6.5 inches. Paper is folded in half, with a front and back page, but inside, the letter is written straight across the full 9 inch width. Although this might have looked good to Noah, it makes for hard reading in pdf form as well as here as a jpeg image.


People/Places mentioned in this letter:
- *Percy - Noah's older brother who lives nearby with his family
- *Ethel - Ethel Maud Rigler, Noah's sister
- Mother - *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper 
- *Sadie Nelson - Ethel's 16 yrs old sister
- G.C. - Grand Coulee, Sask.

Look under the Categories/Labels in the right column for more on posts on the above people.
 

Picture
Grand Coulee, Sask.
June. 5th./.11.
Miss. E. Nelson,
         Belhaven, Ont.
Dearest Ethel;-
       Received your letter
Saturaday night and was
glad you were pleased with
your watch. So you think
I have received nothing eh.
       What about the love of the
Best Little Girl in the world.
       I think it is me that needs
to be thankful and I am.
also I try to be patient.
untill the time comes to go
down after said little girl.
       Well Ethel we have had

Picture
quite a wet spring here. had a big
rain yesteraday so I was not working
on the land to-day xxxx so have been
fixing up a place to live in. am still
at Ethel's but wont be much longer.
I hope for it makes her so much
extra work.
       Better come up to the base-ball
match Wed night. expect a big time
but dont think we will git beaten.
hope not any way.
       Louie & Fred were up yesteraday
also Percy so we had quite a day ofit.
       Suppose you are in bed now it
would be just 10 past 11 by your
time & I just came in from the barn.
       Have you started to build yet and
who is doing it. I have not got started
yet but have let the contract & they
will start some time this month.
       Well I guess when you come up
we wont have to come very far from
the station as they are gradeing
next farm to mine now & will be
on mine by the end of the week & the
station is to be on my place. isnt
that handy.

Picture
Percy has the well diggers at
his place now has to pay them
a dollar a foot. I hope he gets
water for a person gets tired
drawing it so far.
      Dont know wheather mother
will go down East this summer
or not for she doesnt like to
go alone. guess she is nervous.
       Tell Sadie to cheer up the
worst is yet to come. & if she
does not pass this summer I
wont let her teach in the 
Blink Bonnie school. which 
is just 2 miles west of here but
I will give my consent to her teaching
in G.C. Well Ethel I guess this is all
for this time so Bye Bye. Yours as B.4.
xxxxx xxx                                           N.C.D.

 

Genealogical Notes

Picture
Grand Coulee and area showing Noah Draper and family. (Click to enlarge)
As you can tell, I owe the above map (click to enlarge) to the nice people at GoogleEarth who have opened the world to our eyes like no other cartographer has done before.

When you look at the map, if all you see is a bunch of squares, then you're looking at it correctly. To simplify, the land is broken in townships (36 square miles each) and then sections. Each section is 1 square mile, so by counting the squares, we can figure out how far it is between points by the road, or the way the crow flies, which is a lot shorter.

Picture
Close up of Grand Coulee area showing distances and routes of travel.
In this closer view, I've tried to show the path Noah takes to get from his land to Ethel's house, where he's staying until his house is built. I didn't want to gum it up with too many squares and colours, so I've done the bare minimum...

- top left is the Blink Bonnie school (yellow pin) which is 2 big squares from Noah (orange pin). Each square equals one mile, hence the school is 2 miles away. (As he confirms in the letter.)

- if you look closely at those 2 white squares, you'll see from the different shades of green that they are divided in half. It probably looks that way because different crops are growing, or they could belong to different owners. Some sections are divided into 4 quarters, into eighths, etc. Regardless the divisions, each square mile section is 640 acres, a half section is 320 acres, and a quarter section is 160 acres. 

Noah has 2 routes to get to Ethel's house:
- red line - 3 miles cross country (hope he asks permission!)
- blue line - 4 1/2 miles if he walks/rides by road

From the census records, I believe Louie & Fred, and Percy & Parthina live in neighboring townships. With each township being 6 sections/miles across, they shouldn't be too away. I'll keep checking and let you know as soon as I find out.  

Clear as mud? Let me know if you need clarification. :)
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