In the above RPPC, it looks like the object on the near right is the CNR track laying machine from last week's post.
Dated: Mar 21st, 1912
Addressed to: My Dear Friend Ethel
Mailed from: Belhaven (Ontario)
Relationship: Close friend and neighbor
Profession: Farmer's wife
Writing instrument: Black ink
Written on: Linen-like cream-colored folded notepaper. Hester hasn't numbered the pages but if she had they would read 1, 2, 3, 4 in booklet form
People/places mentioned in this letter:
- *Noah Draper, age 23 (Newlywed, moved west in 1905)
- *Ethel Nelson, age 21 (Newlywed, moved west Feb 1912)
- *Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
- *Sadie/Sadye - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
- *Ethel & *Will Rigler - Noah's sister and her husband, living near Noah & Ethel
- **Mr. Brooks & Martha - we find them in Regina later on
- Annie *King & Mr. King - neighbor
- Mr S. *Winch - Stephen Winch? - neighbor
- Lulu ?
- Mr Dave *Sprague's - neighbor
- Mary *Sheppard, John *Sheppard - neighbor
- *Breuls boys, Whetford & Mr. Breuls - neighbors
- Herbert *Winch, Erwin *Winch, Adele *Winch - neighbors
- **Prof. Dales & Lowell - ministers (mystery solved)
- Mr. Frank *Morton's - neighbor
- Blanche B ?
- Alma & Johnnie - probably elementary school-aged children
- Alice - Hester Soules & Walker Prosser's only daughter, Alice Alma (1896-1901) died at 6 yrs old from diphtheria
- Isaac Prosser (1846-1912) died 24 hrs after apoplexy attack (stroke)
Places/things mentioned in this letter or in the Genealogy Notes:
- *Toronto
- Owen Sound - 170 km/106 ml fm Keswick on the southern shore of Georgian Bay
- Paisley - 55 km/34ml south of Owen Sound
- The West - Canadian prairie provinces of Man, Sask and Alberta
- Newmarket Era - local newspaper
- the car - the streetcar
Legend:
* Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this
person/place/thing. If you don't see a label, use the search box at the top of page.
** see Genealogy Notes below
Belhaven Mar 21st 1912 My Dear Friend Ethel Your very welcome letter was duly received and read with a great deal of interest. Am so glad to hear you like your new house, and that the climate agrees with you. so far, I presume it is pretty well settled, Where you are. So nice to be near Ethel Rigler. I would like that part of it myself. She was my neighbor here for a short time and I was sorry indeed to lose her. I liked both her and Will, give them my kindest regards. When you see them next. Mr Brooks called in for a while yesterday. Martha is at home this week, but expects to start for the West next week. She and a |
sister-in-law, their husbands went a couple of weeks ago. I think you are wise to subscribe for the Newmarket Era am sure it would be an interesting letter to me, if I were to move away there is so much home news in it. Say, Ethel. We had the worst storm last Friday that I ever witnessed, all day long, and half the night. the roads were in a terrible state, and the scholars from High School, will not be apt to forget it very soon, they had such an experience getting home. & some did not reach home. Annie King stayed at Mr. S. Winch's all night, and Lulu stayed at Mr Dave Sprague's. Mr King started to go for Annie, but only got as far as your place, the road was full. We heard the sleigh pass here about |
nine o'clock, with Mary Sheppard and the Breuls boys. Whetford & Mr Breuls had went after them, each put in a horse the car was late getting in, and then the horses tired out, or got discouraged, several times, the men had to go ahead, and tramp roads. Herbert Winch & his family (they had been to the city.) were all in the sleigh, and Erwin Winch so it was heavily loaded, twelve altogether, but Saturday morning the road breaking commenced. Our Choir was invited to Mr John Sheppard's that night, and bad as the roads were, there was eleven young people there for practise. We had a very pleasant evening. Lowell preached on Sunday, his last two sermons have been the best he has ever preached, he is a fine boy just what he seems to be. We are expecting Prof. Dales for the next two |
Sundays. the Choir spent a pleasant evening at Your Father's two weeks ago (We are invited to Mr. Frank Morton's this week.) and I got Sadie to come home with us we spent the next day together, it was a busy one too. We went to Isaac Prossers funeral in the morning. S.S. in the afternoon and Belhaven service in the evening. hope to have her again if she will come. Adele came home with us last Sunday from S.S. She & her Father have gone away to spend a couple of weeks, they started out Monday. will visit in Toronto, Owen Sound, & Paisley, his two brothers live in the two places & his sister in Toronto. Adele deserving the trip. She is a good worker. Christie sang (she did fine) a pretty solo in S.S. last Sunday. Blanche B. is to sing one next Sunday. Alma & Johnnie sang one two weeks ago. I love the pieces from the little ones, it reminds me so much of Alice Glad to hear you are attending Presbyterian Church. How much we miss you here, but our loss is Noah's gain. God bless you both in your far away home. Your Sincere friend, H. Prosser Write again |
Genealogy Notes
At the bottom of page 1, Hester mentions Mr. Brooks and his daughter Martha:
Mr Brooks called in for a while yesterday. Martha is at home this week, but expects to start for the West next week. She and a sister-in-law, their husbands went a couple of weeks ago. |
Hester relates about kids unable to get from school due to the snowstorm that descended upon them that March. Here's what the newspaper said about it:
And now in this week's letter, Hester Prosser mentions:
Lowell preached on Sunday, his last two sermons have been the best he has ever preached, he is a fine boy just what he seems to be. We are expecting Prof. Dales for the next two Sundays. |
Stay tuned for next week when we find out about the 1912 Regina cyclone which Ethel mentions on the back of the RPPC shown at the top of this post.