Category: Weather

Sep 1912: Letter from George Draper

5/25/2014

The Adams, SK house that Noah Draper built for Ethel Nelson in 1911 prior to their 1912 marriage. Photos courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Photograph Collection.

The Draper's house at Adam's, SK after enclosing the veranda in screens. Noah and Ethel's album says the front windows were blown out in the 1912 Regina cyclone.

In this week's letter, Noah's cousin George Draper comments that Noah probably witnessed the Storm from his place at Adams, SK. Although Ethel didn't mention it in her post card in last week's post about the June 1912: Regina's F4 Cyclone, they may have spotted something because the distance along the track from the C.N.R. station in Regina to the siding in Adams is an official distance of 13 miles (20 km).

Author of Letter: George Draper
Dated: Sept 15th, 1912
Addressed to: Mr Noah Draper, Grand Coulee
Mailed from: Keswick (North Gwillimbury Twp, York County, Ontario)
Relationship: Paternal 1st cousin of Noah Draper
Profession: Farmer
Writing instrument: Blue-Black ink
Written on: Textured ivory-colored notepaper 5" x 8", 2 pages written on the front only.

People/places mentioned in this letter:

- *Noah Draper, age 23 (Newlywed, moved west in 1905)
- *Ethel Nelson, age 21 (Newlywed, moved west Feb 1912 upon her marriage)
- *Stewart Draper - George's brother near Indian Head, SK
- *Joe Perrault - married to Noah's sister, *Eva Amelia, and living near Grand Coulee
- *Will Rigler - married to Noah's sister, *Ethel Maud and living near Grand Coulee
- Aunty - Noah's mom, *Sarah Sophia Deverell Draper
- *Edith & *Frank - George's sister, Edith who married Frank *Kavanagh

Places/things mentioned in this letter or in the Genealogy Notes:
- the storm - the 1912 Regina F4 cyclone I blogged about last week
- a man engaged - the hired man

Cliches/Phrases
- cuz - George signs the letter "your Cuz, Geo Draper"

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

Keswick Sept 15th 1912

Mr. Noah Draper
Grand Coulee
Dear Noah.
Pretty near time I answered
your Card July 12th. was glad to
hear from you My was'nt that
Cyclone desperate Suppose you could
see the Storm from your place. It
would certainly look fierce Stewart said
He went & saw the ruins and is
going to send me some pictures of it
I got a letter from him on the 9th Sept
has all his wheat cut & oats
without Frost or Hail pretty Lucky I hope
you escaped the same was your
crops pretty Good this year. It dont
seem long ago. since Iwas up
there with you. driveing around
through the wheat. How is Aunty

2
I hope She is well. is She liveing
with you or Ethel Rigler
we are not through Harvest yet Barley
to Draw yet & some Peas to cut. & Draw
Pretty slow In Ont, Eh. But In order to have
a crack shot He has to come from
North Gwillimbury and show Noah how to
tumble the Ducks. no doubt you have
said to your self many times | if I
could only shoot like | George Draper |
I would give a good deal | But you
may learn after a long time. of
course I showed you quite a Bit.
I am going up at the Head of the Baye
Tomorrow to shoot a few Doz Ducks
Come along Noah and I will give you
another Lesson It is raining to
Beat the Devil to Day we have had a
Desperate lot of Rain this Summer.
Come East this Winter and we will do
nothing but Fish I have a Man Engaged
for the Winter & I am going to Fish
everyDay Come along I know Ethel
would like to come Home guess Edith
& Frank are comeing for the Winter
write me Noah soon With kind Regards
to all In your Home your Cuz GeoDraper

Genealogy Notes

George Milburn Draper has been mentioned several times in Noah & Ethel's 1911 Courtship letters - most recently Feb 1912: Letter from Noah's Cousin, Edith Draper.

On Sep 23rd, 1908 George, 28 yrs old, bachelor farmer, married Eliza Alberta Hamilton, 23 yrs old, Spinster, daughter of David Hamilton & Priscilla Stevenson. George and Eliza both reside in North Gwillimbury, and both attend the Christian church.

The 1911 census finds George and Eliza living on the Draper Homestead near Keswick in the house where he'd been born, where his father Stephen Draper had been born, and where his grandfather Joel Draper Jr had worked the crown-deeded virgin uncleared land when York County was first being settled.

(Joel Draper Sr is my husband Nelson Clement Draper's 3rd great grandfather born 1789 in Boston, Mass)

1911 Canada census showing George and Eliza living on the Draper homestead along with his parents, Stephen Draper and Martha Barnhart, and his unmarried sister, Edith.

I'm not sure where George's oldest brother, Charles J, is in 1911, but he'll eventually take over the family farm while the rest of the siblings headed west, returning to Ontario to spend the winters with family and friends.

In this letter, George mentions driving through the wheat fields with Noah and although he doesn't give a date, we can surmise he's talking about the trip he took west during the summer of 1911, partly because of this clipping:

The Newmarket Era. August 18, 1911 - pg. 6

George also mentions the 1912 Regina cyclone in his letter, and how he's waiting for pictures from his brother Stewart, who's renting a farm at Indian Head, east of Regina. I don't have Stewart's photos, but if you haven't looked yet, check out last week's post for images of the ruins.

1913 finds George heading west on a business trip. Perhaps the trip was to buy land?

The Newmarket Era. October 3, 1913 - pg. 6

I only make that assumption because a mere 4 months later, George and Eliza are preparing to move to Wolfe, Saskatchewan.

The Newmarket Era. February 13, 1914

By the time the special 1916 Western Canada census rolled around, George's sister, Almeda and her husband, James Edward Baker and their 2 children, Milburn and Ruby, had joined George and Eliza on their quarter section of land at Wolfe, RM of Reford, Saskatchewan.

It isn't until 1919 where we find the first mention of a child born to George and Eliza and that's thanks again to the newspaper back in York County:

The Newmarket Era. December 12, 1919 - pg. 2

George and Eliza named their son, Ernest David and there is no record of any siblings for him. I spent hours searching for Ernest. Thanks to the Sask Genealogical Society, I found obits for an Ernest and Lillian Draper who retired from farming in the same area and moved to North Battleford. Every matched ... until I realized it couldn't be George's son because this Ernest was born in the late 1800's in Wisconsin and not 1919 in Saskatchewan. What a letdown.

George, Eliza, and Ernest show up on the 1921 Canada census and I have newspapaper clippings of them for a few years after that, but then they fall off the radar. A very brief - too brief and sketchy - description is given in the Landis Record history Book, where it shows them renting the land and moving back to Ontario until 1950, and then spending the summers at Wolfe, and the winters in York County.

There's hope though because I still have Noah's WW1 letters to post and although we know where George and Eliza are during the war, I still have several years of Ethel's diaries from the 1940-50's left to go as well as a batch of letters which I glanced at but not made notes for. Hopefully somewhere in there is a clue to their whereabouts.

Of course, if you have any information about this family - pictures would be lovely - please help us fill in the blanks:

George Milburn Draper
Eliza (Elizabeth) Alberta Hamilton
Ernest David Draper

June 1912: Regina's F4 Cyclone

5/18/2014

Front page of the pamphlet which contains information and pictures of the cyclone-tornado that hit Regina at 5 pm on June 30th, 1912.

1912 RPPC by Noah Draper showing Ethel Nelson Draper and their horses, Adams, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Photograph Collection.

Remember this Real Photo Post Card (RPPC) from last week? Ethel must have written it on June 30, 1912 because of what she wrote on the back...

Ethel wrote to her 11 yr old sister, Christie, on the back of the above RPPC except I don't believe she actually mailed it due to the lack of a stamp and the fact that it was still in Ethel's possession. I've found other notes and letters in her Treasure Box written in draft form which implies that she wrote a practice one first, and then mailed a second one. Or, she could have kept it as a souvenir because of the date and information.

I've posted the same backing in two directions so you can read it for yourself, but here's what Ethel wrote to Christie:

Christie why don't you
write anymore. Will
you see what Annie
Owens & Olive Lee's addresses
are. I think they are on one
of those post cards hanging
on the wall, Noah and I are going to

Miss Christie Nelson

Belhaven,

Ontario

Regina to-morrow. also Eva
& Joe. Louie & Fred & Mrs Draper,
going to see the ruins. I guess
it is something fierce. the main
part of the town is all wiped out
Carried a loaded street car 40 rods.
Bye-Bye. Love from sister Ethel.

The Cyclone

On June 30, 1912 Canada was making final preparations the next day's Dominion Day celebrations and Regina was no exception. At 5 pm after a day of extreme heat, a combination of a cyclone and tornado due to two storm clouds colliding, hit the ground 18 km (12 mls) south of the city and cut a swath 400 yds (2-3 blocks) wide heading north through grain elevators, business and warehouse districts, and manufacturing plants, with the worst of the damage downtown and in the affluent residential area between Wascana and Victoria Parks.

The Morning Leader - Jul 1, 1912, Page 2

It was over in 20 mins leaving 28 people dead or dying, hundreds seriously injured, 2500 homeless, and over 400 of the finest buildings in the city - some the finest in the province - destroyed or missing. Total cost in 1912 - over 5 million dollars.

For sure Noah and Ethel and the family went to Regina to see the aftermath of the cyclone because Noah took this RPPC of the YWCA:

YWCA ruins on 1900 block of Lorne St. 1912 Regina Cyclone. Photo by Noah Draper

The thought occurs to me as I look at these photos is that Noah, Ethel, Louie, Fred, Joe, Eva, and Sarah Draper could be some of the people walking around looking at the ruins, but from the distance, I can't tell.

Some of the photograph captions mention that being taken atop a building and I can only assume that's what the man on the roof of the YWCA above is doing.

Here's another view - a lighter one - of the YWCA and surrounding buildings at the corner of Victoria and Lorne.

1912 Regina Cyclone - Corner of Victoria Ave and Lorne St., Ruins of the Metropolitan Methodist Church on the left, and then the YWCA , Courtesy of Glenbow Archives.

The Metropolitan Methodist Church was constructed in 1910 at a cost of $100,000 only 1 1/2 yrs before the 1912 cyclone. Here's what it look like before June 30th.

ca 1910 Methodist church, Regina, Sask., The Valentine & Son's Publishing Co., Ltd.

These were brick and stone buildings!

Here's a different view of Lorne St as we look north toward the railway tracks and beyond to the warehouse district. Note the Knox Presbyterian Church down the street on the right.

1911 - Corner of Lorne Street and Victoria Avenue - Victoria Park on the right, Metropolitan Methodist Church on the left, and Knox Presbyterian Church down the street. Courtesy of City of Regina Archives Photograph Collection.

Before the 1912 Regina Cyclone: Knox Presbyterian Church at the corner of Lorne and 12th, and the YMCA at the Cornwall and 12th. Taken from Victoria Park. Courtesy of the Prairie History Room at the Regina Public Library.

Here's the Knox Presbyterian Church after the cyclone left it in ruins.

1912 Cyclone Ruins - Knox Presbyterian Church, Lorne Street and 12th Avenue. Courtesy of City of Regina Archives.

After 1912 Regina Cyclone - YMCA at the corner of Cornwall and 12th. Courtesy of City of Regina Archives.

Downtown Regina after the 1912 cyclone. Far left: Scarth Street looking north from 11 th Avenue. Courtesy City of Regina Archives.

After the 1912 Regina cyclone on warehouse district. Dewdney Avenue between Cornwall and Scarth Streets with Regina Cartage in foreground to right. Looking north.

Damage caused by 1912 Regina cyclone in warehouse district - looking south toward tracks and across to downtown Regina. Courtesy of City of Regina Archives.

According to REGINA: The Early Years...

Regina 's residents were left to pick up the pieces of their broken city. The dead were buried, the injured were treated, and the rubble was hauled away. An apocryphal story says that Boris Karloff, best known as Frankenstein's Monster of movie fame, was acting in a play at one of Regina 's theatres that day. Karloff supposedly stayed in Regina and helped with the cleanup operation.

It took only a year for most of the city's buildings and houses to be rebuilt. Carpenters and other tradesmen came from as far away as Winnipeg to help with the massive rebuilding efforts. The debt stayed behind considerably longer – it took almost 40 years to pay off the loans that the city and its residents took out to aid in the rebuilding efforts.

Links to more information and photographs on the 1912 Regina cyclone:

Regina the Early Years: Cyclone of 1912
The Regina Cyclone of 1912 (Saskatchewan Archives Board)
MAP: Path of death left behind by Regina cyclone of 1912
Path of the tornado superimposed upon a map of Regina
A Window into the Regina Tornado of 1912 (Regina Plains Virtual Museum)
Regina remembers tornado on June 30, 2012

Downtown Regina Historic Map guide - City of Regina

The Morning Leader - Jul 1, 1912
The Morning Leader - Jul 2, 1912
The Morning Leader - Jul 3, 1912
The Morning Leader - Jul 4, 1912

Twitter Simulation: Tweeting the 1912 Regina Tornado

The Morning Leader - Jul 3, 1912, Page 1

1912: Jan 14 Letter fm Eva Perrault

3/31/2014

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

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

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

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

People/places mentioned in this letter:

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

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

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

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

Grand Coulee Jan th
14
1912

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

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

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

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

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Notes # 1 - Veda's Opinion of College

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

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

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

Genealogy Notes # 2 - Louie's Eyes

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

Genealogy Notes # 3 - Uncle Frank's

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

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

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

Genealogy Notes # 4 - Grand Coulee store

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

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

Book: Grand Coulee A Social History, 1955

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

1911 Courtship: Nov 23 Dear Noah

2/24/2014

John Zenuk, paternal uncle of Nelson Draper, driving double-axle sleigh, Chelan, Saskatchwan

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Nov. 23rd 1911.
Addressed to: My Dear Noah
Mailed from: Belhaven, P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue-black ink
Written on: Beige lined foolscap, newsprint quality, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form and pages labelled as 1, 3,2,4, however, I've posted them here in the order they are to be read. It seems that Ethel has run out of quality stationery - a common gift of the Edwardian period, but with Christmas a month away, she may get a new supply.

People mentioned in this letter of part of the Genealogy Notes:

Mother - *Ida Amelia Glover
*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
*Veda - Veda Perrault, 16 yr old daughter of Noah's sister, Eva & Joseph Perrault
*Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
Herb *Winches - friends and neighbors
Walter *Yorke - stepson of Noah's 1st cousin 2x removed
Raymond *Yorke - son of Walter *Yorke, friend and neighbor
Squire *Yorke - Walter Yorke's son & *Hired Man of Ethel's family
**Stanley and Mae - Stanley *Mahoney & Mae Anderson
Professor *Dales - frequent fill-in preacher from Toronto

Places/things mentioned in this letter:

- *West - Western Canadian provinces
- **sleighs, cutter, buggy
- *Brandon - community in southwestern Manitoba

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, P.O.
Nov. 23.rd 1911.

My Dear Noah, --
Rec'd your letter all O.K.
on Monday. I guess you will think
I am a little Slow in writing this time
but I was up to Mr Herb Winches over
Sunday and Monday so did'nt have any
chance to write sooner. So I guess you
can forgive 'eh'.
My gracious I'm afraid
you'll freeze to death up there if it gets
any colder. good thing you're coming
down here there'll be more chance for you
living another year or so. "ha ha"

No! Stanley and Mae are not
married. I don't know when they are to
to be married, but I hear sometime before spring.
Again I hear Raymond Yorke has decided
not to marry but go West in the Spring with
his father.
Well I amy very glad indeed to
hear you intend coming as soon as you are
for certainly it can't be to soon for me. for
I am a lonesome girl sometimes, and
often I think if I get as homesick to see the
ones at home as I do to see you now. I
might pity you, for it gives one the blues.
My we had a splendid Service in
Belhaven Sunday evening. Professor Dales
spoke he is a Baptist, and he certainly can
speak. What church do you attend? And
do you believe their's a Father above?
Do you believe as I do? You may think these

funny questions. Noah: I will tell you
sometime why I ask them.
When ever I meet Herb Winch if
any one else is around he ask's them
if they heard Noah Draper was to
be married, then he'll ask me if I had
heard about it, The great clown he is;
that's all I have to say for him.
Well four weeks from now I
Suppose you will be here and you may
depend I want be here writing letters "eh"
Something better. I'll have you
right before me giving you a good lecture
"eh" I am sure I'll enjoy it better than
any show or writing letters.
Squire has just come in from
Belhaven. and the rest have all gone
to bed.

We are having awfully rough and
cold weather this last week or so. but
hav'nt much snow yet. Have saw one
or two sleighs out. Guess we will
have to go sleigh-riding in the buggy
for we hav'nt any cutter or sleighs yet. "ha ha"
They helped to make a fire one day. "eh"
How is Veda? hope she has improved
and was she at Brandon? Sadie was
awfully anxious to hear from her.
When I told our folks you would be
here in three or four weeks, Christie
was right on hand and said your
mother could come, but you could'nt
What do you think about that? ha ha
You know what a time you had last
winter. You'll remember Christy
"eh" the same old tease. Space says x x x
you'd better close for this time ,
so bye bye love, Sweetheart

Genealogy Notes

Genealogy Note #1 - Stanley Mahoney and Mae Anderson

While posting these letters, I tried not to post events before they happened, but in the case of Stanley and Mae, a search showed their wedding date of Jun 17, 1912, and since Noah and Ethel marry in Jan 1912, I decided to post the information in case we didn't get back to them. You can read more about Stanley and Mae on the post 1911 Courtship: Mar 26.

Genealogy Note #2 - Winter Travel Vehicles

In this letter Ethel talks about a sleigh and cutter and how they haven't a new one yet. If you recall, the Nelson's lost lots of equipment when their barn burnt down in the early summer.

The photograph at the top of this post is of Nelson's Uncle John Zenuk up in Chelan, Saskatchewan. John still works the farm where his father homesteaded back in the 1920's although the next generation is taking over in John's retirement. His mother - Nelson's grandmother - was the first white woman in the Porcupine Plain area, a fact detailed in the local history book.

In the last couple of years, I've published a series of Sleigh posts on my Inkwell Inspirations group blog which show the different types of winter conveyances used throughout the years. It's not a comprehensive list, but one that shows what was available:

19th Century Sleighs - a basic primer on sleighs of all kinds

19th Century Children's Sleighs - small size sleds for kids and animals

Royal Sleighs - Rich and extravagant sleighs spanning the centuries

Historic Winter Travel: Caboose - Enclosed sleighs for passenger travel

1911 Courtship Letter: Nov 12 Dear Noah

2/17/2014

Elva Nelson Mitchell and Ethel Nelson Draper, cousins, Swift Current, Saskatchewan. From the Norma Draper Family Collection.

The above photo is one of several I scanned from the photo albums passed down from Ethel Nelson which now make up the Norma Draper Family Collection. I'm including the others in this week's Genealogy Notes below.

Author of Letter: Ethel Isabell Nelson, age 21 (b 1890)
Dated:  Nov 12th 1911
Addressed to: Mr. N C Draper, Grand Coulee, Sask.
Mailed from: Belhaven, P.O.
Relationship:  Courting
Profession:  Farmer's Daughter
Writing instrument: Fine point pen, blue ink
Written on: Off-white, textured, plain, linen-like paper, 9.5 inches x 6.5 inches, folded in half in booklet form with pages numbered 1, 3, 2, 4 but I've posted them here in the order they are to be read.

People mentioned in this letter of part of the Genealogy Notes:

Pa - *James H Nelson
Mother - *Ida Amelia Glover
*Christie - Ethel's 11 yr old sister
*Sadie - Ethel's 16 yr old sister
S. Draper's - family of *Stewart Draper, paternal cousin of Noah
Walter *Yorke - stepson of Noah's 1st cousin 2x removed
Squire *Yorke - Walter Yorke's son
*Fanny - niece of Noah's brother-in-law, Joe Perrault
*Mary Smith - Ethel's neighbor and friend
**Elva Mitchell - Ethel's paternal cousin
**Aunt Mary - Mary Glover *Linstead - Ethel's maternal aunt
**Florence P - Ethel's 2nd cousin (they share great-grandfather George *Croutch)

Places/things mentioned in this letter:

*Indian Head
the *West & North West - Canadian prairie provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta)
*Toronto

- Bram or Brown Dick - ? - book or story - possibly in a reader

- Peck's Bad Boy - by George W. Peck , late 1800's
Stories of a naughty boy. Free online read available at http://www.readbookonline.net/title/32610/

- Astray in the Forest - by Edward S Ellis, Illustrations by Stanley Wood, 1908

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. P. O.
Nov 12th 1911.

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

My Dear Noah, -
Sunday is here once
again, and say such a cold
stormy day as it is. I think it
must be one of your North West
blizzards. We were up to Sunday
School this afternoon, and you would
certainly think the wind would blow
your head off. Would'nt be any loss
if mine did go, be some body's gain
for when they found it they'd
think they had a pumpkin sure.
Talk about blizzards. Indeed I wouldnt

care a bit, if one would land you right
here on this farm. Hope something will
bring you along soon, anyway. Six weeks
sounds much better than six months
but 6 days will sound ever so much
better "eh"
I had a letter from Elva Mitchell
on Friday, she spoke as though
they were going to stay with Mr
S Draper's this winter. Said they
had been looking for you down
but that you never had come yet.
Mr Walter Yorke is talking of
going West in the spring, Say's
after he and Squire have been out
there two or three years they will
own over half of the West. He
has high ideal's "eh"

We are not going to church to-night
I guess we. think we will be most
comfortable here in the house. Christie
is reading, "Bram Dick" to Pa & Ma
and Sadie is here with me reading
"Pecks bad boy" Say! it certainly is
a book worth reading, I read "Astray
in the forest" this forenoon.
How is your face now? and did it
prove to be much of a comforter, "ha ha"
The mason's are coming to-
morrow to put in Stable floors
and we certainly will be glad when
the Stables are finished, for it certainly
is getting cold enough for to put
the stock in.
Mary Smith is in Toronto now.
A cousin of her's is to be married this
month so of course she is to be at the wedding

Now you never told me in your
last letter. how Fanny was getting
along. you must'nt forget to mention
her, for you know how anxious I am
to hear about her. "ha ha", not her,
but your the one I am anxious to hear
from. Oh Noah if you were only here,
we would forget all about the storm
just think though only five more
letters we will have to write, and
then the next Sunday instead
of writing we can just make
our tongues run "eh" I am afraid
there would'nt be any church
for us, even if it was'nt
storming. I guess I must say
Good Bye for this time with
love and kisses from your Sweetheart.
x x x x x x x E. Nelson.

Genealogy Notes

Ethel Nelson Draper and Elva Nelson Mitchell at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Courtesy of the Norma Draper Family Collection.

Ethel has mentioned her paternal cousin, Elva Jane Nelson, several times before in these courtship letters, but this is the first time I'm posting photos which I scanned from Ethel's albums. If you recall, Elva married Will Mitchell and are working on the Indian Head area farm of Stewart Draper, paternal cousin of Noah.

In this week's letter, Ethel says she received a letter from Elva saying her and Will were staying with Stewart through the winter and that they hadn't run into Noah yet. The 1911 Canada census shows William and Elva Mitchell living near Indian Head. This is confirmed in the Courtship Letter Special: July 15 From Elva Mitchell where Elva writes that "we only live 4 miles from the head."

The caption written in the album that holds the above photographs says "Elva and Ethel in the coulee, Swift Current." According to the 1916 and 1921 census records though, Elva and Will lived in Johnston Lake near Mossbank which is a couple hours east of Swift Current, and a couple hours west of the Grand Coulee/Regina area.

Google map showing Swift Current (left), Mossbank (middle), Grand Coulee (right).

From reading Ethel's journals I know she had a penchant for travel. So it's quite possible Ethel & Noah, and Elva & Will had gone on a sightseeing trip to Swift Current. Especially since the back of this next photo shows them in Mossbank in 1926.

1926 Mossbank, SK possibly at the Mitchell farm. Contains Ethel, Noah and Norma Draper; Elva, Will and Merle Mitchel; Laura and Wes Cain.

As you can see, I've added the names on the front of the image so it's easier to make them all out. Also note that Will and Elva's only child (that I can find so far) is Hannah Merle Mitchell who is standing between Laura Linstead Cain and Wesley Cain.

Ida Glover, Florence P Croutch, Mary Glover

Laura Linstead is Ethel's cousin as her mother, Ida Amelia, is sister to Mary Ann Glover who married William David Linstead.

Mary is the Aunt Mary mentioned in several of these letters who was living in Sintaluta, Saskatchewan in 1911, although they had only moved there from the Gwillimbury area in the past few years.

This photo on the right was taken at the Ida Glover & James Nelson house on Baseline Rd, Sutton West sometime in the 1940's. The back of the photo is written in Ethel's handwriting and it is one of the photos she passed on to her daughter, Norma.

Florence P was a mystery to me but after some time spent in research, I believe her to be Florence P Croutch, daughter of John Francis Croutch and Cordelia/Fedelia Cryderman of East Gwillimbury. Florence P is Ethel's 2nd cousin as they share a paternal great-grandfather George Caleb Croutch.

Back of photo of Ida Glover Nelson, Florence P Croutch, Mary Ann Glover Linstead

<<Previous

Sep 1912: Letter from George Draper

Genealogy Notes

June 1912: Regina's F4 Cyclone

The Cyclone

1912: Jan 14 Letter fm Eva Perrault

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship: Nov 23 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

1911 Courtship Letter: Nov 12 Dear Noah

Genealogy Notes

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