Suggest This Page To A Friend!

Transcribed by Brian Molyneaux, [email protected]

Letter from Ellen Bowman, Charlottetown to Amiee Irene Hubbard Auburn, Cal., Jan 05, 1913

Charlottetown, Prince E Island
January 5th 1913

Dear Niece

I am going to write a few lines to you and wish you a very Happy New Year. I got your very welcome letter was pleased to hear from you. You write a very interesting letter about all the brothers and sisters. I was pleased to know you were keeping house for your father. You are a good girl Seems as you are left single for some good purpose you will be free and while you have a home and someone to take care of you can be happy Marriage isn't always what it is cracked up to be. I would not marry again if I had a chance Girls dont know what trouble is until they are married My family are all married but Elmer the youngest boy and Bessie the baby She is 21 this [year?]

Note written on back of page 1: Elmer and I talked of coming to see you before we came home when we are through with the West as he intends to sell when he can and come back.

Page 2:

Elsie was married to a man of the name of Archie Matheson he died after they were married two years then after two years she married a man much older than herself George Wheatley. They live in town he deals in the cattle trade keeps a meat shop. Maggie went out west and married a young man from the Island. He went out to Saskatechwan a few years before and took up some land then came back and made it up with her his name is Bussel Clark. His mother and I are first-cousins She has one little girl three months old Elsie never had any children Josie the third girl married a man who lives about 5 miles from home She has three children Norma a sweet little girl 5 years Lester Bertram aged 3 and Bessie Irene just over two years They all have large black eyes and rosey cheeks. Her mans name is Bertram Younker. Lester the oldest boy married 4 years

Page 3:

years ago this Christmas they went out west to Saske in the next march and stayed only till the next December then came home with a baby girl Reta they call her the mother was sick all the time she was away so he concluded it was best to get back so I had to buy them a farm and settle them that trip and buying the farm took all of 2000 dollers out of our home besides the stock of course he has to finish paying for it he has a nice place 60 acres of good land and all the good buildings he will need they have two more children a boy 1 1/2 years old Wilford and another boy 2 months old I have not seen yet It has been an unusually strange winter here we had some snow in Dec just a few days sleighing then mud and warmer weather then frost but no snow and some days cold and next pouring rain

Page 4:

and still we have no snow the boats are running yet between hear and the mainland Some years we are all bound up with ice and snow and the ice breakers have all they can do to keep up communication with the mainland then after crossing of course we could get anywhere on the cars but the trouble is the water for we are on an Island entirely surrounded by water and frozen in most of the winter. Well Nettie Blanch the fourth girl is married to a man called Victor MacWilliams She has two children the oldest girl 4 years old she calls her Dorris and a boy 2 years his name is Mosley Roy. Now you see they all expect Ma to come and go whenever anything happens so you see I have my own trouble with them. Well then Elmer Roy my youngest boy went out west

Page 5:

two years ago he had 320 acres of land he has a small house on it and has some horses and he has to stay three years perhaps more before he can come home to stay so he wants me to go out there and keep house for him I had to rent the home place last year as I could not work it alone with only Bessie. So I rented it to Netties man they are on it yet I have three rooms in the house furnished I go and come when I please. I stay mostly with Eloie in Town but they all want me besides. Bessie is back and forth among them we get plenty to do and I have enough business on hand looking after every thing so far I am never idle Elmers land is just across the road from Maggie's her Man has a whole section 640 acres he keeps a lot of horses and cows pigs and hens She would like for Bessie to go with me as she finds since baby come she is pretty busy I am thinking of selling the home place for I know it is no use me trying to keep it for Elmer and it makes a lot of care for me and I want to

Page 6:

give Elmer some money to help him he deserves his share the same as the older one for he stayed home and worked and bought no trouble where the other one went away three different times and made nothing either time only spent money to take him back and forth. So there will be just Bessie and I and it is not worthwhile trying to farm and I cant afford to keep it for others to live on for they would never take care of it like as if it was their own. Land has gone up in value here on the Island. There is a great many starting in the Fox industry rearing black foxes. They have to have the right kind of a location to keep them they have to have trees mixed hard and soft wood then they enclose them in pens with wovenwire and the trees are enclosed in each pen it is not many farms they can get to start but our home has the right kind of groves so I managed a good price for it. There are six ranches within 3 miles of our place the people are all gone fox crazy

Page 7:

But it costs some money to start a ranch a pair of good black foxes for breeding costs from 12000 dollars to 20000 so you see everybody could not start one but they sell shares to anyone that will join. Some are making a big thing out of it but I would be afraid to put much in it even if I had the money. Well all of my Sisters and brothers are in the States but two John lives still up on the home with his family and Emeline has a family they live at North River. Walter Katie Ethel Barbara and Brothers there in the States Barbara is a Widow. Katie and Herbert are not married Those are my Stepsisters and Brothers there is not any of Mothers children living
but myself. Joanna died three year ago 23 of this month and her husband married in 8 months. They had no children was his last wife has some. I never see him I never went near them after he married. Well Aimee dear excuse me for not writing before but I do write a great many letters so often to the children out there. Remember me to all brothers sisters and children with love to you all. I remain your loving Aunt Ellen.

Written along the margin:
I will be pleased to hear from you anytime

Note: This is a letter from Ellen Bowman of lot 31, born Ellen Sarah Molyneaux 1852-1925. She was the daughter of John Molyneaux and Barbara Nevin. Ellen was married to Richard Bowman 10 Jul 1874. The letter is written to Amiee Irene Hubbard b 11 May 1886 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, daughter of Ellen's sister, Elizabeth Thompson Molyneaux who was married to Albert Hubbard 13 Feb 1869. Elizabeth moved to Boston where she met Albert. After they married, they moved first to Pasadena California and then settled in Auburn California a little east of Sacramento. Brian scanned this letter from the original which is held by Kathlyn Jones. Those wishing more information can contact Brian at the address above. Ellen did not use much punctuation; Brian has transcribed the letter as it was written.