LETTERS HOME
LETTERS HOME TO BRITIAN.
This is just an odd sheet that I found the heading is just Knowlton House.
These few children have various immigration dates
I got your email address from a web site because I saw you had researched
children in Knowlton. I'm just emailing because I'm an archivist from
Southampton who has found in our collections a number of letters sent by
children who migrated to Canada.They were sent to the school master of the
South Stoneham workhouse, where the children had all been living. The
children seem to have been sent via Mrs Birt's Sheltering Home in Liverpool
and ended up in Knowlton. Four children sent letters back to their old
school master:
BRAY, Frank William arrived in Canada in 1906 and went to a Mr Hodgins of
North Clarendon, Quebec (3 letters; 1 photograph; newsclipping)
HARDWICK, Harry who wrote a letter from SS Tunisian in Feb 1906 (1 letter)
McKENZIE, John who wrote from Liverpool and from Canada in 1908 (2 letters)
MILLER, William who wrote from Liverpool in 1907-1908 (2 letters)
I can't think how much it might mean to relatives of any of the above to
have a copy of their letters. I have a few of these letters scanned -
particularly those of Frank Bray - and would be happy to send any to any
relatives who might be interested.I might not be emailing the right place,
but thought you might be able to help?
Best wishes,
Joanne Smith
Senior Archivist
Southampton City Council
Tel: 023 8083 2251 Fax: 023 8083 2156
Letters written by Ellen Jane Frost and Ada Frances Frost as they
had originally been written, mistakes and all.
Letter from Nellie Frost to Miss Alexander.
( typed as it is written, very childishly! )
Sand Bay Oct 23, 1886
Dear Miss Alexander i send you my love and 100 kisses and i want
to know where my sister Ada is tell me where she is and answer as
soon as you can for we all want to know from you and i have two
brothers ( foster ) and i have two sisters ( foster ) at home.
i do love my Mother and Father and Brothers and Sisters i want to
know about my own Papa is if he is getting well and if he is dead
let me know i am learning to milk i am going to school and
sunday school i wish you to they all love me my papa is away to
buy me a pair of shoes i am going to have a nice little cow so that
i can milk and a rooster we have a nice little kitten and it does
love me and we have a nice big cat it its name is victor.
i have no more to say to day from your dear little friend
( little friend written twice ) Nellie Wallace.
Letter from Ada Frost to Miss Alexander
( handwritten quite well, smudged a bit )
Dear Mama
I was glad to hear from you. Mama ( Mrs. Stouffer, her foster
mother ) is still in bed she stays in bed nearly all the time.
Papa takes up her meals and I bring down the tray. I peel the potatoes
for dinner before I go to school and I wear my spectacles in school
while I am studying and I put them up in the teachers drawer when I
come home. My cousin Blanche gave me a pair of drawers for my doll and
they were too long so I cut some off and made them fit her.
My Mama gave me a little cradle and I have a mattress and a pillow slip.
Mama has cut out two sheets and she is going to give me some pieces for
a quilt. Give my love to Miss Stewart in Dover and her Mama.
Also to Miss Stewart in Coulsdon. I was very much pleased to hear from
Nellie. I havent broken any of my toys. I think Papa well give me a
set of dishes. Give my love to Lizzie and Janie and Nellie.
And please will you give me a picture of Carlo ( possible cat ) and
yourself as soon as you can. It is very cold today and very little
snow is on the ground and I had a slide and I nearly fell down.
And I go to Sunday School and I have a nice teacher. Love to
Miss Hayeltime? I like staying at this place very much and I am very
happy. And their were two robbers got into the post office and to
day they're re to be taken down to Toronto to be put into jail.
I hope they won't steal anymore. I am eating an apple that is a year
old. Papa said that he was very sorry that he could not say goodbye
and next time you come over to Canada please will you come and see us.
Papa and Mama send you their love.
Mama says I am to tell you that although she in confined to her
bed she is improving and hopes she will be better soon. I hope you
have a good boysa? ( possibly voyage? ) be home and are quite well.
I am quite well. goodbye from Ada F. Stouffer.
Letter from Ada Frost to Miss Alexander, the handwriting isn't
quite as neat as the last letter.
Stouffville Jan 24, 1887
Dear Miss Alexander
I write to you hoping that you are quite well. Thank you for your
nice letter and card. I thank you very much for the books you sent me
on thursday was Papa's birthday and we had roast ducks and plum
pudding for dinner. Mama is still quite ill sometimes she is a little
better and then she gets worse. She is only been down to dinner once
in six weeks and that was on Papa's birthday. I am staying home from
school this fornoon because I have a little rash on my arm and Ma
wants to see the Doctor when he comes to see Ma about it. I am now
going to tell you what I got on the Christmas tree first of all
Santa Claus come and filled my stocking with all kinds of candies
and nuts and raisins and figs. On Christmas morning I had my
doll dressed in new clothes on and I was quite surprised to see it
with such nice clothes on and on the tree I got a teaset and a
little stove which had darling on with a boiler sauce pan and a
kettle and a little cup and saucer and a little cruit stan and a
little iron and stand. and a picture book called the Children Friend
and I have another picture book called Bible Stories and pictures on
the other side. I am going to write to Lizzie. I hope you are quite
well and Lizzie. From Ada F. Stouffer Stouffville.
Letter from Ada Frost to Miss Alexander, neater handwriting
at first, then gets harder to read from the middle to end.
January 11, 1888, St. Thomas, Ontario.
Dear Miss Alexander,
I suppose you think it very neglectful not to write to you sooner.
I hope that you are quite well. Pa and Mama (Mr. and Mrs. Coyne Sr.)
and I are quite well. I go to school day school every day and Miss
Penwarden is my teacher and I like it very much. One of Aunts has a
little baby boy four or five months old and he is a very nice little
boy. I go to Sunday School every Sunday and to church. I thank you
very much for the nice book you sent me and I have read it all through
and I liked it very much. It is quite cold to day and the snow and
ice is on the ground. I suppose you would like to know what I got in
my stocking on Christmas I got a pair of leggings and a pair of
rubbers and a new red dress and a handkerchief and some nuts candies
raisins and some popcorn and Mr. Stouffer ( former foster parent )
sent me a little book called the Christians Graces and it is very nice.
We have a white pussy around our house. Please don't forget the thank
Ancil? for sending me his picture I thought it very good of him.
I hope Carlo is alive yet and I suppose Tabby the cat is live yet.
I guess she is a big cat by now. I suppose you will be bringing
more children to Canada next spring of yours do Please tell me
because I should like to know and if you bring any little children
into your house please write and tell me their names. I guess you
will get a house in Toronto again like you did last spring.
Please write and let me know because I should like to.
From you affectionate friend Ada Frost, St. Thomas, Ont.
If you please excuse because I forgot to send Lizzie my love and
give my to to Anea? Pa and Ma sends you their love.
Ada died about 6 weeks after this last letter, two were written
to Charlotte Alexander by Mr. and Mrs. Coyne ( Pa and Ma ) regarding
her death, she was hale and hardy one week and then got quite sick
withdiphtheria and faded quickly. They loved her very much and
wanted to adopt her. She was regarded as a very good little Christian
girl by them.
No other letters were in Charlottes records of Nellie's but it was
mentioned of her writing quite often to Marchmont and Miss Alexander
in her records.
submitted by Tami Clark, proud great granddaughter of
Ellen Jane Frost and great great niece of Ada Frances Frost.
I thought I'd share a letter written 81 years ago by my aunt, Annie Emily
Gevaux, when she was staying at Hazel Brae in Peterborough, the Barnardo's
home for girls. Several girls' names are mentioned in it and somebody on
the list make recognize a name.
This letter is from a bundle of letters included in the package I received
from After Care last week. It's evidently written to "the Governor" at
Girls' Village. I've seen a postcard view of "The Governor's House, but
I don't know the name of the official.
I've already formed some impressions from this early letter of Annie's.
There was a camaraderie at Hazelbrae which seems very nice. She was an
intelligent girl who had received a pretty good education from
Barnardo's--she'd been with them since she was 9 months old, boarded out
until 14, and then returned to Barkingside for training as a parlourmaid).
Also, writing appears to be in her genes--all the women in our family
wrote letters to each other all our lives--hundreds of them--and we have
preserved most of them.
Annnie actually volunteered for emigration. She said she wasn't going to
stay in England and be somebody's servant. Eventually, she became a nurse
and had a long and eventful life. Sailed home in style on the Queen Mary
in 1937 for the Coronation of Geo VI and Elizabeth.
If anything here is useful to anyone writing a history that includes
emigration, Hazelbrae or the Minnedosa, please feel free to use it. But
just mention the source. Anyway, here's the letter below and the
Governor's reply. Annie was 15 and had arrived at Quebec on the SS
Minnedosa on September 21, 1921.
Margaret Cox House
Hazel Brae
Peterborough, Ontario
October 7, 1921
Dear Madam:
As I am busy writing letters I thought perhaps you may like to hear
from me. We are still at Hazel Brae because diphtheria has broken out among
us. Ruth Millerick and Alice Chappel are in a hospital nearby, and Nora
Millerick is in our own infirmary. There are ten other girls whose swabs
are positive and if the rest of the girls' swabs are negative we are going
to our service places. We have not seen much of Mr. and Mrs. Hobday
because, we being isolated, they have kept at Toronto. Mrs. Hobday is
lovely; she is exactly like a mother to us, and I am sure all the girls
love her.
We had two lots of Canadian ice cream, and it is lovely. When
Colonel and Mrs. Carless came to see us, the Colonel told us to line up for
a dose of 'castor oil,' and we pulled awful faces. I should like you to
have been here and seen the difference in our faces when he gave us the
dose, for it was Canadian ice cream. The Colonel also had one and he made
out he didn't like it, but at any rate he soon ate it.
Yesterday we had some races, and I won a prize for high jump; it was
a lovely necklace. We really have a nice time here. When Mr. and Mrs.
Hoday and Mr. and Mrs. Carless came to see us, we had a concert and several
people sent us things such as apples, oranges, chocolates, and cakes. some
of the girls did some dances, which Mrs. Gilling had taught them at school.
The Colonel said they were very good, and we all enjoyed that evening very
much. We are all patiently waiting for Mrs. Hobday to come back, when we
shall be quite happy.
Will you kindly remember me to Miss Macnaughton,and kindest regards
to yourself.
I remain,
Yours Truly,
Annie Gevaux
\==============================================================
4th November, 1921
Dear Annie,
I was very glad to hear from you, but very sorry to hear that
diphtheria has kept you at Hazel Brae and that you have not gone into
your new home yet. However,by now I expect you have gone out. I wonder
where you are, and hope very much that you are happy in your new home.
Of course, Mrs. Hobday will always do anything she can for you. I
am so glad that you like her so much. I shall be very glad to hear how you
get on in your new place. You seem to have had a very gay time on the
voyage, in spite of the fact that it was rough and many of you were
sea-sick.
I am sure you will do your best to get on well in the new country,
and not forget all that you have been taught in the Village here. I shall
watch with great interest to see how you all do in your different homes.
With every good wish,
Yours sincerely,
Governor
Miss Annie Gevaux
Margaret Cox Home
Peterborough
Ontario, Canada
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