Bellamy Letter #1

123 Brock Avenue

Toronto

Canada

March 4th, 1903

My Dear Gertie

I expect you will be very much surprised to receive a letter from me from Toronto but we are living here now and have been for the past five years.

Well to explain matters, I went into your Grandpa's the other day and they had just received your letter.

I cannot tell you how very, very pleased your Grandpa and Grandma were to hear from you, in fact we all are, more than I can tell you dear.

I am writing you now, and Grandma will write in a few days, she is sick just now with influenza, but sends here fondest love and I am to tell you that you may expect a letter from her as soon as she is better, which will I hope be very soon. Grandpa would write, but he is getting old now, and writing is a trouble to him, but he was delighted to hear from you and he does so long to see both you and Dorothy and wishes you were both here.

We are all getting on nicely here, and now we are getting used to the climate, like it very much. Edie and Jack are in very good positions here, and doing well. Harry is at home now, an invalid, he had a very serious illness a year and a half ago and he is not yet able to work. Gladys is getting a big girl and goes to school.

They all like Toronto very much, it is a lovely city and they have very good times, plenty of skating on the rinks, with the bands playing all the time, in the winter and boating, pic-nics, and Garden parties in the summer. I can tell you they manage to have a very good time, I only wish you were here to join them.

You do not say what business it is you have learnt, but I expect millinery, and what is Dorothy apprentice at, you must write and tell me dear. I wish you were here for I am sure you could do well both of you. We have some immense stores here, such as you can scarcely imagine without you saw them.

You say your papa is married again, Who is the lady? Is it Mrs. Oliver? I seem to think it is.

Your Grandpa got the paper with the bills enclosed, you papa seems to be getting a good business, please remember us kindly to him.

Edie says I am to tell you she will write to you. When she heard you had written she said "How I wish they were here Mother, couldn't we give them a lovely time."

I wish you would send us your photos, tell Dorothy to write too, and you shall have letters from all. Jack says "tell them to come, I will take them for a row in my canoe."

I wish you were not so far away, your uncles are all longing to see you, don't be long before you write again dear, Grandpa, Grandma, uncles, aunts, and cousins all join with me in fondest love to you both hoping soon to hear again from you. I remain

Your ever loving Aunt

E Bellamy

Bellamy Letters

The Bellamy Letters, a Picasa Web Album has been posted Ruairidh Greig, The twenty-eight images contain seven letters and forty actual pages. I will be attempting to transcribe the letters in separate blogs, but I will endeavor to explain the cast of characters:

Samuel Rason - (1832-1912) with Mary Creak Smith had seven children including Elizabeth Rason and Sarah Ann Rason. Samuel is referred to as Grandpa in the letters. After Mary Creak Smith died, Samuel married his former wife's sister, Sarah Ann Smith. Sarah Ann Smith is referred to as Grandma in the letters.

Gertrude Taylor and Dorothy Taylor were the daughters of Sarah Ann Rason and Jonathan Taylor. Gertrude was the recipient of all the letters and was known as Gertie.

Elizabeth Rason is the daughter of Samuel Rason and Mary Creak Smith. Her sister is Gertie's mother Sarah Ann Rason. Elizabeth married John Henry (Harry) Bellamy. Elizabeth is my great-grandmother and refers to herself as Aunt E Bellamy or Lizzie Bellamy in her letters to Gertie.

Edith Bellamy is the daughter of Elizabeth Rason and Harry Bellamy. She married Sidney Spall in 1907. She signed her letters as Edie Bellamy.

Forty pages could take me a while to transcribe because this is a busy time of year for me, but if you are eager to have a look, the letters are available at the link at the top of this page.

Enjoy