County of Brant Public Library Digital Collections

Letter, Margaret Jones to Mary Pate, 19 July 1941

Description
Creators
Jones, Margaret, Author
Pate, Mary
, Recipient
Media Type
Image
Text
Item Type
Correspondence
Description
A single page (front and back) letter from Margaret Jones in Codsall, England to Mary Pate in Brantford, Ontario. In it, she states that it’s been “getting on for a year since the boys left home – A really amazing year.” She speaks of her work and how the boys had written wanting their bicycles. She also describes how her husband has been ill recently and has had an operation on his hip but that it seems to have gone well and he has been feeling very fit.

The letter was provided by E. Ann McRae.
Notes
The Pate-Jones Collection consists of some photographs of the family members and a large group of letters. The majority of the letters are written by Margaret nee Wilson, and some by her husband Howard Jones, to their sons Barry and Stewart Jones, or to Mr. and Mrs. Pate. From 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, Barry and Stewart lived with Margaret’s second cousin Andrew Wilson Pate and his wife Mary Herron nee McClure at the Brantwood Farm. The original farm was founded by Andrew’s father James Pate, and was situated on the south side of Powerline Road and Gretzky Parkway, which at that time, was considered part of the County of Brant.

The correspondences cover from detail Margaret Jones’ dilemma in settling her boys with virtual strangers, her return trip to England to rejoin the war effort there, news of farm life in England, the concern that England might lose the war, and the anguish of both families when Andrew Pate died in 1944, leaving his teenage son to run Brantwood Farms. These letters are therefore a fascinating way to conceptualize how the war affected daily life in Canada locally, and in England.

In recent decades, the original Brantwood Farm that was situated on the south side of Powerline Road was sold by the Pate family for development. The farms are now located on the north side of Powerline Road, and consist of several farms belonging to several Pate families, mostly within the County of Brant, remaining a thriving local establishment to this day.
Date of Original
July 19, 1941
Subject(s)
Personal Name(s)
Jones, Margaret ; Pate, Mary
Local identifier
2017AM001.019
Collection
E. Ann McRae Personal Collection
Language of Item
English
Geographic Coverage
  • Ontario, Canada
    Latitude: 43.1334 Longitude: -80.26636
  • England, United Kingdom
    Latitude: 52.63333 Longitude: -2.2
Copyright Statement
Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
Recommended Citation
Letter, Margaret Jones to Mary Pate, 19 July 1941. E. Ann McRae Personal Collection, Item No. 2017AM001.019
Terms of Use
The information and images provided are for personal research only and are not to be used for commercial purposes. Use of this information should include the credit "provided by Ann McRae"
Contact
County of Brant Public Library
Email:digitalhistory@brant.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:
County of Brant Public Library (Paris Branch)
12 William Street
Paris, ON
N3L 1K7 | @brantlibrary
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