Letter, John and Maggie Wilson to Barry and Stewart Jones, 22 January 1942
Description
- Creators
- Wilson, John, Author
- Jones, Barry; Jones, Stewart, Recipient
- Media Type
- Image
- Text
- Item Type
- Correspondence
- Description
- A two-page handwritten letter on purple paper from John Wilson to his grandsons Barry and Stewart Jones. He mentions that his grandsons will be “big boys by the time you get back as the war is not near finished yet.” He also remarks on the large amount of snow they have gotten. He speaks about the farm and how the fruit crops were very poor. He hopes the boys enjoy skating and tobogganing.
The envelope has an Examiner 6089 sticker affixed. During the Second World War there were over 10,000 postal censors staffed in the UK to prevent information of value reaching enemy eyes. The stickers would re-seal where the letter had been opened and extracted.
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
- January 22, 1942
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Wilson, John ; Jones, Barry ; Jones, Stewart
- Local identifier
- 2017AM001.043
- Collection
- E. Ann McRae Personal Collection
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
-
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.1334 Longitude: -80.26636 -
England, United Kingdom
Latitude: 52.67043 Longitude: -2.37248
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- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Recommended Citation
- Letter, John and Maggie Wilson to Barry and Stewart Jones, 22 January 1942. E. Ann McRae Personal Collection, Item No. 2017AM001.043
- 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 LibraryEmail:digitalhistory@brant.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:County of Brant Public Library (Paris Branch)
12 William Street
Paris, ON
N3L 1K7 | @brantlibrary
