Letters from a Child, My Mother

I've been busy for the past couple of days reading letters written to the Ottawa Citizen back in the 1930s.

Earlier in the week, an article in the newspaper had pointed me towards a new Google database of archived Ottawa Citizen newspapers.

Well, wouldn't that just be a fun time for me, the junkie genealogist whose parents were both born in Ottawa?

Didn't take me long to make some interesting hits, one of which I'm saving for a March posting but today, let's deal with these letters that I found.

Near as I can figure, back in the '30s and right on up through 'til some time in the early '60s, there was a 'Corner Cousins' column in the Citizen newspaper and children would write to 'Uncle Ray' to register their names in a birthday club, among other things.  I guess children were encouraged to write to Uncle Ray and tell him what they were doing and share riddles and jokes.  All the letters would be signed "Your niece, " etc.

In any event, it seems my mother (Dorothy Sharpe, 1925-2008) and her siblings were very enthralled with the column.

1934 February 3:   "Dear Uncle Ray,  I am hoping to see my letter in your paper as we get The Citizen every evening and would like to wish you a Happy New Year and hope you had a Merry Christmas.  My birthday is already entered in your Birthday Book.  It is in February,  ....  Helen Sharpe, Ottawa"   (Helen was my mother's older sister; her birthday was February 2nd)

Uncle Ray's response:  "... We have Joan entered in our birthday book the day after you.  Is that right? ..." (Joan was my mother's younger sister; her birthday was February 3rd)

1936 January 4:  "Dorothy Sharpe has Very Happy Birthday : Found Folder of Riddles Waiting for her When She Got Home:     Dear Uncle Ray, This will be my fourth letter to you and I am writing to let you know that I did receive the riddles. I think it is very nice of you to send them.  I had a very nice time on my birthday.  I went to school in the morning but stayed home in the afternoon and went up town with my mother.  She bought me a lovely handkerchief and a bag of candies.  When I came home I found my riddles lying on the sideboard.  I was very glad to see them there.  Then I went over to my girlfriend's house and brought her over for supper.  She gave me two handkerchiefs also.  Then we had some singing after supper. ...  Dorothy Sharpe, 5 Bertrand Street, Ottawa"  

Can you imagine the delight it must have given the ten year old Dorothy to see her name heading the column in that day's edition of the Citizen? 

As an aside, it was February 1936 that my aunt Catherine, my mother's older sister, died following an accident on a local playground.  The incident was reported in the paper and I will devote a posting to her on the anniversary of her death.  

1936 October 31:  "Dear Uncle Ray, I haven't written to you since April.  I had not anything to do so I thought I would write to you, not that I have forgotten you, because I have been reading our page all along.  I certainly do enjoy it, too.  My sister's birthday was October 6th.  We had a little party for her and had quite a lot of fun.  Her name is Gladys and she was thirteen years of age. ...

...Uncle Ray, I am ten years old and am in Senior III.  My teacher's name is Miss O'Callaghan.  I go to St. Aloysius School.  Our teacher is very good to us.  Would you please put my letter in your page for my Corner Cousins.  I guess that's all I have to say for now.  DOROTHY SHARPE, 5 Bertrand St. Ottawa"  (Gladys was my mother's older sister whose birthday was October 6th)

1937 Feb 26   By now, my mother has become such a frequent contributor to the column, she appears to be a popular reference point for entry into the "club":  "... I am a great friend of Dorothy Sharpe ... We all go to St. Aloysius school and are in the same class. ..."

1938 Feb 3:  The birthday column wishes "Many Happy Returns to Joan Sharpe, 5 Bertrand Street" (my mother's younger sister) and the very next name is "Jeannette Cherryholme, 14 Gladstone Street" (my father's older sister!)  As a genealogist, these kinds of finds absolutely delight me!

1938 June 15:   "Dear Uncle Ray, I guess you thought I was forgetting about you but I am always thinking of you.  It is too bad I did not write in time to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I had a very good time at Christmas and New Year both.  I hope you had a good time and received a few gifts.  I received quite a few gifts.

I have some names I would like you to put in your book, please ...

Here is a joke.  Mrs. Twitchet had but one eye and long tail which she let fly.  And every time she went through a gap, a piece of her tail she left in the trap.  Who is she?

I will tell you the answer Uncle Ray.          She is a needle and thread.

I know a tongue-twister but I don't think I had better put it in because I will not be able to spell all the funny words.  Well, good-bye for this time.  Hoping to see my letter on your page soon.  Dorothy Sharpe, 5 Bertrand Street, Ottawa"  (My mother continued her love of riddles throughout her life.)

1939 November 25:  "Dear Uncle Ray,  It's been such a long time since I have written to you.  I don't think I know exactly when it was.  Well, Uncle Ray, I was promoted last year into my entrance class (Grade VIII) and I am getting along very well so far.  We were just given this year's first report card on Friday and I got 71 per cent.

I was away during the summer at Bernard Lake and I had a very good time.  I think it's swell up there.  I still belong to the Girl Guides and we are doing Red Cross work for the soldiers.  Most of us are knitting scarves for them.  My two little nieces are both getting along very well and are big girls now.  Catherine will be a year old this month and Patricia will be two years old on January 4.  Uncle Ray, will you please put that in your book, as the last time when I enrolled them on your page I made a mistake in Patricia's birthday?  I told you it was the third of January but it was the fourth. ...

Here is a joke:  Make a sentence with 'defeat,' 'defence,' and 'detail.' 

Uncle Ray, if you can do it, put it in your answer to this letter.  If you don't know it, I will give you the answer the next time I write.  I wonder if any of the cousins know it.  Well, my letter is quite long now so I think I had better close and leave room for other letters.  Hoping to see it on your page soon.  DOROTHY SHARPE, 5 Bertrand Street, Ottawa."  (The nieces (my cousins) to whom she refers are:  Patricia (nee Gibson) who was born in 1938 and died in 2005;  Catherine is still living.)

1940 July 13:  And yet another reference:  "Dear Uncle Ray, ... I belong to the same Girl Guide company as the Blace twins and Dorothy Sharpe.  I suppose you know them quite well as they write to your page quite often. ..."

1940 July 13:  "Dear Uncle Ray, I thought I would write to you my new address and also those of my nieces.  I now live at 406 1/2 Nepean Street, Ottawa.  Two of my nieces, Margaret Rose and Patricia Pearl Gibson live at 508 McLeod Street, Ottawa.  The other one, Catherine June Ann Sharpe lives at 658 Chapel Street, Ottawa.  My nieces are big girls now, Uncle Ray, and I  mind them quite often.

My brother was home on a three-day leave from Halifax a couple of weeks ago.  He is supposed to be going overseas sometime. I miss him an awful lot.  He was always so jolly.  Isn't the war terrible, Uncle Ray? It seems as though it will never end.

Well, it won't be long until the summer holidays will be here now.  We are having a school picnic out at Britannia before we close school.  We have one every year and have a good time.  We are finished our Guide meetings for this summer now.  We had a party on the last meeting.

The Blace twins and I are all still the best of pals, Uncle Ray.  We have been friends since school started last September and we have very much fun together.  We live close to each other now as LeBreton Street is not very far from Nepean.

The principal of St. Patrick's school at which my sister Joan now attends died on Saturday, June 8 and it is a sorrowful loss to the school.  She was the principal for ten years.

Here are a few riddles:

Which is the most difficult ladder to climb?       A ladder in a stocking.

What is the finest animal in the world?             Ground mice.

What goes up when the rain comes down?       An umbrella.

Uncle Ray, here are a few questions which some people find difficult to catch the joke.  They are as follows:

Did you ever see a door step?  A stocking run?  A horse fly?  A side walk?  A telephone ring?  A book mark?

Well, Uncle Ray, I think my letter is too long so I will close for this time and will write soon again.  DOROTHY SHARPE, 406 1/2 Nepean Street, Ottawa"  (My mother never lost her love of goofy jokes!) 

 1940 December 21 "Many Send Greetings:  ... Merry Christmas wishes have come to the Corner Cousins and Uncle Ray from ... Dorothy Sharpe ... and others too late to mention."     This was the last reference I found to my mother's name in the Corner Cousins column but I did find birthday greetings to her younger sister, Patricia, right up until February 1947.

I've quite enjoyed spending the past couple of days catching a glimpse of what life was like for my mother and her family during that period!