The Lansdowne House Letters: The Good Son-in-Law

Throughout his adult life
my father wrote consistently 
to his mother,
perhaps not so surprising.





Myrtle Jane (Pratt) MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

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Perhaps more surprising 
is that he often wrote 
to his mother-in-law.

Ella Grace(Cossaboom) MacDonald

with My Brother Roy and Me
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

While many of the letters Dad wrote to Nana survived,
only a few of those he wrote Grammie still exist.
Nana saved letters carefully,
but Grammie usually burned hers regularly
in an old oil drum in her backyard. 

Through Nana, Dad's mother Myrtle MacBeath,
his northern letters made the rounds
of the extended MacBeath and Pratt families
in Prince Edward Island.


And through Grammie, 
Dad's mother-in-law Ella MacDonald,
his northern letters made the rounds
of the Lindholm family in Illinois.

(And of course Dad wrote to Mom!
And her letters made the rounds
of extended family and friends
in Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia.)



Sara Margaret (MacDonald) MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

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Dad had a great relationship with his mother-in-law Ella,
but I rarely heard him call her "Ella."
It was always "Mac" or "The Yard Boss."
And always with great affection.


On Friday, October 28, 1960 

My father wrote:

Dear Mac,

I hope that you can read this 
“writ by hand” letter.  

Uno is asleep, and 
I don’t want to disturb him 
by pounding the typewriter.



A tuckered out Uno ~
who fell asleep reading his weekly mail
just two or three feet
from where Dad was writing.
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

At least after you have struggled 
through this letter, 
you will understand why 
I type as many letters as I can.  

The typing may not be too accurate, 
but at least the letters are clear
and easily understood.


(I should have photographed Dad's letter to Mac,
but it's thousands of miles away in Colorado.)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Thanks for the dollar 
to help out on the stamps, 
although you really
didn’t need to do it.

(Nana saved envelopes too!)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

No more developments re the strange light or our poltergeist, 
but the cotton pickin dogs are in full voice right now.  (letter)

Uno and I are still getting along fine.

Don’t worry about not sending me parcels.  
I get lots – more than is good for me from Sara, etc.  

Besides, I am on a strict diet right now 
and would not want to be tempted by candy, etc.  
I am down under 210 pounds, 
and I have knocked a good three inches off my waist.  
It is about 36½ inches now.  

Just before I left home, I bought a pair of pants, 
and the waist was 40 inches.  
None of my pants will fit me now, 
but Maureen is going to take them in 
on her electric sewing machine.

You were asking about a Xmas present for me.  
You really shouldn’t bother, 
but a nice pair of WARM pyjamas would be greatly appreciated.

The McRaes are Protestants ~ good Presbyterians.

I see you are rooting for Nixon – 
oh well, I guess if you were in Canada
you would be a Conservative.




Richard Nixon
Republican Candidate
in 1960 Presidential Election
Wikimedia

  

I am for Kennedy, 
and in Canada, 
I am a good Liberal.




John F. Kennedy
Democratic Candidate
in 1960 Presidential Election
Wikimedia





The house that they are going to provide us with 
will be completely furnished, even to dishes.  
There will be no electricity, 
but there will be propane heating and cook stoves.  
Also there will be hot and cold running water, 
and a gasoline fridge and washer.  

The DOT has 110-volt electricity, and Duncan and I 
are going to go halves on a dryer next year.  
We will be very happy.

Look at the mess I am getting this page in.  
I hate ballpoint pens.

Oh yes, on the next page is the map that you asked for.

Well, I must sign off now.  
Tomorrow we expect another ‘last plane’ in.  
This might just be the ‘last plane’ before freeze-up, 
and I have a couple of official letters to get off 
to the Department of Indian Affairs, 
and I also want to drop Sara a line.

Bye for now,
Love,
Don.

The Hudson’s Bay Post, Department of Transport, 
my school, etc. are all on the end of a long peninsula 
which juts out five miles into the lake.

  The End of the Peninsula

Sticking Out into Lake Attawapiskat

There is a float plane in front of the Hudson Bay Post.
The rock is #28 on Dad's Map (below).

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

The island where we live is just about 150-250 feet 
off the end of the peninsula.  
I have finally determined that the distance 
I have to transverse in the canoe is between 350 and 450 feet.

Looking Toward the Father's Island

from Near the Hudson Bay Dock

Josephine Beaver stands with her child in a tikinagan.

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Lake Attawapiskat is a body of water about 25 miles square – 
this is quite a difference from 25 square miles, 
and there are about 200 islands in the lake.  
The one we are on is one of the larger ones.  
Some are only large rocks sticking out of the water.

Another Island on Lake Attawapiskat

The path leads down a hill to the lake shore where I got water for our family in later months.

The island is the left #27 on Dad's map (below).

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

The black dots on the map are Indian houses.

NOTE:

Key to Map:
This map is not absolutely accurate, 
and I would never pass the inspection of a cartographer, 
but it gives you some idea of the place.  

It is in fair proportion, so if you take the distance 
I travel in my canoe as about 350 feet, 
it will give you some idea of the size.

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Key:
1.  The Father’s House                                16.  Protestant Church (Church of England)                    
2.  Our Shack                                               17.  DOT Power Plant
3.  The Wind Charger                                  18.  MacRae’s House
4.  The Catholic Church                              19.  DOT Weather Office
5.  The Sawmill                                            20.  MacMahon’s House
6.  Uno’s School and the Hall                      21.  Nursing Station                  
7.  RC Graveyard                                         22.  Probable Site of My House
8.  Old Indian Graveyard                             23.  My School
9.  Partially Completed Causeway               24.  DOT Yard Fence
10.  Hudson Bay Dock                                 25.  HBC Yard Fence
11.  DOT Dock                                             26.  Lake Attawapiskat
12.  HBC Store                                             27.  Other Islands
13.  HBC Warehouse                                    28.  Rock Where I Am  Always Going Aground
14.  Bill Mitchell’s House                               29.  Usual Path of My Canoe    
15.  Dept. of Forestry Shack 


If you've been following my northern posts,
you've probably figured out that my Dad liked to draw maps.

He sketched several maps of Lansdowne House,
including this one for his mother-in-law,
each one carefully labeled with a key.

I can remember Dad teaching me how 
to copy a map by hand using a grid of squares.
He also showed me how to shrink or enlarge a map
by using different sized squares.
We first worked on a map of South America
that focused on Chile and major topographic features
of the continent.

I love maps to this day.


 

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


Boars Head Lighthouse
Tiverton, Long Island, Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Links to Earlier Posts:

TLL:  What's a Teacher to Do?

TLL:  Fun Is What You Make it


Notes:  

1.  Uno Manilla:  
     Dad's roommate; they shared a small two-room shack.
     Uno taught in the Roman Catholic School at the mission on the Father's Island.

2.  210 pounds = 95 kilograms

3.  36.5 inches = 92.7 centimeters (40 = 101.6)
     
4.  25 miles = 40 kilometers

5.  Duncan and Maureen MacRae:  
     Duncan was one of the Department of Transport employees
     and a very good friend of my father.
     His wife Maureen often helped out Dad and Uno with sewing things
     for them or for their shack cottage.

6.  350 - 450 feet = 107 - 137 meters