Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 16.
A Student a Century Ago Writes of Country Life and the Wider World:
Ada Brown's 1888 Notebook
Carol Martin
Ada Almira Brown, a bright fourteen-year-old from Cantley, Québec, produced the writings which follow as school exercises in 1888. Third child, third generation in Canada of a pioneer Protestant Irish family, Ada's grandfather James had settled in 1830 on the 12th Range, Lot 11/12; her father Andrew farmed half of the 200-acre property when he established his family there.
Ada attended the local one-room school in Cantley, and spent her final year studying the dictionary, since she had gone beyond the school curriculum offered there. In 1905, she married Charles Howard Reid of Kirk's Ferry, where she spent the rest of her life.
For several years between 1895 and 1907, Ada was a valley correspondent writing of the social comings and goings “up the Gatineau” in the Cantley/Kirk's Ferry area for the Ottawa Evening Citizen. For this she received a subscription to the paper, a pad of yellow paper on which she wrote up the social notes, and an honorarium of $30 a year. The family have no record of anything else she wrote; she spent her adult life as a farm wife raising five children.
Ada's notes tell us something of the small world she lived in and the wider world as she saw it — from optimistic and practical descriptions of country life and animals (what schoolchild now would know how hair and horns of cows could be used, or how often timothy grass should be sown?) in a world where the young, brawling population of Ottawa had reached 40,000 and policemen were required to keep order, and London was the wealthiest and greatest commercial city in the world.
A search of census information on Ada’s family for I871 (the last available year for agricultural returns during the period up to 1900) allows us to glimpse her father’s farm in rough outline: 40 of the 100 acres "improved", and an enumeration of crops including 200 bu. oats, 14 bu. peas, 2 bu. beans, and even 1 bu. apples. One acre was in gardens or orchards, and we learn that 1 acre devoted to potatoes yielded 140 bu., and 14 acres in hay returned 6 tons. This was an era when the age and status of horses and cattle were considered; enumerated separately were horses over 3 years, of which the Browns had two, 4 milk cows, 1 other horned cattle, 3 sheep and 1 swine. The family reported 2 sheep and 2 swine killed or sold for slaughter or export in that year, and the production of 400 lbs. butter, 14 lbs. wool, and 50 yd. homemade cloth and flannel. Twenty cords of firewood were also noted, and 24 “census standard pine logs".
Ada's little exercise book contains geography and history notes, mathematics problems, word definitions, and Bible verses as well as the extracts presented here. She was my grandmother and I am pleased to share with you these glimpses of country life and her world, described a century ago.
Ada Brown’s 1888 Notebook
ON COUNTRY LIFE
The climate and soil of Quebec The climate is sometimes very cold and sometimes very warm. The soil is fertile.
Spring Spring is generally thought the nicest of the four seasons. The air smells so sweetly and the sun shines brightly. I think people are generally very glad to see Spring. The Snow melts and runs away into the gullies and rivers streams and creeks. The grass begins to grow and get nice and green. The birds come back and sing very sweetly. The flowers grow and blossom and smell so nicely and people go out and gather them. Farmers sow their grain and plough the fields. Trees put on a coat of verdure and look very nice indeed. Birds build their nests and lay eggs and hatch out their young ones. The apple, plum and cherry trees blossom and their delicious fruit begins to grow. Spring is a most delightful season. The flies come back and also bees.
Farming Farming is the practice of tilling land. It is the most useful of all occupations because that all other classes are depending on the farmer for supplies. In the Spring as soon as the ground dries up the farmer commences to plough the ground. After he ploughs he harrows it and then sows the grain such as Oats, Wheat, Peas, Barley, Rye and Buckwheat. Then Grass Seed such as Clover Seed, Timothy Seed are sown. These do not have to be sown every year; generally the farmer breaks up the ground and sows the seed every three or four years. Corn is planted also Potatoes and Beans. All thrifty farmers have Vegetable and Flower gardens also Orchards. In the Vegetable garden they have, Onions, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Watermelons, Musk Melons, Tomatoes, Carrots, Beets, Parsnips and Lettuce, Squashes, Pumpkins, Hops, Radish, Spinach, Rhubarb, Turnips, Garlic, Citrons and many other Vegetables. Some the things grown in the Orchard are, Apples, Plums, Peaches, Pear, Grapes, Gooseberries, Blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries and many other kinds of fruit. When the hay ripens the farmer cuts it down and puts it up in barns for him to feed his horses, cattle, and sheep during Winter. Then the grain ripens and the farmer reaps it and also stores it up in barns and has to get it thrashed with the threshing mill to get the grain off the stalk. Farmers also keep horses, Cows, Sheep. They milk the cows and take the cream off the milk and churn it till the butter comes. They sell what butter they do not need to use themselves.
Monday Home Work A farmer works 227 acres of land which he crops as follows 20% in wheat, 18% in grass, 17% in peas, 19% in oats and 8% in root crops the rest being fallow. What number of acres does he sow to each crop and how much in fallow. (Calculations follow, with the inscription “Right") 45.40 (wheat), 40.86 (grass), 38.59 (peas), 43.13 (oats), 18.16 (root crops), 40.86 (fallow).
In the year 1858 there were imported into Canada 20735 doz. eggs valued at $2487. In the same year there were exported from Canada 623525 doz. eggs valued at $66860. How many more eggs were exported than imported that year and what in each case was the average value per doz. eggs. (Further calculations, also marked "Right”).
ON ANIMALS
The cow Of all horned animals the cow is the most useful. Its flesh is very much used as an article of food to man and the purposes to which the various parts of the body are applied are almost innumerable. Without its skin we could scarcely get covering for our feet for the boots and shoes that we wear are almost wholly made from the skin which is besides manufactured into an endless variety of necessary things. Its hair when mixed with lime serves to make mortar. The horns are made into combs, knife handles, boxes, spoons, buttons and other useful articles. Its bones are equally serviceable for domestic and ornamental purposes. The milk of the cow is one of the most valuable of animal products being used to drink and from it butter and cheese are made, The young of the cow is called a calf its skin is made into fine boots and shoes and material for binding books.
The horse is the noblest of all animals that man has succeeded in completely taming. He is the proudest the most high-spirited and the most courageous of all our domestic animals and he is at the same time one of the most intelligent and obedient. The horse knows his own master and loves him and when he is heated with kindness shown himself capable of the truest affection. In our country we use the horse as a beast of burden either for riding or for drawing carriages and wagons. They can be taught to perform tricks. Some of the most celebrated race-horses have been known to run a mile a minute. There are a great many kinds of horses some of which are the English race horses, Arabian, Shetland ponies and Dray horses. The Percheron is a good draught horse and can travel also. The Clyde is a large horse strong but slow. The English and Arab horses are famous for their extraordinary speed. The Canadians are small. The Tat-tars not only ride their horses but they drink their milk and eat their flesh so that they serve them instead of cattle. Some interesting anecdotes are told of the horses ingenuity. The best bred horses are generally very affectionate.
The Bear The Bear is a wild animal which lives chiefly on the flesh of other animals, grains, fruits, etc.
They are particularly fond of anything sweet. They very seldom attack human beings unless they are very hungry or when wounded and in defence of their young. They can be tamed if taken when young and they will follow their master around like a dog. Bears can be taught to perform tricks too.
Their skin is used to make coats, caps, sleigh robes, etc. Some people use their flesh as an article of diet. They den up when the cold weather sets in and exist in a state of torpidity till Spring. The White Bear lives away in the Northern countries and lives on fish that it gets in the holes in the ice.
ON THE WORLD
Montenegro is a small mountainous country lying South of Herzegovina on the Adriatic Sea.
What are Rome and London noted for? Rome is noted for its numerous splendid buildings especially the Pontifical Cathedral of St. Peter the Vatican (or residence of the Pope) its numerous churches, its art gallaries(sic) and its ancient ruins of which the Coliseum is the most celebrated. Population about 250,000.
London is noted for being the largest wealthiest and greatest commercial city in the world. Among its most noted public buildings are the Houses of Parliament, St. Pauls Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Population about three millions and one half.
What is population of Paris? Population is 2,000,000.
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of the Dominion of Canada and is picturesquely situated at the junction of the Rideau River with the Ottawa. The city stands on high ground overlooking a wide valley and contains many fine restaurants, large hotels, etc., but the stately Parliament Buildings overshadow all. Population 40000. The buildings are built quite closely together and as each building goes up it is numbered. There are sidewalks laid all along the roads and there are very few trees. Some of the people there are very poor others are rich. Policemen have to be walking around all the time to keep order. There is a great deal of noise and every one seems to be very busy. The streets have different names. There are some very fine Churches. The Dominion Methodist is one of the finest. There is a great deal of business going on all the time.
ON SCHOOL DAYS
Prizes I think it is a great encouragement for scholars to learn when they get prizes. They are given for regular attendance good conduct and keeping head in your classes. When prizes are to be given there generally is a public examination held and those who hold the best positions in their classes get the prizes.
Books are generally given and sometimes toys. I like to get prizes very much and I think it very kind of those who give them to us. Sometimes it is our Teachers who give us them or the school Inspector and our parents.
Sometimes they have a written examination. When a public examination is held our parents and friends generally go to see how we are getting along in our studies and they be pleased when they see us improving fast.
School has begun so come everyone
and come with Smiling faces
for happy are they who learn when they may
so come and take your places.
Little boys when you grow up to be men
and fill some useful station
If you should be once found out as a dunce
Oh think of your vexation
Little girls too a lesson for you
to learn is now your duty
for no one will deem you worthy esteem
what ever your youth or beauty.