Letter from Wilhelmina Elder Simpson to her sister Josephine Elder Brandon, January or February, 1944
Prehen
Waterside
Londonderry [i]
2 - 1 - 44
Dear sister Josephine
My very best wishes to you and all yours for this year we have entered on.
It is such a long time since the silence between us has been broken; not that you by any means are forgotten, but the �daily round and common task� seems to be never
ending. I often think of a book I once read �The woman who attempted too much,�
& have come to the conclusion, it is anything but a satisfactory state of
affairs, but for a long time it has been a chronic disease with me. I remember
in Mother & Elizabeth�s time, going to Bohillion [ii] on a Nov.
evg. to collect for the Stewart Inst.[iii] with the
injunction �Don�t stay long.� going on to Wm Fleming�s [iv] &
Thompson�s of Mullinadee [v] & no one was anything the wiser. But I was a good sprinter then. Sometimes
I make a slap at it yet.[vi]
I don�t think there is anything new to tell. S & I are comfortably settled in Co.
Down, but that is all I know.
Did I ever tell you that Mr. Jordan died, over a year ago. & I understand his legacy to each of his 3 daughters ran into the 4 figures.[vii] Isa and Mary were Joint excutrise. So that�s that.[viii]
Probably you heard of the tragic death of Mr. John Ramsay (I remember now you can�t
place them) You remember Mosie Ramsay? Do remember him requesting you to �pet Marianne for she was a bit gleiked�? If you remember that circumstance, you have them. James, Marianne & Robt. John. James married a daughter of Dr. Traffe. & they reside in San Francisco. So far as I know he was always obsessed with the
idea of his own importance.[ix] Marianne (Minnie, otherwise big Miss Ramsay) and the other young sister, Bella, Mrs. Stinson are all well tarred with the same stick. Johnnie broke off strain, was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, was well read, very intelligent, well balanced, & had his Uncle Robert�s [x] generosity well developed. His talents were used to help anyone who needed help, & very often they were very undeserving. I was nothing to him to spend thought, time, labour & money in that service. He passed & everyone far and wide lamented him. His cousin 2nd or 3rd Bobbie Ramsay of the upper house, looked after Minnie�s affairs last year. This year he has also taken on mine. Now he has his own, his aunt Mrs. Porter�s Minnie�& mine, to see after. A certain proportion to the size has to be cropped, a certain proportion put in wheat fencing &c. has to be done, but he has taken all responsibility which to me is a great relief. The late Wm McMichael�s farm has
been sold & bought by Fahan people. (Hutchinson�s, brothers of Mrs. Jack
Galbraith)
I have had a letter from Anne, who told me about your grandson, [xi] of course you will let him have our address here, we like visitors, grandfather�s pipe for him. It is of course at The Grove in the meantime, but will not be a big job to bring up.
I was down home last week & there are sheets of snowdrops, brought up as many big bunches as could be packed in my basket. One big bunch I gave to our friends from your side of the herring pond. It is lovely to see people�s faces, when
they get them unexpectedly! There are also a few blooming from here in Prehen
which I brought from home. I had one big bush of honeysuckle here which began
blooming early in Spring last year & kept in full bloom till the second week
in Nov. when a storm destroyed it. Another thing growing here in Prehen, is a bunch of that little pink flower which grows at Morass Shore [xii] & at the Mill bay. I brought it from Dinnylinn. The name of it is Thrift.
We have been having a little gospel meeting in our tiny front room here every Wed. this last month. Just the neighbours round. First night we had 10 & 3 from the
hall besides ourselves 2nd night we had 18 & 5 from the hall 3rd night we had 11 & 3 from the hall last night Dan was working but we had 14 & 7 from the hall.[xiii] The people are pleased to come, and our responsibility is to deliver the message.
I shall try & write you again before such a long time as I think probably there are things I have forgotten to tell you.
With warmest love
Yours affectionally
Wilhelmina
Robin as you say is now 35. Daisy [xiv] had 2 girls & Marshall, then Robin & Isobel was born on Aug 20th 1914.
Robin & Marshall are both married but Robin was not keen on giving
information. Do you remember Mr & Mrs T Joyce. Mrs J. is Daisy�s
sister-in-law, there is some come and go between us, but we don�t know much of
D. She broke with her friends long ago. I was very interested to
hear all about Adelaide�s girls. Jo & Betty are both married long since.
Adelaide will probably also lose Wilma before very long. She won�t really lose
them but someone else will have the responsibility of providing & caring
for them,[xv] which Adelaide has well done in the past. & it is good she should get a rest.
Love again from
Your sister
Wilhelmina
NOTES:
(I would like to acknowledge the help of Nancy Elder Petersen, whose research helped me answer many questions I had regarding certain details of this letter. Nancy runs the Elder DNA project and maintains her own Elder Family Page. She is a veritable gold mine of information on the Elder family and an inspiration to everyone researching our lines.)
- This day may also be 01 Feb 1944. Prehen Road is in Londonderry Town. This road may be located near Prehen House. [Return to Letter]
- Bohillion is a townland or a house on Inch. It is north of Carnaghan, the townland where The Grove is located, and south of Strahack. [Return to Letter]
- Wilhelmina was probably collecting donations for the Stewart Institution for Imbecile Children, and the Asylum for Lunatic Patients of the Middle Classes. [Return to Letter]
- There are a large number of Flemings buried in the ruined church that Will and I explored when we visited Inch. But I have never been able to find a Fleming connection to the Elders. When I visited Inch in 2000 I was assured by Mrs. Bryce of Carnahan, Inch, the Flemings and Elders were in no way connected. [Return to Letter]
- Mullinadee is a township or a house on Inch. It is near the coast and roughly due west of Bouhillion. [Return to Letter]
- Wilhelmina was born Feb 1876. At the time this letter was written she would have been just short of her 68th birthday. She must have been in a lot better shape than I am, at age 62, if she actually did �make a slap at� sprinting. [Return to Letter]
- Four figures was evidently a fortune to be envied in Ireland in 1944. Of course, these four figures would have been in pounds sterling. I think in 1944 one pound was probably worth around four American dollars. [Return to Letter]
- Sounds as though Wilhelmina was expecting to benefit from the estate. I wonder if the Isa mentioned is our Great-Grandaunt Isabel Hill Elder? She was Samuel�s wife and always called Isa by the family. [Return to Letter]
- What a tedious correspondent Wilhelmina is! [Return to Letter]
- Goodness! Wilhelmina is a horrid gossip, and so bitter. I am frankly surprised she has anything good to say of anyone. [Return to Letter]
- I think this is Art�s son Bob Brandon, but not sure. [Return to Letter]
- Look up Morass Shore, Mill Bay and Dinnylinn. [Return to Letter]
- Wonder what �the hall� is. [Return to Letter]
- Alexandria (Daisy) Elder Elliott, married Will Elliott a Sgt. Major in the British Army. [Return to Letter]
- Goodness! As if �girls� can�t provide and care for themselves! My, my, times really have changed. [Return to Letter]