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.)
  1. 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]

  2. 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]

  3. 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]

  4. 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]

  5. Mullinadee is a township or a house on Inch. It is near the coast and roughly due west of Bouhillion. [Return to Letter]

  6. 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]

  7. 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]

  8. 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]

  9. What a tedious correspondent Wilhelmina is! [Return to Letter]

  10. Goodness! Wilhelmina is a horrid gossip, and so bitter. I am frankly surprised she has anything good to say of anyone. [Return to Letter]

  11. I think this is Art�s son Bob Brandon, but not sure. [Return to Letter]

  12. Look up Morass Shore, Mill Bay and Dinnylinn. [Return to Letter]

  13. Wonder what �the hall� is. [Return to Letter]

  14. Alexandria (Daisy) Elder Elliott, married Will Elliott a Sgt. Major in the British Army. [Return to Letter]

  15. Goodness! As if �girls� can�t provide and care for themselves! My, my, times really have changed. [Return to Letter]
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