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Reverend C.E. Thomson replaced Reverend John Smithurst at St. John’s Church in Elora, Canada West [later Ontario] after Smithurst’s dismissal by John Strachan, Bishop of Toronto. Thomson ministered in Elora from 1857-1877.

Place: Unusually, the letter is undated and does not include the location of the writer, but the envelope is postmarked Regina

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. T.A. Patrick, Yorkton

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked April 6 and April 7

Details: 1 pp on North West Territories lined letterhead, watermarked, & an envelope

Notes: In a short letter to his wife, Marion, T.A. Patrick expresses his pleasure that his daughter Edith is taking her medicine without complaint. He writes "I enjoyed witnessing the opening of the Manitoba Legislation. Gillis and I had seats on the floor of the House."

Place: Regina [N.W.T.]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. T.A. Patrick, Yorkton, N.W.T.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 4 pp; paper watermarked with crown, crest, and “Antique Parchment Note Paper;” & an envelope

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes to his wife that he is pleased that George [his brother] has sold eight cattle. Patrick thinks that they can afford to keep the rest of the cattle. He asks his wife to apply the money "on notes coming due at the bank." The Brome Grass seed, which Patrick mentioned in his last letter, was profitable for both Patrick and George. This money is to go towards payments on accounts around town.

He writes that he "got the registered letter. It's another homestead affair. I sent it back to Grenfell [to Mr. Fitzgerald from the business letter] for corrections. When it reaches you deal with it as with the others."

He then writes that he has enclosed the key to his drawer within his brother Dick's safe. He asks his wife to "get the certificate of title for block 18 Yorkton. I wish to get the survey or town plot registered. Don't forget this."

Patrick mentions going to Moose Jaw on Saturday to visit friends and that his son George's picture "has many admirers." He asks if the mill is going up and how the girls are getting on in school. He asks if they are forgetting their German.

Place: Regina [N.W.T.]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. T.A. Patrick, Yorkton, N.W.T.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 3 pp on paper watermarked with crown, crest, and “Antique Parchment Note Paper;” & an envelope

Notes: T.A. writes one of his frequent letters to his wife that he has work "to do today as chairman of the "Cooked Accounts" Committee reporting the refusal of Mr. Bennett to attend the Committee when requested to attend and give evidence" and Patrick writes of moving for an order to compel Mr. Bennett's attendance.

He then mentions letters from his mother and sister, Maud, and meeting with the new boiler inspector. He states that "the estimates were brought down yesterday Yorkton District fares fairly well - about $3500 altogether." He continues that "this will do quite a little to improve our roads and bridges." Additionally, he states that he has sent 14 letters to the district "advising people as to the grants for particular works."

Patrick finishes his letter writing "I think my letter to Mr. Magee [from the last letter] settled a good deal of his chatter. I wonder if Mrs. Magee will come to see you [Patrick's wife] again."

Place: Regina [N.W.T.]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. T.A. Patrick, Yorkton, N.W.T.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 3 pp on paper watermarked with crown, crest, and “Antique Parchment Note Paper;” & an envelope

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes one of his frequent letters to his wife, Marion. He writes that the Budget Debate is on and that Bennett and Sifton spoke the day before. He writes that he thinks "it likely the apposition will move an amendment in which case [Patrick] may speak to both motion and amendment."

He indicates that Marion will have seen Patrick's edition of The Standard. He states that "at my suggestion the Queen's Printer who appeared before the Committee on Public Accounts was to write me who printed these accounts saying that he would be afforded an opportunity by the Committee to explain the cause of an error. Therein the Queen's Printer instead wrote him a letter requiring him to furnish an explanation. Well he got mad. He was also angry about the motion respecting the Select Committee."

Patrick finishes his letter stating that "he [Mr. Bennett] appeared before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday and I examined him."

Place: Regina, [N.W.T.]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. T.A. Patrick, Yorkton, Assa.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 1pp on lined North West Territories letterhead, watermarked “Old Hampden;” and an envelope

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes a short letter to his wife, Marion. He writes that "Mr. Meredith arrive last night and leaves this afternoon. We had a hot dinner yesterday and more hot weather in the House is promised. Mr. Meredith came up to the House with me but seems to have gone again. He promised to go with me to Government House to call on the Governor."

Place: Regina [N.W.T.]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Mrs. Marion G. Patrick, Yorkton, Assa.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 1pp on lined North West Territories letterhead, and envelope

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes to his wife, Marion, that he had "a very effective speech" yesterday "on the amendment to the motion to go into supply." Bennett also made an effective speech. However, Patrick writes that "the result in the House of course was not effective whatever effect it may have in this country." He tells his wife that "the Standard publishes my Autonomy Speech in full this session, also I believe the Caribou."

Patrick finishes his letter "wondering how things are in Yorkton." He writes that "papa will soon be back."

Place: Collingwood, Ont[ario]

From: Alf [T.A. Patrick]

To: Mrs. Marion G. Patrick, Byron, Middlesex Co., Ont.

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 1pp on lined Grand Central Hotel, Collingwood Ont. letterhead. The envelope is printed with “Great Northern Exhibition, Collingwood, Ont. – September 22, 23, 24, 25, 1903.” in red ink.

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes one of his frequent letters to his wife while in Ontario. He writes that he "arrived at Collingwood last night to find that owing to a smash-up or a break-down or a break-up or a smash-down the boat I decided to sail on has been taken off the route and there is none until Tuesday so I leave at noon for Meaford then by stage to Owen Sound where I hope to catch a C.P.R. boat leaving there tonight at 5:30."

Place: Fort William, Ont[ario]

From: T.A. Patrick

To: Wife, [Marion G. Patrick]

Details: 1pp typewritten on “J.J. Wells, Clerk of the Third Division Court. Notary Public. Real Estate and Insurance.” Letterhead. Paper is watermarked with a Victoria Cross-style icon and the words “Standard, Pure Linen.”

Notes: T.A. Patrick sends his wife a typewritten letter to inform her that he has arrived in Fort William and has been visiting John Wells and Ida Momtague Bloomfield. He writes that "Mrs. Bloomfield lives near and neither of them are far from the C. N. R. station where we entered Fort William. Perhaps you remember walking past an office which stood along and which had a sign "Men Wanted.""

Place: Regina [N.W.T.]

From: Alf [T.A. Patrick]

To: Mrs. Marion G. Patrick, Byron, Lucan, Middlesex Co., Ont[ario]

Delivery: Canada Post, postmarked

Details: 4 pp on Alexandra Hotel, Regina, N.W.T. letterhead. Envelope is printed with “Return to The Alexandra Hotel, F. Nash, Proprietor, Regina N.W.T.” in black ink.

Notes: T.A. Patrick writes a letter to his wife, Marion, while she is away in Ontario. He writes, "it is Sunday morning, again, and we have for the first time in, about, a month a completely overcast sky. Last night there was a slight flurry of snow but only a flurry. The weather is warm and the ground not yet frozen up. I do not recollect seeing the freeze-up delayed so late in the season before. I had instructions sent to Mr. Goodacre to dig the ditch to lower the level of the lake three feet, and I am wondering what progress has been made. Mr. Thomson surveyed and laid out the ditch. It is to be about a mile long and about nine feet deep for a short distance just where it comes out of the lake. I am anxious to get it well started this fell whether completed or not."

He informs his wife that he intends to go back to Yorkton to hold "a service of meetings all over the electoral district of Yorkton (not Mackenzie district) to explain the municipal ordinance, and generally the work of the session. This will mean a lot of travelling and will take two or three weeks." He mentions this now "because it may affect [Marion's] home coming," but if she desired "to prolong [her] visit it will be much less lonesome for [Patrick] if [he is] away through the country on political business than if [he was] at home." He states, "I have not visited my constituency since my election and have no yet seen the new town of Sheho."

Patricks thinks that he will go to Edmonton to visit his brother Emerson and to see Edmonton, Strathcona, and Wetaskiwin since his old pupil John Brown lives there. Patrick then updates his wife that his bronchitis is improving but that the "hotel life is wearying." However, he sees his brother, Jack, everyday. He writes about Jack, "if the benches of the Law Society meet at Brandon this month he may go there as acting Secretary of the Law Society with some prospect of being chosen permanent Secretary were Mackenzie resigned. The position is wroth $400 a year at least, and would exalt him very much in his profession but he is somewhat handicapped by the fact that Yorkton is somewhat remote and not directly connected by rail and mail routes with the rest of the Territories. However, next year will remedy this condition, and it may not ban him." Patrick continues that "Jack has ordered his library from the Canada Law Book Co. of Toronto. It will be more extensive than that of any other Yorkton lawyer. They give him all the time he wants to pay for it."

Patrick then changes the subject of his letter, explaining that "hotels all over the Territories are overcrowded, and many can not get beds. All signs point to an extraordinarily heavy immigration," with 6000 Mennonites going just north and west of Beau and Burch.

He then asks what is wrong with their friends Maude and Thompson, inquiring about the wedding, and discussing Mrs. Merriam's [Maude's mother's] reluctance to see her daughter marry. Patrick states that "nineteen years old is hardly old enough" but, then, jokes, "tell Leslie that if he had only decided to marry a Doukhobor or a Galician or Hungarian there would have been no delay."