Tag Archives: Canada

Dearest Mother: Appendix 1 – A “Royal” name for the Desmarais.

Eliza’s grandfather chooses a grander name than his brothers. The following comes from the Memoirs of George Sanderson. Sanderson was an anglophone Métis born in Athabasca Landing to a mixed-blood family and grew up in Portage La Prairie. He was involved tangentially in the 1870 resistance in Red River. His autobiography provides a wonderful accountContinue reading “Dearest Mother: Appendix 1 – A “Royal” name for the Desmarais.”

Dearest Mother Pt 8: Cards from Friends

Postcards to a Métis Matriarch In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most, but not all, were from her sonContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 8: Cards from Friends”

Dearest Mother Pt 7: Cards from Family

Postcards to a Métis Matriarch In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most, but not all, were from her sonContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 7: Cards from Family”

Dearest Mother Pt 6: I have received no letter from you lately

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 6: I have received no letter from you lately”

Dearest Mother Pt 5: Up Hear Near the Firing Line

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 5: Up Hear Near the Firing Line”

Dearest Mother Pt 4: …In Strange Contrast to the Farms of the Prairie

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 4: …In Strange Contrast to the Farms of the Prairie”

Dearest Mother Pt 3: Imagine Me Walking About This Place

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 3: Imagine Me Walking About This Place”

Dearest Mother Pt 2: In a Continual Downpour

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 2: In a Continual Downpour”

Dearest Mother Pt 1: Hurrying Us Through

Postcards from a Métis Trooper in the First World War In 2024, my father shared with me some postcards he had kept. They were passed down by his great-grandmother, Eliza Scheer (nee Desmarais) a Métis midwife who ran a boarding house in Fort MacLeod in the early decades of the 20th century. Most were fromContinue reading “Dearest Mother Pt 1: Hurrying Us Through”