Tag Archives: Eliza Desmarais

Dearest Mother: Appendix 3 – Mrs. Scheer and the Browns.

Eliza becomes involved in a marital dispute between the famous “Kootenai” Brown and his wife Cheepaythaquakasoon (Isabella). This was always one of my Dad’s favourite stories. The following comes from Marie Rose (Delorme) Smith’s “Eight Years on the Plains: Installment XI” in Canadian Cattlemen October 1949. Marie Rose was a Métis plainswoman from the DelormeContinue reading “Dearest Mother: Appendix 3 – Mrs. Scheer and the Browns.”

Dearest Mother: Appendix 2 – Laurence Long’s Account of Eliza Desmarais.

An account of Eliza’s colourful life by her grandson. The following comes from Eliza’s grandson Laurence Long, recounted in Fort Macleod: Our Colorful Past, published 1977. Eliza Demerais [sic] was born and educated in Westbourne, Manitoba in 1862. She married Michael Scheer in Carrot River and resided in Prince Albert until 1884, at which timeContinue reading “Dearest Mother: Appendix 2 – Laurence Long’s Account of Eliza Desmarais.”

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”