Ethelwyn Wetherald fonds
An accomplished poet, writer and journalist, Ethelwyn Wetherald’s works were present in all Ontario readers for school children. She was born in 1857 in Rockwood, Ontario, but spent most of her life in Fenwick (Pelham Township), Ontario, where she died in 1940. Wetherald used her surroundings as her inspiration and focused on nature. She has been coined a nature poet and journalist. But she also wrote on women's issues.
After her schooling, she wrote numerous articles for the Toronto Globe under the pen name Bel Thistelwaite, derived from her Grandmother’s name. Her articles were editorial in style under the column "Woman's World." Ethelwyn's writing focused on an array of topics from home decorating and health to corsets and women's suffrage. Some of the titles of her articles include "The Man's Side to the Woman Question," "Advice to an Engaged Girl," "Corsets Again, and "A Word on Woman Suffrage." At a time when women were not encouraged to share their opinions on such topics, she freely expressed her thoughts on these difficult subjects. In her article concerning suffrage she remarks "From the discovery that she is a thinking, reasoning being, it is but a step to the knowledge of her rights and duties as a citizen and to her perception of the fact that those who are equally bound to submit to laws should have an equal voice in the construction of those laws." These articles led to a position as Women’s editor of the Globe, and later she was part of the Advertiser’s editorial staff in London, Ontario.
Wetherald continued writing after she was finished with the papers and published six volumes of poetry between 1895 and 1931. Her work was not only known amongst school children, but also attracted the attention of Earl Grey, Governor-General of Canada in 1907 and Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada in 1911.
More information about Ethelywyn's life and work can be found in this exhibit. Some of the material from this collection has been digitized and is available in the Digital Repository.
