Ethelwyn Wetherald's Collected Clippings
Ethelwyn Wetherald was born in 1857 in Rockwood, Ontario, but spent most of her life in Fenwick (Pelham Township), Ontario. She was best known for her nature poetry but also contributed greatly as a journalist. Wetherald received her education at both the Friends boarding school in Union Springs, N.Y. and at Pickering College in Pickering, Ontario.
Once her schooling was complete, Ethelwyn wrote numerous articles for the Toronto Globe under the pen name Bel Thistelwaite, derived from her Grandmother’s name. 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.
Ethelwyn kept a scrapbook comprised of several of her newspaper clippings published between 1885-1901. The entire contents of the collection is mainly newsprint with a few pieces that were printed in slightly larger booklet style. There are no photographs or images included, simply a collection of the clippings in order of date. Many of the articles focus on heavy topics that might be considered controversial of the times, including: corsets, life as a husband, labour unions, suffrage, and Quakerism.
As the scrapbook continues, there are references to the passing of Ethelwyn in 1940. The articles clipped and included become a memoralizing of the many achievements of the writer over several decades. It is evident that someone diligently continued to collect the works referencing the highly acclaimed Canadian author and added them to the scrapbook following her death.
View more from the Agnes Ethelwyn Wetherald collection