Roy Newell’s journal, c. 1916

Abstract

A journal belonging to Roy Newell, c. 1916. The journal records his journey with his wife Stella to Dunnville, Ontario, to visit her family. They travelled from the United States, noting that the “immigration and customs officials being uncommonly lenient, the latter not even objecting to the rows of peaches which he saw in my travelling bag…” He comments on some of the unusual place names he encounters, stating “that our Canadian neighbor carry off the palms in the matter of selecting odd and queer names for their communities. Examples: Byng; Slabtown; Thunder Bay, etc., etc.”.

He gives his impressions of the various family members he meets and describes a walk he took in Dunnville with his wife Stella: “We enjoyed one of the prettiest walks in my recollection…across the Grand River in the very nicest time of the evening, with the red and pink sunset reflecting in the calm waters of the river and a sabbath stillness over all. Across the river and under a wonderful row of willows which adorn the walk we walked and were lost in the beauty of the place. Words cannot do justice to the pleasure of it all…” He also attended a concert by the Dunnville band, “which seemed to run in competition with the Salvation Army”.

There are other entries in the journal, including one titled “the Episode of the Banana Room”.