Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

VISCASHA COAT (LADIES)

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1940

Materials

FUR, RAYON

No. Pieces

1

Length

119.4

Description

SIZE 44. FULL LENGTH BROWN MUSKRAT COAT. 2 MAIN BUTTON & LOOPS & 1 SMALLER BUTTON & LOOP AT NECK. COAT FULLY LINED IN RAYON. SLEEVE EDGES, POCKET EDGES, BUTTON EDGES ARE ALL WORN THIN.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

History

SEE P19750039000 & P19750040000-GA FOR HISTORY. *UPDATED* IN 2017 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING SEVERAL ITEMS DONATED BY HELEN HANRAHAN, NOW HELEN FRIESEN. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS COMPILED FROM AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED WITH THE DONOR. HELEN INDICATED THAT THIS COAT WAS USED BY HER GRANDMOTHER FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. SHE SAID “MY GRANDMA WASN’T VERY OUTGOING AND SO WHEN WE SAW THE FUR COAT COMING OUT WE KNEW SHE WAS EITHER GOING VISITING OR DOWNTOWN AND THAT WAS PRETTY EXCITING.” SHE RECALLED A STORY: “ONE DAY GRANDMA CAME OUT WEARING HER COAT AND MY MOM TOOK A RARE PICTURE AND WE WERE PULLING GRANDMA ON THE SLED AND WE HIT A RUT AND SHE FELL OFF THE SLED.” GEORGE ELLIS AND MARGARET ELLIS (NEE RAMSAY) WERE MARRIED IN 1910 IN TRURO, NS. HELEN EXPLAINED THAT THE COUPLE ELOPED: “SHE WAS A DRESSMAKER AND SHE WAS WORKING WHERE HE LIVED FOR HIS SISTERS AND ONE DAY THEY JUST GOT UP, WENT TO TRURO, AND GOT MARRIED.” THEY HAD TWO CHILDREN, ARDEN IVAN ELLIS, WHO WAS REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION AND PRESUMED DEAD ON AUGUST 11, 1942, AND FLORENCE EDGELEY. FLORENCE WAS HELEN’S MOTHER. GEORGE AND MARGARET MOVED TO NANTON, AB FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS. HELEN EXPLAINED: “THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS: MY GRANDFATHER HAD DIFFICULTIES WITH HIS SIBLINGS AND, ALSO, THE DOCTOR TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD ASTHMA AND IF HE COULD GET INTO A DRYER CLIMATE HE WOULD BE BETTER.” THEY DID NOT KNOW ANYONE IN ALBERTA BEFORE THEY MOVED TO THE PROVINCE. ASKED ABOUT HER GRANDPARENTS AND THEIR DISPOSITIONS, HELEN SAID THE FOLLOWING: “WELL, I DIDN’T KNOW THEM BEFORE MY UNCLE WAS KILLED IN THE WAR. APPARENTLY, THEY WERE QUITE HAPPY PEOPLE BEFORE THAT. AND THEY BECAME, YEAH, KIND OF STERN AND THEY HAD A LOT OF RULES ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND WE LIVED NEXT DOOR SO THE GRANDPARENTS HELPED RAISE US KIDS AND SOMETIMES IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFICULT.” SHE CONTINUED, EXPLAINING WHAT WAS DIFFICULT: “MY MOM WAS A SINGLE PARENT. NO, IT WAS JUST IF WE WENT TO GRANDMA ABOUT SOMETHING MOM HAD DONE THEY WOULD ALWAYS SIDE WITH HER.” HELEN REMEMBERS HER GRANDFATHER AS THE STRONG, SILENT TYPE: “MY GRANDPA HAD A WOOD-WORKING SHOP WITH A POT-BELLIED STOVE SO HE WOULD GO OUT THERE TO SMOKE HIS PIPE, HE WASN’T ALLOWED TO SMOKE IN THE HOUSE, AND I ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN I WAS LONESOME I WOULD GO AND STAND IN HIS SHOP, AND HE RARELY SPOKE BUT IT WAS JUST NICE HAVING SOME COMPANY.” GEORGE WORKED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AS A DAIRY FARMER IN THE 1930S. HELEN EXPLAINED WHAT HE DID FOR WORK FOLLOWING THAT: “MY GRANDPA WAS ALWAYS A CARPENTER SO HE TOOK ON ODD JOBS ALL AROUND TOWN. AT ONE POINT, HE WAS THE TOWN POLICEMAN AND THEN, AT ANOTHER TIME, HE WAS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. SO HE WAS ALWAYS WORKING BUT HE WAS ALWAYS CHANGING JOBS.” ASKED IF HE PREFERRED A PARTICULAR JOB OVER ALL THE OTHERS, HELEN REPLIED: “HE NEVER REALLY SAID. WE KNEW THAT WHEN HE WAS POLICEMAN HIS ONLY WEAPON WAS A LARGE FLASHLIGHT.” SHE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS A TELEPHONE IN THE ELLIS HOUSEHOLD, “THAT MADE MY GRANDMA PRETTY NERVOUS TO HAVE ANSWER ALL THESE CALLS AT EVERY TIME OF THE DAY AND NIGHT.” GEORGE ALSO BUILT THREE HOUSES, A GARAGE, AND A SHOP IN NANTON. HELEN EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD PLANNED TO MAKE THE TWO SMALLER HOUSES INTO A MOTEL, BUT ENDED UP RENTING THEM OUT FULL TIME INSTEAD. BOTH GEORGE AND MARGARET PASSED AWAY IN 1968 AND ARE BURIED IN THE NANTON CEMETERY. FOLLOWING THEIR DEATH, FLORENCE TOOK OVER THE HOUSES AND HELEN TOOK THESE PIECES BECAUSE THEY WERE INTERESTING TO HER. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR A COPY OF THE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT, A PHOTOGRAPH OF GEORGE AND MARGARET ON THEIR WEDDING DAY, AND A PHOTOGRAPH OF ARDEN AND FLORENCE IN 1936.

Catalogue Number

P19750044000

Acquisition Date

1975-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail