March 15th 1909 FL to margaret Anna bousfield

bobcaygeon, ontario, canada to kirkby stephen, cumbria

3311 miles

the message

“Hope you are all well.

Thanks for P.C.

Arrived at destination alright after a tough struggle. It is very stormy here, not like Old England.

We are coming over for a week end soon, so will perhaps see you.

Yours FL”

the sender

The initials are not clear. It could be FL. There are no clues to the identity of FL.

the recipient

Margaret A Bousfield (1891-1967) was the daughter of Robert Bousfield (1864-1935) and Mary Carr (1865-1955). Robert was the landlord of the Old Fountain Inn in Kirkby Stephen which was in Market Street.

In 1911, Margaret was working as a house maid at Augill Castle in Kirkby Stephen which is now a hotel. The head of the household was a retired consultant physician names John Abercrombie.

In 1920 Margaret married Archibald Thompson (1893-1952), a police inspector. In 1939 they are living in Penrith.

the tree

the places

Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada to Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada

Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

what the card says to us

The picture shows two hospitals in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada which is about 30 miles South East of Bobcaygeon.

Sadly, because the identity of the sender cannot be determined, the full story behind this card cannot be uncovered. Who were they? Were they family? Where did they set out from? What was their final destination? Was it Bobcaygeon or somewhere nearby? What was the purpose of the trip? Was it a permanent emigration?

Also, it says that they will be popping over to the UK for a weekend. How easy would that be in 1909? The first non-stop flight across the Atlantic wasn’t until 1927. Surely no one would cross the Atlantic by boat for a weekend.