Letter Fragment from Amy

This is the last half of a letter from Amy to Annie. It's some time after Christmas, but before New Year's. Either Annie definitely wants to come to Marshall but Jack is still unsure, or Amy has simply convinced herself that they're coming.

It's amazing what you learn when you read. Not only does Amy write of arriving to the U.S. by way of Canada, but she gives exact times of the day. She also laments that she is not sea-worthy, but Matt's sister very much is.

Their oldest daughter, Ellen, is referred to in the letter as "Nellie". She was six years oldat the time of this letter.

 

...childrens boots are perhaps a little dearer but not mens. Matt can get boots 1/2 up his leg for 4 dollars*. Good ones too. He goes to work in them (and) can put his trousers inside for this cold weather.
My dear, I hope you have got Matt's letter by this but he has not got to know how much it will cost to bring you out yet. He has not managed to see the agent yet. He is going again tonight. Matt goes to work to early in the morning to see him. Dear, I do wish you were here without the trouble of coming. Sorry all your bills have come in all together like that, but cheer up, dear. There is better times for you if Jack would only look the same way. I wish I could send you your money all at once but I will do the best I can. Matt has to pay 12 dollars* a month out of his wages for his garage and he has a phone at the garage to pay for every month and water taxes the water he uses for cleaning the motors. He has as good bit in the garage. He says he has about 600 dollars* invested in it. His car broke down so he has that to repair but he won't repair it before the spring.
I did not send any cards out this year, only a few post cards, for I think it is just a waste of money. We got those ships at a second hand store. I think they cost about 8/- for the two. Of course you can bring tin boxes, but ships would be the best if you could get them. You can sleep in the train we were in Saturday night from 6 till about 12 at night and stayed in Montreal all night. Got (on the) train Sunday morning and got to Detroit at about 2, Monday morning. Left Detroit about 8, got to Marshall about 10 O'clock. So you are not in the train so very long. I think we we(re) on the water 7 days but it was fine. You do have some fun but I did not have much fun. I was in bed nearly all the time, was sick. I don't think (if) I had been sick I had have been all right. I went to bed the night I got on the boat and got up on the next Thursday and did not have anything to eat all the time till I got up. I could not eat I was so ill, and Matt's sister, Sarah, did not miss a meal.
I would not advise you to get a lot of clothes. Girls wear all light dresses all the year round and so do little boys. You can get childrens under neath wear at 50 cents* the suit. I buy a lot of remnants for our kiddies. I got some Elitrope stuff for myself for next summer for to make a dress for 60 cents*, but I have started to make it up for the children, for I let Nellie go to school nice. There is always sales w(h)ere get things cheap. 
Dear Annie, I must close now as I want to catch the post so you will get & write to me and say you will come. I will be broken hearted if you say you can't come for I have made up (my) mind I am going to see you soon. You don't know how I want to see you. I must wish you all a happy new year. 
From your loving sister Amy XXXXX  

*$4 in 1911 would be about $91, today.
*$12 in 1911 would be about $273, today.
*$600 in 1911 would be about $13,650, today.
*$.50 in 1911 would be about $11.40, today.
*$.60 in 1911 would be about $13.65, today.  

Research

So, two posts ago, I speculated that Matthew and his family went through Ellis Island. My reasoning was that the children had to had their hair cut off and I didn't have proof that they actually went through Canada. Well, I was looking through the Nelson Genealogy and found the migration history on page 14. I thought I'd read it pretty thouroghly, but I guess not, because I found this:

1910- SARAH Nelson, with brother MATTHEW Nelson, wife AMY and three (3) children came to Montreal, Canada. SARAH, being sponsored by a church, went to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to work as a servant.

MATTHEW and his family proceeded to Marshall, Michigan, to the home of his uncle, ROBERT RAE Nelson.

So it sounds like I was wrong about Ellis Island, Green Lane and that whole theory. I can't entirely rule it out just yet, even though that auto shop in the link to the Pennsylvania address looks like it was probably built in the 1950s. On the positive, it looks like Matthew's partner was probably from the Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
I'm going to keep all of the mistakes I post, unless they're technical glitches, like a picture not loading. This blog is about our family, but it's also about my research, trial and error. That's how research works, anyway. Sometimes clues cause you to guess, and sometimes those guesses are wrong.