Beloved Author, Poetess Passes Away at Fenwick

[Welland Tribune March 11,1940]

Death comes to Agnes Ethelwyn Wetherald In Her 83^rd Year: The funeral on Tuesday.

Fenwick, Ont., March 11- Death has ended the career of one of Ontario’s most renowned and well loved women in the person of Miss Agnes Ethelwyn Wetherald, distinguished poetess and writer. Miss Wetherald passed away early Sunday morning succumbing to an attack of pneumonia.

Deceased was a daughter of William Wetherald and Jemima Harris Balls of Rockwood, Ont., where she was born April 26, 1857. She was the sixth child in a family of 11 children, of which she was the sole survivor. Her maternal grandparents were Irish while her father was English coming to Canada from Yorkshire in 1820. Mr. Wetherald established in 1851 a boarding school at Rockwood, it later being known as Rockwood Academy, from which graduated many distinguished men. He later resigned his principalship to become superintendent of Havergal College, near Philadelphia, returning a few years later to settle on the farm near Fenwick, known as “The Tall Evergreens,” where he became an ordained minister of the Society of Friends. He had a fine mastery of English which he imparted to his family and it was in this home and under the fine tutelage of her father that Miss Wetherald received her early education. Later she attended The Friends Boarding School at Union Springs,N.Y. and subsequently Pickering College, Ontario.

Literary Career

As a writer, Miss Wetherald won her first prominence in the years 1887-88-89, when she contributed articles frequently to the Globe at Toronto. Each article was about a column in length and was signed by the nom de plume Bel Thistlethwaite, a contraction of the maiden name of her paternal grandmother. In June 1889, Miss Wetherald was requested by the editor to come to Toronto to write “Notes and Comments” and an occasional editorial. The editor was John Cameron.

The following year Mr. Cameron resign and returned to London, Ont., where in 1890 he founded a small monthly magazine titled “Wives and Daughters” and Miss Wetherald became assistant. editor. This little magazine continued publication for three years during which time Miss Wetherald capably wrote nearly all the editorials, as well as the book reviews and was responsible for selected poetry, the children’s department, etc. It was during those years in London that Miss Wetherald began writing her exquisite lyrics and sonnets, which have since charmed so many readers. By 1895she had enough for her first book, “The House of the Trees,” and other poems. In 1902 appeared “Tangled in Stars,” and in 1904, “The Radiant Road.” In the autumn of 1907 a larger collection of her verse was published in Toronto, “The Last Robin; Lyrics and Sonnets.”

Miss Wetherald returned to her home in 1893, going to Philadelphia in the winter of ’95-’96 as assistant to Francis Bellamy, the literary editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal. Her chance to assist Forrest Morgan, one of the editors of “The World’s Best Literature” came about through correspondence. He had written in praise of her “Wind of Death” and later asked her to be his assistant, in which capacity she acted for nearly a year and included in one of his volumes five or six of her poems.

Active to the End

Miss Wetherald, in company with her brother, Samuel, traveled extensively before returning to the quiet life she lived of latter years. One by one her large family predeceased her and for a number of years she left the shelter of her home only on rare occasions.

Happily engaged with her books, her writing and a large correspondence with friends far and wide, this quiet, unassuming little woman with her keen intellect and wide interests in the affairs of the world of today lived out her life to a happy end. Although she left her home but seldom, many famous people renowned in the world of letters and art found their way to her door.

A complete edition of lyrics and sonnets containing every poem which Miss Wetherald wishes preserved and comprising 350 in all, was arranged and published in 1931. John W. Garvin was responsible for the arrangement of this work. A couple of her better known poems also had the distinction of being a part of the public school readers in Ontario.

Miss Wetherald leaves to mourn an adopted daughter, Miss Dorothy Wetherald; two nieces, Mrs R.D. Linden of St. Paul, Minn., and Mrs Thomas Wollsright of San Francisco, California; one nephew, Rene Wetherald of St. Paul; and a host of sorrowing friends.

A private service for intimate friends will be held at the home on Tuesday, March 12^th, at 2 o’clock, proceeding to the Friends’ church at Pelham Corners for public service at 2.30 p.m. burial will be in the Friends’ cemetery.