Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill were sisters born only 23 months apart. They both became writers before they were married. Then they emigrated to Ontario Canada with their Scottish husbands. Neither girl received a formal education. Only what they had been taught by their parents.Their English life had been quiet and isolated.
Susanna had four children while keeping up her writing career. She sent letters and poems to magazines across North America. Several of her poems ended up in the Toronto newspaper and she was asked to write for a Montreal magazine. Susanna moved to Belleville when her husband John was appointed the first sheriff. Life there was difficult due to strident local politics. She and her family endured attacks from the conservative press and from local tory lawyers. In 1852, Her book "Roughing in the bush" was published and her publisher wanted a sequel. However, she grew tired of literary prominence and criticism and turned to painting. This skill was passed on to her daughter Agnes. Susanna published her last novel in 1867. John resigned in 1863 and died in 1869. Susanna herself passed away on April 8th 1885.
Susanna's sister Catharine was so "full of hope" for their future when she emigrated with her husband Thomas. However, Thomas was not suited for the hardships of pioneer life and wanted to sell their bush farm. He eventually did and bought a property in the "Oaklands" where them and their seven children moved. Unfortunately, the "oaklands" burned down in a fire forcing the family to depend on close friends and family for help.Thomas died in 1859 and Catharine moved to her brother's cottage in Lakefield where she lived the rest of her life. She helped to create a valuable record of the family and community. As the family dispersed, letters maintained the ties.Catharine kept journals where she recorded descriptions of Canadian life, landscape, and penned drafts of botanical essays and stories she wanted to publish. She worked well into her 90's and died August 29th 1899 at the age of 97.
