Dipsey Doodlers - Clue #2

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Photographs

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Humble Beginnings
Our group the Dipsy Doodler's has chosen as it's lego project the rural setting where Adelaide Hunter was born into a farm family on February 27, 1857 at the Homestead. We have titled our creation “Humble Beginnings”. The Homestead was located in St. George Ontario. The home was built in 1830 by a Mr. John Bray and purchased by the Hunter family in 1851. They owned it until 1906. Also, we want to touch on some of the accomplishments of this remarkable lady.

Adelaide was the youngest of fourteen children. Her father died at a very young age. She worked along with her mother and siblings to keep the farm going to provide the needs of the family. She attended a one room schoolhouse and later when she attended Ladies College in Brantford Ontario, she met John Hoodless. They married, settled in Hamilton Ontario, and had four children. The death of their 14-month-old son which they believe happened because of drinking contaminated milk started Adelaide Hunter Hoodless on a public life journey.

Adelaide Hoodless wanted to educate rural women on how to care for their families, broaden the knowledge of domestic science and agriculture and how to socialize. At a meeting in February 1897 in Stoney Creek Ontario she addressed a group of members of the Farmer's Institute and at a second meeting on February 19, 1897, a group of 101 women turned out and the first branch of the Women's Institute was formed in Ontario with Adelaide Hoodless as Honorary President. From this first meeting in 1897 more than 672 branches with approximately 8000 members have evolved in Ontario. This count is from January of 2019.

Adelaide travelled all over the province speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education. She worked with the National Council for Women. She helped to establish a Canadian branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Now these rural women offer educational programs and advocate for social, environmental, and economic change. Women's Institute is a not-for-profit charitable organization with international affiliations. Other projects of importance to these groups were the lobbying to have stop signs installed at busy arteries of our roads, flashing lights put on school buses, reduced speed limits near schools and provide crosswalks, reflective and long wearing paint be embedded on the centre lines of highways and advocating for families and strong communities and recording community histories in Tweedsmuir History Books. These are just a few of the resolutions brought to the attention of government by Women's Institute Groups.

Many groups including ours do fundraising through catering, craft shows, anything auctions etc. and monetary donations are then given to students for scholarships, hospitals for new equipment, nursing homes to help pay for resident activities, homes for abused women to help offset their operating costs, 4-H clubs and an annual contribution given for a foster child in a faraway country plus many more community activities.

We are proud that we are part of this great group of women and of our motto “For Home and Country”
Adelaide Hunter Hoodless accomplished so much in her much to short lifetime. She was a woman of determination and charm. In 1960 she was recognized as a Person of National Significance for her many contributions to the history of Canada. She instilled in so many women to be “Women Involved/Women Interested/Women Inspired.”

The Homestead was purchased by Federated Women's Institutes of Canada in 1959 (FWIC), then established as a historic house museum in the 1960's. It now serves as the National Office for FWIC

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