Mrs. Zellickson
"Being a pioneer of Southern Saskatchewan, it is quite interesting to note the value of work which I have performed. Although not having the money in cash, I figure the experience is worth it. I am one of the oldest pioneers in Southern Saskatchewan, coming to this country in 1891 and settling with my husband in our present location in 1892. Having worked here for 33 years you will see in the latter part of this letter what I have done. On remarking the value of my work I do not reckon it the wage of a maid but I figure it as taking the produce to market... I estimate the value of my work for these 35 years as $141,578. I have cooked 361,351 meals, baked 78,800 loaves of bread, 12,045 cakes, 5,158 pies, preserved 3,300 quarts of fruit, churned 13,728 pounds of butter and raised 4,950 poultry. I have put in 48,180 hours scrubbing, cleaning and washing. I think this is quite a record and will be pleased to hear from any woman who can beat it."
Biographical Information
We know little about the Canadian pioneer woman known as Mrs. Zelickson. She came to Canada in 1891 and settled in Southern Saskatchewan in the Jewish pioneer colony of Hirsch. In the year 1925, she responded to an on-going discussion in the magazine Nor'-West Farmer on the topic of what a woman was worth. Her response combined a healthy dose of humor and self-assuredness.
Elsewhere on the web
Excerpt from a letter written by Mrs. C. Zelickson, published in the Nor'-West Farmer, March 5, 1925, and reprinted in Anna Feldman, A Woman Of Valour Who Can Find?: Jewish-Saskatchewan Women In Two Rural Settings
I believe this would be my great grandmother, if her husband is Charles Zelickson. I believe her name was Fanny.