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==History==
Thomas White Letts (1813-1901) was born in Northumberland, [[England]], the son of Charles Letts (b. 1778 Eng.). On Feb. 1, 1837, he married Elizabeth Thomson (1818-1894) at Chatham, Argenteuil, [[Quebec]]. Thomas' father, Charles (b. 1778 Eng.) emigrated to Quebec also, and died in May 1839 at St-Philippe-D'Argenteuile, QC. Between 1839-1842, the family relocated to Calumet Island, [[Quebec]] to farm. Their third son Thomas Letts, was born Apr. 5, 1842 there.
In the 1861 Census, Thomas Letts is registered with the Church of England, but his wife and all of his children are registered as with the "Free Church". Robert Stott? (b. 1839) and his wife Jane (b. 1841) are similarly listed, who were servants of the neighboring Cahil family, as is Isabella Cahil (b. 1825), though her husband and children were all listed is Catholic. Their eldest son William Letts (b. 1837 Chatham, Argenteuil, [[Quebec|QC]] - d. 1927 Westlock, [[Alberta|AB]]) married Dorothy White (b. 1842 West Hawkesbury Twp., Prescott, [[Ontario|ON]] - d. 1915 Westlock, [[Alberta|AB]]), daughter of Thomas and Amelia White, on July 28, 1862. All of their ten children were born ton Calumet Island. Three of their children died as toddlers and one as a teenager, due to common ailments of the time, diphtheria, whooping cough, etc.
The family eventually moved to the Westlock area of [[Alberta]] due to persecution by the Catholics of the area. Being the only Brethren of the area, they did not have access to the community Threshing machine as well as the help to harvest. This was a hindrance to being able to farm well as many farmers of that era relied on the community to help harvest and, in turn, help others. As their children grew up and married, the limitations imposed by their Catholic neighbours caused the sons of William and Dorothy Letts to look elsewhere to farm. Thomas White Letts (b. 1863 Calumet Island, QC - d. 1948 Westlock, AB), the eldest son, heard of good land in Alberta. He went looking in 1903 and found some to his liking in the Pembina district of the Northwest Territories (later to become a province of Alberta in 1905).