Category Archives: Hats

Our Horseback Adventure

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Old photo, white border. September 1922.

Price:  $15.00            Size:  About 2 and 1/2  4 and 1/4″

A great remembrance of a wonderful day:  Three friends, identified on the back as Florence Gallison, Zilda Smith and Maude Fields, September 1922. The three cowgirls at heart are posed on horseback in front of a scenic view in, it’s a safe bet to say the Sierras, maybe in or near the Stanislaus National Forest, or Yosemite National Park. Reason being is that the three were only found in reasonable proximity, living in the Central Valley of California: Florence and Maude in Turlock and Zilda in Stockton.

Note: There were two Florence Gallison’s in the area, but Florence G. Gallison was ruled out as she was a Gallison by marriage, and was not married until after 1922.

Below, a short news blip that appeared in the Modesto Evening News, June 17, 1914, informing that Florence (she would have been about fourteen) was spending the summer in Sugar Pine, California (near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park.)

UPDATE re a banjo:  Please be sure to read the comment below from Jay, who so kindly provided the color photos. As you will note from one of the photos, our three horseback adventurers were part of a musical endeavor called the Yosemite Blind Bats. As of March 28, 1923, the band members were:

F. C. Alexander; H. A. “Red” Halls; A. I. or A. L. Mill; F. M. Gallison; M. A. Stout; A. B. Leavitt; Gene DePaul or Depauli; Maude Field; Zilda Smith; “Edythe” Leavitt.

From our research, F. C. Alexander was Fred Colville Alexander, born Kentucky 1885. A. B. Leavitt was Amy Belle Leavitt, born San Francisco, California, April 1897. Fred and Amy married in September 1923. They were both residents of Yosemite at the time. From Fred’s WWI Draft Registration Card in 1918, his occupation was property clerk and storekeeper at Yosemite National Park, and interestingly from a musical standpoint, deaf in his right ear. By at least 1926 he was postmaster at Yosemite. (Scroll to the bottom of the page for a clip from the Santa Cruz Evening News.)

“Edythe” Leavitt was Amy Belle’s sister. Spelled Edith in records, we love the hinting toward some type of running joke re the quotation marks. She was born in California, about 1901.

And, rather grainy, but still a nice find – a photo of Zilda Smith that appeared in the Stockton Evening and Sunday Record, July 1924:

Other readable names from the banjo photos are:  Pete Van Bake; Thelma Britton; Philip Patterson; [?] Van Wormer; Bob Davison; B. B. Harlett; E. M.[?] Metcalf; G. E. Comstock; [?] Thompson; The Brockway Splashes. (Brockway is an unincorporated community on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, at the California-Nevada border.)

Photos from Jay:

Below, Postmaster, Fred Alexander of Yosemite is involved in the arrest/custody of two n’er do wells:

Sources:  Florence Gallison. Year: 1920; Census Place: Turlock, Stanislaus, California; Roll: T625_152; Pages: 1B; Enumeration District: 188. (Ancestry.com).

Maude Fields. Year: 1920; Census Place: Turlock, Stanislaus, California; Roll: T625_152; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 184. (Ancestry.com).

Zilda Smith. R. L. Polk and Co.’s Stockton City and San Joaquin County Directory, 1925. Vol. 18, p. 59. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Modesto Evening News, June 17, 1914. Wednesday, p. 7. (Newspapers.com)

Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Stockton Ward 4, San Joaquin, California; Roll: T624_103; Page: 1a; Enumeration District: 0144; FHL microfilm: 1374116. (Ancestry.com).

“Planting Young Trout in Lakes and Streams Requires Extreme Care.” Stockton Evening and Sunday Record, July 26, 1924. Saturday, p. 29. (Newspapers.com)

“Former Postmaster of Arkansas Town Arrested With Female Companion.” Santa Cruz Evening News, June 25, 1926. Friday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com)

A U. S. Navy Man, WWI

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Real Photo Postcard, unused with writing. Circa 1914 – 1918. EKC stamp box.

Price:  $10.00

For Veteran’s Day….

“Best Wishes & Good Luck to a splendid Bunk Mate, Charles Ed. Sickler. Paxton, Ill. R-R-I.”

Most likely we’re looking at Charles Ed. Sickler in the photo (at least one presumes!) as it sounds like this writer of best wishes was giving this remembrance of himself, along with his mailing address, to his buddy, “the splendid Bunk Mate.” A cool guy, Charles, you can read his perhaps dry sense of humor in the card. The RR1 would be Rural Route 1. But no confirmation was found for him in census, military or city directory records, and that is surprising.

A Pleasant Reflection

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Trade card, Soapine. Kendall Mfg. Co. Donaldson Bros. Lithographers, circa 1870s – 1890s.

Price:  $7.00          Size:  2 and 15/16 x 4 and 1/4″

Kendall Manufacturing Co.’s Soapine, had a very long run, from 1827 to the late 1950s;  here is yet another example of the Victorian Era advertising for the product, one of many that can be found online. The card’s condition is not great, note the crease and there’s a small tear in the top right and a little of the wording torn off of the back, but still it’s a beautiful and imaginative design:  A Tahitian-haired little lady in pink and blue (and love that yellow hat) somehow, lol, blowing a bubble that has the Soapine box inside. Note the iridescence to the bubbles, the lady’s shadow, and the wood flooring. (It always seems like in noticing the details we’re transported back in time; we imagine a sense of the artist’s thought process…..adding in the lady’s bracelets….)

Donaldson Bros., Five Points, N. Y.

Our trade card is the second one we have for Donaldson Brothers, of Five Points, NY. See also B.J. Stone Trade Card, New Haven, CT. And per MetroPostcard, Donaldson Bros. was Frank J., George W., John L. and Robert M. Donaldson, and operated from about 1872 – 1891 before being consolidated with the American Lithographic Company. The 1878 New York City directory shows all four brothers as lithographers, at the address of 4 Mission Place. Five Points was a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, NY.

Sources:  Donaldson Brothers 1872 – 1891 “D – Publishers.” MetroPostcard. (accessed November 4, 2017).

Trow’s New York City Directory, 1878. Vol. 91, p. 356. (Ancestry.com).

Five Points, Manhattan. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points,_Manhattan (accessed November 5, 2017).

Globe Soap Trade Card

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Trade card. Globe Soap Company. Circa 1880s – 1890s. Gies & Co., Buffalo, NY.

Price:  $12.00          Size:  3 and 3/16 x 4 and 13/16″

Captain Jinks, etc.

This seems like a good trade card for autumn, of a boy with long hair, wearing a felt hat with a peacock feather and a scarf with stripes. The colors are wonderful, along with the boy’s expression, the clouds in the background almost seem to be moving…..all-in-all a beautifully-done card. The lithographers were Gies & Company, out of Buffalo, New York. And this particular design was evidently a popular one:  others can currently be seen for sale online showing several different companies or brands being advertised. In addition there’s one version (lithographer unknown) with the printing underneath, “Young Captain Jinks,” which was paying homage to the public’s love of a song or a play, or perhaps both.

“Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines” was a humorous number (you can find it on YouTube) written in the mid-1800s that is credited to T. Maclagan, or William Lingard, or sometimes both. It was later very much in the public eye as a comic play by Clyde Fitch, which debuted in January 1901, and starred Ethel Barrymore. And in 1975 the title was re-introduced as an opera written by Jack Beeson.

The Globe Soap Company

Back to our card…..According to a 1918 excerpt (below) from Moody’s Manual, the Globe Soap Co. was incorporated April 27, 1881 in Ohio. They included the brand names, Grandma’s Borax Powdered Soap, Export Borax Soap, Pearl Soap and others. The plant was located on 23 acres in Saint Bernard, Ohio.


A pretty long distance

Globe Soap was bought out by Procter & Gamble in 1928, along with some other soap manufacturers around this year, tallying Globe Soap’s run to around forty-seven years. Interestingly, articles in 1928 report the possible buy-out, and then that it was only a rumor.

Sources:  “Miss Barrymore’s New Play.” The Buffalo Enquirer (Buffalo, NY) December 21, 1900, Friday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

William Lingard. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lingard (accessed October 28, 2017).

Clyde Fitch. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clyde_Fitch (accessed October 28, 2017).

Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Jinks_of_the_Horse_Marines (accessed October 28, 2017).

Moody’s Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities. Vol. 3, Industrial Section, 1918. Moody Manual Company, New York. 642. (Google.com. book search).

“Rumor Procter Buys Globe Soap.”  The Daily Times (New Philadelphia, OH) May 23, 1928, Thursday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

Whitten, David O. and Bessie E., eds. Handbook of American Business History:  Extractives, manufacturing and services. Vol. 2. p. 226. Westport, Connecticut:  Greenwood Press, 1997. (Google.com. book search).

I. K. Messer, Grocer, Haverhill, Mass.

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Trade card. Haverhill, Massachusetts. Circa 1876 – 1880.

Price:  $10.00                Size:  about 4 and 5/8 x 3″

“He removed his tricorn with a flourish and made her a low sweeping bow….”

Here’s a lovely trade card in pink tones, for  “I. K. Messer, Grocer, 82 Emerson St., Haverhill, Mass.”  I. K. Messer, grocer was Ira K. Messer. Below a short timeline and a city directory ad:

1873 – Address listed as Emerson near Winter, Haverhill

1876 and 1880 – 82 Emerson St., Haverhill

1882 – Address listed as 83 Emerson St., Haverhill

Below, an 1880 Haverhill city directory advertisement for Ira K. Messer:

Sources:  Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Massachusetts Cities Directory, 1873. p. 107. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

W. A. Greenough & Co.’s City of Haverhill Directory, 1876. p. 182. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

W. A. Greenough & Co.’s City of Haverhill Directory, 1880. p. 46 in the advertising department. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Merrimack River Directory, Haverhill, 1882. p. 385. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Railbirds, Kent, 1925

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Old photo, Kent, 1925.

Price:  $2.00               Size:  4 and 3/8 x 2 and 3/4″

I thought railbirds would be railroad workers, but no. The definition of railbird from Dictionary.com is:

Noun, informal

  1.  a horse-racing fan who watches racing or workouts from the railing or along the track.
  2. any kibitzer or self-stylized critic or expert

Origin:  1890-95, Americanism; rail + bird in sense of “frequenter,” as in jailbird, yardbird.

The term is also used today for billiards and poker spectators. But the estimated time frame for the word origin, 1890 – 1895, seems accurate at least as far as old newspaper mentions go. Prior to 1890 – ’91 one can find many articles and clips on an actual bird called a railbird (rail-bird, rail bird). From the Reading Times, 1869:

“Railbirds have been less numerous this season on the Delaware marshes….”

And from the Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph, 1879, a good description of the feathered ones:

Which Kent?

Back to the photo….Kent, 1925, but which Kent? Ohio….England….or other? And it could have been taken at a horse racing event, either that or it was just a clever caption, because the guys (all but one) are perched (back to the bird theme, no pun intended) on an outdoor railing. We can read wording behind them that says “Billiards.” And there’s some lettering on the awning, but not enough to figure out a business name. But the guys’ boots…almost all the same, that makes it seem like they were workers of some type.

Sources:  railbird. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/railbird. (accessed September 19, 2017).

Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) October 13, 1869. Wednesday, p. 2 (Newspapers.com)

“English Rail-Birds in Monroe County.” Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph (Ashtabula, Ohio) December 5, 1879. Friday, p. 4.

Delivery Men, Circa 1937

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Old photo, white border. Circa 1937.

Price:  $2.00      Size:  5 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/2″

This photo was found in Michigan but where it was taken is unknown. The license plates don’t appear to be Michigan plates, and we’re looking around the year 1937, as the two cars in the middle should be 1937 Ford Sedan Delivery models. Here’s some examples below from a Google image search. You can see the distinctive grill and side vents, and the teardrop-shaped headlights. The car on the far left in our photo may be something different, and we didn’t research the one on the right. But the four guys (nice smiles!) clearly work for the same outfit, wearing their uniforms and company hats. And we can almost make out the sign on the building behind them. That second word is Storage, so the building must have housed some type of storage company, or showed an ad for one. (This was just to see if we could find any clues for the location of the photo, and it would be one, a good clue that is, if we could just figure out that first word, arrrgg! 😉 It looks like it starts off H-o-t-k-k? ) But don’t the two guys on our right look like they might be brothers?

Source:  “Ford Sedan 1937 Delivery.” Google.com image search. Accessed July 16, 2017.

Andy, Mikey and Johnny Gogola, Circa 1930

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Old photo, white border. Circa 1930.

Price:  $10.00           Size:  2 and 1/2 x 3 and 1/2″

“Andy, Mikey, Johnny Gogola. all farmers.”

From left to right:  Johnny, Andy and Mikey Gogola:

A Gogola family of three brothers (and siblings) shows up on the Menallen, Fayette County, Pennsylvania 1930 Federal Census. If this is correct, the trio are the sons of Polish immigrants Clement and Eva Gogola. From older brothers’ marriage records (Wyandotte, MI) Eva’s maiden name is recorded as Mijol and Nijol.

Andy and older brothers, Stanley and Frank, all make their way to the Detroit, Michigan area. This photo was found in the Dearborn antique shop that I recently visited (and will be back to next year). No other possibilities of a different Gogola family were found.

My Forrer Street connection

Wow! What a surprise for me, finding Andy Gogola’s WWII vet record listing he and his wife and two kids living on Forrer St., Detroit. I rented an upper flat some decades later on Forrer, just a block away.

Sources:  Year: 1930; Census Place: Menallen, Fayette, Pennsylvania; Roll: 2040; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 0056; Image: 298.0; FHL microfilm: 2341774. (Ancestry.com)

Marriage record for Frances Gogola; marriage record for Stanley Gogola. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics. (Ancestry.com)

Andrew L. Gogola. Pennsylvania (State). World War II Veterans Compensation Applications, circa 1950s. Records of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Record Group 19, Series 19.92 (877 cartons). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Ancestry.com)

French Waterman, Goulais Lake, Algoma Co., Ontario

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Vintage photos, circa 1940s – 1952, deckled edge border.

Price for the set of two:  $15.00

“French and guide at launch place”  or possibly “at lunch place.” That is probably French Waterman on our left and either his unidentified fishing guide, center (or, if some humor was employed in the description, French’s dad, Warren…just a possibility, no assumptions.) On the canoe bow, we see what may be the manufacturer logo of a circle and one wing. Maybe someone familiar with vintage canoes will recognize it. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

 

French is John French Waterman, born about 1904 in Tennessee, younger son of Warren Gookin Waterman, Sr., born in Southport, Connecticut 1872 and died in Frankfort, Michigan 1952 and Anna (Hannah Meuller) Waterman. Warren, Sr. may have taken the shots (we hope, or was in the top one, even better, but either way, these photos seem to be a remembrance from a nice father-son trip!) and written on the back, along with stamping his address at that time:

“W. G. Waterman, Riverbend Farm, Frankfort, Michigan”

French Waterman at Goulais Lake Camps, Algoma County, Ontario. There’s French, we believe, on our far right, blending in a little with the background. In the center, nestled in the pines, one of the sixteen guest cabins. Here is Goulais Lake from a Google map search.

Sources:  Year: 1920; Census Place: Evanston Ward 7, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T625_358; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 87; Image: 533. (Ancestry.com)

Original data: Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1940; Census Place: Crystal Lake, Benzie, Michigan; Roll: T627_1730; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 10-9. (Ancestry.com)

Goulais Lake, Algoma, Unorganized, North Part, ON, Canada. Google.com map search. Accessed July 2, 2017.

Find A Grave memorial# 36874914. Findagrave.com. Accessed July 2, 2017.

Young Man’s Dream, Circa 1910

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Two pals in Newsboy caps, skinny tie, bow tie and sweaters

Our guy from the top left, looking distinguished and contemplative, with pipe

Divided back, Real Photo Postcards, unused. Cyko stamp box. Circa 1910.

Price for the set of two:  $35.00

I had just spent a ridiculous amount of time comparing these two images to see how they were done. 🙂 Looks like the charming lake scene of an attractive young woman on a lake, with a partial border of lilies (very Art Nouveau) is the same size on both cards, one being just the reverse of the other. The shaped border, however, is slightly larger on the second postcard, so that part must have involved a separate process, then, of course, arranging the trimmed photos in the border would be next….but why dissect? The end result is beautiful and unusual, and possibly two-of-a-kind.

One can’t help but look for an artist name though, and in so doing might imagine seeing a signature (John something) in the shadow of the oar (top image) but a name glimmering on the water, so to speak, could just be coincidence.

As for time-frame, I’m guessing late 1900s to mid-1910s, in looking for men’s narrow necktie style, women wearing neckties, Art Nouveau, etc. There do not seem to be many examples of women in neckties in the 1900s – 1910s, and that was surprising. But here’s one below in the bottom right corner from a Google search for the popular British actress, Madge Crichton:

Mostly Madge

A 1910 advertisement from The Marion Star:

Sources:  Art Nouveau. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau (accessed July 1, 2017).

“Images for old postcards Madge Crichton.”  Google search, July 1, 2017. Google.com.

Marx Bros. & Hess collar and necktie ad. The Marion Star, (Marion, OH) May 14, 1910. Saturday, p. 7. (Newspapers.com)