Dovecote, Old Manor, Bucklebury

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Annieoakley

A dovecote, dovecot or doocot (Scottish) is the term used for the structure built to house pigeons or doves. These are buildings of historical interest and much has been written about them. They are sometimes round, sometimes square or multi-sided, or even beehive shaped, generally containing pigeon holes for the birds to nest in, and are either free-standing or attached to another building, a barn, for instance. The dovecote seen in this photo is likely the square-shaped building on the left with the cupola, rather than it’s immediate neighbor.

The handwriting on the back of this one was a bit tricky to decipher. Other possibilities were tried, but thanks go to my hubby for getting the best guess on that last part which appears to be Bucklebury. The village and civil parish of Bucklebury is located in West Berkshire near Newbury and is now well-known for it’s connection to the Middleton family and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate, and can’t forget to mention Prince George.) There is another area listed on the map as Bucklebury, about 25 miles east of the first-mentioned village, and located near Bracknell. So, exactly where this photo was taken is a mystery. Perhaps someone will recognize what manor home these buildings belong to, if they are (hopefully!) still standing. The estimated date of the photo is from the 1910s – 1920s.

Old photo, sepia tones, white border. Back shows “.Velox” photographic paper. Circa 1910s – 1920s. Size: About 4 and 1/2 x 2 and 3/4.”

Price: $15.00

Sources: Dovecote. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dovecote (accessed February 6, 2015).

Bucklebury. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklebury (accessed February 7, 2015).

Just To Let You Know That We Are Happy

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Annieoakley

This is a reproduction as indicated on the back from Hearts & Flowers by Harmony Books, but the sender’s note is very timely for the U.S. Northeastern and Midwestern recent big snows. The sender wrote:

“Dearest Davy – – How are you doing mon ami? How’s it all coming? Are you making progress? How is the weather in good old sunny California – – We are blizzarded in – – it’s really bad – – everything comes to a standstill. No planes, no taxis, no subways, no busses, just your feet – – “

For some reason I was assuming the couple pictured here was English, but the card doesn’t appear to have originally been made in England. And even though this is not the original image, it’s still so nice. Their expressions are lovely and…happiness is always good!….Harmony Books was started in 1972, and per a Wiki article, “an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, itself part of publisher Penguin Random House.”

Reproduction of divided back postcard. Unused with writing. Reproduction circa 1972 – ?

Price: $1.00

Source: Harmony Books. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony_Books (Accessed February 5, 2015).

A Family Outing

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, British, unused, Real Photo Postcard with glossy finish. Circa 1902 – 1918.

Price: $12.00

I guess this is like an outing within an outing. 😉 But it’s a Real Photo Postcard with glossy finish, presumably taken in England, of a group of seven people. I think there is a family resemblance for the group, and they are posed in a fake car in front of a photographer’s backdrop. Everyone is very stylish, but the hats on the three ladies really stand out. The young girl on the left is holding a box camera. I love the “driver’s” expression, how he is the only one facing the “road” and the expression’s on the faces in general. This family was getting a kick out of posing for this photo, though the gentleman standing perhaps was “suffering through.”….Curiously, on the far left there is some wording. We can make out “SAIL…” so was the next scene over one of a sailboat with a seaport backdrop?

There is no writing or date on this card. Playles.com shows this stamp box, but with dates unknown. There’s a hyphen in halfpenny on this one, showing “Affix Half-penny Stamp.” (There was another stamp box design that was used with the same words but minus the hyphen.) Various references were found for the half-penny stamp for British postcards running from 1894 – 1918, but the divided back in Great Britian started in 1902. As far as the box camera, there were a number of different models; we don’t see any wording on this one, and similar styles were found online indicating 1900 – 1920, so this angle was not helpful in dating the card. We’d estimate it then to have been taken around 1902 – 1918.

Two Birthday Cards For Mrs. Barbara A. Hester

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Annieoakley

“Each year holds special gifts in store

You would not want to miss one

My wish is ‘Many Birthdays more.

And happiness on this one.’ “

This cute little card of Birthday Wishes used to have a gold ribbon (of which there was just a small piece left) hence the discoloration where the ribbon was….The card came with an insert on which the daughter wrote: “Dear Mother: This little card come to you on your birthday. We got home OK this eve and we all feel good. Paul & his girl are at the house.”
And on the inside of the card was written, “Jean will come home next Wed. for a few days. Love from us all. Margaret.”

We find a Margaret H. Copeland (this makes sense after looking at the second card) on the 1930 Federal Census for Logansport, Indiana; married to Percy H. Copeland, both born about 1877; their son, Paul H. Copeland, born about 1907, is single; and daughter Ada, is born about 1916; all are born in Indiana. With the family are lodgers Ethel Richardson and Alice Shorter. This is a good possibility for the correct family. Shoring up the odds we see that the 1920 census for Jackson Township, Indiana, shows all the same family members with the addition of daughter, Jean, born in Indiana, about 1909.

An index of Paul H. Copeland’s marriage record was then found. He married Alice M. Tucker on August 8, 1931 in Cass County, Indiana. This record shows his parents Percy H. Copeland and Margaret Hester. So, it looks like Margaret used the initial of her maiden name as her middle initial, after she married, which was a very common thing to do at this time. (We see Ancestry trees with Margaret’s middle name as Pearl.) We could estimate then that these two birthday cards were from about 1926 – 1931. From here we found Margaret’s parents Barbara Ann Loop and James William Hester. Ancestry family trees have Barbara’s date of birth as January 29, 1855. If this date is correct, this means that these cards were sent in 1926, since Margaret put “Thursday…Tomorrow is your birthday….” on the second card (below) and the 1926 calendar shows that January 29th fell on a Friday.

Above is the second card, found along with the first. It has a name written in pencil on the front which is, “Aunt Maggie Copeland.” And this must be the sender who’s initials on this one are M.H.C. So, maybe Maggie’s niece wrote on the front later. In any case, the sender wrote:

“Thursday….Dear Mother: Tomorrow is your birthday and I wish we might be together. This weather is terribly cold and I hope you are comfortable. We got more cole and can be nice and warm. If I send you some material & that wool do you feel like making a comfort for our little bed? I’ll send Pa a card soon as I find a good one. Love, M.H.C.”

Ha, it looks like Margaret is saying “we got more coke” but I think she meant coal…..I especially love the design of this card. (For me those flowers have a “sixties look” to them. I’m thinking of an album cover with similar flowers but forget who the group was.) This second card has the artist’s initial’s “E. N.” with copyright.

Set of two birthday cards, circa 1929. Artist on the second card shows initials “E. N.”

Price: $15.00 Size: About 4 and 1/4 x 3 and 1/2.”

Sources: Year: 1930; Census Place: Logansport, Cass, Indiana; Roll: 579; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0017; Image: 805.0; FHL microfilm: 2340314. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1920; Census Place: Jackson, Cass, Indiana; Roll: T625_426; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 50; Image: 113. (Ancestry.com)

Ancestry.com. Indiana, Select Marriages, 1780-1992

“United States Census, 1880,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MH94-G8Q : accessed 3 February 2015), William Hester, Howard, Howard, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district 48, sheet 339B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0285; FHL microfilm 1,254,285.

Hand-Painted Rose

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, hand-painted, used postcard. Postmarked April 21, 1911 from San Jose, California. Printed in Germany.

Price: $1.00

“May loves rarest dearest treasures

Fill life with o’erflowing pleasures,

And this greeting true and tender

Oft remind thee of the sender.”

– W.H.S.

“April 21 – 1911. Dear Ethel. I received your letter. Will write a letter someday when I have time. I hope you are all well. and that Bill is all right again. Larry[?] didn’t go home to day. Will go to morrow. You can come down when ever you want to. Will be glad to see you. May and Alice are well. She walks all over now. Mrs. McGrath – love to all.”

Addressed to: “Miss Ethel Main, 253 14th st., San Francisco, Calif.”

This Birthday Wishes postcard is much the worse for wear, but it must have really been nice when brand new. The pink is very bright. From scrutinizing the card, that appears to be dirt rather than mold; there is no mustiness, but it’s still kept separate from all the others, just in case. This is part of The Ethel Main Collection, which we haven’t researched yet, but will later. The verse is lovely, but wasn’t found online. So, the identity of the poet W.H.S. is a mystery.

A. C. Skinner, Lowell, Mass.

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Annieoakley

Business and advertising card. Circa 1872 – 1891

Price: $12.00 Size: 3 and 7/8″ x 2 and 1/8″

This is either a trade card or calling card or maybe a combination of both. A. C. Skinner ran a “fancy goods” store at the address given on this card: Numbers 58 & 60 Merrimack St. in Lowell, Massachusetts. And the card shows a beautiful little design of a petite lady or elf, holding a few branches with various flowers and leaves; because of the copper and light blue-gray colors of the card they almost appear to be a dried flower arrangement. It’s sort of an awkward pose for the little elf, holding onto a horseshoe (which hangs from a nail) with one arm, and with the other outstretched above her head to display the flowers, and it’s snowing. A somewhat unexpected illustration and ever so charming.

Exactly who A. C. Skinner was was not found in online records, but a huge amount of time was not spent searching. There is a Methodist pastor under this name in Lowell, at Saint Paul’s church in 1916, but one wouldn’t want to assume that they are one in the same. In any case, numerous city directory entries were found for A. C. Skinner showing from at least 1866 through 1870 that his store was located at 63 Merrimack St. and was advertised as “Laces, Embroideries & Dress Trimmings.” 1872 through as late as 1891 he was located at 58 & 60 Merrimack St., and was advertised as “Fancy Goods.”

The long-time Lowell department store Bon Marché which operated from 1878 – 1976, had an early connection with A. C. Skinner. Bon Marché’s founder, Frederick Mitchell, once worked for A. C. Skinner.

Sources: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989. Various Lowell, Massachusetts city directories, 1866 – 1891.

“Remembering Downtown Lowell’s Bon Marché through the Years, 1878-1976.” Forgotten New England, March 6, 2012. Web accessed February 1, 2015.

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Monthly Archives: February 2015