Monthly Archives: April 2015

A Smiling Couple

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Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $5.00

I’m thinking that this couple are man and wife, and of Swedish descent. I asked my husband and he said he just had the impression that they’re from one of the Southern states. Funny how peoples’ impressions differ so widely. Of course, there is no way to know the couple’s background unless by some miracle (stranger things have happened) someone recognizes them. But they took a beautiful photo whoever they were, and look quite contented. More than likely that is their home in the background. I like the woman’s striped apron (if that is what it is) with her gingham blouse, and the twinkle in the man’s eye, as he sits with his arm around his wife. And isn’t it always nice to sit down after a long day’s work?

The photographer is unknown also, as seems to be the case with most Real Photo Postcards. This card has one clue though:  the embossed capital “A” at the right lower corner. Hopefully, we’ll come across some others with this mark that do show a location.

Gokee Farm, Bear Creek, Michigan

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1910.

Availability Status:  SOLD

Written in pencil on the back of this Real Photo Postcard is:   Gokee Farm, Petoskey Mich.”   Actually, it looks more like Gekee, but records were not showing under this spelling. The postcard obviously is showing quite a bit of land, along with some farm buildings and some gorgeous horses and colts, so is possibly the land in neighboring Bear Creek Township that was owned by John B. Gokee, as verified on the 1900 Federal Census. This one was found at an antique fair in Watsonville, California.

Update:  See the comment below from descendant, Sam Gokee.

Source:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Bear Creek, Emmet, Michigan; Roll: 710; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0083; FHL microfilm: 1240710 (Ancestry.com)

Cookson Brothers Home, Springdale, Iowa

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1900 – 1910.

Price:  $15.00

“Cousin Wm Cook, we send you a postal of our home in old Iowa. Cookson Bros.”

Finding (or not finding) proofs for old photos and postcards can be unpredictable! The 1900 Federal Census taken in Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa was the first record looked at, and it happens to show two brothers, Israel G. Cookson, a widower, born October 1852 in Pennsylvania; and John R. Cookson, single, born October 1849, also in Pennsylvania. Other household members are Israel’s daughters Lila E. Cookson, born July 1877 in Iowa; and Myrtle A. Cookson, born August 1883, in Iowa; and William Matthew, born April 1847 in Scotland, an employee. Amazingly, Israel and John turned out to be the correct Cookson Brothers. The photo for this postcard was likely taken between 1900 and 1910. The 1910 also shows Springdale. So, we were crossing fingers here after seeing these two records but all was confirmed on an Ancestry family tree which shows both the Cookson and Cook families and their relationship:  Israel Cookson married Eliza Walker. It was Eliza’s sister, Lydia that married John Cook, Jr. Their son being William R. Cook of Pennsylvania; the cousin that would have received this postcard.

So, to identify the people in the photo, that should be Israel on the left, then Lila (Lillia) and Myrtle (or vice versa – it’s hard to tell who might be the younger) and then John. And they are posed for the camera standing in front of their beautiful farmhouse. Note the spindlework detail for the porch and at the windows, and the depth of the porch. We wonder what that wooden, box-like structure was used for, and the name of the plant that’s growing so profusely on the right in the foreground. (It looks like something commonly seen here in California.)

Sources:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Springdale, Cedar, Iowa; Roll: 422; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 0035; FHL microfilm: 1240422. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Springdale, Cedar, Iowa; Roll: T624_395; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1374408. (Ancestry.com)

Appleby – Kingman Family Tree. Web accessed April 19, 2015. (Ancestry.com)

Seal And Bear, Garden Of The Gods, Colorado

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked June 26, 1915 from Long Island, Kansas. Publisher:  F. H. Langdon & Co., Denver, Colorado. Series or number 210.

Price:  $3.00

“Long Island, June 21.  Dear Cousin, how are you. am O.K. when the mud is dry. have you been boat riding. George and sis was over yesterday and said there was lots of folks boat riding along the river. they said there was four days that the folks couldnt cross. havent got over my corn yet the way it has been it will be a month I think. Come down and see the weeds they are doing well. As ever, J.K.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Lena Davis, Calvert, Kan.”

Long Island in this case is Kansas…And there’s lots going on in this nearly 100 year old message, isn’t there? It makes you think:  mud was a concern for walking or navigating through with any type of vehicle; if the river was high and there was no bridge, and the weather was inclement, then it would be difficult or maybe inadvisable to cross; planting the vegetable garden would be always a major concern every year, what was going on with the corn? But at least the weeds were doing well!

Update:  See the comment from a Garden of the Gods tour guide at the bottom of this post. This prompted me to research, and include below, the following article that appeared in the Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, MT) April 22, 1942:

Source:  “Aged Garden of Gods Landmark Crumbles.” Great Falls Tribune. (Great Falls, MT) April 22, 1942. (Newspapers.com).

Major Domo In Glen Eyrie, Colorado

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This postcard shows another example of an expression back in the day, for something or someone, that looks “natural.” See the prior post. The unknown sender wrote:

“Passed here March 24, 1910. Saw this it looks very natural.”   Addressed simply to “Lena.”

A majordomo is someone that runs a large household as in a butler or steward or someone that runs an enterprise.

Divided back, unused with writing. Publisher:  Thayer Publishing Co., Denver. Number or series 372. Dated March 24, 1910.

Price:  $1.00

Source:  Majordomo. Merriam-Webster. Web [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majordomo]

Mamie And Dorothy Elizabeth Richards, July 1905

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“This [is] Dorothy E. Richards. This is where she looks natural. July 30th 1905. To Mama From Mamie & Dorothy. 4 months old lacking 1 week.”

Mamie And Dorothy Richards July 1905 p2Mamie And Dorothy Richards July 1905 p2a

Price for the pair:  $5.00      Sizes:  Top photo:  2 and 1/4 x 3 and 1/2″    Bottom photo – About 2 x 3 and 1/4″

“4 months old, lacking 1 week. This [is] Dorothy Elizabeth Richards in her Mama’s arms. She looks a bit hunch-backed in the picture. But she isn’t. July 30 – 1905. To Mama From Mamie & Dorothy.”

Awww! These photos of a proud mama and her baby girl are so sweet! It’s funny how Mamie is stressing that Dorothy is not hunch-backed. I don’t think we would even think that in looking at this second photo. And Mamie’s comment on the top photo, about Dorothy looking “natural” – this is interesting. We might be thinking, “Huh? Well, of course she looks natural.” But this was just an expression of the day. The next post will show another example of this.

No records were found that matched for Dorothy and her mother, Mamie, but we’re happy to have the photos. And it’s always nice to have a dated example of women’s clothing and hairstyles.

One Of The Krantz Boys

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Divided back, used Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked date and city unreadable. Circa 1909 – 1914.

Price:  $12.00

Here’s a another RPPC with a little boy, this time standing on a wrought iron “ice cream parlor” chair, and with a nice fake backdrop of foliage and sky. (So dramatic! Imagine him at the prow of a ship!)

The sender wrote:   “If not called for return to William Krantz, Clinton, R-R-33, Wis.”  The card is addressed to:   “Mrs. John Wuhrman, Whitewater, Wis. R-R-2.”

The WWI Draft Registration shows William Krantz, born March 15, 1876 in Germany, with an address of 34 Clinton, Rock County, Wisconsin, and “nearest relative” his wife, Etta Krantz. So, this address is almost an exact match to the postcard address given for the sender. The 1910 Federal Census was not found, but the 1920 census for Sharon, Wisconsin, shows William and Cora E. Krantz and family. (The town of Sharon is about 10 miles southeast of Clinton.) Their children on the 1920 are Ruby, Roy, Donald and Wesley, ages 15 – 10. Also living with the family is William’s brother Otto. The postmarked date on this card is unreadable but we’re probably safe to assume it’s pre-1920. The boys’ ages are so close together, so this is likely a photo of either Roy, Donald or Wesley, at about age three, though it’s always possible that it’s none of them.

Sources:  Year: 1920; Census Place: Sharon, Walworth, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2019; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 154; Image: 1095. (Ancestry.com)

Registration State: Wisconsin; Registration County: Rock; Roll: 1674978; Draft Board: 2. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

From Lloyd To Mrs. Ralph

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $5.00

“From your little friend Lloyd to Mrs. Ralph.”

Here’s a precious photo made into a Real Photo Postcard of a little boy named Lloyd, about four or five years old. He’s dressed up in white shirt and short pants with white leggings. He wears a dark-colored, satiny type bow or cravat, and notice how his shoes (wearing out at the toes) have decorative bows on them. He was posed by the photographer to stand with hands resting on the back of a child’s wrought iron “ice cream parlor” chair, with heart-shaped design.

Selma, Blanche And Maggie

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Here’s a portrait of three beautiful young ladies, probably sisters. The sender, one of the three, wrote a nice long and funny message to her cousin Henry:

“My Dear Cousin, this is my Postal, how you like me, I look like a Pickle, it is so say yes, Henry ask your Pa if he knows about that farm what it is near Sweda[?] …and remember me kid dont show this postal to George because I look so homely and if you will than remember what will I do with you I will kiss you to [?] …excuse my writting…Good Bye  xxxx, xxxxx.”

Well, this is a needle in a haystack type of search – without a location it proves to be very tedious to look for three sisters, close in age, somewhere in the U.S. (chuckle) probably in farm country, maybe the Midwest, who knows? It looks like the sender was writing off the page at the bottom left. Is that the town she’s talking about or is that her signature in the form of a nickname? Anyway, it’s a great postal, to use the term from back in the day.

Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. CYKO stamp box. Circa 1910s – 1920.

Price:  $4.00

Girls And Doll

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Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $5.00

Awwww! A Real Photo Postcard showing two little girls, sisters no doubt, standing just inside the doorway to their house. Maybe they were at the side or back door because the entrance way seems a bit narrow. We can see the flowered pattern of some curtains in the background. And notice the rustic look of door and frame – hopefully, that door is still intact somewhere….But, back to the girls – they can’t be any cuter. The older one, age maybe about age five, holds her dolly and smiles into the camera. Her younger sister, maybe about two or three, gazes off to her left, and is holding her baby bottle.

The date of the postcard can be estimated with help from the AZO stamp box that shows all four triangles pointing up, which Playle.com estimates 1904 – 1918, and the fact that it’s a divided back which puts it at least at 1907. But for me, I get the feeling that it may have been taken in the latter half of the 1910s.