Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Here’s a beautifully done postcard celebrating the day, though not in the best of shape, with a crease down the middle and a tear at the top toward the left. Oh well, but the composition is lovely with all those white and gold-tone shamrocks surrounding the scene of  “Lough Swilly From Castle Bridge Buncrana.”

At the bottom right on the waterway scene is printed,  “Design copyrighted, John Winsch, 1911.”  This was quite difficult to make out and only worked when I pointed a flashlight at the original held tilted at an angle. (Odd because enlarging the view on the computer blurred it more.) Lough Swilly is a fjord or sea inlet located between the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal. The sender wrote:

“Dear Sadie:  Come & see us stop at where you go to Rodder. How are you I am fine & dandy and hope you are the same. I got your card was glad to hear from you. I guess we wont be here next week by this time we could..[?]…down to Rodder alright. We were packing some thing to day glass & dishes. I was up to stay all night with Lucille last night. I am not writing this good I am writing it up stair on that little table. Well I must go to bed. I will write more[?] when I get to the new home[?] best regards to all. [?]  excuse my writing.

Addressed to:   “Mrs. Charles Hartwig, Bishop, Cal.”

Sadie Eleanor Hartwig is Sadie’s full married name, per her husband’s WWI Draft Registration card. He is Charles Christian Hartwig, born April 18, 1876. This 1918 document shows he was farming, and they were living in Bishop in Inyo County. The 1920 Federal Census shows they were living in Warm Springs. Sadie was born in Kansas (of Scottish and Irish descent) about 1880 according to this census, however further records shows 1890 for her year of birth; Charles, of German descent, was born in Illinois; and they had two children at this time, Eleanor age 4, and Dorothy, age 1. Also in the household is Sidney B. Johnson, likely a boarder helping with the farm work.

The reference to Rodder though is a mystery. It doesn’t show up as a city. Some other searches were tried (just briefly) without success.

Divided back, embossed, unused with writing. Publisher:  John Winsch, design copyright 1911.

Price: $10.00

Sources:  Registration State: California; Registration County: Inyo; Roll: 1530793. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Warm Springs, Inyo, California; Roll: T625_94; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 36; Image: 1130. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1930; Census Place: Merced, Merced, California; Roll: 178; Page: 19A; Enumeration District: 0003; Image: 108.0; FHL microfilm: 2339913. (Ancestry.com).