Summer Home, Harbor Point, Michigan

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Annieoakley

A small collection…

This is the first of five postcards that were all sent to Ida L. Vance, of Eureka, California. According to the Find A Grave website, Ida was born March 17, 1872 in Humboldt County, CA, was married to Fred C. Hauck, and unfortunately (always sad to read these type) died at the young age of 39, on August 14, 1911. She was the daughter of John McGregor Vance and Sarah Jane (Babbitt) Vance, and one of five children. The 1880 Federal Census lists the parents’ place of birth as New Brunswick, Canada, and John’s occupation as Day Laborer. By 1900, John has made some major career advancements, as this census gives his occupation as Railroad President.

Where is Harbor Point?

Harbor Point is an unincorporated community and peninsula in Northern Michigan, southwest of the Straits of Mackinac. The peninsula is located in the Little Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, jutting off south from the town of Harbor Springs, and across the Bay from the town of Petoskey. Per Wikipedia, Harbor Point began as a resort in 1878, and was originally called Lansing Resort. We wonder whether the summer home shown here is still standing and in use. (Hoping so!)

Divided back, used Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked September 5, 1908. Publisher: W. S. Darling, “the Indian Curio Man.” Harbor Springs, Mich. Number 68. Made in Germany.

Price: $20.00

Sources: Find A Grave Memorial# 84383715. Find A Grave. Web accessed May 3, 2015.

Year: 1880; Census Place: Eureka, Humboldt, California; Roll: 66; Family History Film: 1254066; Page: 362D; Enumeration District: 032; Image: 0026. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1900; Census Place: Eureka Ward 4, Humboldt, California; Roll: 86; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0025; FHL microfilm: 1240086. (Ancestry.com)

Maps of Michigan showing Harbor Point, Location. Google.com.

West Traverse Township. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Traverse_Township,_Michigan (accessed May 3, 2015).

Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Detroit, 1909

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Annieoakley

“St. Mary’s Catholic Church, on St. Antoine street, is the pioneer German Catholic church of Michigan. It is especially notable for the excellence of its organ. Adjoining are the parochial residence and school.”

Constructed in 1884 in Victorian Gothic style, this is the present day complex that replaced the earlier 1841 church. Old St. Mary’s is the third oldest Roman Catholic Church in Detroit, and the city’s first German church. It is located in Greektown at 646 Monroe St. and referred to as Old St. Mary’s to avoid confusion with other churches.

The unknown sender of this postcard wrote: “Best wishes to you” and addressed the card to:

“Mrs. B. Willmouth, 648 Taylor St., Sandusky, Ohio.”

From the 1900 Federal Census for Sandusky, the addressee would be Bridget Wilmoth, born April 1845 in Ireland. She is married to Thomas Wilmoth (head of household) born December 1845 in Ireland. This record indicates the couple had been married for 30 years, and that Bridget is the mother of nine children (eight living). Children on this census are Anna, William; Thomas, Nellie and Johana, all born in Ohio, and age ranging from 29 to 16. The address at this time is 650 Taylor St, with a different family living next door at 648 Taylor.

Last, but not least, the postcard header contains a distinctive circular design between the words Post and Card. This is clue to the identity of the publisher, which is unknown to us at this time. We’ll keep a look out for others.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked October 26, 1909 from Detroit, Michigan. Publisher unknown. Series or number 155 B.

Price: $10.00

Sources: “Old St. Mary’s Church, Greektown, Detroit.” Old St. Mary’s Detroit. Web accessed April 30, 2015.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Sandusky Ward 8, Erie, Ohio; Roll: 1264; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0047; FHL microfilm: 1241264. (Ancestry.com)

Holy Redeemer, Detroit 1910

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Annieoakley

“Holy Redeemer Church, corner Junction and Dix, Detroit, Mich.”

“Am spending my vacation here. Having a fine time. Very sorry to hear that you were sick but hope you are better by this time. Ede” Addressed to:

“Miss Ada Seifert, 601 Murray St., Wapakoneta, Ohio.”

The 1910 Federal Census taken in Wapakoneta for the above address, shows head of household, Alois Seifert, born Ohio about 1847, occupation Laborer at a brick yard; his wife Lena M. Seifert, (Magdaline on the 1900 census) born Germany about 1849; daughters Adaline J. (Ada) Seifert, born Ohio, about 1890, and Gertrude M. Seifert, born Ohio, about 1888. Both girls are employed as Cigar Makers at a cigar factory. (We wonder at the conditions at the cigar factory at this time.) Anyway, Ada would have been about 20 years old when this postcard was sent to her.

Three very different churches

The Most Holy Redeemer church depicted here is the second of three buildings, and was built in the Gothic style, about 1896. The parish was founded in 1880. See the Holy Redeemer Parish website for photos of all three. You can see that the second image (also from a postcard) though cropped and in black and white, appears to have been produced from the same view as the one we have here.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked August 23, 1910 from Detroit, Michigan. Publisher unknown, number 1420.

Price: $10.00

Sources: Year: 1910; Census Place: Wapakoneta Ward 1, Auglaize, Ohio; Roll: T624_1154; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0051; FHL microfilm: 1375167

Year: 1900; Census Place: Wapakoneta, Auglaize, Ohio; Roll: 1240; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0032; FHL microfilm: 1241240

“The Church buildings.” Holy Redeemer Parish. Web accessed April 29, 2015.

Something Tells Me That…

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Annieoakley

“Sorry You’re Ill.

Cheer up, for something

Tells me that

You’ll soon be well

And getting fat.”

Here’s a nice get well card, which would be very politically incorrect today. 😉

This gardening theme card was signed “Alice F.”[?] and addressed to “Mary Ver Throckmorton, City.” The “City” in this case is Columbus, Kansas.

From the 1920 Federal Census for Columbus, Mary was the daughter of Calvin and Nevada Throckmorton, and would have been about sixteen years old when she would have received this card. She was born in Kansas, as was her younger sister, Helen. (Nevada for the mom’s name is exceptionally cool! An Ancestry tree shows Nevada was Martha Nevada Throckmorton.)

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked January 17, 1918, from Columbus, Kansas. Publisher: Owen Card Publishing Co., Elmira, New York. Series or number 163F.

Price: $6.00

Source: Year: 1920; Census Place: Columbus, Cherokee, Kansas; Roll: T625_526; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 16; Image: 103. (Ancestry.com)

Just Missed The Rain

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked February 3, 1909 from Stockton, California.

Price: $12.00

I love these type where the sender has written in their own caption, so to speak….And for me, this should be titled, “Blessed Rain” since we don’t get enough of it here in California. Reminds me of a bumper sticker on the back of a truck that I see often, when driving to work, which says, “Pray for rain” and it tickles me that I think the exact same response every time, that of “I always do.”

Anyway, this is a lovely, slightly comical silhouette type postcard postmarked in 1909, but the sender was still thinking 1908…it was February, and he or she was not used to writing the new year yet. It’s wonderful how much is going on in this scene…the couple kissing under the umbrella; the ladies running to the street car which is already full; the people that were prepared and have their umbrellas, and the poor guys who were caught unprepared, getting soaked, one looking a little zombie-ish, and the other one, bent over staring at the pavement. Is he marveling at the amount of water that is pouring off of him, or just thinking, “Gawd!” I like to think a combination of both. Not to forget to mention the kissing couple on the streetcar; the guys watching the ladies running, the one has his hand up, either waving or trying to signal to them, “Hey, the car’s full…it’s not going to work.”

The sender wrote:

“2 – 3 – 1908 Your card received. I am bound for Sonora – I’m in Stockton now – address Sonoma Ave – M.H.C.” and addressed the postcard to:

“Roy J. Andrus – 1608 – 48 Ave – Ocean Beach, S. F. Sea Shells”

Sea Shells?…Maybe the addressee was supposed to be saving sea shells for M.H.C. or it’s some kind of running joke, or any number of other possibilities. (I don’t see anything coming up regarding a district or neighborhood under this name.) But the address is clearly a San Franciscan one. This exact street number doesn’t show, but it’s residential, near Lawton Street. 48th runs parallel to the Coast and the addressee would have lived just a short walk from the beach. Lucky guy!…And just think, this was just a little less than three years after the Great San Francisco Earthquake, which was April 18, 1906.

After looking at the census records and city directories, it appears most likely that the addressee is John R. Andrus on the 1910 Federal Census. He is divorced, occupation Cutter at a paper box factory, born in California, about 1882, and living with his parents, John and Gertrude Andrus. The address given is 1612 48th Avenue, so 1608 might have been a designation for a separate entrance or the numbering could have changed or even have been incorrectly written by the sender. By 1911 Roy had changed occupations and was working as a manager for the Golden Gate Butter Co., and by 1912 was listed as a Horse Dealer.

Sources: Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 39, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_100; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0241; FHL microfilm: 1374113. (Ancestry.com)

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1911, p. 192. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1912, p. 193. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

Birthday Greetings For Maggie Miller

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Annieoakley

“Dear Sister, we are all vell [well] and hope you are the same we would like to see you. we pretty near for got you Birth days. write sone [soon] from Bessie.”

Addressed to: “Miss Maggie Miller, Gentryvill, MO.”

There’s a common name (for an uncommon girl, no doubt!) Maggie or Margaret Miller. Nothing shows up in city directories or census records in Gentry Village for Maggie, or even under just the last name and with this exact location. We have an earlier post that went to a Maggie Miller in Saint Joe, and it’s possible they are the same person. The postmarked date and place are unreadable. It’s a beauty of a card, though: roses, forget-me-nots and daisies frame a view of a home (ever so commonly depicted) at river’s edge, and with a foot bridge in the foreground.

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Printed in Germany. Series 1620b. Circa 1907 – 1911.

Price: $4.00

Seal And Bear, Garden Of The Gods, Colorado

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Annieoakley

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).

One Of The Krantz Boys

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Annieoakley

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

Easter Day

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Annieoakley

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked April 6, 1914 from Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania.

Price: $10.00

“The world itself keeps Easter day,

And Easter larks are singing;

And Easter flow’rs are blooming gay

And Easter bells are ringing.”

That’s a lovely poem for Easter, but what I love most about this postcard is the illustration: There’s a big basket of eggs (quite large eggs) two bunnies and a little boy. I love the expression on the boy’s face as he holds the one bunny in his arms (and the bun’s expression, too) while the one on the ground gazes at the basket of eggs. Flowers on each side of the card frame the scene somewhat, and have a little bit of a flow-y Art Nouveau look to them.

The sender wrote: “Best wishes for a Happy Easter. Your friend Annie.” The card is addressed to:

“Miss Edith Johnson, Clermont, PA. Box 85.”

The village of Clermont is a “blink and you’ll miss it” location, according to Neil Anderson’s blog, Neil’s Neck of the Woods. “It sits a few miles south from Pennsylvania’s scenic Route 6 as it intersects county Route 146.” (I was happy to find this description as Clermont was not showing up on my Google map search.) And here’s another great website regarding Clermont at Smethport History.

UPDATE: Thank you to Judy, one of our informed readers, who states, “Edith Johnson was the post mistress in Clermont, PA.”

Sources: Anderson, Neil. “The Village of Clermont,” Neil’s Neck of the Woods. Web accessed April 5, 2015.

Historic Clermont, Pennsylvania, Virtual Tour. Smethport History. Web accessed April 5, 2015.

Easter Blessing To Hannah From Genevieve

Posted on April 5, 2015 by Annieoakley

Here’s another beautiful Easter card; this one showing a dark-haired angel holding a book, and gazing down to her right. She is situated in the center of a silver cross with ornate scroll work and the unfurled message, “Easter Blessing.” The publisher included a space for “To” and “From” to be written in by the sender. So, it was Hannah White that sent this card to Genevieve Julian.

The card was addressed, “Miss Hannah White, Oakland Cal. # 1201 Alice St.”

The outgoing postal mark shows Fruto, Cal. Fruto is an unincorporated community in Glenn County; about 14 miles northwest of the city of Willows.

There is a “Jenevieve” Julian, born July 1875 in California, appearing on the 1900 Federal Census for Glenn County, CA. This record shows she was married to Lee Julian, and they were staying with his brother, William Julian. So, Genevieve would have been about age 30 when she sent this postcard to Hannah…As for Hannah, she does show up on the 1906 city directory at 1201 Alice Street, but no census records were found with the same address.

Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked April 13, 1906 from Oakland, California. Publisher: International Art Publishing Co., New York. Series 218. Printed in Germany.

Price: $10.00

Sources: Fruto. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruto,_California. (accessed April 5. 2015).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Township 3, Glenn, California; Roll: 86; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0015; FHL microfilm: 1240086. (Ancestry.com)

Laurel Cottage Genealogy

Genealogy Services, Old Photos, Postcards, Trade Cards, Etc.

Category Archives: Postcards Used

Summer Home, Harbor Point, Michigan

Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, Detroit, 1909

Holy Redeemer, Detroit 1910

Something Tells Me That…

Just Missed The Rain

Birthday Greetings For Maggie Miller

Seal And Bear, Garden Of The Gods, Colorado

One Of The Krantz Boys

Easter Day

Easter Blessing To Hannah From Genevieve