Category Archives: Postcards Used

A Wish For Your Gladness

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Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 22, 1928 from Sacramento, California. Series or number 1181 D. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $8.00

A beautiful Christmas postcard from The Alice Ellison Collection of a ringing bell with a poinsettias, mistletoe and a scene of a cozy home at sunrise in the background:

Christmas Greetings

“A wish for your gladness

As Christmas bells ring,

And all the bright blessings

These holidays bring.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. Ellison & Family, 1015 O Street, Sacramento, California”  and signed, “Greetings of the Season from Mr. and Mrs. Gomes.”

Thanksgiving Cheer

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked November 27, 1916 from Santa Cruz, California. Printed in Germany. Series 0758.

This poor card is really beat up, but it’s the only one we have at the moment, for the holiday, so Happy Thanksgiving! And it’s another in the Ethel Main Collection. Ethel’s nickname was “Tottie.” The sender wrote:

“Dear Tot, Just a line of greeting, recd your letter today, enjoyed it very much. Yes I have just finished my [?] I will send you the pattern. Glad you have such good luck. I don’t know what I will start next. Maybe a purse. The birds are singing gayly this morn. I will write……..Blanche.”

Addressed to:

“Miss Ethel Main, 3622 18th St., San Francisco, Calif.”

Ezra Meeker’s Ox Team, 1910

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked July 9, 1915 from Oakland, California. Publisher:  Ezra Meeker, Seattle, Washington. Number or series: A-14670.

Price:  $5.00

“This view represents a snap shot of the team in motion at the head of the Industrial Parade, Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 5th, 1910.”

Ezra Meeker (1830 – 1928) was a pioneer from Iowa, who traveled the Oregon Trail, and who worked later to memorialize it. He was also an author, served as Puyallup, Washington’s first mayor and its first postmaster, was one time known as the “Hop King of the World” and was also the publisher of this postcard.

Addressed to:   “Miss Ella Ellison, 1415 – G St., Sacramento, Calif.”

“Dear Ella, Went to the Fair to-day. Am coming home Sun. and going away Tues. (write) Muriel.”

Straight and to the point, the comings and goings of Ella’s friend, Muriel in July 1915. Love the order to “(write)”. This is one of many in the Alice Ellison Collection.

Source:  Ezra Meeker. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Meeker (accessed November 12, 2017).

Tamarack Shaft And Rock House, Calumet, Michigan

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked October 5, 1910 from Calumet, Michigan. Publisher:  Yellow Front Curio Store, Houghton, Michigan. Made in Germany. Series or number:  E10586. Printer:  S L & Co.

Price:  $10.00

I had wanted to get this one up for Labor Day, but ran out of time…It shows a group of miners (and some children in the background) in front of what should be the #2 shaft of the Tamarack mine. The Tamarack ran from 1882 until it was sold in 1917 to Calumet & Hecla, the giant of a company that Tamarack had “drilled under” so to speak, to access part of the Calument Conglomerate, which had been one of the richest copper loads in the world. See the above link for a full explanation.

Teenage miners

Below, a photo taken at the Tamarack, said to be from 1905. The young men front left look to be in their teens still, maybe sixteen, or so. Out of curiosity, this led me to a quick look at the 1900 and 1910 Federal Census records for Calumet. The 1900 shows quite a number of fourteen to sixteen-year-olds, and even a twelve-year-old, Finnish immigrant, John Bortenen. By 1910, in Calumet, there are only two miners that are age sixteen or under from the census:  One of these two entries is for a young lady, fourteen-year-old Myrtle Boase, occupation miner, in the copper mining industry. (Interesting!)

Getting back to the postcard – the sender wrote:

“Dear Isabel:  Did you send my little blue Spalding books? I called at Katerines to day and saw Anabel and Katherine. Please send any letters that come addressed to me dear. Father[?]”

Addressed to:   “Miss Isabel Farrand, 191 Albion St, Houghton Mich.”

From the 1910 census for Houghton, Michigan, Isabel Farrand, is about twelve, daughter of Royal and Jessie Farrand. Was Royal a coal miner? No, his occupation is listed as physician. Anabel and Katherine are most likely cousins to Isabel:  Isabel’s marriage record to Newton Wagner in 1922, Houghton, MI, shows that her mother’s maiden name is MacNaughton. Annabel and Catherine MacNaughton, ages eight and twelve, respectively, are on the 1910 census in Calumet. They have an older brother, Archibald, age sixteen. The parents of the three are John and Rosella MacNaughton. John MacNaughton’s occupation is superintendent at rock houses. And we note that Archie is not working, a testament to the fact that his dad’s job brings in more income than a miner’s wage.

Sources:  Tamarack. http://www.geo.mtu.edu/KeweenawGeoheritage/CalumetGeosites/Tamarack.html. (accessed September 8, 2017).

John Bortenen. Year: 1900; Census Place: Calumet, Houghton, Michigan; Roll: 714; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0174; FHL microfilm: 1240714. (Ancestry.com)

Myrtle I. Boase. Year: 1910; Census Place: Calumet, Houghton, Michigan; Roll: T624_646; Page: 27A; Enumeration District: 0105; FHL microfilm: 1374659. (Ancestry.com)

“File:TamarackMiners CopperCountryMI sepia.jpg.” n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TamarackMiners_CopperCountryMI_sepia.jpg. (accessed September 4, 2017).

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

MacNaughton family. Year: 1910; Census Place: Calumet, Houghton, Michigan; Roll: T624_646; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0104; FHL microfilm: 1374659. (Ancestry.com)

Pa Sayin Good Night

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked from Clifton Forge, Virginia, November 9, 1909. Incoming postmark, November 12, 1909 in Pueblo, Colorado.

Price:  $3.00

One from our Alice Ellison Collection….a funny postcard fashioned as a chalkboard drawing.

“Skidooo….Pa Sayin Good Night to Sisters Bow.”

“Hello Bessie. Is this the way your papa tells May’s fellow good night? Look at the clock he has 10 minutes running time. Tell May Ha Ha. “your Auntie.”

Addressed to:

“Miss Bessie Ellison, 26 St & Cheyenne Ave, Pueblo, Colo.”

A Basketful Of Happiness

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked September 23, 1907 from LaSalle, New York.

Price:  $12.00

This postcard is a good clue for anyone searching for more on the John Jacob Russ who is the addressee on the card or more on the history of the Carborundum Company of Niagara Falls, NY. It’s addressed:

“Mr. John Russ. Dutch Carborundum. Dusseldorf Werke. Reishotz Beenrath. Germany”

The card is sent from Anna, and she could be John’s sister. John’s parents (and Anna’s) are proving rather time-consuming to locate. (There’s an Anna Salzmann (wife of Louis Salzmann) in Niagara Falls in 1910 who has a son named Clarence. Could this be Clarence on the postcard? Could be but let’s not say for sure. A very adorable image though, and Anna writes:

“A Basketfull of Happyness with Love from all. Anna. we’re all well and Happy. Clarence has had a sick spell with his teeth but is better. everything is the same here the weather is cold. got your letter will write soon.”

From his passport application dated February 23, 1907, John J. Russ was born in Niagara Falls, NY on December 17, 1874. His father was a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is accompanied by his wife Friedericke, and children Lillian, Clara and Frederick. John is a foreman for the Carborundum Company of Niagara Falls, NY.

John’s WWI Draft Registration in 1918 shows he is a department superintendent with Carborundum, and lives in LaSalle, New York. There’s no official city or town of LaSalle, NY on the map today. Per a Wiki entry, the city of Niagara Falls annexed the village of LaSalle from the town of Niagara in 1927 (The city of Niagara Falls and the town of Niagara are next to each other.)

Sources:   “Corborundum. Our History.” carbo.com. Accessed August 13, 2017.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 – March 31, 1925; Roll #: 29; Volume #: Roll 0029 – Certificates: 26301-27000, 12 Feb 1907-04 Mar 1907. (Ancestry.com)

Registration State: New York; Registration County: Niagara; Roll: 1818603; Draft Board: 2. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.

Niagara Falls, New York. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls,_New_York (accessed August 13, 2017).

A Break From The Summer Heat

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked July 5, 1911[?] from East Jordan, Michigan. Publisher:  E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Price:  $6.00

Old River in Winter, Charlevoix, the Beautiful:  A break for the senses from a Michigan summer’s sweltering heat, and a July 4th reference below….

Happy 4th!

“Hello old boy:  How does this look to you in this kind of weather? 104° yesterday & 90°  to-day, no trouble to keep warm I assure you. Have any fire crackers on the 4th ha ha. I amused my self with a toy pistol and some match heads. Yours, Scotty.”

Addressed to:   “Mr. E. C. Bowman, 33 Kingwood St., Morgantown, W. Va.”

The recipient of this card was likely Eugene C. Bowman, found on the 1910 Federal Census for Morgantown, with wife Madge (Smith). Both are W. Virginia natives: Eugene is about age twenty-seven on this census, and an engineer at a power plant.

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Morgantown Ward 1, Monongalia, West Virginia; Roll: T624_1691; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0077; FHL microfilm: 1375704. (Ancestry.com)

“West Virginia Marriages, 1853–1970.” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2009. (Ancestry.com)

Old American Locks, Sault Ste. Marie

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Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked July 29, 1906 from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Publisher:  S. W. Kirvan. No. 1820. Made in Germany.

Price:  $12.00

The addressee, “Miss Ada” of # 89 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, was not found in census records or city directories. What’s her surname? Hmmm. Dempsey? And 89 could have been only an apartment number, and maybe Ada was a middle name. Still she wasn’t located. So, moving on to some other points of interest….It’s a beautiful card, nice colors, slightly heavier than many postcards, but about the description:  It must have been a misprint, and should read as:  Old American Locks, 1855 to 1881, Sault Ste. Marie.

S. W. was Samuel W. Kirvan, found as such in a Google book snippet for “Souvenir of the Soo: Scenes Around La Saut De. Ste. Marie, Michigan” described as four pages, for which Kirvan was author and publisher. More on the publisher in the next post.

Sources:  Soo Locks. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks (accessed May 28, 2017).

Kirvan, S. W. “Souvenir of the Soo: Scenes Around La Saut De. Ste. Marie, Michigan.” (1893) Google.com snippet view. (accessed May 28, 2017).

Anna E. Lincoln, Hubbardton, VT, 1907

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Undivided back, Real Photo postcard. Postmarked May 18, 1907 from East Hubbardton, Vermont.

Price:  $12.00

“Anna E. Lincoln. Born Oct. 17, 1906.   All usually well, Ella.”  Addressed to:

“Mrs. D. I. Paine, Saratoga, N. Y., 26 East Van Dam Street.”

Anna, the cute baby girl in this RPPC, was found on the 1910 Federal Census for Hubbardton, Rutland County, VT, with mom, Ella M. and dad, Dauley (Dawley) F. Lincoln, and Anna’s older sisters, Jennie M. and Violet I. Lincoln. They are living with Dawley’s parents, William F. and Susan A. Lincoln. Also in the household are Addie L. Lincoln, daughter-in-law to William and Susan, and Addie’s two children, Arthur E. and William H. Lincoln. All are Vermont natives. Though the photo’s a little blurry, there’s some nice detail in wood and fabric to be seen on the chairs. (Are you picturing them being hauled outside?) The one on our right looks like a rocker. And this “two seats, only one taken” scene makes you wonder if there were other photographs taken that day with someone posed in the other chair.

The recipient of this card was Ethel, wife of Delmar I. Paine. The couple appears on the 1900 Federal Census for Saratoga Springs, NY at the Van Dam St. address, with their children, Walter L. and Edwin Paine, ages seven and three.

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Hubbardton, Rutland, Vermont; Roll: T624_1616; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0184; FHL microfilm: 1375629. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1900; Census Place: Saratoga Springs Ward 2, Saratoga, New York; Roll: 1159; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0129; FHL microfilm: 1241159. (Ancestry.com)

Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked March 31, 1906 from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Publisher:  V. O. Hammon Pub. Co., Minneapolis and Chicago. No. 52.

Price:  $6.00

Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minn.

This card was postmarked just over a month before Norway gained independence from Sweden which occurred on June 7, 1905, so it’s quite good timing for the subject matter: the statue of Norwegian violinist and composer, Ole Bull (1810 – 1880).

This is the fourth postcard in chronological date order, in our Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection, and is addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunström. 186 Purdy St., Astoria, L. I., N. Y.”  It’s also the second, so far, from Elise’s sister Augusta. (Maybe Augusta was having “a bad day” in some way, shape or form in her initial perception of the beautiful city of Minneapolis. I’ve been reading Make Your Mind an Ocean by Lama Yeshe. Highly recommended!)

“Minneapolis 31st Mars 1906. Tack för sist! Sitter nu på stationern i Minneapolis och väntar på mitt tåg. resan har gått väl och i dag är det så vackert väder att det är rigtigt härligt, Minneapolis är en ful stad, åtminstone hvad jåg ser däraf. Rära hälsningar till alla ifrån. syster Augusta.”

“Thanks for last! Now sitting at the station in Minneapolis waiting for my train. The trip has gone well and today it is such beautiful weather that it is really lovely. Minneapolis is an ugly city, at least what I see of it. Greetings to everyone from sister Augusta.”

Sources:  Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden (accessed May 12, 2017).

Ole Bull. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Bull (accessed May 12, 2017).

“Minnesota fiddlers:  Ole Bull.”  Minnesota State Fiddlers Association.(http://www.fiddlemn.com/home.html) Accessed May 12, 2017.