Monthly Archives: May 2017

Samuel W. Kirvan, Pilot, Game Warden, Publisher…

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Sault Saint Marie, Michigan…

If ever a guy was game (just a happy coincidence with the pun) to try new things, it seems that Sam W. Kirvan, was one such guy. S. W. Kirvan, the publisher of the Old American Locks postcard in our prior post, was also at various times, a pilot, fishing guide, fish and game warden, vaudeville theater partner, store and restaurant owner. Not surprisingly then, but luckily, as we can see from the ad below, he was also a very good self-promoter. (In the world of antique postcards it’s uncommon to find a likeness of the actual publisher.)

Samuel W. Kirvan was born in Ontario, Canada, November 15, 1862, and died December 26, 1937. He was the son of Irish immigrants, Martin and Ellen Jane Kirvan. The 1871 Federal Census shows Samuel at about age 6, with his family in Arran Township, Bruce County, Ontario. On October 3, 1886 he married Margaret Ann Harper, in Cheboygan, MI. It’s not clear how long he may have published postcards. The 1893 date comes from a snippet book result that shows up on another site with a later estimated date for the same four-page publication, and the American Locks postcard is 1906, though there may have been later ones. There don’t seem to be too many of S. W. Kirvan’s postal cards that survived. In any case, his name can be found numerous times in the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News, as well as in census records and city directories. The following is an occupational timeline with rough date estimates:

1892 – Fruit and confectionery store bought from T. A. Campbell

Pilot and fishing guide – 1893 – ? 18 years experience as a pilot per ad

Deputy game warden – June 1893 – ?

Publisher of tourist views and postcards – 1893 – 1906?

Fruit and candy tent sales – May 1894

Restaurant at 59 Portage Ave. W. – 1898

Fur dealer – 1900 Federal Census

Dealer in Indian curios – 1900 – 1905

Opening vaudeville theater with Mr. Devine – 1906

Bought the Gerrish Cafe on Portage Ave, Sault Ste. Marie – about April 1906

Hotel manager – 1920 Federal Census

Owner of cigar store and billiard room – 1922 – ?

Owner of decorating store – 1930 Federal census

Some clippings below from the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News….

Notice of appointment to Chippewa County deputy game and fish warden, dated June 3, 1893.

Tent sales mention

A clip from a December 20, 1905 article, with Samuel Kirvan later in the article making the distinction that,  “We will allow nothing that parents cannot conscientiously take their children to witness.”

An April 1921 snippet, remembering 1906.

United Cigar Store ad, December 16, 1922. The cigar store is mentioned in a later article as being a cigar store/pool hall.

_________________________________________________________________________

Sources:  Year: 1871; Census Place: Arran, Bruce, Ontario; Roll: C-9937; Page: 6; Family No: 16. (Ancestry.com)

Kirvan, S.W. Brook Trout and Black Bass Fishing: Tourists and Others While Visiting Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. .. S.W. Kirvan. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. (http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/4099601).

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

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Sault Ste. Marie Directories for 1895, 1898, 1900, 1902 and 1905. (Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995).

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

Year: 1910; Census Place: Sault St marie Ward 3, Chippewa, Michigan; Roll: T624_641; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0247; FHL microfilm: 1374654. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1920; Census Place: Chippewa, Chippewa, Michigan; Roll: T625_761; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 21; Image: 49. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1930; Census Place: Superior, Chippewa, Michigan; Roll: 980; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0025; Image: 1052.0; FHL microfilm: 2340715. (Ancestry.com)

Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan. (Ancestry.com)

“Deputy Warden Kirvan.” Sault Saint Marie Evening News. June 3, 1893, Saturday. (GenealogyBank.com)

Tent sale. Sault Saint Marie Evening News. May 5, 1894, Saturday. (GenealogyBank.com)

“To Open Theatre.” Sault Saint Marie Evening News. December 20, 1905, Wednesday.

“15 Years Ago.” Sault Saint Marie Evening News. April 4, 1894, Monday           . (GenealogyBank.com)

United Cigar Stores. Sault Saint Marie Evening News. December 16, 1922, Saturday.      (GenealogyBank.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).

Indian Post Souvenirs, Algonac, Michigan

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Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. Circa late 1940s – early 1950s. EKC stamp box.

Price:  $25.00

What is revealed…

There’s a lot to take note of in this vintage RPPC of the Indian Post souvenir shop, Algonac, Michigan:  First and foremost, the two men posing for the photo, one in full headdress; then the address on the building of 717 – this may have been Michigan St. or St. Clair River Dr; the hand-painted artwork on wood of the Indian maiden (love it); the “Railway Express Agency – Packages Received Here” sign, the striped folding deck chairs on the lawn, and how about the very cool window silhouette of the guy on our right? Then there’s the small sign behind him that we can’t read – that looks like part of a wing there; the U.S. souvenir-type flag in the window, and little plastic “windmills” – maybe this was taken around Memorial Day or Fourth of July. And, we impart this fact to you, the readers – this postcard was made from a photo that had some folds in it. The card itself is in great condition, but note the three vertical creases at the top, in the image.

Probably in 2022……no, we didn’t have to wait till then

If it’s of great import (for sure, why not?) the shop owner’s name will probably turn up on the 1950 Federal Census, but that won’t be out till April of 2022. City directories for the area were not found online; maybe they exist at a local library. But in moving over to search Newspapers.com we hit the jackpot with a full page spread on Algonac (Chris-Craft enthusiasts you already know the connection) in Port Huron’s, The Times-Herald, (the River Section) dated July 21, 1950, with the photo below…..Thanks to readers that commented the man in the full headress is Maxim “Max” Ouimet.

Proprietor in “chief”

The Times-Herald photo showing the Post’s owner with two potential buyers, and displaying some of the baskets the store was known for. Our shop owner then, who we now know is Max Ouimet, is the man on our left in the postcard image. We also now know that the Indian Post was situated between two buildings. The Railway Express sign is still up, visible just next to the 5-story birdhouse…..and as for that particular item for sale, who bought it, is it still happily in use, and if so where?…Picturing the now grown-up kid contacting us with a great story to tell….the day he met the “chief” and his parents bought the bird condo. Stranger things have happened!

Two clippings from the article

Algonac, Michigan on the Saint Clair River

Sources:   “Color A-Plenty Awaits Visitors In Lovely Algonac.”  The Times-Herald (Port Huron, MI) Wednesday, July 21, 1950. p. 90. (Newspapers.com)

Algonac, MI 48001. Google.com map. (accessed May 25, 2017).

Further reading:  Walpole Island First Nation. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpole_Island_First_Nation (accessed May 25, 2017).

Bkejwanong. Walpole Island. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ksands/Warpole.html. (accessed May 28, 2017).

Picking Flower, Near Mississippi Headwaters, Minnesota

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Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1950s.

Price:  $15.00

This Real Photo Postcard is one of (at least) four that we see that had been taken, circa 1950s, of an Indian woman named Picking Flower. The other three vintage cards are currently on ebay:  One shows a very similar view to the photo taken for this card, and the other two show Picking Flower standing at the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, Minnesota, with captions. My guess is that she’s Chippewa, a.k.a. Ojibwe or Ojibwa, and it’s possible she might have been a member of the Mississippi River Band Chippewas, but of course, that is mere speculation. The artwork of flowers and leaves that she’s working on (or more likely it was some finished work that was used for the photo shoot) and that which adorns her dress, is very distinctive to Chippewa beadwork design (not to mention stunningly beautiful). Here’s a quick screen shot of a Google search for examples (note the similarity in the top right design to that in the postcard.)

And, if you enlarge the postcard image, you’ll notice the little pair of moccasins that’s attached to the dress (on her left) and the shells interspersed in the shoulder areas. Always the case, we get to wondering about the circumstances surrounding a photo session, about the person themselves, how they felt at the time, what the rest of their life was like. I think Picking Flower is maybe in her 50s, from the graying hair we note, and she looks like she was squinting a little from the sun, when the photo was taken.

Sources:  Mississippi River Band of Chippewa Indians. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River_Band_of_Chippewa_Indians (accessed May 21, 2017).

“Images of Chippewa beadwork”  Google.com search. (accessed May 21, 2017).

Theresa and Albert Bayard, Oakland CA, 1910

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Set of two:  Divided Back, Real Photo Postcards, unused with writing, circa 1910. Velox stamp box.

Price for the pair:  $20.00

Postcards, year 1910, from Kristofa Bayard, 4212 Suter St., Oakland, Cal…showing her children, adorable Albert (her Big Boy) and her beautiful daughter, Theresa…

Albert Bayard

“This is my big Boy.   4214 Sutter. I found out last night that the Party in the litle House has paid their rent in full & that mens [means] there time vill bee up October 16nt. & the big House Otto says he like to go & see vhat needs fixing, so I exspict him to go to Valljo [Vallejo] sunday. Vell vi got home O.K. but tired none of the folks home exspectet us home, if you can come & see me Monday Vi vould then be able to tell you all about how things are. respectfully, Kristofa.  Best regards from Theresa & Papa.”

Albert and Theresa Bayard

“4212 Sutter St.  Dear friend. I got your letter. vill go to Vallejo Monday or Tuesday. vill bring the pieses for the stove. Vi are verry sorry to hear you baby tok so sick, vi only hope she is all over it by this time. hope this vil find you boot vell, Kristofa.  Best regards from All.”

The 1910 Federal Census for Brooklyn Township, Oakland, Alameda County, California shows the Bayard family:  William O. Bayard (Otto William Bayard in other records), born Sweden about 1863, his wife Kristofa (here spelled Christofa) born Norway about 1877 (emigrating about 1895 – 1900 per census’) Theresa, born California about 1904, and Albert, born California (aged 1 and 10/12) born June 1908. Otto is working for the railroad as a painter, at this time. The Suter house is owned by the family, and unless the house number changed, it looks like that particular structure is no longer there (a newer house, said to have been built in 1921, stands in its place). The 1920 Federal Census shows the Bayards as owners at 3916 Suter (a different house, unless there was re-numbering) and that home still exists today. Also, by this time we see the couple’s third child, Mervin Bayard, born California about 1914.

California marriage records show that Theresa married New Jersey native, Thomas Harper Ridge, in November 1921; bride and groom’s address at time of marriage was the 3916 Suter home. Kristofa’s maiden name is listed as Nelson (Nilson per Ancestry family trees). Plenty of other records can be found for the Bayards but we’ll stop here…Just to want to let year 1910 soak in…the priceless images of the children, the beautiful lace for the background (Was it hand or factory-made? Normally in use as a tablecloth? Lace-making in the early 20th Century – serious “tangent” material, no pun intended, no time to pursue, regrettably) the mentions of the big house and the little house (good for them, that they owned more than one place) and Kristofa….beautiful wife, mom and friend. Of course, the stand-out in her writing is the replacement of the “w” for the “v” sound (and other evidence of English as second language)….but so nice to read, giving us a real feel for the Bayard’s Norwegian-Swedish-American household at this time.

Sources:   Year: 1910; Census Place: Oakland Ward 7, Alameda, California; Roll: T624_71; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0026; FHL microfilm: 1374084. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1920; Census Place: Oakland, Alameda, California; Roll: T625_91; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 132; Image: 158. (Ancestry.com)

Marriage records, select counties and years. California State Archives, Sacramento, California. (Ancestry.com)

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)

Mom And Baby, Auntie And Baby

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Two photos, circa early 1900s.

Price for pair:  $3.00         Size:  About 5 x 5″ including mat frames.

Another couple of photos for Mother’s Day….

Mom and Baby….

Auntie (we think) and Baby….

Alas, there is no writing on the back of either of these photos, which were found in the Central Coast area of California, so we don’t know who the three people are, nor their location. But this could be CA with those rolling hills, and wait, are those grapevine trellises on the left? Maybe this is wine country.

Norge, Lappekone (Med Barn)

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Divided back, unused postcard. Date unknown. Publisher:  Mittet & Co., A/S, Oslo, Norway. All rights reserved. Number or series:  3000/54.

Price:  $15.00

Norway, Lapp Wife With Child

The translation for the publisher’s description is just “Norway. Lapp wife” so we added med barn (with child) to the title to be correct for the view. And this is the perfect postcard for being (1.) the third in a short Norwegian theme (see prior two posts) and (2.) the first for Mother’s Day, this year.

A little about the publisher

Mittet & Co., A/S was started in 1899 by Ingebrigt Mittet (1875 – 1950) and carried on and expanded by his sons Knut and Søren Mittet. It was a major Norwegian publishing firm and produced thousands of postcards as well as books and art literature. It appears to have been sold in 1987, but in the 1950s about 15,000 to 20,000 negatives and some albums were sent to the Riksantikvaren (Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage) some of which then went to the Norwegian Folk Museum and Norwegian Technical Museum. The National Library took over the Mittet archived material in 2007. A/S is the abbreviation for Aksjeselskap, the Norwegian term for a stock-based company.

Northern lights

The indigenous Lapp people, Laplanders and People of the Reindeer, as the terms Westerners have traditionally known them by, are today referred to as the Sami, also spelled Saami or Sámi. They live in the region called Sápmi:  northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. And, we’ll not try to summarize further but instead share this Google search result (a picture says a thousand words, as maybe a jump start to further reading, or visiting in person?) for images of Sami people…the colors (!) the patterns, the beautiful faces, the reindeer….beauty in the northern light.

Life is in the details….

As per usual, you can click on all of Laurel Cottage’s images to enlarge them, but we added the two crops below, as they seemed to warrant scrutiny:  Look under the white printing and you’ll see the very faint original wording. You can see the rectangular outlines of the newer info, as if it was taped on. So, it says “Norge Lappekone” in the top image, that’s pretty easy to read, but for the “Mittet” one we’re not so sure. Maybe it says the same publisher, or maybe not, or maybe it holds the photographer’s name. See what you think….Oh (well, duh!) after further searching, it’s likely that the first word there is “Enerett” which in English is “all rights reserved.” It says the same on the reverse of the postcard. (Enerett:  Mittet & Co., A/S, Oslo.) So, darn, no great mystery solved, or anything exciting but it does hint at the card maybe being a more modern production of the same image. (Indeed, there’s another one out there that must of been the earlier version.) And, you can see that someone had x’d over the “Co.” and scribbled after it, probably to make the original wording less noticeable when they were adding the new.

Sources:  “Fotoarkivet etter postkortforlaget Mittet & Co.” Preus Museum. (www.preusmuseum.no) Accessed May 14, 2017.

Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Directorate_for_Cultural_Heritage (accessed May 14, 2017).

Aksjeselskap. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksjeselskap (accessed May 14, 2017).

Sami history. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_history (accessed May 14, 2017).

“images of Sami people” Google search. (accessed May 14, 2017).

Dog And Skier, Finnish Handicraft Series

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Divided back, artist-signed, unused postcard. Finnish Handicraft Series. Circa 1950s – 1980s.

Price:  $20.00

The date is unknown for this postcard, as no other cards were found online under any form of the back description:

Finnish Handcraft Series. Hemslöjdsföreningarnas Centralförbunds serie. Kotiteollisuusjärjestöjen Keskusliiton sarja. Maybe 1950s – 1980s as a broad guess. The artist’s initials “H. T.” appear at the bottom-left of the cross-country ski scene. Underneath are a reindeer and tree motif and above a diamond pattern. This is just a beautiful card. And that’s a Sami (Saami) man in traditional dress with a Four Winds Hat. I love the dog in mid-spring! as in bounce, that is. If you’re weary, the dog’s exuberance will rejuvenate you!

Sources:  Four Winds Hat. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people (accessed May 13, 2017).

Sami People. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people (accessed May 13, 2017).

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.