To Flem Grizzle, Gas City, Kansas

Divided Back postcard, embossed. Postmarked Tioga, Texas, August 23, 1909. Printed in Germany. 

Price:  $15.00

To My Dear Uncle…..

Great color on this one and a welcome change from the black and white entries we’ve been posting!

Addressed to:   “Flem Grizzle. Gas City, Kans.”

The note on the back is a little hard to decipher. Best guess is:   “Hello. How are you. Bef. noon [?] rec your card and [?] & [?] got [?] Harold picture. They are nice. Wish I was up there with you all. I am at home to night and have been all day alone. Ernest and Willie have gone out [with?] their girls. [?]. Yours [?].

Flem was Jesse Flem Grizzle, born October 13, 1871, Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky. He married Ida M. (maiden name unknown) about 1894. From the obit below and several census records, it appears that they had two children, Edith and Harold.

Sources: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936 – 2007. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Rose Hill, Johnson, Missouri; Roll: 868; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm: 1240868. (Ancestry.com).

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Iola City Directory, 1906, p. 110. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822 – 1995.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Carlyle, Allen, Kansas; Roll: T625_522; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 1. (Ancestry.com).

“Jesse F. Grizzle Dies Here Today.” The Iola Register. May 6, 1953. Wednesday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

The Leichtweißhöhle Cave

Divided back, unused postcard. Publisher or printer:  Carl v. d Boogaart, Wiesbaden, 1906.

Price:  $7.00

Two trees (wonder if they could still be there?) form a passageway…..to a certain location in a German forest, circa 1906. Behind a rustic wooden fence, three people pose on a front porch…..There’s a small pointed roof over a doorway…..and a jungle-gym-like mass of wooden branches attached….

We know this is a destination of some sort from the signs that are posted. But click on the image to enlarge (check out the graffiti on the tree trunks)…..That conglomeration of tree limbs is actually a railing for a walkway leading up a hill. Then with a quick internet search…..ahhhh, that doorway is a cave entrance.

Google translation to English from Wikipedia entry with photos:

“The Leichtweißhöhle is a cave in the Wiesbaden Nerotal . Its name can be traced back to the poacher Heinrich Anton Leichtweiß , who used the cave as a shelter from 1778 to 1791. Forest workers discovered the cave and light white due to rising smoke.

Access to the Leichtweißhöhle

Source at the Leichtweißhöhle

The Leichtweißhöhle is originally a small natural cave and not much more than a large rock overhang, a so-called abri . The local shale is not suitable for karstification . There are no other caves.

The cave was forgotten until Wiesbaden gained international renown as a spa and the cave developed into a popular excursion destination. It represented one of the new attractions that were to be offered to visitors to Wiesbaden. The Wiesbaden Beautification Association expanded the cave in 1856. A second entrance was created, a room on the side and a niche padded with moss, which was declared as a place to sleep. The cave was also decorated accordingly, including old weapons and pictures. A romanticization followed . The Schwarzbach coming from the Rabengrund and passing the cave received an artificial waterfall and a wooden bridge was built to cross the stream. A viewing pavilion was built above the cave, and the access paths to the cave were equipped with railings and the cave entrance with a wooden porch. These changes were so extensive that the original state can hardly be recognized today.

In 1905 Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the cave with his wife.

In 1934 the Gestapo used the Leichtweißhöhle as a torture cellar .

With the decline of the Wiesbaden cure, especially after the end of the Second World War , the cave lost its importance and was closed. The outdoor facilities were badly affected by vandalism and lack of maintenance. The cave was often used as a shelter. In 1983 the entrance was completely renewed. Since then, the cave has been regularly opened to visitors every six months.”

Sources:  Leichtweißhöhle. n.d.  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leichtwei%C3%9Fh%C3%B6hle. (accessed August 30, 2020).

Google translate (accessed August 30, 2020).

To Ilma From Edna

Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked April 12, 1911, San Francisco, California. Publisher:  International Art Publishing Co. Series 1262. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $7.00

Fond Easter Greetings

“Hope and gladness, peace and rest

Make your Easter truly blest.”

Wow, where did the time fly? Easter already! Here’s the first offering for this year, and we’ll try to get a few more up today. This one hearkens back to 1911, a beautiful card of a bunny in an Easter egg, framed by lilies of the valley and a few violets, from the International Art Publishing Co. It was sent by Edna Steacy to Miss Ilma Rogers of 3651 20th St., San Francisco, CA.

Ilma, an unusual name (I kept trying to type Alma) was found on the 1900 Federal Census, born in California, January 1893, the daughter of Charles S. and May C. Rogers. In the household are the parents Charles and May, Charles’ mother Jenny M. Rogers and children Oris R., Ilma F. and Charles S. Rogers, address 227 Chattanooga, San Francisco. So, Ilma was eighteen when she received this card.

Source:  Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 0108. (Ancestry.com).

Accept All Good Wishes

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“This is me don’t it look like me”  is the sender’s caption at the top of the card. Wonder if there was a striking resemblance or this was said jokingly, but in either case knowing what the postcard sender thought about the card’s design is an unexpected bonus. If this one reminds you of Ireland you are not alone, as the postmarked date is March 16th. I thought “Ireland” when I saw it, and maybe the sender did, too. The design shows a beautiful young woman in profile, her strawberry blonde hair covered by a hooded cape in the palest of green. She wears a white Grecian-looking dress with a posy of purple flowers tucked just above the waist. The cape is bordered in purple and the hood’s decorative flowered ribbon is flowing in the breeze. The background is a country scene of green fields, a river and a red-roofed house….The sender writes:

“A. G. Cal. Mar. 16, 1922. My Dear Neice & all Hope you are all fine, as for our part we are just fine. We sure have been haveing lots of rain and is raining here to-day. Our baby is getting along fine and may[?] God bless him and all. his name is Tony Marcelino[?] Perry. So this is all for this time, I’ll write you a letter, but let me no the address.  Your Antie. Mrs. M. M. Perry.”

“A. G. Cal.”  is Arroyo Grande, California, and the sender had it right on one of her other guesses – Petaluma is in Sonoma County. It looks like it got there, though. The card is addressed to:   “Miss Mary Azevedo, Petaluma, Marin County, Calif. c/o Mr. P. J. Azevedo.”

Not seeing the forest for the trees…

Ha, in scrutinizing the handwriting, I hadn’t even noticed the profusion of clovers in the embossing. Maybe it was produced with St. Patrick’s Day or Ireland in mind. In any case, it was very clever of the artist or publisher to show the embossed view on the back.

The 1930 Federal Census taken in Petaluma, shows Mary C. Azevedo, single, born in California about 1904, age 26 (so about age 18 when she received the postcard) living with her widowed father, Peter Azevedo, born in Portugal about 1878; and her siblings, sister-in-law, and two nieces.

The postcard sender appears to be Mary Aeraeis (spelling varies – this is the spelling on the 1910) who married Manual Perry. The 1910 census taken in Tomales, Marin County, CA shows George Azevedo, head of a large household, with his wife and children; his partner, the aforementioned Peter J. Azevedo; his wife Lucia; Peter and Lucia’s daughter Mary (the postcard recipient); Manual Perri, employee of the Azevedos, born Portugal about 1886; Mary Aeraeis, born California about 1893; and others.

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked March 16, 1922 from Arroyo Grande, California. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $12.00

Sources:  Year: 1930; Census Place: Petaluma, Sonoma, California; Roll: 222; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0033; Image: 381.0; FHL microfilm: 2339957. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Tomales, Marin, California; Roll: T624_88; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0053; FHL microfilm: 1374101. (Ancestry.com)

To Ethel From Annie

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Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked December 31, 1908 from San Francisco, California. Printed in Germany. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $5.00

“A Happy New Year”  is the caption on this 1908 postcard printed in Germany. It shows a pink rose and green leaves above a pineapple-shaped outline (for a vase perhaps) and a burgundy background fading to a lighter color at the bottom. It’s another in the Ethel Main Collection. The sender writes,  “Dear Ethel – Wishes for a Happy and prosperous New Year from Annie.”  The card is addressed to:  “Miss Ethel Main, 2319 Folsom St., City.”  We know “City” in this case refers to San Francisco, since this appears on the postmark.

Thanksgiving Greetings

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Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here’s a beautiful postcard showing a design of two turkeys on a little path out in the country. (Well, with scrutiny, the turkey in the background is just next to the path.) I like the stand of evergreens in the distance. This is from an unknown publisher, printed in Germany, embossed and with gold tones, with a blue-gray background and pink flowers, and narrow white border. The tail feathers of the turkey in the foreground run a little outside the sort of upside-down keyhole shaped “window.” My friend tells me this is always on purpose; from the artist’s perspective, it lends a sense of “flow” for the eye to travel over the card.

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. Publisher unknown. Printed in Germany. Series 6399. Circa 1907 – 1914.

Price:  $10.00

Happy Birthday Rosalia Jaycox

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Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked November 20, 1911 from Worcester, New York. Publisher unknown. Printed in Germany, series 1460A.

Price:  $15.00

Here’s another lilies of the valley postcard – this time the lilies are the main subject, and this is one of those vibrantly colored, printed in Germany cards. The composition is great, as is the detail in the basket and flowers, and the colors, typical to this type, showing a deep violet, a blue, a red, a rose, and the standout here (maybe less often used) of chartreuse. (Love the wild mix of colors.) The lilies of the valley, also called May lillies are spilling out of the basket which is tipped on it’s side.

The sender wrote:  “Wish you a happy birthday. Come down and see us. From Luther Albert.”  This card didn’t have far to travel, since it was postmarked in Worcester and mailed to East Worcester, New York. Today’s map shows East Worcester about 4.8 miles northeast of Worcester. Both towns are in Otsego County, and located in the northwestern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The card is addressed as:

“Mrs. Rosalia Jaycox, East Worcester, New York.” 

The sender, Luther H. Albert, born about 1860, appears on the New York State Census (and multiple census records) in Worcester with his wife Elva, born about 1862. They are farming.

Multiple census records also show for Rosalia Jaycox, who is Rosalia Ostrom according to the Find A Grave website, born in 1842. She was married to Samuel Jaycox, born 1834 and died in 1907, both born in New York. There is also another Jaycox family (on the NY 1905 Census in Worcester) John, Melinda and daughter Edna, who would likely be related.

Sources:  New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 01; City: Worcester; County: Otsego; Page: 03. (Ancestry.com)

New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education. 1892 New York State Census. Albany, NY: New York State Library. (Ancestry.com)

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: E.D. 02; City: Worcester; County: Otsego; Page: 2. (Ancestry.com)

Rosalia Ostrom Jaycox. Find A Grave Memorial #117167470. (Findagrave.com)

Samuel Jaycox. Find A Grave Memorial #117167409. (Findagrave.com)

You Are The Peach

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Beautiful 1907 postcard printed in Germany. The sender wrote,

“07/24/07  –  You are the peach of my eye  –  G.S.”  which is kind of funny as I think these are apples. Maybe G.S. couldn’t find a postcard with peaches 😉  The card is addressed to:

“Miss Laura Beck, 1408 Old Manchester Ave, Local”  and as the card was postmarked from St. Louis, Missouri, this must have been a St. Louis address. Laura L. Beck is found at this address on the 1910 Federal Census, living with her parents and uncle. The 1910 shows:  Herman P. Beck, born Illinois, about 1862, his parents born in Germany, occupation harness maker for wholesale; wife Maggie C., born Missouri, about 1867, her father born in Rhode Island, mother Missouri; Laura L., born Missouri, about 1890, occupation music teacher – piano from home; Gustave C. Beck, born Missouri, about 1863, occupation printer. This census shows Laura’s parents to have been married about 26 years, and have had another child that had died. The marriage appears online for them on May 12, 1884, Carroll County, Missouri. Maggies’s maiden name is Bradley.

I wondered whether Laura married her admirer, G.S. and did find that she had married, not to G.S. though (unless this was a nickname or something other than first and last initials) but to a Mr. Walmsey per the website Find A Grave. Sadly, Laura Leah Wamsley died in 1915, at only about age 25.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked July 24, 1907, St. Louis, Missouri. Publisher unknown. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $6.00

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 23, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_821; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0354; FHL microfilm: 1374834. (Ancestry.com)

“Missouri, Marriages, 1750-1920,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V28Q-FT6 : accessed 01 Sep 2014), Herman P. Beck and Maggie C. Bradley, 12 May 1884; citing Carroll,Missouri; FHL microfilm 955961.

“Laura Leah Beck Walmsey” Find A Grave Memorial# 128599068, added April 26, 2014. Web accessed 1 Sep 2014.

Golden Eagle For Hattie Patuno

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Divided back, embossed postcard, unused with writing. Printed in Germany. Publisher unknown. Series 1460 C.

Price:  $7.00

Beautiful postcard printed in Germany of purple flowers with green centers, an eagle in gold, with the rays of the sunrise or sunset in the background. The card is addressed to  “Hattie Patuno, Wellsburg Iowa”  and was never postmarked. And it looks like the sender’s initials are  “A. U.”  but Hattie’s name is not showing up online in Iowa or anywhere for that matter, which is unusual. But wow, the colors on this card!

Boat And Roses Birthday Greetings

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Divided back, unused, embossed postcard. Printed in Germany. Circa 1907 – 1914.

Price:  $10.00

Gorgeous postcard printed in Germany primarily in pink and green, showing a scene of a person in a small skiff or rowboat with a couple of cottage type buildings showing at the point of the land in the background. The scene is surrounded by embossed roses in pink and orange, with a contrast of some type of smaller purple flowers at the top right. The caption shows  “Birthday Greetings”. This is just one of the many examples of the beautiful colors in the older German-printed cards.