A Very Merry And A Bright And Happy

Christmas Card, circa 1920s – 1930s. Made in U.S.A.

Price:  $4.00        Size:  4 and 15/16 x 3 and 1/2″

“To wish you a very Merry Christmas and a bright and Happy New Year”

Signed,  “Emma & Will.”

Lots of snow in this picture isn’t there? The hidden-in-plain-site sort 😉 that the holiday wishes are carved into. And, in the foreground are holly branches with their bright red berries; in the distance a red house (the elongated – somewhat anyway – type as mentioned in the last post) with its snow-covered roof and then some evergreens. A common scene, but still charming. And fun to imagine for a second, the unknown artist in Manhattan dashing this one off, (they were often in Manhattan – you can notice lots of artists there in the census records). And if something strikes you as odd about the house – the chimney seems unfinished – it’s white and the house is red, or it’s sides are snow-covered but that doesn’t equate, and then the trees near the house have no snow. It’s like one of those puzzles where you need to find what doesn’t match in the second drawing.

Merry Christmas To One And All

Christmas card, circa 1920s – 1930s.

Price:  $5.00           Size:  4 and 7/16 x 3 and 7/16″

On the reverse,  “From Bessie & Dickey. To the Jones family.”

Let’s see….in researching all the Joneses on the census records with a Bessie and Dickey in the vicinity…..(totally kidding, of course)…..But, you know, if there was just one out-of-the-ordinary name there, I would. Anyway, this is a nice, Art Deco style, we presume, card, and I’ll confess that I find Art Deco not always easy to identify, other than the more obvious. I love the old holiday cards that have that elongated look to the houses, and true, this one only borders on that, but it’s got that upward flow to it from the rising smoke and tall tree trunks.

Triple Royal Palm, Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona FL

Divided back, unused, embossed postcard. Publisher:  S. Langsdorf & Co., New York. Made in Germany. Series 618. Circa 1908 – 1914.

Price:  $35.00

This is what’s called an “alligator border” postcard. They were very collectible at the time and are pretty highly valued today. You can find them selling for around 30.00 or 40.00 dollars to in the hundreds, depending on content and rarity….And, imagine this particular card having been placed in an album after it was first purchased, because if you look closely (enlarge the image twice) you’ll notice the slightly darker coloration on each corner (so that when it was displayed in the album you were not seeing the corners). I like this kind of “physical proof” – it seems to add another layer or dimension to the card.

When looking for publisher S. Langsdorf, we found mention of him and (bonus!) the alligator border phenom in this Google book search:  America’s Alligator:  A Popular History of Our Most Celebrated Reptile, by Doug Alderson. You can also take a “Look Inside” for part of the book on Amazon.com right now. See the upcoming post for more on S. Langsdorf.

The “Triple” in Royal Palm is, I think, a description of a Royal Palm that has three trunks, or maybe multiple trunks, as in the most predominant palm appearing in our postcard above.

Sources:  Alderson, Doug. America’s Alligator:  A Popular History of Our Most Celebrated Reptile. Rowman and Littlefield, 2020. (books.google.com).

Royal Palm Tree. https://www.allaboutpalmtrees.com/royal-palm-tree (accessed October 22, 2022).

A Happy Birthday From Percival

Vintage birthday card, circa 1930s. Made in the U.S.A.

Price:  $5.00         Size:  6 and 1/4 x 4″

“A Happy Birthday

I’m sending this Greeting

To joyfully say,

May you have many Happy

Returns of the Day.”

A striking card for its colors and design:  Bright and pale pink, purple, blue (what was the Crayola crayon color for that blue? It’s driving me nuts 🙂 ) black, thin gold trim throughout…..Two houses in the background (with pink roofs), tree in the foreground (windy day or it might remind you of Dr. Suess, like Thing 1 and Thing 2 but, not really), long flower bed (with daffodils). Similar cards can be found indicating Art Deco, and I’m no expert, but definitely the repeating gold pattern at the bottom of the card, gives it that look. I wish I knew who the artist was, or the publisher. We’ll keep a look out for more info.

Artist-Signed Postcard Birds in Pine Tree

Divided Back, deckled edge, unused, artist-signed postcard. Number or series 206. Publisher:  Alfred Mainzer, Inc. 39-33 29th Street. Long Island City 1, New York. Printed in Belgium. Circa 1940s – 1950s.

Price:  $12.00

This is a beautiful card that I’ve had for awhile and finally got around to posting. The variety of bird, or if it even exists, is unknown. It may be something from the artist’s imagination (that very distinctive spotted-feather crown) as I don’t see this type of guy online, or in the bird reference book from my bookshelf. The artist appears to have been Swiss-born Eugen Hartung (1897-1973), he is best-known for doing the cats in clothing funny cards that were first published by Max Kunzli, then later by Alfred Mainzer. Here’s a crop of the signature that appears in the lower right corner:

Source:  Eugen Hartung. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugen_Hartung (accessed May 11, 2022).

Understated Elegance

Real Photo Postcard, unused. Circa 1930 – 1950. EKC stamp box.

Price:  $3.00

A courtyard (maybe). We can’t see whether this fits the definition of an enclosed or semi-enclosed space. The card was found in California, and there’s a good chance that the photo was taken there. This view is beautiful in its simplicity. Spanish-style home, with tile roof. Note the beautiful wrought iron gate, the archway around the window on our right. Is that a magnolia tree? And the wooden or stone bench, if not marble. I love the pavers stones around the tree, how they are quite pitted and rustic. I didn’t see any of the same type online. In general, they go under a variety of terminology, found online as “stone tree ring planters” and “retaining walls around trees” and “stone planter beds and “tree mulch rings.” The home owners have planted some type of ground cover around the tree and some ferns by the side wall. No earth-shattering revelations here…..just a nice, restful photo that someone made into a postcard.

Paul Jones Harrison And Friends

Old photo, circa mid-1890s.

Price:  $15.00          Size:  About 4 x 4″

A fun time with friends and siblings…..guessing this photo may have been taken around the mid-1890s due to the large puffed sleeves for some of the women, and from the following research, possibly taken near Socorro, New Mexico:

Just as I was about to call it a day search-wise, the Harrisons were found in records. (Funny how it can take you awhile to find the answer, and if it had been a different day, you’d find it right off the bat. A difference in mindset maybe. Interesting, though.)

Madge Harrison is Esther Matilda Harrison, born April 14, 1875 in Missouri. She marries Samuel C. Edwards. Her brother, A. Houston Harrison, was born about 1877, also in Missouri and their brother, Paul Jones Harrison, was born about 1883 in New Mexico. Their parents are Andrew T. and Julia Harrison. The family is on the 1880 Federal Census living in Trinidad, Las Animas County, Colorado and on the 1885 New Mexico Territorial Census in Socorro.

From the same 1885 census for Socorro, name spelled Wickam:  Anna Wickham was born about 1874 in Pennsylvania, and brother Andy, also a PA native, was born about 1876. Their parents are Joseph and Mary Wickham.

The Tingleys would be brothers, Albert Tinguely, born about 1864 in Nebraska and Samuel Tinguely, born about 1871 in Colorado. Parents Charles and Anna, were born in Switzerland. The 1885 NM Territorial Census has them in Polvadera, Socorro County.

Jennie Cook is possibly the Jennie Griffith that married George E. Cook. George later served as mayor of Socorro, 1924 – 1928. The names on the back of the photo may have been written later, since Jennie and George were married in November 1900. That is possibly Jennie on our right, just above left of the man who is clowning around in one of the girls’ bonnets (maybe he and Jennie exchanged hats). And could this person be George Cook?

Names on the back of the photo:

Paul Jones Harrison; Madge Harrison (Edwards); Jennie Cook; Price (surname or possible given name); Andy Wickham; Anna Wickham; A. Houston Harrison; and surname Tingley.

Sources:  Year: 1880; Census Place: Trinidad, Las Animas, Colorado; Roll: 92; Page: 54B; Enumeration District: 066. (Ancestry.com).

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Schedules of the New Mexico Territory Census of 1885; Series: M846; Roll: 5. (Ancestry.com).

Indiana, Marriages. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Socorro, Socorro, New Mexico; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0135; FHL microfilm: 1241003. (Ancestry.com).

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Schedules of the New Mexico Territory Census of 1885; Series: M846; Roll: 5

“The Cook –Griffith Wedding In Socorro, N.M., A Swell Society Event Attended By 200 Guest.” Richwood Gazette (Richwood, OH). November 29, 1900. Thursday, p. 4. (Newspaper.com).

Mayors of Socorro. https://www.socorronm.org/notable-local/mayors-socorro/ (accessed June 6, 2021).

Heart Unruly

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. Circa 1920s. Series or number 245. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $10.00

“Tell me dear

And tell me truly

Will you accept

This heart unruly

And be my valentine”

The leaves on the trees are all hearts!

This card is rather a beauty. The insert on the insert, so-to-speak, is really gorgeous, the colors, the woman’s sweet expression, her soft scarf in folds up to her chin, the lovely hat, fashionable curls….Whoever the artist was, we appreciate them! Also, it has a winter-y look and that always goes well with the spring view behind it. I think this was a not uncommon theme, true, maybe inadvertently in this one, but displaying that feeling that we’re still in winter but spring is just ahead.

Addressed to:   “Miss Edith Welsh, Port Vue, Pa.”

Signed:   “from Lillie Hoak.”

Lillie and Edith were neighbors, from the 1920 Federal Census for Port Vue, Allegheny County. Edith is Edith R. Welsh, born in PA about 1888, daughter of the widowed Genevra B. Welsh, and with younger siblings Nellie B. and George F. Welsh. House address 1700 Liberty Way.

Lillie is Lillie M. Hoak, born about 1905, also in PA, daughter of Leonard E. and Nancy Hoak, with older siblings Raymond H. and Clifford V. and younger sibling, Ella B. Hoak. House address 606 Liberty Way.

As for the publisher, I’m not finding them yet, the logo shows a capital B within a diamond shape, just very simple. Both the publisher mark and the distinctive “Post Card” design on the reverse were searched in Walter E. Corson’s Publishers’ Trademarks Identified, but a match was not found.

Source:  Year: 1920; Census Place: Port Vue, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1516; Pages: 19B and 20B; Enumeration District: 763. (Ancestry.com).

Fannie and Walter’s House

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked August 4th from Seattle Washington. Year not readable. Circa 1910s – 1926.

Price:  $7.00

Addressed to:   “Leo H. Ouellette. 113 North Norah St. Fort William Ont. Canada.”

“Leo – This is the little house where Fannie and Walter lived when she taught at Manchester. Harold and I often went over and stayed with them for weeks at at time. It was a nice little house. She liked it too. [signature not readable] ”

A very nice little house, indeed, and with a wrap-around porch! No luck in finding out the surname of Fannie (or Frances) and Walter, though. And we’re not sure if Manchester was the name of a school or a town, but either way, no definite results were found. If a town, then likely it’s the Manchester that’s west of Seattle, across Puget Sound. And though this photo was postmarked in August, it must have been taken in winter – note the bare deciduous trees.

The address of Leo Ouellette, 113 Norah St. N., appears to be an empty lot today, in what was formerly Fort William, now the city of Thunder Bay. Leo’s obit appears below. He was born April 16, 1893 in Duluth, Minnesota, father’s name Henry, and died January 23, 1927 in Seattle. His WWI Draft Registration Card, dated Jun 5, 1917, shows he was, at that time, single, living in Evanston, Wyoming and employed as a brakeman for the Union Pacific Railroad. His prior service was two months in the National Guard in Colorado. (B. P. O. E. in the notice below, stands for Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.)

Sources:  Fort William, Ontario. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_William,_Ontario (accessed December 12, 2020).

Microfilm. Washington State Archives, Olympia, Washington. Ancestry.com. Washington, U.S., Death Records, 1883-1960.

Registration State: Wyoming; Registration County: Sweetwater County. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.

Seattle Daily Times, January 25, 1927. Tuesday, p. 21. (genealogybank.com).

Near Hornbrook, California, 1910

Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked February 17, 1910 from Hornbrook, CA.

Price:  $8.00

Addressed to:   “Mrs. May Wells. Dorris, California”

The sender wrote:   “Dear May card red thank you. this is a view just below the barn & I made it. I am not very well hope you and family are well. Ella”

Gosh, we hope Ella felt better very soon after she wrote the above! She did a good job with the photo. And it’s nice to have the approximate location of this scene, (from the postmark) but I would have picked this card up regardless. Something about the silhouette of a tree always grabs me, and I’m forever taking similar shots only to look at them afterward and think that the photo didn’t do them justice, but still. And how can it when we live in 3-D but our photography is not? Anyway, both Hornbrook and Dorris are located up by the Oregon border in Siskiyou County, map below. If you’re like me, you’ve done a double-take on the county shape, it looks a little like Montana with a much larger “Idaho” on the left in lighter green.

May Wells was Julia May (maiden name Osborn according to family trees), born about 1879 in Corning, CA. She married David Wells and they had a son, Ernest David Wells, born in 1908. May’s obit was found online and appears below. (That should say Butte Valley, not Calley.)

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Lake, Siskiyou, California; Roll: T624_108; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0111; FHL microfilm: 1374121. (Ancestry.com).

Siskiyou County, California. Map from Google.com search. Accessed December 12, 2020.

“Julia May Wells” The Sacramento Bee, October 14, 1971. Thursday, p. 25. (Newspapers.com).