Category Archives: Castles

Drottningholms Slott med Drottningholmsbron

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Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked March 10, 1905 from New York, N. Y.

Price:  $7.00

In the Stockholm area…Drottningholm’s Castle with Drottningholm’s bridge.

That’s Drottningholm Palace appearing from a distance on our left, private residence of the Swedish royal family. And this is the third postcard from our new Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection.

Addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunstrom, 288 Flushing Ave, Astoria, L. I.”  (Long Island). The sender writes…

“20 W. 56th St. Har ni hört något ifrån C. ännu, jag förstår ej hvarför jag ej får bref, har varit i kyrkan i kväll trots regnet var det mycket folk där, nu am lördag skall vi resa till Lakewood för 8 eller 10 dags ni duga hälsninaar till alla ifrån syster Augusta.”

As per usual, our translation could be slightly off; also we’re discovering that some of the spelling of Swedish words seems to have changed since the early 1900s.

“Have you heard anything from C. yet, I do not understand why I can not get a letter, have been to church tonight, despite the rain there were a lot of people there, now am Saturday we will travel to Lakewood for 8 or 10 days you will be happy, from sister Augusta.”

A clue to the family…This card is addressed to Mrs. O. Thunstrom, who is Elise (Bengtsson) Thunstrom. So Elise has a sister named Augusta, living at (or visiting) 20 W. 56th Street. (We’re hoping to find a way to trace the family back to Sweden.) Stay tuned.

Source:  Drottningholm Palace. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drottningholm_Palace (accessed May 6, 2017).

The Youth’s Companion

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The Youths Companion tc1The Youths Companion tc2

Trade Card. The Youth’s Companion. Boston, Mass. Circa 1887.

Price:  $12.00        Size:  3 and 3/4 x 5 and 7/8″

“The Youth’s Companion. An Illustrated Paper. For Young People And The Family. Published Weekly By Perry Mason & Co. Boston Mass.”

What a beautiful illustration (!) and perfect for autumn with the gorgeous mums in the foreground. The background delights us, as well, with a castle, mountains and an unusual pale green-tinted sky.

The Youth’s Companion ran from 1827 – 1929 when it merged with The American Boy. The Companion, like the back of the card states, was popular with adults as well as children, and ran contributions from many famous authors…..I’m thinking there must be many “stories within the story” here (very fitting for a magazine) but one is it’s “connection” to The Pledge of Allegiance and another is it’s connection (in the future) with the fictional character Perry Mason. Check out the Wiki article. And see Dr. John W. Baer’s  “Chapter Two: The Youth’s Companion’s Pledge”  (2007) for an in-depth look as to who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance and more about The Youth’s Companion.

As far as the date for the trade card, we’ll estimate 1887, as Pinterest shows the same card that we have, and along with it, a very similar one with an 1887 calendar.

 

Sources:  The Youth’s Companion. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Youth’s_Companion. (accessed November 15, 2015).

Baer, John W., “Chapter Two:  The Youth’s Companion’s Pledge” The Pledge of Allegiance, A Revised History and Analysis, 2007. (Web accessed November 15, 2015.)

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

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Holyrood Palace Edinburgh pc1Holyrood Palace Edinburgh pc2

“Dear Family – We were through this old palace today – Happy can tell you its history and the State rooms that we saw are gorgeous. We love Edinbourgh and hate to leave it. Having good weather & a wonderful time. Write me in London. June.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. Eva Thompson, Pittsboro, Indiana. U.S.A.  RFD”

The year is unreadable on the postal marking which looks like it might indicate 24 July but the stamp is a brown three halfpence Postal Union Congress 1929 stamp. This was one of five special commemorative stamps that were issued on May 10, 1929 by the 9th Postal Union Congress. The PUC was a formal meeting that took place every four years between members of the UPU (Universal Postal Union).

Which Mrs. Eva Thompson….

One could easily get led astray here:  There is an Eva Thompson in Guilford Township, Hendricks County, but another Eva Thompson in Center Township, Hendricks County. Most likely the connection is with the second Eva:  Center Township is closer (3 – 4 miles south) to Pittsboro than Guilford Township. And the 1920 Federal Census taken in Center Township shows Nathan J. Thompson, born about 1867, his wife Eva, born about 1867, and their children Milbern, Maurice and June. All are natives of Indiana. So, our postcard sender should be June Thompson, born about 1908, who is likely married to “Happy.” June would be about 22 years old then, when she would have addressed this postcard to her mother.

Looking a little further we discover an October 1929 Laconia passenger list (Liverpool, England to New York, NY) for Milford and June Davidson (spelled Davison.) June’s date of birth on this record is June 3, 1907, and place of birth Danville, Indiana, which is in Center Township. Milford was born in Hanford, California, March 27, 1905. Find A Grave shows a June (Thompson) Davidson. June and Milford were living in Berkeley, California by 1930. Milford’s occupation is chemist. A couple of Peoria, Illinois city directories (1955 – 1956) list Milford and June, with Milford as chief chemist for Pabst Brewery.

Divided back, used Real Photo Postcard. Postmarked July 24, 1929[?] location difficult to read, possibly Edinburgh, Scotland.

Price:  $15.00

Sources:  1929 Postal Union Congress Stamp Issue. GBStamp.co.uk. Web accessed May 24, 2015. [http://www.gbstamp.co.uk/1929-puc-stamp-issue.php]

Year: 1920; Census Place: Center, Hendricks, Indiana; Roll: T625_436; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 30; Image: 607. (Ancestry.com)

Find A Grave Memorial# 126019609. Find A Grave. Web accessed May 24, 2015.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Berkeley, Alameda, California; Roll: 111; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0320; Image: 1028.0; FHL microfilm: 2339846. (Ancestry.com)

Peoria, Illinois city directories for 1955 and 1956. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989