Category Archives: Christmas

A Happy Christmas To Miss Mattie Smith, Norton, KS

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Divided Back, embossed postcard. Unused with writing. Publisher unknown. Circa 1907 – 1909.

Price:  $3.00

Obviously, this one’s a little beat up, but I think I have other cards for Mattie, so I want to make sure they all get included.

The sender wrote:   “Dear Mattie: –   I rec’d  your Christmas remembrance which I was very glad to get. I hope you have had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. Nellie K.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Mattie Smith, Norton, Kansas.”

This might be the Mattie Ristora Smith that had married Theodore Denney Romans in 1910. And, the sender possibility is Nellie King. They were both in Norton, Kansas in that time-period. We’ll have to look up the other possible cards we have for Mattie, and do some more research.

To Mr. and Mrs. Les Sparks, Lansing, KS

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Divided Back, embossed postcard. Made in U.S.A. Series 161. Postmarked from Tonganoxie, Kansas, December 23rd. Year missing. Circa 1925 – 1936.

Price:  $7.00

A cute design for this card, with its bowl of holly, quite adorable bow and dainty stars. (Seems unusual that the artist used a brown “pen” to draw with  – but that’s part of the charm of old postcards.) The prior post was from the same unknown publisher and dated 1927, so we started with an estimate of 1920s and went from there. The senders, Babe, Gladys and their boys, lived about 17 miles southwest of Lansing, Kansas.

The addressees are Kansas natives, James Leslie (or Lesley) Sparks, born about 1901, and wife, Mary, born about 1902. They were married August 8, 1923. Mary’s maiden name was Throckmartin, middle name Ver (apparently a family surname).

James appears as Leslie Sparks on the 1920 Federal Census, and as J. L. Sparks in city directories found online. Their home was in “Tonga City” and he worked at the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing when this card was sent, hence the added, “c/o Warden K. P.”

The 1925 State Census shows James L.’s occupation as written below. (Wow, tricky.) But this is standing for he “mans a service station”.

On the 1930 Federal Census, James L. is listed as unemployed. The record refers us to line number 3 on the Unemployment Schedule, however that information appears to have been lost. It’s possible that he may have been employed at the penitentiary and temporarily laid off, or he may not have not started working there until later in 1930 or as late as 1934, per that city directory.

The town, Tonganoxie was named after a Delaware Indian Chief.

Sources:  “Married Wednesday Evening.” The Columbus Weekly Advocate. August 11, 1923, Saturday, p. 2. (Newspapers.com).

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

Year: 1920; Census Place: Union, Jefferson, Kansas; Roll: T625_535; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 84. (Ancestry.com).

Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1925 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: KS1925_78; Line: 29. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1930; Census Place: Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 2340443. (Ancestry.com).

“FAQs about the 1930 Census.” (archives.gov). Accessed December 25, 2022.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Leavenworth (and county) City Directory, 1928. p. 439. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Leavenworth (and county) City Directory, 1934. p. 388. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Leavenworth (and county) City Directory, 1936. p. 407. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

Linenberger, Shawn. June 9, 2016. “Chief Tonganoxie:  The man who shaped us.” tonganoxiemirror.com. (accessed December 25, 2022).

A Happy Yuletide to Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bowyer

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Divided Back, embossed unused postcard. Made in the U.S.A. Series W-72.

Price:  $7.00

A Happy Yuletide

“Merry Christmas to you and yours

Kindest thoughts from me and mine

May nothing happen that obscures

Your fullest pleasure rich and fine!”

The senders wrote:   “Dec 17 1927. Dear Friends we are all well. A Merry Christmas and a happy new year. Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Marine”

Addressed to:   “Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bowyer, Kingman, Kan.”

From the 1915 State Census, J. W., his wife Hattie, and their daughter, Anna are in White Township, Kingman, Kansas.

On the 1930 Federal Census, this is James W. Bowyer, born about 1860 and wife, Hattie J. Bowyer, born about 1868, living in Kingman City, Kingman, Kansas. Both born in Iowa. Per Find A Grave for the couple, James’ middle name is Warren and Hattie’s maiden name is Fowler.

And A. J. and Florence Marine are listed in the city directory for 1920, farming at their residence of 909 Santa Fe Trail, in Dodge City, Kansas. (Pretty surprising to be able to read the writing well enough and find the Marine family right off the bat in online records.)

The publisher is unknown (as is often the case) but it’s nice to have a dated card for future reference, if anyone’s looking for this postcard back. (I like the hand holding the torch.)

Sources:  Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; Roll: ks1915_116; Line: 7. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1930; Census Place: Kingman, Kingman, Kansas; Page: 23B; Enumeration District: 0016; FHL microfilm: 2340440. (Ancestry.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91867759/hattie-josephine-bowyer: accessed 24 December 2022), memorial page for Hattie Josephine Fowler Bowyer (27 Mar 1868–17 Oct 1954), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91867759, citing Walnut Hill Cemetery, Kingman, Kingman County, Kansas, USA; Maintained by Betty Rose M. (contributor 47456505).

Etrick’s Directory of Ford County,1920. Pg. 80. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.

A Joyful Christmas To Ida Thorstensen

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Divided Back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 24, 1914 from Brooklyn, N.Y., Station G. Series 347.

Price:  $7.00

A small insert of Santa in his sleigh. He’s looking over his shoulder at us, surrounded by a spray of holly and berries.

“Best Wishes From The [?]”

Addressed to:  “Miss Ida Thorstensen, 8 Helen ave, So. Ozone Pk, L. I.”

Ida was found on the 1910 census, born in New York, about 1893. Daughter of Ferdinand and Julia Thorstensen, both born in Denmark. So, she’s about twenty-one when she receives this card. Charles, Frederick and Agnes are her older siblings.

Source:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Brooklyn Ward 25, Kings, New York; Roll: T624_974; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0714; FHL microfilm: 1374987

A Very Merry And A Bright And Happy

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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

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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.

Greetings And Heaps Of Good Luck

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Christmas card, publisher and date unknown. Circa 1900s – 1930s.

Price:  $4.00       Size:  About 3 and 1/4 x 4 and 1/4″

In looking up Christmas pudding images we linked to a lovely website (one of many, for sure, but we stopped at the one) with a recipe, and discovered an unlooked-for but welcome answer to the full meaning behind the title of the card:  A silver coin or trinket was traditionally baked into the dessert and whoever found it was supposed to be granted good luck. How nice that the children are offering the dessert to Santa (a skinny Santa, at that). And he must be taking a break from deliveries, as he still has toys spilling out of his very full bag of goodies. Back to the pudding – not a pudding in the American sense, but in the British use of the word (a dish, either savory or sweet, that’s steamed or boiled in something). In this case, a steamed cake made weeks ahead with dried fruit and spices…..then topped with brandy and set aflame (remember the scene in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol?) then topped off with cream sauce and garnished with holly.

Sources:   “Traditional British Christmas Pudding (a Make Ahead, Fruit and Brandy Filled, Steamed Dessert).” December 3, 2016. (www.christinascucina.com).

Nelson, Libby. “British desserts, explained for Americans confused by the Great British Baking Show.” November 29, 2015. (www.vox.com).

Merry Christmas To Maude Bryan

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Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 18, 1912 from Mason City, Iowa. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $4.00

Merry May Thy Christmas Be

A small basket overflowing with holly….card addressed to  “Miss Maude Bryan, Waterville, Kans.”  Signed,  “Merry Xmas – Vera.”

Maude was born about 1893 in Kansas. She’s on the 1915 Kansas State Census with E. D. Bryan, who was born about 1861 in Wisconsin. She’s most likely the Jennie M. Bryan on the 1910 Federal Census taken in Waterville, KS, with parents Duane E. (E. D. on the 1915) and Mirza[?] Bryan.

Sources: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; Roll: ks1915_144; Line: 4. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Waterville, Marshall, Kansas; Roll: T624_447; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0080; FHL microfilm: 1374460. (Ancestry.com).

To Lena From Sophia B. Freeman

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Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. “Christmas” Series – Postcard No. 207. Printed in Germany. Circa early to mid-1910s.

Price:  $5.00

“To = Lena Davis.   From = Sophia B. Freeman. Handsworth, Sask.”

Re-visiting our friend, Lena…..it’s been a while, but here’s one from our Lena Davis Collection. The publisher name needs research, will get to that shortly, but the card showing Merry Christmas and poinsettias, extends this verse to us:

“Thine be all the joy and treasure,

Peace, enjoyment, love and pleasure.”

The sender wrote:

“Dear Friend, Will answer your kind letter after Xmas. Charles and the little boys are with me for Xmas so I am busily engaged in cooking the usual amount of cake & plum puddings. I wish you a very happy Xmas with lots of fun. Truly[?] yours, Mrs. J. W. Freeman.”

It looks like Sophia is found on the 1916 Canadian Census taken in Stoughton Village, Saskatchewan, which is about 25 miles southwest of Handsworth, the address on the card. Both she and her husband, John William Freeman, were born in England. Sophia was born about 1889. They have two daughters, Mary Sophia, age 2, and Esther Francis, 2 months old. Also in the household is Charles Henry Braithwaite, sister to Sophia, so Sophia’s maiden name is Braithwaite. And this Charles then, must be the one mentioned on the card.

Source:  Year: 1916; Census Place: Saskatchewan, Assiniboia, 17; Roll: T-21935; Page: 2; Family No: 15. (Ancestry.com).

Holiday Ice Skaters

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Christmas card, circa 1900s – 1910s. Publisher unknown. 

Price:  $7.00       Size:  About 3 and 1/2 x 3 and 5/8

Greeting! Funny they left off the “s.” A charming card, though, done in browns and gold with red and green accents, of two children ice skating. The card opens up to say,

“Just to wish you dear, a bright and Joyous Xmas”  and is signed,  “your Agnes.”