Category Archives: New Year

Time and Tide Pass Quickly Away

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Divided Back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked December 31, 1915 from Grand Central Station, New York, New York. Publisher:  S. A. S., copyright 1913. Series 254.

Price:  $7.00

“A Bright New Year”

“Time And Tide Pass

Quickly Away

But True Friendship

Is Here To Stay.”

Addressed to:   “Mr. & Mrs. Louis Maier, #320 E. 123 Str, NY. City”

From:  “Mr. & Mrs. Carl Klein”

A few possibilities show up for Louis Maier around this time, but oddly, nothing with the above address, not even under a different name. And Carl Klein is a common name in New York City, so, there’s no way to track him either.

A charming card – that of boy in snowshoes and winter outfit, carrying a beautifully-flowered lantern and bringing some mistletoe – one assumes maybe this was a Scandinavian tradition, but we couldn’t find confirmation of this idea. Maybe, just in general, the lantern’s bringing light for the New Year. The embossing is quite nice, too – the whole scene coming to us on some rough-edged “parchment” with a poinsettia “attached.”

Happy New Year From Stafford Hannah

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Calling card. Circa 1880s – 1900.

Price:  $12.00

The holiday cards are scarce right now at my house, for website posting that is. Haven’t gone on any buying binges lately….then again it’s nice to put up ones that have only been languishing in an (acid-free, of course) storage bin, without any attention…..;-). What I like about this one is that second comma. Kind of amusing, maybe a typo? Or maybe it was on purpose – so that Stafford could write a short note under his name, or have a space for a business stamp. Also, love the “face” in semi-profile, top right corner. Like a line drawing, with a little bit of shading, of a benevolent spirit. Of course, the shells and forget-me-nots are lovely….

On to Stafford Hannah…..a nice name, and not too common, for searching purposes:

As it turns out, there’s only one Stafford Hannah that fits the time-frame for this calling card. He was Stafford Cross Hannah, son of Irish immigrants, James and Ann. He was born about 1852 in Manhattan and had older siblings Mary E., Martha J. and younger Ellen, Sarah and William. He worked as a ship carpenter and later as a grocer. His wife was Jennie, and they had two sons, William J. and Alexander. We imagine Stafford having many stories to tell his boys about the ships he worked on, due to the yacht-building mention in the obit, below:

Sources:  Census of the state of New York, for 1855. Microfilm. Various County Clerk Offices, New York. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1880; Census Place: Brooklyn, Kings, New York; Roll: 846; Page: 679A; Enumeration District: 102. (Ancestry.com).

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

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: A.D. 07 E.D. 20; City: Brooklyn; County: Kings. (Ancestry.com).

“Stafford Cross Hannah”. The South Brooklyn Home Talk, March 25, 1914. Wednesday, p. 10. (Newspapers.com).

Holiday Ice Skater

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Divided back, unused postcard. Publisher:  P. F. Volland & Co., Chicago and New York. Copyright 1917.

Price:  $7.00

“To extend

the greetings of the season

and to wish you

a happy and prosperous

New Year.”

An illustration of a very stylishly dressed young lady, ice skating amidst whirling snow. You wonder who the artist was and whether we have, unbeknownst to us, seen their work before. Because this is such a nice one, with a magical quality to it, and I hope the artist was happy with their work (and in general), because he or she has brought us happiness!

The publisher, P. F. Volland & Co. was founded by Paul Frederick Volland.

Source:  P. F. Volland. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._F._Volland_Company (accessed January 5, 2020).

With Affectionate Regard

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Divided back, unused postcard. Circa 1910 – 1920s. Series or number W1017. Publisher unknown. Printed in the U.S.A.

Price:  $3.00

“I send you my New Year greetings on this tiny little card.

They are prompted not by custom, but affectionate regard.”

The clarity is not the greatest on this postcard, but still, it’s a very cute illustration……and dig those duds on the gent!

Happy New Year To Chillon Carter

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Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 31, 1914 from Joplin, Missouri. Publisher unknown. Printed in Germany. Series or number 1154/1.

Price:  $8.00

Here’s another card, like the previous one we posted, that’s tinted (or colored, if either is the right term) and also so cute. On this one a little girl is surrounded by good luck/prosperity symbols – piggies (two), a four leaf clover, a horseshoe, and what looks like bags of money. (Well, that last is not so much “a sign of” but more prosperity itself, it seems.) And one interesting rendition of why pigs are good luck, specifically on New Year’s Day, comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, and it’s because pigs root forward, and we want to go forward in the new year. See the link in the sources listed below for the online article.

This card is addressed to a gentleman with an unusual first name. It reads:   “Chillon Carter, R F D # 1 – Galena Kansas.”

And the sender wrote:   “Your xmas gifts rec’d ok. Many thanks. Have some for you. Will come over soon. Probably Sunday. I was in Columbus between trains one day last week at Carthage yesterday. Hope you had a nice time xmas, we were sorry that we could not come over there I had a severe cold & Johnnie thought the weather to cold to make the drive. am all ok, now. Mabel[?]    Rec’d New Year box all O.K. this a.m.”

From the 1920 census and Find A Grave, we find that Chillon E. Carter, born 1902 in Kansas, was the son of Chilon Carter and Sadie (Stanley) Carter.

Sources:  Stoneback, Diane. “Why eat pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s day?”January 1. 2018. 12 a.m. (accessed January 1, 2020).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Spring Valley, Cherokee, Kansas; Roll: T625_526; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 40. (Ancestry.com).

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 01 January 2020), memorial page for Chillon E. Carter (28 Oct 1902–29 Mar 1939), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27017873, citing Oak Hill Cemetery, Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas, USA ; Maintained by JFI (contributor 47211966) .

A Greek Happy New Year

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Divided back, unused postcard dated December 1933. Publisher:  Fotocelere, Torino. Printed in Italy.

Price:  $8.00

ΕΥΤΥΧΕΣ το ΝΕΟΝ ΕΤΟΣ or Happy New Year, literal translation from Greek found online as “Happy the New Year” which is nice, rather poetic.

Addressed to:   “Mrs. Frances Gunaris, Box 26B, Wellesley Mass. U. S. America”

The sender wrote:   “December 6 1933      Dear Aunt. I wish you all merry xmas and a happy New year. Since I received the illustrated book, for which I thank you very much, I have to hear from you. I desire to be informed about your [health] and to receive agreeable news. My compliments to Louise and Erthios[?]. we feel all well. Andrew.”

Frances appears on the 1930 Federal Census for Needham, born about 1883 in Massachusetts, parents born in Bavaria, married, with son Theodore, who was born about 1909 also in Mass., father born in Greece. Frances’ husband is not listed on this record.

As it turns out, we have another card from the Gunaris family, that we posted back in April 2018. See Chebeague Island, Maine 1923.

Source:  Year: 1930; Census Place: Needham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 2340670. (Ancestry.com).

A Prosperous New Year To Vera Willson

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Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 31st, circa 1910, year missing. Publisher:  International Art Publishing Co. “New Year Post Card Series No. 19.”

Price:  $6.00

Two adorable bluebirds (artist interpretation) resting on an evergreen branch, are sheltering from the falling snow under an umbrella. This is the first item in The Willson Family Collection. Photos of some of the family members have been found, and will go up early this year. Lots to research!

Addressed to:   “Miss Vera Willson, Bx 543, Gilroy, Cal.”

Vera’s friend wrote:   “My dear friend:-  I thank you for the Christmas card. I am very glad you remembered me.Yours sincerely[?] HL. Bx 238.”

The front of the postcard has the sender’s last name but we didn’t find anything for him in census or city directories, likely due to the full surname being hard to read. Looks like Linden-something. We tried various possibilities but nothing came up.

Happy New Year To Mrs. B. F. Main

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Divided back, embossed postcard. Made in Germany. Postmarked from Santa Clara, California, December 30th. Circa 1909. Year missing in postmark.

Price:  $4.00

A Happy New Year….with lilacs, from The Ethel Main Collection, and we’re estimating 1909 for this postcard due to the others in the collection that were sent to the address on the card showing 1909.
The sender wrote:   “Wishing you a Happy New Year. Hazel.”

Addressed to:   “Mrs. B. F. Main, 253 – 14th St, San Francisco, Cal”

To Olaf Liljenberg

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Divided back postcard. Postmarked December 29, 1918, Chicago, Illinois.

Price:  $10.00

For The New Year

“Though I can’t be with you

To share your joys, my dear,

I send these lines to greet you;

May they bring a Happy Year!”

One can always lose oneself for a few moments in little scenes like the one above; common though they often were, they are no less charming. In this case, an (almost) half-circle bordered by snow-covered holly, highlights a country scene at sunset. The background is a repeating pattern of blocks and “j”s and elongated backward “c”s (how can one describe them? 🙂 ) in muted gray-green and tan. And if you click on the image to enlarge, look at the lower right of the scene and you’ll see what looks like a signature.

The sender is Magda (Liljenberg) Kawell. Magda married Arthur Kawell on June 23, 1917 in Lake County, Indiana. She writes to her dad, Olaf Liljenberg:

“Wishing you a Happy New Year. From Magda & Art. Dear Dad. Juist a few lines thanking you very much for the nice Christmas present we recieved.”

Addressed to:   “Mr. O. Liljenberg, 242 Oakland ave., Detroit Mich.”

Olaf’s occupation from the 1919 Detroit city directory is baker. Also at the 242 Oakland Avenue address in 1919 is Erice Liljenberg. The prior year he’s listed under Olaf Liljenbery, baker, residence 10 Mulberry Ave. (The incorrect “y” at the end was either a typo or maybe phonetically appearing due to the correct pronunciation with the subtle “y” sound in place of the anglicized hard “g” in “berg.”)

From the 1930 Federal Census taken in Chicago, Magda was born in Sweden about 1901 and came to the U.S. at about age one. Both of her parents were born in Sweden. The household in 1930 is Arthur and Magda Kawell and their children Dorothy, Katherine and Arthur.

Sources:  Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Detroit City Directory, 1919. p. 1328; R. L. Polk & Co.’s Detroit City Directory, 1918. p. 1166. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 1696; FHL microfilm: 2340223. (Ancestry.com).

Happy 1911

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Divided back, embossed postcard. Postmarked December 30, 1910, Visalia California. Copyright John Winsch. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $6.00

With best New Year Wishes

One more for the New Year…..backtracking 107 years…a profusion of pansies to welcome 1911.

The name or initials of this sincere sender is open to interpretation, but the card was sent to:   “Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Blake, 1426 J. St., Fresno, Cal.

John H. Blake appears on the 1911 city directory at the above address, working as a clerk for the S J L & P Corp (San Joaquin Light & Power Corporation). The 1910 Federal Census for Fresno shows he is single, boarding, and living next door at 1424 J. Street, working as a self-employed electrician, and born in California, about 1885. From an Ancestry tree, John Howard Blake married Lydia Mae Clewett in June 1910 (after the census was taken). They didn’t stay at the J Street address long, as the 1912 Fresno directory shows 1019 R Street, with John working as an electrician for Valley Electrical Supply Company. By the 1920, the couple had moved to San Jose.

See Metro Postcard’s entry on John O. Winsch for more on the publisher.

Sources:  Polk – Husted Directory Co.’s Fresno and Coalinga City and Fresno County Directory, 1911. p. 48. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Polk – Husted Directory Co.’s Fresno and Coalinga City and Fresno County Directory, 1912. p. 53. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Fresno Ward 2, Fresno, California; Roll: T624_76; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0037; FHL microfilm: 1374089. (Ancestry.com).

“John Howard Blake.” Clewett/Larson Family Tree. (Ancestry.com). accessed January 14, 2018.

Year: 1920; Census Place: San Jose, Santa Clara, California; Roll: T625_148; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 177. (Ancestry.com).

“John O. Winsch. 1910 – 1915.” W – Publishers. Metropostcard.com. (accessed January 14, 2018).