Laurel Cottage Genealogy
Genealogy Services, Old Photos, Postcards, Trade Cards, Etc.

Monthly Archives: April 2015

Easter Blessing To Hannah From Genevieve

Posted on April 5th, 2015 by

Easter Blessing To Hannah From Genevieve pc1Easter Blessing To Hannah From Genevieve pc2

Here’s another beautiful Easter card; this one showing a dark-haired angel holding a book, and gazing down to her right. She is situated in the center of a silver cross with ornate scroll work and the unfurled message,  “Easter Blessing.”  The publisher included a space for “To” and “From” to be written in by the sender. So, it was Hannah White that sent this card to Genevieve Julian.

The card was addressed,  “Miss Hannah White, Oakland Cal. # 1201 Alice St.”

The outgoing postal mark shows Fruto, Cal. Fruto is an unincorporated community in Glenn County; about 14 miles northwest of the city of Willows.

There is a “Jenevieve” Julian, born July 1875 in California, appearing on the 1900 Federal Census for Glenn County, CA. This record shows she was married to Lee Julian, and they were staying with his brother, William Julian. So, Genevieve would have been about age 30 when she sent this postcard to Hannah…As for Hannah, she does show up on the 1906 city directory at 1201 Alice Street, but no census records were found with the same address.

Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked April 13, 1906 from Oakland, California. Publisher:  International Art Publishing Co., New York. Series 218. Printed in Germany.

Price:  $10.00

Sources:  Fruto. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruto,_California. (accessed April 5. 2015).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Township 3, Glenn, California; Roll: 86; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0015; FHL microfilm: 1240086. (Ancestry.com)

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Categories: Angels, Postcards, Postcards Used, Religious, Undivided Back

Loving Easter Wishes

Posted on April 5th, 2015 by

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Here’s a gorgeous Easter postcard showing two bunnies, a rooster, and a hen inspecting a golden egg – underneath a farm scene:  farmer and horses plowing a field on a beautiful day. You can see a church steeple in the distance. This rural scene is framed by a couple of pussy willow branches. What a very clever and lovely design, and the colors are just beautiful!

Divided back, embossed, unused postcard. Publisher unknown. Series or number 721. Circa 1907 – 1910s.

Price:  $12.00

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Categories: Animals, Birds, Chickens and Roosters, Horses, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Rabbits - Bunnies

Launtz Millinery, Salinas, CA

Posted on April 5th, 2015 by

Launtz Millinery tc1

Antique trade card, circa 1890 – 1891.     Size:  About 2 and 5/8 x 4 and 1/2″

Price:  $15.00

This trade card is the first in a new category that we’re labeling “Breakthroughs”  (for lack of a better term.) I’ve asked around at ephemera trade shows and antique stores, but so far, no one recognizes this type as belonging under a certain title. They show variations on people and animals “breaking through” the envelope or paper – sort of a “here I am, coming to you in the mail” type of thing. They seem to have been quite popular, and can be seen on trade cards like this one, and on old postcards or cards in general. We have a number of them here at Laurel Cottage that we’ll be posting. On a similar note, check out an earlier offering entitled, “Into The Envelope” that has rather a “pre-breakthrough” theme, and another related one, “A Token Of Love.”

Anyway, this one shows a charming drawing of a little girl’s face, in semi-profile, advertising Mrs. Launtz’s millinery:

“Mrs. M. Launtz. Dealer in Millinery, Fancy Goods, Ladies’ Furnishing Goods, Etc. Cor. Main and Alsal Sts., under Pacific Hall, Salinas City, Cal.”

That’s the corner of Main and Alisal. The San Jose (includes Monterey County) city directory for 1890 – 1891 shows this proprietress as living at this same address. M. Launtz was not found in other online records, though likely she would have been found on the 1890 Federal Census if most of that had not been destroyed by fire in 1921. But what was Pacific Hall? I took a trip down to Old Town and inquired with the very knowledgeable Trish, at Destination Salinas. I found out that whichever building that had housed Mrs. M’s millinery in 1890 and ’91, no longer exists. (Damaged in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? This is just speculation.) But per Trish, early Salinas fraternal organizations had dance halls, and these halls were located on the second, rather than ground, floor. So, one possibility is that Pacific Hall was one such fraternal upstairs dance hall, with Mrs. M. Launtz’s millinery located just below.

More from the 1890 – 1891 city directory

Going page by page through the same 1890 – ’91 city directory lent a little more info:  Mrs. M. Launtz had two single ladies working for her as milliners – Miss Emma Benjamin and Miss Emma Gibson, address given as corner of Main and Alisal (however it is unclear whether this was the girls’ residence also, or just M. Launtz’s.)

An entry under “Baptist Church” gave the address as corner of Main and Alisal.

The Jeffery House, illustrated below, showed up for various residents as both a business and residence address. One would think that if Mrs. M. and the others at Main and Alisal were located at the Jefferey House, that the listings would be stated as such. So, it would seem like the millinery was not in this building, but of course, we can’t be sure.

Jeffery House

One more very interesting tidbit from the directory was listed under “Agricultural Hall” corner of Main and Alisal. Hmmm, Pacific Hall and Agricultural Hall…intriguing!

UPDATE:  Per an informed reader (thanks, Joe!) the Launtz millinery (today’s address 301 Main St. in the Bank Building) shows up on a wonderful map, dated August 1886, entitled the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, online at Library of Congress. Excerpt below, page 6 of 8. Millinery is abbreviated “Milly” (bottom left). The Sanborn Abbreviation Glossary has a full list of interesting (and logical for fire insurance) entries, such as B.C. for brick chimney, S.P. for stove pipe and Shooks meaning dismantled wooden box parts.

Sources:  San Jose City Directory, Including Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, 1890-1891. pp. 760-761, 769, 773-774, 776. Publisher:  F. M. Husted, San Francisco. Web accessed April 4, 2015. (Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989)

Sullivan, Trish. Per web author’s visit to Destination Salinas, 222 Main St., Salinas, CA. April 4, 2015.

Jeffery House/Salinas. TC-303489; K-62. Token Catalog. Web accessed April 5, 2015.

Image 6 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, August 1886. www.loc.gov. Accessed January 8, 2022.

Glossary of Abbreviations and Obscure Terminology in Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlases. Compiled by California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Map Library. library.duke.edu. Accessed January 8, 2022.

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Categories: Breakthroughs, Children, Salinas California, Trade Cards and Advertising

The Jenny Lind Theatre, Monterey

Posted on April 4th, 2015 by

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Continuing with our short Central Coast, CA theme, here’s a Real Photo Postcard of the Jenny Lind Theatre in Monterey; recognized as the first building in California to offer dramatic entertainment for the public.

It was built in 1846 – 1847 by Jack Swan, a sailor of Scottish descent. Swan had first arrived in 1843 on the Mexican brig Soledad, but did not settle yet due to lack of work. He went back to sea, this time on the Mexican schooner, California, and was employed as a cook, but things apparently worked out for the best (historically speaking) when Jack either left or was asked to vacate his cook position, and ended up again in Monterey. He then enterprisingly set up a small bakery, with his pies becoming a favorite item, and timing playing a part, with an influx of new people coming to the area. With his bakery sales he purchased land, (located present-day at the southwest corner of Pacific and Scott Streets) having first built a small house, and adding to it an adobe structure, to be used as a boarding house for itinerant sailors. In 1850, the location began it’s life as a theater, when U. S. Army officers from Colonel Stevenson’s 1st New York Volunteers began putting on plays, in order to make money. (Can’t you just picture this idea forming with the guys over a few pints of ale?) Jack built a small stage with candles for stage lights, and whale oil lamps for lighting. Benches were provided for seating, and red and blue curtains were fashioned from blankets. Tickets sold for $5.00, with receipts totaling $500.00 for the first night. The theater later was used as a lodging house for whalers, but unfortunately fell into disrepair after Jack Swan’s death in 1896. See California Dept. of Parks and Recreation for the building’s current status.

As to the date of the postcard:  The AZO stamp box with two triangles up and two down, can be generally estimated from 1910 – 1930, but I’m guessing this postcard to be from the 1910s. It was found along with the prior postcard which is postmarked 1908. And it’s always possible the original photo could have been taken earlier. The black spot in the center seems to have been something that happened in the original or when the postcard was printed, as the surface of the card is smooth. Note the two people sitting at the entrance to the door.

Real Photo Postcard, unused. AZO stamp box. Circa 1910s.

Price:  $10.00

Sources:  Guide to the California First Theatre Collection. Online Archive of California. Web accessed April 4, 2015. [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt058002d9/]

California’s First Theatre. California Department of Parks and Recreation. Web accessed April 4, 2015. [http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=959]

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Categories: Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards, Theaters

Monterey Hall Of Records 1834

Posted on April 4th, 2015 by

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This circa 1908 postcard shows an old adobe structure, built around 1834 or 1835, called the House of the Four Winds, or La Casa de los Cuatro Vientos. It was so named because it was the first house in Monterey with a weathervane on it’s roof. It served as a residence for Mexican Governor Alvarado, and later was designated as the Hall of Records. It is now privately owned by the Monterey Civic Club; it’s street address is 540 Calle Principal. Below is a very similar image, courtesy of eHumanity, from a lantern slide. The postcard may have been based on this image and altered somewhat or taken from a later photo.

LS_13187 Hall of Records

The sender addressed the card:  “Miss L. Seamas, Sacramento Cal”
and wrote,

“Am in Monterey today. Mamie Seamas. Hagemann Hotel. Santa Crus”

Not much was found regarding Mamie or L. Seamus (without looking too extensively) but a 1910 ad was found for the Hagemann Hotel in Santa Cruz. Besides being the proprietor of the hotel, W. K. Krieg, was listed as secretary for the Santa Cruz Brewery Company in the 1910 city directory.

Hotel Hagemann Ad

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked August 1908 from Monterey, California. Publisher:  Paul C. Koeber Co., 85 Franklin St., New York City and Kirchheim, Germany. “The PCK Series.” Number or series 4099.

Price:  $10.00

Sources:  House of the Four Winds. Historic Monterey. Web accessed April 3, 2015. [http://www.historicmonterey.org/hb/house_of_four_winds.html]

About Lantern Slides. University of South Florida Libraries. Web accessed April 3, 2015. [http://www.lib.usf.edu/special-collections/arts/about-lantern-slides/]

Hagemann Hotel advertised in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. 20 May 1910, Friday, p. 7. (Newspapers.com) Web accessed April 3, 2015.

Santa Cruz County Directory, 1910 – 1911. p. 78. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

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Categories: Hotels and Motels, Postcards, Postcards Used

Entrance To Hotel Del Monte

Posted on April 3rd, 2015 by

Entrance To Hotel Del Monte pc1Entrance To Hotel Del Monte pc2

“704 – Entrance Hotel Del Monte, Monterey County, Cal., Coast Line, S. P. R. R.”

There’s so much going on with this postcard…

Early autos

Well, for starters, this continues the topic from the prior post – early American cars – steering wheel on the right. You can see that the first two vehicles from the right – have their steering wheels on the right, while the third one in line, has it’s wheel on the left. The card was postmarked in 1910, and it may have been produced from a newspaper photograph of that year or within several years prior. However, if you’ll notice – the “driver” in the third car is a woman, while the man next to her looks more “geared up” in coat and hat, to drive. Maybe they switched places for the photo, or maybe the image was altered for the postcard, and the wheel was drawn in on the left. (We’ve seen similar alterations on other old postcards.)

The car on our right is possibly an early Winton, with that continuous curved fender. I found a four-seat 1904 model displayed at Early American Automobiles, the 9th photo down on the left; you can check out the similarities between the two. Wikipedia’s entry regarding the “Winton Motor Carriage Company” shows the famous two-seat touring Winton “Vermont” (again with that distinctive fender.) It was 1903 that Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson, along with his mechanic, made the first successful automobile trip across the U.S. in a “Vermont.”

The Hotel

The luxurious Hotel Del Monte, was built by railroader Charles Crocker, and operated from 1880 – 1942. It was part of a 20,000 acre resort; a playground for the rich and famous, and a big part of the Central Coast’s history. See  “St. John’s Chapel, Del Monte, California”  for a related post. The hotel showing on this postcard would have been the second of three; the first two being destroyed by fire. The wooden, Gothic first and second hotels were designed by Southern Pacific Railroad architect, Arthur Brown, Sr. and built by S.P.R.R. workers.

The Coast Line

Opening January 1, 1880, the Monterey Branch of the Coast Line of the S.P.P.C. ran from Castroville to Pacific Grove; linking San Francisco to the Hotel Del Monte and Pebble Beach. It included Southern Pacific’s longest running “named” passenger train, the Del Monte, which ran from San Francisco to Pacific Grove, and mainly served wealthy tourists. This passenger train made her last run on April 30, 1971.

The sender wrote:

“Dear Billy, I was very glad to hear from you. Did you get the papers? I will write you a letter soon. Lots of Love from Ada.”

The card is addressed to:  “Mr. Will Ingram, Weed, Siskiyou Co. Cal.”

Game hunting for the wealthy

The great thing about this postcard is the added info at the top, which must have been written in later years and by a relative:  “Grandpa lived here for awhile. Regina Ingram’s father Maurice Smith. He hunted all the game for the wealthy guests – venison, quail, turkey.”

Regina Ingram was Lilac Regina Smith (Lilac – love that!) born in 1895 in Monterey. She married William Ingram, the recipient of the postcard, born 1885 in Monterey. From research on Ancestry.com, the postcard sender, Ada, was likely William’s sister. Regina’s father, Maurice Smith, was born in New York about March 1865. He appears as early as 1880 (from the census) living in Monterey, and on subsequent census records with his wife and children. No clues were found in records as to when exactly he would have stayed at the Del Monte, perhaps early on before his marriage, which was in about 1892. The town of Weed in Siskiyou County is located almost 400 miles north of Monterey, up Highway 5. The 1910 Federal Census taken in nearby Edgewood, shows William living with some family members:  Amy Ingram, William’s sister, was running a hotel; another sister, Mary, was working there as a waitress; and he and brother George, were working for the Weed Lumber Company as bricklayers.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked June 8, 1910 from Monterey, California. Publisher:  Edward H. Mitchell, San Francisco.

Price:  $18.00

Sources:  “1904 Winton. Winton Motor Carriage Co., Cleveland OH. 1897 – 1924.” Early American Automobiles. Web accessed April 1, 2015.

Winton Motor Carriage Company. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winton_Motor_Carriage_Company. (accessed April 1, 2015).

California’s Most Historic Resort: Hotel Del Monte. Naval Postgraduate School. Web accessed April 3, 2015. [http://nps.edu/About/Publications/HotelDelMonte_updated_Final.pdf]

Castroville to Pacific Grove: The Monterey Branch. Abandoned Rails. Web accessed April 3, 2015. [http://www.abandonedrails.com/Monterey_Branch]

Year: 1880; Census Place: Monterey, Monterey, California; Roll: 69; Family History Film: 1254069; Page: 252A; Enumeration District: 057; Image: 0505. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Monterey, Monterey, California; Roll: T624_89; Page: 20B; Enumeration District: 0013; FHL microfilm: 1374102. (Ancestry.com)

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Categories: Automobiles Buses Trucks, Hotels and Motels, Postcards, Postcards Used