“This is me don’t it look like me” is the sender’s caption at the top of the card. Wonder if there was a striking resemblance or this was said jokingly, but in either case knowing what the postcard sender thought about the card’s design is an unexpected bonus. If this one reminds you of Ireland you are not alone, as the postmarked date is March 16th. I thought “Ireland” when I saw it, and maybe the sender did, too. The design shows a beautiful young woman in profile, her strawberry blonde hair covered by a hooded cape in the palest of green. She wears a white Grecian-looking dress with a posy of purple flowers tucked just above the waist. The cape is bordered in purple and the hood’s decorative flowered ribbon is flowing in the breeze. The background is a country scene of green fields, a river and a red-roofed house….The sender writes:
“A. G. Cal. Mar. 16, 1922. My Dear Neice & all Hope you are all fine, as for our part we are just fine. We sure have been haveing lots of rain and is raining here to-day. Our baby is getting along fine and may[?] God bless him and all. his name is Tony Marcelino[?] Perry. So this is all for this time, I’ll write you a letter, but let me no the address. Your Antie. Mrs. M. M. Perry.”
“A. G. Cal.” is Arroyo Grande, California, and the sender had it right on one of her other guesses – Petaluma is in Sonoma County. It looks like it got there, though. The card is addressed to: “Miss Mary Azevedo, Petaluma, Marin County, Calif. c/o Mr. P. J. Azevedo.”
Not seeing the forest for the trees…
Ha, in scrutinizing the handwriting, I hadn’t even noticed the profusion of clovers in the embossing. Maybe it was produced with St. Patrick’s Day or Ireland in mind. In any case, it was very clever of the artist or publisher to show the embossed view on the back.
The 1930 Federal Census taken in Petaluma, shows Mary C. Azevedo, single, born in California about 1904, age 26 (so about age 18 when she received the postcard) living with her widowed father, Peter Azevedo, born in Portugal about 1878; and her siblings, sister-in-law, and two nieces.
The postcard sender appears to be Mary Aeraeis (spelling varies – this is the spelling on the 1910) who married Manual Perry. The 1910 census taken in Tomales, Marin County, CA shows George Azevedo, head of a large household, with his wife and children; his partner, the aforementioned Peter J. Azevedo; his wife Lucia; Peter and Lucia’s daughter Mary (the postcard recipient); Manual Perri, employee of the Azevedos, born Portugal about 1886; Mary Aeraeis, born California about 1893; and others.
Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked March 16, 1922 from Arroyo Grande, California. Printed in Germany.
Price: $12.00
Sources: Year: 1930; Census Place: Petaluma, Sonoma, California; Roll: 222; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0033; Image: 381.0; FHL microfilm: 2339957. (Ancestry.com)
Year: 1910; Census Place: Tomales, Marin, California; Roll: T624_88; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0053; FHL microfilm: 1374101. (Ancestry.com)