Wanamaker & Brown, Philadelphia, Trade Card

Trade Card, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for Wanamaker & Brown. Circa

Price:  $10.00            Size:  3 and 1/4 x 1 and 1/2″

Taking a very short respite from all the black and white photos and cards, here’s a bit of color, nicely appropriate for autumn. The front shows some turning leaves with the following printed message:

“Buy your Winter Overcoat and Suit at Oak Hall. We sell the best goods for the least money, and refund the cash if you are displeased with your purchase. Wanamaker & Brown. S. E. cor. Sixth & Market Sts.” 

Founded in 1861, the Wanamaker & Brown clothing company became an institution in Philadelphia, lasting for over a century. Much has been written about them, and plenty of online photos and other trade cards can be found. See Wikipedia’s post, “Wanamaker’s” for more information. Below, an early ad from The Philadelphia Enquirer, dated January 25, 1862:

The title in the ad above is interesting, referring to pickling something in salt water, though in this case the salt would be used to melt snow and ice on the streets.

On the back of our trade card, the holder (for a time) of this card, has written her name:  Hattie B. Francis (or Hattie A. Frances).

Sources:  The Philadelphia Enquirer, January 25, 1862. Saturday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

Wanamaker’s. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanamaker%27s (accessed September 30, 2022).

James A. Anderson, Maumee, Ohio

Divided Back, Real Photo Postcard, unused. AZO stamp box. Circa 1914 – 1917.

Price:  $15.00          Size:  3 and 3/8 x 4 and 3/4″

Always charming – these photos and cards of children on donkeys and horses – a donkey in this case. And this particular postcard is a little off from the standard size in length (length of card as viewed from the reverse with writing side).

James, dressed up in wool hat, suit coat and knickers and wearing button, high top boots, was a Maumee, OH native, born October 26, 1909. The son of Charles E. Anderson and Julia “Jewel” Elnora Wise/Weis, James’ middle name was Arnold, according to the 1910 Federal Census for Maumee, Ohio, which flipped the names and lists him as “Arnold J.” (Note the stirrups are a little too long for him in the photo.)

Sources:  Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Maumee Ward 2, Lucas, Ohio; Roll: T624_1210; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0163; FHL microfilm: 1375223. (Ancestry.com).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112621700/james-arnold-anderson: accessed 24 September 2022), memorial page for James Arnold Anderson (26 Oct 1909–29 Jan 1956), Find a Grave Memorial ID 112621700, citing Calvary Cemetery, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by TAYLOR (contributor 47701928).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119834096/julia-eleanor-anderson: accessed 24 September 2022), memorial page for Julia Eleanor “jewel” Weis Anderson (2 Aug 1891–27 Aug 1980), Find a Grave Memorial ID 119834096, citing Calvary Cemetery, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by M_artin S_chauder (contributor 47780256).

Boy Eating Watermelon

Divided Back, Real Photo Postcard, unused. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

Price:  $7.00

I was in mind to post this one in July for summertime and here it is almost October. So, before summer slips completely away this year, here it is. And laughing at my title now, does it remind you of “man-eating shark”? 🙂 Anyway, it’s a great shot, a little boy in shorts and an old straw hat, on his porch steps. Posed between two large watermelons, he’s holding up a large slice that has a big bite out of it. A woman, maybe his mom, half out of camera range, looks on.

I’ve got two whole watermelons in the pantry right now and another half in the fridge. (Yes, I know I am truly blessed.) Large mugs of blended watermelon are on the agenda for breakfast again. (Nirvana!) For the 411, health-wise, on watermelon and melons, in general, see the Medical Medium blog posts:  Watermelon and Healing Powers of Melon.

“Watermelon” and “Healing Powers of Melon”. medicalmedium.com. (Accessed September 24, 2022.)

Three Guys In A Window

 

Old photo, white border, circa 1920s – 1930s. 

Price:  $5.00            Size:  About 5 x 7″

There’s something about people appearing in doorways and window frames….the frame within a frame thing, maybe. And these rustic old buildings….the wood shade across the top of the window (different), the busted sill, the dangling electric….what was the story? A house someone bought that would be fixed up? (There are windows on the adjoining side.) Anyway, one guy in jacket and hat (ciggie in hand – so un-pc as to be refreshing, right? 😉 ) leans on the window frame and smiles for the camera. His two buddies are in the shadows standing next to and behind him. The two look like they could be brothers. (Or maybe all three are.)

This photo reminds me of a prior post:  Handsome Sailors. And I think I have another “guy in window” type but I have to find it.

The Falveys Get Back to the Country, 1929

Old photo, white border. Dated July, 1929.

Price:  $15.00            Size:  About 6 and 3/4 x 4 and 1/2″

Sláinte!………..Some glasses are raised in salute here – in celebration of something, maybe just in the happiness of getting back to the ranch.

The Falvey Family lived in San Francisco, but it seems likely they owned some property outside of the city. Indeed, a 1905 newspaper article in the San Francisco Chronicle, mentions the family,  “preparing to go into the country for the summer.”  

Falvey is an Irish surname, and one we hadn’t come across until now. From Wikipedia:

“Falvey is a surname which is an anglicisation of the name Ó Fáilbhe:  in the Irish language Ó means “descendant” [of] and “fáilbhe” literally means “lively, pleasant, sprightly, merry, cheerful” or, according to another historian, “joker”. Other anglicisations include O’Falvie, O’Falvy, O’Failie, O’Falvey, Falvey, Fealy and Fealey.”

From the photo:

Arthur Falvey, born February 17, 1877 in San Francisco, California.

Gertrude (Green) Falvey, born November 9, 1879 in California. Daughter of James Green and Annie Ryder, both born in Ireland.

Son, Jack Falvey, born September 29, 1913 in San Francisco.

Jamie(?) and Evelyn, surnames unknown.

Sources: Year: 1920; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 27, San Francisco, California; Roll: T625_142; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 329.(Ancestry.com).

Year: 1930; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0237; FHL microfilm: 2339938. (Ancestry.com).

California Birth Index, 1905-1995. (Ancestry.com).

San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985. Microfilm publication, 1129 rolls. Researchity. San Francisco, California. (Ancestry.com).

Falvey. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falvey. (accessed September 22, 2022).

“Jumps From Roof After A Robbery.” San Francisco Chronicle. Friday, April 21, 1905. p. 16.

Thelen, Kenkel, Goergen, Burdick, Wolf, Relatives & Friends, Iowa, Circa 1910

Divided Back, unused, cropped postcard. KRUXO Stamp Box. Circa 1910.

Price:  $20.00

What a great find for the families named above and the one unnamed young woman! (Someone knows, I’m sure.) The Thelen siblings appearing in this postcard are Josephine, Catherine, Gertrude, Mike and John – children of John (Johann) Thelan and Catherine Leick.

Left to right:  Katherine (Jonas) Nettleship, born 1888 Iowa. Married Arthur Cyril Nettleship about 1910. Kate was the daughter of Joseph Jonas and Maria “Gertrude” Thelen. Working as a domestic servant in 1910 in Stockton, CA. Single at that time.

Josephine “Jo” (Thelen) Kenkel, born 1887 Iowa. Married John Joseph Kenkel June, 1910.

Catherine (Thelen) Goergen, born 1882 Iowa. Married Matthias “Math” Goergen September 1908.

Gertrude (Thelen) Burdick, born 1880 Iowa. Married Charles Burdick May 1910.

Christine (Wolf) Thelen, born 1884 Iowa. Married Michael Thelen October 1908.

Unknown friend

Mike Thelen, born 1884 Iowa. Married Christina Wolf October 1908.

Math (Matthias) Goergen, born about 1879 Iowa. Married Catherine Thelen September 1908.

John Kenkel, born 1881 Iowa. Married Josephine “Jo” Thelen June 1910.

John M. Thelen, born 1888 Iowa. Married Eunice Davis December 1915.

Sources:  Ancestry.com Family Trees.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Baker, O´Brien, Iowa; Roll: 451; Page: 5; Enumeration District: 0077; FHL microfilm: 1240451. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Nassau, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: T624_423; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0152; FHL microfilm: 1374436. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1910; Census Place: Stockton Ward 2, San Joaquin, California; Roll: T624_103; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0136; FHL microfilm: 1374116. (Ancestry.com).

Iowa Department of Public Health; Des Moines, Iowa; Series Title: Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922; Record Type: Marriage. (Ancestry.com).

Ruth Bower and Family, Pontiac, Michigan, Circa 1923

Old photo, white border. 92 Oak Hill St., Pontiac, Michigan. Circa 1923.

Price:  $15.00          Size:  3 and 7/16 x 5 and 9/16″

A lovely snap, half-posed, half-candid of family life in Pontiac, Michigan, about 1923……

The reverse shows:   “Oak Hill St, Grama & Grampa Bower, Ruth, Helen, Al.”

This will be a great photo addition for descendants of this particular Bower family. This snapshot was taken at 92 Oak Hill Street, Pontiac, Michigan, the house having been fairly recently built – in 1920 (according to Zillow.com).

Ruth Esther Bower (born 1905 in Detroit, MI) is the young lady smiling for the camera. She is the daughter of the older couple on the porch, who are Charles Bower (born 1856 in E. Hamburgh, NY) and Hannah Prudence (Allen) Bower (born 1867 in Avoca, St. Clair, MI). The two children are the couple’s grandchildren and Ruth’s niece and nephew. They are Helen Mae Bower (born 1914 in North Branch, MI) and Alvah B. Bower (born 1921 in Pontiac, MI). Helen and Alvah are the children of Henry Earl Bower and Minnie (Yerden) Bower, and this is their home at 92 Oak Hill, in Pontiac.

Sources:  “92 Oakhill St, Pontiac, MI 48342.” zillow.com. (Accessed September 20, 2022.)

Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 108; Film Description: 1911 Washtenaw-1912 Barry.Find a Grave, database and images. (Ancestry.com).

(https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37844263/hannah-prudence-bower: accessed 20 September 2022), memorial page for Hannah Prudence Allen Bower (3 May 1867–29 Jun 1929), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37844263, citing Perry Mount Park Cemetery, Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan, USA; Maintained by SisterMaryLouise (contributor 46984885) .

Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 177; Film Description: 1924 Monroe-1924 St Joseph. (Ancestry.com).

Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, Michigan; Death Records. (Ancestry.com).

Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 175; Film Title: 63 Oakland 10110-13449; Film Description: Oakland (1933-1935). (Ancestry.com).

Vintage Tourist Attaction, Silver Dollar Saloon

Old photo, deckled edge, white border. Circa 1930 – 1940s. Left corner and partial side missing. 

Price:  $2.00        Size:  About 5 and 7/8 x 3 and 1/2″

This looks like it’s from one of those reenactment of the Old West type spots, or if not then just some other type of Western tourist attraction. (The backwards “N” in Saloon is a dead giveaway, right?) A few other similar views are showing up on eBay right now, but they have no i.d. for place either, though one has a date of 1959. Still, it’s a fun picture – there’s a lovely lady there, laughing and leaning on the hitching rail. (“Okay, pretend like you’ve had one too many. 😉 ) And, I like the old wooden….is that a U.S. Mail box? But hopefully one of our readers will know where this was taken!

Hornitos, California Masonic Lodge No. 98

Old photo, Masonic Lodge, Hornitos, California. Circa 1910s – 1920s.

Price:  $12.00            Size:  4 and 1/2 x 2 and 3/4″

Located in the “almost ghost town” of Hornitos, Mariposa County, California…..

This building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the smallest Masonic Hall in California. Built by Italian stonemasons from local schist rock in 1855, it enjoyed a variety of uses until it was purchased by the Freemasons in 1873, and renovated and first opened for meetings in early 1875. The “F & AM” in the Lodge’s sign, if you can read it, is a Masonic term and stands for “Free and Accepted Masons.”

The other sign (which we can’t read) to our right of the building shows a pickaxe. The Hornitos area was an important part of the California Gold Rush, so this sign may have been some type of historical marker.

Sources:  Hornitos Masonic Hall No. 98. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornitos_Masonic_Hall_No._98 (accessed September 18, 2022).

“AF and AM versus F and AM States.” masoniclodgeofeducation.com. (Accessed September 18, 2022).

“National Register of Historic Places in Mariposa County.” noehill.com. (Accessed September 18, 2022).

“Hornitos, Gold Districts of California.” http://explore.museumca.org/goldrush/dist-hornitos.html. Excerpt from: Gold Districts of California, by: W.B. Clark, California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology, Bulletin 193, 1970.

Stacking Lumber

Cropped, Divided Back, unused postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1918.

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

Wow, this is the first old lumberyard photo I’ve seen. Googling similar images brings up the compilation below, but the stacks in our image apparently have the most interesting angles (!) (Could it be partially due to the camera’s aspect?) And we’re seeing four boys and three men in this postcard, one of the men is identified as “Chas” (Charles).

Source:  “Old photos of lumberyards with stacking lumber.” Google.com search. (Accessed September 18, 2022.)