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Just Missed The Rain

Posted on April 25th, 2015 by

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked February 3, 1909 from Stockton, California.

Price:  $12.00

I love these type where the sender has written in their own caption, so to speak….And for me, this should be titled,  “Blessed Rain”  since we don’t get enough of it here in California. Reminds me of a bumper sticker on the back of a truck that I see often, when driving to work, which says,  “Pray for rain”  and it tickles me that I think the exact same response every time, that of  “I always do.” 

Anyway, this is a lovely, slightly comical silhouette type postcard postmarked in 1909, but the sender was still thinking 1908…it was February, and he or she was not used to writing the new year yet. It’s wonderful how much is going on in this scene…the couple kissing under the umbrella; the ladies running to the street car which is already full; the people that were prepared and have their umbrellas, and the poor guys who were caught unprepared, getting soaked, one looking a little zombie-ish, and the other one, bent over staring at the pavement. Is he marveling at the amount of water that is pouring off of him, or just thinking,  “Gawd!”  I like to think a combination of both. Not to forget to mention the kissing couple on the streetcar; the guys watching the ladies running, the one has his hand up, either waving or trying to signal to them, “Hey, the car’s full…it’s not going to work.”

The sender wrote:

“2 – 3 – 1908   Your card received. I am bound for Sonora – I’m in Stockton now – address Sonoma Ave – M.H.C.”  and addressed the postcard to:

“Roy J. Andrus – 1608 – 48 Ave – Ocean Beach, S. F.     Sea Shells”

Sea Shells?…Maybe the addressee was supposed to be saving sea shells for M.H.C. or it’s some kind of running joke, or any number of other possibilities. (I don’t see anything coming up regarding a district or neighborhood under this name.) But the address is clearly a San Franciscan one. This exact street number doesn’t show, but it’s residential, near Lawton Street. 48th runs parallel to the Coast and the addressee would have lived just a short walk from the beach. Lucky guy!…And just think, this was just a little less than three years after the Great San Francisco Earthquake, which was April 18, 1906.

After looking at the census records and city directories, it appears most likely that the addressee is John R. Andrus on the 1910 Federal Census. He is divorced, occupation Cutter at a paper box factory, born in California, about 1882, and living with his parents, John and Gertrude Andrus. The address given is 1612 48th Avenue, so 1608 might have been a designation for a separate entrance or the numbering could have changed or even have been incorrectly written by the sender. By 1911 Roy had changed occupations and was working as a manager for the Golden Gate Butter Co., and by 1912 was listed as a Horse Dealer.

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: San Francisco Assembly District 39, San Francisco, California; Roll: T624_100; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0241; FHL microfilm: 1374113. (Ancestry.com)

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1911, p. 192. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory, 1912, p. 193. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

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Categories: Humorous, Postcards, Postcards Used, Silhouettes, Trolleys and Streetcars, Umbrellas and Parasols

A Nice Light Job

Posted on April 24th, 2015 by

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A funny postcard from an unknown publisher showing two drawings of a guy:  On the left he’s put pen to paper and written,  “I struck a nice light job working for the city…”  while on the right, in “real life” he is up on a ladder lighting the city lamps and thinking,  “Gee Whiz – Here it is eight o’clock and I ain’t got ’em half lighted yet.”  Very clever!

Divided back, unused postcard. Circa 1910s – 1920s.

Price:  $4.00

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Categories: Humorous, Postcards, Postcards Unused

The PocoLocoFotoFono Company

Posted on April 23rd, 2015 by

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Divided back, unused Real Photo Postcard, with photographic studio stamp on reverse. Circa 1916.

Availability Status:  SOLD

Here’s another mystery:  A Real Photo Postcard from maybe the late 1910s through the 1920s, showing a beautiful family portrait of a mother with her daughter and son. The mom is posed in the center with the kids on either side; the boy is probably seated on the arm of the chair; the kids are leaning in – a lovely example of a mother and child relationship. The young girl, perhaps about twelve years of age, wears a sailor-style blouse with a large bow, that looks like it might be of velvet, and wears her dark hair in a long braid off to the side. The mother wears a white lace blouse and a choker dangle-style necklace with pearls or faux pearls. And the boy, about five or six, is dressed in striped shirt and narrow tie, probably with his blond hair slicked into place for the shot. There are no names to identify these people, but we do have the photography studio’s name and location:

PocoLocoFotoFonoCo Exchange. Photographs, Phonographs. 2105 Lincoln Ave, Chicago.

Curiously, and as was the case with another postcard put up a few days ago, there was nothing found regarding this company. City directories, census records, and Google books were searched online under various possible formats, but nothing turned up. To top it off, this Chicago address evidently no longer exists. So, here’s another for the mystery category, but what a great, and rather unforgettable name for a business!

Update Feb 23rd, 2016:  See posted comment re the studio name listing in a 1916 phone directory.

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Categories: Children, Families, People, Photos Without Names, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards

Birthday Greetings For Maggie Miller

Posted on April 21st, 2015 by

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“Dear Sister, we are all vell [well] and hope you are the same we would like to see you. we pretty near for got you Birth days. write sone [soon] from Bessie.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Maggie Miller, Gentryvill, MO.”

There’s a common name (for an uncommon girl, no doubt!) Maggie or Margaret Miller. Nothing shows up in city directories or census records in Gentry Village for Maggie, or even under just the last name and with this exact location. We have an earlier post that went to a Maggie Miller in Saint Joe, and it’s possible they are the same person. The postmarked date and place are unreadable. It’s a beauty of a card, though:  roses, forget-me-nots and daisies frame a view of a home (ever so commonly depicted) at river’s edge, and with a foot bridge in the foreground.

Divided back, embossed, used postcard. Printed in Germany. Series 1620b. Circa 1907 – 1911.

Price:  $4.00

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Categories: Birthday, Flowers, Postcards, Postcards Used

The Keystone Craft Shop

Posted on April 20th, 2015 by

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This postcard is a double mystery – for the postcard artist and the whereabouts of the shop that was giving out these complimentary cards.

J. Leslie Melville’s signature appears at the bottom left of the card – a little difficult to read on this one here; however, one or two current eBay offerings clearly show the name. The other Melville examples, all under the theme of  “The language of flowers,” date from around 1908 – 1910, with one like ours postmarked in the year 1909. A couple of advertisements show up also; one from 1908, Gleanings in Bee Culture (below) and the other from 1907. So, that gives us a time frame for the Melville-signed postcards of at least 1907 – 1910. The ’07 publication comes from a volume of The American Farmer, and was written as,  “…with reproductions taken from the famous paintings by L. Leslie Melville.”  The “L.” seems to have been a misprint.

Flower Language Postcard Ad 1908  1908 advertisement from Gleanings in Bee Culture

The second part of the mystery is regarding the shop that’s listed on the back of the card:

“Compliments From:  The Keystone Craft Shop. Pictures And Picture Framing A Specialty. 828-830 Jason Street”

Oddly, no historical references were found whatsoever for the shop mentioned. City directories for the street address (searched without the city) did not even bring up any possibilities.

Divided back, unused postcard. Artist:  J. Leslie Melville. Printed in Saxony. Circa 1909.

Price:  $6.00

Sources:  Gleanings in Bee Culture, Vol. 36. January 1, 1908, p. 1527. Google eBook. Web accessed April 20, 2015.

The American Farmer, Vol. 24., No. 5., March 1909, p. 4. Google eBook. Web accessed April 20, 2015.

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Categories: Flowers, Mysteries, Postcard Artists, Postcards, Postcards Unused

A Smiling Couple

Posted on April 19th, 2015 by

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

Price:  $5.00

I’m thinking that this couple are man and wife, and of Swedish descent. I asked my husband and he said he just had the impression that they’re from one of the Southern states. Funny how peoples’ impressions differ so widely. Of course, there is no way to know the couple’s background unless by some miracle (stranger things have happened) someone recognizes them. But they took a beautiful photo whoever they were, and look quite contented. More than likely that is their home in the background. I like the woman’s striped apron (if that is what it is) with her gingham blouse, and the twinkle in the man’s eye, as he sits with his arm around his wife. And isn’t it always nice to sit down after a long day’s work?

The photographer is unknown also, as seems to be the case with most Real Photo Postcards. This card has one clue though:  the embossed capital “A” at the right lower corner. Hopefully, we’ll come across some others with this mark that do show a location.

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Categories: Couples, Men, Mysteries, People, Postcards, Postcards Unused, Real Photo Postcards, Women

Gokee Farm, Bear Creek, Michigan

Posted on April 19th, 2015 by

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box. Circa 1907 – 1910.

Availability Status:  SOLD

Written in pencil on the back of this Real Photo Postcard is:   Gokee Farm, Petoskey Mich.”   Actually, it looks more like Gekee, but records were not showing under this spelling. The postcard obviously is showing quite a bit of land, along with some farm buildings and some gorgeous horses and colts, so is possibly the land in neighboring Bear Creek Township that was owned by John B. Gokee, as verified on the 1900 Federal Census. This one was found at an antique fair in Watsonville, California.

Update:  See the comment below from descendant, Sam Gokee.

Source:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Bear Creek, Emmet, Michigan; Roll: 710; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0083; FHL microfilm: 1240710 (Ancestry.com)

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Categories: Animals, Horses, Postcards, Postcards Unused With Writing, Real Photo Postcards

Cookson Brothers Home, Springdale, Iowa

Posted on April 19th, 2015 by

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Divided back, unused with writing, Real Photo Postcard. Circa 1900 – 1910.

Price:  $15.00

“Cousin Wm Cook, we send you a postal of our home in old Iowa. Cookson Bros.”

Finding (or not finding) proofs for old photos and postcards can be unpredictable! The 1900 Federal Census taken in Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa was the first record looked at, and it happens to show two brothers, Israel G. Cookson, a widower, born October 1852 in Pennsylvania; and John R. Cookson, single, born October 1849, also in Pennsylvania. Other household members are Israel’s daughters Lila E. Cookson, born July 1877 in Iowa; and Myrtle A. Cookson, born August 1883, in Iowa; and William Matthew, born April 1847 in Scotland, an employee. Amazingly, Israel and John turned out to be the correct Cookson Brothers. The photo for this postcard was likely taken between 1900 and 1910. The 1910 also shows Springdale. So, we were crossing fingers here after seeing these two records but all was confirmed on an Ancestry family tree which shows both the Cookson and Cook families and their relationship:  Israel Cookson married Eliza Walker. It was Eliza’s sister, Lydia that married John Cook, Jr. Their son being William R. Cook of Pennsylvania; the cousin that would have received this postcard.

So, to identify the people in the photo, that should be Israel on the left, then Lila (Lillia) and Myrtle (or vice versa – it’s hard to tell who might be the younger) and then John. And they are posed for the camera standing in front of their beautiful farmhouse. Note the spindlework detail for the porch and at the windows, and the depth of the porch. We wonder what that wooden, box-like structure was used for, and the name of the plant that’s growing so profusely on the right in the foreground. (It looks like something commonly seen here in California.)

Sources:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Springdale, Cedar, Iowa; Roll: 422; Page: 17B; Enumeration District: 0035; FHL microfilm: 1240422. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Springdale, Cedar, Iowa; Roll: T624_395; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1374408. (Ancestry.com)

Appleby – Kingman Family Tree. Web accessed April 19, 2015. (Ancestry.com)

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Categories: Houses, Photos With Names, Postcards, Postcards Unused With Writing, Real Photo Postcards

Seal And Bear, Garden Of The Gods, Colorado

Posted on April 18th, 2015 by

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked June 26, 1915 from Long Island, Kansas. Publisher:  F. H. Langdon & Co., Denver, Colorado. Series or number 210.

Price:  $3.00

“Long Island, June 21.  Dear Cousin, how are you. am O.K. when the mud is dry. have you been boat riding. George and sis was over yesterday and said there was lots of folks boat riding along the river. they said there was four days that the folks couldnt cross. havent got over my corn yet the way it has been it will be a month I think. Come down and see the weeds they are doing well. As ever, J.K.”

Addressed to:   “Miss Lena Davis, Calvert, Kan.”

Long Island in this case is Kansas…And there’s lots going on in this nearly 100 year old message, isn’t there? It makes you think:  mud was a concern for walking or navigating through with any type of vehicle; if the river was high and there was no bridge, and the weather was inclement, then it would be difficult or maybe inadvisable to cross; planting the vegetable garden would be always a major concern every year, what was going on with the corn? But at least the weeds were doing well!

Update:  See the comment from a Garden of the Gods tour guide at the bottom of this post. This prompted me to research, and include below, the following article that appeared in the Great Falls Tribune (Great Falls, MT) April 22, 1942:

Source:  “Aged Garden of Gods Landmark Crumbles.” Great Falls Tribune. (Great Falls, MT) April 22, 1942. (Newspapers.com).

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Categories: Postcards, Postcards Used, The Lena Davis Postcard Collection

Major Domo In Glen Eyrie, Colorado

Posted on April 18th, 2015 by

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This postcard shows another example of an expression back in the day, for something or someone, that looks “natural.” See the prior post. The unknown sender wrote:

“Passed here March 24, 1910. Saw this it looks very natural.”   Addressed simply to “Lena.”

A majordomo is someone that runs a large household as in a butler or steward or someone that runs an enterprise.

Divided back, unused with writing. Publisher:  Thayer Publishing Co., Denver. Number or series 372. Dated March 24, 1910.

Price:  $1.00

Source:  Majordomo. Merriam-Webster. Web [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/majordomo]

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Categories: Postcards, Postcards Unused With Writing, The Lena Davis Postcard Collection