Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Undivided back, used postcard. Postmarked March 31, 1906 from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Publisher:  V. O. Hammon Pub. Co., Minneapolis and Chicago. No. 52.

Price:  $6.00

Ole Bull Monument, Minneapolis, Minn.

This card was postmarked just over a month before Norway gained independence from Sweden which occurred on June 7, 1905, so it’s quite good timing for the subject matter: the statue of Norwegian violinist and composer, Ole Bull (1810 – 1880).

This is the fourth postcard in chronological date order, in our Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection, and is addressed to:   “Mrs. O. Thunström. 186 Purdy St., Astoria, L. I., N. Y.”  It’s also the second, so far, from Elise’s sister Augusta. (Maybe Augusta was having “a bad day” in some way, shape or form in her initial perception of the beautiful city of Minneapolis. I’ve been reading Make Your Mind an Ocean by Lama Yeshe. Highly recommended!)

“Minneapolis 31st Mars 1906. Tack för sist! Sitter nu på stationern i Minneapolis och väntar på mitt tåg. resan har gått väl och i dag är det så vackert väder att det är rigtigt härligt, Minneapolis är en ful stad, åtminstone hvad jåg ser däraf. Rära hälsningar till alla ifrån. syster Augusta.”

“Thanks for last! Now sitting at the station in Minneapolis waiting for my train. The trip has gone well and today it is such beautiful weather that it is really lovely. Minneapolis is an ugly city, at least what I see of it. Greetings to everyone from sister Augusta.”

Sources:  Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_union_between_Norway_and_Sweden (accessed May 12, 2017).

Ole Bull. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Bull (accessed May 12, 2017).

“Minnesota fiddlers:  Ole Bull.”  Minnesota State Fiddlers Association.(http://www.fiddlemn.com/home.html) Accessed May 12, 2017.

Nubble Light, York Beach, Maine

Undivided Back, used postcard. Postmarked September 3, 1904 from York, Maine. Publisher:  Chisholm Brothers, Portland, Maine. No. 40.

Price:  $5.00

A fifty-year span

This is the first postcard from our Olaf and Elise Thunstrom Collection which was a wonderful find this spring in San Juan Bautista, CA. They’ll be going up in chronological order, according to postmarks (a few we’ll have to guess at as they are unmarked) and are a collection of 29 cards, some sent from Sweden. They span a nice, neat, half-century, from 1904 to 1954.

A little background, so far….

Sweden natives Olof Thunström and Elise Bengtsson were married May 19, 1894 in Manhattan, New York. They had two sons, Olaf, born July 19, 1895 and Clarence (Wilhelm Clarence) born March 15, 1899. (Olof seems to be generally spelling Olaf here in the States). Per the 1900 Federal Census for Manhattan, Olaf was born January 1863 and Elise, March 1863. The family was living on E. 53rd St. (house number not given) and at this time Olaf was working as a plumber. From a few quick searches, son Olaf gains newspaper mention as a track star in high school and becomes a musician, by trade. Clarence was found working as a clerk with the stock exchange, but we’ll delve into details as we go on. This particular Nubble Light card from 1904 has a short message on the front:   “Kära lilla Lisa”  (Dear little Lisa) and it’s signed,  “Amanda.”  We’ll see if our friend, Lars, in Sweden, can help on the rest of the message, and on some of the upcoming cards, too. The card is addressed:

“Mrs. Olof Thunström, 14 West 49 Street, New York.”

Happily still in use

Cape Neddick Light or Nubble Light or just “the Nubble” has been in service since 1879.

Sources:  Ancestry.com. New York, New York, Marriage Index 1866-1937.

Registration State: New York; Registration County: Queens; Roll: 1787091; Draft Board: 173. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1113; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0745; FHL microfilm: 1241114. (Ancestry.com)

Cape Neddick Light. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Neddick_Light (accessed April 24, 2017).