Ethel (Lewis) Kelly

Divided back, Real Photo Postcard, unused. CYKO stamp box. Circa 1915 – 1925.

Price:  $15.00

There are two names on the back of this card:  Ethel Lewis Kelly and Bertha Tufford. Presumably they are cousins, or Bertha could be a cousin-in-law, though records were not found as proof, either way.

A description…..

Ethel, with a thoughtful, agreeable expression, wearing wire-rimmed eyeglasses, head tilted slightly, dark hair parted on the side and pulled back. Rings on both hands, one a possible wedding ring, and an interesting dress style:  light material with small diamonds, dark satiny fabric for the upside of the collar, the same fabric around the waist and for the diagonal accent under the bodice buttons. Lace running up one side from buttons to collar, and then lace around the cuffs, continuing up to the elbows. The carved wooden chair is also gorgeous – one of the nicest we’ve seen. The “ears” of the chair resemble something between a fish and a seahorse.

Ethel Lewis, born August 1890 in Oregon, is the daughter of Timothy Ambrose Lewis and Louise Serrell Crawford. Ethel married Thomas Leo Kelly in about 1923. He was born in Maine 1887. He was first married to Frances Jane Chisholm.

Researching this postcard threw me for a loop for awhile, because there’s a town called Bridge in Oregon. But, there’s another town called McKenzie Bridge, which is an unincorporated community in Lane County, OR, and shows up on Thomas Kelly’s death certificate. So, there’s no “Cousin McKenzie” at all. Thank goodness, as it wasn’t making too much sense that way.

As to the “addressee,” there’s a Bertha Mae Tufford, born January 19, 1892 in Portland, Oregon, who marries Frederick Sylvester Huit on March 10, 1917. If she’s the correct person then we’re led to believe that this postcard photo was taken before this marriage date, when Bertha was still single, still a Tufford, and that would mean that Ethel wasn’t married yet, and the ring on her left hand was not a wedding ring. Or, it could just be that the person who wrote in pencil on the reverse wasn’t aware of Bertha’s marriage or didn’t know the name. But as previously stated, no records were found to verify a “cousinship.” 😉

Sources:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Cottage Grove, Lane, Oregon; Roll: 1349; Page: 15; Enumeration District: 0120; FHL microfilm: 1241348. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1920; Census Place: Elmira, Lane, Oregon; Roll: T625_1496; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 229. (Ancestry.com).

The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (4th Registration) For the State of California; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147. (Ancestry.com).

Oregon State Archives; Salem, Oregon; Oregon, Death Records, 1864-1967. (Ancestry.com).

Ancestry Family Trees for Thomas Leo Kelly and Frances Jane Chisolm. (Ancestry.com). Accessed February 18, 2023.

McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKenzie_Bridge,_Oregon (accessed February 18, 2023).