To: Miss Ruth Kenison, From: F.R. La Barre 1914
Am on my way to Winona Minn. to see my kid brother.
F.R. La Barre
In 1914, Woodrow Wilson was president, the Ford Motor Company instituted the 8 hour shift and $5 per day wage, Babe Ruth made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox, and World War I began in Europe. Great social upheavals pervaded the world.
In 1914, Winona, Minnesota was a decent sized town that grew up due to the steam boat and railroad industry. As of 2020, there were 25,000 people living. Dubuque, Iowa is an even larger town, and what’s fun is Julien Dubuque’s Grave really looks a lot like the image on the postcard. I assume our friend F.R. traveled through Dubuque on his way to Iowa. Though what’s interesting is that the postcard was addressed to San Diego…quite a long way from where he was.
As for Ruth, I think I found her. I found a Ruth Kenison living in San Diego in 1914, but here’s the kicker…she lived in Iowa as a child. In fact, she was there in 1910 at the age of 14! This is the type of connection that really clinches an identification for me. By the census of 1920, Ruth’s parents were living in San Diego, California. So, I have to assume that at some point between 1910 and 1914, the family made the move west. F.R. easily could have been a childhood friend sending a quick note because they thought of Ruth.
What I did find interesting is that in June of 1914, Ruth Belle Kenison married Hugh Adams Haffley in San Diego. She was 18 at the time. This postcard was mailed in August, but still used the title “Miss”, so it makes me think that F.R. wasn’t aware of the marriage. She was awfully young, even for the early 1900’s, and I have to wonder…was it a secret marriage? Was it rushed? or was it simply kids making choices?
Ruth ended up on Coronado — a “tied island” in San Diego County. You may know it from the beach scenes in Top Gun, but it was initially settled specifically for tourism. It’s known for sparkling beaches and the Hotel Del Coronado. She marBy 1929 Ruth lived in Oklahoma, but she moved back to California by way of Sacramento. Born August 2, 1895, she died on Christmas day in 1971 at the age of 76. I have to wonder what she did in Coronado. Was she a worker, or did her husband have money and own land out there? I wish I could find more information.
As for F.R…as so often happens, without a full first name, I wasn’t able to find them. I feel like it was probably a man, based on handwriting alone. But just because I think everything revolves around love, doesn’t mean that it does. This could be a cousin or family friend. Either way, what’s clear is that F.R did not know about Ruth’s marriage. I hope the message found Ruth, and she was able to write back to F.R.
Front of Postcard: “The Monument at Julien Dubuque’s Grave”
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