To: Mrs. F.W. Sargeant From: Ruth, circa 1907-1929
It is deeply gorgeous here. The glee club has come to Charlottesville for the day, and we’re driving (or buying?) up all the (?)
— Ruth
This postcard is maddening because the postal mark is in near perfect condition with the exception of the date! I obviously don’t know the exact year, however we can at least put a date range on the postcard if we examine the breadcrumbs left to us by history.
Between 1898-1917 it only cost 1 cent to mail a postcard. We can at least see the 19 on the postmark, and while the handwriting is luscious, it’s not the turn of the century script I’d expect to see in an early 1900 postcard. Our other clue is one we’ve seen time and time again — the divided back! So, the postcard has to be post 1907. That leaves us with a ten year range: 1907-1917. However, I have other postcards from after 1917 that have a 1 cent stamp. So…my instinct says this is closer to the 1920’s. Similar postcards are dated in the late 20’s — which is more in line with the handwriting on the card.
I adore that Ruth wrote while she was traveling with the glee club. She sent the card in April, so it’s not necessarily a summer trip, but could still have been a school trip. It’s possible she’s writing to a sister or an aunt or maybe even cousin. I don’t think it’s her mom. The tone of the card is too matter of fact. Sort of like she’s on this trip that she wants people to know about — but she’s not necessarily missing anyone.
So what of our sender and recipient? 741 Chestnut Street still stands in Manchester, NH. It was built in 1895, which lends credence to an earlier date. Like so many other times before, we run into the problem where the woman’s name is erased. “F.W.” is likely Mrs. Sargeant’s husband’s initials. Without either her first name, or her husband’s name, it’s pretty difficult to track down the original recipient.
There were a few promising matches. I found a Forest W. Sargent that I thought might lead to something, but alas I could never match the address to the name. Of course if I paid for property records I’m sure I could find them, but for this amateur postcard genealogist that’s not in the cards for now.
Suffice it to say that Ruth had a lovely time with the Glee club. I imagine that she’s somewhere in her teens or early twenties, traveling with bosom buddies, and living in the bright rays of late spring soaking up her days of youth.
Front of Postcard depicting Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson
Hipstory 