Tag: Current Events

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Education History Photographs Postcards Vintage writing

The Ballot Postcard and Mr. Earl Poush; 1908

Mr. Earl Poush, 1908

Hello Earl,

I received your card and was glad to hear from you. I went to the party Saturday night and had a nice time. Vera and I went over to Dallas Sunday afternoon and staid till church at night. Maybe you think we didn’t have time. Well I didn’t have to ask Bertha who the card was from. Did you go to town Saturday. I will have to close for this time.

Answer Soon

The front of this postcard is just as informative as the back, so rather than post it at the end, I wanted to post it here. Take a gander, then read on:

The Ballot Post Card: September 23, 1908

1908 was a leap year, and saw a variety of notable events that live on within the American zeitgeist. Wilbur Wright completed a 2 1/2 hour flight, Henry Ford debuted his Model T, and the Chicago Cubs won the world series.

But all of that, perhaps, pales in comparison to the light flirtation of teenagers. Again, we have a bit of a mystery sender. There’s no way for me to ascertain who “A.N.” was, or what (I assume her) relationship was to Earl, but I think it’s rather clear that the two of them may have been sweet on each other. Especially since Miss “A.N” checked off “I think of you often”, “Wait for me”, “A kiss for you”, and “Ever yours.”

Additionally, I’m guessing that when “A.N.” says “I didn’t have to ask Bertha who the card was from”, she means she knew the card she received was from Earl before even seeing it. I love that A.N seems to be surrounded by some girl friends, and I wonder if Vera, Bertha, and A.N. were on a little girls trip together.

Although I couldn’t find the identity of A.N., I do believe I found a little bit about Mr. Earl Poush. If I’m correct, it appears that he was born in 1892, which would put him at the tender age of 17 in September of 1908 — the perfect time for an early flirtation. It seems that he fought as a Corporal in World War I, and was injured in 1918. In 1919, he married Hope Lita Hicks (Poush) — not our elusive A.N. The world both teens grew up in must have been very different from the one they sent innocent cards in during the waning summer of 1908.

But in 1908, A.N. wouldn’t have been allowed to cast a vote, even if she was 18, because she was a she. It’s different now, and on this historic day, I hope you all had the chance to go out and cast your own ballot.

Categories
Climate Current Events Education History parenting Photographs Poetry Postcards Teaching Vintage writing Writing Prompt

Flashback Friday: A Stag Party Prank, or Something More?

From: Unknown To: Lloyd Hubbler, 1911

Oh you kid: I’d enjoy another dance with you like the one I had at the Dickeyville dance. Would like to make a date with you, “You Honey Bunch”. Will try and be out for the 15th. Hope you will be there, dear. Will show you another good time. Oh honey I am so lonesome. From – you know who.

(flipped) Look under the stamp honey bunch. xxxxxxx

This is my picture honey.

(On front) I am ready xxx. From your sweet little wife. S.W.A.K

God am so home sick for a x x

Lloyds sweet wife ha ha

I can’t express to you how much I am obsessed with this card. Every inch of it is filled with writing. X’s dot the landscape of both the front and the back and someone added additional rouging and eyeliner to the image on the front. This postcard SCREAMS of some sort of joke, and I am absolutely here for it. So, let’s drop the card into history.

1911 sees the disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, the invention of Crisco, and the founding of the first movie studio. However, I have to wonder if the news of these events hit the small village of Potosi. Situated in the southwest corner of Wisconsin, modern day Potosi boasts a population of just over 600 people. Like many small towns, it was originally founded as a mining and farming village. Now, it hosts an annual catfish festival and fish fry the second weekend of August.

In 1911, Lloyd Hubler was a few months shy of his 20th birthday, and at least according to Family Search, still unmarried. He had one brother, who was 8 years his senior. Although the card puts Lloyd’s last name as “Hubbler”, I’m pretty sure it was “Hubler”. The Lloyd I found has a father named “William Scott”, but he’s listed as Scott W. in the census records. Seeing as the card was sent “c/o Scott Hubbler”, and the Hubler’s lived in Harrison County (where Potosi is located), I’m fairly certain I have the right man.

But birth days, death days, draft registrations, and the marriage index provide only the barest amount of context for a life. Who sent this card to Lloyd? Why? There are a few clues that we can use to point us in the right direction. Or at least to make some fun and semi-guesses.

First, the card was sent on February 16, two days after Valentines Day. My mind immediately goes to two scenarios. First, maybe there was a Valentines Dance for the surrounding area. Here, Lloyd met a girl and made the gravest mistake: he told his friends about her. Looking to pull a prank, they put together this card and sent it to him, care of his FATHER for added embarrassment.

Second, Lloyd’s older brother was 28 at the time. It’s possible he sent the card as a practical joke, but why would he misspell the name? It’s feasible the name is actually misspelled in the census records. But, while I think it’s possible Lloyd’s brother had something to do with the card, I doubt it was entirely done by the brother.

So, poor Lloyd had to deal with the embarrassment of being sent this provocative card. Because it was a postcard, everyone could see everything. Not only could his father see the card and read it…but so could the postman, the postal workers…you get the idea. What did poor Lloyd do to deserve this humiliation? We will never know.

Lloyd did end up finding his “sweet” wife. In 1918, he married Leora Hinman. They went on to have three children. She outlived her husband by a decade, but I hope that their life together was S.W.A.K.

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Education History parenting Photographs Poems Postcards Teaching Vintage World War II Writing Prompt

Understanding Linen Postcards: WWII Era Insights

Mrs. William Kerchner: 1943

Pvt. Charles P. Kerchner

Dear Parents:

How are you all. I am O.K. and hope you are the same.

A simple message scrawled quickly in pen on the back of a beautiful postcard opens a door for us to understand a little more about postcard history, as well as World War II history.

When I began this project I knew nothing about the history of postcards in the United States or abroad. I’m still lacking in my historical knowledge, but I’m also learning with each post I create. One simple piece of information I’ve recently stumbled upon are the different “eras” of postcards.

By roughly 1930, “linen” type postcards had begun to circulate. These postcards have a different look and texture than the early 1900’s postcards. In fact, it may suprise you to find out that they look like they are printed on linen (shocking I know). The colors on these postcards also tend to be more vibrant and saturated. This postcard is no different. While the back is somewhat nondescript and not quite as pretty as some of the earlier postcards in my collection, the front is so beautiful it could be framed as a watercolor painting.

I assumed the “free” written in the stamp section had something to do with the fact that this is a soldier sending a postcard home to his family. A brief google search revealed that by World War II, if the soldier wrote his outfit and camp (along with the word “free” in the stamp box), then the postage was comped for him.

Another notable aspect of this postcard is the stamped “GIVE: Red Cross War Fund.” I have a few of these from postcards sent during WWII, but I find them fascinating reminders of a different time.

This is also the first postcard where I feel confident I’ve found some information on the original sender. Private Charles P. Kerchner survived the war, married, raised a family, and died in 2008 at the age of 87.

A lovely piece of history from a bygone era.

Front of postcard. Note the blues and yellows and pinks that serve as the masquerade of a sunset.

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Current Events Education Flash Fiction History Photographs Poems Poetry Postcards Vintage writing

Flashback Friday: 1942 Blackouts and Forging Friendships Through Postcards

From: Mary E. Wood, To: Mrs. Ethyl Beranek 1942

4/27/42

Hello.

Roanoke is preparing for blackouts and everyone is cooperating well. Thanks for the card. Do you have L.L. Iowa or other cities? I’d like a card of each scene as shown in little’s CEDAR RAPIDS. Thanks and write soon.

Sincerely,

Mary E. Wood

422 Albemarle Ave S.W.

Roanoke, Virginia

Have you any foreign correspondents?

By the time Mary wrote this letter, the United States had newly entered World War II. A few months earlier, in February, a Japanese submarine had attacked an oil refinery in Santa Barbara, California. Though the attack didn’t cause much damage, fears and tensions in the United States were high. Shortly after the attack on California, FDR signed Executive Order 9066 which led to the internment of 125,000 people, two thirds of which were American Citizens.

In April, the country was already well on its way to mobilizing for war. In preparation, many cities — including Roanoke — were practicing blackouts. The city had practiced at least two blackouts by the time Mary sent her letter to Ethyl. Families bought blackout curtains for their windows and hoods for their headlights. At some point during the blackout, air raid sirens blared and people extinguished lights, pulled over and listened for the test to be over.

The fear of invasion is a type of fear I hope I never have to experience, and to see it documented in this letter is so interesting. Mary expresses prepping for an invasion first, which tells me it was probably at the top of her mind.

However, the wartime blackout conditions are juxtaposed by Mary’s request for different types of postcards. It almost seems like she’s part of some sort of post crossing program before post crossing existed! Or, as we elder millennials remember it as: pen pals. I do wonder if Mary personally knew Ethyl and the two of them were simply card collectors, or if it was a type of pen pal program. Very interesting.

As for Mary Wood, I think I found her. She was born as Mary Ellen Thurston, but her first husband had the last name Wood. She later divorced and remarried, becoming Mary Ellen Truslow. What’s strange is that I found her second marriage certificate, which listed her birthday year as 1927, but her grave and all other documentation lists 1921.

As for Ethyl, funnily enough the first thing that popped up when I searched was another postcard to her. Same address, though a different sender. Wouldn’t that have been the bee’s knees? After a little more digging on Family Search, I managed to ascertain that she probably passed away shortly after World War II — 1953 to be exact.

The obituary states that she had suffered from an “illness for the past year.” Two of her sons died shortly after, one in 1955 and another in 1958. An overall sad end to an interesting postcard.

I hope that the two women remained in correspondence until Ethyl’s untimely death. Perhaps this small blog post can help keep the memory of their connection alive.

Front of Postcard. One of a few Natural Bridge postcards that I own

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Education family History parenting Photographs Poems Postcards Teaching Vintage writing

Unraveling a 1910 Mystery: Who Were Eddie R. and Anna Mathes? A Postcard’s Clues to Friendship, Family, or Courtship…

To: Anna Mathes. From Eddie R. 1910

Hello Annie.

How are they coming. Fine I suppose. We are all very good down here. We are making the mission now and have to be good. I suppose you are having a fine time up there.

Eddie R.

In 1910, William Howard Taft was president, Joyce Hall founded Hallmark Cards, the first unofficial Father’s Day was observed, and although aviation is getting off the ground (see what I did there?), the first American pilot dies in a crash in front of 5,000 spectators. America had lived in the 20th century for a decade, and it was already looking to be a doozy.

The more I read this card, the more questions I seem to have. Eddie and Annie seem to be young…perhaps what we would deem upper elementary or middle school age (between 10-14). But, based on the context of the card, I can’t tell if the two are related, friends, or if this was some sort of project or pen-pal scheme.

Both Annie and Eddie were a little difficult to track down in the records. Anna because I’m not sure if her name is spelled incorrectly on the card. It could be Mathes, but it could also actually be Mathis. Especially if Eddie wasn’t sure. But, I only found one Anna Mathis born in Chaska — so I’m thinking I found a match.

Anna Mathis was born in June of 1893 to a German father and Dutch mother. She was the oldest of two children and lived in Chaska (a suburb of Minnesota) for at least 20 years. This puts her at about 17 when she received this card. Older than I would have guessed, but still a teen.

However, 1910 is when the record runs out, though her father died in 1917 and her mother remarried in 1919. I went through Anna’s cousins on her mother’s side, and didn’t see an Ed, Edward, or Eddie. There’s no family information listed on her father’s side, which means if Eddie was a cousin from her dad’s family…I wouldn’t know. However, Anna’s dad immigrated from Germany in his 30’s, so unless he came over with a brother or sister, it’s unlikely Eddie is from that side of the family.

Our trail runs out there, I’m afraid. My guess is that Eddie is still younger than Anna, and was probably prompted by a parent to write. It’s possible he was older and that there was a small courtship going on, but this feels more familial than anything. What do you think?

“Bird’s Eye View of Minneapolis, West of Fourth Street”

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Current Events Poems Poetry

Whispered conversations

Graveyards are so much more than a final resting place

They are a collection of memories, shattered dreams, and half forgotten hopes.

A collection of consciousness laying underneath a curated lawn.

Perhaps that’s why, on the clearest day, a breeze always blows

It’s the whispered conversation of souls

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Current Events family Poems Poetry

Changeling

My dear,

You were never meant to pick up the pieces of a life cut too short.

It is the cruelty of existence that requires you to soldier on. It is not God’s will, it is not fate. It is…happenstance. And you have met it with wide eyed courage.

You must feel forgotten. Overlooked and overwhelmed. Angry at the world or God or the Universe for leaving you behind.

Guilty for your anger. Guilty for your rage. Guilty for all the roiling emotions that ebb and flow with the circadian rhythm of the day.

Because you’re the one who stayed.

My dear, I see you. I see your youth. I see your bright soul alight with childish wonder.

I see how it’s dimmed now that you can no longer explore the vast expanse of this incandescent world with the man you love.

You’re a changeling. Alone in the bizarre shadow called Earth now stripped of light.

But please remember…

Grief is not attached to morality.

Grief simply is.

You will feel knives of anger, shards of hatred, and moments of spite. You will feel sparks of joy, bubbles of love, and waves of compassion. And all this will barrage you in staccato rhymes of confusion.

Because you were left behind.

But my dear, you are not forgotten. Though it may seem that way.

You were left behind. But we are by your side.

Categories
mental health Poems Poetry

Panic

A roar

Like rushing water

Fills my head

It’s all encompassing

enveloping me in a frenzy of fear

impossible to break free

The river rages and heightens until the flood waters peak

and I drift slowly back down

to reality.

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Current Events Education Haiku Poems Poetry

Lonely Satisfaction

Loneliness

It’s a feeling we’re all familiar with

But have you heard

Of lonely satisfaction?

It’s the feeling of newly unwrapped presents

The chill of first snow

The scent of your lovers sweatshirt

Found, tossed aside, in the corner of your house.

Lonely satisfaction is

Coming home from vacation

Or 501 pm on a Friday

It’s things accomplished

But a future

Not yet materialized.

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Current Events Education Haiku Poems Poetry Teaching

8 million

In America

Kids are always the battle ground

What they read

What we teach them

How we raise them

Yet in our hubris

We allowed 8 million of them

To be stricken with grief

You see

We were too busy arguing

To care about the consequence