Tag: Photography

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Patricia’s 1954 Postcard: A Historical Exploration of Old Town San Diego

To: Miss Patricia Baker From: Warren, 1954

Hi Pat,

This is an interesting spot in “old town.” Best Wishes

From,

Warren

“Old Town,” San Diego was founded in 1769 by Spanish settlers. The town survived three governments (Spanish, Mexico, then American) before being usurped by “New Town”, or modern day San Diego, primarily because it was closer to the water. Now, a monument to the original settlement stands on the site. It’s full of restaurants, tourist shops, and the Whaley House, the “most haunted” house in America.

In 1954, Dwight Eisenhower was president, Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio, and Brown V. Board ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional. The United States was in our Nuclear Era. Suburbs were growing, cars were getting faster, the movies were glamorous, and people had more money for leisure. It might sound great, but the racial and gender divide in the US was huge. The Cold War was raging, and Senator McCarthy was conducting hearings on communism.

This is one of at least two postcards that I have from Warren. I may have more in my stash that I haven’t identified yet. The postcards are separated by a period of years, but both are addressed to the Baker household, both are written in the same all caps handwriting, and both postcards are short and to the point. Nonetheless, they both provide distinct information about the spots Warren has seen or traveled.

When I started my research on the card, I really thought I’d be able to find Patricia and Warren. I have a date, a name, an address…but alas, no real luck. This may be a symptom of using only free sites to conduct my research (what can I say, I’m a cheapskate), however there were SO MANY Patricia Bakers in or near El Monte. Add to the fact that El Monte is in Los Angeles County, and now I’m dealing with a ton of records from LA and, phew, it was a lot.

Plus, our old foe: the maiden name! We know that Pat isn’t married because Warren uses the “Miss” title. Therefore, if she married, her name can get easily obscured in the records and make it much more difficult for us to uncover.

There is a Patrica Baker who lived in El Monte and married a William. She was one of 9 sisters and passed in 1982. I thought this was a good match, except it seems she married in 1946. So, my hopes were dashed.

Sometimes that’s how the cookies crumble. Hopefully next week I’ll have more luck with research!

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The Tongue Wagging Postcard to Mrs. Nora Ringer from Her Aunt Eva 1910-1930

To: Mrs. Nora Ringer, From: Aunt Eva 1910-1930

Dear Nora,

I suspect your tongue is waging at both ends these days. I know you are enjoying your mama’s visit – in from the winter(?) How I would have liked to go with her and sleep like(?) our young(?) Julia. But, I went to South B. and Bluffton. Write me.

Your Aunt,

Eva

Wow. To say I’ve been holding on to this postcard is an understatement. This is one of the first postcards I picked up, largely because I thought the front of the card was so beautiful and vibrant, and the back of the card is so clean and aesthetic. But it was a doozy to try and decipher! In the end, I had to play with the colors and contrast of the card as well as look for common letters that I was confident in. I know I didn’t get everything right, so if you have some thoughts on what these words are, let me know! For now, though, let’s dissect a bit of the history of the card.

As you can see, the card has no stamp or postmark. That tells me it was either carried to Nora in person, or mailed in a separate envelope. However, there are some clues that we can gather to help us determine when the postcard may have been written.

First, let’s look at the front. The image is a sweeping watercolor painting of Vernal Falls and the Cap of Liberty in Yosemite. Paintings like this were popular on postcards in the first half of the 20th century (1900-1950). Additionally, the abbreviation for California is “Cal”. State abbreviations weren’t standardized until 1963. So, we know the postcard must be before that date.

However, I’m not happy with a 63 year possibility. So, the final determining factor is the publishing company. On the back, I’m barely capable of making out a publisher: Benham Co. This publisher was active from 1910-1930. So, although we don’t have a postmark, I can now place the card within a 20 year period. If I had to guess one date, I’d say 1918. No particular reason, just a gut feeling.

There is so much I love about this postcard, including “your tongue is waging at both ends”. Which, I hope I deciphered that phrase correctly because it’s fantastic. I attribute it to the visit of Nora’s mother (they must be catching up on a lot!). But, who are Nora and Eva? Honestly, without a location I can’t be sure. It may surprise you to find out that there is more than one Nora Ringer in the archives.

I did find a possibility. There’s a Nora Ringer living in Ohio who was born in 1906. However, I can only find one census record of her, and “Ringer” is the maiden name. The card explicitly says “Mrs.” That indicates a marriage. Since we are talking about women, Ringer would be her husbands name. Once again, the archives do more to obscure than reveal and we are hampered in finding our Nora because she’s hidden by men’s names. Without the husbands name, or a time frame, or location, I can’t confirm our Nora.

Nonetheless, I hope Nora’s tongue wagged the entirety of her mother’s visit, and I hope she wrote her Aunt Eva a mile long letter filled with a cacophony of gossip and family information.

Cheers to Nora and Eva. May we all have friends and family we can spill the tea with.

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“Love Hazel”: A visit to Mount Vernon and a Timeless Connection

To: Miss Eileen Doyle From: Hazel Anderson, 1923

Dear Miss Doyle,

I am writing this card as we are going up the Potomac River to Mount Vernon.

Love,

Hazel Anderson

In 1923, Warren Harding was President until his death on August 2, at which time Calvin Coolidge took over. Yankee Stadium opened it’s doors, Roy and Walt Disney found the Disney Company, and 15o are killed and the town of Rosewood destroyed in the racially motivated Rosewood Massacre.

Although Mt. Vernon was not designated a historical landmark until the 1960’s, Americans have been visiting the site since 1860. Though, at the time of Hazel’s visit, Mt. Vernon Highway had not been built yet, nor was there a marker for the enslaved cemetery on the property.

I have quite a few postcards from Mt. Vernon, and all of them are beautiful. If you don’t know, Mt. Vernon is the home of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Washington left behind a complicated legacy, one full of missteps and careful planning. He was a man deeply rooted in the south, but always conscious of the cognitive dissonance of being a slaveholder in a nation that’s built on a founding principal of equality. I’m not a Washington apologist, not by any means. Yet, I give credit to those who change, or attempt to change, and Washington certainly did throughout his lifetime.

But what of Hazel Anderson and Eileen Doyle? Let’s start with Hazel. Yes, I have a first and last name, but since the postmark is Virginia and Hazel is clearly on vacation, it’s difficult to confirm the correct Hazel Anderson in the records, especially as it’s a fairly common name.

Eileen, on the other hand, is a little easier to find. Especially since I have her full name and address. Despite this, there were quite a number of decent candidates. The best fit is an Eileen G Doyle who lived in Milwaukee in 1930. At the time of the census, she was 27 and single. That means that she would have been twenty years old when Hazel sent the postcard.

To be clear, I can’t match the address to any of the Eileen Doyle’s that I researched. However, the Eileen mentioned above was a lodger in 1930, so it stands to reason that she may have been lodging in 1923 as well. If this is the case, Eileen was a public school teacher for at least twenty years (according to census records in 1930, 40, and 50). She’s also listed as head of household in all records — so single.

I’m always a little sad when I can’t for sure find the people in the postcards I research, but I hope that Hazel and Eileen stayed friends for years, and kept in contact.

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Amway Shopper or Distributer? The Story of Mildred Becker

To: Mildred Becker From: Dan and Didi 1979

Keep smiling!

It makes people wonder what you’ve been up to.

Love,

Dan and Didi

In 1979, Jimmy Carter was President, McDonald’s released the Happy Meal, Nickelodeon debuted on cable, and the Department of Education was established. The year also saw a large number of walks and protests supporting LGBTQIA+ rights. A nuclear disaster on Three Mile Island experienced a partial meltdown, American Airlines flight 191 crashed (still the worst aviation accident in US history), and the Iran Hostage Crisis began.

An eventful year to be sure, especially for Amway. Founded in Ada, Michigan, the company is a pioneer in the multi-level-marketing bracket (if you haven’t watched LuLaRich on Amazon Prime, I recommend!), and by 1980’s they reached one BILLION in sales. However, in 1979 a judge for the FTC commission, ruled that Amway was NOT a pyramid scheme. So, although the ruling required Amway to comply with retail rules, it largely allowed (and still does) MLM’s to sell a get rich quick dream to distributors.

By the time Dan and Didi sent Mildred their card, she was 65 years old, and living in Crystal, Minnesota. On paper, she lived a somewhat hard life. She had four stillborn children, her husband died in the 1960’s, and it seemed she had to hustle for a living. Three years prior to this card, her mother, whom Mildred had lived with since the 40’s, passed away. Mildred would live another 32 years (until the age of 97!), and despite her hardships, she left behind a large legacy, including 6 great-great-grandchildren.

So who were Dan and Didi? My initial thought is that one of them was a grandchild. Howver, the phrase “Keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to” was something my grandpa always said. So, based on that alone I sort-of think that Dan and Didi were contemporaries of Mildred. They don’t seem to be a brother or sister, so that leaves friends.

However, seeing as it’s on an Amway postcard, and there’s nothing really personal about the card, I do wonder if Mildred was part of a downline for Dan and Didi. Meaning, I wonder if Mildred sold Amway products, and the people who got her into sales were Dan and/or Didi. It would make sense. Why else send an Amway themed postcard with a quippy message on it?

I’ll never know who Dan and Didi were, but thanks to a beautiful obituary, I got to know Mildred a little bit during my research. It’s always touching and rewarding to find a lovely memorial to the person who owned one of my postcards. I love breathing a little bit of life into these captured snippets of time.

Front of Card: Amway Complex at Ada

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Two Wives, a Botanist, and a Ghost Ship…Oh My! (The Lawrence’s Part II)

From: Ida To Mrs. Dana Lawrence

If you haven’t read my blog post from yesterday, I’d recommend going back and taking a gander. Though part 1 is not entirely necessary, you’ll have more context for this post because I’m going to basically jump right in.

Yesterday, I explored the story of Ida’s postcard and the complicated legacy of the dropping of the Atomic Bombs as well as Victory over Japan day (known as VJ day). As the world entered the Nuclear Age…Ida went on vacation to Natural Bridge.

But what about Mrs. Dana Lawrence, the recipient of the postcard? The more I searched, the more I found, and honestly the stranger it got. So, I’ll go in chronological order and start at the beginning: with Dana Lawrence.

Dana is the patriarch of the family. Born in 1875, he married his first wife, Helen Ethelwyn Briggs in 1897. Their marriage lasted until Helen’s death in 1906. She was 18 when she married, and only 27 when she died. Their union produced three children; Marion Louise, Robert Parker, and Leonard.

With three young children at home, I imagine Dana may have been looking for help. In 1908, Dana married Anna Maria Mathewson. THIS is our “Mrs. Dana Lawrence.” I’ve talked before about how women are often obscured in the historical record because they are referred to by their husband’s full name. This is one of the many times I’ve had to trace the man first and hope to uncover the woman.

Anna was 25 when she married Dana and bore two children: Lucy and George, and THIS is where it got interesting!

George Hill Mathewson Lawrence was actually the first member of the family I found, because apparently he was a somewhat famous and well thought of botanist! This is the first “famous” connection I’ve run across with one of my postcards and while it’s only niche famous, it’s still a pretty cool find — at least I think so.

I know for sure that George entered the military during World War II, serving as a Lieutenant in the Navy. I don’t know where he served, but seeing as Ida specifically asks if Anna had heard anything from the “boys since August 14,” I suspect it was in the Pacific. If you remember yesterdays post, Japan informally surrendered on August 15. So, the greeting makes sense.

Now, I’ve also promised you the Queen Mary, and don’t worry, I’ll deliver! Leonard Lawrence (youngest son of Helen) has an interesting attachment to his record. It’s the passenger list of the RMS Queen Mary. He took the liner from Southampton to New York City between April 25-April 29 of 1951. Apparently he traveled first class as well. The ship now anchors in LA as a popular tourist attraction, and is considered one of the most haunted places in America. But probably not with any of the Lawrence clan.

There are plenty of other tidbits I found, but not as interesting as the ones I’ve shared. Anna died in 1959, at which point I assume this postcard was boxed, shuffled around, sold, sold again, and so on and so forth until it made it into my hands. Once again, it’s the friendship between two women that uncovers a part of family history.

Thanks for reading!

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The Untold Story of Lizzie J. Dearwechter: A Postcard Journey

To: Miss Lizzie J. Dearwechter From: E.W.A 1906

I’ll write you next week. I am having a fine time on the cornfield.

From a friend,

E.W.A

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt was President, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, and Oklahoma was still a territory, and not yet a state. By November, San Francisco had been devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and in what the newspapers called the “crime of the century” Harry K. Thaw shot Stanford White in Madison Square Garden. The Progressives were making their mark on the American landscape…in whatever way possible.

And, as we know a little bit about postcard history, 1906 was an undivided back period. This is a time where postcards favored the front image and had very little space for any sort of message as the entire back was to be utilized only for the address. Although undivided back postcards often lack details for research, they are beautiful. Even the printed word “postcard” with a feather in the background is luxurious and hints at a fancier, more formal time.

This postcard is funny to me, largely because the sender has chosen a postcard of a “typical California home,” but sends the card from Lickdale, PA. Lickdale is a small, unincorporated town in the south east of Pennsylvania that shares a zipcode with a few other cities. The total population for the zip is upwards of 8,000 people.

Pretty far from California if you ask me. As a historian, I understand the magnetic pull that the west coast has on the American psyche. I have to believe that the image of curated palm trees in front of a Victorian/Gothic-esque house was a bit of wishful longing. Perhaps the two friends had dreams to move west, or loved the idea of California. Perhaps E.W.A just liked the postcard.

As for Lizzie J. Dearwechter, with a little bit of luck, and a lot of elbow grease, I managed to find her in the records. I had to follow a few lines of Dearwechters, but I did it! Lizze was born October 13, 1888, so by November of 1906, she was 18 years old. I was curious about Cresheim Hall, so I looked it up. It seems that it was a School for the Deaf in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania. The only real problem that I’ve run into is that –other than this postcard — I can’t place her at this address with the sources available.

Miraculously, Find a Grave included more than a picture of the tombstone, it included Lizzie’s obituary! It’s a rarity, especially since she passed in 1976. I had hoped that maybe the obituary might allude to her time at the hall, or perhaps indicate whether or not she may have been Deaf. However, it provided no further insights. What we do know is that she was single in 1906, but had met and married her husband by 1908. She went on to have 13 children, and upon her death she was survived by 31 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren. A legacy indeed.

As for E.W.A…well they are impossible to track down. However, their quick note about enjoying the cornfields spawned a 118 year journey that led us to unravel snippets of Lizzie’s life. A life that saw the sinking of the Titanic, the Spanish Flu outbreak, both World Wars, the assassination of J.F.K, the moon landing, Civil Rights, and Woodstock…amongst other things.

Thank you, E.W.A, for the postcard.

Close-ups of both sides of the postcard

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Education family History parenting Photographs Postcards Teaching Vintage Work In Progress World War II writing

1941 Postcard to Sadie Baris: Cheeky Flirtation or Simple Friendship?

To: Miss Sadie Baris From: S. B. Leuson 1941

Don’t get me wrong – I’m only mailing a postcard.

Regards,

S.B. Leuson

In 1941, FDR was the President, Citizen Cane was released in theaters, Bob Hope hosted the 13th Academy Awards, and the US froze the assets of German, Italian, Hungarian, and other occupied countries. War hadn’t yet reached our shores, but preparations for the war had.

I love postcards that are sent to or from New York City. I’m a girl from the West — used to open spaces, mountains, and warm weather – so I’m always intrigued by the thought of city living. My grandmother grew up in New York City and I often think of her as well when I see these postcards.

This particular card is not so much intriguing as it is…silly? Fun? In my reading of the card, there’s an implied innuendo. The front of the card depicts a bed in the Lafayette Room at Lee Mansion in Arlington (colorized in the above picture). As you’ve read, the note on the back states “Don’t get me wrong – I’m only mailing a postcard.”

Yes, friend, but it’s a postcard with a picture of a bed! If I’d received that card as young adult, I definitely would have read into the meaning. I *for sure* would have gotten our friend S.B. *wrong.* Furthermore, the writer wants to downplay the fact that they wrote a postcard from Virginia and sent it to New York.

Sure, it only takes a few minutes, but typically one doesn’t send a postcard unless you care for the recipient. Also…the fact that there’s a bed on the front and the “don’t get me wrong…” on the back? My girlfriends and I would have dissected that meaning bit by bit in the waning hours after midnight, probably while drinking.

Again, we definitely would have gotten him wrong.

As for our recipient, Sadie Baris, I thought I would have a hard time locating her, but it turns out I got some results. There was a Sadie Baris in New York City who was born in 1909. If this is our Sadie, she was quite an accomplished woman. She became a lawyer in 1933 and eventually became a judge in New York. For a woman in the 30’s this is quite a feat!

So, was this our Sadie? The postcard is addressed to “miss” meaning that Sadie would have been unmarried in 1941. If this is our Sadie, she would have been 32 in 1941. A bit “old” to be unmarried. However, the Sadie I found didn’t marry her husband (Nathan Turak) until 1943, so I feel fairly confident this is a match. If true, Sadie Baris Turak lived to be 103 years old! She retired from her post as a judge when she was 100! Illustrious indeed.

What about S.B.? I do sort of thing this is a man writing the card – though it could be a woman as well – and I will argue that the card was suggestive in nature. Perhaps I’m so far off. However, it lends a bit of fun and drama and life to the past. But, what do you think? Is this a case of flirtation, or a cheeky note from a family member? Let me know!

Front of Postcard (In original black and white)

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Nellia and Lola Frey: A Glimpse into Childhood Innocence

To: Nellia Frey From: Lola Frey Circa 1910-1920

Hollo (sic) Nellia,

What are you doing now days. Answer soon.

From,

Lola Frey

From the “what are you doing now days” (without a question mark) to the childish script so lovingly labored over, childhood innocence spills out of this postcard. In fact, it’s what truly draws me to this particular card in my collection. I get this vivid image of a young girl writing at a small table, her tongue stuck out in concentration, her palms sweaty as she tries to perfect each swoop of the cursive lettering. Truly beautiful.

Unfortunately, there’s no postmark, so it’s hard to say when — or even where — the postcard is from. Based on the handwriting, my guess is that it lies somewhere between 1910 and 1920. However, without a stamp the only thing we know for certain is that it was after 1907 (the divided back strikes again!).

When setting out to research this card, I felt pretty positive I’d be able to find the sender or recipient. I had both names, a place, and some sort of family connection, so I really believed that I’d be able to go down a family line and find Nellia and Lola.

Oh, how naive I am.

Much to my chagrin, I couldn’t find Nellia or Lola at all. Even accounting for the fact that Nellia may be a pet name, and is more likely to be “Nellie” in the records. I immediately found a promising family, but there wasn’t a sister or cousin that I could trace to them. In that research, however, I did find a beautiful Nellie Frey Hagburg. Her photo is blurred, but she’s staring out of the frame with a slight smile on her face and has a Mona Lisa quality to her.

That Nellie is not our Nellia, but she died of consumption at 19, followed the next year by her mother. A pattern of loss that must have devastated the family.

As for Mapleton, it’s a small town located in the southern quadrant of Minnesota. As of 2020, the town only had 1,700 people, 3 full time police officers, and a volunteer fire department. I’m willing to bet that Nellia was of German decent, and was first generation in the midwest.

Without a postmark or stamp I have to wonder how Lola got her card to Nellia. I suspect they are cousins. Perhaps one brother was visiting the other and took the card. Perhaps Nellia and Lola were of the same age, and an older cousin was visiting Lola’s house and took the card. We can’t be sure of any of it. But, the card exists in the record as a memento to the love and innocence of childhood bonds.

Front of Postcard

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Tracking Cora, Howard, and Fred: The Intriguing Tale of a 1911 Postcard

To: Miss Cora Scott From: Howard. 1911

Fred writes she has telephoned you twice & again but doesn’t get you. Think of me out in the wild west.

Howard

I don’t know why, but 1909-1915 is my favorite era of postcard. The front’s are always colorful, the script on the back is beautiful, and the postcards always seem to strive for real connection over the many miles that separate the senders. By September of 1911, the New York Public Library was opened, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire had killed 129 people (mostly women), and the RMS Titanic was in the final stages of being built.

By 1911, there was also roughly one phone for every 11 people. So, although telephones were gaining popularity, it must have been fairly frustrating — or concerning — that “fred” wasn’t able to reach Cora.

In fact, it feels as though Howard is chiding Cora a little bit when he says “she has telephoned you twice & again but doesn’t get you.” I have to wonder if he would have sent Cora a card if not for the letter he received from “Fred”. “Fred” being Winnifred, or maybe Freda? Was our ellusive Fred concerned or annoyed when she wrote to Howard? In turn, was Howard also concerned, or was the letter more of a paternalistic scolding?

It seems the entire point of the message is to let Cora know that Fred is trying to get in touch, and honestly a postcard is bit of a roundabout way of doing so. What was everyone’s relationship to each other? Family, friends, or something more?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to easily find Cora Scott. It seems there were quite a few living in Buffalo, New York around the turn of the century. I was able to weed some of them out based on age (too young or too old), but I couldn’t be certain about any of the others. There’s a small penciled in note at the top of the card that says “Ann”. Based on the style of writing, it was obviously added much later in time. I had hoped that “Ann” might be a sort of bread crumb that I could use to track Cora. Alas, no luck. I couldn’t find any Cora’s with a sister or daughter named Ann. Such is the way of things sometimes.

As for Howard and Fred, without last names there’s not much I can do. We know that in 1911 Howard was in Minnesota, but that’s all we know. I’m not really sure Minnesota qualified as the “Wild West”. I mean, yes, it’s in the midwest. But…the American frontier officially “closed” in 1890. By then, most of the people in the Western territories lived in growing cities. There were still many rural, small towns, but Duluth? 78,000 people. More like an urban jungle not the O.K. Corral.

That doesn’t mean Howard wasn’t on his way further West. These cards made their way to a California estate sale, so who knows where Cora, Howard, and Fred all ended up. They remain inextricably tied to one another 123 years later, thier memories of their connection captured in the postcard.

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Education History parenting Photographs Postcards Vintage Writing Prompt

1919 Surprise Party: Social Change and Post-WWI Celebrations

From: Ella Bettinque To: Mr. and Mrs P. Madson. 1919

Dear Friends,

I am going to have a surprise party for Hilmer(?) Wed. Eve the 30th and would like to have you folks come. Will you please let Ges. and Pete Allan(?) know about it too?

As ever,

Ella Bettinque(?)

The guns of war had ended by 1919, but that didn’t stop violence. I’ve talked about the Red Summer of 1919 on the blog before, but since this postcard has a picture of Chicago, I felt I should touch on the violence again. WWI provided an opportunity for Black men and women to move out of the rural South and into the North where factories needed workers. However, as the war ended and white servicemen came home, tensions increased. This hit a fever pitch in the summer of 1919. Riots and massacres broke out all across the United States, resulting in loss of life as well as loss of property.

1919 in fact marked a great shift in social change. As Black Americans were fighting for their civil rights, women had just won the vote, and prohibition was about to take effect. The Treaty of Versailles was signed — an event which would lead to the second World War. The winds of change swept away stagnant customs, leaving the world on the brink of social revolution.

And Ella had decided to throw a surprise party. There’s something so wholesome about this postcard. Although telephones were gaining traction by 1919 (roughly 1/3 of homes had a telephone by 1920), they still weren’t the norm. That left communication by postcard, which seems like a fairly easy way to keep a secret. However, I do wonder about Ella’s hosting skills since for whatever reason she couldn’t (or wouldn’t?) let Ges and Pete know about the party herself.

Who were these lovely people? Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough information to be sure I’ve found any of them. There was a Paul Madson in Wisconsin that seemed promising, but without a first name it’s just a guessing game. As for Ella, I’m very unclear on her last name. It could be Brettingles, Bettinque, Brettinque, or any other combination of two “t’s” a g or q and maybe an s at the end. If you have any other thoughts, please let me know and I’ll see if I can find her.

What’s even more frustrating is that I’m not sure what season the party fell on. We know the card was postmarked the 28th, and we know that the party was on 30th (which seems like a quick turn around Ella! People need to plan!), but the month isn’t listed or wasn’t stamped well enough. Was it a summer party? A winter party? Perhaps a close to Halloween party? I don’t know. I want to think that it was a fall party. A day where the sun set early, so everyone gathered close around a table with a low light. Maybe they drank the last bit of alcohol they had before Prohibition really took hold, maybe they played cards, ate cake, and reveled in the coming ease of the roaring 20’s.

No matter what, I hope people came and laughed and enjoyed themselves. Especially since Ella gave two days notice and basically said “spread the word.” Bad planning, or perfect surprise? You be the judge.

Front of Postcard. Image of Residence Street, Chicago