Just a card and few. lines — hope yous are well and enjoy yourselves. I’ll be glad(?) when Spring is here so I can be outside. Love snow now. Must close for now. Write when you can.
Love as always,
Your Friend,
Ida Lyon(?)
In 1958, Eisenhower was President, Bobby Fisher won the US Chess Championship, the plastic hula hoop is first marketed, and the space race is in full swing. The country may have been leaning into scientific progress, but it would be another two years before Ruby Bridges stepped into the halls of a white school, and another seven before the Civil Rights Act was passed that outlawed discriminatory voting practices.
It took me a while to research this card, in part because the names aren’t super clear. Again, we have a card that’s being mailed to a woman, but her name is obscured by her husband. I started there, with “Chas Green”. Quickly, I found that Chas is often short for Charles (yay internet!), so I then started to search Charles, Charles C, etc etc, all to no avail. I thought I might get a hit off the address, but no luck.
And what about Ida? Well, I can’t be sure that her last name IS Lyon. Nonetheless, I searched the name on Family Search, and started weeding through the Ida’s. Sometimes searching the archives is like trying to find breadcrumbs lost in a dirt path. They are there, and you can find them, but it’s very difficult.
Since I’m fairly certain this card starts out with a pet name (Bea or Beau) I considered that it was a possibility Ida was writing to her sister. I went to every Ida that would fit the timeframe, and followed the family trees to check sisters and their husbands. On very rare occasions, this tactic has worked and I’ve been able to find the subjects of my postcard.
This time, it did not work. I did find an Ida with a slew of sisters, one of whom was a Betty. Betty was married four times, and as I kept scrolling I hoped that one of them had the last name “green.” She did not, so I kept searching to no avail.
Despite the fact that I couldn’t find Ida or Mrs. Chas Green, the postcard itself is lovely. I get the sense that Ida is a bit cooped up, though she seems to love the snow (I think), she’s already longing for the warm days of summer and looking for connection in the dark and chilly season. It’s also very typical of a 1950’s postcard. It has the divided back, a two cent stamp, and the image on the front has a white border around it that was normal for the era.
Whomever they were, I hope they connected via a longer letter, and managed to see each other in the warmth of Summer.
Mississippi River Lock and Dam, Fountain City, Wis
I did not see you to say good bye. We are all here and it is just grand up here. How is all your family? I hope all well. This is like the beach we go to. Goodbye
Although the postmark on this card has faded, I’m reasonably sure this dates to between 1909-1912. There’s all the usual suspects: a divided back, a one cent stamp, the publishing company (which began in 1908). But the clincher for me is the beach scene on the front of the postcard. The waves are filled with vacation revelers, but the women are dressed in the long bathing dresses of the early 20th century. Further, their hair is pinned up in the distinct Gibson Girl style that defined the beauty standards of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
So, although I don’t have an exact date, it is with relative certainty that I can say this postcard was sent during a time when the nation was on the cusp of change. The Progressives were far from perfect, but they fought against the corruption of the gilded age. Standards of living rose, labor practices became better for workers, and women…
Well, women wouldn’t get the right to vote for another ten years. And remember, that’s effectively only white women. Alas, alack, at least the styles were beautiful.
As for Anna and her friend Ellen? I’m pretty sure I found Anna, though I’m not entirely confident the time frame works out. I found an Anna Hickey living in Aurora, New York, but she was born in 1862. Which, if my time line is correct, would make her nearing 50 by the time this postcard was sent. While, of course, many women chose to remain unmarried, this Anna did marry. Through a stroke of luck I found a small obituary entry that announced her death with her full name — both maiden and married (Murphy).
This Anna lived a long life, and died in 1956. So, it’s possible she married late in life. But seeing as the title is “Miss” on the card, I tend to think our Anna is younger. Unfortunately, the obituary was the only solid piece of evidence I found. So, if Anna had a niece named after her, I wouldn’t know. It’s also feasible that Anna was a middle name, or short for Annabelle, or Anastasia.
Though, every day I find something stuck behind a paywall it chips away at my resistance to only use free services.
Nonetheless, it seems that Ellen had a lovely time in Maine. Biddeford Pool is a tidal pool with sleek waves and soft beaches. I’d like to think that she wrote her postcard to Anna on the beach, staring at the ocean. Maybe a breeze played at her loosely pinned up hair, maybe her skin flushed a bit from the sun. But she took time out of her vacation to share the moment with her friend. And now, it’s immortalized for us us to share.
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!
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.
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.
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.
…dining room girl and tomorrow I expect a woman to help in the kitchen, then I will have fixed out for the summer. Ruth is not with me this summer. How. wish you could come and see me this summer. I think it would do you good. Can’t you come? My address at the lake is:
My Lake Cousin
Grass Lake
Michigan
Write me. With love to you and Ted.
Grace P
The village of Grass Lake is a small community nestled in the mid-west corner of Michigan. As of 2020, just over 1000 people lived in the village. In the early 1900’s, the main industries would have centered around the railroad, as well as the lake. Possibly tourism as well.
Unfortunately, I can only guess as to the origins of this postcard. It’s got no divided back, which would date it prior to 1907. However, it also doesn’t have a “Post Card” or “Private Mailing Card” stamped anywhere. While the cursive on the card is beautiful, it’s not the sweeping loops we’d see on a postcard from 1900-1905.
There are a few other clues as well. The somewhat laid back and conversational tone (“it would do you good”, “can’t you come”) of the card indicates to me that it wasn’t written during he first decade of the 20th century. Grace also mentions that she’s “fixed out for the summer”, which tells me it’s an extended vacation. My gut tells me this was written somewhere in the decade of the 1920’s, although I suppose it could have been anywhere between 1920-1940.
Who was Grace? Without a postmark, date, or even last name, I couldn’t research her, or her cousins. But, I have a few guesses.
My primary guess is that this is a young(ish) wife who’s family is at the cabin for the summer. Grass Lake is close enough to larger cities that it’s feasible Grace stayed at the cottage while her husband traveled back and forth for work. With her husband gone, she’d want another adult as company — hence the card sent to her cousin.
My other thought is a teenager. However, it seems unlikely that a teen would say “I expect a woman to help in the kitchen”. She’d probably say “Mama expects a woman to…”. So, while I guess it’s possible, I don’t think that this card was from a teen.
Poor Grace. I hope she found company in her loneliness. I sure wish I had the other part of her letter.
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? While I think it’s possible he 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, everything could be seen by everyone. Not only could his father see 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.
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.
Yesterday we drove thru (sic) Shenandoah Valley, Luray, New Market, Staunton to Natural Bridge — First holiday in 4 years except Xmas day — Return by way of Charlotteville tomorrow.
Love to all,
Ida
I’ve been waiting to post this card until September 2, which in 1945 was celebrated as “VJ” day, or “victory over Japan” day. I planned to do a post that discussed the complicated legacy of the United States’ victory over Japan which resulted in utter destruction and death in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. That message is still at the heart of this post. However, the research into this postcard took twists and turns that brought me to a second wife, a famous botanist, and even the illustrious RMS Queen Mary.
Therefore, this post will be part one of two. To honor those men and women who fought and died in World War II, as well as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I will discuss VJ day in today’s post. Tomorrow, I will discuss the strange and winding tale of the Lawrence clan.
September of 1945 finally brought an end to the brutality of World War II. The war remains the bloodiest conflict in human history, with the deaths of an estimated 15 million military personnel and 38 million civilians.
Although Hitler met his demise on April 30, and by May 8 of 1945, the war in Europe was over, the US and her allies were still fighting the war in the Pacific against Japan. That war continued through the Summer and in weighing the death estimates of a full land invasion, President Truman made the decision instead to drop two atomic bombs. The United States dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. These two bombs laid waste to the cities, and resulted in upwards of 200,000 deaths. More, if you count those who’ve died in the years since the bombings.
By August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced the unconditional surrender of Japan to the Allies. This agreement was formally signed on September 2, 1945 — hence the term “VJ Day.” This is likely the history you know, or at least partially know.
There are many conflicting opinions on whether or not the bombs should have been dropped. I, personally, am in the “should not have dropped it” camp. However, I am a cultural historian and I primarily studied the colonial United States. I can give you in depth information about the color “Haint Blue“, but if you ask me about military history I often come up short. All this to say, I’m not here to argue for or against one side. I think Truman’s decision was wrong, but I understand others may vehemently agree with me.
What’s clear is the atomic bombs not only quickly brought an end to the final stages of World War II, they also leapfrogged us into the nuclear age, cold war, and mutual assured destruction. History was forever and irrevocably changed in the few moments that it took to release those bombs on a civilian population. Humans of the world must live with those consequences, and we can’t ever go back.
The thing that strikes me about this postcard is the disconnect between Ida’s tone and the immense world changing events that are happening around her. Yes, she acknowledges that the war is over. Yes, she asks about the “boys” (at least one of whom was deployed and I will talk about tomorrow!), but then she goes straight into a discussion of her vacation. She even sends the postcard from the Natural Bridge landmark. It’s so scarily mundane.
I chose postcards for this little project specifically because they provide a small snippet of information about the life of a person. It’s like peeking into a half-lit window while you’re passing a house at 60 miles an hour. You get a small sense of their surroundings, but not intimate details. I understand that we can’t, and often don’t, get the true feelings or fears or hopes of the sender. However, it seems to me as though the atomic bombings loom much larger for us in 2024 than they did for Ida in 1945.
Instant access to news and information was not an option for Ida. Wartime propaganda and bias would have also influenced what she knew, how much she knew, and even what she thought. News of the bombings and the Manhattan Project was tightly controlled and in the aftermath of the bombings, 85% of Americans responded favorably and believed we should have dropped the bombs. They vividly remembered those lost in the storming of the Normandy beaches, and were glad the war would not claim any more American lives.
So the fact that Ida and her husband chose to take a vacation after 4 years of war was probably not that strange. They were celebrating victory, celebrating life, celebrating the end of the war and reveling in American patriotism. However, I can’t help but get the ick from it. I know this is because I have the benefit of history. But the dropping of the bombs was one thing I truly thought made the world stand still.
But it seems that some Americans went on vacation.
It’s a lot to think about, and I have to wonder what events will be momentous to our ancestors that aren’t truly hitting us yet. Or, perhaps it was too much for Ida to take in, or she felt powerless, so chose to spend time with those she loved? That, I can understand. So many things have happened in the last five years that made me feel powerless to the press of history. But, we keep living and doing what we can to maintain normalcy.
Hipstory 