My first attempt at uploading these images do not seem to be the best. I may try to again another way. I want to get this post completed with the least amount of convoluted structure that inhibits publishing.
Recently, I sent a couple of old postcards that I had in my collection to a niece who expressed an interesting in collecting them. I had some free time today on this glorious early fall Saturday and took a little drive to one of my favorite thrift shops. From there, I walked over to an antique place next door as I was not finding what I felt my heart was searching for.
Just as I walked in, I noticed a desk with an album of old post cards plus a couple of boxes of other ones. I found this one almost right away. The writing traveling all over the place and the 1910 date caught my eye. I found no others like it in the bunch so after flipping through a little more and choosing one more of a Dutch valentine one that I like collecting because of my Dutch heritage (this one was completely unmarked), I purchased them and headed out.
This particular RPPC (real photo postcard) is postmarked 4 August 1910 and addressed to Miss Ruth Lucile Rich in Cattaraugus (Catt Co), New York. There is writing on the front and the back of the card. The image is described by the writer as "One of the busy streets at Otto" and shows a street scene with business signs including E. Phillips Grocer and a sign for the post office. There are two men seated in front of the post office. It is approximately three miles from the town of Otto to the village of Cattaraugus.
"Dearest Ruth" begins the missive upside down of the address box. You read down and sideways and then the other side to see what all the writer has to say which among other topics gushes that, "I am writing this just as if I hadn't seen you for ages." In another section, the writer mentions, "Mac says for my birthday present he will take me to the picnic tomorrow. How very kind of him. Is it not. But I am not sure I will go. No don't get mad. With loads of love..." On the other side the writer mentions that "Helen and Bob have gone to [the] picnic. So you see I am quite alone. Oh how sad."
I speculated that this was written by a friend of Ruth's and that perhaps Mac was the writer's husband. Time for some research. I got on familysearch.org and typed in Ruth Lucile Rich, residing in Cattaraugus, Cattaraugus Co, NY between 1900-1910 and found her right away. She was born in the town of Otto (the street scene of which was depicted on the postcard) in September of 1894. I also found Mac but the connection was not what I supposed. Turns out he became the recipient Ruth's husband some seven years after the penning of this postcard. We can be fairly certain we have the right family as this Mac Holbrook had a sister named Helen and a brother named Bob, both referenced in the postcard. So the writer is a sister of Mac's. The signature is somewhat smudged and difficult to read but I thought I could make out that it started with an "N" and guessed Nellie. When I first saw the list of his siblings, I thought it was likely written by his sister Helen (of which Nellie can be a nickname). But after rereading it, I realized Helen was referenced in the card so could not be the one who write it. Helen was born in 1896 and close in age to Ruth, but another sister Orpha Jeanette was born in August of 1894 and thus nearly the exact same age as Ruth. Indeed, the signature then is signed, "Nette." The friends would have been around the age of 16 at this time.
It is satisfying to be able to connect the postcard to the family and discover the details.
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