Up, Up and Away

As promised, this thousand and first post is my last, at least for the foreseeable future.  I will be checking in occasionally and updating some of the posts. Links to updated posts will be on this page, so check back from time to time if you like. I will also be cleaning up the list of tags at the bottom of the page so it's easier to find things.

I bid you a warm farewell with this patriotic stand-up card, 7"wide by 10.25" high. These were produced by the National Tea Company at the turn of the century to give to customers or use as a display. National Tea Company was a grocery store that started out in Chicago and became a popular chain store, particularly in the Midwest.

Thanks again to my many faithful readers and the thoughtful comments and insight you contributed to this blog. I hope you  enjoyed this adventure as much as I did. I wish you all the best.

Updates:

February 13, 2014 - After finding a relevant and touching photo, I just updated the post on George Muhlig and his family with an addendum.

Fighting to Clear Her Ancestor's Name
You may remember the numerous (and humorous) posts regarding Tracy Graham of Delhi, New York.  Eventually, my research led me to his daughter Bernice, who is alive and well and still living in the the Delhi area. At 82, Bernice is not just sitting around.  She is the Meredith Town Historian and has recently written a book entitled My Grandmother Mary Was Hanged.  It turns out that Bernice's 7th grandmother was convicted of witchcraft and hanged back in 1663 in Connecticut. Apart from writing the history of the event, Bernice is trying to convince the State of Connecticut to exonerate her 7th grandmother. You can read more about the book in this Washington Post article or buy the book from Avalon Moon in Delhi, Dew York.

Update February 15, 2014. I just got another letter from Bernice today. She's at it again! Bernice just published another book, A Sheriff's Mounted Division in Delaware County New York, which details the history of the mounted division.

Jordena Flood Green Update
Recently I was contacted by a relative of Jordena Flood Green whose name is Linda. She didn't actually know Jordena, but she was contacted as an heir upon Jordena's death. It seems that Jordena had no close relatives when she died, and although she didn't have a huge amount of money, she had numerous accounts including a Swiss bank account. There was also evidence of a trust fund financed by a mysterious man. Jordena's relative said that there were also a number of photographs of Jordena on cruise ships and in Hawaii.  If she sends me copies of these photos (wouldn't that be great!) I will add them to the post and let you know.

Elizabeth Brady Cabot Winslow
It's easy to understand why people are fascinated with Elizabeth's story, which is both mystifying and heartbreaking. I mentioned that we have some film footage from her modeling days. It has been transferred from film to a digital file. I have added a very short snippet from the film to this post. I only included a short segment to avoid confusion, since other models were also on this film.

Time is on the Wing - Birds in Advertising - Part 2

Thus, like the miller, bold and free, let us rejoice and sing;

The days of youth are made for glee, and time is on the wing ; 

The first card is a very early engraved calling card, probably circa 1840, so it's not really an advertisement.  But I suppose you could say that calling cards are really a form of personal advertisement. In any case, this one says Time is on the Wing, and there's something very beautiful about its simplicity. Once there was a name written underneath, but it's impossible to read now.

The words are from The Miller of Dee, a traditional folk song. You can read the full lyrics here.

The second card advertises Carters Little Liver Pills, available at Heyne Druggist in Syracuse, New York. Heyne had many beautiful trade cards in the 1880s.

And this card is a rarity, because it's a trade card with a bird on it that's actually advertising a novelty and bird store, Stinard's, also of Syracuse, New York.

More cards from Syracuse, New York. These are from George C. Young & Brothers.

The back of this next card is more interesting than the front, also from a merchant in Syracuse, Kenyon, Potter & Company.

And now for some gratuitous eggs. If you didn't see Birds in Advertising-Part I, you can click here to see it.

Birds in Advertising - Part 1

It's not often that you see birds used in advertising anymore, but back in the 1880s birds were common in advertisements for all things unrelated to birds, everything from dry goods and shoes to liver pills and throat lozenges. The businesses hoped that people would collect the beautiful cards and remember their business that way.

The first one is from American Breakfast Cereals.

 

Then there are these beautiful cards from Solomon Rosenbloom & Sons, shoe dealers in Syracuse, New York. I highly recommend this blog post about the Rosenblooms and Daniel Rosenbloom's house on a blog called My Central New York. Samuel Gruber, the blog's host, has conducted thorough research, included a number of interesting photos, and writes a compelling story.

The last trade card from Liberman & Stevenson, also of Syracuse, take a different approach to advertising, emphasizing humor instead of beauty.

More birds in Part 2, coming soon.

Support Walt

On February 10, 1937, the Times Herald of Olean, New York reported that Walt crashed his delivery truck into a telephone pole while trying to avoid hitting a car entering the road from a side street. He was taken to the hospital with injuries to his back and knee.

On December 14, 1940, the same newspaper reported that a State Supreme Court jury agreed to award Walter Nitsche $150 for personal injuries in a head-on collision. Both drivers claimed the other was driving on the wrong side of the road. Walt had also asked for eight weeks lost wages, at $45 a week, because he said he was unable to complete his bread and candy deliveries during that time. It appears he didn't get it.

Walter married Azuba Gilliland in 1923. He died in 1960.

Gold Medal Cookbook

There's no expiration date on this coupon, but since it's from the turn of the last century I don't suppose you could count on getting a cookbook. You could try. Don't forget to send ten cents in cash or stamps!

In 1878, the Washburn 'A' Mill was the site of a famous explosion caused by the ignition of flour dust in the air. The explosion flattened the mill and surrounding area and killed 18 people. The incident led to reforms in the milling industry.

Washburn-Crosby Millers, the makers of Gold Medal Flour eventually merged with other smaller mills to become General Mills.

C.H. Remer - Japan and China Tea Co.

I can't vouch for the quality of their tea their tea, but C. H. Remer of Syracuse, New York certainly produced some beautiful trade cards. They also gave away glassware and crockery as incentives. I don't read Japanese or Chinese, but I'm guessing that the creator of these cards took artistic license with the Asian alphabets.

 

Drumhead Cabbage & Friends

Most of us don't have a local seedsman these days where we can buy our seeds. We're more likely to buy them at nurseries or hardware stores. These cards were all produced by Richmond & Co/Clay & Richmond of Buffalo, New York in the 1880s/90s.

Doing the Wash

I hope you're not celebrating Labor Day by doing laundry. If you are, at least you can take comfort in knowing how much easier it is today than it was at the turn of the century. And this lady thought she was fortunate to have a hand-cranked wringer.

Doing laundry isn't really newsworthy today, but I guess back in 1909 and 1912 it was a big enough job that it was worth writing home about.

These cards were sent in June and July, so I imagine the clothes were hung on the clothesline and came back smelling of sunshine. I hang laundry out in the summer too, but I would miss the convenience of a dryer in the winter.

The first card was sent to Mrs. Claude Light of Harpursville, New York in 1909. According to the 1910 Census, Claude (27) was a milk inspector for Borden Milk. His wife Nina, was 19 at the time.

The message reads:

We arrived home soon after eight. B.G. was surprised. Suppose you are canning. I washed today. I asked father how he was feeling today and he said he didn't know. Mother G. invited me up to dinner today. Write soon Lovingly M.

The second card was sent to Mr. Derrick Osro Steere of McDonough, New York in 1912. According to the 1880 Census, Derrick Steere, a dairy farmer,  was born in 1855. The sender, his daughter Nora, was born in 1879. The message (with very little punctuation) reads:

June 3, 1912

Hallo Father

I send this wishing you a happy birthday and many more to come we age well F' has got to Point I have washed I have got five turkeys is all when does yours come off I will write more and send to marrow so you will have all the news

your daughter Nora

Here are the other sides of the cards. Grace Lester must have had the first one glued in an album.

A Range of Stoves

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt shows a country store interior with a pot-bellied stove. In addition to heating, people also used wood-fired stoves for cooking. Sometimes they were simple and other times they were extremely ornate.

Garland stoves have been around for a long time. In fact I remember considering one when I was shopping for ranges years ago. As far as I know, Garland only produces commercial ranges now.

This is one of my favorite advertising cards, although it's difficult to show with scanned images.
It starts out as a triangle like this.

 And then unfolds to find the children doing unspeakable things. The maid runs to alert their mother.

When she come back with the mother, the children are sweetly reading their books by the fire. But where is the cat?

In any case, it's an amazing stove. Not surprisingly, people still collect these even if they don't use them for heat. 

The Michigan Stove Co. had been making Garland stoves had been around since 1864, but they were originally unveiled at the 1893 World's Fair. In 1925 The Michigan Stove Co. merged with Detroit Stove Works, makers of "Jewel" Stoves and Ranges. Here's a trade card of theirs showing no stoves at all, but a blissed out girl on a shopping trip. She looks to me as if she's waiting for a train.

 

The Jewell stove name may be in quotation marks to distinguish it from another company, makers of the Jewett Range.

Sherman S. Jewett (1818-1897) was better known for his civic involvement and philanthropy than his stove business. You can read more about him here.

Be sure to check out Sepia Saturday this week, with many posts inspired by a single photograph.