A Happy Birthday to You

If it's your birthday today, may it be a glorious one.

Here are the backs of the cards. The first one was sent or given to Paula Petersen. Can you read the message?

 
The second card card was sent to Mrs. Louise (?) Rockwell of Rockwell's Mills, New York. You can read more about the mill and see some great pictures here.

Birthday Congratulation

That's right - only one congratulation. We don't want to give in to excess after all.

Most of the birthday cards I have seen feature roses if they have any flowers at all. These two cards both have pictures of Edelweiss. That's very unusual. The first card was printed in Germany and the second one may have been too, which might explain why there's Edelweiss.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order. The first one was sent to Miss mabel Every in Bloomville, New York in 1914.

The second one, to Miss May Carey of Tunkhannock, New York, may have been sent in an envelope. The message reads:

If you do not come on diamond and come on local why phone me from station and I will come and meet you.

Norman

Just in case you thought Diamond was the name of May's horse, it was actually the Black Diamond,  a passenger train that ran between New York City and Buffalo from 1896 to until 1959.

Happy Birthday, Auntie Freeman

A hundred and one years ago, Mrs. Freeman was celebrating her birthday and received this card with its lovely bunch of violets from her relative, William S. Bliss.

He calls her Auntie, but I don't think he's her nephew. They are related though.

Here it is in a nutshell.
Edmund Freeman was born in England in 1590, but came over by ship (The Abigail) in 1653 and settled in Lynn, Massachusetts. Five generations later, Lewis and Catherine Freeman had seven children, including twins Ada and Ida, born in 1854. Ada Freeman married Seth Henry Bliss. That's where the relationship between Freeman and Bliss comes in, but William S. (born in 1862) is not one of their children, so he must be a nephew of Henry Bliss. In that case it's especially sweet of him to send a card, don't you agree?

Mrs. Freeman appears to be Florence Peek Freeman, born in about 1850 and married to George Lewis Freeman, a Baptist and a Free Mason who lived in Schuyler Lake, Exeter, Otsego County, New York.

 Here's a photo of the Exeter School in 1915, courtesy of the Exeter Historical Society.

Teacher, Gussie Brainard, Hobart Curtiss, Gladys Truman, May Wilson

next row: Leslie Curtis, Bernice Chappell, Truman Allison, Ferris Bliss, Julia Bliss, Joe Allen, Pearl Bliss

I have trouble matching these names up, unless Pearl is a boy, but whatever the case there are three children with the surname of Bliss in this picture.


Here's what Schuyler Lake looks like today. It's still very rural. Wait a minute...is that the Mason's Lodge?

View Larger Map

And if it happens to be your birthday today, I hope it's full of bliss and happiness.

Happy Birthday & Many to Foller

These are both pretty birthday postcards, but I love them more for the messages on the back.

Here's the back of the card, written on March 9th, 1916 by Silas Davis.

 The message reads:
I wish you a Happy Birthday & Many to foller.  from Silas Wayburg (?) Davis

The second card was sent to Minnie Crosby in Norwich, new York in 1915.

The message reads:

Dear Auntie:

We are all well but papa he has got a sore leg  

please excouse writting From Clara W.

Happy Birthday

If today is your birthday, don't worry about paying your taxes. I'm sure the IRS will understand.

The message on the last card, sent to Lydia Spies, reads:

Dear Lydia

May Years be made of Sunny Days, 

And Lifes own sky be blue,

With friendship shedding full its rays on all your dreams come tue

from your friend

Caroline Plath   ...presumably no relation to Sylvia Plath

Bon Anniversaire

The message reads:

Dear Uncle,

Your little nephew sends you his greetings for your birthday and a thousand kisses and hugs.

Baby

kisses Aunt Marya and Yelle

Hearty Congratulations

Happy Birthday, Karin!

Best Birthday Wishes

Best birthday wishes to the architect who steals my covers and occasionally leaves anonymous comments on this blog. May you have a bright and wonderful day, all the covers you need, and a year full of fun and adventure.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

Happy Birthday

The message to Nelson J. Hastings reads:

Dear Neltie:

I will send you this card to wish you a happy Birth day and will try and answer your letter you sent me along time ago. Tell Georgie I received his letter.

Lovingly

Aunt Gertrude

Birthday Basket

A message to Mabel Every from Leta.

The Birthday Zeppelin

The message to Miss Lydia Spies reads:

Wish you a bright and happy birthday. Your friend and schoolmate,

Lena Stine

Happy Birthday, Brother Walter

May 4. 1916

Dear Brother Walter here is a little girl for your Birthday and many more to come

love from Sister Susan

The Till family seems to have been very close and I have many birthday cards to Walter from his siblings.

Birthday Greetings to J. Wheeler Smith

I have no idea who J. Wheeler Smith was, but he received this card for his 90th birthday in 1910. Born in 1820,  J. Wheeler Smith might have been considered too old to fight in the Civil War. Imagine that. He probably died before the first World War.  His life experience was so different from mine, yet I hold this card of his in my hand. This really sums up my fascination with old postcards.

Here's the unedited message:

Please except hearty congratulations and best wishes  for this your 90th birthday. Hope you will see many more. Just recd. your kind letter.  You certainly are a wonder to me, so smart for one of your years. With all good wishes I am sincerely

Mrs. J.H. Prentice.

Happy Birthday

Two cards today, one for my father's birthday and one for Streetcar Sunday! It's Madeleine's birthday too! Happy Birthday, Madeleine.

All Birthday Joys

Birthday Greetings

This lovely birthday card was sent in 1909. The message reads:

This is to wish you a happy birthday. We received your cards yesterday. I am going to write soon. Momma is at Prospect. We are all well. Hope you are well by this time.

Dora

Birthday Greetings - Silk Embroidered Card

I'm only familiar with the French silk embroidered cards, but this one was made in the United States, presumably right around 1920. If you're interested in silk postcards, Bill from the U.K. has a great website.

Birthday Greetings

This beautiful birthday card was sent in 1913. I have trouble reading the old German script, but I can see that the first line is Liebe Mutter or Dear Mother. The scan doesn't show how brightly the gold on the card shines. Be sure to click on it to enlarge it and see the detail. Such a beauty!