The Tragic Life of George Muhlig

George John Muhlig was born in about 1873 and worked as a farmer in the areas around Walton and Liberty, New York.

He married Mary Jane Henderson; you may remember her from either this previous post on the Hendersons or the following post. Here's an early photo of Mary.

George and Mary had a son, Howard Ezra, born in 1906. According to an article in the October, 8, 1917 edition of the Kingston Daily Freeman, 11-year-old Howard was hit in the stomach with an apple thrown by another boy. The boy complained of a sore stomach and despite medical attention died a few days later.

In the following year, the Monticello, New York Republican Watchman published this article. It's a little hard to read, so I have transcribed it below.

Source: Old Fulton Postcards

MEN INJURED  WHEN BOOZE ESCAPED
When Car Was Overturned Near White Sulphur Springs
Accident Revealed the Fact That Supposedly Dry Territory is Very Wet

Two bottles of rum escaped injury Tuesday evening when the Ford automobile in which they were riding struck a fender near White Sulphur Springs and overturned but three men who were also riding in the automobile narrowly escaped death. George Muhlig, of Liberty, who was driving the car, had his shoulder injured; Frank Burgher, who lives on the Stevensville Road, was cut severely in the thigh, and Orlando Donaldson of Neversink, had his leg injured so that he was unable to stand on it.

The men said they were run into by another car, but eyewitnesses of the accident say that no other cars were in sight. Harry Knack, from his residence a quarter mile away, and his brother Gus heard the crash and ran to give aid. They found the Ford on its side and the men beneath it in a dazed condition.

Burgher was bleeding profusely in the leg where he had been cut and the other men were so quiet that bystanders feared they had been killed. The Ford and the fenders were almost a total wreck. The booze, which had been wrapped carefully in paper placed in a burlap bag, and stowed away in the rear, came out without a scratch. A large jug was also found in the bag and it was unhurt. But unlike the bottles, it was empty.  Those who saw the wreck say that not all the booze aboard was in the bottles.

The place where the meeting of the fender and the Ford occurred was about two-thirds of the way from Youngsville to White Sulphur.

After the accident, Gus Knack brought the men to Liberty  for medical treatment and Cliiff Edwards took the Ford to White Sulphur, where it got first aid. Dr Payne treated Burgher and had to take several stitches in his wound. –Liberty Register

 George is one of the men in this photo, though I can't be sure which one.

Here's why. I have two  copies of the same photo, but they are labeled differently.  Both have George listed, but the second man is identified as hired man, Blake Schoomacher on one card and as John Washington on the other.  I couldn't find a record of any Blake Schoomacher or Schumacher, but I did find John Washington and he was 14 years older than George. The postcard could have been printed anytime between 1904 and the 1920s, so George would have been between 31- 46 when the photo was taken. That doesn't narrow it down enough to be sure which one is George.

I'm guessing that George is the older man. I'm trying to compare the known photo of George with this one - and trying not to be too influenced by the mustache.

The next entry I find for George Muhlig is in 1924. It's the Delaware County coroner's report from the Delaware , NY Genealogy & History website. The coroner writes in his report:

On October 1, 1924 was called to the home of George Muhlig in Walton village where he had just been found hanging by the neck in the upper story of the barn. I found it to be a case of suicide. 

Mary had now lost both her son and her husband to tragic deaths.
They are all buried together at the Liberty Cemetery in Liberty, New York.
 

Source

This is a photo of Mary in 1925, the year after her husband's death, standing in a field with an empty chair.

The  writing on the back of the postcard/photo says:
Mrs. Mary J. Muhlig
taken 1925 at Mrs. Cutters at White Sulphur Springs, Sull. Co. New York.

Addendum - February 13, 2014
Every now and then we find another photo that turns out to be a missing piece of one puzzle or another. I immediately recognized it when I read the inscription on the back of this card. Here's a photo of Howard Ezra who died at 11 after being hit in the stomach by an apple thrown by another boy. How old do you think he is here? Nine, maybe? Poor fellow.

It looks like Mom did the writing:  

Dear Grandpa + Grandma. Will send you a picture of myself I got at school This is taken on the door (?) yard in front of the house
all well
Howard E. Muhlig
when are you coming down to see us

I Do Not Cycle

The problem with a postcard, or even a letter, is that you may not know what was communicated in previous correspondence, so there are invariably mysteries.  There's nothing mysterious about the front of the card, but the message could use some explanation.

 

Wilf sent this card from Coventry, UK in May 1910 to Miss Polly Lee in Bridgnorth.

Here's the back of the card.

The message reads:

Dear Polly

have just received your letter but shall not be able to answer it very soon as I have got to go to Coventry for the Sunbeam on a little bit of business so I cannot say how long I shall be before I shall get back but I expect it will be Tuesday but I will write as soon as I can! I Do Not Cycle? Wilf

What could he mean? 

Here's a picture of Polly's house, courtesy of Google.


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I revised this post based on the comments below. Yes, it's Sunbeam, as in bicycles. And here's a great link to a blog that talks about Coventry's role in the bicycle industry. Those Sunbeams were beautiful. Here's the link that Lisa provided ion the comments below: http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/bicycles/Sunbeam.htm

Biking around Grant's Tomb

I have lots of postcards of Grant's Tomb, but none of them feature bicycles, much less a tandem!

The card was printed sometime between 1905 and 1908.  Here's the back.

Happy Pickelhauben to You

Here's a great real-photo card of German soldiers wearing the Pickelhaube. That's the name of those ornate spiked helmets worn by Prussians and then other German military in the 19th and early 20th century. For formal occasions, various plumes could be attached to the finial to create an impressive ceremonial appearance.

The problem was that these impressive helmets weren't well suited for combat. Often they were made from leather with metal added only as a decoration. They didn't cover much of the head either and they were heavy. It's fairly evident that they were designed mostly as a fashion statement, when you consider that cloth covers for the helmets became standard issue in 1892. Why? Well, to protect them from dirt - and also because the highly reflective nature of the helmets made the soldiers wearing them very easy to spot.

Later, when World War I broke out, it was quickly discovered that the helmets were a serious liability for trench warfare. They didn't protect the wearer from shrapnel - and I'm sure you can just picture a line of the spikes sticking up from a foxhole. This lack of utility led to their replacement by unattractive steel helmets.

This card was sent in 1912 by Ulrich Baumann (?), who may well be one of the soldiers pictured on the front of the card. He sent the birthday greeting to Miss von Lorenz, who was staying with her excellency, Frau von Hugo, the wife of Major von Hugo, the German Military Attaché to Paris. It was sent to Pomerania, which was probably a vacation destination rather than their year-round residence. The postmark indicates that the card was sent from the Elsenborn Übungsplatz, a military training facility. Click here to see another card sent to Frau von Hugo.

Victor Bicycles - Overman Wheel Co. - Part 3

This is the last day of three for the Victor Bicycles advertising booklet. Just a few more pictures. This is the back cover of the booklet:

It seems that buying a Victor bicycle ensured that repairs were quick and easy. Look at all of the equipment you need to repair the other bike! If only those people had had the sense to buy a Victor bike. Speaking of equipment, these football players aren't wearing any helmets.

And the female tennis players might be surprised to see what Venus Williams wears when she plays tennis.

 

Run fox, run!

Although I couldn't determine who created these beautiful illustrations, I did notice that this particular booklet was stamped B.E. Pudney, Bicycle Agency, Sidney, New York. What's interesting to me about that is that B.E. Pudney was also a postcard publisher.  Perhaps B.E. got caught up in the cycling craze along with everyone else. I found a New York Times article from 1895, that listed the names of cyclists suspended by the League of American Wheelmen for competing in unsanctioned events on the Sabbath. Some of them were suspended for as long as two years! The article also listed race meets for which sanctions had been granted, including one on September 12th, sponsored by B.E. Pudney.

Victor Bicycles - Overman Wheel Co. - Part 2

This is a continuation of yesterday's post on the Victor Bicycling advertisement booklet by the Overman Wheel Co. There will be more tomorrow too!
Here are some of the beautiful illustrations:

I can't find any indication of who created the beautiful illustrations. No credits and no signature or initials.

Victor Bicycles - Overman Wheel Co.

We're taking a break from postcards for the next three days. Instead, let's look at an antique bicycle advertising booklet from the late 1800s.  Here's the front cover:

Inside are many additional beautiful color pictures and sepia illustrations with music.

The illustration below shows "Victoria - Queen of Safeties", which is a reference to safety bicycles.  The safety bicycle replaced the penny-farthing design, which had a big front wheel and was prone to catapulting the rider over the handlebars. The new design made cycling safer and much more appealing for women and men alike, and helped to create the cycling craze of the 1890s.



Throughout the booklet, bicyclists are shown in association with other outdoor sports, including swimming, rowing, sailing, baseball, football, lacrosse, tennis, and hunting.

From 1883 until 1901,  Albert H. Overman's Wheel Co. manufactured the Victor bicycle. From what I can tell, the business did well for a number of years. Victor bicycles were a major player in the bicycle craze at the end of the century. But in 1901 Overman Wheel Co. was declared insolvent, and Overman lost his entire investment.

More illustration and information from this advertising booklet in tomorrow's post.

Sepia Saturday - Vintage Bicycle Racing

Bicycle racing became popular in the 1880s. There were races with the high-wheeled bicycles, but they were fairly dangerous. One small rock and you were face-first over the handle bars. The new bicycles with two equal-sized wheels were called safety bikes. When they came along, racing really took off.  Bicycle like the ones shown here were developed in 1898.

In the 1880s, the 6-day races were very popular in England. Participants would race for six days or until they gave in to fatigue. That's how crazy people were about bicycles. In the U.S., the event was modified slightly to include two-man teams, so they could trade off and race for the entire six days. It's still total insanity if you ask me.

The first Tour de France took place in 1903. There were also road races in the U.S., but Velodrome or track racing was immensely popular as a spectator sport. It was exciting because of the speed that riders could achieve, racing in close quarters on a  banked track. These fellows were probably both velodrome racers, though their pictures were taken in a studio. Note the medals on the cyclists shirt below:

To find out more about the history of the racing bicycle, visit The Racing Bicycle. To see more wonderful old photos and rich family histories, check in with the Sepia Saturday blog.