Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
I've been examining this postcard lately and was wondering if some more "trained eyes" could help me a bit with some identification tidbits.
----------------------------------------
Postcard Front --
Interesting language usage: "phoned you up"
I would say "called you up" in my American English vernacular.
Maybe "phoned you up" is regional, the vernacular of the time or just worked better in the rhyme on the postcard.
----------------------------------------
Postcard Back --
I cannot identify four areas:
GREEN - What is this word? It appears to start with "J".
BLUE - Do you think this word is "Sister" ?
ORANGE - Can you help me identify this postmark? "TRANS.C??? 1912 6 PM"
RED - Would you say this says "Meudon" ? Maybe in France? I cannot read the letters under "Meudon" either.
So, a couple mysteries for me... Any help would be great!
Thanks,
JR
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"BLUE - Do you think this word is "Sister" ?"
Yes
"Would you say this says "Meudon" ? Maybe in France? I cannot read the letters under "Meudon" either."
No. It was sent to Menden, Illinois, a small village with less than 1,000 people.
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I believe this is the obituary of one of Effie's three daughters:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/whig/obituary.aspx?n=corinne-e-walbring&pid=133522181&fhid=7639
Also, from the card, the writer Corrine (Effie's sister) mentions "Ed" at the end. I believe this relates to "Edna", another sister.
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Hi Michael,
Thank you! Really appreciate the identifications.
Surprising that she could just address it Menden, Ill. and it would get there. Obviously a very small village as you mention.
Also that piece from the obituary is very interesting, thanks a lot.
JR
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I believe it is Mendon, not Menden. In 1912 phones were new to Mendon, it is likely that the folks in Mendon had only gotten phone service within a few months. Here is the Bell Phone coverage map from late 1910. (Mendon is a few miles east of Ursa and is not shown on this map as having phone service.)
This was the mailman in Mendon IL in 1914, there is a good chance that he handled the postcard above.
https://www.mendonillinois.com/history-of-mendon--slideshow.html
Don
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'
After I guessed (correctly!) that the card was addressed to Illinois, I looked back at the green circle and guessed the card was written in the town of Ivy, Illinois.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"ORANGE - Can you help me identify this postmark? "TRANS.C??? 1912 6 PM""
The cancel says 'TRANS.CLK' and means Transfer Clerk. These are a railway marking used by a PO employee working in a transfer office or terminal Railroad PO (when mail was transferred between or directed to a connecting railroad).
Remember, before 1918-1920 longer distance (greater than 20 miles) mail movement in rural areas meant using the railroad. Motorized trucks, while they existed in this period, were largely restricted to city and some urban areas where paved roads and support facilities existed. So when looking at rural covers and postmarks before 1920, you can safely work under the assumption that it was on a train at some point.
Don
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Here's a page from a Powerpoint presentation I did at our last club meeting. Note in 1910 the sender used the phrase "called me up".
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As a Canadian, I would say "Ring me up"
David
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Hi,
This is from the British postcard publisher, Birn Brothers of London.
The phrase "phoned up" sounds fine to me so maybe that reflects a British design?
The card was printed in Germany which was very common at the time.
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I couldn't find any record for an Ivy, Illinois.
I think the post card might have been sent from Joy, Illinois.
Jan
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Color me gob-smacked; I did not post until after I confirmed the town by that name and, now, its not there!
There's an Ivy MO, but its a bit of a journey.
Joy IL is closer, and more likely.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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There's an Ivy, Monroe County, Illinois listed in the GNIS database but I see references elsewhere to an Ivy Landing, Ivy Lane etc. including the following quotation from an 1883 publication, Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois:
"Ivy Landing
Ivy Landing, formerly known as Goodman's Landing, is on the Mississippi in the extreme south part of Mitchie precinct, and is an important shipping point. A post-office by the name of Ivy was established in 1874. George W. Cavanaugh was the first postmaster; Smith H. Brickey now has charge of the office. Mr. Brickey and Zeno Aubuchon have carried on the mercantile business since 1874. There is a blacksmith shop, and the place in all contains about half a dozen buildings."
Comparing the way the writer has written her capital "I" and "J" at the top, I wouldn't be surprised if she had indeed written "Ivy".
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Thanks everyone for all of your very informative responses.
I knew I could count on this group for some serious knowledge!
I really appreciate your help and your insights.
JR 
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I like it that the town is so small the sender does not even bother with a "numbered" address!
LOL!
JR
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'
Cards with a town name and no street address are not hard to find.
The question is whether/not you would get bored collecting them ...
... there are fascinations that fade, and those that do not.
YMMV.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I like it that the town is so small the sender does not even bother with a "numbered" address!"
Life in 1910-1915 was vastly different than today.
Keep in mind the paradigm shift that RFD (Rural Free Delivery) represented. While ‘city folks’ had been putting street addresses on their mail since about 1865, most all rural folks made the trip into town to get their mail until around 1900. Until then, rural people made a trip into town once a week or so to get mail and any other supplies they might need. For many the trip was also social, allowing them to catch up with others, buy a newspaper, etc.
So when RFD started to be implemented around
The political mood towards RFD was mixed. Some politicians supported RFD since they thought they could reach more people through mail. Other politicians did not support it because they handed out ‘postmaster’ position as political favors every few years to thousands of store owners. (RFD closed a huge number of small store/post offices around the country.)
But as RFD expanded in the early 1900s, the mailman replaced the trip into town. He now became the social contact with the rural population and people would gather the latest news and or the price of corn. It was not unusually for them to be asked to read a postcard or letter if the person was illiterate. The RFD delivery vehicles were also a ‘post office on wheels’; they sold stamps and money orders right out of the vehicles.
So the mailman would be quite familiar with the patrons on his route in the early 1900s.
Don
Edit: Fixed 1985/1895 typo
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Thanks Don!
Very informative and very interesting.
...selling stamps and money orders right on their vehicles... Wow! Makes sense, but how things have changed! 
JR
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Rural Free Delivery began in the year 1896.
My source:https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/significant-dates.htm
Linus
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The US Congress appropriated $40,000 in 1895 to experiment with rural free delivery. The first routes were started in 1896.
Don
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"So when RFD started to be implemented around 1985, some people"
Don,
I was just correcting the typo in your excellent narrative above. Thank you for this work.
Linus
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I remember the 1960s my parents having me wait outside at the mailbox to buy stamps directly from the mailman.
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Wow Michael!
Not that long ago really!
JR
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No, Michael is older than you think. He meant 1860's!
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Seesh!
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In our town, you can STILL purchase stamps from the mail delivery person.
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We can also buy stamps from our mail carrier in rural Iowa. Just last week he left the stamp order envelope in our mailbox. The idea is to leave your check and stamp order in your mailbox and the stamps will be delivered the next day.
A couple years ago, I could call the postal clerk and the stamps would arrive that same day. Haven't tried that in a long time because all the staff from back then have retired. With the restricted hours and lack of selection, I have been getting the recent issues at the larger post office in the town where I work.
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Hi all,
I've been examining this postcard lately and was wondering if some more "trained eyes" could help me a bit with some identification tidbits.
----------------------------------------
Postcard Front --
Interesting language usage: "phoned you up"
I would say "called you up" in my American English vernacular.
Maybe "phoned you up" is regional, the vernacular of the time or just worked better in the rhyme on the postcard.
----------------------------------------
Postcard Back --
I cannot identify four areas:
GREEN - What is this word? It appears to start with "J".
BLUE - Do you think this word is "Sister" ?
ORANGE - Can you help me identify this postmark? "TRANS.C??? 1912 6 PM"
RED - Would you say this says "Meudon" ? Maybe in France? I cannot read the letters under "Meudon" either.
So, a couple mysteries for me... Any help would be great!
Thanks,
JR
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02:45:44pm
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
"BLUE - Do you think this word is "Sister" ?"
Yes
"Would you say this says "Meudon" ? Maybe in France? I cannot read the letters under "Meudon" either."
No. It was sent to Menden, Illinois, a small village with less than 1,000 people.
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02:57:06pm
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
I believe this is the obituary of one of Effie's three daughters:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/whig/obituary.aspx?n=corinne-e-walbring&pid=133522181&fhid=7639
Also, from the card, the writer Corrine (Effie's sister) mentions "Ed" at the end. I believe this relates to "Edna", another sister.
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re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Hi Michael,
Thank you! Really appreciate the identifications.
Surprising that she could just address it Menden, Ill. and it would get there. Obviously a very small village as you mention.
Also that piece from the obituary is very interesting, thanks a lot.
JR
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re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
I believe it is Mendon, not Menden. In 1912 phones were new to Mendon, it is likely that the folks in Mendon had only gotten phone service within a few months. Here is the Bell Phone coverage map from late 1910. (Mendon is a few miles east of Ursa and is not shown on this map as having phone service.)
This was the mailman in Mendon IL in 1914, there is a good chance that he handled the postcard above.
https://www.mendonillinois.com/history-of-mendon--slideshow.html
Don
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re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
'
After I guessed (correctly!) that the card was addressed to Illinois, I looked back at the green circle and guessed the card was written in the town of Ivy, Illinois.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
"ORANGE - Can you help me identify this postmark? "TRANS.C??? 1912 6 PM""
The cancel says 'TRANS.CLK' and means Transfer Clerk. These are a railway marking used by a PO employee working in a transfer office or terminal Railroad PO (when mail was transferred between or directed to a connecting railroad).
Remember, before 1918-1920 longer distance (greater than 20 miles) mail movement in rural areas meant using the railroad. Motorized trucks, while they existed in this period, were largely restricted to city and some urban areas where paved roads and support facilities existed. So when looking at rural covers and postmarks before 1920, you can safely work under the assumption that it was on a train at some point.
Don
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Here's a page from a Powerpoint presentation I did at our last club meeting. Note in 1910 the sender used the phrase "called me up".
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
As a Canadian, I would say "Ring me up"
David
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Hi,
This is from the British postcard publisher, Birn Brothers of London.
The phrase "phoned up" sounds fine to me so maybe that reflects a British design?
The card was printed in Germany which was very common at the time.
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this post
04:49:16pm
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
I couldn't find any record for an Ivy, Illinois.
I think the post card might have been sent from Joy, Illinois.
Jan
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
'
Color me gob-smacked; I did not post until after I confirmed the town by that name and, now, its not there!
There's an Ivy MO, but its a bit of a journey.
Joy IL is closer, and more likely.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
There's an Ivy, Monroe County, Illinois listed in the GNIS database but I see references elsewhere to an Ivy Landing, Ivy Lane etc. including the following quotation from an 1883 publication, Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois:
"Ivy Landing
Ivy Landing, formerly known as Goodman's Landing, is on the Mississippi in the extreme south part of Mitchie precinct, and is an important shipping point. A post-office by the name of Ivy was established in 1874. George W. Cavanaugh was the first postmaster; Smith H. Brickey now has charge of the office. Mr. Brickey and Zeno Aubuchon have carried on the mercantile business since 1874. There is a blacksmith shop, and the place in all contains about half a dozen buildings."
Comparing the way the writer has written her capital "I" and "J" at the top, I wouldn't be surprised if she had indeed written "Ivy".
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Thanks everyone for all of your very informative responses.
I knew I could count on this group for some serious knowledge!
I really appreciate your help and your insights.
JR
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
I like it that the town is so small the sender does not even bother with a "numbered" address!
LOL!
JR
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
'
Cards with a town name and no street address are not hard to find.
The question is whether/not you would get bored collecting them ...
... there are fascinations that fade, and those that do not.
YMMV.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
"I like it that the town is so small the sender does not even bother with a "numbered" address!"
Life in 1910-1915 was vastly different than today.
Keep in mind the paradigm shift that RFD (Rural Free Delivery) represented. While ‘city folks’ had been putting street addresses on their mail since about 1865, most all rural folks made the trip into town to get their mail until around 1900. Until then, rural people made a trip into town once a week or so to get mail and any other supplies they might need. For many the trip was also social, allowing them to catch up with others, buy a newspaper, etc.
So when RFD started to be implemented around
The political mood towards RFD was mixed. Some politicians supported RFD since they thought they could reach more people through mail. Other politicians did not support it because they handed out ‘postmaster’ position as political favors every few years to thousands of store owners. (RFD closed a huge number of small store/post offices around the country.)
But as RFD expanded in the early 1900s, the mailman replaced the trip into town. He now became the social contact with the rural population and people would gather the latest news and or the price of corn. It was not unusually for them to be asked to read a postcard or letter if the person was illiterate. The RFD delivery vehicles were also a ‘post office on wheels’; they sold stamps and money orders right out of the vehicles.
So the mailman would be quite familiar with the patrons on his route in the early 1900s.
Don
Edit: Fixed 1985/1895 typo
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Thanks Don!
Very informative and very interesting.
...selling stamps and money orders right on their vehicles... Wow! Makes sense, but how things have changed!
JR
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Rural Free Delivery began in the year 1896.
My source:https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/significant-dates.htm
Linus
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
The US Congress appropriated $40,000 in 1895 to experiment with rural free delivery. The first routes were started in 1896.
Don
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
"So when RFD started to be implemented around 1985, some people"
Don,
I was just correcting the typo in your excellent narrative above. Thank you for this work.
Linus
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08:47:49pm
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
I remember the 1960s my parents having me wait outside at the mailbox to buy stamps directly from the mailman.
Login to Like
this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Wow Michael!
Not that long ago really!
JR
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
No, Michael is older than you think. He meant 1860's!
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12:24:12am
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
Seesh!
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re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
In our town, you can STILL purchase stamps from the mail delivery person.
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this post
re: Help with Postcard Identification Point(s)...
We can also buy stamps from our mail carrier in rural Iowa. Just last week he left the stamp order envelope in our mailbox. The idea is to leave your check and stamp order in your mailbox and the stamps will be delivered the next day.
A couple years ago, I could call the postal clerk and the stamps would arrive that same day. Haven't tried that in a long time because all the staff from back then have retired. With the restricted hours and lack of selection, I have been getting the recent issues at the larger post office in the town where I work.
Login to Like
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