Friday, May 30, 2008

May 30 - Friday From The Collectors



COMMUNITY HISTORY ON THE RUN


By Chery Kinnick
Nordic Blue


I dreamt about being a published author nearly all of my life. If a fortuneteller had read my palm a few years ago and told me that within a four-month period I would go from the conception of an idea to having a completed book at a publishing house, I would have laughed out loud. Well, it is true, my friends, and I’m here to tell you about that journey. Does it sound like I’m selling snake oil? Well, I won’t kid you. As with many things worth doing, publishing takes vision, hard work, time commitment, networking, and sometimes, as in my case, it can also depend upon being in the right place at the right time, with one or two creative ideas ready at the trigger.

Snoqualmie Pass, by John & Chery Kinnick

The cover of Snoqualmie Pass
by John and Chery Kinnick


In October 2007, the book my husband and I put together: Snoqualmie Pass, was released by Arcadia Publishing. How did that happen?

Back when I began taking writing very seriously, I signed up for a local seminar called Nearby History, offered through Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry. At the end of each fall seminar, family and friends of presenters are invited to a special event, but also local editors, news columnists, and other persons interested in the field of history. Everyone joins in for an evening of schmoozing and hearing all about what Seattle’s newest historians are up to.

It was at this event in January 2007 that I met the local editor for Arcadia Publishing. Sad to say, Arcadia has since decided not to keep a Seattle-based editor, so the chances of such a serendipitous meeting are much less now, at least in my town. I was given an author’s packet to take home, but I confess I did not sit down with it until several weeks later. As I balanced a cup of tea and the enclosed literature after work one day, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I could actually do it.

My husband, John, and I have lived in a very special area for the past fourteen years. Snoqualmie Pass in the Central Cascades of Washington is best known as a recreation area, especially for skiing and hiking. As longtime residents and active community members, we know it to be so much more. The varied history of this mountain community includes not just recreation, but indigenous tribes, explorers, pioneers, wildlife, railways, mining, interstate transportation, architecture, art, music, as well as the history of an unincorporated area straddling two counties. We had always toyed with the idea of commemorating the neighborhood somehow, and this turned out to be the perfect avenue for it.


The Hyak School, on the east end of the Pass (Kittitas County), was started in the 1920s to provide local education to the children of Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway employees. Alexander “Ham” Howard was a student at the school for two winters. His mother, Pearl Howard, served as the teacher.

Arcadia is the leading local history publisher in the United States and prides itself on producing easily accessible and quickly digestible history. Arcadia is the “Starbucks of history publishers,” as my editor so aptly put it. Some historians may scoff at the idea, but I find Arcadia has found a perfect niche. Not only does it provide a unique opportunity for authors (newbie and experienced), historical societies, and other groups, but it also gives the general public access to historical information and images they might not otherwise encounter.

My own first encounter with the Arcadia’s Images of America series was several years ago while I was visiting Duluth with some Minnesota cousins of mine. I was seriously on the prowl for any family history related material that I could find. My particular hope was to find an image of a 19th century building where my great great grandmother’s second husband had worked in an office as an attorney. I knew the name of the building, but with no time to head for the library and less than a half-hour available to check out the waterfront stores, what to do? I spotted a gift shop, marched in and went over to the bookshelves and located a book entitled: Duluth, Minnesota. I was thrilled to find it chock full of images, especially of the city’s 19th century architecture. Flipping through the pages, I found exactly what I was looking for. When I explained to a cousin what I had found, he asked incredulously, “HOW did you do that?” I neglected to mention the specialized family history-tracking device in my pocket.

Ski competitions brought many visitors to the Pass, beginning in about 1929. Early automobiles, looking like cookie-cutter images of each other, line the highway at the summit during a weekend event.

But seriously, you can see how a highly recognizable series containing community history, as told through images, can be entirely useful to an experienced researcher, as well as to a curious passerby.

For series and subject matter of interest to Arcadia Publishing, take a look at http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/publish.html.

The beautiful thing about putting together a book of images for Arcadia, at least for a new author, is the structure provided. Each book is standardized in length and appearance, so there are fewer decisions for an author to make. Arcadia chooses the cover image out of several submitted by the author and also provides a book proposal form and general guidelines, making the process as easy as possible. In addition, an editor stands ready at the other end of the phone or e-mail to answer any questions throughout the creative process.

There is also a layout planner, on which the images are numbered in the order they will appear, while the accompanying text is submitted in a separate word document. All you really need, initially, is a good book proposal and some idea of how to gather and manipulate images. It’s not as hard a process as you may think. The publisher edits your completed project and suggests improvements on images and text where necessary, making for a nearly foolproof product.

I said the process was not hard, but it is time consuming. For four months, John and I each held the equivalent of a second job. We set up a general division of labor, and it took both of us working steadily to complete the book in the allotted time period (it was our choice to do it in four months, by the way). John is a longtime ski instructor and extrovert who is acquainted with many people around the Pass, so he took charge of contacting mostly everyone on our list with local and/or ski industry affiliations. I am the researcher/writer, so I located archival images and secured permissions, collected signed release forms, scanned and organized all of the images and artifacts, researched and wrote the captions, and in general, put everything together in the package as presented to Arcadia. A bit lopsided? Not really. Without John making all those daytime phone calls, setting up meetings, and drumming up excitement for the project among those who had materials to share, well… the book would not be half of what it is.


Illustration of the proposed snow shed at Airplane Curve on Highway 10 (now Interstate 90). The card, which contained information on the backside, was handed out to motorists who were temporarily stopped by construction in 1950.

Where did we find images for Snoqualmie Pass? Some of them came from archival collections, but not the majority.

Cautionary note:
Images obtained from archival collections can be costly!

It is not so much the cost of securing the right to publish, since many archives will give a discount for multiple images in certain types of publications, but the cost for copies, scans, etc., can really add up. Though you certainly will not get rich by publishing an Arcadia book, you will not want to spend so much initially that you neglect the bottom line of your pocketbook.

It is the author’s responsibility to comply with copyright laws and secure permission or pay fees for any images used.

You do not want to make the mistake of assuming that because an archival image is available digitally, you can just copy it and use it freely. If you are publishing, and especially if you stand to make a profit, you must secure permission first, according to federal copyright laws. Arcadia makes it harder to commit a faux pas by insisting that images be scanned in tiff format at a resolution of no less than 300 dpi. Postcards and images from a printed source need to be descreened (filtered) during the scanning process to avoid pixilated patterns in the finished image.

So, where is the “free” stuff? You would be surprised how much historical treasure is in the hands of private parties. We found old timers in the ski industry and longtime collectors who were thrilled to be represented in the book, and they helped us immensely. I also knew someone at work whose grandfather had built a historic cabin just a few yards from my own front door, and that coworker and his cousin were honored to have their relative commemorated in such a way.

Want old postcards and memorabilia to scan? Check EBay and local antique shops. Basically, you need to use your imagination about where to find materials, and you need to ask around. Most of the time you will not be turned down when you go knocking, but be sure you give proper credit if you want to be on speaking terms later on.

Also, do not forget about public libraries and state archives. You will probably have to pay to get images scanned from their collections, but since they already “belong to the public” there is often no usage fee.


Colorful totem poles and carved Native American sculptures attracted passing motorists to the Rock Chalet, a popular gift shop owned by Jack and Wilma Preston for over 40 years.

While researching information for image captions, I used books, articles, newspaper clippings, written descriptions attached to archival images, and oral interviews.

Cautionary note:
Just because you are told something does not make it a fact.

Use your own good judgment when deciding if a secondhand story or bit of info can be trusted. It’s a good idea to utilize what is called the “triangle of proof.” If something is stated the same way in at least three different places, then you can feel somewhat secure about its accuracy. If you are not sure, then do not state the information as fact, but as a supposition instead, or, you can quote the person who gave you the info. Believe it or not, your Arcadia book will be looked at as a historical document now and in the future, so you want to be careful to not rewrite (mangle?) the truth.

Lastly, I want to point out that although historical images are the focus of Arcadia’s Images of America series, it does not mean that each and every image must be “old.” Some contemporary photographs definitely qualify as history-in-the-making, and will be considered rare or special in future years. It is more than okay to include those, too.


Each year at the winter season’s first significant snowfall, television station vehicles can be seen parked along the highway at Snoqualmie Summit. Reporters prepare weather and traffic updates at the scene, asking residents, business owners, and travelers to tell (one more time) how they manage in all that snow.

Does this leave you contemplating an Arcadia book of your own? Good! See you around the bookstores, libraries, and gift shops!

Photographs:

1. Snoqualmie Pass, book cover. Digital image. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2007.

2. Hyak School and students, 1920s. Photograph. Digital Image. Ellensburg Public Library, Ellensburg, Washington, United States, 2008.

3. Automobiles at Snoqualmie Summit, 1929. Photographic negative. Digital image. Washington State Archives, Olympia, Washington, United States, 2008.

4. Snow shed construction on Highway 10, 1950. Postcard. Digital image. Privately held by Jack Leeper [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States, 2008.

5. Totem Poles at the Rock Chalet, Snoqualmie Pass, ca. 1960s. Postcard. Digital image. Privately held by Chery Kinnick [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States, 2008.

6. Television crew camped out at the Summit Inn, 2007. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Chery Kinnick [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, United States, 2008.



Article and Photographs
Copyright © Chery Kinnick

9 Comments

Thursday, May 29, 2008

From A Simple Postcard


"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."

Thursday, on Shades Of The Departed, will be dedicated to many things,
and nothing in particular.

Many Things Thursday

Postcard
Grace Mathewson


From a simple postcard so much is found. This is another find from the antique stores of Montana. So what is the connection to this postcard and the old photographs of Shades, you ask? Read on and all will be revealed.

I had stopped at a small antique store in Missoula to look for old photographs when our California Daughter found hundreds of postcards written to the same person. She brought this one to me and I was completely taken with it and the entire collection. How could any family have let these treasures get away? I couldn't buy them all, but I did buy the best.

The postcard is addressed to Miss Grace Mathewson, Anaconda, Montana, United States of America.


Address

The cards were sent from all over the world and many were signed Mother or Daddy. The owner of the store thought that Grace's parents must have been diplomats. They weren’t, but that’s not the end of Grace’s story.

The card reads:

Sept. 12, 1906

Dear Gracie.

I have been sick for two days. We are anchored now in the Straits. It is very dark and stormy out. The chairs are tied to the deck to keep them from being blown overboard. We will reach Punta Arenas tomorrow.

Your friend
Donald Vigero

Along the side it reads:

This is our ship. Its first trip to coast.

THE SHIP

A close examination of the card indicates the name of the ship was the Orita of the Pacific Line - Liverpool to South America.

The Orita was built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company in 1903. A 9,266 gross ton ship, length 485.4ft x beam 58ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw she had a speed of 14 knots.

There were accommodations for 169-1st, 111-2nd and 528-3rd class passengers and she carried 172 crew. When the Orita was launched on 15th November 1902, she was the largest vessel on the Liverpool - West Coast of South America route.

Her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Valparaiso started on 8 April 1903. Her final sailing via Montevideo was on 22 September 1927; she was then laid up in the UK until 1931 when she was scrapped at Morecambe.

When Donald indicated in the margin of the postcard “Its first trip to coast;” he clearly meant the picture was of the Orinta’s first trip to the coast, not his voyage, as his voyage is in 1906.

In 1904, the South Atlantic route was Liverpool, La Pallice (La Rochelle), Corunna, Vigo, Lisbon, Recife, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Port Stanley (Falklands), Punta Arenas, Coronel, Talcahuano and Valparaiso.

Where Donald has written they are anchored in the Straits, he is referring to the Strait of Magellan. His next stop was Chile's Punta Arenas which is located on the Strait of Magellan and was one of the most important supply stops for mariners of the day, until the Panama Canal opened for business in 1914.

GRACIE

Gracie is not quite eleven at the time this postcard was sent by Donald Vigero, having been born on 5 December 1895 in Pueblo, Colorado. She is living at 422 Hickory St., Anaconda, Montana with her parents Edward Payson Mathewson and Alice (Barry) Mathewson.

Grace is surrounded by her siblings, Mary her elder sister, her younger sisters Gertrude and Mary, and in 1908 the family adds a little brother, Edward.

Grace not only liked to collect postcards, but she also became accustomed to traveling herself. In August of 1909, when Grace is thirteen she receives another postcard from Don while at the Arlington Hotel In Santa Barbara, California. The Arlington catered to the rich and famous of its time.

Many of the postcards sent to Grace after August 1909 ask about “the fire.” August 15, 1909, while Grace was a guest, the Arlington Hotel burned to the ground in a fast moving fire killing several of the guests. One card postmarked four days after the fire writes how glad the sender was that Grace escaped. We can only imagine what a traumatic experience this must have been for her.

Grace married Norman Church Streit (pronounced like fight) on 5 December 1917. They settled in Missoula with her father-in-law Lewis Streit while Norman sold farm equipment. Grace and Norman had three children Norman, Jr., Barbara and David. Young Norman was born in New York City 9 February 1919 while Grace was visiting her parents.

Norman started his own insurance business and Norman, Jr. came to work for him after graduating from the University of Montana in 1941. In 1942, Norman, Jr. entered military service. He was a lieutenant with the 87th Mountain Infantry Division and first saw action against the Japanese in Kiska Island in the Aleutian Campaign. He was then sent to the European Theater as part of the 36th Infantry, 3rd Armored Division. His unit took part in the June 6, 1944 D Day invasion at Normandy, France. Lt. Streit was killed in action in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge on Christmas Day, 1944. He is interred at the Henri-Chappelle U.S. Military Cemetery, Belgium. I could find no records to indicate that Grace and Norman were ever able to visit their son’s grave.

Norman died in Missoula in December of 1959, Grace died thirty-four years later in Missoula, 27 September 1993, three years short of 100.

EDWARD PAYSON MATHEWSON

Edward Payson Mathewson and Grace’s mother Alice, are not diplomats. E.P., as he is called, is the superintendent of the Washoe Smelter of The Anaconda Copper Mining Company in Anaconda, a position that provided a very comfortable income for his family of seven plus their two Irish maids Bessie and Nora.

Born in Canada in 1864, Edward worked as a mining engineer in Colorado, Montana, Mexico, Canada, China and Chile. In 1926 he became a professor at the University of Arizona where he organized a new course in mine administration. E.P. was the President of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. It was said that E.P. was Mr. Mining and Mr. Anaconda.

E.P. lectured, wrote books and articles and owned a mining consulting firm in New York. He worked with and for Herbert Hoover and showed President Taft around Anaconda when he visited.

The family often accompanied E.P. on his travels. Grace had led a very privileged life.

Leaving Anaconda
Believed To Be
L - R
Grace, Alice, Alice and E.P.


HOW DOES THIS STORY CONNECT TO SHADES

E.P. Mathewson was a pioneer photographer in Bolivia in 1901. Thirty-one ten-by-eight inch toned bromide prints from Bolivia, dated January 1901, are part of the Benjamin Stone Collection at the Birmingham Central Library in Birmingham, England. They are attributed to E.P. Mathewson of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company.

The prints were obtained by Sir Benjamin Stone (1838-1914), a member of Parliament, world traveler, and photographer, in the early 1900s. Most of the views are of the mining camps at Huanchaca and Pulacayo (including women sorting ore, an amalgamation retort, plazas, llama herds, markets, street scenes, and policemen). A few are of streets and plazas in La Paz and Oruro.

Note: I am continually amazed at the wealth of information found on the internet. I could have written a book on the information I found on E.P., Alice, Grace and her siblings.

Sources:

To be added.

16 Comments

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Twice Told Tuesday - Fraternal Symbols

Twice Told Tuesday features a photography related article reprinted from my
collection of old photography books, magazines, and newspapers.

Catalogue of
FINE MEMORIAL GOODS
H.M. Wendell & Co.
Undated

In Monday's Photo Of The Week, Shades looked at the Mourning Card of Dicy Cannon and the manufacturer of that card, Harry F. Wendell. Today in Twice Told Tuesday a portion of the catalog used to purchase the card will be reproduced with annotations as to the organizations named. Family historians can identify these symbols if found on mourning cards or tombstones.

Any of these emblems may be used on Memorial Cards without extra charge when twelve or more cards are ordered. Twenty-five cents extra will be charged for printing an emblem when less than twelve cards are ordered. Order by number.

America's Oldest Fraternal Organization
The Order of Red Men

The Order traces its origins to certain secret societies founded before the American Revolution. These secret societies included the Sons of Liberty, Sons of Tamina and the Red Men. These societies continued in existence as brotherhoods or fraternities after the Revolution.

Prominent Americans who have been members of the Red Men - George Washington, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt.


Royal League

The Royal League was a fraternal organization providing insurance and other benefits to its members. The organization was established in Chicago in 1888.


Royal Arcanum

The Royal Arcanum is one of the oldest fraternal benefit societies in the United States and Canada, operating under the fraternal system. The organization offers many social and fraternal benefits to its members and is the only surviving founding member of the National Fraternal Congress of America, an organization representing over 90 fraternal benefit societies and 10 million fraternalists.


Masonic

The oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being.



Maccabees

The Knights of the Maccabees were a fraternal and benevolent "legal reserve society." The family of a deceased member received benefits in the form of legal-reserve insurance.

The name comes from the Biblical Maccabees -- Mattathias Maccabee and his sons, the leaders of the Jewish revolt against Syrian desecration of the Temple.

Fraternalism activities ceased to exist in 1962 when the Maccabees became a life insurance company.


Knights of Pythias

An international, non-sectarian fraternal order, The Order of Knights of Pythias was established in 1864 in Washington, D.C., by Justus H. Rathbone. They were the first fraternal order to be chartered by an Act of Congress.

Independent Order of Odd Fellows

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was founded on the North American Continent in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 26, 1819 when Thomas Wildey and four members of the Order from England instituted Washington Lodge No. 1. This lodge received its charter from Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows in England.


Epworth League

The Epworth League was an organization of the young people of the Methodist Episcopal church, formed in 1889 at Cleveland, Ohio, by the combination of five young people's organizations then existing. The purpose of the league was the promotion of intelligent and vital piety among the young people of the church.
Christian Endeavor

The Christian Endeavor movement began in 1881 at the Williston Church in Portland, Maine by Dr. Francis E. Clark, D.D., LL.D. The primary purpose of the organization was to interest young people in themselves and in the church.



Catholic

Symbols that represent the Catholic Church.


Temple of Honor

Temple of Honor and Temperance is based on Christian values and practising complete abstinence from alcoholic drinks. Its purpose is to instill high morals and ideals in its members.


United American Mechanics

The Order of United American Mechanics was an American Nativist organization of the mid-Nineteenth Century, founded in Philadelphia amidst the anti-alien riots of 1844-45. It originally was called the Union of Workers. Members were required to undertake efforts to publicize and campaign against the hiring of cheap foreign labor. They were also to patronize only "American" businesses.

Modern Woodmen

Modern Woodmen of America is the third largest fraternal benefits society based on assets, with more than 750,000 members.

Sources:

H.F. Wendell & Co. Fine Memorial Goods. Catalog. Leipsic, Ohio: Duke University, 2008.

Advertising Ephemera Collection - Database #A0152
Emergence of Advertising On-Line Project
John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Photo Of The Week - 26 May


PUBLISHER - H.F. WENDELL & CO.
Dicy Cannon


This week's Photo Of The Week is not a photograph, but is classified as a category of Cabinet Card known as a Remembrance/Mourning/Funeral Card/Obituary Notice. I purchased the card in an antique store in Montana because of the unique name of the deceased - Dicy Cannon. Dicy sounded very southern to me and I wondered how her mourning card was for sale in Missoula, Montana.

This card measures 4 ¼ X 6 ½. It is a black card mount printed in gilt with round corners and gold edges. THE CARD READS:

IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF
Dicy Cannon,
Died April 15, 1908.
Age 78 years.

Gone but not forgotten

A precious one from us has gone,
A voice we loved is stilled;
A place is vacant in our home,
Which never can be filled.
God in His wisdom has recalled,
The boon his love had given,
And though the body slumbers here,
The soul is safe in Heaven.

Copyright 1904 by H.F. Wendell & Co., Leipsic, O.


DICY CANNON

Dicy Cannon was born Dicy Smith, 16 November 1829 in Dixon, Dawson County, Georgia. She lived with her parents John and Mary (Mollie) Smith until she married Moses Columbus Cannon, 3 October 1850 in Lumpkin County, Georgia.

In 1860 Dicy and Moses are prosperous farmers in Sanford, Georgia. They have three children; James (8), David (4), and Mary Ann (1). On 13 October 1861, Moses enlists in the Confederate Army, Company L, 38th Infantry Regiment Georgia. For the next three years he is involved in many of the famous battles of the Civil War; Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The records indicated he was still on active duty as of 1864 when he was promoted to Full 4th Sergeant.

By 1870 the farm has increased in value and Dicy and Moses have added two children, Jane (10) and William (3), to the family. All five children are living and working on the farm.

1880 finds the family farming in Coal Mountain, Georgia. Only Mary Ann and William are living at home. James has married and left home, David occupies the farm next to his father with his wife Malinda, and Jane's whereabouts are unknown.

Big changes have occurred by 1900. On 19 June 1900, seventy-five year old Moses is living with his son James in Sanford, Georgia on what appears to be the original family farm. Occupying the family home are James' wife Emily and their four children. Moses is listed on the census as married but is not living with Dicy. She is living in Montana with their youngest son William. David and his wife Malinda and their four children have moved to Ravalli County, Stevensville, Montana where William and Dicy are found. William is farming, but David is working as a teamster.

On 24 August 1901, Moses dies in Georgia and is buried in the Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery, Dawson County, Georgia. Seven years later on 15 April 1908, Dicy dies in Montana and is buried in the Maplewood Cemetery in Stevensville.

In 1910 James is found living with his wife Emily and daughter Anna in South Seminole, Oklahoma just down the road from their son Wallace and his family. William and David continue to live and work in Stevensville until their deaths. Also buried in the Maplewood Cemetery in Stevensville, Montana is Mary Anne Cannon. I have no information to substantiate that this is Dicy's daughter, however, she is of the correct age.

Invoking that six degrees of separation rule, my son is now living in Stevensville, Montana and has agreed to go to the cemetery to try to find Dicy's grave.

THE CARD

The three most common types of mourning cards are (1) the obituary notice, printed in gilt, on a black card mount, with or without a portrait; (2) the memorial card, usually with an oval portrait, surrounded by a printed wreath, generally with the name of the deceased and dates of birth and death, sometimes with a vita printed on back; (3) a portrait mounted on a card with a rectangular or oval heavy frame printed in black, usually with name of the deceased.


Dicy's mourning card is a combination of the obituary notice and the memorial card. It has no photograph, is black with gilt lettering, lists the name, age, and date of death, and is surrounded by a wreath. It was printed by H.F. Wendell of Leipsic, Ohio, a well-known producer of mortuary cards.

Harry F. Wendell started in business in 1888 in Leipsic, Ohio, and within three years his was the largest business of its kind in America. Wendell had formerly been the publisher and editor of the Leipsic Tribune and was a member of the City Council. He led a very busy life holding the following offices: Vice President and Director of the First National Bank, Secretary and Director of the Dollar Oil Company, Secretary and Director of the Putnam Hosiery Company, President and Manager of the Wendell Printing Company, President and Manager the Carriers Greeting Company, Secretary of the Board of Trade, and President of the Law and Order League organized to promote the moral welfare of the city. Whew!

There were eleven styles of cards advertised with a selection of forty-six different verses in six languages.

Dicy's sons would have sent for the cards by mail order after having made their choice. Wendell's was a mail order business including a form with each of their catalogs. It is unknown if the family had requested a catalog or if the funeral home provided the information to the family. Wendell's also sold envelopes so that the family could have mailed the card to James in Oklahoma.

One entire section of the Company's pamphlet is devoted to satisfied customers. I was very taken by the comments of H. W. Musselman of Silverdale, Pennsylvania. "Cards received safe and sound. Expect to send another order later on."

The card that was chosen was No. 2 in the catalog, as shown below.



Style No. 2

Size 4 ¼ X 6 ½ Round Corners Gold Edges

The above is a very attractive card. An open book lies at the bottom and palms appear at the sides. A beautiful wreath of flowers encircles the name of the departed. Two beautiful doves appear at the top. Two verses may be used without extra charge by omitting the book. Finished in gold or silver. The words, “our Dear Father,” are not printed unless ordered, and may be changed to “our Dear Mother,” “Our Dear Son,” or any other wording. Any berse in this catalog may be used. Cards may be black, white or assorted.

Price – One Card 20c. 2 for 35c. 4 for 50c. 6 for 65c. 8 for 75c. 10 for 90c. 12 for $1.00. 15 for $1.20. 20 doe $1.40. 25 for $1.75. 35 for $2.30. 50 for $3.00. 75 for $4.00. 100 for $5.00. 150 for $7.00. 200 for $8.00. Postpaid.

The above style may be had 6x91/4 inches in size at the following prices: 1 for 35c; 2 for 55c; 4 for 75c; 6 for $1.00; 10 for $1.45; 12 for $1.60; 15 for $1.90; 20 for $2.25; 25 for $2.80; 35 for $3.75; 50 for $5.00; 75 for $6.75; 100 for $8.00; 150 for $12.00.

(Using the Consumer Price Index, one $0.20 Card in 1908 would cost $4.65 in 2007.)

In Twice Told Tuesday this week, the Wendell Catalog will be reproduced. It will be of great assistance to the family historian in understanding the mourning customs of the time.

Sources:

Books:

Darrah, William C.
Cartes de Visite in 19th Century Photography. Gettysburg: Darrah, 1981.
Linkman, Audrey. The Victorians, Photographic Portraits. London: Tauris Parke Books,1993.

McCulloch, Lou W.
Card Photographs, A Guide To Their History and Value. Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer 1981.
Mace, O. Henry.
Collector's Guide To Early Photographs.Iola, Wisconsin: Krause, 1999.
Nickell, Joe. Camera Clues. Lexington, Kentucky: University
Press of Kentucky, 1994.

Census:

1860 U.S. census, Dawson County, Georgia, population schedule, Crossville, p. 88, dwelling 11, family 11, Moses C. Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication M553, roll 119.

1870 U.S. census, Forsyth County, Georgia, population schedule, Coal Mountain, p. 513, dwelling 108, family 692, Moses Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 146.

1880 U.S. census, Forsyth County, Georgia, population schedule, Coal Mountain, p. 455, dwelling 116, family 116, M.C. Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 147.

1900 U.S. census, Dawson County, Georgia, population schedule, Sanford, p. 287, dwelling 180, family 183, James T. Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 191.

1900 U.S. census, Ravalli County, Montana, population schedule, Stevens Township, p. 59, dwelling 167, family 169, Wm. E. Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 914.

1910 U.S. census, Ravalli County, Montana, population schedule, Stevens Township, p. 217, dwelling 156, family 164, Wm. E. Cannon (Head); digital images. Heritage Quest (http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/ : retrieved 23 May 2008); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 833.

Marriage Records:

Dodd, Jordan. Georgia Marriages to 1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1997. Original data: Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Georgia.

Military Records:

Historical Data Systems, comp.. American Civil War Soldiers [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1999. Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA.

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There’s Cheer in the Pictures from Home


Kodak Advertisement
1918

To a homesick boy at the front, a picture of Dad pushing the lawnmower in the old front yard is worth more than the Croix de Guerre.

Pictures of Mother – how much they mean to him now! And of kid sister – perhaps she is “wearing her hair up by this time – all the old, familiar scenes around the village – yes, and that little girl with the big blue eyes, that lives around the corner – these will mean a world of comfort to the boy who is lonesome among a million strangers.

The Y.M.C.A., the Red Cross, the Knights of Columbus and kindred organizations are doing a world of good in ministering to the bodies and minds of our boys. But in their hearts, homes are first. Cheerful letters and cheerful pictures from home – these will keep their hearts light and their courage high.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, Rochester, N.Y., The Kodak City


Source:

Advertising Ephemera Collection - Database #K0302
Emergence of Advertising On-Line Project
Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/

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May 30 - And The Guest Author Is . . .

AUTHOR! AUTHOR!


CHERY KINNICK


Many of us are involved in preserving the past through our family photographs and collections, and would like to make those resources available to our communities by publishing photographic history books. But, where do we start? What is involved in publishing a photographic history book?

On May 30, Shades will show you the ropes with Guest Author, Chery Kinnick. Chery, along with husband John, is the author of Snoqualmie Pass, a photographic story of one of Washington state's historic recreation areas. The book was published through Arcadia Press' Images of America Series. The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities, using archival photographs to present unique stories from the past that shape the character of the community today.

Snoqualmie Pass, by John & Chery Kinnick


Chery Kinnick is also the author of the blog Nordic Blue - Notes by a Pacific Northwest Writer & Genealogist/Family Historian. She fills her blog with family stories from Minnesota (Chippewa, Clearwater, Polk, Renville, and St. Louis counties), the San Francisco Bay Area in California, the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and Norway. Readers of Chery's blog are treated to some of the most eloquent writing on the internet; vivid stories that transport the reader to another place and time. Chery has found the perfect life-long pursuit and purpose. Her story-telling is unsurpassed.

Chery was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, but now lives in the Cascade Mountains with her husband, John, and their aussie, Chips. She is a graduate of the University of Washington Extension Certificate Program in Genealogy and Family History, and a participant in the Seattle Museum of History and Industry's Nearby History Writers Workshop.

Chery says she is an addicted researcher and writer with an interest in Pacific Northwest history. She is also an online columnist, someone who is knee-deep in writing her family's history, and a great friend!

Join Shades May 30
When Chery gives us a road map to

publishing a photographic history!

1 Comments

Friday, May 23, 2008

May 23 - Friday From The Collectors


DOCUMENTING TODAY FOR
TOMORROW'S HISTORY

By Nikki-ann
Notes of Life

We have to be careful when documenting today for today's documents might not be accessible tomorrow. Technology advances so quickly these days, compared to times gone by. If digital documents aren't printed who's to say we'll be able to view them in the future?

As a youngster just two decades ago, I had a Commodore 64 computer with cassette tapes and 5.35 inch floppy disks. I no longer have any facilities to access any files I may have had on those tapes or disks. I still have a box full of 3.5 inch floppy disks which I used 10 years ago in college, but the laptop I'm using to write this doesn't have the means to use them.

I have film cameras and digital cameras, but no matter which format I use, I make sure I develop/print the pictures I want to keep and/or pass on. I'd be devastated in years to come if I realised I could no longer access precious photos or documents because technology had moved on.

As family historians we collect data, documents and photos of our ancestors, but how many of us are documenting our own lives? I'm well aware many of us are writing blogs, but how many of us have our blogs backed-up? A server crash or a breach in security and it could all be lost. I don't entirely trust the digital world and I prefer to have something to hold on to.

I admit it... I'm a hoarder! My life will be documented by old concert tickets, memorabilia from a favourite band, old letters, postcards & cards from friends and loved ones, the diary I kept while in college, 3 books of poems and stories written in my teens and early twenties, boxes and albums of photos, and anything else I collect on the way. That will be my life when I'm done.

Don't we all wish our ancestors had left us their diaries and noted people's names on the back of photos? Shouldn't we also be doing that ourselves?

HOW I DOCUMENT
MY LIFE

I take a camera almost everywhere I go. I have film cameras, digital cameras and even my mobile phone has a camera, so I'm rarely without the means to take a photo. Well, you never know what might catch your eye.

Why do I take photos? Well, I just like pictures! Not arty shots or anything like that, just what I see. I mainly do it for myself, but I do like to show friends, family . . . Anyone . . . what I see. If I go for a walk I'll take my camera with me. Living in Mid Wales and it's border with England provides me with some beautiful and stunning countryside. Some of my walks and drives will be on the trails of my ancestors, taking photos of places they may have been.

The photos below have been picked out, so I thought I would share a little about each one.


ON MY JOURNEYS


Stoke St. Milborough Church Porch

My Great Great Aunt Mary was buried in the church yard, so one day I drove up into the wilds of Shropshire to look around the village church yard. For me, the porch stood out as it was different to the church it's attached to. The stone wheel propped against it also caught my eye.

Stone Wheel

I'm not sure why the stone wheel was propped against the church porch, but there was something about it that I liked.

On The Church Gate

These beads hung on the church gate. I have no idea if somebody of faith left them there or if they were found and left there for their owner to find. Either way they caught my eye.

Old Music Book

This old music book was left behind in a disused chapel. In years long gone by, my Great great Aunt Doris had played the chapel organ there, so I wondered if this was the book she'd used to read the music.

ON MY MANY WALKS


Welsh Lambs

These lambs started to run off as I stood by the field gate, but they all stopped and turned around to look at me so I couldn't resist taking a photo of them all. I see lambs and sheep every day, living in Mid Wales means it's hard not to! Even the village I live in has a breed of sheep named after it!


An Old Bench

This old bench is a mile or so out of the village at the side of a country road. As a youngster my friends and I would cycle around the "block" (roughly a 3 mile journey from the top of the village, up hills and down, and around and back into the bottom of the village). We'd stop at this bench for a rest, but the bushes weren't so overgrown back then.


Post Box

It stands by the bridge just outside the village. On a snowy day when I couldn't get to work, I put on my wellies (rubber boots) and went for a trudge through the snow. This post box stood out against the expanse of whiteness.


The Village

Not far from the old bench you can find this view of the village, if you can find a gap between the trees. The church stands out above everything else.

October Moon

I find the moon and the endless (as far as I know!) space fascinating and beautiful.

~*~

On a side note - Looking back through the photos it seems I could be a religious person, but that would be more true of my ancestors than of me . . . but that's another story!

More of Nikki-ann's work can be found here.

Photographs

Stoke St. Milborough Church Porch, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

Stone Wheel, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

On The Church Gate, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

Old Music Book
, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

Welch Lambs
, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

An Old Bench, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

Post Box
, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

The Vilage, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

October Moon, by Nikki-ann. Photograph. Digital image. Privately held by Nikki-ann [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Mid Wales, United Kingdom. 2008

Article and Photographs
Copyright © Nikki-ann

7 Comments

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Little Girl Wearing Pearls - An Update!


"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."

Thursday, on Shades Of The Departed, will be dedicated to many things,
and nothing in particular.

Many Things Thursday

I recently had a wonderful experience because of my work on Shades. One of the first readers of the Photo of the Week discovered her ancestor. My "little girl wearing pearls," Mary Irene Brunton Reynolds, was found by her Great Granddaughter, Krista Reynolds, as Krista wandered the web looking for clues to her family history. I wrote about this in Going Home, Going Home, I Am Going Home!

Little Girl Wearing Pearls
Mary Irene Brunton Reynolds


Well, Krista has been working over-time to fill in the blanks of her family legacy. I was so excited when she wrote me this week to tell me she had found some information about Mary Reynolds and the best part, other old photographs have been found.


Mary Irene Brunton Reynolds
Edward Brunton Reynolds


This is my "little girl wearing pearls" all grown up with a child of her own. I think I would have known her anywhere. The photograph was taken in the Loehman Studios in Tacoma, Washington.

The baby is Krista's Grandfather, Edward Brunton Reynolds. Krista learned from the writing on the back of this photograph that her Great Grandmother Mary had been called "Meemsie."

I am putting together an article featuring the recently found photographs, but wanted to share this one with you right away! I am so glad my "little girl wearing pearls" life is coming to light. She deserves this and so does her family!

Sources:

Photograph:

Reynolds, Mary Irene (Brunton). Photograph. ca. 1886. Digital image. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Preston, Washington. 2007.

Reynolds, Mary Irene (Brunton). Photograph. Date Not Researched. Digital image. Privately held by the Krista Reynolds, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Oregon. 2008.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Web Wandering Wednesday

ANOTHER SOURCE TO USE IN
DATING
OLD PHOTOGRAPHS!


Private Collection
Women Wearing Glasses
footnoteMaven

Here's another source to use in analyzing an old photograph to determine its date. Look at the design of the card mount. Here is an intricate pattern found on a photograph of one of my collection of women wearing glasses. The inset shows a close-up of that pattern.

Run a Google Patent search for "Design Card Mount." I ran that search and found a patent match for my photograph. The patent illustration can be seen below.


Patent Illustration

The pattern in the photograph inset shows it is a match to the patent inset below.


Inset - Card Mount Design

Inset - Patent Design Illustration

This Patent number D31955 was issued 5 December 1899 to John P. Odgers, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, assignor to the A.M. Collins Manufacturing Company also of Philadelphia. (Assignor - Individual who transfers a title, claim, property, interest, or right to another person. Odgers was either an employee of Collins or he sold his designs to Collins.)


The photograph used here, as an example, was most probably taken after 5 December 1899, the date the design was patented.

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