Upper Genesee St, Utica, 1912

Upper Genesee St. Utica, N. Y.

Hello Frank!
Why didn't you
send me a card once in
awhile you sent one
to Lena but you forgot
I was here.
Hannah.

Another example postmarked 1910, with a different back.

Niagara Falls Trolley, 1913

Scene along the Gorge, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

The electric trolley in the photograph has an interesting history and was in operation from 1895-1935.

Dear Friend
Am having
the time of my life
out here talk about
going some I guess
yes
[?]

The photograph was a popular one to reproduce at the time and appears on other postcards from through the years.

Visitor from Utica, 1917

Dear Brother and Sister
just a line to
let you now that I
am coming to Duquesne on a
vacation and I do hop to find you all well
from your young Sister
Lena [?]

Mother will will let you now I will be home. [top]

Duquesne Property Taxes in 1928

1916 Youngstown, Ohio

8806. View, showing Steel Industries and Mahoning River,
Youngstown, O.

Having a
swell time
out here.
This is
some burg.
Will be back
soon [?] Larry D.

Pub. by The Aemegraph Co., Chicago.

Utica Christmas, 1919

"Christmas greetings fond and true
With this card I send to you
"Merry Christmas" May the day
Bring you all thats bright and gay"

Dear Brother and
Sister-in-law
gust a card
to let you now
that I did not
forget you and I
hop that Santa will
be good to you he
is hear at our house this year for your Sister Lena

American Expeditionary Forces 1918

"Dear Sister and brother I am well
at the presant time and hooping
these few lines will find you all
the same well Siss I supose you
thought I had forgot all about
you and Frank but I did not I
think about all of you every day
and am lonsum to hear from
some one of you I have never
received a letter since I am in
France I am well and feeling
fine and I injoy the sites around
hear but still I would rather be
back home but I hoope to git back
home some of these days so you
will see me when I come well
how is everybody around home
write and tell me all the nuse
excuse this cratchen I have not rote
with a pen since I am in France
and this is a poor one at that

well I guess this is all for this
time I send my love to you all
so good bye and soon from your
loving brother

Prvt John W Lance
331 ambulance Co
308 Sanitary train
Apo 762

Swak to all"

Mia managed to find the unit's flag and deployment information.

More little squares

More little photos from the unknown picnic, this time including "Aunt Louis" and "Uncle Jim". Curious what the "Vimco" box once contained.

Utica YMCA Building and Westminster Church, 1913

"P-61911" in lower right corner.

"Dear friend
I received your
card and was glad to
hear from you. I am well
and working every day I suppose
you are doing the same.
Tell that brother of mine not
to forget to write.
Best regards from
Hannah +
Marrian

To of Dr. Steffy"

A Day at the Picnic

Unknown family members at a picnic. Date unknown.

1911 Rogers, Ohio

"Hello Frank
I am having a
good time Country
life is alright"

It buys anything.

"Your friend, G.D."

Card printed by the "Douglas Post-Card Co., 27 N. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa." Postmark is missing year.

1910 Personal

"I wonder who is kissing you now."

I thought maybe the stamp was removed and saved for a collection, at first, but looking at the writing and arrows I realized that there was a secret message hidden under the stamp for the recipient to find!

"My love for you will never die. Gertrude"

Most of these postcards had a pressed-in texture, by the way. I've never seen that, before.

Merry Christmas from Utica, NY, 1916

I finally had the opportunity to scan in some old keepsakes from the family. To start this off, here's a Merry Christmas from 1916. Click the images for more detail.

Dear Sister and Brother
gust a card to let you now that we ar all well and I hope you and your familay ar the same. I ges you have been waiting for this card for a long time for I now that you send one last. From [?] and [?] xxxxxx

I am not sure who this card is from, only that it ended up being sent to my great grandfather on my mother's side. Spelling errors and all, I find this wonderful. The postcards are my favorite and I am so thankful to find them all in good condition.

Much more to come as I sort through the stack.

The Found Gun

Mia's grandmother, Lidya, stumbled across the gun. Stashed high inside a bedroom closet, the little red box was simply marked Smith and Wesson Hand Ejector - .32 - Blued - 3 1/4 Inch. She handed it to me and, sure enough, there was a small revolver tucked neatly inside, surrounded by loose lead bullets, flat wadcutter rounds, and nestled into impossibly old clippings from a t-shirt coupled with a section of pantyhose. A short section of metal coat hanger, found in the bottom of the box, served as a cleaning rod as best as we can determine. She hadn't known the pistol was there, hadn't even known it was in the house. Making it known that she wasn't comfortable with firearms, Lidya motioned for me to check to see if it was loaded. It was. Of the six rounds that were loaded, two had been fired. I emptied the remaining bullets and two empty brass shells into the box lid.

She told me she didn't think the gun would have fired, anyways, if someone were to have pulled the trigger -- too old. Click, click, click. The hammer fell each time I squeezed, the slight amount of rust making the pull a bit difficult, but the gun would have gone off. Mia's grandmother shook her head, contemplating what would have happened had a visiting child accidentally stumbled across it, and insisted I keep it since I was comfortable with guns. As we cleaned up what remained of the room where Mia's great great Aunt Lydia had lived prior to her being admitted to a nursing home just days before, I tucked the gun safely aside and treated it like a treasure.


And it is, although we don't know very much about it. The tiny revolver's serial number is a mere six digits long, starting with "52". The lid of the box has instructions in both English and Spanish, the registration mark imprinted just below the cylinder reads, "MADE IN U.S.A. - MARCAS REGISTRADAS." We began to suspect the gun might not have been in the United States its entire life, and possibly was not even intended for sale here, originally. It belonged, we think, to Mia's great great Aunt's husband, who died sometime in the 1960's or possibly 1970's. The aging great Aunt, sadly, suffers from severe Alzheimer's and won't be able to provide any hints.

This all took place back in October of 2006. I've since oiled up the gun and removed most of the rust. The cylinder spins free, the action pulls nicely. The last time I checked into the age of the gun, tentative research revealed that, while it is not from the period of World War II, it is likely from just before or just after. We know that Mia's great great Aunt had lived, at one point during her life, in Cuba. Was this gun exported there, then re-imported again?

Smith and Wesson offers a serial number check for gun history for a small fee. I'll be sending away for that, soon.

It will be very interesting to see what that turns up.