The things I find in my house.  This jewel is a letter from my cousin Bobby Alexander announcing the birth of his first born son, Jason.  The postmark is Lawrence, Massachusetts, September 24, 1975.  Bob was an artist and cartoonist and, at the time, worked for the Lawrence Eagle Tribune.  The photos tell the story.  He wove details into every part of the card.  Also note  the "check the box" on the envelope.  Rex & I had just married in May and the term Ms. was fairly new then. 

Enjoy these. 

 

  

 

   

Apologies to Ben.  If there was one for you, I did not receive a copy.

I thought I had posted about this photo before, but I couldn't find anything in a search of my blog.  So I am assuming I only posted it on Facebook in the past.  Anyway, this is a photo taken on the front steps of the farm house I used to live in (from age 2 to 9) in Fairfield, Virginia.  The house had been in my Dad's family for a while...not sure how long.  But it is the first place I remember living. 

Fairfield, VA, 1959

Pictured in the front row are (left to right) my sister Cathie, cousin Carol, brother Graham, me, cousin Bruce.  On the left middle are my Aunt Eleanor and my Mom holding my sister Sally.  In the back row are my Dad, cousin Dorothy, Grandma Barnett, and my aunt Ruth.  The picture is undated, but I estimated it was taken in 1959 because Sally was born in the summer of 1958 and she looks about a year old here.  Also, I was never sure who took the picture.  Likely candidates were my uncle Bill (Ruth's husband) or my Uncle Marcellus (Aunt Eleanor's husband).  However, a couple of days ago, I stumbled across the following newspaper article.

The News Leader [Staunton, VA], 6 Oct 1959, page 7

As you can tell, the photo documents this visit.  So now I can confirm that it was taken on October 3rd or 4th of 1959, and that it was Uncle Marcellus who took the picture. 

My grandmother's birthday was October 5th, so she was about to turn 75.  Perhaps the visit was because of her birthday.  I don't remember.

After attending a local genealogy conference, I am determined to sort through all my "stuff."  So I started going through some of the boxes that I have.  One of the boxes contains stationery that belonged to my great aunt Draper Fultz.  It contains the following:

• unused postage stamps from (I think) the 1940s through the 1960s;
• envelopes and post cards embossed with prepaid 2-cent, 3-cent, and 4-cent postage; 
• empty envelopes with cancelled postage stamps addressed to her from various people dating from at least 1939-1967; 
• empty envelopes with uncancelled postage stamps addressed to other people; 
• many postage stamps torn off of corners of envelopes;  
• Top Value (yellow) and S & H Green stamps, which were trading stamps; 
• some decorative bird stamps; 
• a book of Virginia ABC coupons issued in 1946; and 
• a few actual letters and post cards with postage stamps.

Historically speaking, the ABC coupons are arguably the most significant item here.  And the philatelists reading this are likely drooling about the uncancelled postage stamps.  But for me, the most exciting item was this post card dated May 15, 1944, that my Mom sent to Draper.  My parents were married May 6, 1944, and spent heir honeymoon in New Orleans before heading to Texas where my Dad would resume his Army duties. So she wrote this to Draper while they were on their honeymoon.

 
 

Now for something truly different and not related to family.  Just a fun find.  I was perusing old newspapers for a project I'm researching and noticed this ad for the Central Mississippi Matrimonial Aid Association. "The only plan that allows a member to marry when he pleases."

 

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038603/1882-06-10/ed-1/seq-3/

I was intrigued, so I looked closer and found the association's charter in an adjacent column. In case you cannot read the print, the association's purpose was to "fraternally unite all acceptable unmarried white male and female persons, and to establish a benefit fund" for members.  Just in case you were thinking that Tinder, OKCupid, match.com, etc. were a new concept...they are not.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038603/1882-06-10/ed-1/seq-3/

I read in other, later editions of the papers that these were a version of get rich quick schemes. You can view these directly at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038603/1882-06-10/ed-1/seq-3/