June 12th 1904 Mary to anna clara kirner

oxford, oxfordshire

0 miles

the message

"Dear Clara

I send you my very best love & wish you a very happy day. Florence did come up after all & went shopping but we didn't enjoy ourselves. I was in a funny mood.

Mary"

The sender

The sender is probably Mary Theresa Kirner (1887-1963), Clara's elder sister, but there is nothing to prove that is the case.

the recipient

The recipient is Anna Clara Kirner (1892-1970). She was the middle of three daughters of Anthony Kirner (1855-1947) and Maria Rohrer (1859-1927). Anthony was born in Germany and had moved to Oxford by 1881. In 1911 his occupation is recorded as watch repairer. Maria was born in Plymouth. They married in 1886. Clara was still living with her parents in 1911 and was a dressmaker. In 1932, aged 40 she married Albert Joseph Butler (1885-1978) who in 1911 worked as a Postal Telegraph clerk. They did not have any children.

Clara's younger sister was Franziska Josephine (1900-1986). She married twice, firstly to Gilbert Francis Wood Volkers (1897-1972) in 1922 with whom she went to India and then to Vernon William Farquarhson Hicks (1897-1966) in 1935 in India. This was Vernon's second wife, the first being Ruth Mary Volkers (1899-1928) .

the places

Oxford, Oxfordshire

The Lizard, Cornwall

what the card says to us

The picture is a painting by Jotter aka Walter Hayward-Young (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Hayward-Young) who was noted for his postcard designs. It appears to have no connection to the Kirner family.

An interesting feature of the card is that it says "Local" presumably as a sign to the postal workers that it does not need sorting.

Also it is written mostly in red ink, but finished in black when presumably the red ink ran out.

There are no clues as to who Florence was or why Mary was in a funny mood.

Clara's sister Franziska's marriages make another story completely and one which will not be told here.