9th february 1904 mary jane coates to annie coates
brighton, sussex to startforth, barnard castle, durham
268 miles
the message
“The temporary m for mf arrived yesterday, my assf is to come the 29th - hope you are not having quite such wet weather as we are
Love from MJ”
the sender
The identity of the sender is assumed from the relationship to the recipient, and the nature of the occupation and location of Mary Jane Coates in 1904.
Mary Jane Coates (1869-1959) was the daughter of William Coates (1840-1916) and Alice Thompson (1839-?). William was a Grocer, Tobacconist and Fishmonger in 1901. He was widowed between 1901 and 1911.
Mary Jane did not marry. In 1891 and 1901 she was working in Brighton at The Brighton Parochial School and the Warren Farm Industrial School in Brighton respectively. In 1911 she was in Barnard Castle living with her father, presumably nursing him. In 1939 she was living in Startforth with her sister Annie.
the recipient
Annie Coates (1873-1959) was the younger sister of Mary Jane. In 1901, Annie was staying with her second cousin once removed Annie Teasdale (1821-1904). That is where the card was sent in 1904 a few months before Annie Teasdale died. Annie T had inherited land from her father, a farmer.
Curiously, the card is addressed to Miss Coates when in fact Annie had married Walter Horne (1873-1953). Walter was a Chartered Electrical Engineer. Presumaby Annie Coates Horne was gone to care for Annie T and perhaps her sister had forgotten about the marriage, or didn’t know.
the trees
Coates
Teasdale
the places
Brighton, Sussex to Startforth, Barnard Castle, Durham
Brighton, Sussex
Startforth, Barnard Castle, Durham
what the card says to us
The picture shows Marlborough House in London (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlborough_House), which appears to have no link with the family. The card is poor quality with the picture off centre and a little out of focus.
The message appears to largely concerned with what is going on at Mary Jane’s workplace. It seems to be about staff movements. It is quite a strange subject. the final sentence is a more traditional weather report. It was wet in Brighton in February 1904.