april 15th 1909 thomas tranter to nellie blythe
coventry, warwickshire
0 miles
the message
The message itself is faded and hard to read especially where the writing is obscured by the printing on the card. However it appears to be a transcription of the lyrics to a piece called Gipsy Chorus that was written about 1821 by Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Maria_von_Weber) as incidental music for a play called Preciosa by Pius Alexander Wolff (1782-1828) (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pius_Alexander_Wolff).
The card is clearly signed T Tranter. The words obviously had great meaning for the Sender and the Recipient
the sender
Thomas Tranter (1886-1941) was born in Foleshill, Coventry, Warwickshire. His parents were Thomas Tranter (1860-1896) and Emma Downes (1861-1949). Thomas senior was a Bricklayer by trade.
In 1891 he was living with his parents in Foleshill. After his father died his mother married William Green (1865-1935), a Tube Maker. In 1901 Thomas lived with his mother, Step father and a mix of siblings and half-siblings in Coventry. Thomas was working as a Cycle Polisher. He was still with them in 1911 and was still polishing bicycles. Later in 1911 Thomas married Nellie Blythe (1888-1965), the recipient of this card. They were still together in 1939, still in Coventry. Thomas by then was a Radial Driller.
Thomas’s death is recorded in Coventry in 1941.
the recipient
Nellie Blythe (1888-1965) was born in Coventry. Her parents were John Blythe (1862-1918) and Elizabeth Parker (1862-1938). John was a General Carter in 1901 and a Haulier in 1911.
In 1891 Nellie was living with her parents in Coventry. Likewise in 1911 by which time Nellie was a Machinist making Pinafores. The address in 1911 was 5 Berry Street which is the address to which this card was sent in 1901. Later in 1911 Nellie married Thomas Tranter as described above.
Nellie’s death is recorded in Coventry in 1965.
the trees
Blythe
Tranter
the places
Coventry, Warwickshire
Coventry showing Berry Street
what the card says to us
The picture shows “The Vale Of Rest” by John Everett Millais (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vale_of_Rest). It may or may not have a connection to the message.
It is not clear what the significance of the lyrics were, nor the significance of writing them out by hand, but it is clear that Thomas Tranter loved Nellie Blythe very much and they were married 2 years later.