Both the sender, Annie, and the receiver, Miss A Clarke of this card sent in 1905 are untraceable. There are no clues to their identities because neither the 1901 or 1911 census for 68 Chester Square show a Miss A Clarke. However, the address is one of the most sought after in London and the property mentioned on the front of the card was, in 1905, owned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The assumption is that this card was sent between two servants, possibly related.
Another card sent to Daisy Hartnall
One of the earlier cards posted to the gallery was to Daisy Hartnall. Another visit to the same second hand shop uncovered another on, also posted in 1908. Sadly the signature of the sender cannot be determined.
Unknown Recipient And An Educated Guess At The Sender
For this 1905 card, unusually the recipient could not be identified. Mrs Rose remains a mysterious as does her presumed companion Mr L. And the identity of the sender is an educated guess at Amelia Collingbourne although the card is signed Millie.
Sometimes Tracking Down The Story Is Very Difficult
There are two cards sent to Alice Maria Elizabeth Godfrey nee Penn in 1905. Tracing Alice and her family has proved really difficult because family members disappear and reappear. They are found living with their grandparents. The census records look as if they have mistakes which makes it difficult to get a complete picture. At the end of it, either Alice had a tough time, or she wasn't a family person. Probably the former.
A 21st Birthday Card from 1923
The message on the card is simple, the senders, Phyllis and Edith have used an interesting phrase in "heartiest congratulations". Sadly it has not been possible to trace Ellen (or should that be Helen) Bradshaw beyond 1923 with any degree of certainty.
A Creepy Looking Birthday Card From 1916
The use of postcards as birthday cards would appear to be quite common in the early 1900s. And the pictures often look a bit creepy to our modern eyes. This one from 1916 is no exception. In this case it is not possible to uncover who the sender Rose was. Hilda Copsey, the 11 year old recipient did not marry until her mother died and lived in the same house all her life.
Exciting Update To The Margaret Jane Simpson Nee Lambert Pages
There has been another successful reunification of postcards, this time to the family of Margaret Jane Simpson nee Lambert. This time it is even more exciting because it has meant that the postcard pages have been enhanced with photographs of the real sender and recipient
Margaret Jane Simpson nee Lambert
Margaret and Charles David Dobson
James Emery Lambert and Agnes Lambert nee Moore
The Norwegian Challenge
A couple of colleagues brought me a postcard and set me a challenge. The postcard was from 1910 and was Norwegian. It turned out to be a Christmas card, and here it is.
Important Questions Not Answered
This is the second of two cards sent to Margaret Jane Simpson nee Lambert who would become Dobson. This one is from Margaret's sister-in-law.
An Apology For Missing A Dance
This 1908 card from a young man to his future wife is clumsily written and the key message that he will be missing a dance because his mother is not well is almost an after thought. It also opens the door on gunpowder manufacture on the Lake District in the early 1900s.
Going On Smimmingly In A1 Spirits
This card from 1906 has some interesting phrasing. The message seems to say a lot and yet, when you think about it, nothing.
A Piece Of History
The 1906 card sent in the days following the General Election opens a small window on a piece of British History. The election was significant because of the great expansion of the number of seats won by the Labour Party making them a force within parliament. One of those seats was won by William Tyson Wilson, a man that most people had never heard of. He was a carpenter by trade and not a rich man. But he was a man of the working people.
Unknown Sender and Receiver
The card sent by Uncle Fred to Harry Norwood Esquire in 1913 is full of mysteries. Even the year is a bit of a guess because of the smudged postmark. It really does look like a 3 but could be a 5. In any event, it is impossible to work out how old Harry is, where he lives when he is not visiting a guest house in Mablethorpe and whether the uncle sending him a card is a maternal or paternal relation. Is Uncle Fred a Norwood or some completely different surname? And where did he live when he is not visiting Chester? Sometimes the clues are not there.
Easier to trace was the landlady Lilly Gunning nee Palmer. How she came to be running a guest house is another mystery. She appears to have no connection with Mabelthorpe. She is the widow of Francis Gunning who was born, according to census records, in Nova Scotia although a record could not be found. By 1891 he has crossed the Atlantic and arrived in Nottingham. Between 1901 and 1909 he moved to Sheffield where he died aged 37. I wish I could find out more about him and where his family originally came from.
Update on the Simmons Cards
A few days ago I reported that I had returned the 3 mirror written Simmons postcards back to the family. Today I got a lovely card saying thank you and explaining some of the backstory of how they turned up on ebay. Apparently, when the couple died, their son engaged a house clearance firm to clear the house completely with no momentos or keepsakes left for the family. It made being able to return the postcards even more rewarding.
Double Entendre
This card makes reference to some "blue material". Does it mean fabric or is it something risqué? Is it a joke between lovers who marry the following year. I'd like to think the latter.
The Saga of Frances Mantz and Walter Newitt Part 12
This is the twelfth and final postcard in the Frances Mantz series. It is mirror written by Frances' future husband Walter and posted in 1907.
The Saga of Frances Mantz and Walter Newitt Part 11
This is the eleventh card in the Frances Mantz series. The signature is unclear, but whoever it is, they have a swollen face because of an abscess.
The Saga of Frances Mantz and Walter Newitt Part 10
This is the tenth postcard in the Frances Mantz series. It is the first one written by her future husband, Walter Newitt and was sent from a student camp in Ulveston. It is written in mirror writing which seems to be the couple's preferred method of communication. There is nothing striking about the content. There are no secrets.
Another Reunion
This week Ghostpostcards has successfully reunited 3 postcards with their rightful owner. The three mirror written cards sent to Thomas Lance Simmons in 1907 have been returned to the family. Who knows what their journey to e-bay was, but now they are home.
The Saga of Frances Mantz and Walter Newitt Part 9
This is the ninth card in the Frances Mantz series and was sent by Frances' younger sister Martha. The curious thing about this card is that part way through, for one sentence, Martha adopts mirror writing. Why?
