Every Friday The Psychogenealogist shares a "Pic of the Week." The intent is to encourage thought and imagination about the spaces where psychology, genealogy, and history converge.
This week we have a postcard from August of 1908. It is humorously captioned "The Beauty and the Beast" and has a young woman sitting next to a cow.
"Beauty and the Beast - 1908"
The postcard is addressed to: Mrs. Nick Nursbaum of Waterville, Minn. It is sent care of (c/o) H.J. Luther. It has a 1 cent Benjamin Franklin stamp and postmark from Morristown Minnesota on August 12, 1908, at 11am.
Back
It reads:
Dear Mother,
We were over to the berry patch and they would not let us pick until sat. and they said we could pick next week, and they want 8 cts. a quart, they are small. They started stacking yesterday at one place, all are well.
??
It sort of reads like a Hemingway novel: concise and without flourish. It raises many questions. Who is mother? Who is writing? What sort of berries are being picked? Is 8cts. a quart a good deal or not so much? Why can't berries be picked until Saturday? What is Mrs. Nick Nusbaums's first name?
Do you want to test some of your genealogical detective skills?
I will send this post card to whoever can tell me most about the sender and the recipient. Tell me what facts you can find (e.g., census records, birth dates, death dates, etc). Have some fun too and fill in some of the blanks with educated guesses. What are the possible real life stories of these people?
Post in the comments below or send me an email and I will include them in a future blog updating this one.
Have fun!
Do you have an old photograph or a genealogical story that you would like to share? I am happy to consider guest submissions for possible Pic of the Week or other blog posts in the future. Send an email to info@psychogenealogist.com for more information.
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