Sept. 20th, 1915: A Postcard from Grandpa Olmstead

I think I've seen it all in my mother's collection of diaries when out pops this 100-year-old postcard.  It was sent to my grandparents, the Merediths, by James' grandfather, William Henry Olmstead, age 92.  William was living with relatives, the Conners, in Saranac MI.  Olmstead? It was James' mother's maiden name.

         RR No. 2
         Saranac, Mich.
         Sept. 20, 1915

Dear James & Lola,
     Please accept this card as a token of our remembrance
of you and of your birthdays - which occur, we think, James' 35th on Sept. 23rd and Lola's on Oct. 1st.

    We hope they will prove joyous change to you both, such 
                                                          that you will live to enjoy many holiday returns and may the  
                                                          Dear Lord's blessing attend you all the way.
                                                                 Your aunt, Mary G. Conner
                                                                  Your Grandfather, Wm. H. Olmstead

My grandmother, Carlotta Lola Lucretia Weekes Meredith, was called "Lola" and "Lottie."  She was to turn
29 on Oct. 1, 1915, but perhaps William Olmstead was unsure of her age.  It was difficult to read the faded brown ink and tiny, fine writing, especially  in the second paragraph when William was running out of room. William lived to be 93, dying on June 1, 1916.  James' father, Nathaniel, was a Civil War veteran, and had died in 1907 at 63.  Oddly enough, that was the age at which James himself would pass away in 1944.

At this time, the Merediths lived at 3855 Park Avenue in Chicago, according to the postcard.  Their two children, Ruth Viola and Jimmie, were 9 and 4.  This postcard was not in Pieces of a Life.

Precious Post Card From the Past

In the last post, I mentioned finding another treasure in a large box of diaries written later in Ruth Meredith Kellogg's life.  This is it - a post card made by Fain & Corning, 1716 W. Madison St., Chicago.  I'm assuming that's the photography studio, which probably was close to where the Merediths lived on the near west side of Chicago.

The young Meredith family is shown in June, 1910.  My grandmother "Lola" (aka Lottie or Carlotta), is shown in a large, feather-trimmed hat and tailored shirtwaist and jacket.  She looks so much older to me, but is only 23.  My grandfather, Jim Meredith (age 29), wears a derby, bow tie and suit, quite dressed up for the family photo.  Their prized daughter and my mother, Ruth Viola, has a special hat and coat on as well.  She is just weeks away from her fourth birthday.

The back of the card, which is where the address is shown, has more intriguing information.  It's addressed to my Great-Great Grandfather, William Henry Olmstead on Rural Delivery Route 12, Saranac, Michigan.  Jim's mother, Ruth Parks Olmstead, was named for the wife William lost in childbirth at age 25 when young Ruth was born. (Yep, more Ruths to add to the mix!)   In 1910, William Olmstead was an old man of 87, living with family in the state he had always called home.   He lived another six years, passing on in June, 1916.

Though we don't see William's handwriting on the post card, several of his letters were passed on to me.  He has elegant handwriting.  I was told long ago that he was a school teacher.  Someone did address this card to him, most likely Jim, even though he had little education.  It was his employer, Western Electric, that helped Jim Meredith achieve a high school education, even holding a graduation ceremony for all of the employees who earned diplomas.  

One question entered my mind when I saw the card.  You too?  How did it end up with the Merediths when it was mailed to Saranac in June, 1910 from Chicago?  I speculate that the Merediths either reclaimed it when William died or when his daughter, Ruth, died in 1923.  I should mention that Ruth's husband, Nathaniel Meredith, had died in 1907.  He had fought with a Michigan regiment in the Civil War.  Nathaniel and Ruth were the parents of Jim Meredith.  (See the abbreviated family tree on the last page of Pieces of a Life to help figure out who's who.)