G.051.01-03 The Last Big Log Drive, Galeton, PA

Before we follow Gustaf and Gerda back to Sweden (1911), here are three  unwritten postcards from Galeton, Pennsylvania, where Gustaf spent most of his years in America, working at a sawmill and/or lumberyard. (Cf post from 2012-08-31, 1910 US Population Census).

I don't know if Gustaf bought these cards while he was still living in Galeton, or if some friend sent them to him later. There is no printing year on the back of the postcards. In the sidebar, under the heading 'Helpful links', I have some links to web pages related to the history of Galeton and the Pennsylvania lumber industry. So far, I have not found any reference to "the last big log drive" though.

Originally (or when the postcard album got into my hands), these three cards were at the back of album (with some other unwritten/ undated ones). I managed to move them to page 51, as in my opinion they clearly belong in the context of the end of Gustaf's years in America. Even if he may have acquired the cards later, it seems plausible that a decline in the Pennsylvanian lumber industry was part of his decision to return to Sweden. 

The Last Big Log Drive, Galeton, PA.

The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Domestic 1 Ct. - Foreign 2 Cts.

54040 - Hardwood Mill, Galeton, Pa.

The Rotograph Co., N.Y., City. (Germany.)
Domestic One cent. Foreign Two cents.

54306 - Edgcomb Hotel, Galeton, Pa.

The Rotograph Co., N.Y., City. (Germany.)
Domestic One cent. Foreign Two cents.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 562 

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Dessa tre vykort satt ursprungligen någonstans längst bak i vykortsalbumet (tillsammans med andra oskrivna och odaterade kort) men jag flyttade dem till sidan 51, eftersom de utgör en passande avslutning på Gustafs år i Amerika. Tryckår saknas på korten och jag vet inte om Gustaf köpte dem medan han själv var kvar i Galeton, eller om möjligen någon annan skickat dem till honom senare. Hur som helst verkar det sannolikt att nedgången i den amerikanska timmer/trä-industrin påverkade Gustafs beslut att återvända till Sverige 1911. 

Under rubriken 'Helpful links' i blogg-marginalen finnst några länkar till webbsidor om Galeton och träindustrin i  Pennsylvania, men jag har inte så här långt lyckats hitta någon direkt referens till "The last big log drive".

G.024.3 - Christmas 1903

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) (French:  Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern  of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. [Wikipedia]

It's a Christmas card to Gustaf from his (unmarried) sister Ester in Sweden.  Judging by the print on the back, it's not likely to be any of their own family or friends on the photo.

The card still provides some valuable information from family history research point of view, as it can be concluded from the writing and the postmarks on the back that in December 1903, Gustaf moved from Port Allegany to Galeton (also in Pennsylvania) - where he was to remain living until he returned to Sweden in 1911.

(The previous card in the album shows that he was still in Port Allegany at the end of November.)

The postmarks on this card show that it arrived at Port Allegany Dec 25, 1903, at 3 pm; and was sent on  to Galeton at 6:30 pm the same day; to arrive there the next morning (that postmark is a bit blurry but I think it says Dec 26, ?? AM). No Christmas holiday for those handling the postal services, it seems! 

(I do wish that the stamps on all these cards had not been removed by some fanatic stamp collector in the past... whether that was Gustaf himself, or someone else!)

Gustaf in Galeton, Pennsylvania ~ 1910

Ännu ett gammalt foto, som när jag först hittade det, inte sa mig någonting. Först senare, när jag på andra vägar funnit att farmors äldre halvbror Gustaf bott och arbetat några år i Galeton i Pennsylvania, USA, så lade jag vid en ny titt på det här fotot märke till fotografens märke på pappersramen: Martin, Galeton, PA

Tillsammans med uppgifterna från den amerikanska folkräkningen 1910 (länk till tidigare blogginlägg) drar jag slutsatsen att huset på bilden är det där Gustaf tillsammans med andra sågverksarbetare i Galeton hyrde logi av den lokala skatteindrivaren Thomas Near med familj. 

Tillsammans med tio andra män uppges Gustaf i folkräkningen 1910 som “boarder” (inneboende) hos familjen Thomas Near i Galeton, Ward 2, Pennsylvania. Near var kommunal skatteindrivare (Tax Collector/ Borough), hans hustru och fyra barn är också upptagna i folkräkningen – och tydligen hyrde de ut logi till sågverksarbetare också.

Gustaf känner jag nu igen som mannen längst till vänster. Kortet är odaterat, men måste vara taget mellan 1904-1911. (Från hans vykortssamling kan jag se att han 1903 bodde i Port Allegany, men 1904 flyttat till Galeton. Och 1911 återvände han till Sverige.)

Jag utgår från att personerna längst till höger är medlemmar av familjen Near. Den uppgivna åldern på döttrarna i folkräkningen 1910 är 22 resp 20. Detta kan stämma med de två unga damerna. De två småflickorna finns inte listade i folkräkningen - men kanske räknades inte barn under en viss ålder? (Har inte kollat upp detta.) Den unge mannen i mitten kan vara en av sönerna (antagligen den äldre?). Mannen som står bredvid Gustaf är väl antagligen en annan inneboende.

In English:

Another old photo that at first glance didn't tell me anything. Later, I discovered the photographer's imprint on the frame: Martin, Galeton, PA. By then I had learned that my great-uncle Gustaf lived in Galeton between 1904-1911 and worked at the sawmill there. In the census from 1910 (link to a previous blog post) he is listed as a boarder with Mr Thomas Near (tax collector) and family. So I suppose this must be that house, and the people on the right the Near family. On the photo, I recognize Gustaf as the man furthest to the left. In the census, the daughters of the family are said to be 22 and 20 years old, which might match the age of the two young ladies in the photo. The young man between them could be one of the sons (probably the elder?). I'm not sure where the two little girls fit in - but perhaps children below a certain age weren't listed? (I haven't checked that.) The man standing next to Gustaf I assume to be another boarder.