Greetings from the Past

2019-06-03

G.023.1 - Chicago Water Tower (1903)

Greetings from Chicago - Gruss aus Chicago

Water Works and Tower - Wasserwerke

*Koelling & Klappenbach Publishers, Chicago Ill. No. 36

Printed in Germany. Sepia O.L.M. 623:02

*(I found the publishers listed at Metropostcard .com)

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman

Port Allegany, Box 148, Pennsylvania
Sent from: Chicago, Ill., Jan 21, 1903
Arrived at: Port Allegany PA, Jan 22, 1903

Tack för senast. God fortsättning. Undrar hur det är nu med hälsan och trefnaden. Vi mår bra här i Chicago. Hälsningar från Gerda, hon sitter bredvid mig. Många hjärtliga hälsningar från Frida o Annie.

Thank you for last time. Happy New Year. How are things now with your health and well-being. We are well here in Chicago. Gerda sends her love, she is sitting next to me. Best wishes from Frida & Annie.

Frida was mentioned by Gerda on her card G.022.2 written in December 1902.

I'm wondering what "last time" was... Did they perhaps all travel together to the US? Both Gerda and Gustaf did emigrate in the autumn of 1902. Whether on the same ship or not, they must have arrived in New York before they went on to their respective destinations. Chicago is further inland than Pennsylvania; which makes it unlikely that Gustaf would have gone first to Chicago and then back to Pennsylvania. It makes more sense to me to think that they travelled together and then parted ways after their arrival in the US. (On the other hand: The postcard did not take more than one day to travel between the two places!)

---

The Chicago Water Tower was built in 1869, and is the second oldest water tower in the US. It was named an American Water Landmark in 1969. Nowadays it houses an art gallery: The City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, featuring the work of local photographers and artists. [Wikipedia]

2019-06-02

Another Pleasantville Interlude (~ 1930)

Way back in September 2012, I wrote a post entitled Summer in Pleasantville 1933. I had one photo of Gerda, posing on some kind of brick terrace, and with 'Pleasantville 1933' written on the back. And another of her in a garden with two little boys, which looked like it might be from the same time and place. I knew Gerda was working for Estelle Manville-Bernadotte and her husband Count Folke Bernadotte (from Sweden) at the time. I also knew Estelle's parents lived in Pleasantville; and furthermore, that Folke Bernadotte represented Sweden at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair - which made it likely that the whole family had been to the US that summer - lady's maid/housekeeper Gerda included.

Over the years that followed, I had emails from two or three people who happened to come across my blog posts in their own internet searches to do with Pleasantville, and who could confirm - in one way or another - that those photos of Gerda were indeed from the Manville estate.

One of those emails, received in July 2014, got put aside because I had little time just then for my family research projects. I happened to find it again the other day, and realised that I never got round to adding those photos to the blog. I have remedied that now, in a post that I decided to "back-date" to 2014: Hi-Esmaro, Pleasantville - Again. One photo shows the house in 1925; the other is from 1978, shortly before it was demolished.

On second thought, I'll include these photos here, too
- for comparison with some more to follow below...

After I had finished that back-dated blog post yesterday, I was flickering through Gerda's photo album agian. It's a very challenging collection, because not only are the photos very small, and some of them of poor quality - but they have also been firmly glued into the album in no particular order, and with no notes or dates whatsoever. (And as the separate album pages can't be removed, scanning the images is tricky, too.)

Now, with that 1925 image of the Hi-Esmaro estate fresh in mind... Suddenly another photo in the album jumps out at me. Surely this looks like it could be from Hi-Esmaro as well - from another angle?

I'm guessing Gerda is the one in the middle.
And then surely, the photo below shows the same three ladies:

And then I suppose this photo could be from there as well
(even if it could also be somewhere else)

And perhaps this one?

2019-05-31

R.003.1, R.003.2 - New Year & Easter 1903, and Gerda's Whereabouts

From Gerda's postcard album:

Around New Year 1902/03, Gerda was living at:
6019 Morgan Street, Chicago, Illinois

Godt Nytt År tillönskas af Elin o Oscar.
(Har du fått brefvet?)

Happy New Year from Elin & Oscar.
(Did you receive the letter?)

In April 1903, Gerda was living at:

c/o Mrs Deutsche, 35 Elaine Street, Chicago

(or had perhaps already moved away from there?
but it seems the card reached her anyway!)

Nu har ni väl sommar i America? Tänker mig eljest vågade vi inte begifva oss iväg dit på velociped, som du ser.

En glad Påsk! tillönskas dig hjärtligt från Elin! Hur snart får vi något fotografi från dig "såsom Americanare"? Jag väntar storligen! Tack för hälsningarna med Oscars bref. Helena bad mig åter hälsa dig så innerligt! Skrift snart igen.

I suppose you have summer in America now? Otherwise we would not dare go there by velocipede, like you see here. / I wish you a Happy Easter! How soon will we get a photo of you as an "American"? I'm very much looking forward to that! Thanks for your greetings with Oscar's letter. Helena asked me again to send you her best wishes. Please write again soon. / Elin
[Elin is Gerda's sister-in-law, married to her brother Oscar]

When I read Elin's request for a photo of Gerda "as an American", the photo below comes to mind as one that may have been sent back to Sweden as reply. ~~(I don't even remember just now where I have the original photo! but luckily it turns out I both scanned and edited it before.)~~

Found the original. That is printed as a postcard as well, and from Chicago. And I guess the odd position of the image on the card may be deliberate, to make room for Gerda's habit of scribbling her messages all around it!

(Image edited by me back in 2013)

PS. I see now that I already posted about Elin's postcards as well as the car photo back in 2013, for two different Sepia Saturdays: March 22 (Painting A Bright Future) and April 14 (Destination Unknown). Never mind - that was a while ago now! :)

2019-05-29

G.022.2 Styrsö Hafsbad < 1902

December 1902: Gustaf and Gerda (brother and sister) are now both in the United States. Gustaf is in Port Allegany, Pennsylvania (and has got a postbox of his own now); and Gerda in Chicago, Illinois.

This card from Gerda to Gustaf was sent from Chicago, but the image is from a seaside resort in Sweden: Styrsö Havsbad (near Strömstad on the west coast)

As you can see, Gerda is using every available space to write on! and her handwriting is not the easiest to decipher... (Still a couple of words I haven't managed to work out.)

It can be concluded from the card that the two of them had been in touch by letter within the US before this card was sent.

I don't know if they travelled to America together on the same ship; but they were both there and had found somewhere to stay in December 1902.

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman, Port Allegany, Box 148, Pennselvania
From: Gerda (Ekman)
Sent from Chicago, Dec 20, 1902
Arrived in Port Allegany, PA, Dec 22, 1902

Tack skall du ha för brefvet som jag fick i går middag, det var roligt att få. Är ej detta ett vackert vykort, sådana har de också. Sverige är allt vackert. Jag skall skrifva bref snart så du får till julen.

Jag fick bref från Oscar i tisdags kväll, så jag kan hälsa från honom och äfven från Elin hade jag bref o ... (?) hade lagt i en lapp(?) så det var ... (?)

Du har väl flyttat kan jag tro eftersom adr. är ändrad. skicka mig ett vykort ifrån Port Allegany till julen, det skulle vara roligt att få. Jag är kvar på samma plats till nyår. Skrif snart Hälsningar Gerda. - Kan hälsa från Frida, talade vid [henne?]
Chicago den 19 Dec. 02

Thank you for the letter that I got yesterday at noon, that was nice to get. Isn't this a beautiful viewcard, they have those too. Sweden is really beautiful. I will write a letter soon so that you get it for Christmas. / I got a letter from Oscar on Tuesday evening, so I have greetings from him and I had a letter from Elin too and ... (?) had put in a note(?) so (that was?) ... (?) / You have moved I suppose as the address has changed. Send me a postcard from Port Allegany for Christmas, that would be nice to get. I will be staying at the same place until New Year. Write soon. Best wishes, Gerda. / I have greetings from Frida as well, spoke to [her] /
Chicago 19 Dec. 02.

2019-05-28

G.021.3, G.022.1, G.022.3 - Happy New Year 1903

The spelling of Pennsylvania is a challenge...

To:

Herr Gustaf Ekman / Ben K. Andersson

Port Allegany, Pennselvania, Box 101

Nordtamerica

Happy New Year from [your] sister Ester

To:
Herr Gust. Ekman / Ren K. Andersson
Port allegany, Pellnselvania, Box 101
North Amerika

Happy New Year from Oscar Wilander

On this card, the name of the sender is printed rather than handwritten - which indicates to me that he must have sent a lot of cards.

Who was Oscar Wilander? Gustaf's sister Emma was married to Brynolf Wilander, a country store owner. Did Brynolf have a brother called Oscar? I've been told that Gustaf's brother Oscar became manager of a branch store to the Wilander store. But it seems a bit far-fetched that he would also change his own surname? Besides, brother Oscar and wife Elin also sent a New Year card (in different handwriting):