Clues in a letter

 I try to keep the focus on objects because I think those are more interesting for outsiders, and possibly also more informative for someone on their own research journey, but decided to make a slight derivation for some excellent primary source clues. 

This letter from my Great-grandmother Green to her nephew (?) Harold Weed was likely saved because it contains some family information. I thank whoever tucked it into the rest of the papers I have! 

"Dear Harold and Margaret; 

The little I know of the California connections to the family, I will try to give you a comprehensive report. 

    "Aunt Sarah who was a sister to Grandfather Green was married to a man named Farwell so of course her name was then Sarah Farwell. They had one son who was killed in an accident when in his late teens or early twenties, he was an only child. Mr. Farwell was evidently a man of means so he left enough for Aunt Sarah to live comfortably for the rest of her life. There was apparently very little left of the estate when she died. What remained was divided among the four in your side of the family and Sadie McLean."

Initially I hung on to this because I liked the sample of her handwriting, but re-reading, I was intrigued by the name, so I looked up Sarah Farwell on FamilySearch, which is the free resource that I primarily use. I was able to find several living in California during the period, so I used my other favorite resource GenealogyBank (which is not a free resource) to see if she appeared in any newspapers and narrow down the possible people for my tree. (Darn those common first names!)

I was in luck! I found her name together with one I was familiar with, my great-grandfather Colonel Joseph Green of Seattle:

This is from the San Francisco Chronicle, March 20th 1928. This link meant I could search for Sarah J Farwell in Oakland. (That Sadie E Hodgkins mentioned above? She's the Sadie McLean from Grandma's letter)

Here is a death notice for Sarah J Farwell, also from the Chron, August 1929. 

The Appomattox Relief Corps was the local Women's Auxiliary of a fraternal organization called The Grand Army of the Republic. It was a relief and social organization for veterans of the American Civil War. It also became a political entity during the Reconstruction era. Was Mr. Farwell a veteran of the Civil War? 

I still needed to verify other items in the letter--for instance, the death of her husband, and son. Well, via FamilySearch I was able to determine that her husband and son were both called Fred or Freddie, and that Fred Jr was born Jan 1, 1987. Here is a snippet of the 1900 census for Oakland that has the family on it : 

You can see Fred as Head of House, Sarah, and Fred Jr. listed, as well as a domestic servant (also named Sarah, also from England). Further in the page, which I did not select as these are hard enough to read anyway, there was a column for number of children and number of live children had by a mother, and for Sarah it was listed as two children and only one living. in 1900 she would have been 40, and Fred Jr only 3. Perhaps she had a difficult time with pregnancies.  A fun detail--if you look below, you will see the Mclean family are neighbors? That is her sister Clara! 

I was sad to confirm poor Fred Jr's fate. At 18 years of age he died of a skull fracture after winning a motorcycle race in Sacramento. 

I haven't yet found as much detail for the life of Fred Sr, but hopefully that will come. I think it was a great lead that brought me to many new details of my (indirect) ancestors!

Writing and Erasing

 Writing in ink pen is a tricky task if you are not fully sure of some fact or the correct spelling of a word. Now we have white-out and such, but in the early days, one would require the use of an "ink scraper blade". 

This image courtesy of Knife Magazine. The accompanying text describes "A short, double-edged, (usually) non-folding blade on the end of a long tang in a wood or ivory handle, used to “erase” ink by scraping it from parchment, vellum, and paper. Often sold as “Civil War scalpels.” The style that is like a short dagger is, without its handle, sometimes sold to the unsuspecting as a “trade arrowhead”. Caveat emptor." This description probably explains why these are sometimes called "bleeder knives" on resale websites. 

This example of an ink scraper/eraser was an item that came down to me in my gorgeous Colonial Manufacturing secretary desk. Some treasures lived in it as long as I can remember, as storage, and though they probably do not all belong there, I keep them together. This item clearly belongs in a writing desk! 

The sheath comes from Joseph Rogers & Sons of Sheffield, England. It is clearly mismatched, which means there were likely two scrapers at one point.  Rogers and Sons was a pre-eminent knife-maker, starting business in 1724, and being in possession of an excellent reputation of craftsmanship (link). Their items were made under their name until the 1970s or 80s and are now under a different trade name. 

The scraper knife itself has a spear-shaped point and a Rosewood (I think!) handle. Both show significant signs of wear, with sharpening evident on the blade, and much shine and wear on the thin part of the handle, which I think was for smoothing the writing surface back down after scraping it. 

The Miller Brothers started a pocket-knife company in Meriden, CT in 1863:  today it is known as "CutCo". They branched out into pen nibs, but faced stiff competition from their superior English counterparts, until the US government imposed tariffs that made the sale of US-made goods more appealing to local consumers (link). This source suggests the eraser with the Rosewood handle was listed in Miller's catalog starting in 1895, and that previously they had only sold scrapers with bone handles. (As the link to the museum is defunct I can't say if this is correct. Perhaps it is just a sample from that year)

As for dating the scraper, I am not sure. That previous link only suggests to me the scraper was available in that year, not necessarily that it was the first year they were available. This document states that the company was incorporated in 1870 and moved to Wallingford, CT. Then, by 1872, needed to expand again to Meriden, CT (link). This piece has a hallmark that clearly says "Miller Bros" in a curve over the lines "Out of Meriden". So it would be a post 1872 piece. 

The methods practiced and perfected by Miller Brothers, especially mass-producing stamped blades, and attaching them to handles with rivets, so revolutionized the knife industry that they had a hand in putting hand-forged blade makers out of business (link). By 1926, however, they discontinued their knife production and focused solely on steel pens (link). Reading these historical perspectives is interesting, I had a little giggle at the discussion of tariffs to "protect from foreign cutlery". Watch out for those spoons!

I can't say which relative(s) may have owned or used this item. All were literate and maintained correspondence with family. Many lived in the Eastern seaboard around the time this object would have been made and sold, so possibly moved out West with them. Most likely this would have been a Post ancestor rather than Green, as the Green patriarch came to Washington from England via California with no pause on the East coast, as far as I can tell. The Post side includes the ancestor who owned the secretary desk where the item was kept(Rev Henry Attwell Post), so perhaps it belonged to him as well. 

Just a Thimble

 One of my lovely family objects is a Simons Brothers silver-nickel thimble. It came from my Grandmother's house but I have no idea who it belonged to or when. The inside is stamped "USA SBC" and a "7" for the size. I could not get a clear image of the inside as it is very worn.

 Wiki has this lovely etymology for thimble: "The Old English word þȳmel, the ancestor of thimble, is derived from Old English þūma, the ancestor of the English word thumb". The letter thorn is pronounced, "th". 

The pattern is a leaf-and berry ring around the base, with a smooth rim and dimpled crown and sides. This website is a compilation of vintage silver thimble maker's marks, in case anyone has a piece they are trying to authenticate. A tidbit states: "Prior to 1870 silver was scarce and so coins were melted down and the thimbles made of this silver were marked 'coin'". My thimble is not marked coin, and the article goes on to state that the SBC makers mark (as opposed to a shield or other shape) indicates it is a nickel-silver alloy. All I can gather about this piece is that it was made after 1900 which doesn't really help me narrow down whose it might have been!

Simons Brothers is an old US-based manufacturing enterprise, dating from 1839. View more of their history here. They were a family business until 1969, and still produce thimbles today. The book Findings: The Material culture of Needlework and Sewing by Mary Carolyn Beaudry says that flat-topped thimbles are an "American development of the 20th century". 

Related resources: this is an excellent interview with thimble collector Sue Gowan of Australia, and here is her webpage with tons of in-depth information on various types of thimbles. Sadly my item did not seem to be represented there, but perhaps yours will. 

I've got the button

 I've shared one of my button jars before--I have several, belonging previously to various relatives. A few shiny buttons stood out to me as being military, and me being me, I wanted to find out if I could guess who they belonged to. 

Here's the general layout, see how I numbered it to make it easier on myself? Well I did this (and a bunch of research) last October and...forgot everything I learned!

These are the top row, they are what is known as "collar discs". The first one is a domed disc with Ballou clutches on the reverse. The other two are flat, un-bordered, and have Ballou clutches on the reverse, one generic US in block letters, one a caduceus.  This fantastic website helped me guess that these were Type V (5) collars discs and issued between 1942 and 1970. The researcher suggests that the domed option was one that the soldier could purchase, different from the standard-issue flat discs. 

My guess for the Medic's discs is my great-uncle Lawrence D Arnold. From a letter from my Grandmother, (yay, primary sources) she says "Yes I had a brother in WW2 but he was too young to be in active war, he was in occupied Japan and he was a medic rate". He would only have been 17 in 1945, so joining up after the active hostilities had ceased makes sense. I cannot find his military record, and do not want to submit an official request currently because they are still so backed up from their covid employment shortages, so I have to rely on other sources. The crossed rifles for infantry is still a mystery. 

This pin has a screw back and is quite large, 1.5" across or so. It is supposedly the insignia or device for an enlisted soldier's cover (aka "hat"). However, there the clarity ceases. The screw back seems to suggest first World War era, though they appear to show up on some more recent devices in some cases. There is an entire book dedicated to the subtle changes in hat devices in the history of the Army, but at $60 for the ebook version, I can't swing it! However, if you go to this page, it has 4 pages of previews, and I think you can actually see this device as an example on the 4th sample (page 143) that looks very similar! I can just barely make out the text at the top of the page suggesting that the horizontal lines took the place of the diagonal texture, but not the lower part where a time period or other source might be found! Many of the first world war and post-war era devices have textured grounds, but they have cross-hatching or cross-hatches with dots in the gaps. This one has horizontal lines. The only one I can easily find online that looks the same is this ebay listing, though I do not trust ebay sellers to have historically accurate notes on their items unless they back it up in some way. 

Now, for items like this, it could have come to be in the button jar any number of ways: a flea market find, a gift, a family item, etc, so I am not 100% certain that I can connect this to a family member. But it is nice to make the attempt!

One family member I am certain had a role in WW1 was my great-great grandfather, Archie A Arnold. Despite being an American citizen by birth, he served with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces as, at the time, he lived in Saskatoon. 

I believe he is on the left here. This little button was also in the jar, and I think its a treasure. 

It is very small, about an inch across, and has an image of the Royal Coat of arms. This is a General Service button! After 1902, all service members in England and Canada had this on their uniforms, with a few special exceptions. This particular one was made at Smith and Wright Ltd of Birmingham. Based on the maker's mark, the oldest it could be is 1890. I'd like to think this was on of Archie's buttons!

From the first photo, I have guessed that buttons 6 and 7 are modern reproductions, one is a repro Hessian button ("Spes Nostra es Devs") and the other looks like a more modern decorative button. 

Keeping time

This metronome lived on top of my Grandma's piano for as long as I can remember. It used to have a door, but cohabitating with various cats (who, as everyone knows, own all high-up spaces) has caused it some damage over the years. It is also missing its base cover. 

 There is some grandfather sign here--the small piece of metal wrapped around the base of the upright is a sure sign my eternally-tinkering and fixing grandfather had a go at stabilizing it for some reason. 

This metronome, or as I have recently learned, "Metronome de Maelzel" as they were often called, despite not all being made by Maelzel, is a J.T.L product, or more properly by instrument maker Jerome Thibouville-Lamy. The lutherie and instrument-making families of Europe seem to be rather interconnected, and his was no exception. Rather than being a luthier or bow-maker himself, he was more of a business-man and distributor, selling makes from various ateliers.  More history here. 

This piece still works, and I do have the key for it. You can see the inside, serial number is plainly visible, as well as the words "New York", and instructions for how to ensure the device keeps good time. However I have not found any catalogs or listings to compare. The only thing I have been able to establish is that JTL's time in New York was fairly limited. That listing states that JTL's son and partner opened an agency branch in New York in 1889 at #106 Mercer street. Also, that the listing only lasts until 1909--was it closed down? Perhaps. But that is a short window of 20 years for the item to have passed through New York. Unfortunately for me that gives me more questions than answers!

This page is from "The Musician" magazine, second volume, which Google says is from 1897. The top center advertisement is for JTL metronomes, imported from France, through Hatch Music Company in Philadelphia, PA. My great-grandfather Henry A Post lived in PA for some time, perhaps he is the link here. 

This image is from "The Etude" Vol 14, issue 4, from 1896. This ad on the left column, middle ad, has JTL metronomes imported through Theodore Presser, Philadelphia PA as well. (Both magazines fully readable through Google Books--very cool). These ads precede the opening of JTL's New York offices, but indicate a popularity and demand for the items in the US. And it could be bought for $3.00, which is about a hundred of today's dollars. 

JTL badge visible on the parchment here as well as on the label inside. My grandmother was quite the musician, learning piano and vocal music as a young lady and giving recitals her whole life. As an adult she sang in the Bach Chorale and South Seattle Community College choirs as well as at her church, St Johns, right up until she died. Her piano is now with one of my second cousins, which is really nice. In the photos above it is pictured on my Mellville-Clarke which is a player piano (minus the player guts) from 1901...that I don't know how to play! (It is not a family piece) Someday I will learn. (I played orchestral music as a young person and guitar as an adult and sing, informally now)

If you have a metronome you suspect might be antique, this website might be helpful. 

I hope to make more of these posts as I enjoy them and want to share my beautiful old things. 

Junior Birdmen

In a box of trail and topographical maps (my grandparents were great outdoorsfolk) was a small cellophane envelope. Inside was this Seattle Times clipping from Thursday April 14, 1937. It must have been special, because the date was clipped separately and pasted to the article. The caption reads: "SMALL BUT PERFECT--Members of Squadron 279, Junior Birdmen of America won squadron honors at the current Exhibition in Miniature. Here, looking over their model airport, are, left to right, Douglas Post, Carl Jordan, Gene Hawkins, Commander Malcolm Post and Capt. Etta Belknap. (Story on page 22)"

Malcolm was my grandfather, Douglas his brother. Both went on to have experience in aviation and avionics, and it is so wonderful to see them here. Per Wikipedia, the Junior Birdmen was formed in 1934 by the Hearst newspaper chain and related corporations. It was short-lived, however, and became defunct by 1939. 

The pin I happened to find in a box of small, miscellaneous treasures from my grandparents' house that I am still trying to decipher. Having noticed it first, then finding the article, was serendipitous. 

Douglas flew and trained other pilots in the Army Air corps during the war. Malcolm was a low-level operator at Boeing before the war. Both utilized the GI bill for their education, Malcolm then returned to Boeing for a career there. 
 

A Delightful Object

 Pens are wonderful. They are both utilitarian and beautiful. This pen I remember from my childhood, or one like it, rolling around the drawers in a huge secretary desk at my Grandma's house. That desk, which is gorgeous dark mahogany, sat in the corner behind the sofa and contained TREASURE. Photos of people I didn't know, papers, little bits of things having to do with writing, etc. Well, you'll be pleased to know that desk lives at my house now, where it will be hopefully loved for further generations. (I believe it belonged to Henry Attwell Post and Edith Mabel Workman Post, possibly part of the set they purchased in Cuba on their honeymoon, but I am not sure).

This pen looks a bit goofy now. I believe the cap was lost for a time, stored separately, or actually belonged to a different pen. Otherwise they should have faded similarly. This is a Sheaffer Lifetime pen in Jade, which was a pretty big deal in the US when first invented. It has a14k gold nib and a lever on the side to refill the sac. This one was made between 1923 and 1927. I dated it using this handy article that described how the pens changed over time. The barrel is celluloid, and apparently quite easy to catch on fire if overheated. This one does not write, the sac inside was brittle and shattered when I tried to operate the lever. I am planning on sending it out to hopefully be repaired. 

The most special bit though? The top photo shows the barrel has been imprinted "JOSEPH GREEN" who was my great-grandfather on the other half of my maternal side. (the other photo has patents dates on it, which was useful dating material). This pen was expensive at the time, $8.75 which is $100 today, and they had a lifetime guarantee indicated by the "white dot". I imagine it would have been given to him as a gift, seeing as how his name is imprinted on it, and knowing the value. This is probably the reason it was saved. 

So what was Joseph doing during those years (or later) that might have resulted in this gift? I'm not terribly sure. I don't know as much about him as I'd like. 

The 1920 census has him living at home with his parents in a very large household with extended members in the South Seattle area (Dunlap, or various parts of what we would today call Columbia City). At this time his work is listed as accounting, for a manufacturing company. On November 14, 1923 he married Olive Rose Danner in Wenatchee. The marriage documentation lists him as being a bookkeeper. (Previous documentation, in this case the WWI draft registration, lists him as a bookkeeper for Smith Cannery in Seattle). My grandmother Barbara was born in 1929, and the 1930 census has them living at 640 75th st in Seattle, the house I grew up going to to visit my great grandma. His occupation was still listed as a bookkeeper, this time for a steel company. 

Given the high cost of this item at the time and the fact that it is inscribed, I am guessing he was given it for his work at one of his jobs, possibly as a parting gift. Maybe leaving Smith for another company caused him to be given this gift of note. 

Joe is in the middle here, Olive on the right. The other lady shows up in a lot of photos, but I'm not sure who she is. Hazel? Marion? Maybe I'll find out someday.