Pap had gone to Oregon; his "little girlie" was still in Ashtabula, Ohio.
It was the middle of winter in 1911, and the Portland area was cold.
Pap sent a postcard to his little girl, Miss Mary Smith.
The card had a picture of the glorious Oneonta gorge of the Columbia River.
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*
Postmark
Portland, ORE
January 4, 1911
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Address
Miss Mary C. Smith
504 Lake Street
Ashtabula,
O.
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There is no message on the reverse of the card.
I recognize that Gather's resident genealogist, The Amazing Kate, may encounter trouble finding a "Mary Smith".
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Comments: 29
I can imagine that a name like "Mary Smith" might prove difficult.
What got me was the place names on this postcard. Ashtabula makes me think of flat land (tabula) with lots of trees (ash) but I'd still wonder if the name was borrowed from someplace else and didn't describe the new town at all.
And then -- Oneonta! I know that some of the Native American tribes of NYS moved west and were in the Pacific Northwest by then, so perhaps the name traveled with them. Still, it was a surprise to see Oneonta in Oregon.
You draw attention to a wonderful topic of related interest, that of place names.
It is true that some place names traveled across the country as settlements were made in different parts of the expanding nation.
Many names were also created to describe a new place.
Your reflection on "Ashtabula" is very interesting - I am off to see what I can find about it.
The name Ashtabula means "river of many fish" in the Iroquois language.
It looks that way, Dannielle.
This photograph was mailed before many of the great dams were built on the Columbia River.
I wonder if this spot still exists as pictured here.
From the Wiki:
"The U.S. Forest Service has designated it (Oneonta Gorge) as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. The basalt walls are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge."
Especially during the past eight years, Dannielle.
(Love the comment)
I quite agree, Debbie.
Nevertheless, I am going to post two "easier" names/cards tomorrow.
It's a small city, even today.
Nevertheless, Kate often has to look in surrounding counties or towns if the family has been "on the move".
Because of the Pap or "Pop", I am inclined to think the girlie is a daughter, Mariana.
But, i have often been corrected by the research of the Amazing Kate.
Mary Smith must have been the most common female name then, even for children. Mary was the #1 girl's name, according to the social security list.
Madame Donna, how cool!
Was ithe Oneonta Gorge as clean and lovely as the postcard picture suggests?
Excellent deduction, Beaker. Glad to see that some one else is learning their way through vintage postcards.
Poor Kate.
I hope that these impossible names have not contributed to her need to take time off!
It sounds marvelous, Madame Donna.
You don't have pictures, do you?
I do understand, Madame Donna.
It's a better reason than the one I imagined - I thought you were saving them for your pay-per-view website.
I love the dscussion of the place names derived from the Native American languages.
That is my belief, Honore.