Postcards

One of my hobbies is postcards.  My grandmother saved hundreds of them and I have since collected many more.  I see an early one dated 1914 so some are over 100 years old.

Probably some of my favorites are in the early 30s when my Dad would write to his father about an upcoming visit to Cape Cod.  Leslie, Sr worked in Boston during the week and the Metropolitan District Commission and on Friday night he would take the train down to Dennis, Cape Cod.  My Dad would usually report to his father on one of those penny postcards during the week.

I have been trying to preserve these postcards at  http://LRSears.tumblr.com  but it is slow going so far.

25 Aug 1932

Dear Daddy

I went in swimming at Harwichport yesterday. We are going to take Grandma to the train this afternoon. Uncle Roy is working at the Fair grounds for a few days. Earl is here playing with me this morning. Sabra is down playing in the box shop with Jay & Priscilla. We will meet you Sat at 3:45  Love xxx Leslie Jr

to Mr Leslie R Sears

39 Hilldale Rd, So Weymouth, Mass

Even in 1932 a postcard only cost a penny to mail.  I am sure the postcard made its way from East Dennis to South Weymouth on one of the daily trains.  From the handwriting you  can guess that my Dad did not write this card but must have dictated it to his mother.  He was only 4 years old at this writing.

Even better are the postcards that my grandfather posted from France back to his mother and brother during World War I.  In these cases the soldier did not have to pay any postage. In fact during a war, a soldier can write on a piece of cardboard, like the one that his C-rations come in, write Soldier's Mail and that scrap of cardboard will be delivered. In most cases that is all the family ever heard from a soldier and this postcard was basically evidence that the soldier was still alive! There was nothing else written on this card but i can tell that my grandpa Leslie wrote this from his handwriting.