The Original Owners of Our Cards

[Jobu]

I recently acquired a new card for my New Orleans collection (thanks Mac!). It has writing on the back, which is usually a bad thing. However, in this case I actually like it because I biked past the house several times per week for a decade. I collect New Orleans cards because of how much I enjoyed my 10 years there, so to see an address that I knew written on the back was pretty fun.

Eva Reach wrote her name and address, 1036 Joseph Street, on the back.

Here is the house:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/10...!4d-90.1164077

I contacted the Historic New Orleans Collection to ask for leads on Ms. Reach and was blown away by how much Heather sent me: phone books, census records, and more. It turns out that Eva, who was 7 years old in 1910, moved to 1036 Joseph Street in 1910, where she lived until 1916. Those dates dovetail nicely with the 1911-1916 dates for T216.

Eva's father, Edward Reach, was the chief clerk for Schut & Kiehn, a lumber exporter in New Orleans and also a member of the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias.

In 1931, Eva married Leonard E. Franseen in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and they went on to have two sons, Leonard and Richard. The family moved to New Orleans and then to Dallas, where Eva’s husband passed away in 1957. Eva died in New Orleans on July 12, 1962.

How about you? Do you know who owned one of your pre-war cards when it was brand new?

[Leon]

Nice story and research, Bryan. This Arrelanes card came from a guy with last name of Smith. He collected it as a kid and then I got it from his grandson. It was part of the largest find I ever had. It was collected in the Northern California area, Grass Valley.

[frankbmd]

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=147783

Never reticent to toot my own horn, the above thread from yesterday year outlines the history of my Waddell.

Stamped by the original owner Nelson Tisdel, who passed the card on to his son Donald who traded the card in the 40s to the man I purchased it from, Gordon Soutter, who had kept the card in his collection for over 60 years.

So I am the fourth owner.

3 Waddell Portrait R.jpg

The card was stamped and signed by Nelson. When Nelson's son traded the card to Gordon Soutter, he signed the card. Mr. Soutter's wife listed the card on eBay, but verified that Gordon was still alive and the third rightful owner of the card.

That makes me the fourth.

[orly57]

I've always been intrigued by the "life" of a baseball card. Who owned it? How many owners? Where was it stored for these 100 years? I stare at them and wonder where it was while historical events were going on. I think that may be one of the biggest draws to postcards for me aside from beauty and rarity. Messages from the past to loved ones in other parts of the country encapsulate the moment and freeze it in time forever. Here are two of my postally-used postcards.

[KingFisk]

Originally Posted by orly57

I've always been intrigued by the "life" of a baseball card. Who owned it? How many owners? Where was it stored for these 100 years? I stare at them and wonder where it was while historical events were going on. I think that may be one of the biggest draws to postcards for me aside from beauty and rarity. Messages from the past to loved ones in other parts of the country encapsulate the moment and freeze it in time forever. Here are two of my postally-used postcards.

I live in a house built in the 1920s and I often think about the fact that it has stood here through the Depression, World War II, Viet Nam, etc.,etc. Getting into tobacco cards has amplified this even more...two World Wars, the Russian Revolution, etc. Survived bicycle spokes, paper drives, annual spring cleanings. Where did these tiny cigarette premiums live and survive on their way to my collection a hundred plus years later? Fun to think about. So I truly love reading these stories you all have posted that shine a light into the past. Thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Chris Counts]

I don't mind writing on the back of a card, especially if the writing is vintage and nicely done. I'm not sure who owned this one, but whoever did apparently wrote when and where he (or she) got it ...

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Stamped by the original owner Nelson Tisdel, who passed the card on to his son Donald who traded the card in the 40s to the man I purchased it from, Gordon Soutter, who had kept the card in his collection for over 60 years.

I've got a Tisdel stamped/signed card from T206 I bought off COMC. So there are more out there.

[bocca001]

Here are my Obaks stamped by Gilliam Squires, who lived (at least for a time) in San Jose, CA (my home town). I hear that there are some Bishop E99s or E100s out there somewhere.