Amazing WaJo PC discovery

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Wow. That is absolutely incredible. A signed 1908 Rose Co. postcard signed by the man himself.

Hank - Do you know who Edith was?

According to the museum, hers was a well-known family in Weiser, but have apparently all moved away. They also found a letter to her from Walter not long long before he died in 1946 responding to a letter from her:

(letter from Walter Johnson to Edith Sater Allen)
Germantown, Md.
Jan. 15,1946
Dear Edith:
Was sure good to hear from you. I have wondered lots and
lots of times where and how you were.
I did hear that you lost your husband. Yes, I live here on a
farm about twenty-five miles from D.C.
I guess I am not too much different than when you saw me
last, only of course some older.
I lost my wife sixteen years ago. She left me five children to
raise, and I managed to bring them up such as they are. All
went to college only two finished.
My baby is in college now she is nineteen. All married and
have children except her.
I am a grandfather six times and like it.
Please write and tell me all about yourself.
How many children did you have, and how long have you
been in Tacoma? You know I went to Weiser from Tacoma. I
would give a lot to sit down and talk old times with you.
I hope you are real well and will write me all about yourself.
As ever
Walter

[MVSNYC]

Hank, just fantastic!

The letter referencing his children and grandchildren must be especially touching for you.

I actually didn’t know his wife passed away that early, and he was left to raise 5 children, wow. Incredible man.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Hank, just fantastic!

The letter referencing his children and grandchildren must be especially touching for you.

I actually didn’t know his wife passed away that early, and he was left to raise 5 children, wow. Incredible man.

Yes, that was the great tragedy of his life when she died in 1930 at the age of 36. His mother came from Coffeyville to help with the family, bringing along the two young boys of Walter's sister Blanche, who had died in 1928. So that made 7 children Walter had to provide for, including my mother, who is still with us. Of course, I love the personal content. He mentions his six grandchildren, and I was number 7, born in April that year, the last born before he died in December. I hear there's a terrific book about his life, "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train."

[Fred]

Hank, is the letter content indicated below (My baby is in college now she is nineteen) in reference to your mom?

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

According to the museum, hers was a well-known family in Weiser, but have apparently all moved away. They also found a letter to her from Walter not long long before he died in 1946 responding to a letter from her:

(letter from Walter Johnson to Edith Sater Allen)
Germantown, Md.
Jan. 15,1946
Dear Edith:
Was sure good to hear from you. I have wondered lots and
lots of times where and how you were.
I did hear that you lost your husband. Yes, I live here on a
farm about twenty-five miles from D.C.
I guess I am not too much different than when you saw me
last, only of course some older.
I lost my wife sixteen years ago. She left me five children to
raise, and I managed to bring them up such as they are. All
went to college only two finished.
My baby is in college now she is nineteen. All married and
have children except her.
I am a grandfather six times and like it.
Please write and tell me all about yourself.
How many children did you have, and how long have you
been in Tacoma? You know I went to Weiser from Tacoma. I
would give a lot to sit down and talk old times with you.
I hope you are real well and will write me all about yourself.
As ever
Walter

[Jobu]

Thanks for posting this Hank!

I stirred a lot of this up when I contacted Hank and the kind folks at the museum to see if they had any good pictures of the Weiser team's uniforms or the player's faces while I researched one of my RPPCs (below). The uniforms have subtle differences but are really close to the uniform shown in the famous Weiser RPPC of WaJo (not mine) and in one of the pictures of the Weiser team in Hank's book (not mine). There are subtle differences, but looking at the pictures below and the uniforms at the museum that Hank posted, it seems that the team changed uniforms frequently in their six (?) years of existence. The Weiser team was created in 1906 and the stamp box ids my RPPC as being from 1908-1910, so it is in the right window. Obviously no WaJo in the picture otherwise it would be easy.

Anyway, back to the Rose PC. When I called last fall the nice woman to whom I spoke said that there were two letters that had recently been donated to the museum that are from the grandchildren of the woman that was Walter's sweetheart when he lived in Weiser. She said he sent them to her not long after he moved away. I had no idea one was a Rose PC (!!), though I have been anxiously waiting to see them.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Fred

Hank, is the letter content indicated below (My baby is in college now she is nineteen) in reference to your mom?

No, my aunt Barbara, who was the youngest. Mom was 22 at the time, married to my Dad, who was in the Army Air Corps, and had had my sister and was very pregnant with me. This is my Mom.

[Bpm0014]

Yes, that was the great tragedy of his life when she died in 1930 at the age of 36.

Type I of Walter Johnson at the funeral of his wife. An extremely poignant photo and one of my favorites in my collection.

[Bpm0014]

Thanks for enlarging it Leon!

[calvindog]

Damn, that is some picture.

[Hankphenom]

I've seen a number of photos of the group gathered at the grave site, but never this one with handkerchiefs out, the grief is palpable. My mother is at the extreme right, standing behind her grandfather, E.E. Roberts, Hazel Johnson's father. The boy in front is my uncle Ed Johnson, and Walter's mother, Minnie, has her hand on his shoulder.