If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 721

 

 

 

 

 

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum, Stirling Castle, Scotland

 

 

Printed by James Fleming & Co., of Callander, Scotland, this unused postcard features a photograph from the interior of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum housed in Stirling Castle, Scotland.  The card has a divided back with the title located on the reverse at the lower left corner.  No other credits are found on the card.

 

Counties in the United Kingdom that have organized regimental armies have museums dedicated to the history of specific army regiments.  Yeomanry, Militia, and Volunteer regiments also have museums or exhibition spaces.  Many are open to the public, some are open by appointment only. 

 

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, also known as Princess Louise’s, was created under the Childers Reforms in 1881 and is a light infantry company.  In 2006, as part of the restructuring of the British Army’s infantry, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were assimilated with the Royal Scots, The King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the Roy Highland Fusiliers, the Black Watch, and the Highlanders to form the seven-battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland.  Defense cuts in 2012 reduced it to a single light infantry company called Balaklava Company, Royal Regiment of Scotland.  

 

 

It was fun to find this old picture of Bopa aka FarFar’s father, “Mac” who served a mission in the Highlands of Scotland when he was about 20 years of age.  While he was there, he visited the town of Thurso where his parents had lived before emigrating.  No bag pipes, here he and a companion are dressed in the traditional kilt, bonnet, and sporran, while the third member is wearing a more traditional looking dress suit.  The picture taken around 1913 or 1914.

 

 

 "Mac" McKay in the center with two companions, ca 1913-1914

 

 

The black & white photo does not let us see if the kilts are in the MacKay plaid.  Standing in the middle, Grandpa McKay was almost 6 feet 4 inches tall, which would make it easy to pick him out even if we did not have other pictures of him to be sure.  Note the Argyll knee socks.  

 

  

 

MacKay plaid

 

 

The Regimental Museum for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders is housed in Stirling Castle.  That castle was built in the 1490s and was known as the “King’s House,” or the “King’s Old Buildilng,” because it was thought to have been the private residence of King James IV.  The castle sits atop a crag giving it a strong defensive position.  The castle is considered one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland.  This castle has withstood at least eight sieges including one in 1746 when Bonnie Prince Charlie tried unsuccessfully to take it.  Today the castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a tourist attraction managed by Historic Environment Scotland. 

 

The grounds are used as an open-air concert venue.  Like some other castles, Stirling Castle has ghost lore.  A maid servant to Queen Mary, called the Green Lady, has been sighted by residents of visitors.  She is thought be a warning or omen of impending danger.   There is a fee to tour the castle and the museum.  The entry ticket fee to tour the castle incudes entrance to the museum.  Public donations is the main source of support and maintenance.  The governing body is the charitable trust:  The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum Trust. 

 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regimental_museum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyll_and_Sutherland_Highlanders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_Castle

 

 

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 694

 

 

 

 

 Skykomish River, Washington

 

Used as an advertising postcard for Union Oil Company, this unused card features a view of the Skykomish River from a spot near Index, Washington.  The card was part of the Natural Color Scenes of the West series in “Tour the West this year with 76 gasoline”.  There is a information blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse.  See if you can find the spelling error in the blurb: “Skyhomish River, Washington, wends its way from the Cascades to Puget Sound amid such scenic beauty as this.  Take State Highway 15 from Monroe.”  The card has a color photograph, a one cent stamp required, and names the highway as 15.  This information can help place the date of publication to before 1954 because the postage rate for postcards increased from one cent to two cents in 1954.  State Highway 15 was renamed and became U.S. Highway 2 in 1964.

 

The name, Skykomish, comes from the Lushootseed name for the Skykomish people and means “upriver people.”  Nicknames for the river are Sky River and The Sky.  The North and South Forks of the Skykomish merge near the town of Index.  The snow-capped mountains seen in the background are part of the Wild Sky Wilderness.  There are several tributaries that feed into the Skykomish, that later joins the Snoqualmie River then together they join to form the Snohomish River eventually emptying into Puget Sound. 

 

The Skykomish is a large, wide, fast running river.  Many of the smaller tributaries also are known to have rapids and rushing waters.  When I was a girl, our family had friends who owned a dairy farm near Sultan.  One tributary, called The Little Sky, ran through part of their land.  All of us had been warned not to swim or play in the river because the water was cold, had a strong current, ran extremely fast and could be dangerous.  My brother told me of a time when he was staying there during one summer that the farm dog went into the water and was swept away.  One of the girls jumped in after the dog to save it and was almost also caught in the current.  The kids on the bank watched with fear as she struggled to reach her dog.  Somehow, she managed to save the dog and herself and they both ended up safe downstream.  All the kids who witnessed this event were told by the girls who lived on the farm not to breathe a word of the incident to their parents.  I don’t think anyone did.  It is not uncommon during the summer months to learn of drownings in pools formed in the river that look deceptively inviting but can be treacherous.  Watching that event probably was more a deterrent to the kids than the warnings of their parents. 

 

For more information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skykomish_River

 

 

The spelling error:  Skykomish is spelled as Skyhomish in the blurb.

If this is Thursday this must be postcards, 688

 

 

 

 

 

Laie Hawaii Temple

[photo by Loye Guthrie]

 

This unused postcard features a color photograph of the Laie Hawaii Temple by Loye Guthrie.  It is a Mirro-Krome Card by H.S. Crocker Co., Inc. of San Bruno, California and published by Hawaiian Service, Inc. of Honolulu, Hawaii.  There is a blurb at the lower left corner on the reverse:  “The beautiful Hawaii Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at Laie on the windward side of the island of Oahu near the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University.  Construction of the temple was undertaken in 1916 and completed three years later.  The temple is one of the earliest examples of architectural concrete in America.”

 

The temple is located about 35 miles or 56 km from Honolulu and sits on a small hill ½ miles from the Pacific Ocean in the town of Laie.  As the blurb mentioned it is near the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University.  The Visitor center attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually.  Groundbreaking for the temple occurred in 1915 with the temple completed by 1919 and dedicated by Heber J. Grant.  Since then the temple was expanded in 1978 and rededicated by Spencer W. Kimball, and then after seismic upgrades and remodeling it was rededicated again in 2010.  This temple is the oldest temple to operate outside of Utah and is the 5^th oldest temple still in operation. 

 

 

Laie Hawaiian Temple, 2008

 

 

George Q. Cannon, BoPa (aka FarFar)’s great-grandfather, was among the first 10 missionaries to arrive in Hawaii in 1850.  There is a statue with a commemorative plaque of him and Jonathan Napela on the grounds of the cultural center.  When were there in 2008 we visited the cultural center and took a picture.  

 

 

 

George Q. Cannon and Jonathan Napela

 

Commemorative plaque

 

 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laie_Hawaii_Temple

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 661

 

 

 

 

 

Bornholm, Denmark, 1982

 

Published by Colberg Boghandel a/s Rønne, Denmark this week’s used postcard is an Eneret card #1640 and features a cute illustration from the island of Bornholm showing fishermen, herring, and smokehouses.  At the lower right is “Hvor silden går I brede stimer ligger øen med de fleste solskinstimer” that roughly translates to:  Where the herring nets are found in wide shoals lies the island with the most hours of sunshine.”  The card would probably be termed a novelty card because of the cartoon-like picture.

 

Unlike most of the rest of Denmark, which is somewhat flat with low rolling hills, Borholm is a rocky island rising high out of the sea.  The northern part of the island is very rocky while the southern tip has a beach with some of the most fine grained sand found anywhere.  The middle of the island is farmland.  In addition to its round churches, the island is also famous for its herring fishing and smokehouses.  Two smokehouses can be seen at the upper left on the card.  Herring drying are found at the right edge, and the rest of the picture shows the process of fishing, cleaning, preparing the herring, and smoking the fish.  Drying racks can be seen just in back of the two women taking fish out of a basket.  The catch of the day is found on the docks and by the building in the center of the card.  There is even a whimsical black cat who has just finished eating a herring.  The artist’s signature is found along the right side “Bjerno.”

 

Because of its weather and the geology of the island it is known as the “sunshine island.”  The heat from the summer is stored in the rock formations and the weather stays warm until October.  The southern sandy beaches are popular vacation swimming and camping areas.

 

I was surprised and delighted to find that my mother had kept this card we mailed to her while on a trip to Scandinavia in 1982.  My youngest son was 4 years old and quite taken with the picture on the card.  He wanted to send it to his grandma and so he did with some help.  The main reason for visiting Bornholm on that trip was to see where my paternal grandfather, Axel Schrøder, was born and lived as a boy.  Although we were not able to find his exact home, we found the town, got an idea of where the farm was located and what it was like where he grew up. 

 

 Danish stamp, issued 1981

 

The stamp, issued in 1981, has a picture of N.F.S. Gundtvig’s childhood home.  Gundtvig (1783-1872) was a Danish Lutheran pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician who was one of the most influential people in Danish history.  He and his followers are credited with influencing modern Danish national consciousness.  He was a contemporary of Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard; however, his writings are not as well known internationally.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bornholm

https://visitbornholm.com/en/cities-places/selected-places/smokehouses

https://en.wikipedia.org/N._F._S._Gundtvig

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 660

 

 

 

 

 

Skiens Kirke, Norway, 1933

 

On the front bottom margin of this used Eneret:J.H.Koenholdt postcard is:  3655 Skiens Kirke [Skien’s Church] together with the postcard photographer-printer’s name.  The black & white picture is of the red brick parish church located in the town of Skien, Norway.  The card was sent to Petra Lee as a Christmas and New Year greeting from I.C. Lee’s sister, Ingeborg Hvalen, postmarked 30 December 1933.

 

This church was built in 1894 and is shaped like a Latin cross with two towers.  It is 154 ft or 47 m long with the towers 223 ft or 68 m high.  Located on a ridge overlooking the harbor it is impressive.  One of Norway’s largest organs with 5000 pipes is found here.  The primary artistic decorations are in the form of stained-glass windows and painted ornamentation on the walls and ceilings.

 

There was an earlier church here that was partly destroyed by fire in 1777 and restored.  Another fire in 1886 burned the church again and this time it was not salvageable.  Only the baptismal font, the holy vessels, two gilded wooden figures and the altar piece could be saved.  An interim church was erected and used between 1886 and 1894 when the red brick church was finally completed.  The interim church was later converted to a school building, then demolished in 2011.  There have been several maintenance repairs since this church was built, the most recent one involved replacing the brick façade in 2004.

 

 

 

The stamps are ones often seen on letters and cards from the 1930s.  The cancellation mark was clearer than some others, making it easy to date the card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Skien_Church

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 659

 

 

 

 

 

Telemark, Løveidkanalen, 1906

 

This used Eneberettiget postcard, with a black and white photograph dated 1906, shows ships near the Løveid canal, Telemark, Norway, was printed and distributed by Peter Ålstrup Kunsforlag, Kristiania.  The card was mailed to I.C. Lee as a Christmas and New Year greeting from friends Kathrine og Hans Koblad.  This divided back card has a hand-written note dated 16 December 1907 at the upper right on the reverse.  For another more modern view of part of the canal and lock system, see the Thursday postcard #61 from 18 October 2012.

 

The canal links several long lakes in southern Norway connecting the towns of Skien and Dalen.  There are 18 locks in the series and took from 1854 to 1861 to complete.  Today there are river boats that take tourists down the staircase locks.  Originally there were two canals, the Norsjø-Skien, that linked Skien with Norsjø lake and a longer canal, Bandak-Norsjø.  The Bandak-Norsjø Canal which opened in 1892, was built mainly to transport goods and passengers, log floating and to prevent flooding.  It was made a National Cultural Heritage in 2017. 

 

For additional information, see: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemark_Canal

 

Lorig Family, Update, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

Edd Lorig, ca 1919

 

Lorig Family history update.  The update comes as somewhat of a shocker.  We recently learned that Edd Lorig had been married first to Josephine Allower, on 5 February 1888 in Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska.  Josephine was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1867 the daughter of Lew Allower and Josephine Evers.  It is likely that the Allower name was changed from the French-Canadian spelling of the name Alloir [Alloyier] or Alloir-Roy to the more English Allower or Alawer.  Her father’s given name mostly likely was Louis rather than Lew or Lewis.  We do not know what happened to Josephine or how the marriage ended.

 

 State of Nebraska, Trinity Cathedral, Omaha—marriage certificate 1888

 

Edd’s name on the 1888 marriage certificate is listed as E.P. Lorig.  His parents are listed as:  Henry Lorig and Catherine Schloeder.  His birthplace is given as Mt. Pleasant, Henry, Iowa.  These facts fit the records we already have.  Helen Fuqua, the granddaughter of Edd’s sister, Maggie [Margaret] Lorig Ford, said that her grandmother always called her brother Pete or Peter rather than Edd; however, Edd’s baptismal record does not show a second or middle name. 

 

There are a few additional records to check to see if we can piece more of the history together.  Since Edd is listed on the 1892 Washington Territorial census as single, and two years later married Maggie Landaas in 1894, we can determine that something happened between 1888 and 1892 that ended his first marriage.  Oral history suggests that he may have been in Seattle as early as the time of the 1889 fire but that needs to be confirmed.  A first wife was never mentioned.  Either Josephine died, the marriage was annulled or they divorced, or they separated without benefit of a legal process.  So far, no children from this first marriage have been discovered.  In any event, this first marriage was a short one, possibly less than one year or up to almost 4 years in length. 

 

At first it was thought that Edd’s sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Charles Keller, were already in Seattle and that was why he came out west.  However, they were still living in Chicago in 1910 according the census record.  What else could have caused him to travel across the country from Nebraska or Iowa to Seattle?  Perhaps it was because this was still the time period during the Alaska gold rush and Seattle was a boom town, the starting place for heading north to the gold fields.  It was a natural destination for many, especially young, single men.

 

 

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, parish register, 1867, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa

 

Concerning Edd’s first name, he was always called, and often wrote his name just as Edd.  When he and two of his sisters, Mary Magdalene and Margaret Mae, were baptized in 1867 at St. Michael’s Episcopal church in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, his given name is written Edolph.  The witnesses at the baptisms were their parents and their maternal uncle, Adolph [written Edoph] Schloeder.  We see that Edd was named after his uncle, a common practice.  Some have thought there were two sons, Edward and Edolph, and two daughters, Margaret and Margarette; however, that is not the case.  These three children, Mary, Margaret and Edd, were baptized as young children instead of infants mostly likely because there was no German speaking Catholic church near where they lived.  Their German speaking parents may have thought the Episcopal church was a Catholic church or they may just have wanted to have the children baptized in a German language church.  Uncle Walt Lorig reported that his father always said there were 6 children in his family and he, Edd, was the only boy among the girls.  FamilySearch.org shows 8 children but two, Edolph and Margarette, are duplicates, they are Edd and Margaret [Maggie].  

 

1870 U.S. Federal Census

 

Only three years after the baptisms, on the 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Iowa, the family is found on lines 7-14 with the surname written not as Lorig but as Larice, with Henry [head of household], Catherine [wife], children:  Anna [15], Elizabeth [13], Mary M.[10], Margaret [8], Adolph (aka Edd) [5], and Martha [1]. 

 

 

 

 Marriage certificate, 1894, Edward Lorig and Maggie Landaas

 

On the marriage certificate in 1894 to Maggie Landaas, Edd signs his name as Edward Lorig.  Then on the 1900 U.S. Federal Census for Washington Edd is found again as Edward Lorig with Maggie as his wife, and children:  Clara E., Harry and Walter.  On the subsequent, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Census records his name continues to appear as Edward Lorig.  

 

 

If I find more information, I will update again. 

 

 

 

 

 

A Family Gathering: Thompson

 

 

 

 

 

My late Valentine to extended Thompson family members.  This is the fifth book in the Family Gathering series and features Didrik “Dick” Thompson.  It was finished and published a little before Christmas 2021.  Like the others in the series, it is for interested extended family and not for sale except by invitation.  Family members who would like to order a copy can contact me, via email, message, or in the blog post comments, and I will send the appropriate link to the Blurb publishing site store.  Please note, self-publishing is expensive and the books are costly.  I would really like to be able to give them as gifts to all the family members but it is simply not possible or practical to do that. 

 

The book is mostly about Grandpa Dick but it does include pictures and information about his ancestors, his parents, siblings and his two daughters.  It also contains a section with the descendants starting with Dick’s father, Didrik Andreas Thomsen.    

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 535

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nicolas

 

The two unused postcards shared this week come from Dick Thompson’s Scrapbook Collection and have reproductions of Victorian Christmas greetings.  They are products of Merrimack Publ. Corp. of New York and printed in Hong Kong.  The originals were most likely from around 1900.

 

Santa Claus, Father Christmas, or Saint Nicolas, by whatever name we choose to call him he is often featured in holiday greeting cards.  When the Dutch established New Amsterdam they brought the legend and traditions of Sinterklaas with them.  We get the name Santa Claus from the Dutch Sinterklaas.

 

Traditionally Nicolas is thought to have been born in 15 March 270 and died 6 December 343 at the age of 73 years.  His parents were wealthy Greek Christians who both died of plague when Nicolas was a boy.  Accounts show him living a devout life and using his inherited wealth to help the poor and suffering.  He was made Archbishop of Myra, a harbor city near where he was born, when he was in his twenties.  During his life there was much persecution and torture of Christians.  It is believed that he was tortured and imprisoned during that time.  Many miracles have been attributed to him although it is not possible to tell how many of the events occurred as they were recorded long after he died.  His habit of secretly giving gifts became a tradition of gift giving in his honor after his death December 6.

 

 

 

 

Also depicted on the cards is holly.  Some scholars believe the name holly came from the word holy and is sometimes referred to as “Christ’s Thorn.”  The sharp, prickly nature of the leaves is to remind us of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus.  The bright red berries are reminders of the drops of blood.  Another account says that the shape of the leaves resemble flames and can serve as reminders of God’s burning love for his people.  Because the holly tree remains green with red berries during the Christmas season it has naturally become associated with Christmas. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicolas

https://www.celebratingholidays.com

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 517

 

 

 

 

 

Ballard Locks, painting by Carl Funseth

 

This Carl Funseth painting of the Ballard Locks is found on an unused postcard published by Mark Ukelson.  The reprints of the original painting are available through Russell Galleries in Seattle.  The card was purchased at the Locks gift shop. 

 

The artist, Carl Edward Funseth (1931-2000) was well known for his paintings, many local scenes in Spokane.  His work is described as straddling impressionism and naturalism.  His series of old Seattle, such as on the postcard, were made into prints. 

 

The Ballard Locks or Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are located at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington’s Lake Washington Ship Canal between Ballard and Magnolia.  These locks have more boat traffic than any other lock in the United States.  There are also a fish ladder and botantical gardens on the grounds surrounding the locks.  When we visited here recently we saw large boats in the larger lock and small pleasure craft, including several kayaks, in the smaller lock.  An added attraction that day were the harbor seals hunting for fish in and around the locks and a great blue heron that was also fishing. 

 

A navigable connection between the fresh water in Lake Washington, 8.8 ft or 2.7 m higher than the salt water Puget Sound, for the purpose of moving logs, milled lumber and fishing vessels was a topic of discussion as early as 1854.  Originally a Naval shipyard was also proposed but later that was built at Bremerton instead.  In 1867 the United States Navy endorsed the canal project but it was not until 1891 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started planning the project.  Some work began in 1906 but work in earnest did not begin until 1911 under the direction of Hiram M. Chittenden for whom the locks are named.  The locks were completed in 1916/1917 .  The Lees visited the locks shortly after they were open to the public and would often bring out of town visitors to see the locks.  There are movable walkways that allow visitors to watch as the water is raised and lowered and the boats pass through to either the Sound or the Lake.

 

The construction of the Locks required rerouting the Cedar River into Lake Washington so that there would be sufficient water flow for operating the locks.  The rerouting disrupted the Duwamish salmon runs.  To solve that problem salmon runs were reintroduced to migrate through the locks via fish ladders.  To prevent salt water from flowing upstream into the fresh water lakes it was necessary to design of system of siphons and flushing mechanisms.  Also, the Cedar River is the main source of drinking water for the city of Seattle so problems with maintaining an adequate water supply to operate the locks needed solving.  The second unused postcard, also purchased at the Locks gift shop, has views of the lock construction as well as drawings of how the locks work. 

 

 

An Impact photo graphics card with Impact photography

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballard_Locks

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/spokesman/name/carl-funseth