Christmas Wishes to Sarah Eddy of Adams County, Wisconsin - 1906 and 1914

Before genealogy, I used to spend time in antique shops, flea markets, and various antique shows at malls. Postcards from the past always interested me and I now have a small collection of old postcards depicting my hometown and my ancestors' hometowns as well as those with holiday greetings and patriotic themes.  

Production of Christmas Seals such as
this 1914 Red Cross Christmas Seal,
found on the second card, was one
way the charity raised money between
 the years 1907 and 1919. 

These two found holiday postcards were written to Sarah Eddy of Adams County, Wisconsin. The first, in 1906 was sent by Herbert Townsend when Sarah was living in Easton. The second was sent when Sarah was living in Friendship in 1914. The sender, only known by their initials C. L. S., was living in Fulton, Michigan. 

According to Pubic Member Trees at Ancestry.com, Sarah, born in 1857 in Easton, was the daughter of Thomas Eddy and Castara Mason.  It does not appear that she married or ever lived beyond Adams County. More research would be needed to determine if these facts are correct.  

Sarah died at her home in Friendship on January 27, 1933.  She is buried in Easton Cemetery along with her parents and a few of her siblings. 

Fulton, Mich., Dec. 25-14, We wish you all a Merry Christmas and 
Happy New Year. C.L.S

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2020 

Sources 

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

"Christmas seal."  Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_seal. Accessed 22 Dec. 2020.

"Public Member Trees." Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com. 2020.

Friday's Photo: Charles William Giddens

By enlarging the photo and doing a little research, I can see that the symbol on his hat contains two rifles - the symbol for the Infantry. The number at the top is 15, and the letter at the bottom center of the rifles is E. Charles William Giddens served in Company E of the 15th Regiment in the United States Infantry from March 1911 to March 1914. He was somewhere between the age of 18 and 20 when this was taken. 

Charles William Giddens - Age 4
Click here to see more about
Charles. 

Charles William Giddens was my grandmother's older brother.  He led quite an interesting life. He was born on December 2, 1892, in Crew, Virginia, to Charles Allen Giddens, from North Carolina, and Mary Lucy Glynn, from Vermont. His parents met in New York City, where Charles was a milkman, and Lucy was a house servant. When Charles William was born, his father was a merchant in Crew.  The family left Crew and moved to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, where by 1898, his father had a dry goods store on South Main Street. 

I assume Charles attended school in Phillipsburg or Easton, Pennsylvania, until at least the eighth grade. On the 1910 census, his occupation was listed as a laborer. The next year, 18-year-old Charles William Giddens joined the United States Army, where he served in the Infantry. He completed his time and returned to Phillipsburg working as a machinist for at least three years. During that time, he joined the National Guard across the river in Easton. 

Friday's Photo: Giddens Family Buried in Easton Cemetery - Easton, Pennsylvania

My great-grandmother, Mary Lucy Glynn Giddens (aka Lucy May) is buried under
the stone for "Mother." The stones on the left and right are family stones. 

My grandmother's family lived in Phillipsburg, New Jersey just across the Delaware River from Easton, Pennsylvania. When I was young, my grandmother, Edith Giddens Davis, talked about walking across the bridge to go to school in Easton. Several of her family members are buried in the historic Easton Cemetery. 

Easton Cemetery has been in operation since 1849 and there are over 29,000 graves. Checkout The Historic Easton Cemetery.org to see beautiful photos of this cemetery, to learn about the history, and see photos of notable residents. 

My great-grandmother, Lucy Glynn Giddens, was found as Mary L.
on the Putney, Vermont birth record. She was Lucy on her marriage
license to Charles Giddens and found as Lucy M. Giddens on all
records following their marriage in 1891. Lucy was first buried
in the Phillipsburg Cemetry and later moved to the Easton Cemetery.

This stone is to the right of Lucy M. Giddens' stone. I assume that my grandmother moved
these graves to the Easton Cemetery as well. Georgie Giddens died on July 27, 1900.
He was just a year old. John Lewis Giddens died at two-months old in June 1902. 

This stone is to the left of Lucy Giddens's stone. Florence I. Samer was the daughter of Charles and Lucy Giddens.
More can be found about Florence and her family by clicking here. 

Warren Giddens, son of Charles and Lucy Giddens is buried in the Easton Cemetery beside
his wife Calla Male. I don't know the location of this grave in regards to his mother's grave.
Warren's obituary and a photo of his family can be found by clicking here. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2020

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

"The Historic Easton Cemetery." https://www.thehistoriceastoncemetery.org/. Accessed 7 Aug. 2020.

Quinn, Diana Bryan. "Mary Lucy Glynn."  Ancestry.com. Facts https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/45260559/person/6487535112/facts?indiv=try&h&db. Accessed 7 Aug. 2020.

Friday's Photo: My Grandmother, Edith Giddens, and her Niece, Evelyn James in Phillipsburg, NJ

This is my grandmother, Edith Giddens, in about 1927. She was visiting Phillipsburg. She might have been living in South Orange, New Jersey at the house on Irvington Avenue with her brother, Charles Giddens, and his wife, Louise Uhde. Sometime the next year Grandma was living in Newark. 

Grandma is standing with her niece, Evelyn James. Evelyn was the daughter of Grandma's sister, Elizabeth Giddens, and her husband, Louis James. The James family was living in Easton, PA in 1923 but by 1930 they owned the home at 28 Reese Court in Phillipsburg. I have other photos of Giddens family standing in this spot. Is this the home on Reese Court? Maybe in the back? 

The home at 28 Reese Court was built in 1900. Recorded on the 1930 United States Census, Louis James, his wife, and their children Dorothy, Evelyn, and John were living in the home. 

Also living with the family was Evans James, father of Louis James. It was reported that Louis James owned the home and its value was $3,000.00.

The house can currently be found at Realtor.com with an estimated value of $105,000. It has one bath and three bedrooms. Interior photos can also be found at Realtor.com.

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2020

Sources

"28 Reese Ct, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865." Realtor https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/28-Reese-Ct_Phillipsburg_NJ_08865_M52668-34670#photo0. Accessed 10 Apr. 2020.

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn. 

Friday's Photo: John H. James

This photo was found in an album that once belonged to my grandmother, Edith Giddens Davis. Grandma's sister, Elizabeth Giddens, was married to Louis James. John H. James (pictured left) was Louis' brother. 

John H. James was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey on August 10, 1892. His parents, Evan T. James and Susanna Miller, were married in 1891.  James' brother, Louis was the only other child. Susanna died on May 21, 1894 and Evan married Mary House in 1896.  

John joined the Marines in 1917 and sailed for France on November 19, 1917. He served as a private in the 6th Regiment, 82nd Company in the 2nd Marine Division. According to his gravestone, he was wounded at St. Etienne on October 6th and died in Mailly Aube, France on October 27, 1918. John is buried in the Hays Cemetery in Easton, Pennsylvania. His regiment participated in the capture of Blanc Mont Ridge. To read more about this, click here. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2019

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 16 August 2019), memorial page for John H. James (10 Aug 1892–27 Oct 1918), Find A Grave Memorial no. 27510624, citing Hays Cemetery, Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Rich H. (contributor 46489213) .

Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-1999. Ancestry.com. Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Original data - Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929–1990. Digital Images, 3–5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Friday's Photo: Camp B Natural

These photos were in my grandmother's album. My grandmother, Edith Giddens, is in the back row and is second from the left in the bottom photo. This might have been in or near Phillipsburg, New Jersy as that's where she lived until the 1920s. No others in the photo are labeled. The photos are dated 1916; however, this date may be approximate as I know these labels were added in the late 1960s or early 1970s.  


If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2019

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn. Used with permission.

Friday's Photo: The James Children

Dorothy (1917-2000), John (1922-1931), and Evelyn James (1920-2012) 

This photo and many other treasured Giddens family photos can be found in a box at my mother's home. These children were my mother's first cousins. They were the children of my grandmother's sister, Elizabeth Giddens, and Louis James. 

Labeled "Griffin, Easton, PA," the photo was probably taken in Easton in the mid 1920s. Louis and Elizabeth can be found in available Easton city directories in 1923, 1925, and 1927. 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2017

Source

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Elizabeth Davis Bryan

U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Ancestry.com. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. <http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx>.