Friday, January 13, 2012

Look Closely: Clarence & Harold Crane, 1913, S. Dakota


These two boys are "Clarence and Harold Crane, ages 4 & 6 years," according to the handwritten inscription on the back of the postcard photograph.

That's all I had to go on for information, so I went to the 1920 US Census and searched for two brothers with these names and the same age spread.  I found one possibility in Liberty, Lyman, South Dakota:  Clarence Crane, b. 1910 Nebraska, and Harold Crane, b. 1908 Nebraska, sons of William W. & Carrie Crane.

It was probably them, but Crane is a fairly common name and I wished I had something more definitive.

The postcard did not have a stamp so it appeared it was not sent through the mail.



That's when I put it aside.  When I took it out again to scan the photo, I noticed that indentation just under "Name and Address Here" line.  Was that a postmark?  I looked closer.  It wasn't a postmark per se.  It was the impression of a postmark.  The photo must have been sent through the mail in an envelope.  When the postmaster stamped the envelope, it left an impression on the photo.  With a magnifying glass I could read, "Aug 12 5 pm 1913  S. Dak"  The town name is not readable.

Now I feel better labelling this photo "Clarence and Harold Crane from Liberty, South Dakota, 1913"

UPDATE:  Just after writing this, a Crane descendant from Oklahoma contacted me about the photo.  It looks as if this one has been reunited, and it's on its way!

No comments:

Post a Comment