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I reunite identified family photos that I find in antique shops and second hand stores with genealogists and family historians. If you see one of your ancestors here and would like to obtain the original, feel free to contact me at familyphotoreunion [ at ] yahoo [ dot ] com. I also accept donations of pre-1927 images to be reunited. I hope you enjoy your visit!
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Super Sleuth Saturday: Mr. Entireapple's Cryptic Postcard, Los Angeles, 1910


 
I was originally going to post this on My Pretty Postcards blog (see sidebar for link), but I didn't feel that it was a particularly pretty postcard.  I admit, it's not an item of particular genealogical value either, but it does work as a Super Sleuth Saturday Mystery, for sure.

Here's the note that's written on the postcard:


"Johnnie,
I am surprised to hear the dog still has the pipe in his mouth for I should have thot the report from the rest of you would have so frightened him that he would have dropped in his teeth, too.  Effie."

The postcard is addressed to "Mr. J. B. Entireapple, Norwalk, Cal."  It was sent from Los Angeles by someone named "Effie."

The first thing that made my eyebrow raise was the surname, "Entireapple."  Odd, yes, but anything's possible, I suppose.  I checked Ancestry and Familysearch.org for any Entireapples.  Zilch.  Nothing on Find-A-Grave or a half dozen other sites.  A Google search.  Nada.  I think I smell a rat.  I did find a handful of Wholsapples.  Is someone playing on a surname?

My other eyebrow was sent upwards when I read the message.  Sounds a bit like spy-talk to me:  "the dog still has the pipe in his mouth."  Hmmmm...whatever could this mean?

That's your assignment for today.  Let's hear your speculations and suppositions about the meaning and, if you dare, the identity of the recipient.

2 comments:

  1. I'm surprised that they sent it from LA to Norwalk in general, they're so close! I'm fairly certain it's intended as in-humour, and isn't spy code at all. In fact, judging by how close they are this may be an afternoon post as close to a text message as you could get and maybe "the dog still has the pipe is his mouth" was only a few hours...

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  2. Yes, my "spy-code" comment was tongue-in-cheek. It's fun to speculate about the meaning. Thanks for commenting!

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