Merry Christmas and Touch of Genealogy

Figure 1: “Seasons Greetings Postcard” (front)

Figure 2: “Seasons Greetings Postcard” (back)

“Seasons Greetings Postcard,” front and back, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hess of Strasburg, Penn., in the author’s collection, received in 2011 from mother’s estate. The names are not found in the author’s family tree. It is believed by the author it was purchased by her mother at a garage sale in California after 1983.

About the Postcard

This adorable winter holiday postcard is from the author’s personal collection (see Figure 1). There is no manufacturer’s mark or name on the card. There are no stamps or postal franking (see Figure 2). The illustration is in the style that was popular in the first half of the twentieth century. The subject of jugglers (or jesters) dressed in red and a yule log appeared in cards from about 1910 and is associated with medievaling (harkening to “olden times”) in the the modern era.¹ Medievalized designs included gold accents, similar to medieval manuscripts (see Figure 3).²

Figure 3: Another Example of Jugglers and Yule Log

The subject of jester-like men bringing in a yule log can be found on other post cards. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org), “Yule and New Year Postcard With Two Jester-Like People Pulling Yule Log Through Snow, and A Third Carrying Holly Leaves, With “The Season’s Best Wishes- May Yuletide Joys Be Ever Thine, Thy holidays Most Merry, Thy New Year -,” 17:48, 17 August 2017 (image posted).

Figure 4: Postcard with Jugglers and Yule Log Theme

“With Best Regards,” postcard, no printer’s marks, author’s collection.

The Recipients

The card is addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hess in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. They lived on RR #1. The senders were Uncle George and Aunt Cora.

Clarence R. Hess on Route 1 in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, died in 1982.³ He married Gertrude Stauffer.⁴ Clarence married Gertrude about 1920, their first child, Mary E. Hess born about 1919/20.⁵

Eliminating The Hess and Rutt Families As Senders

The senders were “Uncle Geo and Aunt Cora.” They did not include their surname. There is no return address. The evidence suggests they were not Clarence’s kin.

Clarence’s father was Harry F. Hess (see Table 1). Harry had no known siblings named George or Cora.

Clarence’s mother was Mary Ann (Rutt) Hess, daughter of David M. and Mary A. (Kendig) Rutt.⁶. Gertrude had no known siblings named George or Cora (see Table 2).

The Senders: Uncle George W. and Aunt Cora B. (Stauffer) Lafever

Uncle George and Aunt Cora were most likely Gertrude’s Uncle and Aunt rather than Clarence’s. Gertrude’s father was Franklin “Frank” Stauffer, son of Henry Strauffer (see Table 3). Cora B. (Stauffer) was Franklin’s sister. Cora married George Lefever on 8 March 1904 in Lancaster County.⁷ George died in 1959 and Cora was the informant on the death record.⁸

Conclusions

The recipient was Clarence R. Hess who lived in Strasburg, Pennsylvania in 1930 and who was still living there when he died in 1982.

If the postcard was addressed to Clarence and his wife, then their names were likely written after their marriage in about 1920. The style of drawing and the use of a postcard is consistent with a medievalized style popular from about 1910.

Uncle George and Aunt Cora, the senders, were Gertrude (Stauffer) Hess’s uncle and aunt. Gertrude’s Uncle and Aunt were married before Clarence and Gertrude. George and Cora were alive when the style of illustration on the postcard was popular.

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FEATURED IMAGE: Vanessa Wood, “Supermarket Holiday Wreaths,” in author’s private collection, 4 November 2021.

The front of the postcard is the illustrated side and the back is the opposite side that usually contains a message and recipient address.

1. Jan M. Ziolkowski, The Juggler of Notre Dame and the Medievaling of Modernity, Vol. 5, Chapt. 4 “The Yuletide Juggler,” OpenBook Publishers (https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0148/ch4.xhtml : accessed 2 December 2023)
2. Ibid.
3. Find A Grave, https://findagrave.com/, memorial 31291101, image of Clarence R. Hess gravestone (Strasburg Cem., Strasburg, Lancaster Co., Penn.) by “Carolyn Y Lowe Shifflett,” 11 November 2008. “Clarence R. Hess, Strasburg R1, Dies,” Lancaster New Era (Penn.), 1 February 1982, p. 2, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/562347282/ : viewed 1 December 2023).
4. “Hess,” funeral notice, Lancaster New Era (Penn.), 1 February 1982, p. 17, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/562347404/ : viewed 1 December 2023). Showing wife Gertrude (Stauffer) Hess. Clarence was buried in the Mennonite Cemetery suggesting he was a member of the Mennonite community.
5. 1930 U.S. census, Lancaster Co., Penn., pop. sched., ED 36-115, Strasburg Twp., sheet 5B, dw. 106, fam. 113, Gertrude L. Hess and Mary E. Hess in Clarence R. Hess household; digital images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR8S-96R : viewed 1 December 2023); showing NARA publication T626; FHL film #23,341,793, image 10.
6. Pennsylvania, death certificates, no. 16637, Lancaster Co., Mary Hess, 20 February 1960; digital image, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6578206:5164 : viewed 2 December 2023).
7. Lancaster Co., Penn., marriages, no. 379, George W. Lefever and Cora B. Stauffer, 8 March 1904; database with images, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriages, 1852-1968,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61381/images/TH-1942-21120-19557-13 : viewed 2 December 2023).
8. Pennsylvania, death certificates, no. 56386, George W. Lefever, 10 June 1959; database with images, “Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/5164/images/42410_2421406272_0900-04500 : viewed 2 December 2023).