Viewing page 68 of 207

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

We evidently returned to Selkirk in 1909 or possibly 1910. At any rate, I have a [[underlined]] picture postcard [[/underlined]] postmarked August 11, 1910, on which is a photograph of my father and me standing on the dock in front of Aunt Tisha's. Just why we should be on a postal card, I don't know but this shows we were at Selkirk in 1910 or earlier and I look 7 or 8 ears old. This card is from "Nell" to Mrs. Hattie Chase, whom she calls "Sis", and among other things, she writes, "I think you will recognize the faces near Lighthouse. This is the only copy I could find, rest have been sent to Dr. Craton per order. I think they are fine. Am coming home Saturday and will stay with the boys while Guy and Nellie are out here two weeks. Love to everyone, Sis. (signed) Nell." Going through this old material is like unraveling a detective story. What I make out of this is that my Aunt Nellie Goodrich, who lived to be 95, and was the mother of Cousin Nellie Barker, was holidaying alone at Selkirk in 1910 at age 85 perhaps, and was returning to Syracuse to babysit for my cousins Jeff and Goodrich Barker while their parents spent two weeks in Selkirk. Furthermore, I read between the lines that either my father had these postals made up for his own use but some got on public sale, which he disapproved of and tried to buy up the stock of cards, or perhaps someone just took the picture, liked it, and decided it would make a saleable postal. The other perplexity which this card presents to me is who Mrs. Chase is. She isn't Aunt Nellie's sister and that makes me think that the word I thought was "Sis" is actually "Yrs" for Yours." And yet I remember there were Chases in the family, in fact, I think Cousin Abbie Van Wagenen's maiden name was Chase as I recall vaguely that she had a brother named Will Chase as well as a vague memory that he wasn't much good and possibly did too much chasing. Only my long lost cousin Marian Barker Hoyt is left to possible clear up this mystery but I don't think it important enough to pursue since it isn't in the direct line. But this does illustrate what mysterious things you can get into if you really get digging thoroughly into your family background. To add zest to this small mystery of the postcard, I find also a second copy of this same card, this from Cousin Nellie Barker to this same Mrs. Chase only this one appears to be postmarked August 31, 1911 against August 11, 1910 for the first one, making it appear that either one year or the other is in error -- both are postmarked Pulaski and are from Selkirk. I've probably devoted too much time and space to this item but it has intrigued me.

So, to get back on the track of Selkirk vacations again, let us say that we spent some time in Selkirk at Aunt Tisha's place during the summers of 1909 ad 1910. In one or both these summers, I think we drove to Selkirk, as I can remember being parked along roads of deep sand while my father changed tires. I believe it was only 25 miles or so up there but the roads were atrocious and made it quite a daring trip to undertake -- you could actually get stuck in the sand on the road in some places.