The front and back of a picture post card sent to (1883-1942) in Loyalton, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It was mailed from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, on 8 June 1908, and the faint receiving postmark on the card shows it was received the same day at the Loyalton Post Office.
The picture on the card is of the actors in a play, Thank Goodness This Table is Spread, performed at the Cumberland Valley State Normal School at Shippensburg. This school was established in 1871, received its first class in 1873, and was purchased by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1917. It was chartered as a State Teachers’ College in 1926 and in 1927, the name of the school was changed to State Teachers’ College at Shippensburg.
The message reads:
What do you think of this crowd? They are all here and all that is, is here. Frank.
The card was found in a box of pictures kept by Lydia and passed down through family members.
Was Frank an gentleman-friend of Lydia’s? Or, was he a relative? Is he a member of the cast of the play? What happened to him? Why did Lydia keep the card?
Lydia married Norman Riegle (1886-1942) in 1909 when she was 26 years old and then moved to Robesonia, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Thus far efforts to identify Frank have not been successful. Perhaps a blog reader can answer the questions.
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
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New information added on 15 June 2019:
“Frank” is probably the brother of Lydia Helt. In an obituary for C. Franklin Helt, published in 1948, it is stated that he was a graduate of Shippensburg State Teachers College [the later name of Cumberland Valley State Normal School at Shippensburg] and earlier was a teacher in the Washington Township [Dauphin County] schools.”
Does he appear in the photo? In 1908, he would have been about 33 years old, and he could have been one of the three men pictured.