PETS | PET CARE | DOGS | CATS | BIRDS

 SITE MAP | CONTACT US
PETS DOGS CATS
HOME  |  DOGS  |  CATS  |  HORSES  |  BIRDS  |  SMALL PETS  |  PETS RESOURCES  |  PETS BLOG  |  MOST BEAUTIFUL PETS
Search:
 

Home | Family


Postcards: Postcards And Genealogy

By: Joseph Ould

For ancestors who lived during the 20th century, postcards are a delightful way to learn more about their lives and communities. Picture postcards were very popular worldwide by the dawn of the 20th century due to their novelty and the fact that postage was cheap. From automobiles to street scenes and hairstyles to people, postcards provide intriguing glimpses into the past.

Emily is now using postcards to locate descendants of her great grandmothers who married and settled in Virginia before 1893. "From the postcards relatives sent her great grandparents we know where her family was before marriage and other little details about their life at that time," she says.

It does get a little touchy when trying to separate the differences between the postal historian and the philatelist. Postal history and philately have crossed over blurred lines since stamp collecting began. Generally a philatelist is concerned how a stamp is used, condition of the stamp and the way it is canceled. A cancel is the method of obliterating the stamp to prevent reuse.

A postal historian collects for the way a stamp is used and postmarked. A postmark is the way to determine the place and date the post card was sent from although postmarks are often used as cancellations.

So a deltiologist, or post card collector, collects because of the front of the card and information relating to the image on the card and in many cases prefers a pristine mint card. The postal historian, or cover collector, collects post cards for reasons on the back of the card and prefers a postal used post card. The philatelist, or stamp collector, collects the post card for the stamp on a used card.

Did your ancestor write down and pass on stories that were otherwise lost or distorted by failing memories and word-of-mouth recollections? The written word survives long beyond man's ability to recall.

The deltiologist will also use a postmark as a crossover especially when their collecting cards from Worlds Fair and Expositions. The postmark from these special post offices can add great value to a post card and prove that it was purchased at the sight of the fair or exposition. These are also sought after items for the postal historian. It makes no difference whether you collect post cards as a deltiologist, a postal historian or philatelist, the field is wide open.

These postcards and letters also provide wonderful factual information that is helpful to your genealogy research. You won't have to go into the daunting task blindsighted. On the items it's possible to find dates and places of important events, names of other family members, and of course addresses. Postcards play an important part in everyone's genealogy if only from the standpoint of America or the immigration of our ancestors. There is a place in all of us that wants to know our roots so to speak and postcard genealogy is one of the many ways to bring our ancestors back to life.

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

About the author: Joseph Ould is the owner of the web site about Postcards and A Quick Overview Of Postcard Collecting
This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.

Please Rate this Article

 

# of Ratings = 1 | Rating = 5/5

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Family Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Family
Sign Up for a free account or learn more.
Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
FREE pet cartoon animations
Puppy names, dog names
Free pets
SITES OF INTEREST | LINK TO US | | PET CARE

Powered by Article Dashboard