Wishing You a Peaceful Thanksgiving

There is something delightful about old postcards—the thoughtful designs, bright colors, and embossed illustrations. Many resemble snapshot photographs, while others look more like greeting cards.

About a month ago, I noticed a postcard on eBay addressed to Robert F. Hagenbaugh of Akron, Ohio. The card was postmarked 1916 and featured artwork depicting a little girl standing beside a turkey. I purchased it.

Soon after placing the order, the seller contacted me and said they had two other postcards addressed to the same Robert F. Hagenbaugh. All three cards were Thanksgiving themed and appeared to have been sent and received around the same time. One had a postmark on it, suggesting that it had been mailed while the other two were hand delivered. I bought the remaining two postcards and began to research their contents.

My first task was to place Robert F. Hagenbaugh on our family tree. Three clues pointed to his identity. First, one card mentioned his participation in the school’s Thanksgiving play. This suggested that Robert was in grade school and was somewhere between ages five and eighteen. Next, there was the year on the postmark, 1916. Using this date and Robert’s assumed age, I figured he was born between 1898 and 1911. Lastly, two of the postcards listed his address as Akron, OH.

Robert Frederick Hagenbaugh, 1925

Using these details, I was able to determine that the cards were sent to Robert Frederick Hagenbaugh. Robert was born on July 31, 1902 in Akron to George Wesley Hagenbaugh (b. 1875) and Cornelia (Caswell) Hagenbaugh (b. 1875). His Hagenbuch family line is: Andreas (b. 1715) > Michael (b. 1746) > Christian (b. 1770) > Michael (b. 1815) > Cyrenas S. (b. 1851) > George Wesley (b. 1875) > Robert Frederick (b. 1902). Details about his life and family were previously featured in an article about his great grandfather, Michael (b. 1815).

With the knowledge of Robert’s birthdate, the circumstances surrounding these cards became clearer. They were sent shortly before Thanksgiving of 1916. Robert was 14 years old, and the senders appear to have been classmates and relatives. It seems the boy wasn’t feeling well, and the cards were meant to brighten his spirits. One card includes the following passage: “If you are good and try to get well, [the turkey] will give you his leg and hip joint so you can come to school…” Was Robert sick or did he have some sort of injury to his leg? One can only wonder.

The identities of the senders are just as interesting. The first postcard is signed “Margaret Foltz.” This appears to be a cousin of Robert’s, as his paternal grandmother was Emma S. (Foltz) Hagenbaugh (b. 1854). Research shows that Margaret Elizabeth Foltz was born on July 6, 1904 in Akron. Her message is playful and silly. It reads:

Robert,
See how nice the turkey looks at you (when you were little). If you are good and try to get well he will give you his leg and hip joint so you can come to school and study very very hard on history. I wish you could be present at the Thanksgiving play at school. If you don’t care I will write you a letter?

With best wishes from a very good friend,
Margaret Foltz
(Sounds like baby talk don’t it?)

Postcard sent to Robert F. Hagenbaugh from Margaret E. Foltz in 1916

The second card came from Clara Olhoeft. According to Ancestry.com, Clara Emily Olhoeft was born on May 2, 1904 and went to the same school as Robert. She writes:

Dear Friend,
Wishing that you will be here soon.
Clara Olhoeft

Postcard sent to Robert F. Hagenbaugh from Clara E. Olhoeft in 1916

The third and final postcard was written by Edna Mae Finks, who was born on May 2, 1904. Newspaper archives reveal that Edna was in the same class as Robert and in 1923 the two helped to organize their annual alumni party for North High School in Akron. Her message reads:

Health, wealth, happiness,
Dreams come true
All life’s joyfulness
I wish you.
I hope you will soon be with us.

To Robert Hagenbaugh
From Edna Finks

Postcard sent to Robert F. Hagenbaugh from Edna M. Finks in 1916

It’s unlikely that Robert got better in time for the Thanksgiving play. However, we do know that he recovered, graduated high school and college, married Nella Grimes (b. 1912) in 1933, and had several children. He died on September 6, 1973 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery in Akron, OH.

These three postcards, sent to a young Robert F. Hagenbuch, are a reminder of how people used to communicate in the early 20th century. Phone calls were uncommon and text messages had yet to be invented. If a person wanted to send well wishes to a sick friend, they wrote down their thoughts and mailed them. Yes, it took time. But postcards, like these, could be handled, thoughtfully read, and cherished for generations to come.

Wishing you a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday and weekend,
-Andrew M. Hagenbuch