Postcard Collection - Who is Mr. William G Jeffrey?

There is something absolutely fascinating about discovering a postcard collection from 1907-1910. Something that thrills me to the tips of my fingers and toes - from top to bottom! I discovered them buried in my Mom's basement a few years ago and did the unthinkable - I took them out of the ancient "falling-apart" scrapbook they were in (the kind with black pages and cut out spaces for the corners to fit into). Now for my confession.

I threw the book out!!!

Horror of horrors!! A curator's nightmare!! I know this now, although I didn't then. My Mom was so upset when she found out. I thought I was doing her a favour, keeping the postcards compact, since they were falling out and everything. But I threw out what could have been an incredible clue, a part of history. Gone!

Although this appears nothing more than dramatic, it really is extremely dramatic and serious!! I threw out something very valuable to a historian. But that was before I was one. I recently studied Museum Provenance Research and learned the importance of the least important details. I can tell you, that the book I threw out was far from a "least important detail."

Anyway, this course and my budding passion for becoming a curator led me to pull out the little tin of postcards. A little tin, yes. A silver chocolate tin, to be exact. And it is jam packed with postcards! Over 100 lie hidden in its depths, all from the above-mentioned dates (1907-1910, for those who have already forgotten).

Each card has a story. The entire collection has a story. Each piece has a name and a date and a message and an address. A mine of information just waiting to be discovered!!! (And, yes, I think that sentence deserved numerous exclamation points because I am so very excited to be the one to look through them and at least attempt to unlock some of the secrets.)

So, to provide a snapshot of the wonders inside this chocolate tin, here are a few details and examples. 

Every card is addressed to a "Mr W G Jeffrey", who happens to be my maternal great-grandfather. Every date is between 1907-1910 (with the exception of a single hand-full of cards). There are different addresses on the backs of the cards, suggesting that this Mr W G Jeffrey moved around over these four years. The cards are penned by different people (almost all women), many as love letters by or in reference to his girlfriend/fiancée of the time (my maternal great-grandmother). 

With that snapshot in mind, I have so many questions. Why did my great-grandfather keep these postcards and stop after 1910? Is it possible there is another collection somewhere, or did these years have a certain significance in his life? The cards are not all unique - there are some duplicates. The backs are not all covered in messages, either. Some are blank - simply for collection purposes. A couple of the cards have a stamp on them, but no address or message. Could these have been cards he intended on sending, but decided to keep them in his collection? 

An interesting thing to note - one of the cards is very unique to this collection. It is dated 1955. Although it is addressed to Mr. William G Jeffrey, the message is addressed to a "Mama and Dad". It is signed by my grandfather, Joe. And it was one of the few sent from outside Ontario.

Why was this card kept in this collection? Perhaps it is a clue regarding my question about other collections. And why this card from my grandfather? I'm sure he sent many postcards, since I know he travelled quite a bit before getting married in the 1960s. 

In the meantime, I will begin deciphering the writing at the back and put them in order. I will try to recreate the stories during this time and learn about the man "Mr W G Jeffrey". Perhaps this will be a link to my great-grandfather, whom I never knew. He died when my Mom was less than five years old. She barely knew him either. This might connect a string to the past - an era that still breathed of peace and the Old World, all of which would change a mere five years later. And it is mine to discover!

Faith, Hope, and Love

"Within the darkness of Faith

Runs a current of Love,

Revealed to the eye by that bright ray of Hope."

Darkness of Faith. Isn't it true that at times we are required to be still and listen. To be still and wait. When there are no sounds, no whispers, no feelings. It is interesting how dependant we are on feelings, and yet Faith is so much more than that. I've learned that over the years. Times that require the most Faith can be the darkest times. And yet, the results are the most fruitful, I would think, because perseverance and patience show just how faithful a friend we really are. These dark times can prove our character, making us stronger at the same time. Faith requires us to act in the dark. Faith acts in the night, with the belief that the sun will break the darkness in the morning. It always rises again, even when the night is darkest. Faith is the belief that the rain will end and the flood will recede. Even if the entire earth is covered. Faith acts when the soul is empty and the dryness is at its worst - a drought that forces us to forget the gentle winds and beating rains, the quenching of thirst or the soothing of the cool air. Imagine what joy when the sun rises, the flood recedes, the drought ends - and all along we have had faith!

Current of Love. There are places on this earth where a river runs deep beneath the ground. A strong current that feeds the lakes and streams that mark blue lines across the map. There is a current that sustains the deep lakes that have no visible source. There is a current that feeds the ocean with fresh water turned to salt, or that changes the salt back into fresh water. Science can explain this better than me. There is a current of love that allows women to wait for their loved ones in battle. I watched "The Lost Valentine" last night - a woman waited at a train station for 66 years on each Valentine's Day, hoping that her husband (who went missing in action during WWII) would one day come back to her as he promised. She continued with her life, but always with the hope that maybe he was still alive somewhere. He wasn't, as the movie will tell (spoiler alert!), but her heart was not bled dry. A current of love kept her on her feet, helped her heal as she waited, helped her move forward when she knew, helped her continue living and waiting. For death is not the end. There is also a current of Love that spurs us forward during the Darkness of Faith. It is the reason why we continue moving forward. It keeps us on our feet, helps us heal as we wait, helps us move forward because we know that it does not end there. Love is not dead. Darkness is not the end. Love will remain in the end.

Bright Ray of Hope. We hope for the sun to shine. We hope for the floods to recede. We hope for the drought to end. And it always does. We hope for the same in our soul. We hope to hear His voice. And if we listen in the darkness, if we bathe our heart in the current of Love, if we are patient and do not expect bright lights and fireworks, we will find what our heart desires most. His voice. His plans. His warmth. Our faith will be rewarded - both in this life and the next. We will find what we are looking for (even if we are not sure what that "something" is in the moment). Hope moves us forward. Without hope, what do we have in this life? Hope is the "anchor of the soul".

"We remember your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope." For these we live; and the greatest of these is Love.