Original 1913 real photo postcard (RPPC) showing Claude August Porter with his infant son Milton Austin Porter, associated with Douglas County, Washington.
The photograph shows Claude seated outdoors holding baby Milton. The reverse contains a wonderful contemporary handwritten family message identifying the child as Milton Austin Porter and stating that the photograph was taken when he was approximately three months old.
Milton Austin Porter was born April 27, 1913, in Port Angeles, Clallam County, Washington, the son of Claude August Porter and Mary Christine Stigen. This postcard is dated July 30, 1913, making Milton almost exactly three months old when the card was written.
The handwritten message reads approximately:
“Milton Austin Porter and his Daddy, taken at 3 months. He weighed 10 lbs., not very big but a very good, healthy and sweet boy. Never makes any trouble at night, all well and happy. Edith.”
The postcard is addressed to Mr. David W. Rother, Richland, Michigan, making this an especially appealing piece of identified family and genealogical history.
Of particular postal-history interest, the card bears a Mansfield & Wenatchee R.P.O. (Railway Post Office) cancellation. The Great Northern Railway's Mansfield Branch connected the Wenatchee area with communities across Douglas County, including Douglas, Washington, before terminating at Mansfield. Mail was among the services carried over this line. The card has previously been associated with Douglas, Washington, which would be consistent with the route represented by the RPO cancellation.
The combination of an identified father and infant, dated family correspondence, Washington-to-Michigan connection, and Mansfield & Wenatchee RPO postmark makes this an excellent piece for collectors of Washington postal history, railway mail, genealogy, Douglas County history, or identified RPPCs.
Type: Real Photo Postcard / RPPC
Date: July 30, 1913
People: Claude August Porter & Milton Austin Porter
Baby: Milton Austin Porter (1913–1996)
Location Association: Douglas County, Washington
Postal Marking: Mansfield & Wenatchee R.P.O.
Destination: Richland, Michigan
Postally Used: Yes
Stamp: 1-Cent U.S. Postage
Subject: Father and Baby / Family / Genealogy
Era: Divided Back, 1907–1915
Original/Reproduction: Original
Color: Black & White / Sepia
Writing: Extensive handwritten message on reverse
Original antique RPPC showing expected age and handling wear. Visible corner and edge wear, toning, surface marks and some staining/soiling. Postally used with stamp, RPO cancellation, address and extensive handwritten message on reverse. Please examine both scans carefully for exact condition.
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