Pauline, Carl and Jennie Martensen

Pauline, Carl and Jennie Martensen

Postmark: MONROE NEBR May 22 1914 5 PM
Mrs Mary & Wm Brunken
Meno Okla.
Dear Sister Received your card some time ago, but have been offel busy cleaning house running after the chicks and every thing else  I have 250 spring chicks  have the incobator + 10 hens to hatch yet.  Anna G. is here with us now.  We have no trouble getting our work done any more.  This morning I made her a basket for basket social in our school house tomorrow evening  We are all intending to go.  We are going down to Alberts this afternoon and do up the work a little.  Minnie is in the Hospital  was operated for appendecitis  getting along alright
Ans soon
Sister Lucy G

Who's Who

• "Lucy G." is Lucia Bertha (Petersen) Griepentrog.
• "Sister", "Mrs Mary Brunken" is  Lucia's half-sister, Marie Clara "Mary" (Petersen) Brunken.
• "Anna G." is probably Lucia's husband's sister, Anna Griepentrog.
• "Minnie" is probably Lucia's sister, Minnie Christina (Petersen) Grossnicklaus.
• "Alberts" is unidentified.

Date

Postmark is May 22, 1914.

Location

Postmark is Monroe, Nebraska

Picture Story

The three children in the picture on the front of the post card are not mentioned in the message[1][2].

Carl Chris Martensen

Pauline Dorothea Martensen

Jennie Alvine Martensen

There was another postcard in the album which has the same children with a slightly different pose.

Pauline, Carl and Jennie Martensen

The message on the back of this post card is written in German script which I have difficulty deciphering and translating.  I can pick out a few names in the script message - Hilda and Alwin as well as Karl, Laura, Pauline and Jenny. The signature is Catharine and --- Martensen

Who's Who 

• "Mr. Wm Brunken" is William Leonard Brunken, husband of Clara Marie "Mary" (Petersen) Brunken.
• "Catherine Martensen" is Catherine (Detlefsen) Martensen, the wife of a brother (Christian "Chris" Lorenz Martensen) of Mary Brunken's step-mother, Ida Lucia (Martensen) Petersen.
• "Hilda" is Hilda Ida Brunken, daughter of William and Mary Brunken.
• "Alwin" is Alvin William Brunken, son of William and Mary Brunken.
• "Karl" is Carl Chris Martensen, son of Christian Lorenz and Catherine  (Detlefsen) Martensen[2].
• "Laura" is Laura Sophia Martensen, daughter of Christian Lorenz and Catherine  (Detlefsen) Martensen[2].
• "Pauline" is Pauline Dorothy Martensen, daughter of Christian Lorenz and Catherine  (Detlefsen) Martensen[2].
• "Jenny" is Jennie Alvine Martensen, daughter of Christian Lorenz and Catherine  (Detlefsen) Martensen[2].

Location

Monroe, Nebraska[3], from the postmark.

Date

September 28, 1915, from the postmark [4]

Notes

1. Lucia married William Albert Griepentrog on 04 Jun 1913 and their first child, was born 15 Nov 1914. So none of the three children pictured on the front of this first postcard are hers.
2. Thanks to Linda Gehring for providing the correct identification of the three children in the picture.  "They were the three youngest of the family and were from left to right: Pauline Dorothea, b.1909 (5 yrs old) - Carl Chris, b.1907 (7 yrs old) - Jennie Alvine, b.1911 (4 yrs old)."   Laura was her husband's mother. Email October 5, 2014. 
3. There are two postmarks on the second postcard.  The first is PLATTE CENTER NEB. SEP 28 4 PM 1915. The second postmark is LAHOMA OK.  The reason for the two postmarks is that the postcard was addressed to Mr. Wm Brunken,  Lahoma, Okl..  While Wm Brunken did live near Lahoma, Oklahoma, his mail service was through Meno, Oklahoma.  Apparently, the Lahoma, Oklahoma postal service received the postcard and then changed the address to Meno and re-mailed the postcard.
4. Even though the picture of the three children on the front of the second postcard was obviously taken on the same date as the first postcard, the postmark date of the second postcard is 16 months later than the first postcard.