Mr. Roy Burke lived near Oxford, a prosperous borough in Chester County of southeast Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford,_Pennsylvania
(We have discussed Oxford in other postcard stories – how the thriving businesses at the turn of the 20th century were stymied and impeded by the demise of the railroads and the relocation of a major highway around the borough.)
That the Burke family lived on a rural delivery route might mean that they were farming or employed in agricultural activity..
In January of 1907, Roy received an art postcard from his Aunt Mary.
In the Research Note (below), we learn that Roy was turning 21 this month.
The greeting was mailed from Oxford, suggesting that Aunt Mary lived nearby.
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The face of the postcard is a delightful drawing, simple in design and execution.
On a grassy bank beside a stream, a young woman is resting.
The girl is fitted for hiking, her knapsack lies beside her and she wears a broad-brimmed straw hat on her head.
She appears to be staring at the water or into the distance – the mood seems both weighty and contemplative.
One hopes that out heroine is taking a stroll for pleasure or for her health, but it may be that she is setting off toward an unpredictable future or fleeing some unpleasantness.
On the margin of the face Aunt Mary has inscribed her name.
The winsome scene was printed in Europe, possibly in France.
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Roy preserved the postcard in excellent condition throughout his life.
One hopes that he and Aunt Mary maintained an affectionate correspondence for many years.
RESEARCH NOTE
In January of 1886, Roy Alton Burke was born in Chester County.
He was the son of James C. Burke (1857-1929) and Ellen P. Bye (1855-1928).
James and Ellen each had a sister named “Mary”, so Roy had two Aunt Marys.
Only Mary Malinda Bye Long (1859-1943) (sister of Roy’s mother) is shown as a resident of Oxford.
This “Aunt Mary” had no children of her own, and may have felt especially close to Roy.
Ray had one sibling, a younger sister, Margaret – but there are no adult records of her.
Ray appears to have lived in Oxford his entire life.
He never married, and died in 1948 – at the age of 62)
He is buried in the Oxford Cemetery, along with his patents and the family of the Aunt Mary who mailed the art postcard to him.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91345355/roy_alton-burke
