Mary Salem was growing up in New Bethlehem, a borough along Red Bank Creek in Clarion County of northwest Pennsylvania.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bethlehem,_Pennsylvania

In January of 1908, Mary received a postcard from Papa.

The postcard was mailed from Kellersburg, now a census-designated place in Armstrong County.

The Red Bank Creek separates Clarion and Armstrong Counties.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellersburg,_Pennsylvania

The community now known as Kellersburg was first known as “Red Bank” and had a post office by that name from 1842-1894.

The Post Office for “Kellersburg” operated from 1894-1908.   

I obtained this postcard from a dealer in old paper who was disposing of his collection of defunct post offices – a collection that he had assiduously curated over many years.

The postmark is rare.

New Bethlehem is less than 8 miles northeast of Kellersburg.

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The face of the postcard is a lovely hand-colored photograph (or a painting) of a girl and her dog.

The child is wearing a white dress with a frilly bonnet.

Out heroine is retiring on the grass, her patient collie nestled against her.

The girl holds the long wagon tongue on which the collie’s paws are also resting.

The small red wagon sits nearby; it is empty

The girl and dog seem entirely comfortable with one another, and appear to have shared many adventures.

The postcard lacks identification of the artist/photographer and of the publisher.

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On the reverse, “Papa sends his love to his baby.”

Mary seems to have treasured this message as the postcard was preserved in very good condition throughout her life.

RESEARCH NOTE

A preliminary search of genealogical databases identifies one record that may be “Mary Salem” of the postcard.

In the census record for Allegheny County in 1900, Mary Salem (1898-deceaased) is identified as the daughter of John Salem (1870-deceased) and Bertha Salem (1878-deceased).

John Salem immigrated from his birthplace in Austria in 1892; Bertha was born in Austria and immigrated to the US in 1895.

John and Bertha seem to have married soon after Bertha’s arrival as their son, John, Jr. was born in 1896.

Many European immigrants arrived to work in the mills and factories of the Pittsburgh area, and many moved on to other industrial centers like Cleveland, Akron, or Chicago.

Thus far, I have not found other Pennsylvania records of this Salem family.