Miss Irene Westover lived in Johnson, a village within the town of Johnson in Lamoille County of north-central Vermont.
Located at the junction of the Gihon River and the Lamoille River, beneath a ridge of the Green Mountains, Johnson was established on a tract of land originally deeded by King George III to support King’s College (Columbia University) in New York City.
Since 1842, Johnson has been the home to a large woolen mill.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson,_Vermont
In February of 1910, Irene received a postcard from her cousin, Charles.
Cousin Charles mailed the postcard from Dover, a small village in Bureau County of north-central Illinois.
This community was first established in 1833 by settlers from Dover, New Hampshire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover,_Illinois
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The face of the postcard is an evocative painting of a seascape.
On the watery expanse, we see a small structure atop piles driven into the seabed.
A rough ladder connects a small craft (perhaps a skiff) to the elevated dwelling.
In the middle distance is a sailboat, and on the horizon, one distinguishes the faint outline of a city.
There are several places in the world that are notable for huts built above the water, but it is not clear if this postcard is a depiction of an actual place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilt_house
There is a partially-obscured signature on the lower left, but I have not yet identified this artist.
The postcard was printed in the United States.
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On the reverse, Charles greets “Dear Cousin Irene”.
Charles explains that “I will send you a card instead of a letter.”
The postcard may have been written on a Sunday, as Charles reports, “Lydia and I went to church this morning.”
Irene seems to have enjoyed the original artwork as she preserved the postcard in very good condition throughout her life.
One hopes that the cousins enjoyed a long postcard correspondence in the years to come.
RESEARCH NOTE – Irene
On August 4, 1900. Irene Julia Westover was born in Johnson, Vermont.
She was the daughter of Edson Charles Westover (1863-1930) and Mary Hammond Gomoe (1872-1903).
Edson and Mary had been married in Johnson in January of 1892.
The couple had one son and one daughter.
Sadly, Mary died in 1903 at age 30 -when Irene was 3 years old.
In 1904, Edson married Blanche L. Gates (1974-1939), but they did not have children.
Irene (now known as “Julia” ) married Cleo Ray Parsons (1901-1957) in Johnson on December 8, 1920.
Cleo and Julia had one daughter, Kathleen (1937-2004).
Lamoille County was home to Julia throughout her life.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LRW4-6K5
After Cleo’s death in 1957, Julia lived as a widow until her death in 1984 at age 83.
Julia and Cleo, along with Julia’s parents and step-mother, and Julia’s daughter are buried in the North Hyde Park Cemetery in Lamoille County.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66206449/irene-julia-parsons
RESEARCH NOTE- Charles
Edson Charles Westover, Julia’s father, was the youngest child – he had two brothers and two sisters – although one sister died at age 13.
Edson’s closest sibling was Fred.
Fred Seth Westover (1860-1940) was born in Lamoille County, Vermont.
In September of 1893, Fred married Margaret B. McIntosh in Dover, Illinois.
Fred and Margaret had two children, Lydia (1896-1988) and Charles (1901-1976)
Charles sent the postcard to Julia, the daughter of his father’s brother, when he was 9 years old.
In February of 1923, Charles was married to Marcia G. Pierson (1903-1989) in Bureau County, Illinois.
Marcia and Charles had one child, a son who died in infancy.
I have not found a burial site for Charles and Marcia.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/L7XF-FPD
