Bertha Sends Love to Grandma – Walden, NY (circa 1910)

Mrs. J. Hardy lived in Walden, NY, a village in southern New York State, northwest of New York City and not far from the border of Pennsylvania.

The village was populated by Scotch-Irish settlers and grew up around mills on the Walkill River.

For her birthday, Mrs. Hardy was presented a heavy, embossed postcard with the words, “Love to Grandma”.

The card was designed to be useful for many occasions, so “Grandma” was hand-written in pencil.

The card was given by Bertha who wrote on the reverse, “Wishing you many happy returns of the day”.

Bertha’s last name is not “Hardy”, so I assume she is the daughter of one of Mrs. Hardy’s daughters – or that Bertha was the daughter of a son and had taken a new last name at her marriage.

Because the postcard was not mailed, I suspect that Bertha lived nearby.

Like many Grandmothers, Mrs. Hardy may have collected all the many offerings of her grandchildren.

The postcard was preserved in good condition for more than a century.