Ruth Yocum lived in Temple, which was once a borough in Berks County, PA, but was disincorporated in the 1990’s. The small community is now a “census-designated place”.
Temple is a few miles north of Reading.
In March of 1911, Ruth received a postcard from a family member in Emmaus, PA.
Emmaus was once a self-contained community of the Moravian Church, in the Lehigh Valley about 5 miles southwest of Allentown.
(From 1830 to 1930, the community, which was officially “Emmaus”, used a Pennsylvania Dutch spelling, “Emaus” with a line above the “m” to indicate a double letter.
The postmark on this postcard reflects the quaint usage of that 100-year period.)
The prevailing Pennsylvania Dutch language traits are reflected in the postcard message.
The writer asks, “how are use (sic) all up their (sic)” and reports, “grandma is not so good just now”.
The face of the postcard bears a photograph of the Proximity Mills in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This enormous textile mill was built in 1895 by the sons of Moses Cone (once Kahn) a Baltimore grocer who had emigrated to the US from Bavaria.
It was the world’s largest manufacturer of denim fabric.
The postcard was published by Raphael Tuck and Sons, the noted English printing company.
On line, one can find fascinating histories of Emmaus and of the sprawling plant of Proximity Mills.
One hopes that Grandma recovered from her illness and that Ruth enjoyed the postcard greeting.
