Miss Julia Knorr lived in Poughkeepsie, the Hudson River city and town halfway between New York City and Albany, New York.
Poughkeepsie is an old city, founded by Dutch immigrants in 1686.
In 1913, paper mills, millineries, breweries, and shipping companies contributed to the prosperity of the town.
Matthew Vassar, a wealthy brewer, founded Vassar College – one of the “seven sisters” of colleges for women that became partnered with all-male colleges of the Ivy League. (Vassar was partnered with Yale).
Nephews of Matthew Vassar founded Vassar Brothers Hospital (now Vassar Brothers Medical Center) where Julia Knorr seems to be employed or studying.
In December of 1913, Julia received a Christmas postcard at her place of employment (which might have been her residence if she was in an on-site Nursing program.)
The postcard was sent by Julia’s cousin, Ethel K. who mailed the greeting from Wyoming, PA.
Wyoming is a city in the Wyoming Valley of Luzerne County in northeast Pennsylvania.
The first European settlers arrived from Connecticut in the mid-18th century – Connecticut had a Colonial Era claim to lands in northern Pennsylvania (due imprecise colonial grants and poor geographic information.)
The Wyoming Valley was the scene of a terrible slaughter of settlers during the American Revolution.
The face of the postcard, a medallion of a wintry rural scene on a parchment sheet, contains the greeting, “Hearty Xmas Wishes”. The postcard is lightly embossed.
Cousin Ethel reports that “we are all well” and hopes that Julia is the same.
Ethel inquires about Julia’s plans for Christmas and wonders how she is doing “up there in New York”.
Christmas, for Ethel, will be spent at home.
An added note asks Cousin Julia for a letter describing “how you are getting along”.
One hopes that Julia did well during her time at Vassar Hospital, that she was able to compose a letter to Ethel, and that the cousins enjoyed a blessed Christmas.
