Mr. O. A. Buck was in Varysburg, a hamlet in the Tonawanda Creek Valley of Wyoming County in west-central New York.
This area, near the Finger Lake region, remains primarily agricultural – Wyoming County today has more cows than residents.
Varysburg was once a thriving community that grew up around a grist mill and sawmill.
Through the 19th century, Varysburg was successively a center of cloth manufacturing, of cheese production, and of lumbering.
In the early 20th century, the town was reduced by a series of fires and a flood – today, the area is mostly uninhabited.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varysburg,_New_York
In August of 1914, Mr. Buck received a postcard from his family in Arcade, NY.
The message is signed by “Linden”- the GENEALOGICAL NOTE (below) reveals that this is his daughter.
Arcade, is a town on the Cattaraugus Creek in Wyoming County -about 20 miles south of Varysburg.
The Arcade & Attica Railroad still operates a short-line to provide agricultural products for local mills.
Passenger excursions in cars pulled by steam locomotives are offered seasonally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade,_New_York
The face if the postcard is a lovely drawing of carnations of various colors.
The blossoms are displayed on an unadorned background.
I am confident that the postcard was printed in the United States.
(The inter-national conflict that became World War I began in July of 1914.)
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On the reverse, Linden greets M. Buck as “Papa”.
She reports that the family received Papa’s letter yesterday.
This morning, however, “Momma is not very well” so Linden will “write in her place”.
So that Papa does not worry, Linden adds, “She is not seriously ill at all.”
In closing, Linden asks Papa to confirm some information for her.
She asks, “if you happen to see M.G.Cole, please ask him if school begins the last day of August.”
Because Linden was 24 years old in the Fall of 1914, I assume suspect that she might be a schoolteacher.
The postcard does not suggest a reason for Papa’s visit to Varysburg; one hopes that his business was conducted successfully and that he returned safely to his family.
GENEALOGICAL NOTE
On December 22, 1850, Oscar Allen Buck was born in Wyoming County, NY.
He was the son of Martin Francis Buck (1809-1895) and Delilah Russell (1818-1903).
Martin and Delilah married in Wyoming County in December of 1831.
Oscar was the fifth of 8 children (three sisters and four brothers) – one brother did not live to adulthood.
In June of 1880, when he was 29, Oscar married Anna Goodwell Lowell (1857-1932).
The marriage took place in Eaton County, Michigan, but census records show that Oscar and his wife made their home in Wyoming County, New York.
Anna bore six children from 1881-1898 – five girls and one boy.
Sadly, the only son died in infancy.
All the daughters lived into adulthood, and this postcard was written by the third daughter, Etta Linden Buck (1890-1966),
The gravestone of the third daughter is “Linden Buck”.
Oscar and Anna lived in Wyoming County, NY throughout their lives.
After Anna died in 1932 (age 75), Oscar continued to live in Wyoming County.
In March of 1943, Oscar died in the town of Arcade – he was 92 years old.
Anna and Oscar, and daughter Linden, are buried in Curriers Rural Cemetery in Wyoming County, NY.
