Mr. John Rodkey was living in Columbia, the lovely borough above the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_Pennsylvania
(We have seen another postcard related to Mr. Rodkey – a comic drawing of a sleeping woman confusing a pesky insect with her husband’s enormous moustache.)
The address on this postcard includes the written notation, “Klinesville” – which is a very small cluster of buildings just outside Columbia.
(Klinesville, in Lancaster County, never had a post office)
https://www.mapquest.com/us/pennsylvania/klinesville-pa-283500128
In November of 1920, John received a Thanksgiving greeting from a friend or neighbor in Columbia.
The sender does not reveal a name, but adds a code “13-18-11”.
I suspect that this is a simple alphanumeric code, and that these are the initials – M. R. K.
Like the earlier postcard, this one also shows signs of considerable wear and poor storage.
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The face of the postcard is a drawing of a large signpost sprinkled with oak leaves.
From the post is suspended a medallion image of fall trees in a green meadow.
Below the sign, in ornate letters is a printed title: “Thanksgiving Day”.
In smaller letters, we read the declaration: “I am thankful most of all for friendship.”
The sender inscribed, in pencil, the word, “your” before “friendship.
I made many digital repairs to the face and removed the pencil embellishment – the original is visible below.
The postcard was published by the English firm of Raphael Tuck & Sons in their “Thanksgiving Series”.
It was printed in Saxony.
On the reverse, the sender asks (grammatically), “Guess from whom?”.
Despite the distressed condition of the postcard, John seems to have appreciated it as it was preserved throughout his life.
One hopes that the feelings of gratitude for friendship were reciprocated, and that John and his correspondent enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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GENEALOGICAL NOTE
John Lutz Rodkey was born on July 2, 1902 in Columbia, PA.
He was the son of Christian Fry Rodkey (1877-1949) and Alice Lutz (1869-1961).
John had one sibling, a younger brother.
Sometime around 1925, John married Florence E. Messer (1903-1973).
John and Florence had two sons and one daughter between 1926 and 1931)
John and Florence seem to have lived in the same place throughout their marriage -although the address is variable between Columbia and Klinesville.
I believe that this may be related to changing mailing jurisdiction and not to physical moves.
John died in Lancaster, PA in June of 1994, and was buried in the nearby Mountville Cemetery.
