My great-grandfather, James Grover "Grove" TERWILLIGER, filled his Souvenir Album with a miscellany of ribbons, invitations, stamps, cards, tickets, cut-outs from hotel letterheads, newspaper articles, and other items from his travels and affiliations. Page 22 has 8 At Home cards, centred around an invitation to a Wooden Wedding celebration - a 5th Wedding Anniversary. Since the celebration is the only dated item - 1871 - I'll assume the other cards are from roughly the same period. And, since he and his wife were not married until 1879, it is possible that some cards may be from his parents' collection.
Here are the top 4 cards, left to right each horizontal row:
1. Mr. & Mrs. E.M. Dudley Mr. E.M. Dudley apparently was involved in the setting up of the Bryant Association Library in Syracuse NY, according to several articles found in the Syracuse Daily Journal in the mid-late 1870s. This link takes you to a rather challenging-to-read page, 3rd column from left, partway down the column, from February 18, 1879. I also found a reference in the Syracuse Standard, November 25, 1884, of "E.M. Dudley, basso" taking part in an entertainment, as part of St. Mary's Fair. 2. Mr. & Mrs. T.W. Dalton, with bottom left corner details possibly indicating they were taking up their new residence as a married couple - At Home, 144 South Salina St., after December 1st 1881. Mr. Dalton apparently was a druggist, owning his own store in Syracuse.
3. Mary T. Jackson Also printed in the same very ornate lettering as the Dudley's card, was apparently a teacher, running the Keble School, an English & French Boarding and Day School, with Kindergarten, as noted in the Daily Standard, 1873. In the 1880 Census, a Mary T. is the wife of E.M. Dudley, #1 card above, and might be the same person -? Possibly, or possibly not.
4. Mattie E. Smith I was able to find a few references to Mattie E. Smith - e.g., taking dancing lessons in Brooklyn, in 1883, and attending dances. Also mentioned in the Sunday Saratogian, August 29, 1886: "Miss Mattie E.Smith, whose readings and songs have been heard with pleasure in the parlors of various hotels during the week is a guest at the Pleasant Home, Federal street."
Next, Wooden Celebration - printed on a thin slice of actual wood:
The next 4 cards also appear to be at home cards, read left to right, in two horizontal rows:
6. Dr. & Mrs. James Willis Candee Dr. Candee was a homeopathic physician, one of the representatives of the State Medical Examiners Board of New York. He and his wife seem to have had a very social life, with many notices in the newspaper of various parties given.7. Mr. & Mrs. Owen D. Perry 19 Plant St. Utica N.Y. Utica is east of Syracuse NY. Owen Perry owned a clothier store with his brother. He married Miss Nellie Burrill, (card on bottom right), in 1881.
8. Eva Fredrika Smith A 1916 Brooklyn newspaper notes a Miss Eva F. Smith, a long-time employee of the Customs Service, acting as Chairman of the Library Committee. This committee worked to open a small library as part of the Barge Office Building Social Welfare League. It provided a space for men waiting between jobs to read or play "innocent games".
9. Miss Nellie Burrill, who married Owen D. Perry in 1881, see #7 above. I found a reference to her attending the First Baptist Church in Syracuse, along with Mrs. Charles Graves, my great-grandmother; also a reference to a mutual friend who attended the same school as my great-grandmother, Mt. Holyoke.
Whew! Some of these cards appear to be more relevant to Grove & Gussie TERWILLIGER, some to Grove's parents, James & Harriet TERWILLIGER. Both couples appear to have been very social, and participated in many social events in Syracuse and New York city.
If you know of any of these people, or would like more information, do contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or through the Comments section below.
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