A Unique Original Document with a Secret Message

A clue to a soon-to-follow elopement?

Recently I took the time to organize all of my original documents into a single archive-safe binder instead of sorting by who they belonged to. As part of that process, I included a brief description of each of the items, which required me to do a more thorough review.

One item is this gorgeous embossed postcard that has gold accents and a photo of my great-grandfather, Robert Kerkow (1889-1969). He had his photo taken for the sole purpose of including in this postcard which he sent to his older sister who had married in October of 1904 and was living in Washington D.C. Her name was Olga (Kerkow) Yassell.

The last numeral of the year on the postmark is difficult to read. May 6, 190? Given the shape of what is visible of the last numeral, it could be a 2, 3, 5, 8 or a 9, in my opinion. By process of elimination, I think it’s most likely that the last number is an 8 or 9. (If it was a 2, 3 it would be before his sister had married and moved away. If it were a 5, the photo of my great-grandfather would be much younger looking.)

To me, the design of the postcard looks matrimonial. Doves. Gold accents. Flowers. I mean, right? Robert wed Alice Devine in November of 1910. In my imagination, it’s possible that this postcard was a clue, signaling to his sister an impending engagement! That said, this would have been about 18 months prior to their actual wedding date. Maybe Robert had asked for permission to marry Alice but was denied and that led to some delays? It turns out that Robert and Alice, knowing their parents would never agree for them to marry due to their differing faiths and ethnicities, ran away to be married!

Postcard front with a photo of my great-grandfather, Robert Kerkow when he was approximately 18 years old.

Postcard back, addressed to my great-grandaunt, Olga (Kerkow) Yassell. There is no communication noted on the left, but the position of the stamp is a secret message!

Of note, the 1¢ green Benjamin Franklin stamp is positioned on the postcard in a manner that has a special meaning. In this case, it means “With all my heart” or “Have you forgotten me” — either of which is a tender sentiment from a brother to his sister.

 Source: “Victorians’ Secret Ways of Keeping in Touch”, last modified July 10, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020. https://www.postalmuseum.org/blog/victorians-secret-ways-of-keeping-in-touch

If my imagination was factual, it would mean that Robert fell in love and had intentions of marriage about a 18 months prior to actually doing so, which is very romantic. Or maybe this is just a postcard from a brother to his older sister, whom he missed?

What do you think the postcard with no written communication could mean?