Thursday, October 4, 2012

Gram's Scrapbook - Western Union Delivers Breaking News

Back in the day, people sent Western Union telegrams when they had urgent news to deliver. My paternal grandmother, Mamie Olive (Martindale) Spurlock, had saved three of those important messages in her scrapbook.

Announcing the arrival of a granddaughter in 1944:


Reporting the death of her sister, Maude Alberti (Martindale) Thompson in Missouri in 1958:


And the birth of a great-granddaughter in California in 1963:



[Source: Spurlock, Mamie Olive (Martindale), Scrapbook, ca 1950-1970; privately held by Cheryl Anne (Chaney) Beaver, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Lone Grove, Oklahoma. 2010. Photocopy in possession of Denise Spurlock. ]

© 2012 Denise Spurlock
Posted by at 10:59 AM
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2 comments:

  1. WendyOctober 5, 2012 at 3:40 AM

    At least she got some good news too. It's interesting that she saved the telegrams because they seem like something you'd throw away.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownOctober 5, 2012 at 7:09 AM

      Wendy, I agree that telegrams seem like something you would read and toss. But it's amazing the things that people save! I can think of a few things I have that might cause someone to wonder why I saved them.

      ~Denise

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