I’ve mentioned in the past that one of my favorite giving back to the genealogy community activities is to locate vintage items belonging to persons long gone, but who have living descendants, and then gifting those items to today’s family members.

Of course, finding vintage photos is lots of fun, but online sellers, for whatever reason, seem to think that because a name is inscribed on the back, a photograph that is unremarkable in any other way except age, must be worth $20 or even $50!

Therefore, while I do find some photos under $10, I’ve expanded my gifting category to include postcards with handwritten messages on the back.

Today’s postcard caught my eye because it featured an image of the Passaic River. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I grew up in that area.

However, digging a bit deeper, this wasn’t a postcard sent from someone who lived in the Passaic area, it was chosen by someone who was vacationing in the area and mailed to a relative back home.

Also, while most of my vintage items date near the turn of the 20th century, this postcard is a testament to the growing popularity of postcards in the tourist industry, as it is postmarked 1924.

Sara Prizer Yeager was born on 31 October 1903 and passed away on 12 September 1988, both in Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. Sara had a twin sister, Margaret, who survived her by two years, dying on 16 November 1990.

Sara married Theodore Louis Gey, born 12 October 1904 in Camden County, New Jersey and who died 11 December 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This couple lived in Norristown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania and appear in the 1930 census with no children. They were likely newlyweds.

Theodore and Sara were the parents of four sons, two of whom have passed away – Theodore Jr., who died in 1995 and Donald, who died as a toddler in 1939.

As for the postcard recipient, one Sara Yeager was the lucky person to hear from Sara (Yeager) Gey. However, this Sara is a mystery as no Sara Yeager is found in the 1920 or 1930 census in Norristown, Pennsylvania, nor is there a listing for her in the 1923 and 1925 city directories of Norristown.

In any case, this handwritten postcard is going home to a descendant of Sara Prixer (Yeager) Gey.