Category Archives: Postcard History

Postcard History

Rally Day Postcard to George Lentz, Smithfield, Nebraska, 1910: Going Home

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The print is too faded to completely read on the line, but it is something like “Term. . . . day also Sept 25.”

What originally drew my eye to this vintage postcard was not the recipient, 10 year old George Lentz, or the place, Smithfield, Gosper, Nebraska, but the subject matter on the front.

I’ve attended many Catholic and Protestant churches during my life, but I’d never heard of “Rally Day.” At first, I thought the postcard commemorated patriotic activity during World War I, but the postmark dates it to September 1910, way too early for the war years.

Furthermore, the back is signed “Quaker Ville Sunday School, Johnnie Hibbs,” but the cursive is definitely adult. Perhaps Johnnie’s mother wrote the message.

After a bit of sleuthing, I learned that Rally Day was still prevalent into at least the 1980s and was an event, usually held in September or early October, held by Protestant churches to call families back to church after the summer break.

Further research found Johnnie Hibbs was the 7 year old son of John and Temperance Hibbs of Smithfield and “Georgie” Lentz was 10 years old the son of William and Etta Lentz, also of Smithfield.

The “Quaker Ville” Sunday School was part of the Quakerville Society of Friends meeting house, which was established in Smithfield in the early 1890s.

No connection such as cousins, has been found between Johnnie and Georgie.

Here is the Lentz Family:

William Sidney Lentz, born 23 April 1860; died 24 April 1926; married Etta Magdalene Brand, 29 January 1893, Gosper County, Nebraska. Etta was born 29 December 1869, Illinois; died 19 March 1958, Gosper County, Nebraska.

Children:

  1. Leon Hayes, born 31 October 1893, Nebraska; died 5 January 1986, Tripp County, South Dakota; married Anna K. Holthus, married c1915. They were parents of one son and one daughter.
  2. Nellie Verda, born April 1898, Nebraska; died 2 July 1927, Gosper County, Nebraska; married John Calvin Birt, c1920, probably Gosper County, Nebraska. It appears Nellie had one son, Arden, who died in 1923.
  3. George James, born 7 January 1900, Gosper County, Nebraska; died July 1984; married Lillian Irene Melosh, 1922, Nebraska. They were the parents of one son and one daughter.
  4. Arvilla Grace, born 5 May 1902, Nebraska; died 28 August 1997, Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado; married Herman Valentine Hock, 1922, Nebraska. They were the parents of three children.
  5. Otho Spiers, born 26 July 1904, Nebraska; died 12 December 1975, Riverside County, California; married Eva Maud Ewen, c1927. They were the parents of one daughter.
  6. Sydney William, born 2 February 1907, Nebraska; died 3 October 1986, Los Angeles County, California. Sidney was unmarried.
  7. Wallace Gerald, born 8 October 1910, Nebraska; died 14 November 1987, Nebraska; married Hilda Karen Westergard, 1939. They were the parents of one son.

Because this family has living members, we’ll just say that this Rally Day postcard is going home to a descendant of William and Etta and I now know what Rally Day is!