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“At Christmas Time”

 

“At Christmas Time” is a hand-painted card made by Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling. He most likely made this for his wife, and the Arts & Crafts style suggests it was done in the early 1900s. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Helbling Family (Click for Family Tree)

             – and all our wonderful Heritage Ramblings blog readers!

Just a quick post to wish all our good readers health, joy, and love this Holiday Season, and always!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. More to come in another post about this card painted by G. W. Helbling (1882-1971), likely for his wife, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling (1881-1954). From the Arts & Crafts style used and knowing their family history, it probably was painted after 1904 when they married and before 1920 or so.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
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A Christmas Eve Gift of Love: G.W. Helbling to Anna May Beerbower Helbing, 1916

 

Cover of a Christmas card from G. W. Helbling to his wife, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, Dec. 24, 1916. (Click to enlarge.)

Helbling Family, Beerbower Family (Click for Family Tree)

As many are ‘wrapping up’ their holiday shopping today, one of our ancestors helps to put gift-giving into a different light.

Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling (1882-1971) was a talented artist as well as a very loving husband. He married Anna “May” Beerbower (1881-1954) on November 24th, 1904.

Drawings done by Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling as frames for pictures of himself and the love of his life, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling. They both appear to be pretty young- maybe high school age? (Click to enlarge.)

G. W. had a sign painting business during his younger years and then again in later years of his life. He also made beautiful cards, paintings, and even scrapbooks for his grandchildren. Within all he painted for family, his love came through, most especially in those treasures for his dear wife.

It would be wonderful to have the color version of G.W.’s card so that we could better tell if it was a manufactured card (the flower section does look pre-printed) or if he had painted part of the image; we also do not know what was inside the card or on the back of it. We are, however, grateful to have this black and white copy of the card front, and the letter inside, from an early, miraculous contraption called a “Xerox machine.” (Introduced in 1959, these copiers were not widely available for individual use for another 5-10 years, and copies were expensive when one was finally located.)

What was the Helbling family tradition as far as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and gift giving? Devout Catholics, it is likely they attended a Christmas Eve church service and again another on Christmas morn. Did the two exchange their own gifts within the sweet adult quiet later on Christmas Eve, when the children were in bed, or wait until the morning when their children, 8 year-old Edgar Bradley Helbling (1908-1994), 5 year old Anna “May” Helbling, later Reilly (1911-1985), and 3 year old Viola Gertrude Helbling, later Carrigan (1913-1971), would excitedly unwrap a gift or two stashed under the decorated tree? Perhaps they waited until the children were engrossed in their new toys and then G.W. and May could share a moment together.

From left: Vi Helbling, May Helbling, and Edgar Helbling, in front of their home at 5136 Page in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 14, 1917. (Click to enlarge.)

G. W., or “Dard” as May called him, would have handed this envelope sweetly to his beloved wife:

Envelope from a Christmas card and letter from G.W. Helbling to his wife, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, Christmas Eve, 1916. (Click to enlarge.)

“Merry Christmas

to my dear pal”

May would have pulled the card out of the envelope, feasting on the beautiful card that was a gift in itself.

Inside the card was something even more precious- a sweet letter detailing G.W.’s gift for Anna:

A Christmas letter/gift from G.W. Helbling to his “darling wife” Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, Christmas Eve, 1916. (Click to enlarge.)

Here is a transcription of the letter:

G. W. HELBLING

LONG DISTANCE                            UNDERTAKER                       KINLOCH, DELMAR
PHONE                       LICENSED        EMBALMER                      2518-J
MOTOR AND CARRIAGE SERVICE
3930 ST. LOUIS AVE.
ST. LOUIS

                                                                          Christmas Eve 1916

                      My darling wife: ~
I’m wishing you another
Merry Christmas, of the many happy
years we have spent together, I
am bringing to you nothing that
could be less customary as a gift
at such a time, but a gift that
I feel will better suffice to show
my love for you, and the tenderness
and protection which it is ever my
one thought to surround you with.

Living, I love you, and beyond-
thus it is that my Christmas greeting
to you this year will be an additional
$1000. Insurance policy in your name.

Again, dear pal. Merry Christmas
and happy New Year.

always your
Dard

The family did not have much income for holiday presents and even daily expenses, but G.W. knew that the cost of a life insurance policy would help to provide peace of mind for the unthinkable- his death. Working as an undertaker at that time would have likely influenced him to choose his “less customary” gift. The policy was one of the best gifts he could give his wife, especially as their family grew. What a loving husband!

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos and ephemera. It is unknown where this copy came from, or where the original is today. If someone reading this has the original, we would love it if you would share a color copy, and let us know more about the card itself. Thanks in advance!
  2. G. W. Helbling was sometimes listed instead as William Gerard Helbling, especially in his earlier years. His paternal side was German, and in many German families it was very common for a person to use their middle name on a daily basis, rather than their first given name.
  3. Thankfully May never had to use the insurance policy (unless they cashed it in) as G.W. survived to father three more children with her (their first child had died in infancy). Anna May passed away in 1954, and G.W. lived another 17 years.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.

Mary T. Helbling and Spring!

Mary Theresa HELBLING, possibly around 1937?

 

HELBLING Family (Click for Family Tree)

Happy First Day of Spring!

This picture is so happy and spring-like that it just HAD to be our post for today. It’s also a good way to finish up honoring Mary during her birthday week.

Flowers are blooming all around and the trees and grass are greening up after our very dark winter of 2020, so it is especially lovely to see this picture of Mary. She was born March 16, 1925, so may be about age 12?, and is definitely smiling and happy. It does look a bit later than March, since the flowers are so tall and it was most likely taken in St. Louis, Missouri, where winter lingers a bit, especially back in those years. This might be her Easter picture, with her short-sleeved, ruffled dress, cute shoes, and her big hat. It could instead be a year or two earlier, as Mary was always tall, but there is no date on the image for us to know for sure. The family lived at 5154 Page Blvd. in St. Louis, Missouri, a two-story home built in 1895, at least from 1920-1940, so this was probably taken in that back yard.  Mary’s father, Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling, loved to garden, so he may have planted these beautiful flowers. (We don’t know if her mother, Anna May Beerbower Helbling liked to garden or not.) One of those windows may have been in Mary’s bedroom.

If anyone can help us date this more precisely or tell us more, please let us know!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos.
  2. 1920-1940 US Federal censuses and city directories.
  3. Google and realtor.com images to confirm what house at 5154 Page Blvd. looks like. https://www.google.com/maps/place/5154+Page+Blvd,+St.+Louis,+MO+63113/ and  https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5154-Page-Blvd_Saint-Louis_MO_63113_M72000-86995

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.

Mary T. Helbling and her Mother, Anna May Beerbower Helbling, in St. Louis, Missouri

Mary T. Helbling and her mother Anna May Beerbower Helbling, on the street in St. Louis, Missouri, possibly around 1940.

Helbling Family (Click for Family Tree)

Back in the day, there were often cameras set up along busy city streets- not for surveillance, traffic, or weather, like today, but to take pictures of persons as they were shopping, going to appointments or work, running out for lunch, etc. This is one of those photos, taken of Mary Theresa Helbling (later McMurray) and her mother, Anna May Beerbower Helbling. Mary would have been 15 in 1940, so we are guesstimating that year approximately for this image, but it could be earlier or later.

People dressed up back then to go shopping- even to the grocery store. Love the hat that May is wearing. (Anna May used her middle name.)

We do have a bit of information on the back of the photo:

Reverse of photo of Mary T. Helbling and her mother Anna May Beerbower Helbling on the street in St. Louis, Missouri. The handwriting is Mary’s in later years.

We have not found much about the photographer nor what we think may be “Weil for Men” (or “Weir”? “We II”?) That is the business in the background- see also image in Note #1. Knowing the store would tell us where they were in St. Louis when it was taken. That information would also narrow the time frame, so we have a request out to St. Louis County Public Library for a directory lookup and will update when we learn anything new.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Here is another photo taken at the same place: https://mohistory.org/collections/item/N36723
  2. The Ashen-Brenner Studio is listed in a 1925 St. Louis City Directory: https://stlouis.genealogyvillage.com/1925photographers.htm
  3. Another link stated the studio was in business in the first half of the 20th century, but will not post that link because it seems to be a sketchy website.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.

Mary Theresa Helbling and Her Friends

Mary Theresa HELBLING (later McMURRAY) on the left, her very good friend Teresa Reilly (later Chanitz) on the far right, and some friends. Probably mid-to-late 1940s.

Helbling Family (Click for Family Tree)

Today, March 16th, is the anniversary of Mary Theresa Helbling’s birth, so we wanted to share this adorable picture of her with friends, family or co-workers. It was probably taken in the mid-to late forties, when Mary was in her early twenties. Mary is on the left, but we don’t know who the young women are- please let us know if you do!

Mary was born to Gerard William “G.W.” HELBLING (1882-1971) and Anna May BEERBOWER HELBLING in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was their seventh child, and the youngest by 5 years, but her oldest brother was 17 when she was born.

The late forties were a good time for women in America in many ways. It was sad that our men were going off to fight in World War II, but it gave women an opportunity to be very involved in the workplace, and have a job that made a difference in the war effort. Mary worked for the government and loved the tasks at her job, per her letters, as she always enjoyed typing- she was really fast!  She also loved that she knew shorthand. For those too young to know, shorthand was a quick method of cursive writing with abbreviations and symbols used for sounds. As someone was speaking, such as dictating a letter, the “steno” (short for stenographer) would take down the words on one of those small coiled-top, lined ‘steno’ notebooks with the firm cardboard back. One had to be able to read the shorthand later though, to type up the document. Mary was very good at each of these steps, and even invented her own shorthand for some of the official shorthand she had learned. (No one else could read it then!)

Mary used her knowledge of shorthand throughout the years after she left her job and became a full-time wife and mother, which was what she always wanted to be. She would write herself notes in her special shorthand- and no one else in the house could read them!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Original content copyright 2013-2021 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted. 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about the copyright or use of “Heritage Ramblings” blog material.