A Postcard Arrived In Michigan Almost 100 Years After It Went In The Mail
By David Williams, CNN
(CNN) -- A Michigan woman got quite a surprise when she went to her mailbox this week -- amid her regular bills and junk mail was a postcard that had been mailed almost 100 years ago.
Brittany Keech told CNN that she didn't give the card much thought at first because she was busy with her kids and her daily hustle and bustle.
"I thought it was very peculiar that I was receiving a postcard because nobody sends postcards anymore nowadays," Keech said. "I went 'OK, this is different.'"
Later she noticed that the card was postmarked October 29, 1920. It had her Belding, Michigan, address but was written to someone named Roy McQueen in faded cursive writing.
The card reads:
"Dear Cousins,
Hope this will find you all well. We are quite well but mother has awful lame knees. It is awful cold here. I just finished my history lesson and am going to bed pretty soon. My father is shaving and my mother is telling me your address. I will have to close for a night. Hope grandma and grandpa are well. Don't forget to write us - Roy get his pants fixed yet."
It was signed by Flossie Burgess.
The card has a Halloween theme that includes a black cat holding a broom, a bat, a goose and an owl, along with a woman with a cane and a jack-o'-lantern in a witch's hat.
There's a George Washington one cent stamp on the back and the smudged postmark says Jamestown, but the state appears to be covered by some kind of sticker.
Keech, 30, said she has no idea what delayed the card, which was mailed decades before she was born.
A spokesperson for the Postal Service told CNN affiliate WXMI that "in most cases these incidents do not involve mail that had been lost in our network and later found. What we typically find is that old letters and postcards -- sometimes purchased at flea markets, antique shops and even online -- are re-entered into our system. The end result is what we do best -- as long as there is a deliverable address and postage, the card or letter gets delivered."
Keech posted photos of the postcard on a Facebook group in hopes of finding McQueen's or Burgess' relatives, or someone who might have known the families.
"I have two wonderful ladies that are helping me look into their genealogy," she said.
Several people have posted old documents in the comments section that might help solve the mystery.
Keech wants to return the card to a family member and said they've got a lead on one possible relative.
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