Edwardian postcard album of Miss Elsie Downham

[rihuggett]

Hello,
I have in possession an Edwardian postcard album 9.5 inches x 11.5 inches, half full of 73 cards sent to Miss Elsie Downham at London House, Puckeridge, Herts or to her at Camden House School, Biggleswade, Bedfordshre.  From the messages on those that are written, Elsie was a schoolgirl and the postmarks are dated 1909 - 1912, so born perhaps c.1900.
Some are commercial Christmas or Birthday postcards, others are views of English sea resorts, Bournemouth, Brighton, Southend etc.  There are no family portrait postcards so of limited genealogical interest though the writing and the picture side gives a certain period flavour.
I rescued the album from my local tip (waste management site) and want to give the album to  bonafide relative of Elsie's (hopefully not to the person who ditched it in the tip).  While it is not of any real monetary value I would like to be sure no dealers claim it as theirs, so if you are a relative of Elsie's please reply to this post with proofs or send a personal message (scroll icon) and I'll check them out before arranging a time/place for collection.

Thanks, rihuggett

[Treetotal]

What a great find...have you thought of looking for her on Ancestry Family Trees?
Carol

[danuslave]

If you don't find any relatives, I would give them a good home.  I'm not a dealer, just interested in saving things like this from the scrap heap.

Well done you for rescuing them   

Linda

[danuslave]

Just found this (nothing to do with me!)

 http://www.rootschat.com/links/0s3a/

[chempat]

Just wondered if you had been contacted by anyone, as initially did not notice the year this was posted.

For interest, but a few years earlier than Elsie:

http://www.biggleswadetoday.co.uk/news/nostalgia/a-victorian-may-day-celebration-1-1582382

[rihuggett]

Hello
Thank you for all the replies and suggestions, including the one today.  What I have done is ask my local museum, Hertford, in Bull Plain, Hertford if they would like the album for their collection if I had no positive replies from relatives.  Miss Downham lived in Herts so it is an appropriate guardian of the album.  I think the lady at the desk said yes in a hedged about, must ask my superiors type of way.  I then promptly forgot about it.  I will now advertise again on other web sites and then if no replies within a couple of months take the album along to the museum.
Thanks, Richard.

[ShaunJ]

Are you sure the name is Downham?

In 1911, London House, Puckeridge was the home of William Samuel Fordham.

He had a daughter Elsie Violet Fordham born 1900

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=norst1&id=I11682

[ShaunJ]

... and Elsie Violet Fordham from Puckeridge is at school in Biggleswade in the 1911 census

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7V1-84D

[ShaunJ]

"Elsie Violet Fordham was born on 5 July 1900 in Uk. She died on 22 December 1980 at the age of 80 in Colchester, Essex, England.
Spouse: Major Thomas Baster. Elsie Violet Fordham and Major Thomas Baster were married in 1922."

http://www.genes2.com/cookson/b129.html