Arthur Gochenour’s Birthday

He was Uncle Arthur to my father and they had a strong bond.  Art Gochenour got Dad his start in the electrical industry with a job at Anaconda Wire & Cable.  Arthur Burchard Gochenour was born 31 August 1879 in Freeport, Illinois.  His parents were Mary Mallory and Wesley Gochenour.  He married my grandfather’s sister, Eleanor Pierce Claycomb.

There was one other strong memory of Uncle Arthur for my father.  He had a new 1931 Buick – this about the time Dad was graduating from high school and was very focussed on cars.  The mention of “Uncle Arthur’s Buick” sent Dad into a reverie.

The Venerated Buick of Uncle Arthur

School Records

Mom’s scrapbooks

My brother recently discovered some of Mom’s scrapbooks in his storage room.  Neither one of us knew they existed and Mom perhaps thought they had been discarded – they’ve been boxed since at least 1984.  She made one for every year, but only a couple survived.

She saved our school records and our artistic masterpieces.  So now I have proof that I did get promoted from 7th to 8th grade.  The certificate was mimeographed and filled in by hand.  And signed by Mr. Whittinghill and Mr. Pruyne.

And I have a record from my beloved first grade teacher, Miss Giddings.

Thanks Mom for saving everything.  Wish we had all the scrapbooks she made.

Amos Claycomb’s November 1909 Diary

In November 1909 Amos is finishing the barn and building his house in Wildorado, Texas.  His ledger entries grow as his expenses rise.  This month his train shipment arrives and includes new fangled equipment – a gasoline plow.  This tractor takes much of his attention over the next few months.  Amos is 23 years old.  I post a month’s worth of his diaries every Monday.  

Monday, November 1, 1909
Worked on the barn all day.  Put on sheeting and some of the shingles.

Tuesday, November 2, 1909
Worked on barn all day.  Shingles and inside work.  The carpenters killed a coyote on the way to work this a.m. with their dogs and I got his skin.

Wednesday, November 3, 1909
Worked on barn all day.  Ate supper at Goodman’s tonight with several of the other fellows.

Thursday, November 4, 1909
Worked on barn.  Put on the bats.  Went to Amarillo on evening train and stayed with Dr. Hanson tonight.

Friday, November 5, 1909
Came back this a.m.  Helped Nicolson haul some maize out to the place this p.m. which I had bought from him at $8 a ton.

Saturday, November 6, 1909
Helped Haywood lay a concrete foundation for my house today.

Sunday, November 7, 1909
Went out quail hunting today with Frost and Moreland to the brakes north-west of town.  Moreland got eight.  Frost two and I got one.  A norther came up this a.m. and it is much colder today.

Monday, November 8, 1909
Started work on my house today.

Tuesday, November 9, 1909
Worked on the house till noon when my car came from the North.  In it were my gasoline plow, three horses, two Jersey cows with calves, 13 chickens, corn, oats, hay, machinery and household effects.  Rompf came with it and we took a load out to the place this p.m.  I slept in the barn tonight.

Wednesday, November 10, 1909
Hooked my team up to the wagon this a.m. and drove to town and got another load out of the car and brought out here.  Am living in the barn now and Rompf and I are doing our own cooking.

Thursday, November 11, 1909
Mr. Leavitt – inventor of my gasoline plow came today and we unloaded the car and brought it out to the place.  Mr. Leavitt is staying with us in the barn.

Friday, November 12, 1909
We plowed a fire furrow around the buildings this a.m. and went around the old wheat ground and the plow worked well in both.  We drove to town about noon to get some gasoline and came back after dinner and plowed some more.  Am learning to run the plow.

Saturday, November 13, 1909
It snowed last night which made it so soft today that we couldn’t plow.  I drove Leavitt and Rompf to town this p.m. and brought back a load of lumber.  Rode the pony to town tonight and called on Clara N.  Staid out here alone tonight.

Sunday, November 14, 1909
Cloudy, windy and cold all day.  Staid out here all day and did my own cooking.

Monday, November 15, 1909
Too rainy to plow.  Went up town this p.m. after a load of lumber.

Tuesday, November 16, 1909
Plowed most of the afternoon.  Am learning to run the plow.
Rode the pony to town tonight to telegraph for a sprocket wheel.

Wednesday, November 17, 1909
Plowed most of the afternoon.  Drove “Belle” to town this a.m. to get Mr. Smith who manufactures this plow.

Thursday, November 18, 1909
Plowed from 11 till about 5 p.m. today and turned over about six acres.

Friday, November 19, 1909
Smith and Leavitt went home today noon and I took lessons on starting the plow etc this morning.  Drove the team to town this p.m. after lumber.

Saturday, November 20, 1909
Rompf and I started the plow this a.m. but a worn piece of casting broke before we had gone half a mile.  Rompf went to Amarillo this p.m. to get it fixed and I went in town after lumber.  Played forty-two with several others at Arabel G.’s tonight.

Sunday, November 21, 1909
Staid out at the place all alone today.

Monday, November 22, 1909
Worked around the house this a.m. and then went up town after a load of lumber.

Tuesday, November 23, 1909
Went up town after lumber this a.m. and brought back Harry Mooman who is to run the gasoline plow for a while.   He is sent here by the Smith Mfg. Co. who pay half of his expenses.

Wednesday, November 24, 1909
Started to paint the windmill today and helped on the house this p.m.

Thursday, November 25, 1909
Thanksgiving.  Moved the stove in the house and cooked the first meal there this noon.  Rode the pony to Mr. Meeks’ tonight and after supper played forty-two with Mac Womble vs him and Mr. Phillips.

Friday, November 26, 1909
Staid at Mr. Meeks’ last night and rode home this a.m. by the way of town where I got a couple of pipe-wrenches to fix the plow.  Very heavy fog this a.m.

Saturday, November 27, 1909
Drove up town after lumber this a.m.  Moved all my stuff from the barn to the house this p.m. and slept in the house tonight for the first time.  The house is now complete except for a little inside work on the doors and windows.

Sunday, November 28, 1909
A norther with snow started last night and a blizzard has been on all day.  Ferd, Mooman and I have staid around the stove nearly all day.  The snow is drifting badly and is about four feet high in front of the house.

Monday, November 29, 1909
Snowed most of the time today with the wind still from the north.  Drove the team up town this p.m. to take Ferd to the depot as he started for home today.  The daily train got stuck in a snow drift and was about 9 hours late.

Tuesday, November 30, 1909
Staid in the house most of the a.m.  Jim Gouldy came out and staid for dinner and I rode the pony back to town with him where I took some pictures of the outfit that is digging the well for the railroad and of the snow drifts in town.

Toomanytomatoes and Too Many Tomatoes

In the early 1950s we grew tomatoes commercially.  Here are two versions of that story, one from my brother who was just a kid then, and one from Dad, who had to put up with him.

Tom and Linda at Del Mar Race Track, California
Why would anyone name a horse Toomanytomatoes??

The favorite in the fourth race yesterday at Del Mar was Toomanytomatoes.  She went off at 5/2 ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith on the one mile turf course.  She was prepared by Mike Mitchell who is the all-time leading trainer at Del Mar.  It wasn’t enough.  Toomanytomatoes finished out of the money.  I didn’t bet on her because of a premonition based on a childhood experience.  Watching the race brought back memories of my first run-in with too many tomatoes – some 60 years ago.

In 1952 my father and Otto Eickhoff took our baseball/football field out of action by planting it in tomatoes.  Dad had the property and Otto had the farming experience. He was a good friend and the manager of the Guymon Peach Farm about 2 miles away.  When the tomatoes ripened they put my sister Jean and me in roadside stands to sell them.  One spot was along Magnolia Avenue near the Wagon Wheel restaurant and another was on Woodside Avenue closer to Lakeside.  There was no Highway 67 there back then and all traffic would pass right by us.  Apparently we did quite well and the following year Dad and Otto decided to really cash in by planting twice as many tomatoes.  But just when Jean and I were starting to do our sales magic a representative of the County Health Department stopped at our stand and cited us for not having access to bathroom facilities.  This “cease and desist” order eliminated both the sales outlet and the cheap labor upon which the tomato dynasty was based.  Not much more was picked from the field and Dad vowed to never again grow a tomato plant on the property.  Too many tomatoes finished out of the money.

But the neighborhood kids didn’t consider the farming effort as a complete waste.  We would choose teams, much like we did for baseball and football when we possessed the field, and held tomato wars in the rocks below Kepharts.  Everybody had a bucket and would load up in the tomato field.  One team would hide in the rocks and the other team would attack.  When that battle ended, meaning the buckets were all empty, we would reload and swap positions for the next engagement.  It was good fun but not clean fun.  No clear winner emerged and the war was only ended when the tomato field ran out of ammunition.  Naturally we were all disappointed when no ammunition was planted the next year – or, ever after.  Jerry Kephart, who anointed us all with nicknames (Strider, Bonehead, etc.) referred to me as “Tomato” from that point forward.
Tom “Tomato” Claycomb
August 5, 2013

Now here is Dad’s recollection of the Tomato Saga written in the 1980s.

Tomatoes on a Big Scale 1952 & 1953

In one our great get-rich scheme we planted 1000 tomato plants on Feb 1, 1952 on the front of our then 2 1/2 acre lot.  We being the Eickhoffs and the Claycombs.  All expenses and receipts were to be split.  We planted in curved rows so we could irrigate from one place in each row.  We hot capped all plants.  When we picked our first tomatoes the stores grabbed them up – the first local tomatoes on  a 5×6 pack we got some where around $14.00 per lug.  This price didn’t hold for long.  We sold many lugs of bulk tomatoes for 50 cents each.  We built a shade packing shed above the monkey cage.  Harriet and Flo sold to the store and along the road.  Otto hauled to the wholesale produce market in San Diego.  We made some money this first year.

The next year, 1953, we planted 2000 tomato plants on the adjoining, north 2 1/2 acres which we had bought.  We hired a Mexican National to work, named Leo, he slept in our old barracks shop building.    This year our luck with weather, prices did not hold for us – the tomatoes did not ripen early.  The prices were much lower and the vines deteriorated quite early.  We lost money this year.

It was a good experience, lots of fun, but was our last attempt at tomatoes for profit.  Quite a bit of our profit was used for tomato fights.
Frank Claycomb

 

Amos Claycomb’s October 1909 Diary

My grandfather kept diaries for most of his life.  In October 1909 he is beginning to farm in Wildorado, Texas, near Amarillo.  Excerpts from his ledger are added to his diary entries.  I try to post a month every Monday.

Friday, October 1, 1909
Nothing doing.

Saturday, October 2, 1909
Potter came out to see me today on the noon train.  Went duck hunting this p.m. with him and Moreland but didn’t get anything.  We all play tennis for a while after supper and then went down to Goodman’s.

Sunday, October 3, 1909
Potter and I rode horseback out in the brakes this a.m.  This p.m. Arabel and I drove Potter half way to Amarillo and he walked the rest of the way in.  Took Arabel to and from church tonight but didn’t go myself.

Monday, October 4, 1909
Attended M.W.A. lodge tonight.

Tuesday, October 5, 1909
Played forty-two here at the hotel with some of the fellows tonight.

Wednesday, October 6, 1909
Went to church with Arabel tonight.

Thursday, October 7, 1909
It rained a little last night and a cold norther is blowing today so that fires are almost necessary.

Friday, October 8, 1909
Nothing doing.

Saturday, October 9, 1909
Rode out to the section this a.m.  Took Arabel over to Clara N.’s tonight where we played forty-two.

Sunday, October 10, 1909
Went out driving with Arabel this p.m. and took her to church tonight.

Monday, October 11, 1909
Went to Vega with Moreland today to see some carpenters.   Drove over to Ontario.  Cold norther came up suddenly this p.m.

Tuesday, October 12, 1909
Took Arabel to church tonight.

Wednesday, October 13, 1909
Went into Amarillo tonight.  Called on Maudie M.  Staid with Potter over night.

Thursday, October 14, 1909
Did a little business in town this a.m. and came home on the 10 a.m. train.  Rode horseback out in the brakes with Arabel and two other couples and ate our dinner there.  Took Arabel to church tonight.

Friday, October 15, 1909
Helped Nicolson shock feed all day.

Saturday, October 16, 1909
Shocked feed all day.  Took Arabel to church tonight.

Sunday, October 17, 1909
It started to rain this p.m. and is raining hard tonight.

Monday, October 18, 1909
Drizzling all day.  Have played forty-two most of the time.

Tuesday, October 19, 1909
Weather clearer this p.m.

Wednesday, October 20, 1909
Nothing doing.

Thursday, October 21, 1909
Ditto.

Friday, October 22, 1909
Played forty-two down at Goodman’s tonight with Arabel, Clara and Joe .

Saturday, October 23, 1909
Duck hunting this p.m. but duck are so wild that we couldn’t get close enough to shoot.

Sunday, October 24, 1909
Took Arabel to church tonight.

Monday, October 25, 1909
Helped Nicolson haul some lumber out to my place this p.m
Attended M.W.A. lodge tonight.

Tuesday, October 26, 1909
Helped haul brick and lumber out to the place this a.m.

Wednesday, October 27, 1909
Played forty-two down at Clara’s tonight with the others.

Thursday, October 28, 1909
Started to build the barn on my place today.  Mr. Phillips is head boss and Mac Womble and I are helping.  We laid the foundation and sills today and cut out other pieces.  Had two chases after coyotes this a.m. – four in one bunch and two in the other but they were too fast.

Wildorado, Texas – Photograph taken in the 1940’s of the property owned earlier by Amos Claycomb. The road in front of the house is Route 66, now the north access road along I-40, about 3 1/2 miles east of Wildorado. The house burned in 1955. When I-40 was built in 1964, 220 feet were taken off the property, so house site now lies under the highway.

Friday, October 29, 1909
Worked on the barn all day.  Am riding a livery horse out there and back.

Saturday, October 30, 1909
Worked on the barn all day, on the boxing and floor and sheeting.

Sunday, October 31, 1909
Helped make candy at Arabel’s this p.m. with Lucile, Clara and Carrol.  Played forty-two there tonight.

 

 

Grandma’s Birthday

 

Ruth Bressler Claycomb born 13 August 1886 in Wayne, Nebraska.  

Amos Claycomb’s September 1909 Diary

Wednesday, September 1, 1909
Came back to Wildorado this a..m. and brot. Hanson with me.  Drove him out to the section this p.m. and played tennis tonight.

Thursday, September 2, 1909
Rode out to the breaks this a.m. with Hanson and killed a snake called a coach-whip.  Played ball most of the p.m.  Hanson went back to Amarillo tonight.

Friday, September 3, 1909
Helped Nic- haul in a load of sand this a.m.  Played tennis tonight with Arabel against Moreland and Lucile.

Saturday, September 4, 1909
Started to drive to Tascosa right after dinner with Nicolson, Rollins and two other fellows.  Killed a rattler with seven rattles and a button and also some rabbits and prairie-dogs.
It commenced to rain soon after we started and lasted till we reached there – 28 miles – about 7:30 p.m.  We camped in an empty house tonight and cooked our own supper.

Sunday, September 5, 1909
Ate breakfast and dinner in Tascosa and started home about 2 p.m.  Killed several rabbits, prairie-dogs and three quail.
Ate supper at a deserted house on the Gray ranch tonight and slept on the floor.  Passed “Boot Hill” where between twenty and thirty men are buried who were killed in saloon brawls etc here a few years ago.  Also the Canadian river which is very dangerous to cross because of its quick sand.

Monday, September 6, 1909
Drove back to Wildorado this a.m. in a round-about way thru the breaks and saw several antelope.  Came into Amarillo tonight on the train with Moreland and we took Arabel, Lucile and Ethel Edwards out to Glenwood Park.

Tuesday, September 7, 1909
Came back to Wil- this a.m.

Wednesday, September 8, 1909
Rode out to the section this a.m. and fixed the fence all around.  Also looked over Section 33.  Came into Amarillo tonight.

Thursday, September 9, 1909
Back to Wil- this a.m.  Leased Section 33 for next year and have what crop we can make on condition that we plow the whole section and put up a fence on the east side which we can take back when lease expires – Nov. 1, 1910 – unless owner wishes to pay $75 for it.

Friday, September 10, 1909
Played tennis tonight with Arabel and against Moreland and Clara N.   After this we went out hunting water-melons.  Drove over to Neely’s ranch this p.m. with Pete G. and we rode two horses back.

Saturday, September 11, 1909
Played tennis for a while tonight.

Sunday, September 12, 1909
Rode horseback over in the breaks this p.m. with Arabel, Clara and Moreland.  We all went to church tonight.

Monday, September 13, 1909
Played tennis for a while tonight and then attended the M.W. lodge.

Tuesday, September 14, 1909
Came into Amarillo tonight.  Staid with Dr. Hanson.

Wednesday, September 15, 1909
In Amarillo all day.  Came out to Wildorado tonight in a machine with Albert Richards and a couple of other fellows.  We did the 22 miles in just 41 minutes.

Thursday, September 16, 1909
Played ball this p.m.

Friday, September 17, 1909
Rode out to the place this a.m. and looked after the wind-mill and hunted prairie-dogs for a while.

Saturday, September 18, 1909
Went duck hunting this p.m. with six other fellows.   Had only my rifle but got a teal by accident.

Sunday, September 19, 1909
Church this a.m.

Monday, September 20, 1909
Came into Amarillo tonight.  Saw “The Alaskan” at the Opera House with Monning.  Slept with Dr. Hanson.

Tuesday, September 21, 1909
Bought a Winchester pump shot-gun in Amarillo this a.m. and came back at 10 o’clock.  Played tennis with Arabel and against Moreland and Clara tonight.

Wednesday, September 22, 1909
Went duck hunting this p.m. with Frost and Landers but we didn’t get close enough to get any.  Called at Goodmans tonight with Joe and Carrol.

Thursday, September 23, 1909
Played baseball tennis and football after supper tonight.

Friday, September 24, 1909
Rode out to the section this p.m. and tore some fence down.
Played tennis for a while tonight and then went over to Goodman’s and played forty-two.

Saturday, September 25, 1909
Played tennis for a while tonight.

Sunday, September 26, 1909
Played tennis for a couple of hours this p.m.  Went to church tonight with Arabel.

Monday, September 27, 1909
Came into Amarillo tonight.  Staid with Dr. Hanson.

Tuesday, September 28, 1909
Met Uncle Fred T. this morning and staid with him until his train left at noon.  Saw the vaudeville at the “Texas Grand” tonight.

Wednesday, September 29, 1909
Came back to Wildorado on the train this a.m.  Attended party given by Arabel G. tonight.

Thursday, September 30, 1909
Nothing special doing.

Amos Claycomb’s August 1909 Diary

Sunday, August 1, 1909
Went out to see a baptising this p.m. in a lake about a mile west of town.  Rode out on a hand-car with Rompf and two other fellows.

Monday, August 2, 1909
Played tennis tonight.

Tuesday, August 3, 1909
Rode over to Bushland this a.m. to telephone to Amarillo for some well material.  Saw big rattler in the road but left it alone.  Went to party given by Mrs. Williams.  Saw my first rainbow made by the full moon tonight after a shower.  Was in the north-west.

Wednesday, August 4, 1909
Nothing special doing.

Thursday, August 5, 1909
Ditto.

Friday, August 6, 1909
Rode out to the ranch this a.m. and measured the land which the header had gone over.  Was about 79 acres with 15 acres left standing which we are having cut with a binder.  Played golf for a short time tonight.  Took hand-car ride afterwards with Clara N., the Goodman girls and with Joe B. and Moreland.

Saturday, August 7, 1909
Moved over to the hotel this p.m. because the boarding house was getting too crowded.  Played second base in a practice game here this p.m.  Played tennis tonight.

Sunday, August 8, 1909
Went to Sunday school this a.m.   Played tennis tonight.

Monday, August 9, 1909
Played ball this p.m.  Tennis tonight with Moreland and with Arabel and Lucile G.  Was taken into the Modern Woodmen of America afterwards with several others as a charter member of a camp which was established here tonight.

Tuesday, August 10, 1909
Played tennis tonight for a while and then went to lodge.

Wednesday, August 11, 1909
Rode out to the Gray ranch with Nickolson this a.m. and helped him load some sand.  Staid out there for dinner and helped round-up and cut out some cattle this p.m. on one of their cow-ponies.  Staid at the ranch all night.

Thursday, August 12, 1909
Drove into town this a.m.  Played tennis tonight with Arabel and with Lucile and Moreland.

Friday, August 13, 1909
It rained pretty hard here in town last night but did not cover much territory.  Played tennis tonight.

Saturday, August 14, 1909
Played first base in a ball game between Wildorado and Vega in the former place this p.m.  In five times at bat I got three hits, a walk and a fan-out.  They beat us 6-3.  I got two runs and knocked in the other.  Played tennis for a while tonight and then went for a hand-car ride with about ten others.

Sunday, August 15, 1909
Have read and slept most of the day.  It rained hard here for about an hour this afternoon.

Monday, August 16, 1909
Attended lodge of the M.W. A. tonight.

Tuesday, August 17, 1909
Drove out to our ranch this p.m. with Rompf and looked over the windmill which has just been finished.  It is 283 feet deep.  Water was struck at 207 feet but the man had to go to the rest of the way to get thru the quick sand.

Wednesday, August 18, 1909
Drove out to the Gouldy ranch this p.m. with Pete and Charlie.  Shot one jack-rabbit.  Played baseball after supper tonight.

Thursday, August 19, 1909
Played tennis tonight.

Friday, August 20, 1909
Went hunting over in the “Breaks” this p.m. with Ed Gaver but all we got was two rabbits.

Saturday, August 21, 1909
Played ball for a while this p.m. and tennis tonight with Arabel and with Moreland and Lucile.  Ferd started home this p.m.

Sunday, August 22, 1909
Nothing doing.

Monday, August 23, 1909
Rode a horse out to the section today and looked at the wind-mill.  Took ride on the jigger wagon with Pete, Arabel, Lucile and Opal H. this p.m.  Attended M.W. A. lodge tonight.

Tuesday, August 24, 1909
Helped unload a half a car of cement with Pete Gouldy this p.m.  Went horseback riding with Arabel and two other couples tonight.

Wednesday, August 25, 1909
Went hunting “wild goats” this p.m. with Nicolson and Moreland and we got one.  Got back about 8:00 and went to see Arabel and Lucile with Moreland.

Thursday, August 26, 1909
Played ball for a while this p.m.

Friday, August 27, 1909
Started to thresh our wheat this a.m. and finished about 8:30 tonight.  Have been hauling the wheat to town.  Sold the first 156 bushels at $1.005 and the last 146 1\3 bushels for $1.01.
Am storing about 85 bushels for seed at Mr. Ballow’s ranch.  54 sacks.

Saturday, August 28, 1909
Helped Nicolson haul a load of my wheat this a.m.  Played tennis tonight with Arabel against Lucile and Moreland.

Sunday, August 29, 1909
Played ball most of the morning.  Drove seven miles south of Wildorado to attend church tonight with Arabel, Lucile and Moreland.

Monday, August 30, 1909
Rode out to the section to see the windmill this a.m.  Came into Amarillo on the train this p.m. and attended the Amarillo Commanders tonight after taking an examination.

Tuesday, August 31, 1909
Attended to some business this a.m.  Played billiards most of the p.m. and attended a vaudeville tonight with Potter and Hanson.

Phi Delta Theta 1908 University of Illinois

In a huge box of family things given to me by my brother was a hand-tooled leather holder for a dance card.  It belonged our grandfather, Amos Claycomb, with his initial on the back.  He’s written in pencil who his dance partner was and their sorority.

The dance is the 14th Annual Dance Illinois ETA of Phi Delta Theta, held February 14, 1908 at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

The best part for a family historian are the cards slipped inside the cover.  One has the patronesses of the fraternity.

 

Mrs. St. T. Busey, Mrs. R. R. Mattis, Mrs. E. S. Swigart, Mrs. E. N. Raynor, Mrs. G. W. Gere, Mrs. J. L. Polk, and Mrs. B. F. Harris

And one has the frat members for 1908.

 

Active Chapter:  Charles Samuel Pope, Elmer Otis Furrow, Mark Edmund Nebeker, Charles Bowen Busey, William Harrison Burch, George Davis Beardsley, Amos Townsend Claycomb, William Wyman May, Ray Carlisle Sparks, Eugene Samuel Cunningham, Ernest Thompson Ingold, Samuel Monroe Brown, George Bonny Matthews, Lewis Vinton Manspeaker, Herman Mohr, Roy Spencer Kimball, Walter John Hughes, Alva Brace Meek, Sidney M. Morris, Carl Page Watson, William Carl Watson, Ernest Swanson, Wellington Birther Huffaker, George Snider Ward, Alva William Dazey, Arthur Henry Harms, Lyman S. Weeks, Clyde Lynn Way, Merlin Clay Aleshire, Charles Emmet Trees, Henry Pratt Lyman, James Greenleaf Alexander, and William Agar Benitz.

 

I wonder if the case was used often with different inserts for each dance.  Actually, I didn’t know men had dance cards.  I thought it was just women.  So much to learn.