Referring to the last cover, according to the 1860 Census, John C. Bidwell (41), a "plough manufacturer" of Pittsburgh, PA, along with his wife, Sarah (37) had three children: Cornelia (16), Helen (8), Henry (7), and Josephine (6).
It may be probable that the father (John C. Bidwell) or another family member was on a business trip to Boston and created the cover. The return address of "Revere House, Boston" was a well-to-do 19th century hotel that was lost to fire in 1912. Nevertheless, it had quite an illustrious roster of guests:
Quote:
Revere House (1847-1912) was an upscale hotel in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts, located on Bowdoin Square in the West End. Fire destroyed the building in 1912.
Some considered Revere House "Boston's most prestigious hotel. It hosted the likes of writer Charles Dickens and singer Jenny Lind ("The Swedish Nightingale"). Famed orator Daniel Webster often used the portico to address crowds at political rallies." Other notable guests: Ulysses S. Grant; Millard Fillmore; Franklin Pierce; Andrew Johnson; William Tecumseh Sherman; Edward VII; Emperor Pedro II of Brazil; Philip Sheridan; and singers Christina Nilsson and Adelina Patti.
Here's a period picture of the hotel probably dating back to the 1890s:
Posted 05/03/2013 6:49 pm
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