Beyond the interest in the cover for its stamp and early postmark, I found an interesting connection between the Franz Schwarzer Zither Company and the addressee, "Master" Randolph Schaper (who would have only been a teenager in 1919).
First here's a link to the history of the Franz Schwarzer Zither Company and its founder:
http://www.zither.us/?q=schwarzer.zither.kingThe history shows that Franz Schwarzer died some years before the cover was mailed and the company floundered thereafter:
Quote:
Schwarzer died in 1904. His widow carried on the business for eight years and at her death a nephew, Herman Grohe, took charge...Grohe died of tuberculosis in 1924 and after that, one veteran workman, Albert Hesse, continued to sell off inventory, make repairs and fabricate special zither strings for clients around the world. Hesse was one of the last zither players in Washington.
Now for the interesting part, it seems that
Herman Grohe's widow gave the Franz Schwarzer Zither Company property to the addressee of the cover (later Judge) Randolph Schaper as recited here:
Quote:
Annie Martin Grohe: In 1903 Annie married Herman C. Grohe. Herman was the "adopted nephew" of Franz and Josephine Schwarzer who owned a zither factory in town. Herman died in 1924 and Annie gave the zither factory property to her nephew, Judge Randolph Schaper, who demolished the building. During the auction of the factory contents, Annie handed many artifacts out the back door to local children asking them to please keep the items in Washington, MO. Many of these items are on exhibit at the historical society.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...Rid=44098702For a "ratty cover", it certainly tells an interesting story.
Posted 09/01/2014 08:29 am
