Treasure Chest Thursday: A Registered Envelope from Washington, D.C.

This envelope is 9 1/2" x 4 1/8".  It feels like some kind of kraft paper, similar in weight and texture to a paper shopping bag.  The paper is brown, and the printing on it is primarily red, with some black.  The front of the envelope has handwriting in blue and black; the back has three postmarks.

The return address on the envelope is the U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  It is addressed to Jean La Forêt at:
J L LA FORET QM SGT RET
R.F.D. #28 -ASHBY ROAD-
OVERLAND MO.

The dates on two of the postmarks are November 30, 1920 from the Navy Department Station in Washington, D.C.  The third postmark is dated December 2, 1920, when the envelope was received in St. Louis, Missouri.

And . . . there's nothing in the envelope.  We should be getting used to this, right?  So again we don't know what Jean received, but he kept the empty envelope.  It couldn't have been for a stamp collection, becaues this envelope doesn't have a stamp on it.

The large handwriting doesn't seem to match the business orientation of the envelope.  The envelope came from the Marine Corps and was addressed to Jean with his retired rank, yet the writing says:

Souvenirs
Some[?] for Album
Société de Geographie – Alger (translation:  "Geography Society, Algiers")

None of that seems to be related to service in the Marines, does it?  Jean's reference to Algiers made me think of his position as Vice Consul, not his re-enlistment.  Maybe the envelope contents were something Jean left in Algeria when he rejoined the Marines, and the consulate forwarded them to the Marines to send to Jean.

Jean also noted in the lower left corner the day he received the envelope:  December 3, 1920.  And now that I've noticed that, I've realized that this envelope came chronologically before last week's list of Jean's physical ailments, because that page had the Vallejo, California address.  Jean and Emma went to Missouri when they returned from Algeria and after that came back to California.  Well, that's a good example of the need to analyze all the clues before coming to a conclusion, isn't it?

There are also three numbers stamped on the envelope:  110 in the upper right corner, 84204 near the lower right, and 157334 near the lower left.  Nothing on the envelope gives any clue as to the purpose of those numbers.  Maybe someone reading this knows and will be able to explain them?

Treasure Chest Thursday: An Envelope from Paris

This envelope is 5 1/8" x 3 1/2".  It's a yellowish, off-white color; it may originally have been white.  It has no return address but was mailed to Mr. Jean La Forêt, Vice Consul des Etats Unis, 30 bd Carnot, Alger.  The postmark is from Paris, XVI Arrondissement, Place Chopin, November 14, 1916.  The cost to mail it was 10 centimes.  In what appears to be Jean's handwriting, it has "Mason — Consular Reports, etc" at the top and "Answ'd 11/21-16" at the lower left.

The reverse of the envelope has "Mason" written in large letters sideways.  There is the barest hint of the postmark from when it was received in Algeria; "ALGER" can be made out (upside-down from this perspective), but nothing else.  The reddish-brown mark under the letter "a" in "Mason" feels and looks like a dried piece of rubber band that is stuck on the envelope.  I'm hesitant to try to pull it off in case it tears the paper.

And as with the four envelopes mailed to Jean from the "American Consular Service" earlier in 1916, this one is empty.

Looking at the writing on the address here, it is similar to that on the four previous envelopes.  Maybe they were sent by the same person.  And this envelope has what might be a name:  Mason.  Is that who mailed it?

Sometime between April 27 (the last of the four earlier envelopes) and November 14, Jean moved and/or the sender learned of Jean's new address.  And we've seen this address before.  Someone named Mason (I still can't read the first name) sent a postcard to Jean at boulevard Carnot.  I'm going to assume this is the same person.

So now I have five empty envelopes, from what I have to assume were letters mailed to Jean by Mr. Mason.  This time, however, Jean gave a clue as to why he might not have kept the contents.  If "Consular Reports, etc" referred to what was sent to him, those might have been filed and kept at the consulate.  If the previous envelopes held similar items, they also were probably kept at the consulate.  But then I have to wonder why Jean bothered to keep the empty envelopes!

I've discovered an interesting conflict about boulevard Carnot.  Google Maps told me it is the current avenue Taleb Messaoud, and that's what I posted earlier.  But French Wikipedia says it is now boulevard Zighoud Youcef in central Algiers.  On further investigation, avenue Taleb Messaoud is in the El Biar suburb of Algiers.  I'm leaning toward the location in central Algiers as being where Jean and Emma were living.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Captain P. Rychner

This is a business card (or possibly a calling card) for Le Capitaine (Captain) P. Rychner.  It is 3 7/8" x 2 3/8" and is yellowed with age but might have been white or off-white originally.  It has a large brown spot in the upper left corner, along with two dark holes, one near the bottom of the brown spot and one about 3/4" below the first.  This business card is one of four items that were held together with a straight pin which rusted over time.  I removed the straight pin but have kept the four items together.  Captain Rychner's card also includes his position, Commandant la Compagnie sanitaire I/1, which means Commander of the Health (Medical?) Company I/1.  I don't know how to interpret the I/1.

The postcard is 5 7/8" x 3 7/8".  It was written in Tunis, Tunisia on March 23, 1916 and mailed on March 25 to Mr. and Mrs. Jean La Forêt in Algeria.  I believe the signature of the person who sent it is D. P. Rychner, which would appear to be the captain whose card is shown above.

The note is on a torn piece of paper that is 8" x 3 7/8".  It might be the bottom part of a regular sheet of paper.  The date is April 9 (my birthday!), but no year is included.  The note does say Dimanche, which is Sunday, and April 9, 1916 was a Sunday, so I'm guessing that's when it was written.

The second business card is the same size as the first, 3 7/8" x 2 3/8".  It is for G. Ramboud, whose address was 12, Rue Broussais, Algiers.  There are notes in French on the front and back.

All three of the above items have two holes from the straight pin that held everything together.

And next are the transcriptions and translations of the French texts.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Postcard:

(I really wish there wasn't a postmark right over the message.  It made it much more difficult to read!)

Carte Postale

Tunis 23 III. 16. Midi.

Correspondance.

Désolé.  Je croyais, j'étais sûr que je rentrerais pour Alger.  Et voilà que nous devons nous embarquer à Tunis ou plutôt à Bizerte pour aller encore en Corse.

Je vous écrirai à mon retour en Suisse.

Bons souvenirs

D. P. Rychner


Addresse.

Monsieur et Madame
Jean La Forêt
Vice Consul des Etats-Unis
6 Rue Henricet
St Eugène
Alger


Front:

6413  PAYSAGE DU SUD.  —  Dans l'Oasis.  —  LI.


Note:

Front:

Dimanche 9 Avril - Reçu visite du Col. de Gendarmerie Boineau {Inspécteur des prisonniers de guerre {ou 9 9. chance de ce guerre[?].  M'a dit vous a rencontré en Tunisie où vous avez eu la chance d'aider à le tirer de son trou dans les sables.


Back:

Mad


Business card:

Front:

Boineau  –  Colonel
Inspecteur des prisoniers [sic] de guerre
G. Ramboud
guerre
206 Cour St André
Villa des Peupliers
Grenoble (Isère)
12, Rue Broussais    Alger


Back:

Visité Dimanche 9 Avril

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Postcard:

Postal Card

Tunis, March 23, 1916.  Noon.

Sorry.  I beleived, I was sure that I would be returning to Algiers.  And now we have to board in Tunis or rather Bizerte to go again to Corsica.

I will write to you on my return to Switzerland.

Good memories

D. P. Rychner


Addresse.

Mr. and Mrs. Jean La Forêt
U.S. Vice Consul
6 Rue Henricet
St. Eugene
Algiers


Front:

6413  Southern landscape  — At the oasis  — LI.


Note:

Front:

Sunday, April 9 — Received visit from Police Colonel Boineau (POW Inspector).  He told me that you met in Tunisia, where you had the chance to help him pull[?] [something] from the sand.

Back:

Mad [an unfinished note?]


Business card:

Front:

Boineau  — Colonel
POW Inspector
G. Ramboud
war
206 Cour St. André
Villa des Peupliers
Grenoble (Isere)
12, Rue Broussais   Algiers

Back:

Visited Sunday, April 9

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

So this is an interesting collection of items.  Rychner's business card is logically connected with the postcard, as it appears to be Rychner who sent the latter.  The only thing that connects those two items with the note and Ramboud's business card is the fact that I received them pinned together.  The note does mention Tunisia, however, and Rychner was in Tunisia when he wrote the postcard in March.

One important question here is who wrote the note on the torn paper and the note on Ramboud's business card.  If it was Rychner, then Jean was in Tunisia at some point and met Colonel Boineau there.  It makes sense that Rychner wrote these notes, because he would have sent them to Jean, and that's why they were kept together.  If Jean wrote them, then logically he would have sent them to Rychner (or whomever), and then he shouldn't have had them anymore.

Another question is just who G. Ramboud is, other than someone in Algiers.  The only part he appears to play here is to have his card be a piece of scrap paper on which to write a note.  None of the information here connects him with Rychner, Boineau, or Jean.

Was Boineau the person whose address was in Grenoble?  Or was it Rychner, who wrote on the postcard that he would write again on his return to Switzerland?  Did he send the note and Ramboud's card from Switzerland?

The note on the front of Ramboud's business card was written originally in pencil and then copied over in ink.  I noticed that the lines doesn't all match up well.  It might be that the pencil was written by Rychner and copied in ink by Jean.  Whoever wrote over the pencil in ink missed the word "guerre" to the right and below the name Ramboud on the card.

One final question:  What does the "P" stand for?

Treasure Chest Thursday: Four Envelopes

I have put these four envelopes together because they're very similar.  They all measure 5 9/16" x 3 5/8".  They are all a yellowish off-white, possibly white originally.  They all have "American Consular Service" printed in the upper left, in the return address area.  They're all hand addressed to Jean La Forêt — one to "Mr. Jean La Foret", two to "Mr. Jean La Forêt", and one to "M. J. La Forêt."  They all were postmarked Algiers and were sent to Jean at 6 rue Henricet (the address on Jean's business card), St Eugène (which we already know was a neighborhood within Algiers), at a cost of 10 centimes each.

And they're all empty.

The first envelope was mailed January 26, 1916 in Algiers and arrived in St. Eugène on January 27.  The second was mailed March 15, 1916 and postmarked "Alger R. P."; it arrived in St. Eugène on March 16.  The third was mailed April 3, 1916 in Algiers and arrived in St. Eugène the same day.  The fourth and final envelope was mailed April 27, 1916 in Algiers and arrived in St. Eugène the same day.

The "R. P." designation on a postmark appears to exist even today, but I can't figure out what it stands for.  My guess is that it was a name for a neighborhood.

The handwriting looks similar on all four envelopes, so I think it's a reasonable hypothesis that they were all sent by the same person.

So someone who was living or working in a different part of Algiers than St. Eugène, and who apparently worked for the American Consular Service, mailed four letters to Jean during the first few months of 1916.  It's possible they were all work-related.  If they were for work, the letters may have been filed.  But then why would he keep the envelopes?  And if the correspondence was personal, why did it disappear over the years but the envelopes remained?  I wish I knew the complete chain of who had all this material before it reached me!

Treasure Chest Thursday: American Consular Service Documents

You never know what someone will think is important enough to save.  This envelope is 9 3/4" x 4 1/8".  The paper is now yellowed, although it was likely white originally.  It has an interesting texture but no watermark.  In the upper left is printed "American Consular Service."  Handwritten in blue across the front of the envelope, in what appears to be Jean La Forêt's writing, is "Forms — Personal Services as Vice-Consul and others."  The envelope had been sealed but was opened before I received it.  Inside the envelope were two forms.

The first form, #212, "Certificate of Registration of Child Born Abroad of American Parents", has "Established April 19, 1907" at the top.  The second form, #88, "Certificate of Acknowledgment of Execution of Document", has "Corrected March, 1914."  Each sheet is off-white (probably having taken on color over time) and 8" x 10 1/2".  Both forms are preprinted and easy to read.

Form #212 does not register the birth of a child born abroad of American parents, but rather registers that child's intention to remain a citizen of the United States.  Would Jean and Emma La Forêt's daughter, Rosita, have had to fill out one of these?  Based on the information we have seen so far, Rosita was born September 4, 1909 in Switzerland and moved to the United States in 1917, when she and her mother traveled on an emergency passport during World War I.  So she was 8 years old when that happened.  The one example I found online of a reference to this document having been filed (transcription only, unfortunately) was for a 24-year-old man.  Since the form appears to require the foreign-born individual to sign, it probably was intended for an adult.

The only other reference to this document found through a Google search was in the Digest of Circular Instructions to Consular Officers, January 1, 1897 to May 25, 1908, compiled by Augustus E. Ingram, an American Consular Assistant (the book is downloadable from Google Books).  I was amused to see that the book says the form was established April 19, 1906, not 1907.  No description or other information about the form is included.

A search for the second form garnered more results, thirteen in total.  The form seems to function the same as a notarized statement accompanying a document, and in fact the form and its use are described in A Notarial Manual for Consular Officers (1921) by C. E. Gauss (also downloadable from Google Books).  So I guess consular officers could fulfill the duties of a notary.  In addition to that reference, I found two scanned examples of completed forms.  The first (click the image in the upper left), dated April 13, 1910 and completed in Turkey, has "Corrected February, 1908" at the top.  (I used to collect stamps, and I love the $2 consular stamp on the bottom of the form.)  The second, dated February 25, 1936 and filed in the United Kingdom, is the same form that Jean kept a blank copy of, with the March 1914 notation.  I didn't notice any differences between the two forms; maybe someone else will.

None of this, however, points to any reason Jean would have bothered to keep these blank forms.  Maybe they were simply packed with other papers when he left Algeria and no one ever bothered to throw them out.  That doesn't explain the note on the envelope, however.  Yet another mystery about M. La Forêt!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Calling Cards from the Paytavins

Last week I had an envelope from the Paytavins with nothing inside.  This week I have cards from the Paytavins with no envelope.  The card at the top, that of Mr. A. Paytavin, is 3 7/8" x 2 3/8" and is on heavy buff cardstock.  It is another copy of the same business card (Administrative Officer, Health Service) as the one on which Mr. Paytavin wrote when he announced the birth of his son.  On this card, in what appears to be Jean La Forêt's handwriting, is a note in pencil:  "Rec'd May 5 – 13 – Bonbon [?]".

This smaller card is printed on the same heavy buff cardstock as that of Mr. Paytavin, but it is a calling card for Madame (Mrs.) Paytavin.  It is only 3 1/6" x 1 3/4" in size.  The front of the card has her name, while the back has, in pencil, "Rec'd May 5" and something I simply cannot read.

So it appears that on May 5, 1913, Jean received these two cards.  I presume they were probably sent by mail, but this time he didn't save the envelope, or at least it did not survive for me to see it.  As I cannot read the word after the date on either card, I don't know if they would help explain why these were sent.

This was the business card Paytavin mailed December 17, 1912 when he was in Constantine at the (probably military) hospital.  The next communication I have from Paytavin is the envelope mailed January 10, 1913 from France.  I was thinking that maybe he was no longer in the same position, but these cards were received May 5, 1913.  Maybe the Paytavins were on vacation in France over the Christmas holidays and returned to Algeria afterward?

These cards don't tell me much about Jean, other than confirming that he liked to save things.  Maybe someone else can read the problem words, which might shed more light on this mystery.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Another Letter from a Paytavin for the La Forêts

Well, not actually a letter, but an envelope.  This envelope is 4 3/4" x 3 3/16".  It is light blue and lightweight, the type of paper commonly used for airmail, when that cost more than regular mail.  It did not come with anything in it, and none of the loose papers match the date on the postmark of January 10, 1913.  The postmark indicates the letter was sent from Peyrolles (en Provence), Bouches du Rhône, France.  The stamp is 10 centimes.  The back of the envelope has a postmark for St. Eugène, Algeria dated January 13, so it took the letter three days to travel from France to Algeria.

The envelope is addressed to:

Madame et Monsieur
     La Forêt
Restaurant Boujarel
Route de Malakoff No. 53
     St. Eugène
Alger.

Beginning in the upper left corner and written diagonally down is:

Mme Isabelle Paytavin

Isabelle Paytavin's name appears to have been written by Jean, in the same way he made notations on other letters and envelopes he received.  At least now we know her first name, which did not appear in any of the items announcing her son's birth.

I am no handwriting expert, but the handwriting for this address seems to be different from that of the envelope I wrote about last week.  My guess is that last week's was written by Mr. Paytavin and this week's by Mrs. Paytavin, because of the name "Isabelle Paytavin" written on this envelope.

The address for the La Forêts, 53 route de Malakoff, is the same as on last week's envelope, but this time we have the addition of "Restaurant Boujarel."  Does that mean the La Forêts were living above a restaurant?  (I'm going to assume they weren't living in one.)  That doesn't seem logical for a U.S. Vice Consul.  Searching for "malakoff", "boujarel", and "alger" hasn't gotten me anywhere, so I don't know anything about the restaurant yet.  There is a Baedeker's Guide for the Mediterranean for 1911 that apparently covers Algeria; maybe it has a listing for the restaurant.

The letter from last week was postmarked December 17 (probably), 1912 in Constantine, Algeria.  During the intervening month the Paytavins, or at least Mrs. Paytavin, appear to have moved to Peyrolles (which is pronounced very similarly to "payroll").

I just wish I knew what Mrs. Paytavin wrote to the La Forêts.

Treasure Chest Thursday: A Social Note for Monsieur and Madame La Forêt in Algiers

There hasn't been that much in the documents saved by Jean La Forêt regarding his social life.  This item gives a small amount of insight.  The folded piece of buff paper, 2 3/8" x 3 13/16" as folded (no watermark) is a birth announcement.

These two business cards, each 3 13/16" x 2 3/8" on heavy buff cardstock, were in the envelope (below) with the birth announcement.  I don't know if they originally came with the announcement, but it's how I received them, and they make sense in context.

And this is the envelope in which the birth announcement and business cards were stored.  It is 4" x 2 1/2" and the same buff color as the other items.  The postmark date on it appears to be December 17, 1912.  On the observe, it was mailed with two 5 centime stamps.

First will come the transcriptions of the items, and then the translations.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Birth announcement:

A. P.

Monsieur Paytavin,
Officier d'Administration du
Service du Santé, & Madame
Paytavin, sont heureux
de vous faire part de la
naissance de leur fils

André.

Constantine,
le 11 Décembre 1912.


Business card #1:

[back of card]

Cher Monsieur La Forêt, Madame,

J'ai été si heureux avant hier que j'ai télégraphié la bonne nouvelle au No. 53 de la route Malakoff.  Il me semblait que chacun devait partager ma joie –

Je n'oublie pas et ma femme non plus, les bons amis laissés là bas.  Le souvenir nous restera de votre amabilité qui fut toujours parfait ainsi que de votre entiere

[front of card]

cordialité.  En cette proche fin d'année permettez-moi de vous présenter avec ce souvenir, mes voeux de santé et de bonheur pour vous et votre chère enfant

A. Paytavin
Officier d'Administration
du Service de Santé

que ma femme et moi nous aimions beaucoup.

Paytavin  Hôpital Mre[?] Constantine


Business card #2:

A. Paytavin
Officier d'Administration
du Service de Santé

pour Rosita, avec une caresse de Madame Paytavin –


Envelope:

[likely Paytavin's handwriting]

Monsieur La Forêt
et Madame La Forêt,
53, route de Malakoff,
St. Eugène
(Alger)


[postmark]

Constantine
17[?] 12 1912


[Jean's handwriting]

Paytavin
Reponder Avril 19

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Translations

Birth announcement:

A. P.

Mr. Paytavin, Administrative Officer, Health Service, and Mrs. Paytavin are pleased to announce the birth of their son
André

Constantine
December 11, 1912


Business card #1:

Handwritten note:

Dear Mr. La Forêt, Mrs. La Forêt,

I was so happy before yesterday that I wired the good news to 53 Malakoff Road.  It seemed to me that everyone should share my joy.  Neither I nor my wife has forgotten our good friends left behind.  The memory will remain with us of your kindness, which was always faultless, as well as your complete hospitality.  As we approach the end of the year, allow me to share with you this token, my best wishes for your health and happiness for you and your dear child, whom I and my wife love very much.

Paytavin  Military[?] Hospital Constantine


Text printed on card:

A. Paytavin
Administrative Officer
Health Service


Business card #2:

Text printed on card:

A. Paytavin
Administrative Officer
Health Service


Handwritten note:

For Rosita, with a hug from Mrs. Paytavin


Envelope:

[Paytavin's handwriting]

Mr. and Mrs. La Forêt
53 Malakoff Road
St. Eugene
Algiers


[postmark]

Constantine
December 17[?], 1912


[Jean's handwriting]

Paytavin
Responded April 19

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

This is another item about someone with whom Jean was apparently friends, but nothing about Mr. Paytavin was in Jean's journal.  I find this surprising, since Paytavin took the time to include a card with a note specifically for Rosita.

In 1912 the La Forêt family lived in Saint-Eugène, the same Algiers neighborhood as did Ortety, the man who wrote a letter about Germany signing the peace agreement after World War I.  The Paytavins lived in Constantine, almost 250 miles away.  Based on Paytavin's comment about his friends left behind, he might have lived in Algiers prior to Constantine.

Even though Paytavin appears to have worked for the French government, in several Google searches I could find absolutely nothing that I was sure was about him.  Often government functionaries appear online in scanned published reports.  Maybe he was only a low-level guy.  On the other hand, I found several items that referred to a school named for André Paytavin, but I couldn't determine for what person the school was named.

Paytavin appears to be an uncommon name.  Has anyone heard of it before?  I'm curious about its origins.

If I am correct that "Mre" is an abbreviation for "Militaire" ("military"), this might be the hospital to which Mr. Paytavin was assigned.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Jean La Forêt Receives a Letter after the War

This is a letter written on a lightweight bluish-yellowish 9" x 6" piece of paper.  The paper has a visible weave but no watermark.  It has a hard fold down the middle lengthwise and was also folded again, probably to fit into the envelope it was in when I received it and which appears to be the envelope in which it was mailed.  A letter was written on the paper based on the hard fold, so the pages of the letter are 4, 1, 2, 3 as the images appear here.  I will transcribe and translate the letter in numerical order, though.  The writing, in black ink, is clear and easy to read.  Jean wrote in pencil on the first page when he responded.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

[page 1]

Saint-Eugène, le 25 Juin 1919

Answ'd 7-17-19 [in pencil]

Mon Cher Ami,

L'Allemagne vaincue accepte les conditions de paix des alliés.  Cette nouvelle nous a été annoncée hier soir par une salve de nos corps de canons.  Aujourd'hui Alger est en fête, les écoles sont licenciées.  C'est la fin de la guerre.

Dans ce moment de joie ma première pensée va vers vous, vers ce brave Monsieur La Forêt qui m'avez toujours encouragé et soutenu dans les

[page 2]

mauvais jours.  Maintenant c'est la fin de ce long cauchemar.

Vive la France, vivent les alliés, vive l'Amérique qui a si puissemment contribué à la victoire.

Ne m'en voulez pas trop, mon cher ami, de mon silence si prolonge, je voulait attendre la paix avant de vous écrire — vous m'aviez écrit après l'armistice et cette paix a été si longue à venir.  Mais ne croyez pas, parce que je suis négligent et paresseux, que je me pense pas souvent à vous.  Détrompez-vous.  Comment pourrais-je oublier

[page 3]

les bons moments que nous avons passés ensemble?  Comment pourrais-je oublier toutes vos gentillesses et vos bontés pour moi et pour ma famille.  Avec ma femme, nous parlons souvent de vous, de Mme La Forêt et de Rosita, qui doit grandir à vue d'oeil.  Vous devez vous trouver heureux d'être en famille.

Les vacances sont fixées le juillet et le 11, nous prendrons le bateau — toujours la Marsa — pour la France.  Maintenant qu'il n'y a plus de sous-marins

[page 4]

on peut voyager sans crainte[.]  Voilà sans que nous n'avons été au pays, il nous tarde d'aller embrasser les vieux parents et d'aller respirer un peu l'air des Pyrénées.  Ma femma surtout en a bien besoin.

Que faites-vous dans votre bled?  Comment passez-vous votre temps?  Croyez-vous toujours être chargé d'une mission en Europe?  Aurais-je le plaisir de vous revoir un jour et de trinquer ensemble?  Qui sait?

M. Dominique Amygues, Ben Geretta et bien d'autres me chargent de vous dire bien des choses.  Présentez de la[?] part, de ma femme et de Marie-Louise les meilleures amitiés à Mme La Forêt; et vous recevez une cordiale poignée de main de votre ami

Ortety

Embrassez bien fort Rosita pour nous.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Saint Eugene, June 25, 1919

My Dear Friend,

Conquered Germany accepts the Allies' peace terms.  This news was announced to us last night by a salvo of gunshots from our unit.  Today Algiers is celebrating, the schools are closed.  It is the end of the war.

In this moment of joy my first thought was about you, about brave Mr. La Forêt who always encouraged me and supported me during the bad times.  Now it is the end of this long nightmare.

Long live France, long live the Allies, long live America, which has contributed so powerfully to the victory.

Do not blame me too much, my dear friend, for my prolonged silence, I wanted to wait for peace before writing to you — you wrote to me after the armistice, and this peace has been so long in coming.  But do not think, because I am negligent and lazy, that I do not often think of you.  Think again.  How could I forget the good times we had together?  How could I forget all your kindness and your generosity toward me and my family.  My wife and I speak often of you, of Mrs. La Forêt, and of Rosita, who must be growing up before your eyes.  You must be happy to be with family.

The holidays are set for July, and on the 11th we will leave on the ship — again the Marsa — for France.  Now that there are no more submarines we can travel without fear.  Since we have not been home, we look forward to kissing our elderly parents and to breathing the air of the Pyrenees.  My wife especially needs it.

What do you do in your little town?  How do you pass your time?  Do you think you will still have an assignment in Europe?  Will I have the pleasure of seeing you again and of raising a toast together?  Who knows?

Mr. Dominique Amygues, Ben Geretta, and many others asked me to pass on their good wishes.  All the best from me, my wife, and Marie-Louise to Mrs. La Forêt; and a warm handshake to you from your friend

Ortety

Give Rosita a big kiss from us.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

I realize this is not on the level of the armistice, but I think it's pretty cool to have a letter celebrating Germany's acceptance of the peace terms.  It was an important historic event, after all.  And schools in Algiers closed for the day to celebrate!

The Saint-Eugène from which Mr. Ortety was writing is a neighborhood of Algiers and is now called Bologhine.

Whoever Mr. Ortety was, he appears to have been a good friend of Jean's while the latter was in Algiers.  Jean helped cheer him up.  The two families used to get together; both men's daughters are mentioned.  I notice he didn't use either wife's given name, but I guess that was just the conventions of the time.  Of course, I have no idea if Ortety was a given name or surname, though my guess is surname.  I notice that two of the friends had their full names given.  I tried searching for them on Google, but no results.

The French word that Ortety used for the little town where Jean lived was not a complimentary one.  Two of the translations are "boondocks" and "one-horse place."  Jean must have told him about Overland when he wrote after the armistice.

I tried looking for the Marsa that Ortety and family would have taken back to France.  Maybe it was the one on this page.

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The envelope is 4 3/4" x 3 1/4", and the exterior is made from the same type of paper as the letter.  The envelope is lined with a purple paper on the front and the envelope flap.  It has a 25 centime stamp from France (République Française) and three postmarks.  There are three notes written by Jean over the mailing address.

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Address:

Monsieur La Forêt
Overland, Mo.,
(St. Louis Co., Missouri).
U. S. of américa
P. O. B.ox 169

Notes written by Jean, from left to right:

Rec'd 7-16-19
Answ'd 7-17-19
Ortet (in very large letters), although the letter was signed Ortety

Postmarks:

One postmark is over the stamp, and I cannot read it over the dark blue of the stamp.

Moving right, the second postmark has "1040 / 25 –6 / 19" in the center, indicating (probably) 10:40 a.m., June 25, 1919, which date matches that on the letter.  The bottom of the circular writing appears to be "R DE STRASBOURG", which likely means "rue de Strasbourg", the street in Algiers on which the post office was situated.  Several letters in the top of the circle are not clear, but the part to the right might say "ALGER", which is Algiers in French.

The third postmark has "5 PM / JUN 30 / 1919' in the center and "U. S. ARMY M. P. E. S. 702" around the circle.  MPES stands for "Military Postal Express Service", so the letter took four days to clear the U.S. Army, which apparently was processing mail for the French?  The number 702 appears to be the APO (Army Post Office).  A quick search online did not give a clear answer where that was, but it seems to have been in France.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Jean La Forêt Receives a Postcard

This is a postcard 5 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size.  The paper is a muted green on both sides.  It is a little worn but is in pretty good shape.  Both sides have some preprinted text and handwritten parts.  It has a 10 centime stamp from France (République Française) and is dated May 29, [19]18.  The postmark says Pl. Victor Hugo, but I can't read the city.  I suspect it is Paris, however, as the message side of the card has "(XVIe)" for the 16th Arondissement, the location of Place Victor Hugo in Paris.

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Address side:

République Française

CARTE POSTALE

Ce côté est exclusivement réservé à l'addresse

Monsieur LaForêt .                      

              Via Consul d'Amérique .

              30 bd Carnot .                

                                    Alger .     

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Message side:

107 Rue de la Pompe (XVIe)

My dear Mr. La Forêt .

I have found my father in a very critical condition and there is very little hope of his recovery, so I can make no plan at present for the future.

You should notify Oran of the day you took charge in order that consular agent can adjust his accounts.

With best wishes to yourself and Middour [?]

Cordially yours

Dionn [?] M Mason

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Translation of address side of postcard:

French Republic

Postcard

This side reserved exclusively for address

Mr. LaForêt .                              

               Via American Consul .

            30 Boulevard Carnot .     

                                   Algiers .    

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This seems to be from someone associated with Jean La Forêt's position as Vice Consul, as he gives Jean instructions to communicate with the consular agent about when Jean took charge.  A few embassies are in the area of 107, rue de la Pompe today, so maybe this was where the American embassy was in 1918.

This document on the Algerian U.S. embassy site says that from 1913–1925 the Consulate was located "in a seafront building behind the main Post Office at 30, boulevard Carnot."  Boulevard Carnot in Algiers is now Avenue Taleb Messaoud, according to Google Maps.  Oran most likely refers to the city in Algeria.  But why is the consular agent in Oran if the Consul is in Algiers?  Was the embassy in Oran?

The bulk of the note, however, is about this man's father, whom Jean appears to know.  The father's name is not given, and the name of the writer is difficult to read ("Dionn" was the best I could do, but I don't really think it's correct), so I can't do much to figure out who either man was.  I also don't know who "Middour" was (which I suspect is also misspelled).

Overall, this postcard leaves me with more questions than answers!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Important Birthdays in Jean La Forêt's Life

While I finished last week with the chronological journal entries Jean La Forêt had in his little notebook, there are other pages in the book.  I thought I had three pages of birthdays, but the third page surprised me when I read through it.  The first two pages are almost entirely names and dates, so I am not making a separate section for the one phrase that required translation.  The third page, however, has more French and does have a separate translated section below.

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Notes à tenir [Notes to keep]

Birthdays

Hattie – Sept. 28

Nat – " 29

Adrienne – Febry 1

Marie Davis – Fevrier [February] 2 [18]59

Annie W. – Dec. 6

Theresa  Nov. 9

Robert  fevr. [February] 4

Père [?] W.  Dec. 19

Pauline Cohen  Sept. 8

Tellie Van der Heyde  July 28 [18]84

Marie Petit  Avril 25 85

Camilla – March 19 1895

H. Petit – Jan. 5 (J. J. Thirion)

Helène Christmann – Jan. 9 (Lina)

Nettie ——"——  Sept. 2  ——

Emma – Nov. 14 – 1866

Camilla – February 19 – 1895

Marie Petit – April 23 – 1885

Eugene – June 19 – 1996 [sic]

Helen (Lina) Christmann  Jan 9th  Sept. 2nd

Annie Witz – Dec. 6th

Theresa Witz – Nov. 9th

Robt. Witz – O. M. Dec. 19

Mama Witz –

Marie Davis – Mrs. Chas. S. Johnson – Febr. 2 [18]59

Nettie Christmann – Sept. 2

Adrienne – Febr. 1st [18]74

Rosita Emma  Sept. 4 [19]09

Naissance de Rosita Emma le 4 Sept. 1909 à Versoix, Canton de Genève (sur les bords du lac Leman)

Parti de Suisse : 30/4–10
A Lyon (France, du 30/4–10 au 3/5–10
A Marseilles du 3/5–10 au 6/5–10

A Alger et Algérie : du 7 May 1910 au 13 Août 1918

via Marseilles, Paris, Brest, New York, Washington, St. Louis à Overland, Mo.

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Birth of Rosita Emma on September 4, 1909 in Versoix, Geneva Canton (on the banks of Lake Geneva)

Departure from Switzerland:  April 30, 1910
In Lyon (France) from April 30, 1910 to May 3, 1910
In Marseilles from May 3, 1910 to May 6, 1910

In Algiers and Algeria:  from May 7, 1910 to August 13, 1918

Via Marseilles, Paris, Brest, New York, Washington, St. Louis to Overland, Missouri

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I wonder why Jean wrote several of the names and birthdays twice.  Sometimes he didn't include the last name, sometimes he did.  I'm sure his method made sense to him.

A lot of names here are totally new to me.  Who are the Christmanns?  And the Witzes?  I don't recognize the name Marie Davis or Charles S. Johnson.  I have no idea who Nat, Pauline Cohen, J. J. Thirion, and Tellie Van der Heyde are.

We have seen the name Hattie before.  Jean acknowledged that his survival from the assassination attempt in 1889 was in part due to Hattie.  Was the woman whose birthday was September 28 that Hattie?

Marie, Camilla, and Eugene Petit are Emma's children by her first husband, Emile Petit.  It's good that Jean was keeping track of his stepchildren's birthdays, even if he had two of them wrong the first time he wrote them down (but he was close).  The dates for Camilla and Eugene are almost the same as those Emma gave when she registered as an American citizen in Switzerland — Jean wrote that Camilla was born in 1895, while Emma said 1894.  I'm guessing Emma was probably correct.  Obviously, Jean didn't really mean that Eugene was born in 1996.  And now we have a birthday for Emma's oldest daughter, Marie.  But H. Petit?  Maybe that's one of Emile's parents?

Camilla and Eugene, by the way, are almost definitely the children in the photo between Emma and Jean in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post.

The remaining name in these lists is Adrienne.  I haven't written about her yet, but I know a little bit about her — I have a photograph of her from 1890.  Her last name was . . . La Forêt.  The writing on the photo looks more like Emma's than Jean's.  If Adrienne was born in 1874, and Jean was born in 1853, there's a good chance she was his daughter.  If that's the case, then who was Adrienne's mother?  Neither Emma nor Jean has written anything about a previous marriage.  According to Jean's first recommendation letter, in 1874 he was an instructor in Salonnes.  I guess that's where I'll start looking for information about Adrienne.

Then there's that third page.  Funny how I joked last week that maybe Jean would add Rosita's birthday out of order, as he did his marriage to Emma, and then it shows up this way.  And there's no question about the order of the pages:  These pages are still attached to each other, and the notes about travel dates definitely come after the birthdays.  But because Jean added these notes, we know he came back to the United States a little less than one year after Emma did and went to Missouri.

And my geography lesson for the day is that Lake Geneva is called lac Léman in French.

Archives in Africa, a Cultural Heritage of Humanity

This article about the situation with archives in Africa was published online by Le Monde on March 20, 2015.  I thought the information might be useful and of interest to other researchers, so I've translated the article from French to English.

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At the National Archives of Senegal, Dakar.  Credit:  AFP.

At the Foccart symposium taking place on 26 and 27 March [2015] in Paris, Le Monde Afrique will publish a brief on the famous consultant and on archives in Africa.  Report of the former director of the Senegal archives, Saliou Mbaye.


Archives allow one to glimpse the past and to write the future.  They delve into the history of societies, peoples, and states.  Archives in Africa are currently a key issue of good governance, democracy, and development.  An archive is, among other things, knowledge of the state about the state, namely the peoples themselves.  Our societies and our African states therefore cannot develop without full knowledge of their own history.

Archival heritage, in West Africa for example, is not confined to yellowed papers from colonial administrations.  It’s about a heritage produced and admittedly received by colonial administrations and those of independence, but to it must be added all private archives, copies of archives of former colonial powers, collected and stored oral archives, objects and materials produced by West African societies, and finally manuscripts in Arabic or ajami (Arabic characters used to transcribe African languages:  Pulaar, Soninke, Hausa, etc.).  Oral sources and the extraordinary vitality of our societies based on oral tradition, as well as new information and communications technologies, are also part of this cultural and archival heritage that Africa has shared with mankind.

Dakar, the “Holy Mecca” of Archives in West Africa

In the early 2000’s, Africans decided to take charge.  Africa relied on itself.  It established the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD; http://www.nepad.org/), which intended to use private funds to implement development programs.  Among NEPAD’s priorities were indeed mastery of the new information and communications technologies and the development of records management capabilities.  What about today?  Efforts were certainly made.  But the great majority of countries are still deficient in rational management of their archives.

At the National Archives of Senegal, Dakar, in February 2013.  Credit: Nicolas Courtin.

The archives in Dakar, the "Holy Mecca" of archives in West Africa, as my late colleague J. Enwere from Nigeria said, "are recorded in the Memory of the World Register [since 2000] and were classified as World Heritage documentary" by Unesco.  The archives of French West Africa, held in Dakar, are also an exception, that we in Senegal today like to rank among the "Senegalese exceptions."

On the other hand, while the archives of Indochina, Madagascar, Equatorial Africa, and Algeria, based on the principle of sovereignty, are now found in the National Overseas Archives (ANOM) in Aix-en-Provence, France, the French West Africa (AOF) archives remain in Dakar.  This collection is undeniably a "common heritage."  This means that "the collection is kept physically intact in one of the relevant countries, where it is integrated into the national archival heritage, with all the responsibilities for security and processing that implies the State as acting owner of this heritage."

The archives have been microfilmed since 1961, but a good portion of these microfilms have deteriorated, and microfilming operations have been reduced for about a decade, which it is hoped will be of short duration.  In the 2000’s, several countries have made efforts to microfilm all or part of the archives relating to the histories of their countries preserved in the AOF collection.  These are Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.

But in fact, to do it well, the entire collection should have been scanned, so each party could freely access it and in its own territory.  Total digitization would protect and save this "shared memory" between France and Africa.  Reducing the technology gap also begins with scanning everything.

The AOF Archives, Sources for African History

Although they originate from colonial institutions, the AOF archives unquestionably constitute sources for the history of Africa.  Of course, they have been grouped to illustrate colonial actions.  But they serve Africans and specialists in the history of Africa, who analyze them as bona fide sources of African history.  So, based on territorial principles (they were mainly produced in Africa) and relevance (the majority are focused on Africans), they belong to the heritage of Africa and Africans consider them as such.  They are correct.

These two sculptures stand guard at the bottom of a staircase at the National Archives of Senegal.  Marianne's feet are surrounded by mango trees, each representing a new colony.  Credit: Nicolas Courtin.

At independence, governments made efforts to provide archival services.  The challenge is how developed the nation is and that archives are viewed and maintained as a tool for development.  Moreover, most archives are under the authority of either the president of the country (e.g., Burkina Faso), the prime minister (e.g., Senegal, Madagascar), or the Ministry of the Interior (e.g., Ivory Coast).  In doing this, the administrations want, in effect, to present archives as an interdepartmental service that can provide historical information needed by any active bureaucracy.

Although repositories have been built here and there to house the archives, the oil crisis of the 1970's and the emergence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in the economy of our country, with their structural adjustment programs, have dampened the enthusiasm of the 1960's.  It was not until the years 1990–2000 that a building construction policy resumed.  This is the case in Benin, Mali, Niger, and Ghana, where buildings were constructed for archives.  Guinea and Cape Verde have renovated old buildings.

But curiously, Senegal, which has had a construction plan since 1972, remains stuck at the starting line.  The project was started, but political changes that occurred 19 March 2000 terminated it.  However, since 2012 (after a second round of political changes), there are rumors that generate a lot of hope in the national community of archivists.

The development of democracy, the issue of good governance, and the requirements of new citizenship demand more transparency in government actions and greater access to administrative information.  The governments of African countries must give their citizens free access to administrative information and create privacy legislation.  Another obstacle is that only a few countries, such as Senegal, have adequate legislation, characterized by a number of laws, notably on archives (2006) and the protection of personal data (2008).  It is hoped that such laws will be adopted in the near future in all of Africa, giving the countries of the continent the opportunity to be included among the countries of the world where archives count.

Saliou Mbaye is a palaeographer and archivist.  Former director of Senegal's archives, he is a university professor.

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I've tried for the past year to obtain official permission to publish this translation, but Le Monde says it isn't their intellectual property but the author's, and they won't help me contact the author.  I found an e-mail address for the author online, but no one responded to my message.  If anyone can help put me in touch with Saliou Mbaye, I would appreciate it.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emma La Forêt's Emergency Passport

Last week I posted Emma la Forêt's application for an emergency passport to leave Europe in 1917.  This week we get to see the passport itself (yes, this is the real thing!).  It is a buff-colored 12" x 17 1/4" piece of paper, watermarked with the seal of the U.S. Department of State.  It has three impressed seals and one rubber-stamped seal of the American Embassy in Paris, France on the front.  On the back, there are, in succession, an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Algiers, Algeria; a rubber-stamped seal of the Département d'Alger Sûreté Départementale (Algeria Regional Police); an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Marseilles, France; a rubber-stamped seal from the Commissariat in Marseille, but I can't read most of it; and a rubber-stamped seal from the Ministère de l'Interieure (Minister of the Interior) in Bordeaux, France.  As usual, I have underlined the information that was entered onto the preprinted form.

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Photo of Emma and Rosita                          This document expires Dec 14. 1917 unless
E. La Foret [signature]                                 renewed.  The holder has applied to the
[impressed Paris Embassy seal]                   Department of State for a regular passport

[rubber stamp of Paris Embassy seal]

Good only for

six months from date.

                                                                  The person to whom this passport is issued
                    printed Great Seal                 has declared under oath that he desires it for
                    of the United States              use in visiting the countries hereinafter named,
                                                                  for the following objects:
                                                                  Algeria  (name of country)    Residence (object of visit)
                                                                  France  (name of country)    en route (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)    United (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)     States (object of visit)

This passport is not valid for use in other countries

except for necessary transit to or from the countries

named, unless amended by an American

diplomatic or principal consular officer.

Embassy

of the

United States of America,

at

    Paris, France   

To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting;

The undersigned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the United States of America,

hereby request all whom it may concern to permit

— Emma La Forêt — ———

Description                                                  a Citizen of the United States accompanied
Age 50 Years ______                                   by her minor child Rosita safely
Stature 5 Feet 7 Inches Eng.                       and freely to pass and in case of need to give
Forehead   high                                             them all lawful Aid and Protection.
Eyes     blue grey   
Nose    regular                                                            Given under my hand and the
Mouth    medium                                                         Seal of the Embassy of the
Chin    round                              [impressed                        United States
Hair    dark brown                         Paris                       at   Paris, France    
Complexion    fair                       Embassy                   the  14th  day of September
Face    oval                                    seal]                       in the year 1917 and of the
                                                                                     Independence of the United States
                                                                                     the one hundred and forty second
Signature of the Bearer.
  Emma La Foret.   [signature]

CANCELED [rubber stamped diagonally]

No. 1704

Wm G. Sharp [signature]

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CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA, AT ALGIERS, ALGERIA.
                     October 4, 1917.
 GOOD
~~~~~~            A. C. Frost [signature]
  BON           Consul of the United
                      States of America.
Service No. 214
(No fee)
[impressed           I hereby certify that
Algerian              the bearer of this
Consulate            passport is the wife
seal]                    of Jean L. La Forêt
                           Vice Consul of the
                            United States of
                            America at Algiers,
                            Algeria.
                                 A. C. Frost [signature]
                                 Consul of the
                    United States of America.


No 3454.
Vu à la PRÉFECTURE d'Alger
Bon pour se rendre = en Amérique
via Marseille - Bordeaux - New. York
Objet du voyage = rentre dans son pays.

Alger, le 4 Octobre 1917
POUR LE PRÉFET,
Le Chef de la Sûreté Départementale délégué.
[rubber-stamped
Algeria Regional Police                Imaranos(?) [signature]
seal]


BON  Consulat Général des États - Unis
          d'Amérique à Marseille, France.
          Vu le 9th of October 1917
          Le Consul Général des États- Unis
                         d'Amérique:
No fee
Service No. 838.                  John Q.(?) Moody(?) [signature]
[impressed
Marseille
Consulate
seal]


COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL DES PORTS
VU [illegible]
Marseille, le 9 [illegible] 1917.
Giraud(?) [signature]

COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL
[illegible] la Préfecture
                  VU au départ pour les
Marseille, le 9/10/17    Etats-Unis
[rubber-stamped      Pour le Préfet           via Bordeaux
Marseille                 et par délégation
Commissariat          Le Commissaire Spécial
seal]                              Morelli(?) [signature]


VU pour se rendre à New. York
Bordeaux, le 12/10/ 1917 .
P. LE PRÉFET DE LA GIRONDE,
La Commissaire Spécial délégué.
[illegible signature]
[rubber-stamped
Minister of the Interior
seal]

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Wow!  I think this passport is very cool, and I am lucky to have it, even if it isn't for a member of my own family.  It's fairly straightforward; most of the information came directly from the passport application Emma submitted September 7.  It was processed very quickly, being dated September 14 in Paris.

The two sentences that were struck through on the front of the passport were probably for standard emergency passport procedures.  As Emma seemingly did not plan to travel again, they were not relevant for her.

The back of the passport has the same types of stamps that one might see in a passport today, and we can see Emma and Rosita's route from Algeria to Marseille to Bordeaux to New York.  I wish I could read the French signatures better, but c'est la vie!

My guess is that the "Canceled" stamp was put on the passport after Emma and Rosita arrived in New York.  As there is no date by the stamp, however, that is only a guess.

I have noticed that Emma consistently does not use the accent on Forêt.  (I wonder if that bothered Jean?)  As the passport was processed in Paris, I'm not surprised that they did include it.

When I received this gift of documents, the passport was folded and in the envelope in which it appears to have been sent:

This is pretty easy to read, so I won't transcribe it, but in the upper-right corner is a note in pencil:

Left Alger Oct 7/17

This was the only part of Emma and Rosita's trip not present on the passport.  So they left Algeria three weeks after the passport was dated.  There's no indication when they received it.

A second notation in the upper-right corner is "103" in pen.  This isn't the passport number, and no other number on the passport matches it.  It's a mystery what it refers to.

The other item that was in the envelope was Jean La Forêt's business card:

Jean L. La Forêt

Vice Consul Américain à Alger

6, Rue Henricet                 St. Eugène (Alger)

The reason it was included was because of the handwritten note on the back:

Passport

———

Emma La Foret

and minor child Rosita.

———

Issued by Embassy of

the United States at

Paris, France, on

Sept. 14-1917, for

three months, to go

from Algiers to New

York via France.

No. 1704.

——

Signed = Wm. G. Sharp

————

This writing looks similar to that of Emma's handwritten narrative, and the name of Wm. G. Sharp bears no resemblance to the signature on the passport.  So Emma wrote a short note describing the passport, even though all of the information she wrote was included on the passport itself.  I know documentation is good, but I don't understand the purpose of her note.  On the other hand, it's nice to have one of Jean La Forêt's Vice Consul business cards.