Thursday, September 2, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday--South American Map circa 1875


Another glorious find among the boxes and boxes of paper in Helena's condo. The artist who drew this rendering of South America was Helena Fredericka Oster, my husband's great grandmother and his mother's namesake.

Helena Fredericka Oster was born to Jacob W. Oster and Katherine Seewald on July 11, 1860 in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. Helena married John Andrew Smith on December 9, 1880 in Seneca County, Ohio.




This label was attached to the original frame which held the old drawing. I am wondering if the map was in the possession of Corletta Katherine Smith Renninger, Helena Oster Smith's daughter. It could be her writing on the label. Perhaps Corletta gave the framed map to my mother-in-law since Helena was named for her mother.

The map is hand drawn on a piece of lined tablet paper and is in relatively good condition considering its age.

What else can I say but WOW!!!

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

5 comments:

  1. NO KIDDING WOW! Totally amazing! beautiful too!

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  2. What a beautiful piece of work - looks like you have a bottomless treasure chest - so lucky!

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  3. Yes, WOW! sums it up pretty well! Did Helena have a particular tie to South America?

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  4. Tina Renninger WatkinsAugust 25, 2018 at 11:33 AM

    That is my grandmother's handwriting, I matched it to a note she wrote me as a young girl. I did not know her maiden name until now.

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