Thursday, April 21, 2016

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emma La Foret Orders the "San Francisco Examiner"



This is a 5 1/2" x 4" piece of whitish paper.  It may have been white at one time and colored with age.  It is a carbon copy of a newspaper subscription order from 1928, with the specifics of the order being handwritten.  The carbon of the handwriting, being blue, did not scan well, particularly in the middle.  As with previous documents that I have transcribed, I have underlined the handwritten parts.

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

F-38

San Francisco    July  17   19  28 

Deliver The San Francisco Examiner, Daily and Sunday

to        Mrs   La   Foret                                                    

No.      615      Indiana   St ,     Vallejo                           

Begin serving               at      once                                  

Leave paper                    on      Porch                            

Mrs.  E      La    Foret   
    Alf    Harrison                                                                             SIGNATURE OF SUBSCRIBER
    CANVASSER

Telephone  _________________
Carrier No.  ________________

Report of Carrier  ___________                                              Terms of Subscription to
                                                                                              The San Francisco Examiner
_________________________                                    Daily and Sunday _____ $1.15 per month
                                                                                             TRANSIENTS AND ROOMERS
                                                                                          REQUESTED TO PAY IN ADVANCE

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

In July of 1928 Emma decided to begin a subscription to the San Francisco Examiner.  Since the person who apparently signed her up was listed as a "canvasser", he might have been going door to door.  Maybe he was a good salesman.   Emma was still living at 615 Indiana Street in Vallejo.  This is the only time I've seen her signature with only an initial for her first name.  No phone number was listed; she might not have had one.

Considering the other documents which Emma saved, it was interesting but confusing to find a receipt for a newspaper subscription.  Why was this considered important enough to keep?  I can't think of a logical reason why this has survived all these years.  Whatever the reason, it is the last document of Emma's in the treasure chest I received.  Next week I'll begin examining the documents pertaining to Jean La Forêt!

As an amusing side note, most of the time, when people compare prices from yesteryear to those of today, current prices are much higher.  In this instance, it's the other way around.  After a lot of dramatic back and forth between the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle several years ago, the Examiner became a free newspaper you could pick up all over the city.  From the newspaper's Web site it appears there is still some sort of subscription option, but I couldn't find a price.

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