An Update

I have been busy lately, and distracted (as sometimes happens) from my previous line of research in which I was focusing on Brooklyn.

The theme of this past month has been ships: I greatly enjoyed a few days of checking out tall ships at Sail Boston.  I made a point to visit the Mayflower II, since I have been taking an online course on the Mayflower Pilgrims.

I have also been researching various family trips across the ocean, searching passenger records and passport applications. This topic has been inspired by a particular cachet: an envelope commemorating the maiden voyage of S.S. Normandie, addressed to Young Dan Butler (my great uncle) and canceled at Le Havre, France as the ship set out on 29 May 1935.

I have been hoping to find another family member or friend who was on that maiden voyage, but so far have not identified anyone likely in the passenger list who might have sent this cachet to Dan from the ship.  It's possible that it was acquired some other way.  Sadly, there is no letter that has survived with the envelope.

My research on this and on other items continues.  I'm regrouping a bit and will have more to share soon.