Postman family fonds. — 1918-[ca. 1985]. — 9 cm of textual records. — 12 photographs.
Biographical Sketch
John Postman Sr. was born in 1872 on a farm near Den Ham, Overijsel, Holland. He married Janna Landeweerd in 1894. On March 12, 1904, John and Janna and their family of seven boys and two girls left their farm in Holland and journeyed to Alberta, arriving April 3 in Fort Macleod. John found work and filed on a homestead in the Monarch area. Eight more children were born to the Postmans, three of whom survived. In 1913, with homestead land becoming scarce in southern Alberta, John moved his family north to the Peace River Country via the Edson Trail and obtained land by South African Scrip in the La Glace area (N 19-74-8 W6th, 30-74-8 W6th, S 31-74-8 W6th). Since John had also kept his land in the south, Janna returned to the Monarch area for awhile until the Northfield School was built, and many of the Postman children ended up settling in the Monarch-Nobleford area. John Postman died December 15, 1943, followed by Janna on August 25, 1950.
John and Janna’s sons, Gerrit, Albert, Henry, George, and Johan all filed on homesteads in the La Glace area. Gerrit homesteaded NW 17-74-8 W6th and Johan homesteaded SW 20-74-8 W6th. Albert, Henry, and George lived together for a number of years and at one time their collective holdings totaled 18 quarters.
Albert homesteaded NW 13-74-9 W6th, farmed other quarters, and never married. He moved to Nobleford in 1972-73 and died on June 22, 1977 at the age of 82.
Henry was born September 19, 1896. He homesteaded NE 13-74-9 W6th. Henry was drafted into the First Depot Battalion of the Alberta Regiment in Calgary in 1918, Regimental No. 3213508. He married Ina Scheffer in 1953 and moved to the Sigurd Sandboe land in 1954. Henry died March 13, 1966 at the age of 71.
George was born August 30, 1897. He homesteaded SE 24-74-9 W6th. George was drafted into the First Depot Battalion of the Alberta Regiment in Calgary in 1918, Regimental No. 3213470. He married Pauline DeWitt July 14, 1943 and they had five children: Janeen, Marlys, Calvin, Delwyn, and Georalyn. George died January 16, 1978 at the age of 79. Pauline remarried, to Bill Pol, and died at the age of 83 in 2002. Janeen Vanden Berg moved to British Columbia and has two children. Marlys married Frank Zee. They have two children and farm west of La Glace. Calvin (Calville) contracted polio and died at the age of 3. Georalyn married Paul Saunders and moved to Grande Prairie.
The Postman land remained in the family when Delwyn, born July 31, 1952, began farming full-time after high school. He purchased NW 24-74-9 W6th from Albert in 1972 and also rented two quarters from his parents. Delwyn married Janis Lunde in November 1975. After George’s death, they bought his farm and when Pauline remarried, they moved into her house. Delwyn and Janis had five children: Arlyn George (born 1978), Auralee (born 1979), Danita, Terraina, and Kelsey. Two year old Arlyn died April 30, 1981, following a tractor accident. Delwyn was a member of LaGlace Christian Reformed Church, Vahalla 4-H Beef Club leader, member of the La Glace Agricultural Society executive, assisted in founding the La Glace Historical Society, and dreamed of having a museum at the Postman homestead. Delwyn Postman died November 21, 1992, at the age of 40, as a result of a car accident.
Sources: “La Glace: Yesterday and Today”, “Buffalo Trails: Tales of the Pioneers,” homestead records, Canadian Expeditionary Force records, obituaries and in memoriam announcements for Albert, Henry, George, Arlyn, Delwyn and Pauline Postman.
Custodial History
The material was deposited in the Sexsmith and District Museum by Janice Lunde after the sale of the Delwyn Postman farm. Some of the material may have been collected by the family for a small museum on the farm, although the vast majority appears to relate to the Postman family. In June 2009, the Sexsmith and District Museum transferred the material to South Peace Regional Archives. Records of the Lunde family have been removed to form the Lunde Family fonds (517).
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of the personal and business (farm) records of three generations and multiple members of the Postman family including those related to taxes, debt, investments and banking, purchases, and general finances, personal and business correspondence, land, livestock, crops, wars and military service, health, automobiles, family life, and religion. The fonds also includes family photographs.
The fonds is divided into six series: Financial Records, Correspondence, Farm Records, Personal Records, Clippings, and Photographs.
The records were originally housed in a series of scrapbooks, with some loose records and photographs accompanying them. In the absence of a discernable original order, the records were organized by topic, then chronologically by the Archivist. Lunde family records (see fonds 517) were removed prior to arrangement.
Notes
Title of fonds based on contents.
Any copyright vested in Sexsmith Museum was transferred to South Peace Regional Archives and moral rights waived. No supporting documentation to indicate that the family transferred copyright to the Sexsmith Museum. Some of the photographs are in the public domain.
Some of the records in this fonds appear to have been previously affected by mould.
Table of Contents
| Series 515.01 | Financial Records |
| Series 515.02 | Correspondence |
| Series 515.03 | Farm Records |
| Series 515.04 | Personal Records |
| Series 515.05 | Clippings |
| Series 515.06 | Photographs |
| Series 515.01 | Financial Records. — 1925-1968. — 2 cm of textual records.
The series consists of records relating to the financial affairs of various members of the Postman family, primarily John, George, Henry, and Albert. The records include tax records including assessment and tax notices (1925, 1941, 1952), a school tax notice (1936), receipts for taxes (1925, 1942), and a notice of meeting of Court of Revision (1964); records and associated correspondence relating to the Debt Adjustment Act (1933) and the Farmers’ Creditors Arrangement Act (1935); receipts from various companies and locations (ca. 1927-1962), a note regarding things borrowed, received, and paid (1939-1940), a duplicate receipt book (1958-1961) for payments received by the Postmans; Albert’s 1947 La Glace Savings and Credit Union Application, a payment voucher cheque for Henry, victory loan applications and certificates (1942, 1944), a Peace River District Implement Co-operative Association Limited stock certificate (1946), and bank records including a 1939 statement, cancelled cheques (1939-1968), and other bank slips; records relating to the Janna and John Postman estates (ca. 1950-1955), including statements and income tax material; and financial statements for the Postman Brothers (1951, 1960, 1961). The records have been divided by record content/topic and arranged in primarily chronological order by the Archivist. |
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| Series 515.02 | Correspondence. — [ca. 1921]-1984. — 4 cm of textual records.
The series consists of personal and business correspondence (ca. 1921-1984), announcements (ca. 1935-1970) and miscalleneous related records. The series includes letters and postcards from family and friends in Holland, Germany, Ghana, the United States, and Canada; correspondence with businesses and organizations including Riverside Iron Works Limited, Alberta Co-operative Dairy Producers, Department of the Interior, Valhalla Co-operative Creamery Association Ltd., Edmonton Journal, Prairie Farm Machinery Co., Canadian Bank of Commerce, Waterloo Machinery (Alberta) Limited, Massey-Harris Company Limited, Union Tractor & Harvester Co. Ltd., United Grain Growers, La Glace Savings & Credit Union Ltd., UFA Co-op, and Peace River Bible Institute; birth announcements, wedding announcements and a program, and a funeral card for family members, friends, and people in the community; and miscellaneous records including an auction sale poster, writings on “Providence” and “Meditation”, a notice from Canada Post regarding Christmas postal delivery (1948), Nobleford Christian Reformed Church bulletins and Christmas programs (1945, 1948, 1956), and Postman family reunion material (1984). The records have been arranged in chronological order by the Archivist as far as possible since some of the correspondence is not dated. The announcements are housed in a separate folder and arranged by topic and then chronologically. |
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| Series 515.03 | Farm Records. — 1923-1966. — 2 cm of textual records.
The series consists of records relating to the operation of the Postman farms including records on land, livestock, and crops. The series includes a journal of daily happenings (1924), a notebook on cars and engines, notebooks listing equipment, livestock, and produce with prices and dates bought and used (1956-1964), a List of Members of Alberta Co-operative Wheat Producers Ltd. Sub-district G-9 (1925), Alberta Wheat Board account statement (1931), grower’s receipt (1931), storage ticket (1931), grain inspection certificate (1931), refund of excess charges (ca. 1942), lists of storage tickets (1943, 1944), and growers statement of commercial and elevator reserve reductions (ca. 1944), Canadian Wheat Board producer’s certificate (1944) and permit book (1963-64), a notebook of Grain Prices (1957-1966), notes on livestock including weights and breeding information (1923-1929), a Grande Prairie Co-op Livestock Marketing Association Receipt Statement (1932), a Canadian Swine Breeders Association pedigree certificate (1958), a Description of Farm Land and Authorization to Sell (ca. 1935), and a Farm Lease (1942). |
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| Series 515.04 | Personal Records. — 1918-[ca. 1980]. — 1 cm of textual records.
The series consists of personal records of various members of the Postman family. The series includes a WWI Canada Registration Board card (1918), a WWI certificate, and WWII temporary ration card and ration books; Driver’s Licenses (1937-1952), car registration records (1941-1957), Motor Vehicle Approval certificates (1953-1954), a car insurance card (1952), an automobile insurance policy (1960), a copy of the Vehicles and Highway Traffic Act, and a notice regarding car insurance pink cards (1956); prescription directions and a University of Alberta Hospital account statement; a Grande Prairie – La Glace Christian Reformed Church bulletin (1966), a copy of the funeral sermon for Harry and David Postman (1974), Janeen’s sketchbook and a picture coloured by Delwyn, a Golden Jubilee Senior Citizen Award (1955), a Grande Prairie District Old-Timers Association Pioneer Award and Succeeding Generations Scroll, and miscellaneous notes. The records have been arranged by topic, then chronologically by the Archivist. |
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| Series 515.05 | Clippings. — [ca. 1932-1985]. — 0.2 cm of textual records.
The series consists of newspaper clippings from various papers and locations. Topics featured include family and friends, La Glace and South Peace news, and Christian Reform church news (including Granum, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and La Glace). Many of the articles are undated and the source paper unnoted. The majority of the clippings were removed from the original scrapbook entitled “Newspaper Clippings” and organized by the Archivist by topic and estimated date. |
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| Series 515.06 | Photographs. — [ca. 1920-1980]. — 12 photographs.
The series consists of twelve photographs believed to be of of have been sent to the Postman family, although some of the may be Lunde family photographs, since the two collections were mixed together at one point. The photographs include wedding, military, and family portraits, aerials of the Postman farm, and miscellaneous images of a flood, outdoor event, Delwyn Postman, and a log barn. The photographs are arranged in roughly chronological order by the Archivist. |
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