Postcards from Laura Bing Retzke

On July 23, 1909, Sandusky resident Emelia Bing sent a postcard to her sister in law, Lora Bing Retzke in Toledo. Pictured on the front of the postcard is Emelia’s husband, George J. Bing, an early aviator and carriage maker.

 In the message on the post card, Emelia asked Lora if would be possible for her  to spend the night with Lora’s family, as Emelia and her daughter Myrtle were planning a trip to Toledo and Delta in the next few days.

On September 18, 1914, Emelia sent a postcard to her mother in law, Pauline Bing, in Toledo, Ohio. She discussed the future of a grocery store in Sandusky which was run by the Bing family.

Most likely the children in the Bing vehicle pictured above are the three oldest children of Emelia and George J. Bing, named Myrtle, Arthur, and Ruth. Sadly, George J. Bing was killed in an automobile accident on September 23, 1914. Emelia’s youngest child Josephine Bing was not born until after the death of her father.

 Emelia remarried, to Mr. William H. Bradley, in 1920. After her marriage to Mr. Bradley, the children included both the surname of their father and stepfather in their names. Myrtle Bing Bradley went on to become known as “the girl evangelist from Ohio.”

If you have vintage postcards from the Sandusky or Erie County area, please consider donating them to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. Postcards can provide interesting details about the daily lives of individuals, giving life to the names and dates found on vital records and census listings.