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USS MISSISSIPPI Sailor Portrait ca. 1910


siege1863
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This gem just arrived today. Fortunately, the sailor is named on the back--Frank Boam. He was born in 1887 in Michigan and died in 1966. According to his WWI draft registration card, he had served four years in the Navy. At the time of the registration (1917), he was employed at the Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit as a machinist.

 

What is particularly interesting about the photo is the cap tally. On the "other" forum, usmcraidergirl posted history of the Navy flat hat and tally. She pointed out that before 1920, it was common to sew the talley to the cap using two rows of stitching. This can be seen in the close-up. Also, in the early 20th Century, many men stitched their ship's tally over the tally for their training station. In this photo one can clearly see three of the four "tails" indicating that there are two tallies on the cap. As well, it was mentioned that in the early 1900s, tallies were made longer to hang farther down, emulating the European style of flat hat.

 

Luck was with me in that I found Frank Boam on the 1910 US Census aboard the USS MISSISSIPPI!

 

If possible, I would like to see usmcraidergirl duplicate here her post on the history of the flat hat and tally. Thanks for the wonderful information!

 

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Thanks, Jeff! This past week was a good one for me. I also got a choice real photo postcard of the ship itself. It will arrive in a few days and I will post it then. It is of an historically significant event that I am sure you will recognize!

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