I just got off the phone with Howe McCormick's second cousin

[Howe’s Hunter]

With a lot of help from David Polakoff here on the board, I have been able to contact who appears to be one of only two living relatives of Howe McCormick.

Don McCormick now lives in Ocala, Florida, about 35 mile south of Gainesville. The church founded by his great-grandfather (Howe's grandfather) is still very closely tied to the McCormick family, and it was through the church I was able to contact Don.

There wasn't a whole lot of information that he could share with me, as it sounds like the family did not remain close as time passed. But the funny thing was, Don mentioned he hadn't thought of Howe in about ten years, since the church gave him a box of old photos, none of which were labeled except for three. All three either of Howe, Howe and his sisters, or the interior of the store that Howe's father and uncle owned, which is still my bet as to where all the cards came from. Then a week ago, he gets an email passed on to him from the church asking for information of about all things, Howe and his family.

Don has been kind enough to forward scans of those three photos on to me, which I am attaching to this message. He was able to give me a little bit more information on Howe's daughter, who he hasn't seen or heard from since 1981, which might be able to lead me to any other contacts.

It was great to finally find someone who knew Howe, had spoken to him or even really knew anything about him. Don had no idea of Howe's card collection, or the sheer volume of it, and told me that he would now have his radar up for finding any that might still be in the area at antique stores or flea markets (Don collects antique post cards, so he runs somewhat in the same circles). We agreed to stay in touch either by email or phone. His wife Kathryn, who answered the phone, also seemed very sweet.

Howe and his sisters


Howe (guess of around age 6)


The interior of the store owned by William J. McCormick and Alex Howe (Howe's father and uncle (mother's brother)). The gentleman at the far right is Alex Howe. The other two are store clerks, whose name appear on the back of the photo.


Again, thanks to everyone on the board for help in reassembling the collection.

[bobbyw8469]

Great story! How is the collection coming? It seems like the pickups have slowed down alot.....

[uniship]

Wow!! beyond cool. Thanks for sharing - looking forward to next update!!

[Luke]

Very cool Ed!

[atx840]

Very cool Ed, really neat to the store where his cards likely came from.

[insccollectibles]

that is awesome. I love how this collection/story has been developing great job!

[Jay Wolt]

Wow! That's fantastic!
Appreciate your diligence & passion.

[Jobu]

Those pictures are excellent! Thanks for sharing, nice work on what may be the coolest hunt in the hobby.

[toppcat]

Crazy! Diligence and curiosity certainly pays off sometimes.

[wonkaticket]

One of the best posts ever on this forum. Very cool.

[WillowGrove]

Love It Ed!

[Howe’s Hunter]

Chris Brown contacted me yesterday to ask the name of the store (McCormick & Howe) and then did a bit of research and found these...

http://i.imgur.com/xYxHspW.png

http://i.imgur.com/3X4fkv7.png

http://i.imgur.com/lEJX2AA.png

http://i.imgur.com/C5Ikvst.png

I did contact Don again yesterday as there was some confusion on the names of the clerks in the store, as he had given me the same first name for both. Got some clarification on that, and their names are

JOHN GORE (clerk) - far left, and J. SIMMS GARDNER (clerk) - center

The information Don gave me about Betty (Howe's daughter) and what she told the family last time any of them saw her (at Thelma's funeral) hasn't turned out quite as I had hoped. Apparently, she told everyone she was in New York as a showgirl/accompanist/entertainer, but the information may not have been quite truthful, as the person she says she was working with had actually retired almost 15 years earlier, and there is no record of her ever appearing in his show (amazing the stuff you can find on the internet in just a matter of minutes). Will have to contact Don again in a few days for maybe some clarification.

Also doubt I'll be seeing any more photos. As I mentioned, the family seems to have drifted apart, well, quite a bit apart, following the death of Howe's dad. Heard quite a story about Howe and his wife from Don and let's just say, there was a reason the family all attended Howe's funeral, and again at Thelma's, but it doesn't appear to have a happy ending. At least not yet. So I'll continue to try and track down anything I can find about Betty.

Again, thanks for all the kind words, and all the help over the past eight years trying to get this collection back together again.