Stella Portage

The city of Annecy (on the northern tip of Lake Annecy) is in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. The city has grown much larger since this postcard from the early 1920s. The "Google Maps" map is here:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/Annecy,+France/@45.897505,6.0488493,18465m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x478b8ffa1c0551c9:0x42781681620534ba!8m2!3d45.899247!4d6.129384 Information about of the Port of Annecy-le-Vieux ("The Circle of the Lake") is here:  https://www.lofficiel.net/le-cercle-du-lac-de-la-presqu-ile-d-albigny-au-petit-port-d-annecy-le-vieux_8_1243.aspx A brief history of the Impérial Palace is here:  http://www.haute-savoie-tourisme.org/annecy/lieux-visiter/154701-imperial-palace *Thanks to KR for the translation: "Hello from Annecy. Rain and cold. Vancampenhout (?)"

See current images of Place de l'Opéra here:  https://en.parisinfo.com/transport/73162/Place-de-l-Opera *Thank you to KR for the translation: "My good compliements from, Maria Dupon". There are a handful of postcards from Maria Dupon; no connection to the Van de Vyere family has yet been found.

See currrent day Trafalgar Square here:  https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/our-building-and-squares/trafalgar-square This postcard was sent to Mademoiselle Van de Vyvere (Jeannine) from cousins Gaston and Julia, and Jacqueline Draesbegue (?). *Thank you to KR for the translation.

From Lourdes...

*Thanks to volunteer, Chloé, for providing this information: Bergen op Zoom is a city in southern Netherlands, close to the Belgian border.  Spuihuis met gevangenpoort: House with locks and gates This is now Restaurant 't Spuihuis. You can read of it's history here: https://spuihuis.nl/ . *Thanks to volunteer KR for attempting a translation: "Company greetings, from JeanJozy".

*Thank you to KR for starting this difficult to read translation with: "My dear Jean and Jeanne.... hug your little Jeanine." Here is an adjusted image of the same postcard.

Le Puy de Dôme is a dormant volcano in south central France. More inforamtion about the area is here:  https://www.clermontauvergnetourisme.com/en/sports-and-outdoors/chaine-des-puys/discover-puy-de-dome/ Uncle sends this message to the Jean and Janine Van de vyvere at 74 Rue Rotterdam in Antwerp/Anvers/Antwerpen. *Thank you to KR for the beginning of this translation: "My dearest, I hope that everything goes will with the little one....."  

 Looking down upon the Abbey of Echternach, a Benedictine monastery in Echternach (in eastern Luxembourg). This postcard is from Uncle, to Jean and Janine in at a Deurne address in Antwerp, and not at the Rue de Rotterdame address. * Thanks to KR's translation, this card was sent from Jeanne/Jeanine and Fons from Echternach. From another translation of another card, Fons might be an Uncle. Perhaps Fons is Jeanine's brother and the postcard is sent to Jean Van de Vyvere's parents,  Joseph Van de Vyvere (born in 1868 in Tielt) and Maria Kamiel Loontjens (1870 to 1912)  at Deurne in Antwerp.

This postcard, from Provenierssingel, Rotterdam, was sent from brother Robert Jean and Jeanine at Roterdamstraat 74 in Antwerp in 1934.  *Thank you to volunteer C hloé, for this translation: " Dear Jean and Jeanine  Overall, we are doing well on board and we are eating well in first class. Our boat leaves from here on Thursday at 1 PM.  Thank you very much for everything you did for me. I hug you wholeheartedly. Robert Rotterdam, October 3, 1934" Also from Chloé: " Verzendt Geluktelegrammen: send telegrams of good luck (It was an advertisement at the time I think)." To where was Robert sailing?

A postcard from Orange, Avenue de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, to Misters Loontyens on Rue St Georges (Sint Jorishof) in Gand/Gent, Belgium from brothers Jean and Gerard. * Thanks to Sofie's translation, it reads: "Very dear Uncles and Aunts,  Here already a month has passed by. We are feeling good and we hope the same health for all of you. It is here already very cold. The mornings so much that I sometimes don't know if I have hands and feet. Luckily, the fire is already lit. Good bye. We kiss/hug you with our heart. Jean and Gerard" 

From the postcard Luce sent home in 1928 from the Grand Hotel in Toulon , we know that she had been ill. It seems she recovered, as she wrote this card in 1930.  The closing salutation on this card is, though, perplexing. We think  that Luce is Jean's sister and not his Aunt. Our understanding is that "Tante" means Aunt. I wonder now if Jean has both a sister and  an aunt named Luce. In 1930, Jean's sister Luce would be 34 years of age. Note the triangular pediment showing the last judgement.  Although Geneanet does not show that Jean and Jeanne produced a child, the well wishes to "et a la petite" makes us think there was a child and we currently believe that child's name was Jeanine.

This card is addressed to Mr and Mrs Arthur Loontjens in Ghent, Belgium. (Arthur is the first son of Theodorus and Elisa Loontjens. Marie (Thieme) is Arthur's wife. Maria Kamiel Loontjens (wife of Joseph Ven de Vyvere) is Arthur's sister.) It reads: "Dear Marie, Long live Holland! Middelburg is a dream! and as much, as I regret you not hearing my exclamations. See you soon and my kisses for you and friendship for Re. Fernande" * Thank you to Sofie, who volunteered to translation of this card.

On 8 April, 1921, using a postcard from Pres des Ponts couverts in Strasbourg, Julia writes to her grandmother the Widow Elisa Maria (Verburgh) Loontjens at 19 Place du Marais in Ghent, Belgium. Julia's mother, Elisa was widowed in 1900. Elisa died in 1927. Julia writes:  "Dear Grandmother. Your grandchildren  are very happy and until now, they have had a nice trip. We have already driven through tunnels, but luckily, openings were provided. (?)... on both ends, as Mariette says. Receive dear Grandmother, the affectionate well intended kisses from Gaiton and from Julia." * Thank you to Sofie, who volunteered to translate this card. And thank you to Timo Van Havere, who added (in the comment below) the translation: "... luckily, openings were pierced on both ends on both ends, as Mariette says" . Yes, Timo, a very delightful way to describe a tunnel! Julia is a niece of Maria Kamiel (Loontjens) Van de Vyvere and a cousin of Jeanine.

Updated March 22, 2020. Based on names and addresses on postcards, this is the most likely family "tree". Those names in blue squares are people who either sent or received postcards. Most of this information was found due to Geneanet ( https://en.geneanet.org/ ). Any of this information could be incorrect.

Here is the CBC Manitoba story about the postcards:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-mystery-wartime-postcards-1.5458261