An oatmeal cake recipe hand-written on a 1963 postcard, sent by a woman named Glenice to a recipient addressed as "Dear Goldie" — the single most historically significant item in this batch, carrying both a recipe and a family-history thread.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats + 1-1/2 cups boiling water (cover, let stand 20 min)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup oleo (margarine)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups sifted flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp soda
Topping (poured over the hot cake): - 1/4 cup melted oleo - 1/2 cup brown sugar - 1/4 cup cream or Milnot (an evaporated-milk brand) - 1 cup chopped pecans
Method
Cover the oats in boiling water and let stand 20 minutes. Cream the brown sugar, white sugar, oleo, and vanilla; add the oatmeal. Mix in the sifted flour, salt, cinnamon, and soda. Bake 30 minutes at 400°F in a 9x13 ungreased pan. Pour the topping over the cake while hot.
Notes on the artifact
This is a postcard, not a recipe card — the recipe is on one side, the mailing address and postmark on the other.
Mailing side: addressed to a married woman at a Fort Wayne street address, written with the pre-ZIP postal zone number ("Fort Wayne, 5, Indiana"). Postmarked Auburn, Indiana, September 16, 11 AM, 1963. Cancellation slogan: "PRAY FOR PEACE." Postage: a 4-cent US stamp (Lincoln profile design). No return address given.
Recipe side: salutation reads "Dear Goldie, Here is the cake recipe:" and the card is signed "Hope you like it, Glenice."
Nothing on this card confirms how the addressee, "Goldie," and "Glenice" relate to each other. That connection is a question, not a conclusion.
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