January 29, 1957
Dear Son and family,
Your 20 below figures gave us the chills. Too bad we can’t all be down here in the 80 every day. I am having therapy treatments now from a sweet little woman. She expects to cure me. Very good looking but married.
Best wishes,
Dad
Albert W. Smith
Dixfield, Maine
Box 52
St. Petersburg has long been the summer destination for many tourists and retirees looking to escape the harsh winters of the Northern United States. Founded in 1876 and named after St. Petersburg, Russia, the population nearly doubled from 1950 to 1960, during which time Mr. Albert Smith's Dad went to seek “therapy treatments from a sweet little woman.”
Dixfield, Maine is a small community that touts the fact that it is the only place in the world named “Dixfield.” The town was founded in 1789, and originally called Holmantown after the founder, Colonel Jonathan Holman, and renamed Dixfield in 1803, after an empty promise from a Dr. Elijah Dix to build a library. The library didn't materialize until 1935, but left a deep commitment to local history by the residents, who formed an historical society and museum.
There is a marriage record for an Albert W. Smith to Ada Berry or Murch in Dixville, Maine in 1924, 28 years before this postcard was sent. There's a marriage record for Alan Todd Smith to Jeanette Elizabeth Turner in 1994 that could be a direct descendant. Perhaps Alan Smith or the Dixfield Historical Society can shed some light on Albert's Dad's treatments or the "sweet little woman" who was very "good looking but married." Did Dad wish to find romance in Florida after being divorced or widowed? Was he playing matchmaker to his already married son? And what kind of therapy treatments were available in St. Petersburg that beckoned him down from chilly Maine?
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