A black and white photo postcard of A. Roy Tietsort in the Bisbee scrub, circa August 21st, 1908. Century plants are blooming. The postcard was postmarked Bisbee, Ariz. August 22, 1908 7:30 AM and was sent by Roy Tietsort to Miss Grace E. Murdoch, Bay Port Huron Co., Mich. R.F.D.#1. The message on the back in green ink reads: “ Box 771 Bisbee Ariz. Aug 21. Dear Grace, Just a card today, I’ll write tomorrow or Sunday and tell you all the news. Have not been feeling well lately, but am much better today. There's a band concert tonight which I shall hear. Troops are here. Lovingly, Roy." The postcard’s publisher is unknown and was sent with a green, one-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp. Lynn Nadeau Collection.

Abram Roy Tietsort was born to Ira Tietsort (9/16/1835-11/12/1903) and Mary Banks on December 4th, 1880. His siblings were A.E. Steward, J.H Keyser, and Francis J. They lived on 175 Twenty Fourth Street in Detroit and attended the Preston M.E. Church. His father worked as an accountant for the Michigan Central Railroad Company. A. Roy Tietsort graduated from Detroit Eastern High School on June 13, 1903 and joined the engineering faculty of the Detroit Technical Institute on September 22 1910. He later was a graduate of the Houghton School of Mines with experience with mining, mechanical engineering, and architecture. Tietsort worked as a janitor to help fund his schooling. Roy Tietsort sent several postcards to Grace Evelyn Murdoch during his time and job hunt in Bisbee: She was born May 19th, 1882 in Huron, Michigan to John Jones Murdoch and Louise M. Sollau. A. Roy Tietsort and Evelyn Murdoch were married on Friday October 3, 1908 at 6 o clock at the Trinity ME Church by the Reverend C.S. Wright. They had one son, Wendell Tietsort, they later moved to Detroit in 1911 and then to a farm in McKinley. Roy worked as a principal at the Sebewaing school for a year while working at the Huron County Road Commissions Office at Bad Axe over the summer. The family then moved to Caro and Roy worked at the State Highway Department, later transferring to the head office in Lansing. During the last three years of his life, Roy Tietsort was employed at the Lansing Sugar Company. A. Roy Tietsort died on January 11th, 1940 from an illness at Miller Hospital in Lansing. The funeral was conducted by Clare Harrington of the First Church of Christ, and he was buried at Hillside Cemetery in Eaton County in Michigan. He was survived by his wife, his son, and his brother and two sisters: Frank Tietsort in New York, Mrs John Keyser and Mrs Steward in Detroit. Grace Tietsort and Wendall Tietsort lived for a time on the island of Bermuda. Wendell was a Michigan State Graduate and was employed by General Electric.

2018.40.6