Humboldt County Historical Association

Norm Caldwell, President                                Connie Overby, Director

          332-5285                                                          890-9652

www.humboldtiowahistory.org

November, 2009

 

The next meeting of the Humboldt County Historical Association will be held on

Monday, December 7, 2009 at 7:30 at The Mill House.  Mark the date on your

calendar.  The program is for members only, But members are free to bring a

friend.  Connie Overby will present the program.  Phil and Connie Overby will

host the meeting.  A board meeting will precede the general meeting and program

at 6:30 p.m.
 

Norm’s Notes:

Thanks to Rich Lindaman for giving us an educational and entertaining history of bluegrass music at our November meeting. 

 

The board voted to have a central air conditioning system installed on second floor of the Mill Farm house.  The system will help control temperature and humidity so that the fabric items will be much better preserved.  Part of the expense will be paid with a memorial we received from the Carl Parsons’ family.

 

The board also is looking into plans to build a carriage house (garage and office) north of the garden.  We hope to build it correctly to the period of the house.  More on this as the plans develop.

 

Income for October was $4209  ($3306 interest income,  $903 dividend income, and memorials $50).   Total expenses were $2707.

 

 

--Norm

 

News From Your Museum Director: 

Our Museum is officially closed for the season but you may notice our lights still on for several planned events.  First, we will be taking Girl Scout Brownie Troops through the museum in November, ever since our Girl Scout Tea the Brownies and their families have taken a great interest in us. 

 

I will also be speaking with the Democratic Women at their meeting at the Family Table at 7 pm on November 18^th.

 

FOR OUR MEMBERS:  We will be open on Monday, December 7^th, at 7:30 pm holding a reception for all museum members and their friends.  So please mark you calendar and we look forward to showing you our Mill Farm House decorated to the “nines” for a truly Victorian Christmas.    

 

FOR THE PUBLIC:  We will be open on Sunday, December 13, holding an open house for the public from 1pm to 4pm and charging a $3.00 entrance fee.

 

In October we had a wonderful event on Halloween, we held a flashlight tour of the Mill Farm House and had over 50 people show up!  We showed them all the rooms, including the basement and even had some actors playing ghosts throughout the house. 

 

We had a lovely tea for the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and entertained over 60 girls and their mothers.

 

Future happenings---we are looking forward to bringing the museum

into the 21^st century by computerizing our records.  In addition, we continue to store textiles in the Mill Farm House and I can actually

see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am finished with the baby

clothing and am working on household items. 

 

We are always looking for people who are interested in getting

involved with our museum.  In the spring we will be cleaning and updating the displays in all the rooms of our house, if you are

 interested in helping please contact Connie at 890-9652.  

 

                                                                                    --Connie Overby                                                                                                                            

Historically Speaking

One of the features of the Historical website is the opportunity

for people to e-mail research questions. Many of them have to do

with early day citizens of Humboldt County.

 

1.Barbara Kelley of Massachusetts asked for an obituary of Honora Belle Piper who died in Humboldt on March 12, 1933. The obituary

was located and sent to her.

 

2. Alexander Angelveit of Norway was looking for 2 members of his family who left the Bergen, Norway area about 1911 – 1912 and emigrated to Ottosen. They changed their names to Thompson and moved to Fort Dodge before 1920. With Alexander’s help I located

 their obituaries at the Fort Dodge Library and mailed them to him.

 

3. Roger Kvarsvik of Norway is researching Henry Ordemann, a Norwegian who settled in Minneapolis, and became a well known wrestler at the same time that Frank Gotch was active in that sport. Henry wrestled with Frank and later became a part of his training team.

 

4. Carol Linn of Missouri asked for help researching B.C. Parsons; she needed information for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.

 

5. Barbara Moon wanted information about Aaron and Margaret Williams who farmed in Avery Township in the 1880s and 1890s. I was able to find a death record for Aaron who died in Rolfe in 1899. The land records for the farm were located in the Recorder’s Office at the Court House.

 

6. Rob McMillan of California wanted help locating a great-great-great grandfather, Angus McMillan, who lived in Dakota City in 1880. One of his sons, Isaac McMillan, operated the first hardware store in that town. Two other sons, Albert and William, were in business in Humboldt in the late 1870s. Wilder and McMillan was the name of the business. The family moved to California soon after the death of William’s daughter Ada.

 

7. Helen Wilson asked for obituaries for Rev. Albert H. Smith and his wife Ella who were living in Humboldt in 1930.

 

8. Michael Ceperley wanted information bout his Great-Great Grandfather Daniel Ceperley who was living in Gilmore City in the 1890s.

 

Sometimes the record is quickly found. Sometimes is takes weeks to look for an answer. No matter how long it takes to search for answers, it is all ways fun to do!!

 

--Martha Schmidt