Six Pioneers Together for Birthday Anniversaries, 1947

NACE, DUNSMOOR, EVERT, STAMP, SMART, SARGENT, GRUMAN, WELLS, ROGERS, SMITH, BALLUFF, LETCHFORD, MCFARLANE, SHIPPY, MCINTOSH, CLARK, TOPEL, ELWELL

Posted By: Terry Sargent (email)
Date: 12/2/2010 at 18:37:49

Six Pioneers Are Together for 9th Year

(Courier Special Service)
Strawberry Point - Mrs. Ellen Nace, who was 91 years of age Thursday, was hostess at the annual birthday party for a group of friends whose anniversaries range from 74 to 91, and for the past nine years have celebrated together sometime between May 15 and May 18.

Present were Mrs. Nace, Mrs. Harriet Dunsmoor, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Evert and Mr. and Mrs. Bert Stamp.

Mrs. Nace, the oldest of the group, was Ellen Smart, born near Scales Mound, IL, May 15, 1856. In 1879, she came to this community, and on Feb. 23, 1881, she was married to Frank Nace. They farmed until retiring to Strawberry Point. Mr. Nace died Apr. 5, 1936. She has two sons, Roy and Winnie. Roy and his wife live in a part of the house with Mrs. Nace and Winnie farms near here. There are two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Harriet Dunsmoor, 90, was born Harriet Sargent, May 17, 1857, southwest of Strawberry Point. On Jan. 23, 1876, she was married to Fred Dunsmoor. They lived here all their lives except for two years spent in Kansas Mr. Dunsmoor died Apr. 14, 1928, and since then Mrs. Dunsmoor has lived alone. She has five daughters, Mrs. Ida Gruman, Lamont; Mrs. Ernest Dunsmoor, Cedar Rapids; Mrs. Elmer Wells, Prairiesburg; Mrs. Ben Rogers, LaCrosse, Wis, and Mrs. Grace Smith, California; 19 grandchildren, and 36 great grandchildren.

Mrs. Nace and Mrs. Dunsmoor have been close friends for 65 years.

Mike Evert, Oelwein, was 82 Thursday. Born near Scales Mound on Dec 24, 1889, he married at Manchester Amelia Balluff. They farmed near Strawberry Point until retiring to Oelwein 10 years ago. The Everts have six daughters and one son; Mrs. Glenn Letchford, Frankville; Mrs. George McFarlane, Oelwein; Mrs. Ira Shippy and Mrs. Pete McIntosh, both of Newton; Mrs. Adna Clark, Evansville, Ind.; Mrs. Arthur Topel, Port Orchard, Wash, and F. C. Evert, Frankville. There are 26 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Bert Stamp, 74, was born May 18, 1873, at Geneseo Falls, N.Y., and came here when two years of age. On Feb. 20, 1895, he married Nellie Balluff. They farmed until retiring to Strawberry Point in 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Stamp have a son, Harry, Lamont, and a daughter, Mrs. Howard Elwell, Strawberry Point, and four grandchildren.

~Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo Iowa, Friday, May 16, 1947, page 11