The Powelson Girls

POWELSON, BLINN, HUESTON, BAIRD, BEST, VAUGHN, WARHURST, BUELL

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 11/22/2007 at 07:40:32

In the Washington (D.C.) correspondence in Sunday's Des Moines Register is the following concerning a former Mt. Pleasant worman, well remembered by the older folks here, 'One of those Powelson girls."

"Ethel Hueston (Mrs. Randolph Blinn) came down from New York last this week to be one of the honored guests at a celebrity luncheon given Friday by the Washington branch of the League of American Pen Women..

"Mrs. Blinn, whose "Mother Went Mad on Monday" was her thirty-fourth book since "Prudence of the Parsonage" thirty-four years ago, is from Mt. Pleasant and various Iowa towns where her father was a Methodist minister, and was graduated from Iowa Wesleyan college. Her latest book has gone into several editions, including one in Great Britain.

"Mrs. Blinn lived in Washington for several years, and also has a home in New Jersey. At the moment, she is living with her son-in-law and daughter, Maj. and Mrs. Nathaniel Lincoln Baird, at Hamilton Field, Cal. While in the Capital she is the guest of Dr. Winifred Willard, also from Mt. Pleasant and secretary of the Pen Women's league.

Mrs. Blinn was one of the daughters of Reverend and Mrs. Charles W. Powelson, the father being a member of the old Iowa conference, who in 1892 was sent to the Mt. Pleasant circuit, and served five years. In Mrs. Blinn's parsonage stories, Prudence of the Parsonage, and others, the scene was here in Mt. Pleasant and the period the five years of her father's service here. The stories are redolent of the old parsonage and the many references to locale. We remember Pastor Powelson very well, and his good wife and their interesting children.

Ethel, the author, graduated from Iowa Wesleyan with the class of 1909. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi, and active in all college affairs. In 1911 she was married to Mr. W.J. Hueston and still subscribes her literary work as by "Ethel Hueston" Some years after the death of her husband in 1917 she married an army officer, Captain Edward J. Best, who lived but a few years. A few years ago she married, the third time, Randolph Blinn, who for many years was connected with federal activities in the national capital.

Ethel Hueston's sister, Clara, also graduated from Wesleyan with the class of 1906, became a school teacher. She was married in 1916 to James C. Vaughn, but in 1917 she died at her home in California and was brought back here for interment by her parents.

Another one of "those Powelson girls" is Mary Powelson Warhurst of our community. She graduated from Wesleyan with the class of 1917. While in college she organized a chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha. Later she took her degree of B.E. at Columbia School of Expression and her A.M. at the Columbia School of Speech in 1931.

Mrs. Warhurst served as director of speech at Muscatine high school for three years; at Des Moines university for four years, and Iowa Wesleyan six years. Under the pen name of "Thrall Buell" she has written much. "Thrall Buell" calls up memories of the grandfather of Mrs. Warhurst; also of his Arabian stallion. Mr. Buell lived on Division street and the residence and acreage now owned by Mr. White, the dairyman. Mr. Buell was a retired minister. Prior to his death he caused to be erected on the acreage east of the residence and now an orchard, a large tomb of unusual architecture. His directions as to the disposal of his earthly remains were that he be placed in a glass covered casket, the casket placed in the tomb and then sealed with a heavy stone slab. It was also directed that each year, on the anniversary of his death, the stone slab was to be lifted and all who so desired might view the remains. This was done according to instruction.

However, the tomb caused so much public curiosity and unkind comment that it was decided by relatives to remove the tomb and its occupant to Forest Home cemetery. The tomb stands in the southwest corner of the cemetery, and near the not often used entrance. The inscriptions on the tomb are rather unusual but so far we know the tomb has never been reopened after its removal. At that time, those in charge of the removal of the tomb saw the face and form of Mr. Buell and stated that there was little apparent physical change in the familiar features.

The "Parsonage" referred to so often in the "Parsonage" books, was the old parsonage of the Circuit on Lincoln street and not long ago taken down and the present modern parsonage built. Soon after leaving the Circuit charge, Rev. Powelson was engaged by Iowa Wesleyan as a field agent to solicit for the school and in which position he served for three years. Leaving the parsonage the Powelson family moved into the large square two-story residence on Exchange between Main and Broadway and known by our old timers as the Leisenring home.

Rev. C.W. Powelson served as a minister of the gospel for twenty full years, and also three years as a field agent for Wesleyan. He died at Davis City, Iowa, January 6, 1906, at the age of 57 years, and was brought back to Mt. Pleasant for interment at Forest Home.

-- “Bystander’s Notes“ by Charles S. Rogers, Publisher-Editor of The Free Press [weekly newspaper published in Mt. Pleasant, IA] Monday, March 12, 1945 p. 2