Memories
from Arliss Powell
 
Dec 2008 - to Pat O'Dell in regards to the Douglas Twp, Page Co, Iowa 1925 census
Pat, I am going to use the numbers in order for any comments, questions, corrections, suggestions, etc.
 
001  Adolph Schultz was my Dad's baptism sponsor.  The Kluth name is the family connection.  From the time I was old enough to remmeber, Adolph and "Ricka" lived on "Wall Street" just as you got in Clarinda from the north!
 
019 -  I went to school with Viola--lst grade thru high school.  She is in poor health, but I think still living in Clarinda.  Never married.
 
029 and 030 - That spelling doesn't seem right.  Henrietta was a common name or Harriet.  I knew that family, but don't remember this lady.
 
031 - This Ohlansahn or Ohlansalen doesn't even sound German to me.  I can't even come up with anything close,  I knew the Ernsting family -- Kluth again the connecting link, as well as Krull.  Not much help on this one.
 
033 - The daughter's name was Lily.  She had red hair! 
 
076 - I believe Herb's father was J. Sunderman.   Herb's wife was also a Sunderman! 
 
080 - Eunice and I went to school from day 1 thru HS.
 
083 - I think the name should have been spelled Dietrich - Anglicized to Dick.
 
084 -  I believe the spelling was Kettler.  Story was told he sold "hooch" out of his buggy in early prohibition days. 
 
086 - I never heard this lady called anything but "Frona".  It may have been a nickname
 
089 - Again, I knew who the Royers were, but no clue about the last name of Cullison.
 
091 - Last name Serots is unknown to me.
 
093 - Dolph's mother was called "Lottie" but her name was Charlotte 
 
094 - Rosa- always called Rosie - another of my Dad's cousins
 
112 - Jean - don't know
 
127 - Looks like the census taker didn't know how to spell Gennevive - but maybe the mother came up with a fancy name for her daughter.
 
135 - I'm sure this is Paul Freudenburg.  Probably bad handwriting!
 
001 - I wonder if this shouldn't have been Sophia Oline.   There are Olines who lived next door to my uncle Bill's in Bethesda (see 054)
 
013 - Makes me do some serious searching on my own genealogy.  I knew this family. What stops me cold is that it shows her mother as Rebecca Grimme born Germany.  My great-grandmother's name was Rebecca Grimme--but she was married to Ludwig Rurode!  Also in Germany!  More bricks to knock down!!!
 
040 - That daughter's name Alflied makes no sense.  Doesn't sound Swedish, but my Swedish naming is second or third hand. Again, maybe bad handwriting on the part of the census taker.
 
056 - I'm thinking it would have been Esther rather than Ester.  Her father's name is Jaebker.  He baptized me.  Another family I knew well - Valera and I were lst grade to high school.  Her married name is Cary and she still lives in Clarinda.
 
082 - Another family I knew well.  Hannah was the more usual spelling in that day. 
 
083 - Jean seems correct.
 
084 - His name was Morris. 
 
089 & 090 - I believe the mother's name would have been Louisa rather than either of the garbled spellings.  The surname Rolker is more probable as she was born in Germany.
 
111 - I think this should have been Wallin.  Especially in German, the W is pronounced like a V so the census taker might have heard "Vallin" -- like my father was called "Valter" by his parents.
 
141 - I don't recall hearing a name close to Thrya - again this may be a shortened version of a Swedish name.
 
147 - Again, a possible Swedish name  but I am not familiar with anything similar
 
020 - Blankenmore  does not sound at all German.  I know of no German surnames that end with "more'. 
 
023 - I'd guess her name was Lucia.  Could Lucie have been poor handwriting?  Or possibly Lucinda.  Lucie wasn't a common oldtime nickname to my knowledge - if it was it was spelled Lucy.
 
035 - Wouldn't you hate to be named Louse??  Probably Louise, but that's just a guess as the family would have lived among the Swedish descent folks and I didn't know them.
 
046 - I remember hearing the name Anslem Warner but know nothing of his wife's father E.P.?
 
054 - Another school mate - Marjorie was a year ahead of me--she married one of my distant good looking cousins.
 
055 - Don't recognize the name Mernnie.  Knew the family.
 
060 - Yes, his name was LaVon.   Good family friends.
 
064-067 - My uncle and aunt.  Wacker is the correct spelling, contrary to what my Mother had told me!  And Ruth was born in 1916 and Wayne in 1921, so Wayne would have been 4 years old.
 
068 - 072 -  Seems unreasonable that she would change her name when she began having children!
I did not know this family, so I'm no help.  I suppose the Swedish Lutheran Church, Bethesda, may have records, or birth certificates of the children if it is important to a descendant.
 
083 - The name Rode is strange.  My mother's maiden name was Rurode and there were several Mary Rurodes along the line, including my mother's oldest sister and mother's second cousin!  How-ever I never heard of any connection to the Nothwehr family other than by marriage.
 
084 - I think the name was spelled Kettler.
 
097 - Mother's maiden name Despins doesn't ring any bells.  Was she perhaps born in the Hill Country of Missouri.  Now I'm getting silly!
 
109 - Crestosson doesn't make sense.  Wonder if it could have been Christianson? 
 
116 - Douliegh?   Never heard of such a name.  Maybe a Swedish family name?
 
126 - I kind of recall a Harry Strickland but not a sure thing.
 
133 - I'd be willing to bet the mother's name was Marie (possibly originally Maria).
 
002 - Arvid Hull - Yes, I remember that name.
 
024 - Wam???  HuJa??  - Never heard of a one-syllable Swedish name.  Nor that HuJa.  Bad handwriting???
 
051 - My uncle Bill Baumgarten.  It shows Wm.  His baptized name was Willie.  He was called Will or Bill---but never William.  His mother's name was Sophie -- Sophia was his grandmother!!!  Her maiden name was Puls. How did the census taker get Pyle out of that?  And, his parents were married in Iowa, not Germany - See the Immanuel Marriage info  8-6-1885.
 
052 - My aunt's name was spelled Frieda.  Her father was Dietrich Nothwehr and yes, Kettler was her mother's maiden name. 
 
078 - Hardiman doesn't sound right.  There were Vardimans (or Vardaman)  who lived in the area. 
 
098 - I think Anna's mother was Elizabeth Herzog.
 
106 - Ida was a fairly common name, but Ada wasn't.  But I didn't know that family.
 
114 - I seem to recall that name Hilmer. 
 
115 - I'd be willing to bet her name as Veda, which I heard of now and then.
 
I'm sending a copy of this to myself so I can go back and check later to see if I have missed any that I really know about.  Being an old "paper" gal, I tend to use a lot of paper and ink!
 
Well, I've taken time to proof this, so hope there are not too many typos.  My neighbor just brought over a salad with little potato things - so it's time to go eat!
 
I hope some of this is helpful.  Happy New Year!  Arliss
 
 
 arlissann80@comcast.net
 
 
 
 
 
Oct 2010 - to Jan Price at Nodaway Valley Musuem

Jan, yes, I do have a lot of Clarinda history, both church and family.   I was born on my parents farm 6 miles northwest of Clarinda, attended Immanuel Lutheran church and school, was Valedictorian of the Rural 8th Grade in 1937, graduated from Clarinda High in 1941.  Orchestra, plays, etc. helped this farm kid round out her life--more important than the very top grade.  Then I  attended American Inst. of Business in DesMoines on a scholarship, went to work, met this cute guy and married him.  We moved to Tucson in March 1957 after having visited another Clarinda/Immanuel classmate who coaxed us to make the move.

 

My Grandfather Fred Baumgarten was great at telling family stories to his only granddaughter while his grandsons ran and played out  on the  lawn!   He taught me to read and write German.  That led to my translating the old German Immanuel Lutheran church records into English several years ago.

 

My mother, Laura Rurode Baumgarten, and her family got together at Christmas, Baptisms, birthdays, and sometimes just because!    She was especially close to her next sister Auguste Rurode Herzberg.   They lived only about 2 miles from us and we exchanged work such as putting up hay, butchering, etc.    Aunt Gussie and my Mother were good at telling tales about their family, growing up, neighbors, etc.

 

When the genealogy bug bit after my husband passed away, all of these stories, church records  and then the Internet combined to make putting it in print easy.  I have traced my husbands family back to the year 1045.   I tend to run off at the keyboard as you see!  

 

I am getting some pictures ready for Pat...some over 100 years old.  Grandpa Baumgarten had a camera that used the old glass negatives and apparently loved to experiment with it!

My husband and I inherited some of the negatives and printed them, others were passed down from Grandpa B. to my parents, to me.    I ended up with all the "trash and treasures".

 

In the very near future, I will be mailing you my treasure trove of Immanuel items.  I have the 75th, 100th and 125th anniversary booklets, plus some other info that was gleaned at that time.   You may already have some or all of these.   I am glad that the Museum is gatherine information on rural churches as they were so important to farmers in the horse-and-buggy days.   Besides religion, they served  as community centers, a place to exchange ideas, help in cases of emergency, farm work such as threshing crews, etc.

 

I remember my dad putting his spade over his shoulder  to go to Immanuel church to help dig a grave - he'd walk thru the field when the  roads were mud or snowed shut.  He was often called on because we were that close to the church and he could get there.

 

I am 87 years old.   My husband and I were both only children, and the Good Lord didn't see fit to bless us with children.   So you see, I have no children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews to leave these "treasures" to.   I'm not getting ready to commit suicide or any such stupid thing, but I'm just trying to get things  to people who will appreciate and understand them--so they aren't just heaved into the trash!  I want it to be MY decision.

 

My Dad, Walter Baumgarten, served in WWI.  I know you have some of the l-o-n-g pictures of the WWI servicemen from Page Co.   Among the pictures I am sending Pat are pictures of him, his cousin and a good friend--all in those ugly uniforms!  And I am including the series of postcards my Dad received in connection with his Army service.   These may be a bit more "rare" than the pictures.   I have his slightly beat-up "dog tags".   May I donate them?    Again, these wouldn't mean anything to grandchildren of cousins who never knew the man, or hardly know me.

 

In my Family Tree Maker genealogy program, all I have to do is hit "print" and I can send you umpteen "memories" - both facts and things I knew or was told.    On my "Next project" list.

 

You're going to be sorry you asked for this Clarinda stuff!    Use what you can, store what you think should be stored, and re-cycle the rest  of the paper.

 

What does the Museum have in the way of information about the railroad that used to run thru Clarnda?    My husband was a Master  Model Railroader who got me hooked on railroad history.   The CB&Q still ran on occasion after my parents moved to Clarinda in about 1954.   From the farm we could hear the whistle of the train from Villisca to Clarinda on rainy nights!

 

It's been awhile since I've been to visit the Museum, but I am proud of it and have had nice comments from friends here in Tucson who have stopped to visit there.   You already have a quilt that I have donated.  

 

I am still able to live alone - with the help of wonderful neighbors and great friends -  I still drive (daytime only), wear hearing aids, have to take a cane away from home, still do oil painting classes every week, attend church every Sunday - so life is pretty good for this old gal!

 

Arliss Powell

2465 W. Kessler Pl.

Tucson, Az.  85705-1851

 

520-887-8954

 
Oct 2010 - to Pat O'Dell

Can't wait to finish up with the photos so I can get them on their way.  I'll send the Immanuel church programs, etc. directly to Jan.   I think I'll send you all the pictures and then you can pass them on for whatever use they may be.   

 

I guess I am a frustrated writer deep down in my soul - my mind is going a hundred miles an hour as to how to put down some church history.   Probably re-read my Aunt Frieda's comments and go from there.   Start with my early childhood recollections - how the women sat on the left hand side of the aisle and the men on the right side; school age children in the front rows - girls on the female side, boys on the male side.   When you were confirmed you got to sit in the balcony!   A rite of passage.    Pipe organ was in the balcony.  

 

I do have a lot of knowledge of the school being closed during WWI as some people  had thought  they were German sympathizers because they had church services in German and taught German in their school..   My mother was the last class confirmed in German so I do have a date line to go by as well as stories told. 

 

Here I go - already running  down a new project path.   Computers are so wonderful in that you can store, go back, edit, insert a whole paragraph or two, etc.  I often find myself stuck with a particular adjective and use it over and over.   On the computer, I can use a different word or phrase - even look it up in ye olde dictionery!   Yeah, I have a big old one that I use a lot, plus a German/English one.  They sit on the floor right under my computer tower!    Along with my copy of the old Immanuel records! 

 

I only hope my small contributions are helpful.    They are therapy to me!   Will give you a HeadsUp when I mail these.   Arliss