Saturday, November 7, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 7

November 7, 1931 – “Despite an all-time low during the Great Depression, the Scandia community puts on a fair. Featured at this event [were] calves, crops, and culinary displays, and $45 in premiums. Another popular attraction [was] the ten cent lunch.”

http://projects.wchsmn.org/reference/events/scandia-community-fair/




Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain Oct. 18, 2013,
as long as acknowledgement included.
 
    __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com 




Friday, November 6, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 6

November 6, 1875 – The new steam engine invented by James W. Wright of Minneapolis—the patent owned by Wright and Dr. Rogers—was tested today at the North Star Iron Works.

The steam was turned on and a steam indicator applied. According to a watch held by Mr. Bush, foreman of North Star Iron Works, the engine reached 2,325 revolutions per minute. A belt was then run over the pulley, to which was attached a large grind stone and a machine lathe in which a large shafting was being turned, and it ran easily, as though nothing was attached. Other tests were applied, and engine performed nobly.

The advantages claimed are, first, cheapness of construction, not costing more than one-third as much as an ordinary engine.

Second, economy of space.

Third, continuous power, having no dead entries.

Fourth, value with no friction.

Fifth, greater power and speed.

Two-thousand revolutions per minute is the greatest speed ever attained up until now by a cylinder engine, while this engine easily reached 2,300, and the owners feel confident of its making 3,000 under favorable circumstances.


Minneapolis Daily Tribune; “The New Steam Engine. The Keeley Motor Eclipsed by a Minneapolis Invention.”; Nov. 7, 1875; p. 1.




North Star Iron Works
http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~22479~740095:North-Star-Iron-Works,-Washburn,-Da?sort=pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no&qvq=w4s:/where%2FMinneapolis%2B(Minn.);sort:pub_list_no_initialsort%2Cpub_date%2Cpub_list_no%2Cseries_no;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=10&trs=26

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com 

 


Thursday, November 5, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 5

November 5, 1910 – With a terrific noise, a large gasoline tank, the feed supply of a multi-burner stove in the Railroad Eating House near Hiawatha Ave. in Minneapolis, exploded this evening. The flames drove occupants of the place to the street, fatally burning Adon Morris, the proprietor, who died later at the City Hospital, and resulting in a partial destruction of the two-story frame building.

In dragging Morris, in a semi-conscious and delirious condition to the street, Matt Madigan, pipeman at No. 13 Hose Company, was severely beaten about the face by the hysterical man, whose lungs were full of smoke and who unconsciously fought like an animal. It was necessary for three firemen to sit on Morris while a doctor attended his burns. He died after two hours of suffering.

The blast occurred just before supper time, when four men were eating in the restaurant. Morris was at the rear of the restaurant when the tank blew up, hurling the counter across one corner of the room and sending the burning fluid all over the woodwork. Morris was pinned down by the counter, which had fallen across his back. The room burst into flames at every point.

In answer to a still alarm, Hose Company No. 13 arrived at the scene. Told there were still people in the building, Pipeman Madigan dropped the hose and rushed into the flames. Groping on his hands and knees through the smoke and fire, Madigan’s outstretched hands came in contact with the man pinned under the counter. Madigan lifted up the heavy counter and with his foot shook the seemingly lifeless body. Morris revived suddenly and groping blindly forward, he wrapped his arms around the giant fireman’s legs in a vice-like grip. Madison fell to the floor.

Burning timbers and firebrands were falling thick about them and the air was choking hot with flames. Madigan, gasping for breath, tried to break the grip of the delirious man, but was unable to shake him off. He started crawling over the burning floor, dragging Morris behind him.

Streams of water were playing on the flames by the time Madigan reached the street. Both men were burned and blackened. As Morris breathed the fresh air, his senses revived and, jumping up suddenly, he bowled over Madigan with an unexpected blow. Firemen and neighbors threw themselves upon the frantic man and pinned him to the ground.

The flames almost completely devoured the frame building and entailed an estimated loss of about $1,500. The loss is covered by insurance.


The Minneapolis Morning Tribune
; “Man Fells Rescuer; Burns Prove Fatal. Gasoline Tank Blast Wrecks Restaurant—Owner is Trapped in Ruins. Proprietor, Crazed by Burns, Knocks Fireman Down With Blow. Railroad Eating House is Wrecked by Fire-Hurling Explosion.”; Nov. 6, 1910; p. 1.




http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@fire/documents/images/wcms1p-083107.jpg
               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com 

 






Wednesday, November 4, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 4

November 4, 1905 – Three Minneapolis children – Elizabeth Brennan, 15; Alice Brennan, 10, and Arthur Brennan, 5 – were shot and killed early this morning while sleeping in the same bed; their brother Tommy Brennan, 12, and stepmother Stella Brennan, 23, were also shot, although not fatally. James Brennan, the victims’ father and husband, was working the evening shift at the fire station when the shooting occurred.

W. G. Farmer and his wife, who live on the first floor below the Brennans’ rooms, both say they heard three shots in quick succession, and then two more shortly thereafter.

From her hospital bed Stella Brennan claims a strange man shot the children through a window, and then shot her and Tommy. Minneapolis police, on the other hand, believe Stella Brennan was the shooter. The wounds of the dead children had severe powder burns, indicating the gun was shot only five to six inches from the victims. Police say it would have been impossible for anyone to shoot the children in their bedroom from outside of the house. The shots therefore had to have been made by someone inside the house.

Stella and James Brennan were first married in Chicago on June 24, 1903, and then divorced in April 1905. The couple was a volatile mismatch from the beginning, and separated prior to their actual divorce.



James and Stella Brennan
Minnesota Historical Society File Photo

Mrs. Brennan in applying for a divorce from James Brennan, claimed that her husband had thrown “mystic powder” at her on the street to induce her to return to him after their separation. The judge decided she was a “frivolous person” and her husband a “cad.” As to the “mystic powder,” this was said to be related to her early reading of Anderson’s fairy tales.

Brennan was a widower with for children when the couple wed in June, his first wife having died of heart disease. His girl wife testified that these children were the first cause of their troubles.



Brennan Children - Elizabeth, Tommy, Alice and Arthur
Minnesota Historical Society File Photo

“I did not like them,” she said. James threw kerosene all over one night and on another occasion hit me with a wet towel.” This was the occasion of her leaving him. She ran away to Kalamazoo, Mich., and was taken back by her husband. She left again a few weeks later.

“I met James at State and Madison streets one night,” she said, “and he induced me to go home by throwing mystic power at me. I could not see it, but I knew he did it. I felt strange and my will power was paralyzed.”

“She can have a divorce without alimony,” said the Judge. “The girl is a giddy thing and the husband is a cad. She should have had more sense than to marry a man with four children. It takes a long-headed girl to do that.”

They recently reconciled and remarried in Minneapolis on Aug. 25, 1905. It is said Stella Brennan did not like sharing her husband’s attention with his four children, and police believe she may have become temporarily deranged because of her jealousy of the children. Mrs. Brennan has previously tried twice to commit suicide.

Cook County, Illinois, Marriages Index, 1871-1920

Iron County Register; “A Minneapolis Tragedy. Mrs. Stella Brennan Kills Three Stepchildren, Fatally Wounds a Fourth and Attempts Suicide.”;  Ironton, County, Mo.; Nov. 9, 1905;
p. 2.

Minneapolis Tribune; “Blamed. Coroner’s Jury Brings in Verdict Charging Stella Brennan with Murder. Wounded Boy Tells Story Favoring Mother. Edward Helin Says Faces of Children Were Burned With the Powder.”; Nov. 9, 1905; p. 7.

Minneapolis Journal; “Tells with Sobs of Dead Mother. Tommy Brennan Breaks Down Only Once. Tears Flow as Attorney E. S. Cary Persists in Referring to Mother Whom Brennan Children Loved Dearly---Boy Is Unshaken by Lawyer’s Sever Cross-Examination.”; Dec. 21, 1905; p. 5.

Charleston News and Courier; “Divorce in Chicago. Judge Kavanagh hears Case of “Giddy Thing Against “Cad.”; Charleston, SC; June 11, 1905.


Stella Brennan indicted by the coroner's jury for murder of her stepdaughter; see Nov. 9, 2015 blog

Stella Brennan indicted by Hennepin County grand jury for murder of her three stepchildren; see Nov. 21, 2015 blog

County Attorney outlines the state’s theory of the Stella Brennan murder case in his opening statement; see Dec. 19, 2015 blog

Stella Brennan spends Christmas in hospital room of the Hennepin County Jail; see Dec. 25, 2015 blog

Stella Brennan Found Guilty; sentenced to the State penitentiary for life; admits she is in a family way; see Dec. 30, 2015 blog

Daughter is born to Stella Brennan in Stillwater State Prison; see July 26,2016 blog

The prison-born babe of Mrs. Stella Brennan leaves for Mich. today with her maternal grandmother; see Oct. 18, 2016 blog.



              __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including: 
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website:  
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at: 
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com 



Tuesday, November 3, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 3

November 3, 1911 – The Aberdeen Hotel, St. Paul’s exclusive apartment house at Virginia and Dayton avenues, was threatened with destruction by fire this afternoon, which did cause damage to the extent of between $10,000 and $15,000. Damage was caused mostly by smoke and water. The fire started on the seventh floor and is said to have been caused by defective electric wiring near the freight elevator shaft.

A panic among the tenants resulted from the alarm, but no one was injured. Three women confined to their rooms by sickness, were rescued. Mrs. Cal E. Stone was carried from her apartments on the sixth floor to the office. She was in a weak condition. Mrs. Masqueray, wife of E. L. Masqueray, architect of the Minneapolis pro-cathedral and the St. Paul Cathedral, was carried from her apartments on the sixth floor. She was unable to leave her room without assistance. Mrs. S. T. McNamara, who had been confined to her room on the seventh floor, was rescued before the flames spread that far.

Miss Clara King, telephone operator, notified the tenants of every apartment. George Sherman, manager of the hotel, directed the rescuing of the sick tenants and succeeded in preventing a serious panic. Lawrence Koppy, elevator operator, made several trips up and down the smoke-choked shaft.

Fifteen streams played on the fire for nearly two hours. Several hoses burst.

The hotel is owned by the La Crosse syndicate and is valued at $700,000. The loss is covered by insurance.


The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Tenants of Family Hotel Panic Stricken by Fire. Three Top Floors of Aberdeen, St. Paul, Burn, With $15,000 Loss. Invalid Woman Carried to Safety by House Attendants Under Manager’s Direction.”; Nov. 4, 1911; p. 1.




The Aberdeen Hotel, St. Paul
http://forgottenminnesota.com/wp-content/gallery/aberdeen/hotels4.jpg

               __________________________________________________________


If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com  





Monday, November 2, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 2

November 2, 1993 – “Sharon Sayles Belton was elected mayor of Minneapolis, the first African American and the first woman to hold the office. She had worked for the State Department of Corrections and as assistant director for the Minnesota Program for Victims of Sexual Assault. She ran on a family-centered platform.”

http://www.thehistorypeople.com/data/docs/timeline-part3.pdf




Sharon Sayles Belton
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=tree/Geography%3A+United+States/Minnesota

               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com 

 


Sunday, November 1, 2015

On This Date in Minnesota History: November 1

November 1, 1849 – “A memorial for an appropriation to construct a Minnesota Territorial Prison is presented to and approved by Congress. Construction of the prison begins at Stillwater in 1851 and the first stage is completed by 1853.”

http://projects.wchsmn.org/reference/events/minnesota-territorial-prison-proposal-approved/




Original Stillwater State Prison

http://projects.wchsmn.org/reference/events/minnesota-territorial-prison-proposal-approved/
               __________________________________________________________

If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in Minnesota, I specialize in researching  genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis., including:
census records,  birth records,  death certificates, obits, grave site photos, ship passenger lists, marriage records and declarations of intent/naturalization records.  I will visit locations to research local history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS records.  Both short searches and family history reports.

Website: 
TheMemoryQuilt.com ®  click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com