Saturday, October 7, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 7

October 7, 1897 – Judge Bunn’s division of district court in St. Paul was thronged today with applicants for final letters of naturalization, and, when he adjourned court this evening, he had turned 83 alien residents into full-fledged American citizens, entitled to vote and enjoy the benefits of all the country’s institutions. Just before adjournment he broke the record for the wholesale manufacture of citizens by swearing in 20 Scandinavian aliens in a group.

Lest it be construed from this that Judge Bunn is at all careless in this work of naturalization, it is quite the contrary. He is most deliberate and painstaking in bringing to the surface every point involved in the process. He questions applicants and their witnesses thoroughly and very often the latter are put through a more rigid catechism than are the applicants.

At noon today the judge had made 37 citizens in 90 minutes. The court room was crowded with the subject of nearly every foreign government, among them being three Turks, Englishmen, Austrians, Frenchmen, Germans, Russians, a Prussian, Irishmen, Danes, Norwegians and Swedes. In every instance the oath was administered by Deputy Clerk Sandel, and the entries are made in an ante-room adjoining the court.

Judge Bunn has decided to hold no more night sessions for the purpose of naturalization until next Tuesday. Probably two nights will be set aside the forthcoming week for this work.

The Saint Paul Globe; “Need of Second Papers. It Is Being Daily Impressed on the Voters.”; Oct. 8, 1897; p. 2.




Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson at Minnesota History Center. Released into the public
domain, as long as acknowledgement included.
__________________________________________

“The person seeking to become a citizen first went to a local ‘court of record’ that is any court that kept permanent records of its proceedings, and declared that it was his ‘bona fide intention’ to become a citizen of the United States and to renounce allegiance to his former country. This usually involved making a sworn statement before a judge and signing a printed document. It should be noted that because women could not vote during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and few women purchased land or homesteaded, it is unusual to find a naturalization record for female immigrants before the 1920’s. Some years later (the usual required period was 5 years) the applicant would reappear before the court with two witnesses who would swear that he had been a good citizen. The applicant would then take the oath of allegiance before the judge and be officially declared a citizen of the United States. If he was married and had children born overseas, his wife and minor children would automatically become citizens. Children born to a married couple after their arrival in America were considered citizens by birth, regardless of their parents’ status.

“Most of the records from this period, both ‘declaration of intention’ and ‘final papers’, contain only basic information. At best the first papers might give port and date of arrival, and even less frequently the town or city of birth. The usual forms only listed name, date of the oath and the country of origin. Final papers were equally sparse in content including name, date of oath, country of origin and names of witnesses – these were often relatives or neighbors.”

http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections/wp-content/uploads/podcasts//072_naturalization.pdf

               __________________________________________________________

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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
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Friday, October 6, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 6

October 6, 1905 – A sensational kidnapping was committed by an alleged tramp on this date in Mankato, the victim being Ormond Kusche, the 6-year-old son of Charles Kusche. The boy was enticed from his friends by offerings of candy and was not missed until late in the evening.

According to the story told by a friend of the Kushe boy, the stranger picked Ormond up and carried him in his arms a short distance down the street. After he had taken him away from his playmates, the man set the boy down and seemed to be giving him candy, and otherwise enticing him to go with him toward a piece of timber land on the side of the hill. The two were soon hidden from view of the passersby.

When Ormond did not return home with the other boys, his father set out to look for him. On learning the part that the tramp had played in the affair, he at once notified the police and a party of neighbors joined him in the search. Nothing was learned of the boy’s whereabouts, and the mother, who was in the search party, returned to the house all but prostrate with grief and fear. Members of the party, including Mr. Kusche, continued the search all night.

While on his way to work the next morning, George Kimball noticed a boy lying in a thicket close to the road. On approaching, he recognized him as the Kusche boy. Mr. Kusche was notified at once, and took the boy home.

The boy’s face was badly scarred, there are several cuts and gashes on his head and his whole body was terribly bruised. His nerves were seriously affected. His condition was aggravated by having lain all night on the damp ground.

Officers obtained a clue that the supposed tramp came to Mankato on Sunday with a woman, said by him to be his wife, from Morris, Minn. Both left suddenly the day of the kidnapping, and Sheriff Williams wired the sheriff of Stevens County to hold them if they return to that county. The motive behind the kidnapping is unexplainable at this time.

The Minneapolis Journal; “Kidnapping Laid To Man And Wife. Officials at Mankato Have Clues in Case of 6-Year-Old Kusche Lad.”; Oct. 7, 1905; p. 1.




http://www.mankato-mn.gov/Community/Page.aspx

               __________________________________________________________

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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
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Thursday, October 5, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 5

October 5, 2012 – The Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures’” paranormal investigation of the Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minn., first aired on this date.1 Author Sinclair Lewis was a night clerk at the hotel,2 which is believed to be haunted:

“A young boy died while staying at the hotel and he can be seen and heard bouncing his ball down the hallways. A man haunts many of the rooms of the hotel and is believed to throw glasses in the bar. Mysterious knocks have been heard from several of the rooms in the hotel. The hotel is haunted by Sinclair Lewis. There are bodies and bones buried beneath the hotel in the basement. Several guests have reported that although everything in the hotel was above their expectations, someone had let their kid run through the hallway all night long. The owner was very hesitant to tell them that on those nights, no children were staying in the hotel. Bartenders [say] that glasses that are stored on hanging hooks under the bar have come flying off the hooks, landing, and breaking clear across the room. Room 11 is often the site of many reports. It is said to be forever cold, as the room needs to be heated while other rooms are using air conditioner.”3

1
http://blog.travelchannel.com/the-traveling-type/2012/10/05/all-new-tonight-ghost-adventures-at-the-palmer-house-hotel/

2
http://www.thepalmerhousehotel.com/

3
http://www.unexplainedresearch.com/media/chad_and_terrys_favorite.html

http://www.thepalmerhousehotel.com/history.html




Palmer House Hotel in Sauk Centre, Minn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palmer_House_Hotel_(Sauk_Centre).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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com






Wednesday, October 4, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 4

October 4, 1914 - Clifford Bissonett, 21, of St. Paul, was instantly killed at Red Wing this afternoon when the balloon in which he was making an ascension caught fire and he was dashed 500 feet to the ground; his parachute failed to open. The balloon was more than a hundred feet in the air when a fire was first noticed. By the time Bissonett discovered he was in danger, the big bag was enveloped in flames. He cut his parachute loose but it was not until he was nearly to the ground that it started to open. Experts said the “accident was caused by the scorching of the muzzle rope.” Bissonett crashed to the ground, receiving a broken neck in the fall and dying a few seconds later.

Bissonett was hired to make ascensions during the three days of the Red Wing Harvest Festival that opened Tuesday. He made a special flight Sunday in connection with a baseball game. He was a well-known aeronaut; including ascensions at the State Fair, Bissonett made more than 200 ascensions in the past two years. A year ago he fell from a balloon at Thief River Falls and was badly injured. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Bissonett, two sisters and two brothers.

Wabasha County Herald; ”Fall Kills Aeronaut.”; Wabasha, Minn.; Oct. 8, 1914; p. 1.

The Zumbrota News; Oct. 9, 1914; p. 7.




https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/19225026_1490670199.6869_funddescription.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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com





Tuesday, October 3, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 3

October 3, 1906 – A young boy, approximately 3-years old, today sits in the Minneapolis police station waiting for someone to claim him. Who is he? Has some motherless tot been abandoned on the street? Or has an innocent little chap wandered away, leaving a sick, helpless—perhaps dying—mother at home alone? Where is his home? What is his story?


The Little Mystery

Whom Nobody Seems to Want and Whose Identity Puzzles the Police

Mystery still surrounds the young boy picked up in an exhausted condition by the south side police Monday afternoon. Not an inquiry has been made by any person who might identify him.

His feet blistered, perhaps from walking many blocks, and exhausted from hunger, the little fellow sat down Monday afternoon on a curb near Cedar Ave. and Fifth St., where he scanned the passing crowd eagerly, hoping to see someone who would take him home. Finally a big policeman picked him up and in spite of his hunger and aching feet, the boy smiled and fell asleep before he reached the station.

It was expected that the telephone would soon bring inquiries to identify the little fellow, but when no word was received all day yesterday, he was taken to Central Station, where he was left in charge of Matron Sarah Schaeffer.
Without a complaint or a tear, he has made himself at home in the corridors of the big building, but notwithstanding the kindness that is shown him, he constantly looks for his mother.

Although he talks plainly, he is unable to tell his last name. He says his first name is Peter, but he cannot tell the name of his parents nor where they live.

Every hour that passes deepens the mystery for the police. Nearly a dozen lost children are picked up daily, but they are rarely held at the station five minutes before frantic mothers notify the police. More often the police are notified even before the lost child is picked up.

This is the strangest of its kind that the police have dealt with. Two whole days have elapsed and no one has inquired for him; not a single clue that would that would aid in returning the boy to his parents has been found. Happy as he is, the police station is not a home, and unless he is soon claimed, a home will be found for him.

The Minneapolis Journal; “Who Is the Baby of The Cell? Where Is This Waif’s Mother? Smiling Little Chap in Police Station, Unclaimed, for Two Days. Puzzle to Police; Can’t Tell Name. Not an Inquiry, Not a Clue to Identify of Boy Found on Streets.”; Oct. 3, 1906; p. 1.
___________________________________

The child of the cells, the pretty baby boy picked up by the police on Cedar Ave., has been claimed.

He is Fritz Harmon, son of Frank Harmon, and the father, identifying his son by the photo published in The Journal, went to police headquarters to claim him.

The evident neglect of the little fellow, and the failure of the parents to inquire for him, have made the police suspicious  and the father was refused custody of the child until after an investigation by the Humane Society, which now has charge of the boy.

Harmon said that a woman who lives in the neighborhood asked permission to take the boy to a candy store.

He allowed the boy to go and when he did not return, he thought the woman kept him overnight. On the second night, Harmon said, he began to wonder where the little fellow had gone. Then last night he saw the boy’s picture in the paper and went to the courthouse.

“We intended asking the police something about him if he didn’t come home last night,” the father said to Matron Schaeffer, who questioned him. “We didn’t know where the woman lived, and were going to ask the police to find her.”


*


How the little fellow could wander to Cedar Ave. is still a mystery to the police and to the parents of the child. He had to cross the railroad tracks, where there is constant switching, and almost every moment he was in danger of being run over by a train or wagon.

As soon as The Journal was delivered in the homes last night, Matron Schaeffer’s telephone began to ring. More than a dozen good families wanted to give little Fritz a home, and all begged for the first chance. All were told that the boy had been claimed, and the sincerity of their offers was shown by the disappointment. Every person who called up the police said he was anxious to adopt Fritz legally.

The investigation by the Humane Society will be completed tonight and if the results show that Fritz should go home, he will be turned over to his mother.

The Minneapolis Journal; “Father Claims Baby of Cells. Frank Harmon Sees Child’s Picture in The Journal. Mystery of the Little Wanderer Picked Up by the Police Is Partly Solved, but the Authorities Want to Know Why the Parents Did Not Search for Their Baby.”; Oct. 4, 1906; p. 6.
___________________________________

Little Fritz Harmon will probably not be returned to parents.

Agents of the Humane Society have been investigating the case and say they have learned of appalling conditions in the child’s home. They have also found the woman who took the boy away from his home.

This woman, they say, is a friend of the family, and has been convicted more than a dozen times in police court on charges of drunkenness. She took the boy with her Monday. She went directly to the Milwaukee Station, where she offered to give the child to the first person who would care for it. Whether the parents authorized the woman to do this cannot be learned, but they have admitted that they did not worry much about his disappearance.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Harmon have been in court for failing to take care of their children, and a new complaint has been filed against them for non-support. Application has also been made to the probate court to take little Fritz away from the parents and place him in one of the many good homes that have been offered him.

Since the police refused to allow the child’s father to take the boy home, Mr. and Mrs. Harmon, they say, have shown little interest in the outcome of the case. They have not been to see him and have not shown good reasons why the child should be returned.

The Humane Society has already had many offers of good homes for the boy, and if the court heeds the society’s request, the child will be placed in one of them. He is so happy in his new surroundings that he says he never wants to go home and he appears to have forgotten that there ever was such a place.

The Minneapolis Journal; “’Baby of the Cells’ May Never Go Home. Humane Society Investigates Parents’ Indifference. Woman Well Known at Workhouse the One Who Took Little Fritz Harmon from Home—Conditions Looked into and Effort Made to have Child Placed Elsewhere.”; Oct. 7, 1906; p. 6.
___________________________________

*The Minneapolis Journal, May 19, 1903; p. 12.

               __________________________________________________________

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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com




Monday, October 2, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 2

October 2, 1903 – In a pitched battle between a sheriff’s posse and a gang of tramps near South Haven, Wright County, 20 miles from Buffalo, Minn., just off the Soo Road this afternoon, the leader of the tramps was killed, one of the band mortally wounded and another man badly shot.


Wright County Railroads1

This morning the sheriff, with one deputy, started in pursuit of a gang of thieving tramps that has been marauding in this area. It was known that the men had gone in the direction of South Haven. The sheriff located the men in a box car and not knowing they were armed, jumped into the car and demanded their surrender. The tramps covered the sheriff and his deputy with guns, made them throw up their hands and disarmed them.

Sheriff Young went into the town of South Haven and called a posse together. He secured plenty of volunteers, for the residents have been terrorized by the tramps.

 2


Young and his men found that the tramps had vacated the box car and taken to the fields. Their trail was followed for some distance, when, without warning, a volley was fired at the pursuers from ambuscade. None of the shots took effect and the members of the posse returned the fire.

They couldn’t see into the corn field, but many of the men were armed with shotguns and rifles and their fire was followed by screams of pain.

“We surrender,” shouted one tramp, standing up among the corn.

There had been six men in the tramp party. When the sheriff and his posse closed in, one lay dead, another was near death, a third was badly wounded and the others carried bullets in their skins.

The wounded men were brought to Buffalo this evening. There is much excitement and the survivors of the gang were hustled to jail through a crowd of 700 people who were of a temper to string them up.

 3


Axel Younger is said to be the name of the leader of the gang who was killed.

The prisoners were searched and in their possession were found a set of railroad signals, evidently procured for the purpose of train wrecking. Each of them was supplied with two Colt revolvers. One of the men had papers to show he was a member of a Rochester, N.Y., labor union. The coroner has decided to hold an inquest over the dead man.

It develops also that the tramps had a crude chart of the South Haven country and it is the consensus that they were plotting a train robbery on the Soo Line and were waiting for a good opportunity to strike.

The court room in Buffalo was turned into a hospital for three of the wounded. The body of the dead man was taken to South Haven and from a statement made by one of his pals, it is believed he is Gerald Shannon of Rochester, N.Y. Officials are communicating with Rochester and hope to get further light on identification.

The men are middle-aged and are tough appearing characters. The two who were only slightly hurt are in the Buffalo jail. The train robbery theory has further support in the fact that a quantity of dynamite was found near the men.

The Minneapolis Journal; “Robber Band Shot to Pieces. Wright County Sheriff and a Posse in Desperate Battle With a Gang of Tramps. Leader of the Band Killed and the Others Wounded, One of Them Mortally. Evidence Seems Conclusive That a Plot to Hold Up a Train Was Hatching.”; Oct. 3, 1903; p. 1.

1http://www.west2k.com/mnpix/wright1898.gif    


2
http://www.lakesnwoods.com/images/SouthH15.jpg

3http://progressivebuildersmn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/buffalo-mn.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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                        


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com





Sunday, October 1, 2017

On This Date in Minnesota History: October 1

October 1, 1901 – A most deplorable case was taken up in district court in Duluth this morning, and it developed a shocking state of things in a household two miles from Burnett, in Industrial Township, St. Louis County. John Fried, a man about 45 years of age or more, was on trial charge with having had carnal knowledge of Ellen Person, a girl who will not be 13 years of age until Dec.

The evidence showed that Fried was working with the girl’s father on the farm, and that he was boarding there. They had a family of five and only two sleeping rooms. They were crowded down stairs, and one of the children, a girl of 10 years, suggested that one of the girls occupy the attic with him. He consented, and they took turns about it. The alleged offense was committed under these conditions. The parents permitted the condition to exist, and seemed to think nothing evil would come of it. It went on for some time, according to the evidence, in fact, during all of Fried’s stay.

The jury in the case found Fried guilty. The punishment was not less than seven years and not more than 30 years.
____________

In the 1920 Census, 31-year-old Ellen is still single and living with her parents. I cannot find her after that, and wonder if she ever overcame her childhood trauma.
____________

Duluth Evening Herald; “Shocking. Terrible Depravity In a Burnett Home Is Exposed.”; Oct. 1, 1901; p. 2.

Duluth Evening Herald; “A long Term in Prison Awaits John Fried.”; Oct. 2, 1901; p. 3.




St. Louis County Courthouse

http://zenithcity.com/archive/lost-architecture/st-louis-county-courthouse-1883/

               __________________________________________________________

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 MNHS records. Both short searches and family history reports available.

                                                         


Discover your roots, and watch the branches of your family tree begin to grow.


Website:  TheMemoryQuilt.com > click on Family History

Contact me at:
pjefamilyresearch@gmail.com