Saturday, June 23, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 23

June 23, 1927 – Captain Gerhard Folgero and his 42-foot Viking ship Leif Erickson sail into Duluth, completing a voyage from Norway. The ship was displayed in a Duluth’s Leif Erickson Park.

http://www.mnopedia.org/thisday



The Leif Erickson sails into Duluth Harbor

https://www.theduluthexperience.com/the-origin-of-duluth-
leif-erikson-park/

               __________________________________________________________

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, June 22, 2018

On This Date In Minnesota History: June 22

June 22, 1857 – Jane Grey Swisshelm was a well-known woman in the United States when she arrived in Minnesota on [this date]. Swisshelm, already an experienced journalist and editor of the Pittsburgh Saturday Visiter, argued for women's rights and the abolishment of slavery. To escape a troubled marriage and money problems, Swisshelm, along with her young daughter, moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, to be near family. Soon after their arrival she became editor of the St. Cloud Visiter and later created a new paper known as the St. Cloud Democrat. Her strong political opinions expressed in her papers, helped the early Republican Party dominate Minnesota politics. Jane Grey Swisshelm is known today as an abolitionist, a feminist, and a reconstructionist. Her ability to be heard in a time when women usually remained silent makes her a remembered figure in Minnesota history.”

http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/128swisshelm.htm


Jane Grey Swisshelm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Swisshelm
               __________________________________________________________

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, June 21, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 21

June 21, 1914 – Large damage is reported from various portions of Southern Minnesota, as the result of heavy rains early today. The most serious, and at the same time attended with the most miraculous escape from serious loss, was at Minnesota City, a village of some 200 people six miles north of Winona.


1


Rollingstone Creek, on which Minnesota City is located, overflowed its banks following a cloudburst about 5 a.m., causing a mill dam half a mile above the town to go out. The water in the creek is said to have raised at the rate of more than three feet an hour.

Two great channels were cut through the streets of the village, each from 20 to 25 feet deep and from 75 to 100 feet wide, yet not a building was damaged, according to reports received there late this evening.


2


At the corner of two of the principal streets of the village stands a hotel and in front of the building where this morning there was a broad and dry street there is now a raging river more than 20 feet deep and nearly 75 feet wide. The new-made stream cut itself clear to the building’s foundation, while at the rear is another new river, nearly as large and deep, although the building itself escaped any damage.

The water swept through the stock yards at the railway station, but there were only a few cattle in the stalls at the time so the damage was minimal.

The Chicago & Northwestern railway reports 150 feet of track washed out at Minnesota City and another serious washout at Plainfield.

Farmers throughout this part of the state report considerable loss to stock by the storm today, but it is not believed to be very heavy, however.

Two inches of rain fell in Winona today, but no serious damage reported.

Minnesota City officials claim their village has become on the verge of bankruptcy because of serious floods in the past and it was intimated today that assistance would be asked from the county to repair the present damage.


The Minneapolis Morning Tribune; “Southern Minnesota Town Is Flood Swept. Rollingstone Creek Overflows Banks Following Cloudburst Yesterday. Enormous Streams of Water Pour Through Village of Minnesota City. Railroads Are Undermined, Cattle Drowned, Property Damaged.”; June 22, 1914; p. 1.

1https://everycounty.org/2013/02/25/winona-county/ 

2The Minneapolis Morning Tribune
; June 23, 1914; p. 5.

               __________________________________________________________

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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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 20


June 20, 1910 – The big plant of the Virginia & Rainy Lake [Lumber] Company of Virginia, Minn., was menaced by a disastrous fire this afternoon.

The fire started in the slashings (tree debris) south of the plant and worked its way about as rapidly as a prairie fire across the marsh to nearly 100 feet on the big planning mill before it was gotten under control. Company and city hydrants being a considerable distance from the blaze, about 7,000 feet of hose was used in fighting the fire, but owing to the lack of water the fire was not getting under control without the department, mill employees and citizens.

The fire caused a big scare at the plant as it is one of Virginia’s largest and best industries. Upwards of $2,000,000 in insurance is carried by the company and it is estimated that the plant with the lumber now in stock is valued at about $3,000,000. About 200 men were put on watch this evening at the plant to avoid any further danger from the fire, which is still smoldering close to the plant. The intense heat of the past week has dried up everything and rain is badly needed.

The Duluth Herald; “Great Lumber Plant Menaced. Hard Work By Virginians, Fire Department and Mill Hands Effective.”; June 21, 1910; p. 9.



Virginia & Rainy Lake Company of Virginia, Minn.

http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/stlouis/postcards/varlco.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:
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 19

June 19, 1905 – C. H. Miles today received the first automobile that was ever in Bemidji, and the horseless vehicle is now at the Great Northern Depot.

Miles purchased the auto several months ago and has kept it at Hibbing, where he has large property interests. He decided, however, that the auto would be of more use to him in Bemidji than at the range town and shipped it to Bemidji with the result that it landed here safely today.

The Bemidji Daily Pioneer; “Miles Gets an Automobile. First Horseless Vehicle Owned by Bemidji Man Arrived Today.”; June 19, 1905; p. 3.



Bemidji Great Northern Depot

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_Depot_(Bemidji,_Minnesota)#/media/File:Bemidji_Great_Northern_Depot.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

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Monday, June 18, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 18


*June 18, 1892 – On this date, Mamie Schwartz, a little four and a half-year-old girl was last seen near her home at 174 East Ninth Street, St. Paul, between 3 and 4 p.m. When neighbors hear of the child’s disappearance, some of them said they had seen her standing near a street organ grinder, which was playing in the block. All that (Saturday) night a search was made by her parents, assisted by relatives, but no trace of the girl could be found.


Mamie Schwartz

The missing child, from a photograph taken when she was two years old1

The most important, and in fact, the only clue to the disappearance of the girl was given to police detectives on Monday morning, when the proprietor of the West House hotel, on West Tenth Street, informed Mrs. Schwartz that on Saturday afternoon a woman called at his place. She put a dollar on the desk and said she wanted to use his sitting room for a short time. She left a small yellow satchel and went out. As near as he could tell it was about 3 p.m. when she first called. Sometime afterward she returned with a child and asked for soap, water, a towel and a pair of scissors. These were furnished and she cut the child’s hair and put on a dress, which she took from the satchel. As she entered the hotel, she remarked, “Well, I have found my child.” Because the proprietor would not accept pay for the use of the room, she ordered a lunch, which was brought to her. A few minutes later when the hotel keeper looked into the room, both the woman and child were gone.

The proprietor of the hotel did not pay much attention to the woman, and the only description he could give was that she was of slender build, dressed neatly in black, and acted very nervously. The child’s appearance he did not notice, except that she had a habit of looking up sideways to anyone talking. This, Mrs. Schwartz says, convinces her that the girl was her daughter.

A plea was made to Minn. Governor Nelson for help and a state reward of $500 was offered upon Mamie’s disappearance. A circular announcing this was sent to the Superior police and the matter was turned over to Capt. Gallagher of the police force.

The family and police continued to look for the girl, but it was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth, until…

On June 4, 1893, Valentine J. Schwartz, a pressman on the Daily Volkszeitung, identified his five-year-old daughter, Mamie Florence Schwartz, abducted from her St. Paul home last June, today in West Superior, Wis.

Three weeks ago, at a circus in West Superior, Capt. Gallagher identified the child but preferred to communicate with Minn. Gov. Nelson before taking proceedings to recover her. She was discovered through a birthmark, a small red spot on the back of her neck. This information was given to Mr. Schwartz and he arrived in the city late Saturday night. Sunday morning he identified the girl as his daughter, and there was a most happy reunion. The little girl recognized him at once, and, throwing her arms about his neck, kissed him fervently and called him father. Information at hand led the police to believe the child was taken immediately from St. Paul to Duluth, where she was kept by her unknown abdustress for several months.




Mamie when she was found2



“The woman took me to Duluth on a street car.” Her abductress had evidently become tired of keeping her, and had placed her in the family of the Levins, of the East end, to board. She was to pay them $3 per week board, but only paid this for a few weeks. In Feb. the Levins determined to move to N. D., and were about to turn the child over to the county, when Joseph Allard, a Northern Pacific switchman, went through the legal formality of adopting her. Allard had no children, and was very much attached to the little girl.

He was loath to turn her over to her father, and kissed her an affectionate goodbye. Mrs. Schwartz had several months ago given up hope of ever finding his little daughter. He said: “When I was coming on the train from St. Paul Saturday night I thought to myself if I do not find Mamie this time…I will give up all hope of ever seeing her again.”

Little is known of the child’s abductress, as the Levins family gave the child to Allard, and had themselves little or no information or history to share.


1Saint Paul Daily Globe; “Where Is Mamie? Not the Slightest Trace Obtained of the Missing Child. The Detectives Beginning to Move With a Little Vigor. Facts of the Disappearance and Description of the Girl. Evidence Indicates That Mamie Schwartz has Been Kidnaped.”; June 26, 1892; p. 2.

St. Paul Daily Globe; “Little Mamie Found. Capt. Gallagher, of the West Superior Police. Locates the Lost Child. She Is Recognized by a Birthmark on the Back of Her Neck. Recognized by her Father and Now on Her Way to St. Paul. The Child First Taken to Duluth by an Unknown to Abductress.”; June 5, 1893; p. 1.

2The Saint Paul Globe; May 4, 1895; p. 3.
               __________________________________________________________

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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Sunday, June 17, 2018

On This Date in Minnesota History: June 17


June 17, 1889 – Fredrick L. McGhee had the distinction of becoming the first African American to practice at the bar of the Supreme Court of Minnesota.1


Fredrick L. McGhee2

“Born a slave in Mississippi in 1861, McGhee would take on civil rights cases and serve as an emissary to Catholic prelates in Minnesota. In 1905 he would help the organizational precursor to the NAACP, the Niagara Conference. He died September 19, 1912, in St. Paul.”3

1The Appeal; June 22, 1889; p. 1.

2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrick_McGhee

3http://www.mnopedia.org/thisday

Remembering Fredrick L. McGhee—Celebrating Black History Month in Minn.; see blog Feb. 1, 2014.
               __________________________________________________________

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