VISITORS AND QUERIES
BY KAREN HANSEN
Donna Walters Muecke from Sheridan, Wyoming visited our genealogy room and left a message that she would like information on her father, Elmer WALTERS, and his family. We sent obituaries for his parents, August and Anna GREVE WALTERS and the 1919 Layton Township map, showing the location of their farm.
Ron and Lani ROSSMANN from Nashville, Tennessee came in to see the items that were found in the attic of the house where his grandparents and then his parents lived.
Claudia and Melvin Dowling from Gretna, Nebraska stopped in, looking for information on Melvin Leroy MYERS.
Frances Himrich from Custer, South Dakota and Cynthia Jewett from Aberdeen, South Dakota came in to research Henry and Frederika PAASCH KRUSE. They found obituaries and the location of their graves at the Layton Township Cemetery.
Gayle Stuart received a phone call from Omaha. The lady’s father is a LANGHOLZ and was born in Walnut. She wants to bring him out to visit his home and find obituaries and tombstones of the family.
Natalie Richards from Florida sent a folding tin cup in a leather pouch labeled Hugo Burmeister General Merchandise to Karen Hansen, whose grandmother was a BURMEISTER and relative of Hugo. Natalie is interested in information on Langdon, Iowa, where she lived from ’32 until ’53.
There have been many queries that we are researching. After much working on the OTT, DREYER, RONNA, MUELLER, GUMBERT, and BUHRMANN families with Alice Pollock of Willard, Missouri, she has shared her family history CD with us.
Karen and Jim Hansen found deeds for land in Monroe Township owned by Jens NASBY, Lars JENSEN and Peder PEDERSEN for Marilyn Pearce of Haslett, Michigan. They also photographed the Nasby and Jensen farms, Cuppy’s Grove Baptist Church and family stones at the cemetery. Many death and marriage records and family histories have been found for her. She wanted to connect with any relatives in the area and I was able to put her in touch with Judy Pedersen Ahrenholtz of Harlan.
Ed Cook from Burbank, California emailed about his visit to our “beautiful town” and wanted to know about our former theatre. He grew up in Iowa and is a movie theatre fan, having contributed a number of listings on the Cinema Tour website. Jim Hansen found the first theatre opened in 1909. It had various names: the Happy Hour Theatre, the Ritz Theatre, The Dreamland, and The Walnut Theatre. The theatre building became the AmVet Hall in 1955; the address is 303 Antique City Drive.
Janet & Richard Brandt are still trying to determine the relationship between James C. HOWARD and Albert Howard, who are buried together at Walnut.
Jim Pope of Marietta, Georgia found his great-great-grandfather John POPE in the 1850 Census in Virginia. It said that he was born in Maryland. According to a family chart, he was born in 1793 and his father was Peter Pope. Jim would like some help with finding further information.
Gail Whitted Buda would like information on the WHITTED, DICKEY, and HIGHT families. Mabel Faye Dickey was born here on October 19, 1876 and married Forrest Bates Whitted, son of Peoria Whitted from Exira, Iowa.
Fay Schlotfeldt from Rio Verde, Arizona would like to have obituaries of the SCHLOTFELDTs who are buried here. In the Layton Township Cemetery index listed are Eva, Henry, Homer, Katie, Lizzie, Louis, Nancy and Rudolph.
Norma Schaaf of Massena wants obituaries of the Gundys, who are buried in the Catholic Cemetery. Her husband’s aunt Verena GUNDY was married to John Schlicht and then to Roy Stokes. She and Karen plan to share information about Verena.
Barb Butcher found 3 additional obituaries on the DERMODY/MULLEN/FITZPATRICK family request for Marilyn Rehling.
Gayle Stuart received a call from Charles Waid from Washington, wanting information about Patty ROGERS and her mother, Faye BROWN. Their obituaries were sent to him. Charles is a cousin of Cyndi, who does cyndislist.com, which lists genealogical resource websites.
Gayle also found articles for Ardythe Smith about the Masonic Hall.
KH