VISITORS AND QUERIES
BY KAREN HANSEN
Gwen Stephen from Lubbock, Texas stopped in at our genealogy room in July. She is interested in the WHITMER family name, several graduating class composites and in Walnut during the depression years.
Shirley Mercer from Sacramento, California made a return visit in September to use our microfilm and records. Some of the surnames that she is researching are RIECK, BRINDLEY, MICK and STEPHENSON. She found the obituary of Mrs. Charles (Rosetta Bever) STEPHENSON, who died in Walnut on May 19, 1935 and was buried in Hartwick, Iowa. We received two queries in the guest book of our website. Dorothy Popov of Collinsville, Illinois was baptized by Rev. Wayne Selsor in Miller, Missouri and wanted history and pictures of him. Bob Greenwall was able to get information from the Peace United Church of Christ in Walnut, where he had served, and sent it to her. Jens Owe Frank from Germany was interested in information on Henry Frederick MATTHIES and his wife, Emma C. KOHLSCHEEN. We put him in touch with a relative in Avoca.
Obituaries of F. R. BURNHAM, Lorraine BIGELOW, Lorene PFLUGSHAUPT, Dona ANDERSEN and Terry KOBS were found for Mary Ellen Woltmann of Walnut.
Wayne Paulsen of Avoca is seeking information on his ancestor Matthias STOFFELS, who married Ingaborg JACOBSEN in 1876. We copied the STOFFELS family named in the index of Graceland Cemetery at Avoca, found the family in the 1885 and 1895 Iowa Census records and found where they lived east of Avoca on the 1885 Knox Township map. We have not located obituaries for any of the STOFFELS family. Unfortunately, the Avoca newspapers needed to look for the death of Matthias on January 19, 1915 are missing.
Russ Knuth from De Soto, Iowa remembers going as a child to the grave of his great uncle, who was a NEERGAARD, at the Walnut cemetery with his father. He wanted to locate the grave. I found obituaries for the two NEERGAARDS who are buried there, Christian and Holger. We located the graves and sent photos to Russ.
Willie Jamison from Fremont, Nebraska called the Walnut Library seeking information on Orville PALMER, who was from Walnut in 1953 when his mother, Allie May PALMER, passed away. I found some of the family members who are buried in Harlan, Iowa at cemeterymap.com and on findagrave.com.
KH