BY KAREN HANSEN
There were two phone queries that were made to the library. Lisa Marron had read an article from the Walnut Bureau, March 3, 1921. It said “Dan Mertz of Massena has leased the Mrs. Phoebe Neff farm on Wisconsin Ridge and moved to same the first of the week.” Lisa’s mother-in-law was the daughter of Dan Mertz and she was looking for the location of the farm. We were able to find a map to send to her with the farm just south and across the road from the Monroe Church north of Walnut.
The second was from Sandy Sahagian from Oregon. She was looking for information on Amanda Pope Jones and Elijah Ball Jones. They are buried in the Ebenezer Cemetery in Walnut Township, Madison County, Iowa. I gave her the website of the Madison County Genealogical Society.
Judy and Cory Bayle from Texas visited the genealogy room after visiting the Walnut Museum. They were looking for information on their relative Emil Feldhahn. They had an old photo of his house in Walnut. Lillee Anderson and Cory went around town looking for the house, but couldn’t find it. After looking in our property records, I found that Emil Feldhahn had purchased the lot where the German Lutheran parsonage had stood at 601 Walnut Street. We were able to give them the new location of the residence of Clint Smith north of Walnut and they drove out to see it.
Neal Hubbard had asked where Floyd Whitsitt had lived for Floyd’s nephew. We found it on a plat map and emailed it to Neal.
We received an email from Felix Kneübuehler in Switzerland. He is working on his relative Otto Peter Hansen and inquired about Heiner Kohnen from Hamburg, Germany visiting Walnut and doing a local TV presentation on the family. We found an article about the Hansen family reunion in July, 1988. We have been sharing information and thank Felix for writing his article for this newsletter.
Currently I am working on a query from Vicki Gibbons from Arizona. She contacted me when she found the Findagrave memorials of her great-great-great-grandparents Edward and Bridget Gibbons, who are buried at the St. Patricks Cemetery here. She was so elated that it makes the work we do feel worthwhile. I am finding considerable information on all of the Gibbons and Craneys who are buried at Walnut.
KH