That Big Rock Out Front of Wood's Mill

Beside the main entrance to Deep River County Park stands this boulder fitted with a bronze plaque.


(Click on image to enlarge)

While looking for something else, I came across the newspaper stories about its dedication on August 16, 1924, at a Wood family reunion combined with a meeting of the Lake County Old Settlers' and Historical Association.

This story from the Hobart Gazette of August 22, 1924, is the most complete:


(Click on image to enlarge)

I like this cameo of Hannah Pattee Wood, who otherwise gets so little mention:

She is described by one of her daughters-in-law as being "the sweetest woman, always doing good turns for people, a real peacemaker, and to her is due credit for no saloons being allowed in the village while her family was growing up. She was a good wife and mother, truly loved by all."

If I understand correctly, these words, along with the bulk of the article, were part of the "historical sketch of John Wood" delivered by Andrew J. Smith of the Gazette …


This photo dates to circa 1898. You will have to add a quarter-century's age to imagine what he looked like delivering his speech at Wood's Mill in August 1924.
Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

… who was the president of the Old Settlers' and Historical Association.

The boulder itself, as the article states, was brought to Wood's Mill from the Douglas Maxwell farm. I do wish someone had photographed the process of getting a two-ton boulder into a truck or horse-drawn wagon.

Here is another article, from the Hobart News of August 14, 1924:


(Click on image to enlarge)

And finally, one from the Hobart News of August 21, 1924:


(Click on image to enlarge)

The Grabowski Family

(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Aneta and Zenon Grabowscy.

This photograph shows Teofil Grabowski standing at the back, and his wife, Wanda, perching on the arm of the easy chair. In the front row are their two children: Aurelia Frances Wanda (born September 1, 1922), and Edwin Teofil (born January 16, 1928). The woman holding Edwin is Teofil's mother, Marianna, about whom I know nothing.

Judging by Edwin's apparent age, I'm estimating that this photo was taken in the summer or fall of 1928.

Since my previous post, I've done a little more online research and found an account of Teofil and Wanda's 1919 wedding (which got Teofil's first initial wrong):


(Click on image to enlarge)
New Britain Herald (Conn.), July 31, 1919.

Writing in 1930 (after Teofil and Wanda had been killed in an accident), the same paper said:[1]

Admitted to the Connecticut bar more than 11 years ago Attorney Grabowski practiced in New Britain for several months before going to Chicago. He was also president and organizer of the Indiana State bank, now known as the First Indiana State bank of Gary.

But another article in the same issue said:[2]

Mr. Grabowski was born in Pennsylvania [this is incorrect] and was a resident of this city for several months after being graduated from a law school [in 1914]. Although he was admitted to the Connecticut bar he never practiced here.

I think the New Britain Herald was a little confused about Teofil's history.

I still don't have a clue what took Teofil from Indiana to Connecticut, or vice versa.


Wanda's parents were Antoni (or Anthony) and Francziska (or Frances) Cieszynski. Wanda was their eldest child, I believe, and had some eight siblings. The family ran a home furnishings and appliance store on Main Street in New Britain, which the New Britain Herald described in 1927:[3]

A. Cieszynski & Sons is a well known firm here having sold furniture to New Britain people for more than twenty five years. Anton Cieszynski the founder of the business is widely known in business circles. The store is managed by Mr. Cieszynski's son, Val Cieszynski who has filled the position as manager of the establishment since 1917. Joseph Cieszynski is also associated with the firm.

One of Wanda's sisters, Helen, became a dentist (1920 Census).

♦    ♦    ♦
Aurelia and Edwin Grabowski, orphaned by the deadly train accident in November 1930, left their lovely home north of Ainsworth forever. They went immediately to New Britain, Connecticut — traveling on the same train that carried their parents' bodies there for burial. (From Teofil's death certificate, it looks as if their Uncle Valerian Cieszynski came out to Indiana, to handle the arrangements and bring the children home with him.) Aurelia and Edwin would spend the rest of their childhood in New Britain, being raised by their maternal grandparents among numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I have no idea what became of Aurelia. As for Edwin, however, I stumbled across what appears to be his death notice in the News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) of December 22, 1968:


(Click on image to enlarge)

How like his father, in several ways.

He is buried in Bellevue, Washington.

_______________
[1] "Double Obsequies for Crash Victims," New Britain Herald (Conn.), Dec. 2, 1930.
[2] "Mrs. T.H. Grabowski Killed in Indiana," New Britain Herald (Conn.), Dec. 2, 1930.
[3] "Cieszynski's Reopening," New Britain Herald (Conn.), Dec. 2, 1927.

Huffman's Mill: Ruins and Remembrance

I previously posted photos taken in 1981 of the ruins of Huffman's Mill. Now I have a few more recent photos to post.

These first two were taken around 1995.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Shawn Kenworthy.



The third was taken in 1999 …



… around the time of the funeral of Zelda Huffman Reynolds.

Zelda and her twin sister, Thelma, were children of Levi Randall and Nellie (Edwards) Huffman — that is, the younger Levi, who commonly went by Randall; his father, Levi, had bought the mill; and both men operated it at various times. Randall and Nellie's children grew up with Huffman's Mill as their playground. Here is how Thelma (born 1910) described it to her daughter, years later:

As I reminisce about my childhood I believe the most fascinating part was this old red brick mill where Dad [Levi Randall Huffman, 1880-1955] worked. There were many rooms to explore and numerous things to see; like the wooden chutes for grain and flour that criss-crossed throughout the inside. The dark dank basement on the first floor enticed us in. It was full of shadowy corners, where we'd play hide and seek and scare each other. Once in a while we'd see a rat scurry about. In one corner was a corn bin where the field mice would sometimes build a nest for their young.

The mud wasps liked the mill too for they built their nests up in the high wood ceiling. We learned to stay far away from the nests because of the wasps' wicked painful sting.

Upstairs were huge bins of grain. In the hot weather I used to stand in the cool wheat with my bare feet and legs and dip my fingers into the wheat and let it run gently through my fingers.

On lazy summer mornings I enjoyed watching the farmers from far and near bring their corn and oats to the mill. They'd come in large horse drawn wagons. After unloading the heavy sacks the men would stand around and talk while Dad ground their grain into feed for cattle and horses. They paid 10 cents for a 50 lb. bag to be milled. The mill was also a flour mill; Dad made pancake flour. The old mill where Dad worked for so many years still stands. Although abandoned it is in remarkably good condition. When I last saw it in 1974 many windows had been broken by vandals and the inside was covered by spidery cobwebs and dust. It is a landmark in Indiana.

As we know, the landmark mill is gone now.

The Big Grabowski

Since starting this blog I have gotten images from some faraway places, but this new collection sets a record, I think: it comes all the way from Poland, from relatives of Teofil Grabowski.

First, we have a young Teofil circa May 1914, as a new law-school graduate.


(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Aneta and Zenon Grabowscy.

Here is the announcement of his class commencement from the Indianapolis Star of May 24, 1914:



The "Indiana Law School" was, I believe, the Indianapolis College of Law, founded in 1898 and operating out of the Indiana Pythian Building in downtown Indianapolis — a predecessor of today's Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, according to Wikipedia.

From the 1920 Census we learn that Teofil came to this country from Poland in 1905 and was naturalized in 1911, but I can find no other information about him before 1914. After his graduation from law school in May 1914, he starts showing up in newspapers. In June 1914, he began practicing law in South Bend, Indiana.[1] So this photo, which (according to my source) shows Teofil in his law office in 1914, was probably taken in South Bend.


(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Aneta and Zenon Grabowscy.

I find a couple of mentions of him in a column called "News of Interest to Polish Citizens" that ran in South Bend News-Times: in the October 19, 1914, issue, he is making a presentation at a meeting of the Zygmunt Balicki Falcons Society (South Bend chapter); and in the October 21, 1914, issue, there is a reference to "Atty. Theophil Grabowski, 1044 W. Division st."

By April 1916 he had moved to East Chicago,[2] and was involved in local politics.[3] He remained there through the First World War (WWI Draft Cards).

In March 1919, I find him described as "Atty. T. [H]. Grabowski of Gary."[4]

The first reference I can find to his being president of the American State Bank in Gary shows up in an Indianapolis newspaper in September 1920.[5] I would have expected to find more news about that; but then again, I am working with on-line newspapers only since access to the microfilm at the library is still restricted (and my job is still taking up a lot of my time).

In the midst of all this professional and political activity, a momentous event in Teofil's personal life happened in July 1919, when he married Wanda Cieszynska in New Haven, Connecticut.[6] I wish I knew the story behind the romance of a Midwestern man and a New-England woman. Perhaps Teofil spent some time in New England between 1905 and 1914?

From what I've learned of him so far, Teofil seems a remarkable man: intelligent, ambitious, energetic, and active in supporting the interests of the Polish-American community. If his life hadn't been cut short by a tragic accident in 1930, who knows how far he might have gone?

There are more images to come in this collection.

♦    ♦    ♦
Unfortunately for the local historian working on-line, around the time that Teofil Grabowski established his country home north of Ainsworth, a professional baseball player named Johnny Grabowski was rising to national status in sports news. The baseball-playing Grabowski became a major-league player when he joined the Chicago White Sox in 1924. From that point on, I have had to wade through an awful lot of baseball news to find anything about our Grabowski.


_______________
[1] "Teofil Grabowski was admitted to the St. Joseph county bar Friday morning, having made application several days ago and passed the examination. Grabowski came to South Bend from Indianapolis where he attended law school." "About Town," South Bend News-Times, June 28, 1914 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com).
[2] "News of Interest to Polish Citizens," South Bend News-Times, Apr. 17, 1916 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com).
[3] He was treasurer of the Young Men's Republic Club in that city ("Young Republicans at East Chicago," Lake County Times (Hammond, Ind.), Sept. 22, 1916 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com)). He was also chairman of the Citizens' League of East Chicago ("E. Chicago League at Meeting," Lake County Times (Hammond, Ind.), Jan. 24, 1917 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com)).
[4] "Crown Point News," Lake County Times (Hammond, Ind.), Mar. 27, 1919 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com))
[5] "Bank Teller and Cash Missing from Gary," Indiana Daily Times (Indianapolis), Sept. 11, 1920 (accessed at newspaperarchive.com).
[6] Ancestry.com. WEB: Connecticut Marriage Records, 1897-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019. Original data: Connecticut Vital Records — Index of Marriages, 1897-1968. Connecticut State Library. https://www.ctatatelibrarydata.org/marriage-records/: accessed 8 May 2019. I hope I have found the correct record, since the bride's first name is not given.

Hobart Then and Now: The Pennsy Bridge

This is an update to my 2013 post.

Circa 1906, and 2020


(Click on images to enlarge)

The original Pennsy Railroad bridge over the Deep River, dating to the 1850s, had charmed generations of Hobart residents and visitors. With its graceful arches, it was a favorite of photographers and artists.

In 2018/2019, it was demolished and replaced by a new bridge that has plenty of water capacity but zero charm.

♦    ♦    ♦
I have two real-photo postcards with this view of the original bridge. The one above is the clearer of the two, but the year in its postmark is illegible. Here is the other one, postmarked 1906:



I find this one interesting for its message — the writer says "these views" are taken by one of her "old pupils." So evidently she is or was a teacher, and her name is Maude. I went looking in the 1900 and 1910 censuses for a schoolteacher named Maude, and found Helen Maud Quinnell (she was Maud in 1900 and Helena in 1910). She appeared among the faculty in the first Hobart High School annual in 1908.


(Click on image to enlarge)
Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

In the 1900 census she described herself as a schoolteacher, but in the 1910 census, she gave her occupation as "none."

I remember coming across that name — Quinnell — now and then in my newspaper reading, but never in connection with anything juicy. Helen Maud was born in 1880 in Illinois. Her father was H(arry) T(homas) Quinnell, her mother Anna (Bridgman). She had two younger sisters, Beatrice and Blanche (we've previous seen a photo of Blanche as a member of Hobart High's class of 1904). The family left Illinois sometime after 1888;[1] the 1891 Plat Book shows them owning a farm of some 30 acres just southeast of Lake Station. They still owned it per the 1908 Plat Map:


(Click on image to enlarge)

After the 1910 census, I lose track of all the Quinnells.


As for the photographer, the "old pupil" whose hand may have written the caption on both postcard images — I don't have a clue.

_______________
[1] That is the latest date when I can find H.T. registered to vote in Cook County, Illinois, per Ancestry.com.