A Rare Treat

Since the Ainsworth-area community had been holdings meetings and entertainments in the W.G. Haan school from the time it opened, I would guess that the entertainment of April 7, 1922 took place there as well, although the article gives no location.


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Hobart Gazette 14 Apr. 1922

Perhaps someone can tell me if "Lola" was Eleanor (Schuelke) Pflughoeft, Herman's wife; if so, she was then about 27 years old. I can't identify "Mrs. Forsberg." Thelma Fetterer was the daughter of Franklin (Sr.) and Harriet, about 24 years old. "Little Margaret Strong" was very little indeed — only about four years old, if I've identified her correctly (which isn't at all certain, since I can find her only in 1930, living with her grandparents in Winfield Township). Ellen Boyd was only a year older, the daughter of George and Addie (Guernsey) Boyd, who farmed near Merrillville.

I'm afraid "the Sunny South Girls," whoever they were, blackened their faces and spoke or sang in exaggerated dialect. Such treats as that were not as rare as we might like to think.


As for the meeting about the paving of what's now S.R. 51, I don't know where it took place. I can only imagine how "interesting and enthusiastic" it must have been, since just the previous month S.R. 51 had been described as "nearly impassable" around 61st Ave.


Additional Sources:
♦ 1920 Census.
♦ 1930 Census.

Third Time's the Charm?

Albert Witt started farming again late in December 1920 — the third start, by my count. (Also, a few random happy reports about people whose names we know.)


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Albert's first start was barely perceptible. Born into a farming family, he grew up with the line of work, and in 1910, at the age of 25, he still lived on the family farm, giving his occupation as farmhand. On March 1, 1911, he "quietly married" Frieda Kegebein, the only surviving child of John and Lena Kegebein — likewise a farming family — and came to live with his wife and in-laws, to farm the land the Kegebeins had bought sometime between 1874 and 1891.



In November 1915, Albert placed this notice in the Gazette:

Having decided to quit farming, I will offer for public sale at the John Kegebein farm, located 2½ miles south of Hobart, and ½ mile north of Ainsworth, beginning at 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 15, three horses, 12 milch cows, 14 heifers, 15 head of hogs, chickens, farming implements, household furniture, and many articles not mentioned.

I don't know what Albert did instead of farming, but he was still on the Kegebein land in 1916 when he traded farms with his neighbor, Glen Nelson.

Albert remained on the Charles Chester farm until he quit farming the second time, and this time he really meant it — temporarily, at least. The January 1920 census records him working in the steel mills; he and Frieda and their four children lived on the "Chicago road," which I believe is Old Ridge Road.

(I don't know where John and Lena Kegebein had been living while their farm was rented by Glen and Elsie Nelson. The 1920 census shows the Kegebeins on their own property somewhere in the vicinity of Ainsworth, but John's occupation is given as "retired farmer." Perhaps they had a little house in the village, or even on their own land.)

But now, as we see, Albert and Frieda Witt have come back to the Kegebein farm, and we shall see how long the farming lasts this time.


Sources:
♦ 1874 Plat Map.
♦ 1891 Plat Book.
♦ 1908 Plat Map.
♦ 1920 Census.
♦ "Local and Personal." Hobart News 30 Dec. 1920.
♦ "Public Sale." Hobart Gazette 12 Nov. 1915.
♦ "Quietly Married." Hobart Gazette 3 Mar. 1911.

Myself Again (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Handwritten description behind this photograph:

Myself June 1918
on F. Fetterer's Motor Cycle

This portrait is a little better than the first one … just a little.

If you look in the center of the background, there's a pretty substantial building there, but I don't recognize it.

On the page below that photo, an image of a battleship (I think) cut from an unused postcard:

Myself (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Getting back to the little photo album I was crowing about a while ago — I have gone through the whole thing, scanning the photos and searching for descriptions hidden behind them, with considerable success. In a few cases, however, I couldn't get to the description because the slip of paper had been glued in too well, or there was writing on the back of the photo, but again, so much glue I couldn't lift the photo to read it. In a depressing number of cases, there was nothing to be found.

I've already posted one of the images from this album in this blog, of the Sauter/Wollenberg saloon building, and a couple more (of the Nickel Plate depot) in the Downtown Hobart blog.

The photo above is the last one in the album, and shows the album's owner, identity unknown. I certainly can't hope that anyone would recognize him from this picture. Behind the photo was a slip of paper with this description:

Myself
Spring – 1918
F. Fetterer's motorcycle

"F. Fetterer" would be Franklin Fetterer — Jr., I suppose, since Franklin Sr. was then about 44 years of age and an established attorney, too old and dignified, one would think, to be messing around with motorcycles. Franklin Jr. was about 18.

Nice house in the background; too bad I don't know whose or where.

Looks like there's something in the road — a little white dog?

A Four-Minute Speech

I've already talked a bit about the "four-minute men" enlisted by the federal government as part of its pro-war public relations campaign; locally, John Killigrew was just one of them.

My understanding is that, for the most part, the four-minute men composed their own speeches, taking suggestions from the government bulletins regarding themes and rhetoric. But in August 1918 the Gazette printed the entire text of a scheduled "four minute men's speech" — written by some unknown hand — and so we know what patrons of Hobart's Gem Theatre could expect to hear before each performance for several nights.


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The men scheduled to deliver that speech at the Gem over the next two weeks were attorney John W. Thiel (Aug. 28), the Rev. A.H. Lawrence (Aug. 31), attorney Franklin T. Fetterer (Sept. 4), and the Rev. R. Warren Main (Sept. 7).


Sources:
♦ "Four-Minute Men Schedule." Hobart Gazette 23 Aug. 1918.
♦ "'Where Did You Get Your Facts?': A Four-Minute Men's Speech." Hobart Gazette 23 Aug. 1918.

The New Captain Becomes Official

Draft 258 was deemed "most appropriate" for Co. K's fundraiser because — as I gather from the only synopsis I've been able to find — it was pro-war propaganda. It starred Mabel Taliaferro, whom I never heard of before.

Anyway, it went over well with the patriotic locals, and the Gazette reported that the benefit show had brought in $157.60 for Co. K.

Meanwhile, Charles W. Reeves' new rank became official. As the company's first lieutenant, he had risen to the rank of captain by default when Charles Allen resigned. Now the commander of the Indiana State Militia sent orders commissioning Reeves as captain and Walter MacPherson as first lieutenant. Franklin T. Fetterer retained his position as second lieutenant.

Charles Reeves was just 25 years old — the youngest captain in the state, according to the News — but he had training and experience. He had earlier been a member of the Georgia National Guard, and within the last couple of years had served on the Mexican border as a sergeant with Co. F of the Indiana National Guard.

He now commanded the 88 men of Co. K. Their number had fallen somewhat since the company's mustering-in; the News explained that a dozen former members had either enlisted in the regular military or relocated. Still, Co. K was the largest in Indiana, and Hobart the smallest town to have its own company, if we are to believe the Gazette.


Sources:
♦ Advertisement. Hobart Gazette 19 Apr. 1918.
♦ "Charles W. Reeves Promoted to Captain of Co. K, I.S.M." Hobart News 2 May 1918.
♦ "Local Drifts." Hobart Gazette 3 May 1918.
♦ "New Company Commander." Hobart Gazette 3 May 1918.