Garrett High School

In my previous post is a photo of the Garrett High School Band in 1944. Today I am informed that Garrett High School has made U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools 2008 Search list. It received a bronze star. Actually if you look at the entire list, you will see that many Indiana schools are on it. I don't know what the criteria is. If I did, maybe I might not think it such an honor, but thought I would mention it for all you GHS alumni out there.

Honor Roll Dedication 1944

Here are four photos showing the Honor Roll Dedication on the courthouse square in Auburn, Dekalb County, Indiana on 5 March 1944.

The photos show the honor roll being installed around the courthouse itself. The marching band is from the Garrett High School.

You can see that the buildings shown here have not changed. The bank shown in the bottom right photo is still there. And the corner just to the south of it is shown in the top right photo, which is now a sports store. The sign in the photo says it is a drug store.

The reason that these photos are cropped at odd angles is because they are glued onto the album page in a composite layout.

To see a larger view of the photos, just click on any one. A larger view should come up on your browser. If not, let me know.

Stealing Research

I would like to put in a plea here for all of the researchers who put in so many hours and their own money to meticulously compile records of their ancestors. Please don't steal our research. We have put lots of hard work into what we do and when you steal the research and give no credit it is akin to plagiarizing, which IS illegal. How does one steal research? By taking information from another and then publishing it or part of it in some way without asking permission or giving credit. This includes photographs.

I had read about this type of thievery, but didn't really understand it until it happened to me. Someone researching one of my lines asked me for information, but they were vague about what they wanted. I asked them to be specific in their questions as I couldn't possibly tell them everything I know about a line. They still refused to be specific and kept bugging me with emails over a period of a year or more. Finally I agreed to send them copies of all the pedigree that I had. I only agreed because I thought this person was related to the line and earnest in wanting to complete their genealogy.

As soon as they got the papers, they said they were going to publish them. They didn't tell me where or even give me a chance to object. Some of the people on the pedigree may still be alive and not want their info made public, I told this person. The experience was hurtful and very deceitful. I will never share information in that way again. When a person steals another person's research it shuts the doors to sharing and genealogy research depends a great deal on sharing. But stealing - NO! Please don't steal. Always ask permission, be specific about the information you want, vocalize your gratitude and give credit to others.

If you do get information from another person, take the time and STILL do the research yourself using the information you acquired. Everyone makes mistakes; not everyone looks in every available resource. What you receive may not be entirely correct. You have the opportunity to add to the knowledge base and make corrections.

Submit Your Pioneer's Story

I have found a wonderful website dealing with the history of Indiana. Each county has its own page and on your county's page you can submit the biography of an ancestor born prior to 1880.

Just go to County History Preservation Society home page and choose the county where your ancestor lived in the top left corner. Once you arrive at your county's home page look at the middle left where it says "Our Stories" and click on the links.

The School Hack, Corunna, Dekalb County, Indiana

Here is William C. Nessel standing by the school hack. William had the contract for running the hack. I don't know for which school or schools. Probably the Corunna schools and possibly the Richland schools. The hack was used before school buses. Can you imagine sitting in that on your way to school. Oh, how cold! Unless they had a little furnace inside. Some of those types of vehicles did have small furnaces run by oil, kerosene or wood. In Geneva, Indiana just inside the new town offices is an old postal carrier's buggy. If you go there in person you can see the tiny little furnace at the driver's feet.

And actually from this second photo it looks like it may have had a furnace. What is that in the middle other than a chimney. No names are given on the photo. The boy may be Winford Nessel, since it was his father who drove the hack. The girl may be Winford's sister Cordella.

Rachel Bard (nee Becker) once mentioned that one day on their way to school Winford was teasing other students and they got mad and tossed him off the back of the hack. Winford fell in the snow and had to run to catch up with the vehicle. His father laughed and just kept driving. I believe William Nessel was known to have a good sense of humor.

Update: I found a letter that I knew I had, but couldn't find earlier, explaining this school hack. Back in 1991 Winford Nessel wrote the following letter:

26 June 1991

Roy J. Reiman, Editor
Reminisce Magazine
5400 South 60th St.
Greendale, WI 53129

Dear Sir:

The photograph of the school hack on page 45 of the July/August 1991 issue of Reminisce is very much like the one my father used between the years of 1910 and 1925 in DeKalb County, Indiana. The school hack did not belong to my father but was owned by the township and the job of driving it was let out on a contract each year.
My father was the successful bidder for a number of years. The school hack route was about nine to ten miles long one way each morning and evening making a total of 18 to 20 miles a day. The lowest bid that I can recall was $1.75 per day. Many years the bids for a route varied from $2.00 to $3.50 per day. Only one year during my attendance at grade school was pop out-bid by a lower bid.
The stove that heated the school hack was designed for coal which the township furnished, but the fire had to be started with wood kindling which pop provided. As it had no thermostat the fire had to be stoked at least twice during the route. Despite this furnace we still had to dress very warmly during the zero degree weather.
Sometimes on a warm spring day some of us older and larger children would opt to get off the hack and walk a 1/4 to 1/2 mile before reboarding the hack.

Sincerely
W. Nessel

West Richland School 1923

Here are the students of West Richland School, Dekalb County, Indiana, 1923.
Pictured are:

Row 1 left to right
1. Jarius Friend
2. Lawrence Votrie
3. Harry Hovarter
4. Paul McDonald
5. Lawrence Treesh
6. Woodrow Drerup
7. Paul Schurr
8. Frank Shippy
9. John Friend

Row 2
1. Joyce Harding
2. Rutherford Kirckpatric
3. Lowell Peck
4. Dale Harding
5. Roy Leins
6. Margaret Manrow
7. Ward Sherrick
8. Mae Armstrong
9. Iolene Friend
10. Melissa Ober
11. Arther Drerup

Row 3
1. Estel Shippy, teacher
2. Clyde Dedm
3. Mary Simons
4. Margaret Dawson
5. Thelma Hovarter
6. Wilma Becker
7. Georgie Shippy
8. Rachel Becker
9. Audrey Drerup
10. Tris Foltz
11. Minnie Harter

I have tried to reproduce the names as I read them on the accompanying list to the photograph. I am sure there are errors. If you know of any, please leave a comment.

Corunna High School, Dekalb County, Indiana

Yes, there actually was a Corunna High School. Here is pictured the freshman class of 1925. Can you identify these youngsters? There are no names on this photo. I know at least one, but I won't tell you. You have to guess. Judging from the one I know, these lads and lassies are probably around 15 years old. Leave a comment with your guess and name. Sorry, no prizes, just a hearty "congratulations and thank you". Comments are open to all readers.