Volume 9 – Part 2: News and Poetry

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Omaha, Nebr., Jan 18, 1909
(Part 2)

…

Harry do you know any song about “Lindy” either that’s the name or else its got it in the song. Robt is always talking about it but he won’t tell me the words he says I should ask you that you would tell me if you knew it. I wish you would send me those songs you talked about in the letter. I would learn them, sure pops. The piano tuner was here to-day and he made the piano play much softer. After you left the keys were so loose, they rattled but he tightened them.

We have examinations next week and I’m scared to death. I just hate Gr History and I’m so afraid I’m going to flunk. I’m going to study hard for the examination.

I might have to take five subjects now in February but I think I’ll leave one go and take five in September. I’ll feel more like studying then and I won’t be going to Chambers. And then there’s another reason but I won’t tell you that.

They have Domestic Science up at school and Ma wants me to take it but I would rather learn from her. I’d hate to let them know how little I know.

There is pretty good coasting here. I was out Saturday afternoon & took 3 slides down 29^th St. Dean came down 29^th on some skees [sic] and when he got in front of Nurse’s he took a pretty spill. His papers flew all over and his bag flew in another direction. It was a dandy spill. Robt has a traveler and he was out coasting Friday night till 3 in the morning. Wasn’t that fierce. He said if we got anymore good snow for coasting he would bring the traveler over on Parker and give me a good slide. I hope we get some now.

Dean was just up to telephone. He said he wrote to you but hadn’t received an answer. You’ll have to answer all these PC & letters or you won’t get anymore. I had to play so papa could hear the Piana [sic]. Mind you: what I played Whispering of Love. Now what if Robt knew that. I guess I’ll have to tell him. 

Robt was over last Wednesday after school for coffee. He walks to 29^th & Parker so I told him to come over with me & have coffee, so he did. Last Saturday night we had chocolate at home instead of at Meyers & Dillon’s. Oh we are having a great time.

              I guess I’ve run out of news now. I have told you everything that has happened that I can think of even if it is all about Robt. I won’t tell you anything about High School because you asked Robt to tell you. I read your letter & so did Alma. It was a dandy all but the heading.

              Stella Evers wrote a poem about Robt & I. It surely was funny but not much sense or truth about it. I meet Robt every noon and Stella, Lagetta & Vera are there & Billy Nelson, a chum of Robert’s are also with us. We have great times there at noon. Marion never comes although Billy would be tickled if she would. He’s about Robt’s size but much younger. He’s only 15. That’s why Robert introduced me. He wouldn’t introduce me to anyone older for fear I’ll skip. He’s cute alright. He won’t know what I’ll do when he’s gone to college. He’s going to Denver. He said he got a pennant all ready. The colors are gold and gray. I guess that was a hint. I won’t take it though. I have a pennant to make for some-one else, don’t I. I think you might give Alma a good hint & then you might get two. I don’t see much of Alma. I walk to school with her & see her at noon but she is kind of sober. Last Saturday night when Robt & I came down for her she was gone. Her father came down to take her home. I guess Mrs. Jensen won’t have her depend on me. Well never mind, I’ll never go with you two so I’ll get even with her. I wouldn’t mind if she went with us but I guess she feels sorry for Robt’s pocket book. He is going to take Marion down next time if she wishes to go & if Ma’ll let her. I guess she’ll go alright. I think it’s good of him to take her only I wonder where he gets his money. He says his pa gives it to him but I don’t know.

              I better end because I couldn’t fill another page so Good-bye

                                                                                                             Lillian

                                                                                                                           1912

My! I read my letter over & never heard such a Roberty letter but you’ll have to excuse it. You want to know the news.

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First of all, what is ‘coasting’? I admit I had to search for this one myself. Coasting is a largely archaic word for sledding, and Robert’s Traveler is a type of toboggan sled. It also appears that after being “scared away” just a few weeks earlier, Dean is back in the picture with his skis and his complaints that Harry doesn’t write to him. Harry’s lack of correspondence, or poor correspondence, is a theme of Lillian’s, though clearly he writes (or telephones) enough to earn Lillian’s back-and-forth correspondence.

              The Myers Dillon Drug Company at 1523 Farnam Street was the largest drug store in Omaha in 1909 (at least according to their post card). Like many drug stores of the era, they also had a large sofa fountain and tables for enjoying drinks. The site is now the location of the “historic” 1929 Barker Building apartments.  

              As for Lillian’s song “Lindy”, there are a couple of possibilities here. Most likely, particularly given his reluctance to share the lyrics with Lillian, Robert was referring to the song “Let Miss Lindy Pass” published in 1909. The song was based on a poem by Frank L. Stanton and is written in pidgin, which would definitely not be acceptable today! It is a good reminder that Lillian (and all those around her) are products of their time, and social norms and values (thankfully) change over time.

              One of the many artifacts Lillian left to her family was a small, red leather-bound book from her teenage years. The book contains the names, addresses, and sometimes birthdates of her friends and neighbors (as well as a host of other fascinating notes), and conveniently was from the time she was writing her letters to Harry. Not everyone Lillian mentions in her letters are in her book, but Marguerite and Percy, both discussed in the last post, both are. Not surprising, Robert Lucke and Dean Davidson are both in the book as well, as well as Stella Evers, Vera Turner, and the frequently mentioned Alma Jensen. The book was printed around 1905 as an advertisement for the Storz Brewing Company, which has an interesting Omaha history in its own right, and includes annual calendars for 1905 and 1906 and, helpfully (though perhaps not to 16 year old Lillian), tips for storing beer and weighing beer for the railroad. As Lillian’s father, Nels, managed the hay exchange (and subsequent railroad shipping), the book likely came to her through that route; whatever its source, though, Lillian made good use of it.

              Among other things is the poem Lillian references in this letter, written by her friend Stella. Stella Mae Evers was the daughter of Ferdinand Evers and Matilda Westfahl. Ferdinand was a German immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1888 and married the previously married Matilda (Westfahl) Stoltenberg in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1892. Matilda was born and grew up in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of German immigrants, and was already a mother of two when she married Ferdinand, who was eight years her junior. Stella was born about 18 months later, in January of 1894, placing her between Lillian and Marion in age, or 15 years old when she wrote the poem below about Lillian and Robert. In 1910, Stella was living with her parents, married half-sister Lillian, Lillian’s husband John, and their 9 year old son, Stella’s half-nephew, Waldo.[1] Stella graduated from Omaha High School in 1911.

Lillian and Robert walked one day
To an O.H.S. not far away
Said Robt to Lillian “Do you love me”
Said Lillian to Robt “With all my heart”
When they got to school they of course had to part
But at noon they did meet
Near the stairs (at the feet)
And proclaimed the steps taken that morning
And to each other they talked of
The way they would walk to the
O.H.S. in the morning
But Lillian’s eye (turning brown as they say)
Proved not to see Robt (to her great dismay)
So that noon in the Hall
With his eyes to the wall
Poor Robt a crying did stand
Till Lillian dear, In emergencies near
Came up and said “My Land”
With face half askance
She met Robt’s glance
And quickly she reached for his hand
Of course all he feared
That moment disappeared
And now he’s alright again

Stella Evers
1909

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Want to read more?

Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories
Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William
Volume 6, Part 1: Wandering Omaha
Volume 6, Part II: Grandparents, Washing Day, and Etiquette
Volume 7: Lucke, German Social Clubs, and Dancing
Volume 8: Lemons and Peaches
Volume 9: Robert’s Last Girl

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[1] 1910 U.S. Census, Douglas County, Nebraska, Omaha Ward 7, District 53, page 80 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 53, sheet 4-B, dwelling 816, family 84, Ferdinan J Evers.

Volume 9 – Part 1: Robert’s Last Girl

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Omaha, Nebr., Jan 18, 1909
2132 N. 29^th St

Dear Harry: —

                                                                     What was the matter with Roberts letter? You didn’t put any heading on it. You just started right in talking. I guess you forgot how to put a heading so you thought you wouldn’t put any. Well, don’t forget to put one on the next one you write to him. He was glad to get that letter anyway. He was feeling rather blue that day. You see we just had a little disaggreement [sic]. I suppose you understand that in Robt. letter. He wrote to you Monday & so did I. But he let a little leek out but I didn’t. I waited till I saw how it ended. I’d like to know what Robt said in his letter about it. He said he said something. Well it is all over now but anyway I’ll have to tell you that it was my fault. It you want to know the whole tale write and tell me & I’ll tell you. That is a week ago and now it is Monday again but no quarrel. It seems as if I always write on Monday. I guess because I have more to tell you.

              Robt & I (It will have to all be Robt because that is all that happens) went skating yesterday (Sunday) out at Millers. The ice was simply swell. It has never been so good before. They had swept all the snow off so it was as smooth and nice. Marguerite and Percy went out and I don’t believe I ever laughed so much in all my life. They had a party over at Lucke’s so these Magnodotes [sic] (Robt’s last girls’, Augusta, parents) were there. Augusta instead of going to Lucke’s came out skating all alone. She knew Robt was going. Well, she came out there and Robt didn’t skate with her & Marguerite didn’t skate with her nor did I. None of us could very well, we had our partners. She got her skates on but didn’t skate. She sat on the bench (they had benches because it was so snowy) and pretty soon she went home. I felt awful sorry for her but she knew Robt was going to take me so she shouldn’t have come alone. It would have been better if she went with a bunch of girls. I was just wondering if you knew who I’ve been talking about. I think you do. I never introduced you to her but I think I pointed her out to you. She goes down to Chamber’s and is very very tall & light hair. I’m sure you know who she is.

              Marguerite just called me up. She certainly is a great girl. She can laugh at nothing. I believe She wore a green dress last Saturday night, & I wore my green dress & Percy had a green pencil, so we were all sporting green. Robt claims he’s green all over anyway in his noodle so he was sporting green too. You know green is the coming color. They even have green shoes. Ma said she’d have to send you a green shirt...

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This was one of Lillian’s longer letters, and it is a chatty, gossipy, high-school-drama letter. It is so chatty, and so full of names and high school adventures (and ridiculous nonsense) that this will be another two-part episode. More than ever, this letter reminds us that Lillian was only 16 when she was writing to Harry, arguing (and making up) with the young man she never actually calls a sweetheart, though she was clearly by now ‘his girl.’ Lillian had an active social life, full of people who were known to her older brother. In a sign of the times, Lillian’s social life didn’t just revolve around her friends, but also around her friends’ families, her neighbors, and the extended Omaha social scene. And it is this extended Omaha social scene of 1909 that ultimately took over this post as I researched the names in the first half of this letter.   

              Percy Dreibus was born in August of 1889 in Omaha to Anton and Georgine (Schmidt) Dreibus. Percy was the son of a German immigrant (Anton) and a first-generation American (Georgine) born to German immigrant parents. In 1910, Percy was living on Farnham Street with his parents and siblings and working as a salesman in the Dreibus Candy Company of Omaha, owned and managed by his father since 1884.[1] The Dreibus Candy Company was in operation in Omaha for 53 years, expanding into a three story building in downtown Omaha in 1906.[2] It survived Anton’s death and the Great Depression, and provided employment to Percy into the 1940s.   

              Marguerite is tricker to identify. Lillian gives her last name in more than one location (though not in this letter) as “Greeno.” Though there were two Marguerites in Omaha in the 1910 census of approximately the right age to be among Lillian’s friends, Marguerite Greenough is the most likely. She lived within a block of Sprague Street, the street Lillian had for her in her address book, and would have been around 14 (Lillian’s sister’s age) at the time of this letter – despite later, less reliable sources that shaved a few years off her age. Marguerite was not a student at Omaha High School; she graduated in June 1914 from St. John Berchman Academy, founded in 1904 by the Sisters of Mercy of the Parish of Saint Peter, later renamed St. Mary High School in 1929 (Mercy High School today). Marguerite Greenough’s story is ultimately not a happy one, but it is one saved for a different day.

              Augusta Mengedoht’s story is one of those stories you occasionally stumble across in genealogy that take over in your research. From Lillian’s letter, it is clear that Augusta was not part of Lillian’s regular social circle or particularly well known to her. Unlike Marguerite and Percy, she is not listed in Lillian’s address book. Her parents are mentioned by Lillian as acquaintances of Robert’s family, not the Parsons. Still, this single paragraph with its teenage narrator hinting at pity and jealousy, led to one of the most well known and tragic stories of Omaha in the 1920s, and an absolutely fascinating woman worthy of researching and remembering.

              The “Magnodotes” of Lillian’s terrible spelling were the Mengedoht family of Omaha. Augusta Marie Mengedoht was born in October 1892 in Nebraska to German immigrant parents “Fred” Mengedoht and his first wife, Augusta Peters.[3] Fred and Augusta were married on Christmas Day 1879 in Lancaster County, Nebraska.[4] Augusta was the youngest of seven children born to the couple. One sister, Olga, died at the age of one just a year before Augusta was born. Tragically, Augusta’s mother died just weeks after Augusta’s birth.[5] Fred was widowed with six children, all but the oldest under the age of 10. Even so, it was a full five years before Fred married Bertha D. Heldt, a 19-year-old recent German immigrant, who would go on to raise Augusta as her own daughter.[6] It was Fred and Bertha whom Lillian referred to as the pitiable Augusta’s parents. Fred started life as a blacksmith, but by the time Lillian wrote about them he was an established, and fairly wealthy, real estate developer in Omaha.[7] Augusta was a few months younger than Lillian, but a year ahead of her in school; she graduated from Omaha High School in the class of 1911.  

              Augusta married Augustus Dunbier, about four years her senior, in October of 1917. Augusta was a concert violinist (most likely how she came to know Robert Lucke, who was also a musician) who by then taught music lessons and led a student orchestra. Augustus was an artist recently returned from studying abroad in Europe when they met in the building where they each had studios. Augustus asked Augusta to model for him, and the rest was history.[8] For ten years, they were the darlings of the Omaha art set. Augusta stopped teaching to support her husband in his art career and frequently served as his model. Augustus became a known artist in the Midwest. When Augustus was drafted into World War I and took sick at nearby Fort Riley, Augusta traveled to meet him and cheer up the troops and ended up joining the cause as a Red Cross hostess stationed at the base hospital.[9] After the war, they built a shared studio on the grounds of Augusta’s parents house on Wirt Street.

              On the surface, the marriage was a happy one. But when Fred Mengedoht died in 1924 the marriage began to fall apart. One child, likely stillborn, is buried in the cemetery next to Augustus with birth and death dates of 1925.[10] On a trip to an art colony in New Mexico with her husband, Augusta, an avid horsewoman, was thrown from her horse and fractured a vertebrae in her neck.[11] And in May of 1926, after returning to Omaha after her long recovery and finding her husband in residence at their home on Wirt Street, Augusta filed for divorce, citing “extreme cruelty.”[12] The announcement of the filing made front page news in the Omaha papers. Augusta won her suit in January 1927, despite Augustus’ public protestations – but that was just the start of the drama.

              Sometime after the divorce, Augustus appeared at Bertha and Augusta’s house with a revolver, holding 20 policeman at bay while holding the gun to Augusta’s head. The incident ended peacefully, though it is unclear exactly how. Assault and battery and failure to keep the peace charges were filed against Augustus, but the charges were essentially dropped when he agreed to leave town. He did, but returned in September of 1927, ostensibly to teach art classes at the YMCA, and though Augusta protested, the court found no reason to prevent his return “as long as he behaves himself.”[13]

              Augustus had no intention of behaving himself. In May 1928, Augustus sued Augusta’s stepmother, Bertha, and siblings for $100,000 for “alienation of affections,” essentially blaming Bertha, Augusta’s brothers, and sister and brother-in-law for breaking up his marriage and harming his career.[14] Augusta disputed this account in both the divorce trial and Augustus’ law suit against her family, blaming Augustus’ “artistic temperament” and several events resulting from it, including his financial instability.[15] The jury awarded Augustus $40,000 for his suit at the end of May, the largest award for such a lawsuit in state history at the time, but on 5 June the verdict, which already followed allegations of jury tampering, was set aside by the District Judge as “excessive” and Augusta’s family was awarded a new trial.[16] The re-trial, dubbed by the Lincoln Journal Star as “the best vaudeville show of the year,” took place in November 1928.[17] On 6 December, after a two week trial that was “bitterly fought,” the new jury awarded Augustus $5,000.[18] Both parties appealed, but after much back and forth (and at least one brick through Bertha Mengedoht’s window, almost certainly thrown by Augustus), the Nebraska State Supreme Court upheld the $5,000 verdict and the case was finally considered closed.[19]

              Augustus married again in 1932, to Lulu “Lou” Ekstrom, fifteen years his junior, one of his former art students. Despite the drama of his first marriage, his second was by all accounts peaceful and long lasting, with one son born to the couple. Augustus died in Omaha in 1977 at the age of 89, still married to Lou. He is known today for his landscapes and portraits, and is still considered influential in the work of many modern Nebraska painters.

              Augusta herself left Omaha in 1929, shortly before the brick incident, “never to return.”[20] She headed west to Boulder, Colorado, where she managed a lodge and adjacent cabins for the next several years. In 1935, at the age of 42, she purchased a hunting lodge she named the Fawn Brook Inn. She became an avid outdoorswoman, shooting and riding throughout the Colorado backcountry, and was a woman of some renown for her entrepreneurship. By some accounts, she was also a licensed plumber and licensed mortician. She never remarried. Augusta died in Colorado in 1977, at the age of 84.[21]

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Want to read more?

Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories
Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William
Volume 6, Part 1: Wandering Omaha
Volume 6, Part II: Grandparents, Washing Day, and Etiquette
Volume 7: Lucke, German Social Clubs, and Dancing
Volume 8: Lemons and Peaches

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[1] The Grand Island Independent, “Anton Dreibus, 86, Omaha, Dies,” 23 October 1937, p 14, col 8.
[2] The Durham Museum, “Happy National Candy Day!” Facebook posting, 4 November 2022.
[3] FindAGrave, memorial 269506271, “Augusta Marie “Gussie” Mengedoht,” 20 April 2024 by Diane Elsasser Snider.
[4] Lancaster County, Nebraska, Application for License for Marriage, Fred Mengedoht and Augusta Peters, 24 December 1879.
[5] FindAGrave, memorial 32763971, “Augusta Peters Mengedoht,” 8 January 2009 by Dennis Bell.
[6] Washington County, Nebraska, Marriage License, Frederich Mengedoht and Bertha Heldt, 7 October 1897.
[7] Evening World-Herald, “Fred Mengedoht Dies, Built First Apartment,” January 31, 1924, p 19, col 4.
[8] The Omaha Daily News, “Omaha Artist Sued for Divorce by Wide Who Served as His Model,” May 25, 1926, p 1, col 4-6 and p 3, col 4-7.
[9] Evening World-Herald, “Hostess at Base Hospital,” October 11, 1918, p 12, col 2.
[10] FindAGrave, memorial 37067790, “Infant Dunbier,” 13 May 2009 by “dolph72”.
11] Omaha Daily News, “Omaha Artist Sued for Divorce by Wife Who Served as His Model,” May 25, 1926, p 3, col 1-2.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Evening World-Herald, “Ex-wife of Dunbier Opposes His Return,” September 1, 1927, p 2, col 4.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Lincoln Journal Star, “Dunbier is Given a $40,000 Verdict,” May 23, 1928, page 1, column 3.
[16] Omaha World-Herald, “Dunbier ‘Shocked’ Wheat,” 13 September 1928, p 6, col 2-3; Lincoln Journal Star, “Dunbier is Given a $40,000 Verdict,” May 23, 1928, p 1, col 3. Omaha World-Herald, “Orders New Trial of Dunbier’s Suit,” June 6, 1928, p 11, col 1.
[17] Lincoln Journal Star, “Dunbier Holds His Own,” November 17,, 1928, p 3, col 1.
[18] Rock County Leader (Bassett, Nebraska), “Jury Allows $5,000 for Alienations of Affections,” Dec 6, 1928, p 5, col 6.
[19] Omaha World-Herald, “Dunbier Gets $5,000 Supreme Court Rules,” May 3, 1930, page 28, column 1. Omaha World-Herald, “Brick Replaces Flowers on Dunbier Anniversary,” October 12, 1929, p 1, col 2-3.
[20] Omaha World-Herald, “Brick Replaces Flowers on Dunbier Anniversary,” October 12, 1929, p 1, col 2-3.
[21] Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder Public Library, “Augusta Mengedoht, 1911-1929,” history

Volume 8: Lemons and Peaches

Omaha, Nebr., Jan 12, 1909
2132 N. 29^th St.

Dear Harry: –

                                                                     Mamma just told me that I must write to you because she told you she would. There isn’t very much going on so I can’t tell very much.

              It has been blistering cold here and I have walked home every day. We always ride because Marion makes me so late. I get ready but I have to wait for her so we never get off till 20 minutes after.

              I was going skating Sunday but it was too cold. Robt called up and said he would be over but he complained so of the cold that I said he didn’t have to come.

              By the way, you must not forget to write to Robert. There’ll be trouble if you do. You know he was so good to your sweetheart. Didn’t she say anything about it.

              Mamma went down to Chambers last Saturday night and renewed my ticket. Pa didn’t know anything about it so don’t you give it away in any of your letters. She was just about ready to go when Mrs. Jensen came. Ma went soon after that. Robert took me home & when we got home we had coffee, 15 minutes to 12, mind you. I’ll tell you that was great. That’s a new stunt. If Alma finds out she’ll do the same thing.

              Mrs. Grimmond let us read a letter she received from Harry H. It surely Is funny. Marion has received a postal and a letter all ready but Lillian has received nil. Marion’s letter was a peach, I’ll tell you. No lemons at all.

              Oh! School is getting fierce. I’m very much afraid that I won’t do very good in Greek History. Robert says if I flunk ’e’ll disown me, so I guess I better git to work. Well, if I flunk I think I’ll be writing to let him go because then I’ll have to work like fury and won’t have no time for such nonsense. We only have two weeks till the examinations. Then I’ll be a tenth or a Sophomore, maybe.

              I never see Dean anymore. I guess the poor fellow got scared away since he made that confession & heard the other one. I surely feel sorry for him but he certainly got a lemon all right. I guess Harry H. saw a good many changes since he was here last. Marion wasn’t quite as good & easy as she was last time. I guess he thought she gave him a few too many lemons.

              Well, I haven’t time to write anymore, in fact I have no more to write so I’ll say Good-bye

                                                                                  Lillian

                                                                                                1912

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The “blistering cold” of January in Omaha, Nebraska, didn’t dampen the social life of 16-year-old Lillian, though she wasn’t likely overestimating the cold. Average January temperatures in Omaha today range between about 13 and 34 degrees Fahrenheit, but record lows for any given day in January, many of them set in the 1880s or early 1900s, range between -20 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

              The last post discussed Chambers Dancing Academy and the social dancing craze of the early 20th century, as well as the school’s connection to Adele and Fred Astaire. Chambers itself is largely an historical footnote to the Astaire story, and not much is available about the school itself, which makes Lillian’s references to it all the more intriguing. This article (really an advertisement) from the Omaha Daily Bee on 4 October 1914 provides one of the best impressions of Chambers Dancing Academy that I have found to date. It references the visit five months earlier of Vernon and Irene Castle, a pair of expedition ballroom dancers who founded their own dancing academy in New York and refined several dances that evolved into the modern ballroom dances of today. Vernon and Irene Castle were major influencers of their day. They removed the stigma associated with many of the “club dances” of the day and laid the foundation for later instructors like Arthur Murray, and the chain of Fred Astaire dance studios that began in the late 1940s. Irene Castle’s fashions and bob haircut were copied nationwide. On 7 May 1914, at the height of their popularity, the Castles visited Omaha to much public fanfare and awarded the “Castle Cup” to Mr. Harry Walker and Ms. Helen Kroner, pupils of W. E. Chambers at Chambers Dancing Academy.[1]

              Willard Edwin Chambers was born in Iowa in 1863, the son of Luke P. Chambers and Mary Britt. He was the oldest of at least 10 children. He married Mabel Genevieve Rockhold on 14 March 1894 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Evening World-Herald for 14 March 1894 announced the marriage of “Professor” W. E. Chambers and Miss Mabel Rockhold of Council Bluffs, Iowa in a small ceremony, and their home address as the Dellone hotel in Omaha. Their daughter, Halcyon, was born a little less than a year later in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1900 the couple lived with Willard’s parents and two of his younger sisters in Kane, Iowa. Willard was working then as a dancing teacher.[2] Sometime between 1900 and 1902, Willard and Mabel parted ways. The circumstances are unknown, but Willard married Ora Pearl (Shelley) Pardee on Christmas Eve, 1902. Halcyon remained with her father.[3] Willard is found in Omaha City Directories from 1893 through 1920, though it is noteworthy that Omaha City Directories often included Council Bluffs, Iowa, as it was just across the river. He appears as an instructor of dancing at 1623 Farnam in Omaha in 1893, as a dancing instructor in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1895, and as the proprietor of Chambers’ Academies of Dancing [sic] in Omaha 1896.[4] This allows us to date the founding of Chambers’ Dancing Academy in Omaha to 1896.

              When Lillian attended Chambers social dances in 1909, Willard Chambers was President of Chambers Academy, his wife Ora was an instructor, and various members of Ora’s family supported the business as secretary and treasurer. While Willard remained a dance instructor of “dramatic, classic, and social dancing” through at least 1918, the location at 2424 Farnam Street became the Kel-Pine Dancing Academy after 1916 and into the 1920s. Sometime around 1919 or early 1920, according to his obituary in the Omaha Daily Bee, Willard suffered a nervous breakdown from which he never fully recovered.

              At its height, Chambers Dancing Academy was the premier dance school in Omaha, and Willard Chambers was the only teacher in Omaha who was a member of the American National Association, Masters of Dancing. He took annual trips to New York to learn and bring back the latest social dances, which included the Maxixe, Tango, Hesitation, One Step and Half and Half (which, naturally, he claimed were “impossible” to learn except through proper instruction.) Willard and his “proficient assistants” provided demonstrations at Chambers’ Academy at every assembly and taught private lessons by appointment.[5] At the height of the expedition ballroom and social dance craze of the early 20th century, it is easy to see why 16-year-old Lillian was so enamored of Chambers.

              While there “wasn’t very much going on” in January of 1909, according to Lillian, we do get another excellent lesson in the Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors (FAN) Club principle of research coined by Elizabeth Shown Mills (https://genealogical.com/store/quicksheet-the-historical-biographers-guide-to-cluster-research-the-fan-principle/) in this letter:

              The Houghs moved away to Pierce, Nebraska by 1910; from the frequency with which letters and visits from Harry are mentioned by Lillian, we can presume they were gone by 1909. ‘Mrs. Grimmond’ is Margaret (Kilday) Grimmond, sister of Elizabeth (Kilday) Hough, Harry’s mother. Margaret and Elizabeth Kilday were first generation Americans, born to Irish immigrant parents. Margaret’s husband, James, was an English immigrant who came to Omaha in 1896 and married Margaret two years later. Their children were too young to be friends of Lillian’s, though their oldest son, Paul, was close in age to Lillian’s brother Charley. In 1908, the Grimmonds lived at 2921 Burdette Street; next door to the Parsons, only 220 feet away.

              What exactly “scared away” poor Dean Davidson is a mystery, though Lillian’s veiled hints in her letter to her brother Harry, who apparently knew enough of the story to understand, suggest some sort of drama. Dean was the oldest of three children born to George Davidson and “Dora” Lillie in Long Pine, Nebraska, about 250 miles from Omaha, on 21 January 1891. His family relocated to Harrison County, Iowa, where they were settled in 1905, and then to Omaha by 1908 when Dean appears in Lillian’s earlier letters. They lived at 2215 N. 29^th Street, about a block north of the Parsons. George Davidson was a postal clerk for the railroad. Somewhat surprisingly for the period, Dean’s mother was also working, as a public school teacher.

              This is also about the time Lillian started signing her letters with her high school graduating class date, 1912. While she was still a freshman in early 1909, she clearly was proud of her schooling even if she was challenged with certain subjects. Though high school was just beginning to become standard and popular for American youth, and still looked very different than high school as we know it today, Lillian was not so very different from teenagers today trying to balance her schoolwork and social life. Lillian’s voice, through her letters, presents a vivid picture of turn-of-the-century, Midwest America at a fascinating time, while reminding us that when it comes to people, 117 years is no time at all.

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Want to read more?
Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories
Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William
Volume 6, Part 1: Wandering Omaha
Volume 6, Part II: Grandparents, Washing Day, and Etiquette
Volume 7: Lucke, German Social Clubs, and Dancing

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[1] Omaha Daily Bee, 4 October 1914, page 58, columns 1-3. See also The Omaha Daily News, 7 May 1914, page 1; The Evening World-Herald (Omaha), 7 May 1914, page 8 and page 13; The Omaha Daily News, 8 May 1914, page 1 and page 13; The Omaha World-Herald, 8 May 1914, page 5; The Evening World-Herald (Omaha), 8 May 2014, page 12 and page 16; The Omaha Daily Bee, 8 May 2014, page 11.
[2] 1900 U.S. census, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, population schedule, Kane township, p. 176 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 135, sheet 4-B, dwelling 325, family 332, Luke Chambers household.   
[3] 1910 U.S. census, Douglas County, Nebraska, population schedule, Omaha City, Ward 4, p. 179 (stamped), enumeration district (ED) 29, sheet 8-B, dwelling 55, family 61, Willard E. Chambers household.
[4] Omaha City Directory for 1896, Volume XXII, Omaha Directory Company, page 104-105.
[5] Omaha Daily Bee, 7 January 1921, page 3, column 5.

Volume 7: Lucke, German Social Clubs, and Dancing

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Omaha, Nebr. Dec 10, 1908
2132 N. 29^th St
Dear Harry: –

                                         I guess this will be the only letter you will get from me before you come home. We got out of school the eighteenth and you may come home Saturday. Alma said she bet you would come with us girls that night and I said you wouldn’t be cause you would be too tired. But she said if she asked you that she knew you would go. Now, I’m kind of anxious to see whether you’ll go or not.

              I guess Harry Hough will be down as soon as possible too. He is sending us all kinds of cards and asking us if we got this or that. He is up in Canada & having a visit to Santa Claus, you see.

              I heard that you said I didn’t write such nice letters to you as I did to ma but then you see if I tell you anything you tell it back so I don’t dare. Marion does the same thing. Of course, you don’t care who I have because I don’t care who you have, so now we’ll each do as we please. Oh! dear. I’m having a great time. You’ll hear all about it when you get home. They tease me like everything at home. Dear me, I hope you’ll like this little sawed off fellow. He knows you & he says he’s not at all afraid of you. But you’ll have to learn to dance Harry or you won’t be in it. I think you & Dean are the only ones that don’t know how. We try to teach Dean but he forgets in between times so we don’t get ahead very fast.

              The debate is next Friday night and Mr. Lucke and myself are going. Now, isn’t that fine. I had 5 tickets to sell & I asked him to buy one and he did. Then when we walked home he asked me if he might take me. Alma told me I shouldn’t ask him to buy a ticket because he’d think he’d have to ask me but ma said it was all right. Well, I got to go. He came up to school at noon for the ticket because that was the only time I’d get to give it to him & then I met him after school & we walked home to-gether. I guess you think I’m getting bad, but ma said it was all right so it is.

              Oh dear I believe this letter is all Lucke so I better change the subject.

              Ma made her mince meat last night. I split peanuts & then I went to bed and was asleep before the nine o’clock whistle.

              Oh, yes I went skating last Sunday afternoon with (Well, never mind who I was with) and had a dandy time. The ice was pretty rough. I can’t skat[e] at all this year. I guess I’ll have to learn over.

…

              Tuesday night, Charley & I went to that Orchestra at Miss Bradshaws home. There were nine there and we practiced about an hour. We go home about ten o’clock but next week we won’t be so late.

              I simply can’t think of any-thing else to tell you so I guess I better quit.

                                                                                                Lillian Parsons

                                                                                                             1912

P.S. Harry Hough. I guess he is buying you a pretty nice Christmas present so you know what to expect. Ma is wondering if you got that dollar but says you mustn’t say anything in the letter but let her know by a private letter or postal card.

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Lillian’s last letter was six months prior to this one, and during the summer and fall of 1908 apparently some things changed. There are no known letters from the missing six months, but Harry would have been home from school for the summer, so a gap isn’t unexpected. Sometime after the fall, when Harry returned to Chicago (or he would have been present for the transition and there would be no reference to whether or not Harry and Robert knew each other), Lillian began spending more time with Robert Lucke. By December, as Harry is about to return home for the Christmas holidays, her letter was “all Lucke.”

              Lillian mentioned Robert Charles Lucke for the first time in January 1908, but wasn’t mentioned again until almost a year later. Robert Lucke was the oldest of two boys; his brother Richard was a year younger than Lillian’s brother Charley. A third child was born prior to 1900, but was deceased by 1900.[1] Robert’s father, also named Robert (middle name Sidney), was a surgeon born in Wisconsin in 1863 to German immigrant parents. He married Elizabeth Stroetzel, also the child of German immigrants, on 13 September 1888 in New York City. Robert was born almost a year later in New York.

              Most likely the Luckes moved to Omaha by 1890, but they were certainly there by 1896 when Richard was born. In 1900 they shared a home with Robert Sidney’s parents, Charles and Amelia, and one of his sisters, Theodora. Charles Lucke died in 1905, and Amelia in 1908. The Luckes lived a mile or so from Lillian and her family with Theodora, who was a schoolteacher. Robert Sidney was reputed to be a founding member of the Omaha Turnverein, though it is more likely he was a founding member of one of several turnvereins established in the 1890s in Omaha, as the Omaha Turnverein was first established in 1878, when Robert Sidney was still living in Wisconsin.[2] What is a “turnverein,” you ask? Essentially, it is a German gymnastics and social club, or at least it was back in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, when they were at their height of popularity in the United States. Turnvereins developed in Germany as a way to promote strong bodies among men and boys. The movement made its way across the pond where it thrived in the German immigrant community around the United States. Equal parts gymnastics and German social club, German was the standard language used within the turnverein until anti-German sentiment developed with World War I. Though they began in Germany in the early 1800s, by the time the Omaha newspapers were peppered with the activities of the local turnvereins, “Turners,” as they called themselves (and still do today), consisted of men, women, boys, and girls of primarily German, but really any background. Local regulations required that members were American citizens or had declared their intention to become so.[3]

              Lillian’s reference to dancing is a thrill of mine, and one of my greatest personal joys in finding these letters. In 1908, social dancing among young people was reaching an explosion point. Ballroom dancing up until the late 19th century had been primarily the domain of the wealthy, who could afford dancing masters and expensive training in the morals, etiquette, and dancing skills deemed essential to navigate the ballroom. Much to the chagrin of the expensive dancing masters, the mass production of dancing manuals combined with the increased leisure time and discretionary income of the middle class in the mid to late 19th century allowed the middle classes to emulate their wealthy counterparts on a smaller scale. Simultaneously, ragtime music hit the scene in the 1890s. The syncopated rhythms and the youth of the composers, typically in their teens and twenties, combined with the mass production of sheet music, lit a fire under the social dance movement. Between 1906 and 1908, “rag dancing” saw the development of the one-step and a barnyard’s worth of “animal” dances like the Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug, Grizzly Bear, and more.[4]

              In Omaha, the “dance craze” was reflected in a more traditional, and probably more typical, scene than the crowded cabarets of New York City and other big cities that would hit their stride within the next few years. Dances at “Chambers,” or Chambers Dancing Academy, and other locations are of frequent mention in Lillian’s letters. Chambers is best known as the dance studio where a pair of juvenile performers born in Omaha first learned to dance: Adele and Fred Austerlitz, better known by the name Astaire. In fact, just four days before Lillian wrote this letter to Harry, Omaha hosted the Adele and Fred (then 11 and 9 years old) at the Orpheum Theater on their first homecoming since their mother moved them to New York City several years earlier. They made front page news in the Omaha Daily News the next morning as “the brightest and biggest luminaries on the Orpheum stage.”[5] Given that Adele was the same age as Lillian’s brother Charley, and Fred two years younger, and given that the Parsons lived only about a mile away from the Austerlitzs and frequented some of the same locations before their removal to New York, there is every possibility the families may have crossed paths at some point.[6]

              At Chambers and similar, Lillian would have participated in some (tamer) versions of the new rag dancing craze, as well as more traditional ballroom dances like the waltz, in a setting drawing upon the long-standing ballroom etiquette of the Victorian era. It is clear from this letter that Robert Lucke was a dancer, as were most of Lillian’s acquaintance at this point except for, apparently, her brother Harry. Robert was also a musician, as was Lillian. She clearly had quite a bit in common with this “little sawed off fellow!”

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[1] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Nebraska, population schedule, Ward 9, enumeration district (ED) 92, sheet 35-A, Robert S. Lucke household; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 925. Also 1910 U.S. census, Omaha, Nebraska, population schedule, Ward 11, enumeration district (ED) 78, sheet 2-A, Robert S. Lucke household; NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 8444. On both censuses, Elizabeth Lucke is identified as having given birth to 3 children, 2 of whom were living as of the census dates.  
[2] The Omaha Morning Bee, “Dr. Lucke Will Be Buried Here,” 7 May 1937, page 13, column 5.
[3] Omaha Daily Bee, “Turners Show Their Work”, 26 November 1898, page 5, column 4.
[4] Lisa Weaver, “The Evolution of American Style Competitive Ballroom Dancing,” (American Public University System, 2011.)
[5] The Omaha Daily News, 7 December 1908, page 1, column 2.
[6] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Nebraska, population schedule, Ward 5, enumeration district (ED) 54, sheet 5-A, Fred Austerlitz household; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 924.

Volume 6, Part 2: Grandparents, Washing Day, and Etiquette

June 29, 1908

I forgot to finish this letter and here it is Monday but I’ll send it anyway. You see it is a sort of (can’t think of the word but you know anyway).

Violet got our mail sunday and the mail man gave her A letter and said that the two usually went to gether. You better not think of coming home within 6 weeks (no 5 wks) or else you may be disappointed. We had a big wash to day and just about noon Grandpa came up for dinner. He was working down on 24^th St. and ran up the hill for dinner. We had Mr. Porter for dinner yesterday (Sunday) We had dinner at 2 o’clock and sat at the table till 4. Then we had supper at seven and sat till eight. Alma came up a little last night so I had to take your place. I guess she would rather have had you because you do it better. I let her fall at the bottom of the step and I took the inside of the sidewalk but I corrected myself. Oh I made a good many mistakes only I didn’t stay. I said goodbye and ran up the hill.

I think this letter will do until next week. I will try and write a longer one next time but news is rather scarce and I’m sure this is a little longer than yours.

Well when you come home we will have a better time because then I won’t tease you.

                                                                     Goodbye

                                                                                   Lillian

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   “Grandpa,” a.k.a. Carl Alfred Johnson, was born in Ekeby, Sweden, on 24 July 1840 as Karl Alfrid Johansson. On 1 April 1864, at the age of 24, he married Johanna Andersdotter, who was nearly eleven years his senior and previously married. We know almost nothing about Johanna or Carl’s early lives outside of these few basic facts, but the record is solid once they married. Three months after their wedding daughter Ida Matilda Carlson, a.k.a. ‘Ma’, was born in Strå, Sweden. Son Johan Wilhelm (Ida’s brother William) was born two and a half years later, on 18 December 1866, in St. Pers, Sweden.

   In 1870, the family relocated from St. Pers (or Sankt Per) parish to Mjölby, where they remained in some capacity for the next 15 years. Karl was a “worker” who may have worked for the state at some point, and the family is found living in different farms and crofts through the 1870s and 1880s. It is possible he was a laborer, as that was consistently his trade once he emigrated from Sweden. Officially, the family departed Sweden (i.e. left the parish) on 2 June 1885 for “North Amerika,” though the reality was somewhat more complicated. Ida disappears from the Swedish parish surveys by the 1880s and we know she immigrated to the United States first, alone, in 1882. Karl followed in April 1883. Johanna stayed behind until 1886. We don’t know when William arrived; it may have been with his mother or sometime earlier, but he was in Omaha by 1888 when he signed as witness “John W. Carlson” on his sister Ida’s marriage certificate.  

    Like many immigrants at the time, Karl (and the rest of his family) anglicized his name on arrival to the United States, changing the spelling and solidifying the patronymic surname, so that Karl Alfrid Johansson became Carl Alfred Johnson, married to Johanna Johnson, and father to Ida and William Carlson. When Lillian wrote about his dinner visit in 1908, Carl was a few years shy of 70 years old and working as a laborer doing “street work.”[1] He owned his house at 2027 Center Court, about 3.5 miles south of Ida and her family. The house may have been with the aid of his daughter and son-in-law, as family legend claims that Nels provided the funds to bring Ida’s family over from Sweden. We know that Nels began buying property as soon as he arrived in Omaha in the early 1880s, and even deeded property to Ida the day before their wedding in 1888. What is certain is that Carl and Johanna lived out their lives within a few miles of their daughter and were living with Ida and Nels by 1916.

Grandpa came to “dinner” a little before noon, but of course we would consider that the lunch meal today. Clearly, the Parsons followed a model of mid-afternoon dinners followed by a late[r] supper, which feels like a bygone era in a world where arriving to your office to start the workday by 7am is normal, or even considered late. Also part of that bygone era (arguably for the best) is Lillian’s “big wash” on a Sunday morning, which was probably laundry, and was no easy feat in 1908. The first commercial electric washer wasn’t invented until 1908, so the Parsons would likely have been using a hand-powered contraption of some sort, a lot of hot water, strong soap (laundry soap also wasn’t invented until 1908), and up to four hours of manual labor per load of laundry, not to mention the drying and ironing.[2]

And then there is Lillian’s attempt to take her brother Harry’s place with Alma, “correcting” herself by walking on the outside of the sidewalk instead of the inside (as the inside of the walk was considered the correct side for ladies). Why Lillian, at 15 (days away from sixteen, when she finished this letter), felt the need or was tasked to fill in for her older brother to escort Alma and show deference to her is a mystery, but an interesting one to ponder.

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Want to read more?
Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories
Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William
Volume 6, Part 1: Wandering Omaha

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[1] 1910 U.S. census, Omaha, Ward 2, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 13, page 225 (stamped), sheet 11-A, house number 2027, family 211, Karl A. Johnson; NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 843.
[2] Carol McGarry, “How Laundry Day Disappeared,” blog, (https://blog.sense.com/how-laundry-day-disappeared/ : accessed 14 December 2023), 9 March 2020. Also, Lauren Cabral, “The History of Washing Machines,” blog, (https://www.backthenhistory.com/articles/the-history-of-washing-machines : accessed 14 December 2023), 13 January 2021.

Volume 6, Part 1: Wandering Omaha

Omaha, Nebr. June 26, 1908
2132 N. 29^th St

Dear Harry: –

                                                                                  Now the first thing I want to tell you is that I promise you that I’ll never tease you when you come home in August. I am awful sorry that I helped papa a long to scold you when you came home from Jensens.

              Night before last us three girls were going to walk out to Alma’s uncle on 43^rd and Erskine and we got lost. We got about four blocks from the place and didn’t know we were so near and started North and didn’t stop till we reached Boulevard Ave and then we went west and came to the Deaf Institute. Then we knew where we were and found the place. But when we got there they weren’t home so we rested and rode home.

              So last night Mrs. Jensen took me out there and we had a fine time. Mr. Hansen treated us to an ice cream cone. We got home about half past ten and got up at half past five this morning to go walking. We went out to the lagoon and back again before half past seven.

              Alma has been up to our house in the afternoons to sew. So I guess it will be my turn to go down there. Marion is going to have Grace Robinson up this afternoon so I may go down to Alma. Gertrude was just telling me what a good time she had at camp. The choir boys are at camp and yesterday was visitors day.

              By the way. H.H. never called up yet so I guess he was bluffing. It is Friday to-day and he never telephoned so I guess I will have to go by myself. I suppose he is waiting to get an opportunity (I need mamma’s joke) to telephone. You see he is so sly. Marion doesn’t know and we have lots of fun (mamma & I) talking of my engagement.

Well, well that was a pretty weak joke. You can’t keep a thing. None of us care a snap if you took all the dictionary’s we had. Marion and I guessed it the minute we saw your letter. You can keep it and we’ll get another.

Next week will be the Fourth but it sounds as if it was the fourth now the way they shoot.

Stuart went to Sioux City this morning. Alma teases me and says that I’ll be lonesome but not I. She said a little bird told her that I had my eye on Stuart and that it was he and I just believe that it must be you.

---

For reasons unknown to us, Lillan was interrupted and broke her letter here. She finished it three days later, but as she covers a lot of ground (or at least gives me plenty to comment upon), I’ll break her letter here as well.

              One of the best parts of these letters is Lillian’s casual tour of Omaha as she tells Harry about the places she visits in 1908. The Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission maintains old city maps of Omaha and the surrounding area, which is a godsend since many of the places Lillian mentioned in her letters – including her house on N. 29^th Street – are no longer there. This 1912 map of the Greater Omaha area brings Lillian’s adventure in North Omaha to life. The Parsons lived three blocks due east of Prospect Hill Cemetery and three blocks south of Lake Street. Prospect Hill Cemetery is in the center of northern Omaha. with Omaha High School (showing on this map as “High School”, since it was still the only one in town) to the southeast. The “Deaf Institute” Lillian refers to in her letter is the State Mute Institute, northwest of the cemetery on the corner of Bedford and 45th. Alma’s uncle, Mr. Hansen (most likely her mother’s brother) lived down Lake Street to 42^nd, and a few blocks south to Erskin. This map makes it easy to see exactly how far Lillian and Alma wandered on their way to Alma’s uncle’s house. All told, their wander northwest took them about a mile off course. While Lillian talks about going north to “Boulevard Avenue,” the only Boulevard I can find on the 1912 map is significantly south and does not match Lillian’s directions of their wandering; I suspect she meant Bedford Avenue, to the north, and then directly west to the “Deaf Institute.”

              The Nebraska School for the Deaf no longer exists, but was in its heyday in 1908. Founded in 1867, it moved to its location at 3223 N. 45^th in Omaha in 1871. In 1908, the school taught students using American Sign Language (ASL), or the “manulist” method; it would be another three years before controversy ensued (and a certain amount of subversion by the school staff) when the state legislature, under pressure from certain factions, forced the school to abandon ASL in favor of the “oralist” method of teaching deaf students to lip read and speak.[1] The change did not last, but the school did, until 1998 when enrollment dropped so significantly (due to deaf students enrolling in public schools) that it closed its doors for good. The school is now listed on the National Register, though none of the buildings Lillian would have recognized in 1908 still remain.[2]   

               This is a good time to mention the Omaha High School Cadet Officers Corps, since it will come up again. The cadet program at Omaha High School was a forerunner of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program. It was established at Omaha High School in 1886, disbanded in 1888, then reestablished under the authority of the U.S. Secretary of War in 1894. Enrollment was voluntary, but the program was significant. Like JROTC, the boys enrolled in the program drilled a few times a week, wore uniforms (self-purchased), and attended lectures on military subjects. It became a tradition for high ranking cadets to choose young women as “sponsors” for the various cadet battalions, though the purpose of the sponsors was not entirely clear.[3] A women’s auxiliary, known as Company Z , was formed in 1896 primarily as a drill team, complete with uniforms and rifles, which eventually inspired other schools to form their own female drill teams; unfortunately, Company Z was disbanded after 1900 and the only participation left for young women was as company sponsors. As of 1908, the cadet officer corps was organized into a battalion with 6 companies, a band, a signal corps squad, and a hospital corps. Military training fell under the direction of regular army officer and commandant Captain W.M. Oury, stationed at nearby Fort Omaha.[4] A drill competition, held in the spring, and an annual summer camp that began around 1900, were traditional major events for the cadet officer corps. In 1908, “Camp” was in Blair, Nebraska, about 25 miles north of Omaha. It is possible this is the camp Lillian was referencing in her letter, as the camps routinely conducted a “visitors day,” but Lillian wrote this letter about two weeks too late to be the cadet officer corps camp mentioned in the 1908 Omaha High School yearbook. Lillian may well be referencing some other June camp, but (teasers!) the cadet officer corps summer camp was THE High School camp, and the cadet officer corps came to play a much greater role in Lillian’s high school years after 1908.

              Stay tuned for part 2 of this letter in the next posting!  

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Want to read more?
Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories
Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William

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[1] National Park Service, “Nebraska School for the Deaf,” (https://www.nps.gov/places/nebraska-school-for-the-deaf.htm : accessed 6 December 2023).
[2] Adam Fletcher Sasse, North Omaha History, “A History of the Nebraska School for the Deaf,” online blog, 23 November 2015, (https://northomahahistory.com/2015/11/23/a-short-history-of-north-omahas-nebraska-school-for-the-deaf/ : accessed 6 December 2023).
[3] Barry Combs and Jim Wigton, Omaha Central High School Alumni Association, “Central High School Historical Timeline 1854-2016,” (https://www.omahacentralalumni.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Historical-Timeline-Optimized.pdf : accessed 6 December 2023), 21 December 2016.
[4] Ibid.

Volume 5: Falling Outs, Senior Fairs, Faith, and Uncle William

Omaha, Nebr. Apr. 26, 1908
2132 N. 29^th St

Dear Harry: –

                                                          I haven’t written to you since I got my cards. Well I got three B’s and an A. I got A in English and B in the other three studies, Writing, Physiology, and Algebra. I suppose Alma told her marks. Vera Turner got two B’s and two A’s and Anna Sorenson got three A’s and one C. So I think I did about as good as any of them.

              We went to the Senior Fair Friday night with Alma and Mrs. Jensen. Marion don’t think it was as good as last year but I think it was better. They didn’t have so much to sell but then It was very nice. We went to the two best shows and they were very good. I will send you the programs of “The Revenge of Shari-Hot-Su”, the big show in Room 204. The Hall was decorated with the Seniors colors – pink & white and where they sold the ice they had big branches.

              Us girls are going to be confirmed this year. Now aren’t you surprised. Yes sir, May 17. Father Diggs was up to call on mamma and of course they talked about confirmation and ma said she would ask papa. She did & he said we could. Last Friday we went for our first lesson. We were the only ones but that was a special lesson and so now we go on Tuesday with the rest of them.

              The lilacs are out now and they smell so pretty. I wish you could come home in June. Ma may come to see you then. About how many hours will you have to study then? Charlie will be along of course if they come.

              Harry, everything we can’t find here at home we say, “Harry’s got it,” and it seems to me you must have everything.

              I had my picture taken a few weeks ago and so I will send you one. That is my new hat. You could call it a “merry Widow” only its cut off in the front.

              Papa is going to write so I will put my letter with his.

              Harry Hough and I have had a fall out. He wrote a letter to me and he was rather mad and silly & he swore in it & wanted to know how much I loved him and called you all kinds of names because you don’t write. Well I answered & if I didn’t give it to him. I was so mad that I wrote right away and took it down to the post-office. I received a letter a few days after begging to be forgiven and I haven’t answered it yet and I won’t till I get good and ready. I guess he was only in fun but I wasn’t. I suppose you will give me a lot of advise like a good brother and with so many to give advise I ought to know how to act & write when a young man has no respect for me.

              Last Sunday, Papa went to the P.O. and he didn’t get Alma’s letter because she never said anything about it and in the afternoon she came up for it thinking we had got it but Pa didn’t think he better when he never got special permission, and I don’t blame him because I wouldn’t stand on my head for her. She went home dis-appointed & the next day she had the blews and of course I had to be nice to her so she wouldn’t say I acted funny. My but they are nice now. They hug and kiss you but I know its all put on and you bet they don’t hug and kiss me unless I can help it. Now don’t tell them I told you.

              Say Harry we got a new clock for our dining room. The works are in a glass case. Pa is through his letter so I better be through mine so by by.

                                                                                      Lillian – 1912

[In ink at bottom of Lillian’s letter, different handwriting]

Now Harry Don’t you dare tell your Uncle that I may come. I realy did not wanted you to know So soon but Lillian is a teddletail

                                                                                      Your Ma

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There may have been a flirtation between seventeen-year-old Harry and almost-sixteen-year-old Lillian, but clearly Lillian was holding her own in the realm of courtship. One can’t help but be impressed and proud of Lillian for telling off a young man who disrespected her and her brother (even if it was in jest, as he claimed.) Harry Hough was born in Omaha on 2 January 1891, the oldest of six children born to Paul Hough and Elizabeth (Killday) Hough. Eighteen months older than Lillian and less than eighteen months younger than Lillian’s brother Harry, “H.H.” as Lillian often refers to him was well placed to be a friend of both Lillian and Harry. By 1910 the Hough family, including Harry, lived 140 miles away in Pierce, Nebraska, but there are signs H.H. remained a frequent visitor to Omaha. Harry eventually returned permanently, but his childhood flirtation with Lillian was long over. Their friendship, at least, survived this falling out.

              The Senior Fair at Omaha High School began in 1906 as a way to raise money for projects. The 1908 Senior Fair, as seen from the program Lillian kindly included with her letter to her brother, was an ambitious affair and a fascinating, if not always politically correct by modern standards, exploration of turn-of-the-century entertainment. The central importance of the high school in their lives is also apparent in her letters in smaller ways: this is the first letter where Lillian signs her letters with her graduating class date, a tradition she continues in later letters.

              Speaking of a fascinating look at the period, Lillian’s new hat in the style of a “merry widow” is a fun glimpse into Edwardian fashion. The “merry widow,” a.k.a. the very large, broad-brimmed hats often heavily decorated and frequently worn at a jaunty angle, was one of the defining elements of what we know today as Edwardian style. The name comes from the opera, The Merry Widow, which debuted on Broadway in 1907, and more specifically its lead, Lily Elsie, a trendsetter who increased the popularity of the large hats and associated them forever with the opera of the same name. Arguably, Lillian’s version of this hat was likely nothing like the enormous, feathered, horribly impractical creations popular in most surviving prints and photos from the period, but does probably refer to a comparatively large, broad-brimmed, decorated hat. Deep in the family archives was a postcard of Lillian and “Freda” wearing similar hats (below); this may be the picture Lillian referenced in her letter, as it is appropriate to the period and the date.

Once again, we see Lillian’s interesting opinion of Alma Jensen, her brother’s sweetheart, and the rest of the Jensen family, with all the honesty of a fifteen-year-old. Alma was only eight months older than Lillian, though ahead of her in school. Clearly, Alma (and her family) were a frequent presence in the Parsons’ lives, but less clear is whether Lillian’s friendship with Alma is genuine, or merely tolerance for the girl who was clearly so important to Harry.

Lillian’s mention of confirmation for “us girls” (assuming Lillian and Marion) is noteworthy. “Father Diggs” refers to the Reverend R.R. Diggs, who arrived to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Omaha in January of 1908. Father Diggs found a congregation that was not regularly attending church or tithing, and a church that was deeply in debt. Unfortunately, despite his strenuous and largely successful efforts to rebuild local engagement with the church and to repay the debt he inherited, Father Diggs resigned in 1910 and St. John’s closed in February of 1912.[1] As Swedes, it is easy to assume that Ida and Nels were Lutherans, but it appears they were not. They were married in 1889 by a pastor at the Second Presbyterian Church, and this reference suggests that the family made the switch to the Episcopal faith sometime later. Ida’s obituary from many years later identifies her as a member of Trinity Cathedral, the Episcopal cathedral in central Omaha.

              Ida (Carlson) Parsons, aka ‘Ma’, was a Swedish immigrant who learned English only after arriving to Omaha in the early 1880s. She was the first of the family to arrive and made it possible for her parents and younger brother, William Carlson, to follow. William was in Omaha by 1888 when he signed as witness to the marriage of Ida to Nels Parsons (Pa), Lillian’s father. William lived in Chicago by 1900, when he married Hulda Lofgren, a fellow Swedish immigrant, so he would have been well placed as Harry’s closest family in Chicago when Harry went off to school at the Armour Institute. It was William to whom Ida was referring in her handwritten addendum to Lillian’s letter, calling her daughter a tattle-tale and asking Harry not to tell his uncle they were thinking of visiting. This isn’t the only sample of Ida’s handwriting we have, but it is the only time we see it in Lillian’s letters.

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Want to read more?
Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907
Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!
Volume 4: School Stories

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[1] James M. Robbins, Jr., “A History of the Episcopal Church in Omaha from 1856 to 1964,” University of Nebraska at Omaha (1965), p. 148.

Volume 3: Sweethearts or Sisters and…Candy!

Omaha, Nebr., Jan 4 1908
2132 N. 29^th St

Dear Harry: –

              I guess I can’t beat Alma writing but I’m writing as soon as I can. I believe she wrote last night. She certainly did feel bad last night. Robert was very good to her so you better not say anything about him. Harry Hough didn’t come home with us but he came over to us about 20 minutes to nine and we talked till eleven. He came over at quarter to eight this morning and we walked to school. We met Robert at 24^th and Hamilton and Harry went with him. We’re going to make “Divinity” to-night for Harry & then that ends the fun.

I met Harry & Robert this noon & Harry thought the High School was great. I walked home with them this afternoon and had a great time. Robt. said Alma cried second hour & I saw her after sixth hr. & her eyes were red so I bet she cried sixth hr. too. Anyway she rode home & Marion stayed to a lecture so that left me with the boys. I’ll tell you I was it. Harry & Robt went down town for dinner. It cost them 12¢ apiece. I guess Robt stood it because Harry only had 50¢ last night besides his fare.

              We have all written or done something so you’ll be getting lots of mail. I guess mine won’t be as long & lovey dovey as Ma’s & Alma’s but I wrote to you as soon as I could so you know I’m thinking of you. When we all met this morning we were pretty gay but last night you never saw such a looking bunch. I couldn’t get near Alma or else I’d cry (Of course I didn’t like to do that but I bet I felt as bad) and Charley sat next to me making fun of me. At last he began to teach me some ryhmes [sic] & that set me laughing. Then Ruth Dillon & her sister got on the car & then I tell you I did brighten up. I was the best this time that I ever was. Alma didn’t keep her promise very well did she? But I guess she couldn’t help it. Robt & her declared it was worse to see a lover go away than a brother. I told them I hadn’t had any experience but they hadn’t had a brother go away so we couldn’t prove it. Well Robt said that you were a brother & lover both to Alma so she could say which was worse. She said it was worse to loose [sic] a lover. But Marion was there to say that Alma could have Harry for a lover but that he had all the sisters he needed or would ever have. Now what do you think of that. We might ask you which is the worst to leave sweetheart or sister but that would be too hard to answer. I know you’d say sister but in your own heart it’s about equal.

              I’ve got to do my Algebra so I won’t have any lessons to-night. We’re going to make some “divine divinity.”

                                                                                  By-by
                                                       Many kisses
                                                                                 Lillian.

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              If there was ever any doubt that Alma had her eye on Harry Parsons, this letter removes it. January 4^th, 1908 was the last day of Armour Institute’s Midwinter recess. Lillian’s letter makes it clear that his return to school was a miserable experience for his “lover” and “sweetheart” Alma, and just as bad – in Lillian’s opinion, anyway – for his sister; though despite Lillian’s teasing it’s clear she understood it was better not to press Harry for his opinion. Of course, Marion’s opinion on the matter is equally clear.

              Two persons are introduced in this letter who appear with regularity in future letters: Robert (Lucke) and Harry Hough. Harry Cecil Hough was born 2 January 1891, the oldest child of Paul Hough and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Kilday) Hough. He is one of the few friends in Lillian’s regular circle who was not a child of immigrants. Harry’s father, Paul, seemed to be something of a rambler, moving progressively west from Pennsylvania every few years until finally moving south to Arkansas by 1920. Harry, however, lived in Omaha most of his life. In 1900, the Houghs lived a little over a mile due east of the Parsons. [1]

Robert Charles Lucke was born 25 August 1889 in Manhattan, New York, to Robert Sidney Lucke of Wisconsin and Elizabeth Grace (Stroetzel) Hough of New York. Robert was a second-generation American; all four of his grandparents were German immigrants. In 1900, the Luckes were living in Omaha with Charles’ paternal grandparents and aunt, Theodora Lucke, about a mile and a half from the Parsons.[2] Robert was about a month older than Lillian’s brother Harry. and later letters suggest they knew each other, though perhaps not well, when he began spending time with Lillian and Marion. They came to be good friends, however, and frequent correspondents.

Neither Harry Hough nor Robert Lucke appear in any of the senior class yearbooks from Omaha High School (the only high school in town) for two years before or after Harry’s graduation in 1907, suggesting they either did not attend or did not graduate from high school.[3] This was common in the first decade of the twentieth century. Compulsory school attendance generally ended at the age of 14 and many smaller cities (certainly rural areas) did not even have high schools. At the time Lillian was attending, Omaha only had one, known colloquially as “The High School”, formally as Omaha High School and, much later, Central High School – and it was relatively new.

Omaha’s first all-grades public school opened in 1859, but it was 1871 before the city constructed a separate high school.[4] The original Omaha High School was built on top of a hill and was a four story (plus basement) brick structure with north and south wings and a 150-foot spiree. It was such as source of pride to the city that important visitors were often given tours when they came to town, including President William Howard Taft in 1911 – the year before Lillian graduated.[5] This suggests there may be more to Robert and Harry’s visit to the school to see Lillian than simply visiting a friend during school hours, and may explain why Harry “thought the High School was great.”

By 1897 the High School was overcrowded and a new, larger building (the present day Central High School) was begun in 1900 in a remarkable way. The builders slowly constructed a new school around the existing building over the course of the next 12 years.[6] Classes continued in the old building while it was gradually surrounded by the new one until the old building was finally demolished in 1911. The final wing of the new building was completed in 1912.[7] This means that the school was under construction the entire time Harry and Lillian were students, from 1903-1912!

In passing, Lillian mentions Ruth Dillon (and her older sister, Mona.) Ruth M. Dillon was born on 27 August 1892 and was a classmate of Lillian’s for a time. The Dillons lived about a mile north of the Parsons at the time of this letter. Reflecting the beautiful irony of history (and the true fun of genealogy), Ruth Dillon went on to marry a man by the name of Warren M. Vickery in 1919. Their son, Warren V. Vickery, married Lillian’s youngest daughter, Midge, in 1961.

But the more important history lesson for the day is…candy! The first time I read this letter, I was left scratching my head by Lillian’s repeated references to “Divinity.” One quick Google search later** and I had my answer: divinity candy, believed to have originated in the U.S. in the early 1900s. The New York Times is credited by food historians with printing one of the first recipes for Divinity Fudge on 15 December 1907[8]– just two weeks before Lillian wrote the letter above. There are other recipes found as early as 1905, suggesting this favorite holiday candy was all the rage in early 1908 when Lillian wrote to Harry about it. Modern recipes for Divinity use five primary ingredients: sugar, water, light corn syrup, egg whites, and chopped nuts, and produce a merengue-like drop candy. Early recipes, which Lillian was more likely to be using, were even simpler: sugar, cold milk, more sugar, butter, and chopped nuts, and were poured into buttered pans and cut like fudge.

The original New York Times recipe can be found in image copies of the Sunday, December 15, 1907 New York Times article (column 6 of page 55). For a more modern version of Divinity that people (not me, obviously) may know, there are many recipes available online, but I like this one from House of Nash Eats for two reasons: 1) Amy Nash is originally from Nebraska, and so is Lillian and 2) according to Amy, Divinity is sold on Main Street USA in Disneyland, and almost nothing is more quintessentially early-twentieth-century American than Main Street USA in Disneyland, except perhaps Lillian and her letters.

**Or, as it turns out, I could have just asked my parents. They both knew of it, and my mother even remembers her mother making this in the holiday season. Always ask your parents!

Want to read more?
Volume 1: Lillian and her Letters
Volume 2: November 4th, 1907

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[1] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Ward 6, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 53, page 281 (stamped), sheet 4-A, dwelling 61, family 74, Paul H. Hough; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 924.
[2] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Ward 6, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 92, page 118 (stamped), sheet 1-A, dwelling 2, family 2, Robert S. Lucke; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 925.
[3] Central High School Foundation, O-Book Archives, online yearbooks for Omaha High School, searchable by year from 1890-2023 (https://chsfomaha.org/newsroom/category/o-book-archives/ : accessed 7 October 2023). Graduating class lists for 1905-1916 were searched for this article.
[4] Omaha Public Schools, “History of Central” (https://www.ops.org/domain/479 : accessed 9 October 2023).
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] National Park Service, “Omaha Central High School,” (https://www.nps.gov/places/omaha-central-high-school.htm : accessed 9 October 2023).
[8] The New York Times, “Christmas Cheer as Ever Calls on the Housewife for Sweets, Pies and All the Rest of the Good Things of the Holidays,” Sunday, December 15, 1907, page 55, column 6-7.

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November 4th, 1907

Omaha, Nov. 4^th 1907
2132 N. 29^th St

My dear Harry: –

                                         The nine o’clock whistle has just blown but I have to write to you so I get it done. I didn’t write yesterday be-cause I didn’t get any time. I suppose you heard in Ma’s letter what a bad girl I was yesterday to read your letter to Alma but there wasn’t anything in it unless it was about the report & the dropping out if you don’t get above some mark but I didn’t think you’d get below & I new [sic] you’d get above so I didn’t think it hert [sic] if I did read that to her. She read me her letter every bit of it even the very last thing – But I’ll tell you I won’t read her any more letters & I won’t get to hear any of hers either. That was the only one I heard of her’s & I was in my glory hearing it as she read but when I got home I wasn’t in my glory.

              Edward Lundberg & Mr. and Mrs. Lundberg was up Friday & Marion went down for Alma & we played Hearts & I’m sending you the score paper. All that pretty printing Edward done. Alma put a note on there to you when she was up Sunday. Well when Alma went home Edward & I took her home & on the steps outside Alma fell down & E. helped her up. (I fell too but I got up myself.) Well all the way down that hill he helped her & she didn’t stop him either. She wouldn’t say “Leave me alone” like she did to you once. When I told her Sunday she laughed & said Well what could I do You see I wasn’t as free to him as I was to Harry. A & I had a good laugh at it when coming from the P.O. Well when C & I came up the hill we had a race but E beat & that’s the way he helps me home. I suppose you will hear this from Alma too but she said I should tell you & that she would tell you too…

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So begins the first of the surviving letters of Lillian Anna Parsons to her older brother, Harry Parsons. Lillian was 15 when she wrote the above letter and Harry had been a student at the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago for all of about two months. He reported to the freshman class on 16 September 1907, four days before his 18^th birthday, as one of 258 “earnest, faithful, conscientious, and unassuming young men of unusual physical and mental vigor, intelligence, and ambition.”[1] Though Harry doesn’t appear in the freshman class photo in the 1907-1908 yearbook, he does appear in the full list of freshmen as a mechanical engineering major with a home address of 2132 N. 29^th St., Omaha, Nebraska.[2] This is the same address from which Lillian would write all of the letters to her brother during his years at school.

The Parsons lived in this location until sometime around 1915, when they relocated to the house most of Lillian’s children remember at 1905 Lothrup St. in Omaha. Unfortunately, the neighborhood that was home to so many of those mentioned in Lillian’s letters is now long gone, though a modern-day Google Street View image does show “that hill” that Lillian references in her letter to Harry. The Jensen’s house, barely two blocks away, was at the intersection of 29^th Street and Burdette (pictured below) and down the hill to the right.

The Armour Institute of Technology existed thanks to Frank W. Gunsaulus and philanthropist Philip Danforth Armour. Gunslaus was a preacher, among other things, and was responsible for the “Million Dollar Sermon” in 1890 that inspired Armour to make a $1M donation to found Armour Institute, provided Gunsaulus served as President. The school opened in 1893 to students of all classes who wanted to make a difference in the rapidly changing world. Gunsaulus remained President for the next 27 years, including the entire period Harry was in residence.[3] The school was originally co-educational, offering courses in engineering and architecture, as well as domestic arts, commerce, music, and kindergarten normal training,[4] but as the mission focused more and more on engineering co-education was abandoned, and by 1907 when Harry began his studies the student body was all young men.[5] Fitting for a school aimed at students of all backgrounds, Armour Institute also offered evening, summer, and correspondence courses.[6]

In 1940, the Armour Institute merged with the Lewis Institute of west Chicago to create the Illinois Institute of Technology, which still stands today in the Armour Square neighborhood of Chicago, across the I-90 Expressway from Guaranteed Rate Field (formerly Comiskey Park), home of the Chicago White Sox. The original Armour Institute main building and the slightly younger Machinery Hall, built specifically to house the rapidly growing mechanical engineering student population, are still standing today as city landmarks.

Lillian’s letter is full of the gossip, chat, and poor grammar and spelling of a 15-year-old girl, and the names she mentions are noteworthy. Lillian’s report on Alma (Jensen) is interesting, as it becomes apparent in this letter and later letters that Alma and Harry clearly had some type, likely informal, of understanding. Alma Stella Jensen was born on 24 November 1891 in Nebraska, most likely Omaha. Like Harry and Lillian, she was first-generation American born to Hans Jensen and Mary (Hansen) Jensen, immigrants from Denmark around 1880. Alma was less than a year older than Lillian and part of the High School class of 1910 (Lillian was in the class of 1912; Harry in the graduating class of 1907). She was an only child and, as of 1900, living with her parents at 2811 Burdette St. in Omaha, about 2 blocks away from the Parsons.[7] While Lillian and Alma clearly are friends and spend a good deal of time together, I can’t help but detect a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) note of the “frenemy” in their relationship. Alma was clearly a frequent, direct correspondent with Harry herself, even if she did, apparently, once tell Harry to “leave me alone” when he tried to help her.

              The Lundbergs, particularly Edward, don’t show up in Lillian’s later letters, but this is most likely Edward Francis Lundberg, born 20 April 1890 of Nels and Ida Lundberg, both Swedish immigrants. In 1900, the Lundbergs lived less than a mile south of the Parsons on N. 26^th Street.[8]

              “Ma’” is mentioned in this letter, as she is in several letters, providing Lillian advice post-social blunder; it is easy to picture Ida Parsons as the amused and sometimes exasperated mother trying to keep her rambunctious and socially active daughters out of trouble. Also noteworthy and almost miss-able in this letter is “C” – most likely Lillian and Harry’s younger brother Charley, who was a few weeks shy of 10 years old when Lillian composed this letter and talked about racing up the hill. Marion is mentioned only in passing, as the one who went to fetch Alma to play Hearts with the Lundbergs.

              The letter continues with Lillian’s report on her Algebra and writing classes and her assessment of her own bad writing, but there is one final, beautiful gem:

“Well A & I played our duet but of course I made a mistake where I always do. You know that hard part the 3 & 4 lines in “Flower Fairys” Well in the 4 line I got behind but I caught up & it wasn’t noticed.”

Why is this beautiful? Until I found these letters, I had no idea my great-grandmother Lillian played the piano. It isn’t surprising, given that it was common for girls of Lillian’s social class to play a musical instrument, but this was a tiny detail that was never mentioned when I was growing up. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to determine the exact song, “Flower Fairies,” that Lillian and Alma were playing as a duet in 1907; it was a fairly common song title at the time and there are several possibilities (all of which could be wrong.) This is a little gem I would love to uncover someday!

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See Volume 1 of the Lillian Letters for the story behind Lillian’s letters and for more information on Lillian, her parents, and her siblings!

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[1] Armour Institute of Technology, The Integral, Class of 1909, Volume 10, Page 85; online copy available on Ancestry.com, “U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-2016,” > Illinois > Chicago > Armour Institute of Technology > 1909, (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/40392_b075494-00000?ssrc=&backlabel=Return : accessed 7 October 2023), image 86 of 287.
[2] Ibid., 219.
[3] Illinois Institute of Technology, “Early Leadership” (https://www.iit.edu/about/history/early-leadership : accessed 7 October 2023).
[4] Armour Institute of Technology, The Integral, Class of 1909, Volume 10, Page 36.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Paul Batesal, America’s Lost Colleges, lostcolleges.com, “Armour Institute of Technology, (https://www.lostcolleges.com/armour-institute : accessed 7 October 2023).
[7] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Ward 6, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 66, page 121 (stamped), sheet 6-B, dwelling 127, family 132, Hans Jensen; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 924.
[8] 1900 U.S. census, Omaha, Ward 8, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 81, page 5 (stamped), sheet 5-B, dwelling 105, family 107, Nels Lundberg; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 925.