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HERBERT HOOVER
The Hoover Houses and Community Structures Historic Structures Report |
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ENDNOTES
Hoover Cottage
1. Cedar County Deed Book H, p. 24
3. Ibid. Joseph Steer moved in the 1870s to Barclay, Kansas, and thereafter returned to West Branch periodically to check on his property holdings in Springdale Township.
4. Edwin C. Bearss, Historical Base Map and Grounds Study: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (Washington, 1968), pp. 49-50.
5. Maud Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town: The Story of West Branch (Iowa City, 1948), p. 39; Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record G, p. 455.
6. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record K, p. 102.
7. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record N, pp. 293-94.
8. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record O, pp. 145-46.
9. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record O, p. 480.
10. Transfer of Title, Charles & Anna Gruwell to R. P. Scellers, Jan. 13, 1886, W. B. Anderson Collection, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. (Hereinafter the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library is cited as HHPL.)
11. Transfer of Title, C. L. & M. A. Penrose to Scellers, Oct. 1, 1901, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Collection.
12. Mortgage on Lots 42 & 43, Dec. 1, 1900, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Collection.
13. Mortgage on Lots 37-40, 42, 43, and 16-foot strip, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Collection.
14. Transfer of Title, Jenson to Scellers, Nov. 13, 1911, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Collection.
15. R. P. Scellers' Will, July 7, 1916, File No. 4473, Probated Wills, Cedar County Clerk, Tipton, Iowa.
16. Jennie Scellers' Will, File No. 6364, Probated Wills, Cedar County Clerk, Tipton, Iowa.
17. West Branch Times, Oct. 17, 1935. The tract conveyed included Lots 36-40 and 42-48 in Joseph Steer's Plat of West Branch. On September 28, two weeks before Albin conveyed the Scellers property to Allan Hoover, he and John Thompson had made a deposition that they had been residents of West Branch since 1875 and 1885 respectively. They swore that the property owned on the west side of Downey Street (Lots 36-40 and 42-48 on Joseph Steer's Plat of West Branch) by Jennie Scellers at the time of her death was the same as that owned by her husband when he passed away, and would be the property mentioned in his will as "our home place including the lot adjoining thereto, and thus is the property Jennie Scellers . . . took possession of at the decease of R. P. Scellers and she retained possession of from the time of his death until her death." Cedar County Miscellaneous Record 10, pp. 92-3.
1. J. A. Swisher, "The Hoover Birthplace," The Palimpsest, Vol. XXIX, p. 241; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 39; Eugene Lyon, Our Unknown Ex-President, A Portrait of Herbert Hoover (New York, 1948), p. 73; Mattie Pemberton to Lou Henry Hoover, July 4, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
2. Stereoscopic View of West Branch from Cook's Hill, taken by I. L. Miles in November 1878, files HHPL.
3. West Branch Local Record, May 1, 1879.
4. The Hills had been married in Johnson County, Iowa, on February 10, 1878. Details of the trial may be found in Divorce Case, Martha C. Hill vs G. M. D. Hill, July 31, 1896, file No. 8829, Cedar County Court.
5. Ibid. There were three children (Daisey Alice 17, Maggie Dell 15, and Mary Emily 12) living with Mrs. Hill at the time of the divorce.
6. West Branch Local Record, Sept. 8, 1881.
10. Ibid., March 29, 1888; West Branch Times, May 16, 1895.
1. West Branch Local Record, Aug. 11, 1887. Scellers in August 1887 advertised that he was prepared to do all kinds of dray work on short notice, at a moderate charge. His firm was known as City Dray No. 1.
2. Ibid., July 16, 1885; Transfer of Title, Charles & Anna Gruwell to R. P. Scellers, Jan. 13, 1886, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Collection. Scellers did not acquire title in fee simple to Lots 37-40, Joseph Steer's Plat of West Branch, until January 13, 1886, six months after he had moved the house onto the subject property.
3. West Branch Times, May 29, 1890.
5. Ltr., Mrs. Golda Gruwell to Bearss, Sept. 15, 1971; personal interview, Glenn Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
6. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
7. West Branch Times, Dec. 31, 1903, Feb. 25, June 16, and Aug. 11, 1904. Lew Scellers spent the Christmas holidays in 1903 with his parents. Port Scellers' father had died and his mother had remarried.
11. Ibid., Sept 5 and Dec. 19, 1907.
20. Ibid., Oct. 5 & 26, 1911. Mrs. Marshall, following the death of her husband, had remarried.
25. Ibid., Oct. 9, 1913. Earl had not remained many months in Solon before moving to Honey Grove.
30. Ibid., July 27, 1916. At the time of Port Scellers' death, his sons Lew and Elmer lived in Cedar Rapids, Earl in West Branch, and his daughter Della Mae with her parents.
31. R. P. Scellers' Probated Will, No. 4473, Records of the Cedar County Probate Court. Personal property of the deceased excluded from the administrators' sale included: one cow valued at $30; two horses at $200; one wagon and box at $10; one sulky plow at $10; one corn plow at $2; one harrow at $1; one mower at $2; one corn planter at $8; one disc; one lot of furniture (two bedsteads and bedding, carpets and rugs, pictures and portraits) at $20; one sewing machine at $20; one table at $1; and one lot of furniture (six dining chairs, three rockers, one kitchen cabinet, one cupboard, one lot of dishes, one lot of kitchen furniture, one washing machine, one wringer, two tubs, and one lot of other household and kitchen furniture) at $50.
32. West Branch Times, June 7, 1917.
35. Personal interview, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wilhelm with Bearss, Aug. 26, 1970. The Wilhelms were both born in Virginia. Mr. Wilhelm moved to Iowa in 1918; his future wife had come to Iowa with her parents in 1913, when she was 11. The Wilhelms were married in Iowa, and in 1921 they moved to Yankton, South Dakota, where Mr. Wilhelm went to work for the National Refining Company. They returned to Iowa in 1942 and lived on a farm south of town. Soon thereafter, Carl Wilhelm enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
36. West Branch Times, July 29, 1920.
1. West Branch Times, Oct. 29, 1914.
3. Miles to Editor, Jan. 31, 1918, found in West Branch Times, Feb. 7, 1918.
4. West Branch Times, July 5, 1917. O'Connor, while in the area, also visited the John Brown Headquarters, and was presented a piece of wood from that historic structure.
8. Ibid., April 19, 1923. On April 10, 1924, Editor Corbin of the West Branch Times informed his readers that Secretary of Commerce Hoover had been born "in the small one-story brown cottage since remodeled and incorporated into Jennie Scellers' house."
9. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 117.
14. Ibid., pp. 125-26; West Branch Times, Aug. 21, 1928.
15. West Branch Times, Aug. 23, 1928; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 126; Article in Maud Stratton's Scrapbook, datelined Aug. 21, 1928, HHPL, Maud Stratton Scrapbooks. Mollie Curran had been one of Herbert Hoover's teachers when he attended school in West Branch.
16. West Branch Times, Aug. 23, 1928; Article in Maud Stratton's Scrapbook, dated Aug. 21, 1928, HHPL, Maud Stratton Scrapbooks.
17. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 127-28.
1. Article in Maud Stratton's Scrapbook, datelined Aug. 21, 1928, HHPL. Maud Stratton Scrapbooks.
3. West Branch Times, Jan. 2, 1930.
5. Ibid. Miss Marguerite Strubbe was in charge of the group.
6. Ibid., June 27 & Aug. 15, 1929.
16. Ibid., Sept. 25, 1930; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 141.
17. West Branch Times, Sept. 10, 1931. The band would leave Washington on September 1, 1931, for an eight-week tour.
18. Ibid., Sept. 10, 1931; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 141-42. A former West Branch boy, R. A. Wickersham, was a member of the French horn section of the Army Band, giving the homefolks an added interest in the concert.
19. West Branch Times, June 27, 1929. The plaque read, "Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, First President of the United States Born West of the Mississippi River, marked by Pilgrim Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution."
20. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 139; West Branch Times, Aug. 22, 1929 and Jan. 2, 1930. That evening three daughters of one of the visitors received permission from Mrs. Scellers to sleep in the room in which the President was born on August 10, 1874.
21. West Branch Times, Jan. 2, 1930.
22. Ibid., Aug. 21, 1930. The reconstructed cottage was on the plaza, south of the Administration Building.
23. West Branch Times, July 16, 1931; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 117-18.
24. "Levi Boweles and The Hoover Sketchbook," edited by William J. Wagner, Annals of Iowa, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1, pp. 17-20.
25. West Branch Times, Sept. 24, 1931.
27. Ltr., Morgan to T. J. Hoover, Dec. 28, 1933, HHPL, Genealogy, West Branch. Tad Hoover had not liked the Wood painting, which he had called "atrocious." Morgan considered this description well earned, and informed Tad Hoover that if Grant Wood wished to "exploit himself on canvas" that he use for his "subjects passing events rather than spots sacred from association and historical importance." Morgan believed Wood's painting "more suggestive of what might be the starting place of our present administration . . . a presentation in 'code' . . . something like a bum piece of steak to be chewed on but not expected to be digested."
28. West Branch Times, July 5, 1934. In 1934 Elmer was a resident of Salem, Oregon; Lewis of Los Angeles; and Della of Cashmere, Washington.
30. Jennie Scellers, Probated Will, File No. 6364, Cedar County Courthouse.
1. Darling to Richey, Sept. 17, 1930, HHPL, Presidential Papers—Personal File, J. N. Darling.
2. Darling to Richey, Sept. 26, 1930, HHPL, Presidential Papers—Personal File, J. N. Darling.
5. Richey to Darling, Sept. 30, 1930, HHPL, Presidential Papers—Personal File, J. M. Darling.
6. Darling to Richey, Oct. 20, 1930, HHPL, Presidential Papers—Personal File, J. N. Darling.
7. Darling to Richey, Jan. 28, 1931, HHPL, Presidential Papers—Personal File, J. N. Darling.
8. West Branch Times, Sept. 28, 1933. If the Hoovers saw the Cottage at all on this trip, it was from their car. A West Brancher recalled that the Hoovers luggage was strapped all over the outside of their automobile, just like any other tourists. Ibid., Aug. 5, 1948.
9. West Branch Times, Sept. 12, 1935. Herbert Hoover, it was pointed out, had been born in the three-room Cottage used by the Scellerses as their kitchen and rear bedroom.
11. Ibid., June 17, 1937. The Hoovers had traveled to Chicago from Palo Alto by train.
16. Ibid. Mr. and Mrs. Allan Hoover, since their marriage, had been living on their ranch near Bakersfield, California.
17. Ibid. Mrs. Yoder was Herbert Hoover's cousin.
18. Lou H. Hoover to McKay, Aug. 23, 1937, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
22. McKay to Lou H. Hoover, Aug. 30, 1937, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
23. Lou H. Hoover to McKay, Sept. 15, 1937, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
24. Theodore Hoover, "Memoranda: Being a Statement by an Engineer," typescript, Stanford University, p. 15; LHH to McKay, Nov. 14, 1937, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace. In addition to the house, Tad recalled "the high windows in front of which one had to stand on a chair to see out."
25. L.H.H. to McKay, Nov. 17, 1937, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
26. L.H.H. to McKay, June 10, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
27. McKay to L.H.H. and L.H.H. to McKay, Aug. 3, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
28. West Branch Times, July 28, 1938.
31. Photograph 00015, HHPL, Maud Stratton Scrapbooks.
32. Albin to L.H.H. & Allan Hoover, Aug. 12, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
33. McKay to L.H.H., Aug. 16, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
34. A. Hoover to McKay, Aug. 22, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
35. West Branch Times, Aug. 25, 1938.
37. McKay to L.H.H., Aug. 6, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
38. Lou H. Hoover, Aug. 10, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
39. West Branch Times, July 28 & Aug. 25, 1938.
40. Cedar Rapids Gazette, Nov. 20, 1938.
41. Albin to L.H.H. & Allan Hoover, Oct. 12, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
42. West Branch Times, June 15, 1939.
1. L.H.H. to Spangler, June 28, 1938, HHPL—Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
2. West Branch Times, March 23, 1939. The articles of incorporation of the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Society were filed with the clerk at the Cedar County Courthouse. W. B. Anderson was mayor of West Branch, while Albin had been a classmate of Herbert Hoover in the West Branch public school.
5. Ibid., Oct. 10, 1946, & Sept. 25, 1947. F. L. Pearson having died, L. C. Rummells of the First State Bank had been named secretary of the Society.
6. Ibid., Aug. 17, 1950. Herbert Hoover, Jr., at this time headed the United Geophysical Co., which he had organized. In February 1951 he was elected to the Board of Directors of Union Oil Co.
8. Ibid., March 12, 1953. These three men—along with Herbert Hoover, Jr., Allan Hoover, and Mayor Anna Edwards—served as the Society's Board of Trustees.
9. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
1. West Branch Times, June 13, 1940; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 159.
2. West Branch Times, Aug. 17, 24, & 31, 1939. Equipment employed by McGuire Grading Co. included a caterpillar tractor and huge dump cart.
3. Ibid., Aug. 21 & Oct. 5, 1939.
4. Ibid., Nov. 9, 1939, & June 13, 1940.
8. Cedar Rapids Gazette, Feb. 19, 1941.
9. Ibid., April 8 & 22, 1941; West Branch Times, April 7, 1941.
10. Nash to Bearss, Nov. 29, 1971. Robert Nash was historian at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
11. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971. The Thomas property included part of the land formerly included in the Tatum Nursery.
12. West Branch Times, Sept. 4, 1947.
13. Ibid., July 15, 1948; Kansas City Times, Aug. 23, 1948. Plans called for setting out 147 trees, one for each of the 48 states and for each of Iowa's 99 counties.
14. West Branch Times, April 28, 1949.
18. Ibid., May 4, 1950. Among the trees planted were american elms, blackberries, american lindens, niobes, weeping willows, northern red oaks, thornless honey locusts, sycamores, paper birches, scarlet oaks, sugar maples, norway maples, black cherries, hawthorns, harbingers, bird cherries, amur maples, red buds, hopa crabs, bechtil crabs, and white pines.
19. Ibid., June 21, 1951. Jesse Kohl was paid $1,700 for grading the roadway.
20. Ibid., Sept. 13, 1951. Professor Delmare was a member of the University of Iowa Art Department.
21. Ibid., June 12, 1952. The tablet was a gift of R. H. Little's Iowa Memorial Co. of West Liberty.
24. Ibid., June 26 & July 3, 1952. Professor Delmare had supervised the hanging of the plaque, which had arrived in West Branch on Tuesday, November 27, 1951.
25. Anderson to Herbert Hoover, Jr., Feb. 4, 1953, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers, Hoover's Iowa Award.
26. West Branch Times, July 24, 1952.
27. Ibid., Aug. 14 & 21, 1952.
30. Ibid.; Anderson to Herbert Hoover, Jr., Feb. 4, 1953, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers, Hoover's Iowa Award.
31. West Branch Times, March 12, 1953.
35. Ibid., Aug. 27, 1953. The shelter would be financed by money contributed by Boy Scouts of Iowa.
36. Ibid., Sept. 3, 1953. Also present at the ceremonies were Professor Dakin of Iowa City, president of the Iowa City Area Council; Bill Anderson, chairman of the shelter planning committee; and others.
39. Ibid., Aug. 27 & Sept. 24, 1953.
40. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 14.
41. Mrs. Stratton to Theodore Hoover, June 14, 1949, HHPL, Maud Stratton's Scrapbooks.
42. A. Hoover to Anderson, Aug. 13, 1954, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover.
43. A. Hoover to Anderson, Aug. 16, 1954, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover.
44. Anderson to A. Hoover, Aug. 25, 1954, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover. The King house was sold to Tom Davis and moved by him, while the Parsonage was relocated on the Roy Kintz lot on Second Street.
45. A. Hoover to Anderson, March 1, 1955, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover.
46. Anderson to Hancher, Jan. 6, 1956, and Anderson to A. Hoover, Feb. 13, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Hoover Foundation.
47. Wagner to Anderson, Feb. 9, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
48. A. Hoover to Anderson, Feb. 16, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
49. West Branch Times, April 5, 1956.
50. Anderson to A. Hoover, April 12, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover.
51. Wagner to A. Hoover, April 11, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover.
52. Anderson to Henry and Wagner, June 15, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson—Blacksmith Shop.
53. Wagner to Anderson, June 20, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
54. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
55. Undated Memorandum, Birthplace Budget 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
56. Wagner to Anderson, Oct. 5, 1956, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
57. Anderson to Wagner, Dec. 17, 1956, and Wagner to H. Hoover, Feb. 14, 1957, HHPL, William B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop; personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971. The lumber in the Henderson barn had been sawed at Bloomington and hauled to West Branch by oxen.
58. Wagner to Anderson, Feb. 12, 1957, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
59. Anderson to Wagner, Feb. 18, 1957, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop. The Hendersons were paid $337.98 for the fabric salvaged from their barn and used in the reconstruction. Lists of materials purchased from the Hendersons and others for the reconstruction are found in Appendix A.
60. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
61. Anderson to Wagner, undated, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Blacksmith Shop.
62. Ibid.; West Branch Times, May 9, 1957.
63. West Branch Times, May 23, 1957.
65. Anderson to H. Hoover, Jr., Feb. 4, 1953, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Hoover's Iowa Award; personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
66. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
67. Yokum to Chief, Design and Construction, GSA, May 23, 1961, Files HEHO.
70. Wagner to Anderson, Sept. 28, 1961, files HEHO.
75. Lindberg to Wagner, Oct. 5, 1961; Anderson to Grover, Dec. 4, 1961; Wagner to Anderson, Nov. 26, 1962, files HEHO; personal interview, Wagner with Bearss, Aug. 11, 1971. Gilbert Lindberg was building Superintendent for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. The basement of the Cottage was electrified, but only one floor outlet was placed upstairs, in the northeast corner under the cupboard.
76. Wagner to Anderson, Jan. 24, 1962, files HEHO.
77. Kerlin to Chief, Buildings Management Division, Feb. 15, 1962, files HEHO.
78. Wagner to Anderson, Nov. 26, 1962, files HEHO.
79. Lindberg to Wagner, Feb. 26 and Wagner to Lindberg, March 2, 1962, files HEHO.
80. Wagner to Anderson, Nov. 26, 1962, files HEHO. To rebuild the bridge, workmen used: 3 bridge planks (3" x 12" x 24'); 14 pieces 4" x 4" x 48" to 50" (rough); 2 pieces 4" x 4" x 24' (dressed); 24 pieces 2" x 4" x 5' (rough-cross brace rail pieces); 75 pieces 2" x 4" x 5' (dressed decking); 80 lineal feet 2 x 4 lateral bridging; 28 bolts; nails; one gallon of cresote; and 1 piece 3/4" x 2" x 7' 2" (clear even grained).
81. Personal interview, Wagner with Bearss, Aug. 11, 1971.
82. Personal interview, Mr. & Mrs. Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
1. West Branch Times, July 28 & Aug. 25, 1938.
4. Ibid., June 15 & Aug. 10, 1939.
5. Ibid., Oct. 12, 1939. Mrs. London was author of the Biography of Jack London, The Log of the Shark, and Our Hawaii. She was accompanied to the historic site by Dr. and Mrs. A. L. Dean of Tipton.
7. Ibid., June 8, 1939. At West Branch, Mrs. Hoover and her son met Mr. Hoover's cousin, Mrs. Ruth Hoover of Alexandria, Va., who was a guest of Mrs. Yoder.
10. Maud Stratton Scrapbooks, HHPL.
11. West Branch Times, Aug. 28 and Sept. 4, 1941.
12. Ibid., June 14, 1945. Mr. Thomas had been managing a commercial school in Streator.
13. Ibid., Feb. 27, 1947. It was estimated by the Thomases that only about 60 per cent of those stopping at the Cottage registered.
16. Ibid.; personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
17. West Branch Times, Aug. 12, 1948. At the front door of the Cottage, Hoover was greeted by A. M. Leech and at the rear door by Newt Butler.
22. Anderson to Herbert Hoover, Jr., Feb. 4, 1953, HHPL—W. B. Anderson Papers—Hoover's Iowa Award.
23. West Branch Times, Aug. 16, 1951.
26. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
27. West Branch Times, Feb. 8, 1954; personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
28. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
29. West Branch Times, July 1, 1954. Also present at the leisurely breakfast was Harrison Spangler, former Republican National Committeeman and Mr. Hoover's closest Iowa friend.
30. Ibid., July 1 & Aug. 12, 1954. After leaving West Branch on the afternoon of the 10th, Hoover was to travel to Iowa City to dedicate a Herbert Hoover High School, and then fly to Mason City to spend the night as a guest of Hanford McNider. On the morning of the 11th, he would dedicate a Herbert Hoover School in Mason City and fly back to Cedar Rapids to dedicate a fourth school. Hoover would depart Cedar Rapids that evening by train for Chicago.
31. Ibid. Mrs. Al Estall was one of the ladies who served the guests at the luncheon. To give all an opportunity and to share responsibility, each lady served one course at the headtable. Mrs. Estall served Mr. Hoover his piece of birthday cake. Personal interview, Mr. & Mrs. Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
32. Personal interview, Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971; Harry S. Truman, Memoirs by Harry S. Truman, 2 vols. (New York, 1955), Vol. 1, pp. 309-10, 465, 472-74.
33. West Branch Times, July 5, Aug. 9 & 16, 1962; personal interviews, Wilhelm with Bearss, Aug. 26, 1970; Anderson with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971; and Mr. & Mrs. Al Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
34. Personal interviews, Mr. & Mrs. Wilhelm with Bearss, Aug. 26, 1970; Mr. & Mrs. Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971. Carl Wilhelm and his wife had been custodians from 1959 until replaced by the Estalls.
35. Personal interviews, Mr. and Mrs. Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971. August 10, 1965, was the day the Herbert Hoover commemorative stamp was placed on sale, and tens of thousands of first day covers were cancelled at West Branch.
1. Jesse Hoover's Probated Will, File No. 1540, County Clerk's Office, Cedar County Courthouse, Tipton, Iowa.
3. Huldah Hoover's Probated Will, File No. 1777, County Clerk's Office, Cedar County Courthouse, Tipton, Iowa.
5. Mrs. Mattie Pemberton, Jesse Hoover's sister, had written Mrs. Hoover that in the northeast corner of the parlor was a drop-leaf table, with a table cover. On top of the table there was a small round work basket with scissors, needles, thimbles, thread, and a button box, the family Bible, a newspaper, and a bit of sewing. Mrs. Pemberton was unable to recall ever seeing Huldah Hoover sit down "without work of some kind in her fingers." Especially vivid were her recollections of Huldah "sitting in the rocking chair darning."
On the wall above the table was a picture with fruit as its theme. She also recalled a "plain pull out lounge." Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4 and Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
6. Mrs. Pemberton recalled the kitchen table and a "few plain kitchen chairs." Many times when visiting in the home of her brother, she had assisted Herbert into his high chair and had given him "bread and syrup." Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4, 1939, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
7. Mrs. Harriette Odell, the daughter of Laban and Agnes Miles and Herbert Hoover's first cousin, recalled that the Hoovers had a wood-burning stove during their Cottage years, and it was located between the outside kitchen door and the door connecting the parlor and bed room. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, and Aug. 2, 1940, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
8. Mrs. Pemberton recalled the "tin door safe," with perforated sides and door. Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4, and Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
9. Mrs Pemberton recalled the crude little cradle, the bed, and trundle bed. The big double bed was against the west wall, with the trundle underneath. She remembered Jesse and Huldah's patch work quilts. Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4 & Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
10. Mrs. Pemberton remembered the bureau was in the southeast corner of the bedroom, while Mrs. Odell had written that "Mrs. Theodore Minthorn gave to each of her daughters, Huldah and Agnes, married in 1870 a wedding chest (bureau) of household linens. These were made by her brother, who lived near Detroit. When the Hoover children went to live with relatives, after their mother's death, Huldah's chest was left in Iowa." Mrs. Odell was positive that Jesse had given Huldah a Florence sewing machine. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, and Aug. 2, 1940; Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., Sept, 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
11. Mrs. Pemberton had written Mrs. Hoover on Sept. 30, 1940, that there had been a shelf on the north side of the bedroom. Under the shelf hung the family's clothing, with a curtain hung from the shelf. The shoes were arranged on the floor, "leaving room for scrap boxes and many necessary things." Huldah never permitted gear to be piled about. Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
12. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., Oct. 8, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
13. Mrs. Pemberton was the source for the statement that Grandmother Minthorn had made the rag carpets for the Cottage. Mrs. Odell had written that the carpets made by Mrs. Minthorn were "hit and miss with sometimes a stripe of indigo and a little red." Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4, 1939; Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., Oct. 8, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
14. Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
15. Mrs. Pemberton had written Mrs. Hoover, "My memory of the 'lean-to' room run the full length of the west side of the house, the south end of which was used for fuel which was always thought necessary in bitter cold weather to have some fuel inside for the snow piled high & deep. The time came when it was used for sleeping purposes. The north end housed the cookstove and a small table, a high chair with another chair or two in the summer time. . . ." Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
16. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., Oct. 8, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
17. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
19. Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace; West Branch Times, July 16, 1931.
20. Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4 & Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
21. Mrs. Stratton to L. H. H., May 10 & 28, 1940, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
22. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., Oct. 8, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
23. Lou Henry Hoover to Mattie Pemberton, Aug. 2, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace. It was known by Albin that several of his acquaintances had objects associated with Jesse and Huldah Hoover. In September 1932 it had been reported in the West Branch Times that Milt Vincent had one of Jesse Hoover's hammers, which had been left at the Vincent farm. Mrs. Wertzbaugher owned a sewing machine purchased from Jesse Hoover—Implement Dealer—for a heifer, while the Cooksons had some barbed wire made on Jesse's barbing machine. West Branch Times, Sept. 1, 1932.
24. Mrs. Stratton to L. H. H., May 10, 1940, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
25. West Branch Times, April 17, 1941.
29. Clipping, undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
30. Personal interview, Mr. and Mrs. Estall with Bearss, Aug. 23, 1971.
1. West Branch Local Record, June 26, 1879; May 13 & 20, 1880, May 8, 1883, and Nov. 2, 1885; Sketch by Theodore Hoover, April 25, 1948, Bill Wagner Collection; T. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 17.
2. Mitchell V. Charnley, The Boy's Life of Herbert Hoover (New York, 1931), p. 3.
3. J. A. Swisher, "The Hoover Birthplace," The Palimpsest, Vol. XXIX, No. 8, p. 245.
4. L. H. Hoover, "Memories of a Little House," not paginated.
5. T. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 17.
6. L. H. Hoover, "Memories of a Little House," not paginated; Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
7. Mrs. Stratton to L. H. H., May 10, 1940, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace. The bulbs sent by Mrs. Odell were descended from Grandmother Minthorn's tulips.
8. Hoover, "Memoranda," pp. 14, 17.
9. L. H. Hoover, "Memories of a Little House," not paginated.
11. T. Hoover, "Memoranda," pp. 14, 17; L. H. Hoover, "Memories of a Little House," not paginated.
12. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., Oct. 8, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
13. L. H. Hoover, "Memories of a Little House," not paginated. Mrs. Pemberton had informed Mrs. Hoover that West Branch cellars were dug to keep out the frost during the cold Iowa winters. Items placed in them never froze unless there were no fires in the house for several days, permitting the frost to penetrate through the floors. Mrs. Pemberton to L. H. H., Sept. 30, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
14. Personal interviews, Glenn Brown, Carl Wilhelm, and Ross Sayles with Bearss.
15. West Branch Times, Oct. 17, 1912.
16. Ibid., April 3 & May 30, 1913.
17. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
Friends Meeting House
1. 1863-1963 Spiritual Trails of a People Called Friends, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Oskaloosa, 1963), p. 7.
4. Ibid.; "Early History of West Branch Friends Church," West Branch Times, Aug. 18, 1910.
5. Ibid.; West Branch Times, March 12, 1942.
6. "Early History of West Branch Friends Church," West Branch Times, Aug. 18, 1910.
7. West Branch Times, March 19, 1942; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 15-16.
8. Springdale Monthly Meeting Records, April 18, 1885, p. 131, Archives Friends Church, Oskaloosa, Iowa.
9. T. T. Barrington to Frank Corbin, July 2, 1923, found in West Branch Times, March 19, 1942; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 16.
10. Ibid.; Springdale Monthly Meeting Records, entries for Dec. 9, 1857, and Feb. 10, 1858, Archives Friends Church, Oskaloosa, Iowa.
11. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, April 10 & June 12, 1879, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
12. West Branch Lodal Record, June 19, 1879.
14. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, Oct. 9, 1879, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
15. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, May 13 & June 10, 1880, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
16. Minutes of The West Branch Preparative Meeting, Oct. 14, 1880; Oct. 13, 1881; Oct. 12, 1882; and Oct. 11, 1883.
17. Crosbie to James Hamilton, June 16, 1881, Archibald Crosbie Journal, HHPL, General Accession 119. Crosbie reported that there "are Friends here from all parts, mostly Ireland, England, Denmark, and several of the New England States, but we are the only one from Scotland."
18. Crosbie to Hamilton, June 16, 1881, Crosbie Journal, HHPL, General Accession 119. The Wilburites held their meetings in a small building on the corner of 5th and Green streets. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 71-2.
19. Crosbie to J. C. White, Feb. 25, 1882, Crosbie Journal, HHPL, General Accession 119; "Early History of West Branch Friends Church," found in West Branch Times, Aug. 18, 1910. Herbert Hoover's aunt, Agnes Minthorn Miles, had told her daughter that the separation was caused by David Updegraff, "a minister who appeared from somewhere, Ohio, I think," who held a series of revivals. There were two or three meetings each day, for a fortnight, and "although we lived a mile and one-half away, papa loaded the family into the double-seated buggy and took us to most of the sessions." She remembered Updegraff's "black hair, his pale face, and his medium long black whiskers." She believed that his talk of "conversion, justification, and sanctification as three distinct steps in the life of a true Christian was . . . the rock on which the membership split," rather than singing. After Updegraff's visit, the meetings were never the same. "Gone were the peaceful, quiet hours of the simple services, and gone were the friendly feelings among the old and young. After the revivalist left, the conservative element began to have quiet meetings at private homes" and "after a time we learned that the group was buying a lot in the edge of town for the purpose of erecting a meeting house where they could continue their old time Friends' custom of worship." Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject, Birthplace.
20. Crosbie to White, Feb. 25, 1882, Crosbie Journal, HHPL, General Accession 119. The Wilburites were also plagued by dissension, which Crosbie described as something akin to "Hicksism."
21. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 71.
22. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, March 13, 1884, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
23. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, June 12 & Dec. 2, 1884, Archives West Branch Friends Church. Members of the subject committee were James Townsend, Joseph Steer, John Y. Hoover, Thomas Hathaway, William Maris, Sarah Maris, Lucy Coombs, Mary Vore, Oliver Branson, John Chambers, James Cook, Blackburn Vore, Huldah Enlow, Mary Jepson, Thomas Enlow, Lydia Enlow, and Mary E. Townsend.
24. West Branch Local Record, March 19, 1885.
25. Ibid., April 2 & 16, 1885; Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, April 9, 1885, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
26. West Branch Local Record, April 30, 1885.
27. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, Dec. 13, 1883, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
28. West Branch Local Record, Nov. 26, 1885, March 25, 1886.
30. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, Nov. 16, 1888, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
31. West Branch Local Record, March 21, 1889.
32. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, May 15 & June 16, 1890, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
33. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, March 14, 1889, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
34. West Branch Times, March 24, 1890.
35. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, Nov. 12, 1890, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
36. Barrington to Corbin, July 2, 1923, found in West Branch Times, March 19, 1942.
37. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, Aug. 13 & Nov. 12, 1891, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
38. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, April 15, 1893, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
39. West Branch Times, Oct. 19 & Nov. 16, 1893; March 22, 1894.
40. Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, June 16, 1894, Archives West Branch Friends Church; West Branch Times, April 5, 1894. A breakdown of funds for the remodeling shows that $945.27 came from the Monthly Meeting Treasury; $38.80 was credited to donated labor for excavating the basement; $94.75 for subscription for bell; $24.75 donated by four members; $19.56 raised for remodeling in Monthly Meeting in July 1894; and $29.06 raised by women for pulpit furniture.
41. West Branch Times, Oct. 19, 1893; Barrington to Corbin, July 2, 1928, found in ibid., March 19, 1942.
42. West Branch Times, May 10, 1894; Minutes of the West Branch Preparative Meeting, June 16, 1894, Archives West Branch Friends Church.
43. West Branch Times, May 7, 1896.
44. Ibid., April 21 & 28, and May 12 & 19, 1898.
45. Ibid., June 2, 1898. In February 1899 the City Council signed a contract with the Electric Light Company to erect and maintain "a system of street lights of 32-candlepower, each, at a cost of $1.00 per month for each light to burn till 11 o'clock p.m., and when required in the morning at 12-1/2¢ per hour for each light used." A crew was turned to setting poles for the street lights in early March, and on the 15th the streets of West Branch were illuminated for the first time with electric lamps.
47. Ibid., Nov. 5, 1903. Stribbling's predecessor had been Isaac N. Rich, who had been pastor from 1900-03.
51. Ibid., Jan. 14 & Feb. 4, 1904.
52. Ibid., Sept. 8, 1904. The First Yearly Meeting had been held in Oskaloosa in September 1863.
65. Ibid., Oct. 14, 1909. John Y. Hoover was the last of his generation to die. He had been preceded to the grave by four brothers and four sisters.
66. Ibid., June 2, 1910. Mrs. Townsend was assisted by the Reverend Montgomery.
68. Ibid., Nov. 24, 1910. Miles had graduated from Pacific College, Newburg, Oregon, in 1906 with a B.S., and in 1908 received his B.A. from Earlham. In 1908-09 he had served as professor of Psychology and Education at Penn College in Oskaloosa. He had entered graduate school in the autumn of 1909 at Iowa University, from which he received his M.A. in Psychology in 1910. Ibid., June 12, 1913.
70. Ibid., Feb. 20 & March 13, 1913. Professor Dodge had accepted a position with the Carnegie Institute of Washington, D.C.
71. Ibid., April 10, 1913. The committee consisted of E. L. Hollingsworth, Elwood Tatum, Newton Branson, Ida Hathaway, and Lydia Enlow.
74. Ibid., Nov. 13 & 20, 1971.
75. Ibid., Sept. 17 & 24, 1914.
76. Ibid., Oct. 13 & 20, 1910.
86. Ibid., Sept. 16 & 23, 1915; personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug 28, 1971.
87. West Branch Times, Sept. 23, 1915.
89. Ibid., Feb. 3, 1916; personal interviews, L. C. Rummells and Ross Sayles with Bearss, Aug. 18 & 21, 1971. Rummells, who was in high school at the time, was projectionist from 1916-19. For operating the projector, he was paid one dollar per night.
90. West Branch Times, June 8, 1916.
92. Ibid., Oct. 15, 1936 & Jan. 16, 1954; personal interview, Sayles with Bearss, Aug. 21, 1971.
93. West Branch Times, Sept. 10, 1953.
94. A. Hoover to Anderson, March 1, 1955, HHPL, W. B. Anderson Papers—Allan Hoover; Kansas City Times, Aug. 23, 1948.
95. Rept. of R. K. Goodwin to members of "Management Committee," undated, HHPL—W. B. Anderson Papers—Foundation 1963. R. K. Goodwin was chairman of the "Management Committee" of the Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation. Telephone conversation, Fawcett with Bearss, Dec. 13, 1971; personal interview, Wagner with Bearss, Aug. 11, 1971; West Branch Times, Aug. 13, 1964; "Levi Bowles and The Hoover Sketch Book," edited by William J. Wagner, Annals of Iowa, Vol. XXXVIII, Summer 1965, p. 21.
5. Harriette Odell to L. H. H., undated, and Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., Oct. 1940, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
West Branch Schoolhouse
1. Cedar County Deed Book H, p. 24.
4. Bearss, Historical Base Map—Herbert Hoover, pp. 49-51.
5. Plat of West Branch, May 29, 1869, by John Steer, as Attorney for John M. Wetherell, found in Cedar County Deed Book H, County Courthouse, Tipton, Iowa; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 15; Caleb H. Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905. Wickersham recalled in 1905 that the school house "stood on what is now the southwest corner of Main and Downey. There was one acre of ground, now occupied by Crook's Hotel, the Union Block, the residences of Mary Ann Albin and Lafe Randall," and the Methodist Church.
6. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 15; Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905.
7. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 15-16; Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905.
8. Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905; Iowa City Press Citizens, May 23, 1937.
9. Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct 12, 1905; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, pp. 19-20. The Beans were gifted teachers. They "came from a cultured background, and often in 'The Evergreens' they entertained men and women distinguished in the intellectual circles they had known in the east."
10. Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905.
11. Ibid.; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 20; Records of the West Branch Independent School District, 1868-1877, files WBISD; "Map of West Branch, Iowa, 1872," from Harris & Warner's Atlas of Cedar County, fig. 43.
12. Records of the West Branch Independent School District, 1868-1877, files WBISD; Wickersham, "A School History," found in West Branch Times, Oct. 12, 1905; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 20. Materials for the addition were purchased from Hammell & Maris, Coombs, and Joel Bean. Pickering & Coombs provided the labor.
13. Hoover, "Memoranda," pp. 15-16.
14. Iowa City Press-Citizen, Jan. 16, 1954. A photograph taken of the West Branch School, after construction of the addition shows the south elevation of the historic one-story frame school house. A copy of the subject photograph is in this report.
15. West Branch Times, Feb. 18, 1892; Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 21; Records of the West Branch Independent School District, 1868-1877, files WBISD. By 1892 M. W. Savage had moved to Minneapolis, Minn., where he made a fortune from the manufacture and sale of patent medicines. He is best remembered as owner of Dan Patch, the famous trotter. In the same year, 1892, Willis Atkins was a painter in Los Angeles; Belle Cole had married a Mr. Elliott and lived in Tipton; Anna Penrose had married a Mr. White and resided in Riverside, California; Emma Miles had attended Penn College, taught, and currently resided with her brother in West Branch; Sadie Vore, a graduate of Penn College, was assistant principal of a school in Anaheim, California; Etta Bean bad married M. W. Savage; and Lida Gruwell who had married J. H. Lloyd of West Branch was deceased.
16. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record L, p. 431.
17. Records of the West Branch Independent School District, 1867-1877, files WBISD.
18. Record of the Proceedings of the Town Council of the Incorporated Town of West Branch, Commencing May 9, 1884, Book 3, Meeting of June 2, 1884.
19. Cedar County Town Lot Mortgage Record D, p. 366.
20. West Branch Local Record, Sept. 1, 1887.
22. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record 2, p. 387; West Branch Times, Nov. 16, 1911.
23. West Branch Times, Sept. 7, 1939.
24. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record 7, p. 101; Affidavit Book 13, pp. 574-75. W. B. Anderson and T. A. Moore on April 15, 1946, swore that they had resided in West Branch for more than 25 years; that they had been well acquainted with George Yetter; that they knew of his life estate in the property; and that he had died at Iowa City's Mercy Hospital on September 2, 1939.
25. Cedar County Town Lot Deed Record 9, p. 534. Helen Butler was George Yetter's sister.
26. Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sept. 15, 1940; personal interview, Mrs. Mildred Speight with Bearss, Aug. 10, 1970.
27. Cedar County Deed Record 73, pp. 318-22; Cedar County Deed Record 74, p. 259. Mrs. Butler, a widow, had named L. C. Rummells the trustee for her property, which included Lot 15, on October 18, 1943.
28. Cedar County Deed Record 75, pp. 452-53.
29. Cedar County Deed Record 77, p. 250.
30. Iowa City Press-Citizen, Jan. 16, 1954.
31. Cedar County Miscellaneous Record Book 24, pp. 282-83.
32. Personal interviews, Mildred Speight and Glenn Brown with Bearss, Aug. 10, 1970, and Aug. 28, 1971.
Second Hoover House
1. Those in attendance at the August 19 meeting were: Superintendent Randall Pope and Historian Bob Nash of Herbert Hoover NHS; Henry Judd and David Clary of OAHP; Charles Lessig of the Midwest Regional Office; Frank Gerner of WSC; and Edwin Bearss of ESC.
1. Cedar County Deed Book 41, p. 595; "Abstract of Title to Lot Commencing 58 Rods South of the Northwest Corner of Section 8, Township 79 North, Range 4 West; then Running West Along the North Line of Cedar Street in the Town of West Branch Ten Rods; then North 93 Feet; then East 10 Rods; then South 93 Feet to the Place of Beginning," files Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation. William Eleman, who had enlisted in the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers, had assigned his warrant, No. 29657, to Mather.
2. Cedar County Deed Book G, p. 447.
3. Cedar County Deed Book R, p. 622. Hirst mortgaged the subject acreage to Abram Plummer for $400 on June 11, 1862. The loan was repaid and Hirst was granted a release. "Abstract of Title to Lot Commencing 58 Rods . . .," files Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation.
4. Cedar County Deed Book S, pp. 192-93.
5. Cedar County Deed Book W, p. 406. James and Mary Ann Cook on January 30, 1867, mortgaged the subject 78 acres to John M. Wetherell for $600. The loan and interest were to be repaid in three years. It was December 31, 1872, before Wetherell gave the Cooks a release. "Abstract of Title to Lot Commencing 58 Rods . . .," files Herbert Hoover Birthplace Society.
6. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 12.
7. Ibid.; Edwin C. Bearss, Historical Base Map and Grounds Study: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (Washington, 1968), p. 4.
8. Cedar County Deed Book I, p. 249.
9. Cedar County Deed Book 4, p. 523.
10. Cedar County Deed Book 15, Pp. 56-57; Iowa City Daily Press, May 30, 1874. Sharpless had notified the Circuit Court of Johnson County that the personal estate of the deceased was insufficient to pay the debts. The court had accordingly authorized him to sell the real estate of the deceased.
11. Guardian's, Administrator's and Executor's Deeds 11, p. 104. Witter paid Tatum $167 in cash and gave a mortgage for $333 due in three years on the balance.
12. Cedar County Deed Book 34, p. 499.
13. "Abstract of Title to Lot Commencing 58 Rods . . .," files Herbert Hoover Birthplace Foundation.
17. Iowa City Republican, June 3, 1874.
18. Ibid., Feb. 12, 19, & 26 & March 5, 1879.
19. West Branch Local Record, May 29, 1879.
20. Death Register, Cedar County, Book 1. Dr. J. I. Bailey filed the death certificate, on January 3, 1880.
22. Records of the Springdale Mutual Insurance Company, West Branch, Iowa, Policy Nos. 690 & 1117.
23. West Branch Local Record, April 8, 1886.
24. Ibid., Oct. 13 & 27, 1887.
25. Ibid., Aug. 2, 1888. Witter had been born in Ohio in 1810 and had moved to Iowa in 1874.
26. Records of the Springdale Mutual Insurance Company, West Branch, Iowa, Policy No. 1896.
27. Personal interviews, L. C. Rummells with Bearss, Aug. 20 & 24, 1971.
28. West Branch Times, Nov. 2, 1911. Mrs. Witter, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah Pickering, had been born in Belmont County, Ohio, March 7, 1829, and had been married to David Witter at West Branch on March 11, 1875.
29. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
30. West Branch Times, Sept. 13, 1923.
31. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
32. West Branch Times, Nov. 22, 1923.
33. Ibid., May 8 and June 5, 1924.
34. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 19.
35. Mattie Pemberton to L. H. H., July 4, 1939, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
36. Hoover, "Memories of the Little House," not paginated. Mrs. Odell was the source of the information about the baseburner. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
37. Personal interviews, Rummells with Bearss, Aug. 20 & 25, 1971.
38. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
39. Photographs, Circa 1882 and 1907.
41. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 19.
42. Rose Wilder Lane, The Making of Herbert Hoover (New York, 1920), p. 18
43. Ibid., p. 19; Mitchell V. Charnley, The Boy's Life of Herbert Hoover (New York, 1931), pp. 21-22; Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 19.
44. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 17; Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject—Birthplace.
45. Personal interviews, Rummells with Bearss, Aug. 21, 1971, and Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
46. Ibid.; Photograph, Circa 1907.
48. Ibid.; Photograph, Circa 1907.
49. Ltr. Mrs. Odell to L. H. H., undated, HHPL, Post Presidential Subject, Birthplace.
West Branch Bandstand
1. West Branch Local Record, May 22, 1884.
2. Stratton, Herbert Hoover's Home Town, p. 73.
4. West Branch Local Record, July 28, 1887.
5. Record of the Proceedings of the Town Council of the Incorporated Town of West Branch Iowa, Book 3, Commencing May 9, 1884, Meeting of Aug. 5, 1889. Voting against the measure were Isaac W. Haines, S. C. Gruwell, James Hawley, and C. T. Penrose.
6. Ibid., Meeting of April 11, 1892.
7. West Branch Times, Aug. 22, 1895.
15. Ibid., Sept. 21, 1911. F. W. Corbin had bought the West Branch Times from Ross Leech, and the September 7 edition was the first issued under his editorship. Ibid., Aug. 31 & Sept. 7, 1911.
17. Ibid., July 4, 1912; personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
18. Personal interview, Mrs. Carrie Munger with Bearss, Aug. 7, 1970.
19. West Branch Times, July 4, 1912.
21. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
22. Personal interview, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971.
23. Ltr., Mrs. Gruwell to Bearss, Sept. 15, 1971.
Downey Street Bridges
1. Hoover, "Memoranda," p. 17.
2. West Branch Times, March 16, 1905. This item had been reprinted from the West Branch Times of April 1, 1875.
3. Stereoscopic View of West Branch from Cook's Hill, by I. L. Miles, HHPL.
4. Record of the Proceedings of the Town Council of the Incorporated Town of West Branch, Commencing May 9, 1884, Book 3, Meetings of Sept. 7 and Oct. 5, 1885. The breakdown of costs was $24.10 for lumber and $11.18 for labor by W. H. Hargrave.
5. West Branch Times, June 18, 1891.
6. West Branch Local Record, Feb. 18, 1886.
7. West Branch Times, Oct. 19, 1916.
9. West Branch Local Record, Oct. 6, 1886.
10. West Branch Times, July 11, 1907. Five inches of rain fell during the downpour.
11. Ibid., May 14, 1914. Mrs. L. J. Leech had 50 chicks drowned.
14. Ltr., Mrs. Gruwell to Bearss, Sept. 15, 1971.
15. Personal interviews, Brown with Nash & Bearss, Aug. 28, 1971, and Sayles with Bearss, Aug. 21, 1971.
16. Ltr., Mrs. Gruwell to Bearss, Sept. 15, 1971.
17. Personal interviews, Brown with Bearss, Aug. 26, 1970, and Sayles with Bearss, Aug. 21, 1971.
Appendix A
1. West Branch Times, June 9, 1898; C. E. Rowlen's Pension File, NA, Application 758, 886, Certificate 836, 361.
2. West Branch Times, June 30, 1898.
3. Ibid.; History of Cedar County, Iowa, with a History of Iowa, 2 vols. (Chicago and Cedar Rapids, 1901), Vol. II, pp. 230-31. Ben Rowlen had married the daughter of Charles and Sarah Rosa of Chicago on August 7, 1897.
4. West Branch Times, July 14, 1898.
6. Ibid., Sept. 22, 1898; C. E. Rowlen's Pension File, NA, Application 758, 886, Certificate 836, 361.
7. West Branch Times, Nov. 3, 1898.
8. Ibid., June 1 & 8, 1899; C. E. Rowlen's Pension File, NA, Application 758, 886, Certificate 836, 361.
9. C. E. Rowlen's Pension File, NA, Application 758, 886, Certificate 836, 361.
Appendix B
1. West Branch Times, April 20, 1911; telephone interview, Mrs. Gruwell with Bearss, Sept. 15, 1971.
2. West Branch Times, Sept. 9, 1909.
5. Ibid., Dec. 26, 1907. The parlor and dining room of the bride's parents' home were decorated with holly and chrysanthemums.
19. Ibid., Feb. 21 & 28, 1924. Mattie Graham McClellan had been born in Mendon, Michigan, on June 17, 1861, and had moved to Johnson County with her parents in 1871. She had married Nelson Stuart in 1884 and had returned to Michigan. Following the death of her husband in 1888, the widow had moved to West Branch and had lived with her parents until their deaths.
20. West Branch Local Record, March 16, 1882.
Appendix C
1. West Branch Local Record, Oct. 23, 1884.
3. Record of the Proceedings of the Town Council of the Incorporated Town of West Branch, Commencing May 9, 1884, Book 3, Meeting of July 7, 1884.
4. West Branch Times, Nov. 3, 1892, & July 13, 1892.
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