Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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James Robert Bennet III was born into it, one might say! Making a grand entry into this world in late June of 1883, the 23rd, to be precise, Jim-Bob emerged into this life in the local physician's office in little Dorchester, an unincorporated town in Allamakee County, near the Minnesota border. Jim-Bob's parents, James II and Elisha Bennet were among about 50 other inhabitants of the small farming area. James the Second was a pensioner from the Mine, drawing a decent $16 a month. Because of the...
"But I don't want you to go!" Janice had already been bereft of her father; now her mother was getting ready to leave her an actual orphan. Yes, she had plenty of aunts and uncles to live with; in fact, they were much better off than the Stodgsons had ever been, but Janice Louise was not ready to be an orphan! Janice entered this world in the usual way, on March 22nd, 1932. In the little town of Waukon, Dennis and Mary Stodgson had made their own way, away from their respective parents back in...
"I've made my decision, Father! I know you wanted me to stay here where it's safe, but I'm sick and tired of being SAFE!" In actuality, Peter's father simply didn't want his beloved son running off and getting himself killed over across the pond. Though he did want Peter to stay in relatively safe little Waukon and take over the family business. But, that wasn't the point, was it? Right now, John Arthur Hammond's concern was that his little boy would meet his fate on some bloody battlefield in...
The announcements had been sent out! Miss Jane Lippincot, daughter of Joseph and Mary Lippincot of St. Joseph, Missouri was to be wed to Richard Duane Journeyman, son of Everard and Janice Journeyman of St. Louis, Missouri. The date for the blessed event had been set for May 1, 1921. The ceremony was to take place at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France. Joseph and Mary had been looking forward to this day for over 20 years now and it seemed their dreams were soon to come to fruition!...
Harold was not sure what to do; he had never been in this position before. He had just been awarded an honorary Ph.D. by Harvard University. Then, over the past weekend, he met the loveliest lady he had ever had the pleasure to lay his eyes on, much less actually meet. As you may notice from his photograph, Harold was not a spring chicken! He was not too old for love, by any means, but neither was he a young man anymore. Past what might be called his prime, whatever that was supposed to mean,...
The following is part two of the A.B. Paxton story from the February 23rd edition of The Ledger. I was born Eliza Jane Whitfirth in the early morning hours of April 1st, in the Year of our Lord, 1887. My parents were James and Eliza. James was Mulatto and played baseball for Louisville Fall City, one of several teams in the League of Colored Baseball Clubs. My mother was the youngest daughter of one of the oldest families in Kentucky. Of course, they were thoroughbreds (horses). When Eliza met James, he being Colored and she being not only...
The year was 1915. Louisa Jane had just celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Being the only child of Sir Robert and Dalriadan Flockheart, she, of course, had not celebrated in any ordinary way. No, for this daughter of the Lord and Lady, nothing but an all-out ball would do, complete with orchestral music and dancing. The guests included everyone from the lowest denizens of Waukon to the Chinese ambassador (Viceroy, actually), Li Hung Chang, whom they had shared an ocean voyage with almost 19 yea...
If you haven't had the privilege to meet Heidi Austin yet, you should make it a point to do so next time you see her around town. Heidi Lynn moved to Whitehall in July of 2021 with her husband, Will, and three of their four daughters. Will's parents, Lionel and Karen Austin are longtime Whitehall residents. Heidi's family has been back and forth across the U.S. several times, from Vermont to Colorado and the southeastern U.S., then back to Montana. "Will would joke about me moving to...
Louisa grew up in the best of families. She never knew the darker side of life, for as the only child (a daughter, no less), she had never wanted for anything. Born Louisa Jane Flockheart she emerged into this life on a cold January morning in 1897, the child of arguably the richest couple in Waukon, Iowa. As first-generation Scots, Sir Robert Flockheart and his wife Dalriadan had fled Scotland on the heels of the religious persecution which had festered there for over three centuries. Being of...
Dear Editor, It has recently come to my attention, or rather awareness, that there is a need for a posted crosswalk across from the Town Pump, near the northern end of Whitehall Street. While at the Mint Bar the other night for Pool League, I bumped into an older trucker friend of mine from Canada who apprised me of this issue. He acknowledged that for younger (20s-40s) truckers who must fuel up at the diesel pumps on the east side of Whitehall Street, then run across a usually busy thoroughfare to pay their fuel bill, there is no big problem....
John Schmitt was the newest member of the greatest rival to Al Capone’s organization, the O’Banion gang. Ole Gimpy himself had recruited him, so John Jacob, JJ for short, was feeling pretty good about his new position. The pay was pretty decent, though the work in Goose Island could get rather dicey at times. In fact, dicey was pretty much a daily occurrence for this third-generation Swede. JJ was fresh out of the German military and had seen much action in what is now known as the First World War. Though his Homeland had officially taken a mor...
Dear Editor, It saddens me a letter like this must be written! I realize that I’m not the only one that has noticed this issue and not the only one bothered by it. But dang, people! This issue is most definitely NOT confined to our little town, though certain of the populace of our little town are the main subjects of this short rant. I understand the impetus behind certain businesses in town (honestly, probably the majority of them) closing their restroom facilities to the general public. Several years ago (at most), there were public r...
“What can you tell us about the handsome young man in this old photograph?” As a professional researcher, Robert Lawton had gotten used to being accosted by random passersby with questions such as this. Robert would usually ask them to leave the photograph, their name, and number with him. “I’ll get back to you within a week; two at the very most,” he would say. Under normal circumstances, the new client would receive a call within a week, give or take, upon which they would often be introduce...
Henrietta Asburges was born in Nichols, Iowa, just before the turn of the previous century, on the 15th of April 1899. This small town in South-Eastern Iowa was surrounded by farmsteads. Being of German heritage, even in those early days, the Asburges were looked at with some suspicion when they set up a small farmstead on the outskirts of the farming community. Henrietta, or Retta as she became fondly known, was thus in her 19th year on this Good Earth when War broke out in Europe....
Ella Jean Berry was born October 4, 1905, to Franklin and Rosalind Berry, of Dubuque, Iowa. Both of her parents perished at an early age in a horrible train wreck. This unthinkable tragedy occurred the first day of Spring the year that little Ella turned five. Leaving Ella with her nurse, the Berry's had boarded the Rock Island train which ran from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, on a business/pleasure trip. Unfortunately for Ella, she never saw her parents again, as the train, a combination of two...
Newsflash! The Archduke of Austria had not been kidnapped he had been outright killed. Assassinated! Both the Archduke and his wife Sophie were shot and killed as they traveled through the streets of Sarajevo on the 28th of June, 1914. The Winchesters, as soon as they heard the first inklings of trouble brewing in Europe, had begun to religiously listen to the news programs every night. Even though they received some headlines via The Luxembourg, more often than not, they had already heard the...
Rosie, or more correctly Rosa Lynda Cabellharo, was born April 1, 1927, to Daniel and Felice Cabellharo. Proud to belong to one of the original Mexican families who inhabited the small town of Farmersburg, Iowa, Rosie was now about to turn 15. The Cabellharos were good Roman Catholics; that, coupled with their ethnicity, meant quinceanera! In a nation emerging from the greatest depression ever known, as well as still reeling from Prohibition, Farmersburg was not ready to send any of her sons to...
Dear Editor, Yes, Virginia, federally speaking, cannabis/marijuana is STILL illegal! However, that being said, there are at least 16 states in this Union that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, including our own beloved Montana and (GASP!) Washington, DC, the ONLY truly Federal District in this Union! It should be noted that, even though cannabis has been legalized for medical use in a majority of states, the main reason is that said states have begun to realize how lucrative it is! That being said, I would like to get into the...
John Charles Winchester was born into it, you might say. On a cold November day in 1897 Charlie, as he became known, was the fifth son of Charles and Edith Winchester. Considering the Winchester family's military history, it came as no surprise when Charlie joined the ranks 20 years later after the situation in Europe had heated to the point where someone felt they needed to kidnap a VIP in order to get their way. However, as we're not there quite yet, let's get back to Charlie and how he grew...
The year was 1918. The Armistice had just been signed and it was Frannie's birthday, her 18th, to be exact. Frannie, or more correctly, Francoise de Bordeaux, was born in the relatively small community known as Lemonweir Mills, on November the 11th, in the year 1900. Being one of the very few French inhabitants of that part of the territory, Frannie was proud of her heritage. Less than 150 years earlier, of course, her ancestors had been rousted from these shores. Her family had been among the...
Dear Editor, It’s that time of year again; the time for New Year’s Resolutions. Time for all the “New Year, new me” promises we make to ourselves. It IS that time of year. Yes, in fact, what better time to make those promises, those resolutions? Aren’t we basically starting with a clean slate, in this new year that’s opening before us? Isn’t that what we’ve been told from day one? Looking at it like we’re getting a fresh start is not altogether a bad thing, I guess, but is it really a fresh start?! Can it truly be said that we’re writing on...
Barbara Jo Stafford, or Barbie as she was commonly known, was an only child. The circumstances of her emergence into this world were quite miraculous; some might even say magical and mysterious. Jo Ann and Jacob, Barbie's parents, had been trying for some time to have a child, but with no luck. Having exhausted all the standard, doctor-approved means, the Staffords decided to try some rather unconventional ones. A friend of a friend of a friend told Jo Ann, over a quilt one Tuesday morning on a...
Dear Editor, I’m not what most people would call a patriot. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I live, but I’m not willing to die for the American Way. I certainly don’t view this country as my Fatherland or Motherland, for that matter. However, I DO appreciate the relative freedom we still enjoy in this nation compared to other countries. It would seem that we still enjoy more personal freedom than other areas of the so-called Third World. Even what personal freedoms we have seem to be fading fast, but we can still freely exercise them, to what...
At 102 (103 February next) Granny Hotchkins, as everyone back home called her, not only looked really good for her exalted age; she was also, without doubt, the oldest person to ever dare The Falls in a barrel! Coming from the small mid-west township of Ludlow, Iowa, just five miles from neighboring Waukon, Granny was fairly famous in her little hometown for her herbal remedies and botanical medicines. In 1872, less than a decade after Lee officially surrendered to future president Ulysses...
Dear Editor, This may be controversial. This might cause a bit of a stir. It could even be esteemed to be a bit negative; but when, if ever, is it okay to lie? Much less, to our kids? For example, one of our kids comes up to us, asking what we think of their artwork. If it’s poorly done and even ugly as sin, do we lie and tell them what a beautiful picture it is? Sure, it might boost their psyche for the moment, but what happens when one of their peers, who are usually more brutally honest than most adults, tells them it sucks? They come c...
