Ada L. Boruff - White Gloves at the Hardware Store (52 Ancestors #18)

This is another article for the series in which I'm participating, "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks", a challenge by Amy Johnson Crow on No Story Too Small.

My great-grandmother Ada L. Boruff Hutson Bosman is a recent ancestor for whom I could really use some help.  I met her when I was a child, maybe was even in inside her house in Baldwin Park, California.  That’s it.  Not even a photo.  Sigh.

Personal Knowledge

• She was the mother of Herbert C. Hutson, my grandfather.
• She was married to Alva Leo Hutson and they had many children.
• Her second husband was Mr. Bosman.
• She lived next door to her youngest son, Melvin, for many years in Baldwin Park.

Source: Baldwin Park, California City Directory 1950
 Ancestry.com [click image to enlarge]

What I think I know

• Ada’s parents may have been James M. Boruff and Florence Stone. They married in 1875 in Greene County, Indiana.[1]
• Ada may have been born in Des Moines, Iowa on 14 Sep 1881.[2]  Or, 1883.[3]
• She married Alva Hutson on 19 Jan 1901 in McIntire, Mitchell, Iowa.[3]
• Her first child was born on 23 Sep 1901.  Her last child was born about 1925.[4]
• She died on 15 Jun 1973. [5]



Source: Ancestry.com

• James M. and Florence Boruff lived in Rochester, Minnesota in 1923[6].  Coincidentally, this was near Alva L. and Ada Hutson who lived at 311 6^th NW, Rochester in 1925.  The city directory doesn't identify whether the addresses were streets or avenues.  Either way, on the current day Google map, the addresses are as close as a mile or less.

Cute Story

In his youth, my Uncle B worked at Heth Hardware Store in Baldwin Park.  He remembered “Mrs. Bosman”, as she was known, coming into the store.  Once, in the 1940s, in she came all dressed up with hat and gloves.  She probably needed a tool or a bag of nails.  But it was the setting of a hardware store and her manner of dress that stuck in Uncle B’s memory.  I can visualize her now, all gussied up and young Uncle B behind the counter, taking her payment from her gloved hand.

Future Research

• Locate Ada's descendants.
• Confirm identity of her parents.
• Confirm her actual or most probable birth year and location.
• Determine whether she had siblings.
• Determine her religion.
• Obtain death certificate for cause of death.

Help Wanted 

Cousin connection needed!  Inquire within.

Sources

---

[1] IGI Individual Record.  Batch 8229907. Sheet 59.  Source Call No. 0884905.  Type: Film. Accessed on FamilySearch.org 2007. 

[2] Californa Death Index

[3] Ancestry.com. Iowa, Select Marriages, 1809-1992 [database on-line].

Original data: Iowa, Marriages, 1809-1992. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

[4] Based on 1901 Iowa Birth Index and 1930 U.S. federal census.

[5] U.S. Social Security Death Index

[6] Title : Rochester, Minnesota, City Directory, 1923. [Page 72.  Image 39. No Boruffs on image 40.]  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. 

Bernice Irene Helen Eisenman, Always in my Heart (52 Ancestors #17)

Bernice Irene Helen Eisenman Hutson
about 1975;
Source: Collection of Denise Hibsch Richmond

My grandmother, Bernice Irene Helen Eisenman, was the oldest of the five children born to Cephas Adolph Eisenman and Lillian Schunke.  She was born on 15 Dec 1906 in Sumner, Fillmore, Minnesota^{[1] [2]}, just two days before her father’s birthday.  Her birth was so special that her parents gave her two middle names.  [Oh, I just made that up.  However, naming patterns may emerge with collateral research and consideration of German cultural naming traditions.]

Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about her early life except that her mother died when she was eight years old.  Even this tremendous loss was unknown to me until I began this research.  Sigh.  Such a sad time for her and her four younger siblings.  I imagine little Bernice helped to look out for them as best as an eight year old could although extended family lived nearby who probably helped too.  Her father married Margaret McNaughton a couple years later, a union that begat twins and included three children from Margaret’s first marriage.  The household was certainly full and hopefully a happy one.

Bernice married Herbert C. Hutson in 1925.  The following year, their only child, Betty Evelyn [my mother], was born on 24 Oct^[3]. 

Trail Leads to California

I was able to track their various residences over the years using censuses, city directories, and voter registration lists.  She, Herbert and little Betty lived with or very close to the Hutson family cluster until the patriarch, Alva Leo Hutson died in 1936.

• 1925 - 311 6^th NW, Rochester, Olmsted, Minnesota.  Bernice and Herbert lived here after getting married and when my mother was born.  Herbert’s parents, Alva Leo Hutson and Ada Boruff, lived here also, as did Herbert’s siblings Florence, Lawrence, Lillian and Lyle (and his wife Pearl).^[4]
• 1930 - 912 South Central Ave., Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin.  Herbert’s parents and brother Lawrence each lived in a house next to them.^[5]
• 1935 to 1940 – 404½ East Bakerville Street, Marshfield, Wisconsin.  The Hutson family cluster seemed to have scattered after the death of Alva.  From 1935-1940, Lawrence, Harold, Lyle, their wives and mother had relocated to Phoenix, Arizona and Los Angeles, California.
• 1941 or so – Betty Hutson got her Social Security card in Arizona so my assumption is that Bernice and Herb lived with or near his brothers for awhile.^[6]
• 1948 – 214½ Crickett Lane, Baldwin Park, Los Angeles, California.  This is an address that I wasn’t familiar with.  However, stories abound that Bernice, Herb and Betty came to California during the war years and worked in one of the defense plants.^[7]
• 1949 – 215⅝ N. Maine, Baldwin Park, Los Angeles, California^[8]
• 1950 – 4147¾ N. Maine, Baldwin Park^[9]
• 1956 – 4208 N. Downing Ave., Apt. 1, Baldwin Park.  Bernice lived in a small one-bedroom apartment behind Melvin Hutson’s house which he built a few years earlier.  Melvin was Herb’s youngest brother.^[10]

Martin and Denise (me)
outside Herb and Bernice's apartment at
 4147 N. Maine, Baldwin Park, California
Source: Collection of Denise Hibsch Richmond 

Worked All Her Life

I think my grandmother worked from the time she was married until a few years before her death in 1976.   It seems my grandfather did not always have steady employment. In 1940, she was a waitress^[11] and earned $470 that year.  She may have been a factory worker during the war in a defense plant.  Thereafter, she worked in retail, mostly at Carr’s Department Store in Baldwin Park.  This was a very good thing for me and my brothers because Carr’s has a toy department.  During the mid-1960s through the early 1970s, she managed a women’s clothing store in Baldwin Park called Jaxson’s.  Her years of employment served her well because she was widowed suddenly.  Grandpa Herb was fatally mugged one night in December 1955. 

Church

She was a life-long Lutheran, Missouri Synod.  She attended Trinity Lutheran Church in Baldwin Park for many years.  Pastor Bauer became her dear friend and after my family moved to northern California, she would frequently dine with him and his family after Sunday services.  While we were still living near her, she would bring us kids home from church (Sunday school) to spend the rest of the day with us.

Cherished Memories

Grandma Bernice and Denise (me)
1973
Source: Collection of
Denise Hibsch Richmond 

I spent a lot of time with Grandma Bernice as a child, teenager and young adult.  While I don’t quite remember all the time she baby-sat us kids, I do recall the summers she spent with my family in northern California.  She was game for going camping with us on many occasions.  Many summers I would go stay with her, just me.  We were buddies.  I opened the shop with her and helped tidy racks and shelves.  She knew many of the customers and was quite well-liked.

She ate oatmeal with honey everyday.  I liked oatmeal but never could do the honey.  Her fried chicken and apple pie were mouth-watering.  She liked coffee with sugar.  Her cigarettes were always Winston.  [mine were always candy.  snicker.]  Avon products were a favorite especially the sachets in those tiny little containers.  She liked roller derby which she usually watched on TV on Sunday afternoons, sometimes with her neighbor.  She and her girlfriend Florence would often go for rides on Sunday afternoon.  She was a Chevy woman – always.  A bone of contention since I came from a Ford family.  She was an avid crocheter and taught me how to make edgings and afghans.  I was never quite skilled enough for doilies though.  Thankfully, I have several that she made.  She taught me how to sew which allowed me to make all my dresses during high school.  I must have spent all my allowance on patterns and fabric.  She taught me how to bead necklaces once summer when we were camping.  I still have a few of those.  I have her rocking chair in my living room.  It has been re-upholstered many times over the years but my memories of her sitting in it with feet propped up on the hassock working on her latest crochet project will never fade.

Grandma Bernice died suddenly of a heart attack at her apartment on 22 Jun 1976 in Baldwin Park.  She was 69 years old.  I still miss her.

Future Research

1. Find out about her early life from living descendants of the Eisenman and Hutson families
2. Research naming patterns
3. Locate church records
4. Verify her employment in the defense industry

As always, additional information from cousins is welcome.

Sources

---

[1] Minnesota, Births and Christenings, 1840-1980, FamilySearch.com

[2] Fillmore County Recorder’s Office online index.  http://fillmorecountyhistory.wordpress.com/property-records/

[3] Minnesota Historical Society birth record index. http://people.mnhs.org/

[4] Keiter Directory Co’s, Rochester City and Olmstead County, Minnesota Directory 1925, Ancestry.com

Price by Subscription $7.00 Keiter Directory Company Publisher Norfolk Nebraska

[5] Year: 1930; Census Place: Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin; Roll: 2619; Page: 6B; Enumeration District:  0016;  Image: 84.0; FHL microfilm: 2342353. Ancestry.com.  Herbert’s brother Lawrence lived next door and his father, Alva L. Hutson lived next door to Lawrence.

[6] Number: 527-28-6959; Issue State: Arizona; Issue Date: Before 1951. Ancestry.com.  U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current [database on-line] 

[7] 1948 - California, Voter Registrations, 1900-1968 [database on-line].  Ancestry.com.  Original data: State of California, United States. Great Register of Voters. Sacramento, California: California State Library.

[8] U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com

[9] U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com

[10] Personal knowledge

[11]  1940 census

Alva Leo Hutson, Farmer Turned Ice Cream Maker (52 Ancestors #16)

This is another article for the series in which I'm participating, "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks", a challenge by Amy Johnson Crow on No Story Too Small.

Alva Leo Huts

Stories about my mid-western roots continue here with the birth of my great-grandfather Alva Leo Hutson on 26 Oct 1879 in Wayne Twp, Mitchell, Iowa.  His parents were James Hutson and Ella Pillsbury.  He had a brother, William Ernest Hutson, born on 19 Mar 1882.

Alva and William spent their boyhood days in Wayne Twp. They were primarily raised by their mother.  Their father was seemingly an absentee for most of Alva’s and all of William’s life.  Ella divorced James in 1895 based on abandonment since July 1882 according to the divorce record.  She married John Henderson on 10 Dec 1895, the day after the decree was granted.  In the 1900 U.S. federal census for Wayne Twp, Alva was 21 years old and recorded as Alva
Henderson, son of John Henderson.  Alva had a half-brother, Clyde, born about 1897 to Ella and John.

Marriage and Children
On 19 Jan 1901, Alva married Ada Lurena Boruff (1881-1973) in McIntire, Mitchell, Iowa.  Their first child, Hobart Clayton Hutson (1901-1955) was my grandfather.  Shortly after his birth, Alva and Ada moved to Renville County, North Dakota.  Eight children were born there:

• Lyle Kenneth Hutson (1904-1973)
• Violet Olive Hutson (1905-1919)
• Florence Ella Hutson (1906-1991)
• Lawrence William Hutson (1909-1986)
• Lillian Opal Hutson (1910-1998)
• Esther Marie Hutson (1911-1995)
• Alvin James Hutson (Jul 1914-Oct 1914)
• Harold Alvin Hutson (1915-1987)
• Melvin Milan Hutson (1923-2010) [born in Wisconsin]

The Homestead Years

Homestead Proof for
Alva L. Hutson

I don’t know why he moved to McKinney, Renville, North Dakota but quite possibly it was because of the available land and/or because James Boruff (Ada’s father?) was there also.  By 1906, he filed a homestead application with proof that he had built a 16x24 foot house for his family.  He also built a barn of the same size, a well and had broken 60 acres of crop.  On 17 Feb 1908, he was awarded a patent of the southwest quarter of Section 10 in Township 161 [McKinney] north of Range 86 west of the 5th Principal Meridian, North Dakota, containing 160 acres.  The family lived on the homestead until 1920 when the census of January of that year recorded them as living in a rental in Grover, Renville, North Dakota.

The Ice Cream Years
Or, the "I wish I had know him then" years -- yum-yum!

Hutson and Son Ice Cream Truck

Later in 1920, the Hutson’s moved to Minnesota.  They lived in Rochester, Olmsted, Minnesota for several years.  Alva was employed as a Mixer and Ice Cream Maker at the W.L. Parkin Creamery.  In 1930, Alva was living in Marshfield, Wood, Wisconsin where he continued in the ice cream business.  By 1934, he moved again, this time to Amery, Polk, Wisconsin.  There he was in business with his son Lawrence running their own ice creamery called the Super Ice Cream Co.  Unfortunately, he died suddenly In Amery of a heart attack on 20 Aug 1936.

Future Research:

• Obtain the sale documents for the farm in North Dakota
• Learn what crops Alva grew
• Determine if James Boruff of North Dakota was related to Ada Boruff Hutson
• Research North Dakota newspapers for stories about the Hutson’s and the area in general
• Obtain Alva’s birth record if available and death certificate; burial location
• Research business records, license, etc. for Super Ice Cream Co.
• Search for probate packet
• Other, suggestions welcome

Sources:
Dates of birth and death:  SSDI and Bible records
Marriage certificate: Osage County, Iowa Courthouse
Divorce Record: Osage County, Iowa Courthouse
Brother William:  WW I Draft Registration Record and Elaa's divorce record
Census records: Ancestry.com
Homestead record:  Bureau of Land Management

Copyright Denise Hibsch Richmond

Mahlon Clark, Guardian of his Sister Jane (52 Ancestors #15)

This is another article for the series in which I'm participating, "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks", a challenge by Amy Johnson Crow on No Story Too Small.

It remains to be seen whether Mahlon Clark would have played a significant role in his sister Jane Clark Brown’s life other than being one of her five brothers.  But he did and therein lays many unanswered questions.

About Mahlon

Mahlon was the eighth child of Benjamin Daniel Clark and Hannah Carrigan.  Born about 1852 in Adams County, Ohio, he lived in Franklin Township, Adams, Ohio for 20 some years.  On 12 Feb 1878, he married Margaret Minerva Hill in Highland County, Ohio.  For the next 40+ years, he and Margaret lived in Liberty Township of that county where they raised six children.  Mahlon was a farmer.  The 1880 and 1900 U.S. federal censuses for Highland County, Ohio placed him within the household of Silas Hill, his father-in-law.  Beginning with the 1910 U.S. federal census, Mahlon was the head of household on the farm.  Silas Hill had died the year before. (Click images to enlarge)

Marriage record of Mahlon Clark and Margaret M. Hill, 1878.
Source: Highland County, Ohio Court Records

Guardianship Role
I learned about the significant role Mahlon played in his sister Jane’s life from the 1880 U.S. federal census which showed that he had “adopted” her youngest daughter Hannah E. Brown.  I have written before about how Hannah came to live with her Uncle Mahlon.

1880 U.S. federal census, Highland County, Ohio
Source: Ancestry.com

I should note that the adoption has yet to be confirmed with legal records.  For now, “adopted daughter” was how Hannah Brown was listed in this census.  As I researched more about Jane Clark Brown and her institutionalization in the Athens Insane Asylum, court records revealed that Mahlon Clark and Silas Hill were witnesses on her commitment papers along with a physician.  Not her husband, Thomas Brown.  Other commitment-related records showed Mahlon as her Guardian.  He paid her debts upon initial admission and saw to her care needs beyond what the facility covered.   Today we would call it out-of-pocket expenses or non-covered services.  He maintained records and reported to the court annually as legal guardians are required to do.  Significant role indeed.  She lived out her life at the hospital until her death in 1918 – 37 years.

Attestation to Insanity by Mahlon Clark
Source: Highland County, Ohio Probate Court

So why Mahlon and not her other brothers?  Was he the most willing, the most responsible, the smartest kid in the family?  Did he or any family members visit her?  Was the Guardian role a hardship for him or his family?  The court of Highland County approved the commitment so he probably filed the annual reports locally since he too lived in Highland County.

Mahlon outlived Jane by a few years so if he was still able, he possibly fulfilled his obligation without having another guardian appointed.  He died 19 Aug 1923.

Future Research
1. Confirm legal adoption of Hannah Brown.
2. Continue record search for guardianship documents.
3. Locate descendants of Mahlon and Margaret Clark for "stories" and clues.
4. Learn more about guardianship and what education, if any, was required.
5. Other?  Suggestions welcome.

Sources:
1. Highland County Ohio Marriage Records
2. U.S. federal censuses 1860-1920, Adams and Highland Counties, Ohio
3. Highland County Ohio Probate Court Records
4. Highland County Ohio Death Records

Lillian Schunke Left Us Too Soon (52Ancestors #14)

Lillian Schunke Eisenman was my great-grandmother.  She was a wife, mother and native Minnesotan.  The information in her obituary that I transcribed  below is all I know about her.

Mrs. Lillian Eisenman 
Mrs. Lillian Eisenmann, wife of Cephas Eisenmann, died of acute Nephritis Wednesday day morning, Feb. 26, 1914 at 8 a.m. at her home near Spring Valley.  Lillian Eisenmann, née Schunke was born June 26, 1888 near Spring Valley, Minn. and was confirmed April 20, 1902 at the Saint John's Lutheran Church of Spring Valley of which she was a member until she moved with her parents to the place where they now reside which is near Wykoff, when she joined the Emanuel church of Wykoff. She was married to Cephas Eisenman March 22, 1903. Five children have blessed this union, all of which survived. Sister Eisenman was a very sympathetic wife and mother and was loved by all that new her. Besides her five children, and grief stricken husband she leaves a father, three brothers, five sisters and a host of relatives and friends who mourn her sad an early departure.

Sister Eisenman was illuminated with Jesus Christ here and will enjoy his presence through-out the endless days of eternity. She came aforehand, she did not wait until she was aged before she did things. She recognized that what folks appreciated was appreciation and she gave it and gave it with all of her heart. She had roses to scatter and she scattered them, she had smiles to give and she gave them, she had sweet words to bestow and she bestowed them; she did things beforehand for her neighbors, her friends, her loved ones. She loved her Bible, the promises were her delight, they directed her thought to God and made her heavenly in character. She was a co-worker with Christ, a lively stone in the great spiritual temple of our God, a contender in the race, a warrior struggling against principalities and powers with her both hands outstretched to take the immortal crown. She had no fear of death but was rather happy in its contemplation. She looked at it as the vestibule of heaven and frequently thot, I shall soon be there. The funeral took place at the home on Friday afternoon, Feb. 27, Rev. John Hall of the Methodist Church of Spring Valley officiating. A very large number turned out to pay their respects to one they loved so dearly. The singing by a quartet was of an exceptionally high order. It was tender, sympathetic and beautiful. The Mercury and friends extend their sympathy to all the bereaved. ##

Future research based on this obituary:

• Try again to contact prgrage to determine our family relationship and share information
• Find the Spring Valley Mercury newspaper and look for more articles about Schunke and Eisenman
• Obtain Lillian's death and funeral records
• Church records - contact Lutheran and Methodist churches
• Family bible - was there one and who has it?
• Locate the descendants of the Lillian 's children 
• Locate the descendants of Lillian's 8 siblings
• Locate Lillian's father and mother
• Map Spring Valley and Wykoff, learn more about the areas
• Curious - why did a Methodist minister officiate the funeral rather than a Lutheran minister?
• Anything else?

Sources:

• Obituary: Spring Valley Mercury, 1914 Mar 6. Front page.  From prgrage family tree on Ancestry.com
• Acute nephritis: medical definition:  acute or chronic inflammation of the kidney affecting the structure (as of the glomerulus or parenchyma) and caused by infection, a degenerative process, or vascular disease

If it's June, it must be Jamboree Time

Well, it's almost June for those of us who have planned our genealogical research and conference year.

The annual Jamboree is sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) in Burbank, California.  This year it will be held June 6-8 with a pre-conference seminar on June 5 on Family History and DNA.  I'll be there!  SCGS is celebrating its 50th anniversary during the conference with all sorts of events scheduled including a "Dress Like the 60s Day".  Hmm, do I still have my tie-dye shirt?

Information Links

• Jamboree Blog - conference update page
• Jamboree Welcome - conference attendance links
• SCGS Website - society homepage  

The Speakers
Looking over the schedule of classes, I see that several of my favorite speakers will be there - Thomas MacEntee, John Philip Colletta, Judy G. Russell just to name a few.  I also like to listen to "new" speakers even if I think I know the subject.  Speakers have their own approach to a topic and more often than not I learn several new research angles.

Reunions with Friends
Jamboree time is great for reuniting with genea friends I've met along the conference trail, including a cruise.  I'm looking forward to seeing Thomas, Gloria, Katherine, Ron, Sandi, and Beth.

Eat and Meet Time
Luncheons and banquets are a great place to meet new friends from around the country and world even. Not only do you get to hear a great speaker but just visiting with people at your table is informative.   Heck, I was talking to someone outside a meeting room at a conference and discovered that we shared ancestry with the Thomas Cresap line!

Give Back
I'll be volunteering at Jamboree again this year.  Last year I was one of the room monitors - a great way to ensure a seat, especially at those full-to-capacity sessions of which there are many.

My Tips

• Come to the Jamboree, great conference and hotel arrangement with easy airport access if needed
• Attend a luncheon and/or banquet.  Have a tasty meal, meet new friends and listen to a good speaker. Avoid the long lines at the snack wagon.
• Strike up a conversation with people.  They may be your cousin. They may know of a research repository off the beaten track.
• Arrive early at your must-attend sessions.  They may be high priority for many others as well.
• Cruise the Exhibit Hall more than once.  I like to break it up into sections because I usually have small chunks of time to go there.  Go to your must-see exhibitors first.
• Make a list of resources you already have so you don't buy duplicates.  (Lesson learned!)
• Bring small stick-on address labels to put on your winning door prize tickets.
• Dress in layers.
• Thank people.  Paula and Leo for a great show.  The speakers.  The volunteers. 
• Have fun!

What are your tips for Jamboree or other conferences?

Ella Pillsbury 1859-1943, Long-time Iowa Resident (52 Ancestors #12)

Ella Pillsbury was born about 1859 in Omro, Winnebago, Wisconsin.  She was the fifth child of William C. Pillsbury and Eliza Cooper, both born in Maine.  Her parents may have settled in Wisconsin as early as 1850.

By 1870, the Pillsbury family had moved to Iowa where Ella married James Houston on 28 December 1878 in Osage, Mitchell, Iowa.  Yes, Houston. That was the spelling of the surname on the marriage record.  Hmm.  The surname was spelled Hutson or Hutsen in other records.  James may have been from Scotland so I’ve wondered how Houston or Hutson would be pronounced with a Scottish accent possibly resulting in such spellings. 

The first child born to James and Ella was L. Alva Hutsen[1] - my great-grandfather.  He was born in October 1879[2].  Ella Hutsen and Alva were living in the household of her parents in Wayne, Iowa.  She was married but husband James was not listed.  In fact, I have yet to find him anywhere except the marriage record.  Presumably he returned because another son, William C. Hutson was born in 1885.

Ella must have tired of James’ absence because she filed for divorce in 1895 based on abandonment. James failed to respond to the 30 day newspaper notice of action so the divorce was automatically granted.  The next day, 10 Dec 1895, she married John Henderson.  Three children were born to this union: Clyde Ellsworth Henderson on 28 June 1897[3], a daughter in October 1899[4] and another son, Lawrence Kenneth Henderson in 1901[5] [6].

Ella and John had been married about 22 years when he died in 1917.  She continued to live in Mitchell County for the rest of her life with her son Clyde.  Ella died in 1943 of breast cancer.

About Omro, Winnebago, Wisconsin

Source: FamilySearch Wiki

Located along one of Wisconsin's first transportation and communication routes, the community of Omro developed quickly on the Fox River. French fur trader and blacksmith Charles Omreau had a trading post here and give his name to the future city. Founded in 1842, Omro grew from a village in 1849 to a commercial center in 1857. By 1880 Omro was a stop on the railroad line and home to county fairgrounds, several mills, glass factory, carriage factories and had more than 2000 residents.7  [Click images to enlarge.]

About Wayne Township, Mitchell, Iowa

Source: FamilySearch Wiki

Wayne Township is in the extreme northeastern part of Mitchell County comprising all of the Congressional township 100, range 15, except the northern tier of the sections. Minnesota borders it on the north, Howard County on the east, Jenkins Township on the south, and Stacyville Township on the west.  It has an area of 30 square miles and for the most part is a rolling prairie land, watered by the Wapsipinicon River and its tributaries. This beautiful water course enters the borders of the township on section 7, flows in a south and easterly course to section 34, from whence it enters Jenkins Township. Along the Wapsipinicon there is a good body of timber the heaviest of which is on sections 27 and 34. The soil is a productive dark loam which is as well suited for agriculture as any part of Mitchell County.

Sources:

---

[1] Hutsen as spelled in the 1880 U.S. federal census for Wayne, Mitchell, Iowa.

[2] Ibid.

[3] World War I draft registration card

[4] 1900 U.S. federal census, Wayne, Mitchell, Iowa.  She was unnamed at eight months old.

[5] 1920 U.S. federal census, Wayne, Mitchell, Iowa. 

[6] Lawrence may have been living with his half brother Alva Hutson in McKinney, Renville, North Dakota according to the 1915 North Dakota state census.

[7] Historical Marker database.org  

[8] History of Mitchell and Worth Counties, Iowa ... and biographies of representative citizens. History of Iowa, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief review of its civil and military history ..Springfield Ill., Union Publishing Co. 1884. Page 526.