Newspaper Clippings - Wayne, Nebraska, 1917

Wayne Herald, Thursday, March 29, 1917, pg 2

"Members of the Public Service club lunched at the Gem Cafe Monday noon and had for main consideration perfection of plans for the forthcoming meeting of the North Nebraska Teachers' association.  These committees were apointed in addition to those formerly named in connection with service for the meeting:  Committee to look after decorating the town. Supt. O. R. Bowen, Frank Gaertner, S. R. Theobald and Mrs. Henry Ley.  It was decided to decorate exclusively with the national colors.  Committee appointed to sell tickets for the grand opera, Frank S. Morgan, Carroll Orr, F. E. Gamble and C. E. Carhart.

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COMPANY E, FOURTH ORDERED TO SERVICE

Captain James Pile of Co. E, Fourth Nebraska regiment, received a telegram Monday instructing him to immediately mobilize the company for service, and accordingly he sent out word to all the boys to assemble here at once.
There are now sixty men in the company, but it is expected recruits will increase the number appreciably within a short time.  The possible maximum is 150.
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Washington, March 26 - Twenty additional infantry regiments and five additional separte battalions of national guard troops have been ordered into federal service for the protection of property in the event of possible internal disorder.  The troops have been called out in eighteen western and middle western states not included in the list of the similar orders made public yesterday.
The war department's statement follows:
Following additional national guard organizations have been called in the federal service for general purposes of police protection against possible interference with the postal commercial and military channels and instrumentalities:
"Illinois, First, Fifth and Sixth regiments, infantry; Indiana, Second regiment, infantry; Iowa, First and Third regiments, infantry; Nebraska, Fourth regiment, infantry; Minnesota, First regiment, infantry; Michigan, Thirty-third regiment, infantry; Wisconsin, Third regiment; South Dakota, Third battalion of Fourth regiment; North Dakota, Second battalion of First regiment, infantry; Colorado, First and Second separate battalions, infantry; Wyoming, Second separate battalion, infantry; Ohio, Third and Sixth regiments, infantry; Washington, Second regiment, infantry; Oregon, Third regiment, infantry; California, Second, Fifth and Seventh regiments, infantry; Idaho, Idaho, Second regiment, infantry; Second regiment, infantry; Montana, Second regiment infantry.
Of these organizations the following are already in the federal service and in consequence will not be mustered out as originally planned.
"Michigan, Thirty-third infantry; Colorado, First and Second separate battalions; Ohio, Third and Sixth regiments.
"It is requested that no details of locality be carried in the press with regard to further distribution of these troops unless given out by the war department."
The new order makes thirty-two national guard infantry regiments called into the federal service for police purposes supplemented by six separate battalions and several detached companies.  They will be assigned to posts in connection with their police work by the commanders of the military departments acting under instructions from the war department.

Press is Cooperating.

Assurances of the cooperation of the American press generally in the effort to recruit the navy to its full war strength of 87,000 men reached Secretary Daniels today by telegraph and telephone from managing editors in all parts of the country.  The department is supplementing its recruiting service with automobile detachments which are searching every county for suitable men.  The machines are stopping in every town, village and hamlet and frequently at individual farm houses in order not to miss any opportunity to secure young men.

Iowa Regiment to Mobilize

Des Moines, March 26 - At 3 o'clock this morning Adit. Gen. Logan issued orders for the mobilization of the First Iowa infantry recently back from the border.  The regiment is ordered to assemble at once in compliance with orders received by Gov. Harding from the war department.

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DEATH OF D. L. NEGLEY

D. L. Negley died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Frank Baker, southwest of Wayne, Thursday, March 22 aged about 80 years.  He would have reached that age if he had lived until next May.  Mr. Negley came to Wayne from his home at Decatur, Ia., by automobile with his two sons, C. C. and D. L. Negley.  A third stroke of apoplexy, suffered after reaching Wayne, proved fatal.
The body was taken Monday to Decatur, Ia., for the funeral and interment and was acompanied by Frank Baker and the deceased's son, C. C. Negley, and daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Ditton, the latter of whom arrived Friday from Sioux Rapids, Ia., in response to word announcing her father's death.  D. L. Negley motored to Decatur Friday.  Mrs. Frank Baker was unable to attend the funeral.

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Official war correspondents set a fine example to this extent:  they don't dwell much on the troubles of their own side of the conflict.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Parties

Our 26th annual Caroling party is this year.  My husband and I hosted our first caroling party in 1989 and it has become an annual event.  We were involved in the community theater at that time and had a circle of friends that we partied with regularly.  We would all meet at our house,  then drive around town to carol to older friends we all knew.  Some were parents and other relatives of members in the group.  It often brought some of them to tears and occasionally we were treated with goodies or hot chocolate.  After caroling we would have food, drinks and a good time back at our house. 

Sadly, over time, the people we caroled to all passed away.  We started caroling at the veterans home and hospital and a few years ago added one of the four firehouses in town to our list.  We usually spend an hour or two caroling.

When my daughter was young, I used to get very stressed working full time and trying to do so much for Christmas.  One year we planned a trip to California the week before our usual caroling party night.  About October I put out the word among our group that I wasn’t going to be able to host the party, so if someone else wanted to do it they could go ahead.  Well, another couple hosted the party and didn’t realize we were home that night and we weren’t invited.  Those friends now split the hosting responsibilities with us every other year.  It’s a good break for each of us.  In the 26 years, my husband and I have missed two – that year and one other year when I was sick.  It was so nice that year when the group came to our house and caroled to us.  It brought me to tears!  We have some very wonderful memories of our caroling parties. 

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Blog Caroling: I Believe In Father Christmas

Our beloved colleague, and editor/publisher of Shades of the Departed, the divine footnoteMAVEN, came up with the idea of blog caroling on a winter's eve, many long years ago. This year, as a gift to fM, we continue, as any good genealogist would do, by celebrating the tradition. With fM's permission, of course. 

If you wish to contribute to The Great Blog Caroling Song Book 2015 Edition, create your musical blog post, then post your link on the  Friends of footnoteMAVEN Facebook Group located here.

From Wikipedia:  "I Believe in Father Christmas" is a song by Greg Lake with lyrics by Peter Sinfield.  Although it is often categorized as a Christmas song, this was not Lake's intention.  Lake claims to have written the song in protest at the commercialization of Christmas.  Sinfield, however, claims that the words are about a loss of innocence and childhood belief.

I Believe In Father Christmas
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin's birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winters light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
And they told me a fairy story
'till I believed in the israelite
And I believed in father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas you get you deserve

Hear and see this beautiful song with video on You Tube here. 

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday - Surname Tree

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Tree Decorations

Only one tree goes up in my house and the only "theme" is Christmas.  I'm not ambitious enough to do several different trees with themes.  For the most part I only want hand made and/or Christmas related ornaments on the tree.  For ornaments we receive as gifts, I do make an exception.  Occasionally on a trip I'll buy an ornament for our tree for a remembrance and that might not follow my "rules" either. 

Some of my hand made ornaments were made by my daughter when she was in school.  There are snowflakes crocheted by my Mom.  My Grandma made some plastic canvas  needlepoint ornaments, and I cross-stitched a few things.  When I was a kid (I know I was younger than 11 because of the house we lived in), I had fun making these little people ornaments.  The patterns and instructions were in Good Housekeeping magazine – I still have them.  The "people" were cut out of cardboard and covered with felt by glue - no stitching involved.  I made several sets of two, each set with matching colored felt outfits.

When I decorate the tree - and I do it by myself every year - there is a memory of something or someone with so many of the ornaments.  I reminisce every year as I hang them, and again as I put them away.  

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - School

Today is Santa Lucia Day, and it is appropriate for me that the Advent Calendar prompt for today is "School".  In 4th grade, I played Santa Lucia in the school Christmas program.  While my class sang a song (I assume about Santa Lucia, but I don't remember), I had to walk up the side steps onto the stage, halfway across the stage and then down the front steps off the stage while carrying a tray with cups and a teapot and WITH LIT CANDLES ON MY HEAD!  They were stuck into holes in a not-so-secure-feeling cardboard "wreath".  I have forgotten what I wore or what they sang, but I clearly remember the fear of those candles falling into my long hair.  Santa Lucia decorations are hard to find, so I made this one with a Barbie doll.  


Typically the school program consisted of each class taking their turn on the stage singing two or three Christmas songs.  No one complained about singing religious songs in school in those days.  One year we strayed from the ordinary program and put on an Operetta.  The story is long lost to my memory, but each class from Kindergarten to 6th grade had parts in the play.  My class, 5th grade I think, was Christmas cards.  We "wore" poster boards, sandwich-sign style, decorated to look like a card.  Mine was a Christmas tree.  Although I don't remember everything about it, I do remember it as a fun program.  



“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Crafts

Before Hallmark was selling the collectible Christmas villages, my Mom had one she made out of half-gallon milk cartons (when they were cardboard boxes).  The cartons were covered with construction paper and had doors and windows of different colored paper.  In the village there were some little candles shaped like evergreen trees.  It didn't hold up over time, but I always liked that little village.  Mom also made each of our stockings out of felt material with our names and a Christmas symbol cut out of felt.  She crochets a lot of things like snowflake ornaments, wall hangings, table runners or doilies.  

Needlepoint and cross-stitch were my crafts of choice, but my eyes aren't capable of doing much of that anymore.  This bell hanger is a needlepoint piece that I made several years ago.  I also have several cross-stitched ornaments.  There was a plastic canvas needlepoint nativity set I made, but the dog chewed up some of the pieces.  Every year for as long as I can remember I've tried to make some new Christmas decoration.     


“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - TV & Movies

My collection of Christmas movies includes The Bishop's Wife, Miracle on 34th Street and of course, It's A Wonderful Life!.  I first recorded that off the AMC channel (with NO commercials) in about 1983 and I've watched it every year since - at least once.  This year it will be on the big screen here in Grand Island.  Watching these Christmas movies is something I LOVE to do every year! 

As a kid, of course we always watched Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty and The Grinch.  One lesser shown TV Christmas special I always loved was The Little Drummer Boy.  The theme that all he had to give was something of himself was always something I could relate to.



“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Santa Claus

When my daughter asked me point blank if Santa was real, I told her yes he was, but that he gets help from Mom & Dad.  It broke my heart when she cried.  She was about 8 years old.  I don't have a memory of finding that out when I was a kid, but I do remember when I recognized the guy playing Santa at the church program.  He was a guy who came out to our farm occasionally.  We didn't go anywhere specifically to see Santa Claus, he was always at the church Christmas program.  He handed out a little brown sack of peanuts and an apple, maybe a little candy.

On Christmas morning when I was little, things appeared under the tree that were not wrapped.  Those were the gifts Santa had brought for us during the night.  Santa also filled our stockings with a few small things.  That was the way it happened for my daughter too.  Santa works that way.




“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Recipe

This recipe for Hot Chocolate mix is from my Grandma's sister Bethel and is in our family cookbook, first edition (1976) and second edition (2009).  It makes a big batch and works great to give as gifts in a jar or tin.  And it's super simple to make.  We used to make it every winter back in the late 70's, and a few years ago I made a batch and gave my siblings each some for Christmas.

Hot Chocolate Mix

8 qt box dry milk
1 lb can quick chocolate drink mix 
1 (5 oz) jar Coffee Mate
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix in large bowl.  Makes about 4 lbs.  Use 1/4 to 1/3 cup in 8 oz. hot water or milk.

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Lights

When I was growing up, my parents didn't put any lights up on the house.  The Christmas tree was always in front of a window so that maybe the lights could be seen by the neighbors down the road.  It seems like you can see farther than usual in the cold winter air and lights from across the miles do show more.  Of course, there's no tall corn growing in the fields blocking the view then either.  It was always fun driving in the evening when it was dark and seeing other people's light displays.  Some people had lighted stars up on top of the tallest leg of their grain bins, or a nativity scene lit up in the loft of the barn or in the yard.  Others trimmed their house or barn - or both.  

My husband and I used to trim our house with lights, but then we put screens on the gutters and now can't clip the lights on there.  Our outdoor lighting now consists of a polar bear and a few lights on the bushes if the weather cooperates.  We just bought a new pre-lit tree this year - no more messing with tangled strings of lights that don't work!  

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Music

Music is a big part of our Christmas.  My husband sings with a community choral group that has a Christmas concert every year.  It usually starts off our Christmas season.  We do some caroling and may get the chance to take in another concert or musical event.  This year Mannheim Steamroller will be in town.

Some of my own favorite Christmas songs are the more contemporary stuff from the 70’s. Songs like Bob Seger’s version of "The Little Drummer Boy", Paul McCartney’s "Wonderful Christmas", and Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas".  For a good laugh I'll play Bob Rivers’ "The 12 Pains of Christmas".  More recently my favorite has been "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  It's time to check the boxes beside those titles in my iTunes.  

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Cards

It’s sad to say, but greeting cards are becoming a thing of the past.  The last year or two I have done the Holiday Mail for Heroes, sending cards to men and women serving in the military.  This year my husband and I had a pretty good picture of us taken in Ireland (we don’t have our picture taken often), so I’m sending out a few photo cards.  For several years I created either cards or a letter to send.  

Some Christmas cards are so pretty, I hate to throw them away (OK, I'm a packrat anyway).  There are a lot of good craft projects that can be made from them, not that I get many done.  One year I took five cards that were alike and covered a painted paper-mache box with them.  Another project was this subway art style “sign” I made from the signatures on cards from family members no longer with us.  

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Trees

Growing up on a farm, our Christmas trees came from our pasture for several years.   They were usually cedar and probably put up about mid-December, I don't really remember.  In the mid 70’s my parents did get an artificial tree, probably for the same reasons I did.  

My husband and I had real trees until after our daughter was born.  Then we bought an artificial tree for two reasons:  1) the fear of fire and 2) the strong scent was too much for sinuses that were already too sensitive.  I usually put our tree up over Thanksgiving weekend because I have the time then. 

The first year I lived on my own, my Christmas “tree” was no more than a branch of a cedar tree my brother and his friend grabbed out of a ditch on their way to my place.  This photo is of my second tree, the first one was much smaller than this. 

“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”