1911, was received. On motion of the secretary, seconded by Mr. Wiggins, it was accepted. The secretary reported that he had employed Mr. Melvin R. Gilmore as superintendent of the newspaper department and curator of the museum, at a salary of $900 a year from April 1, 1911, subject to the approval of the board. Endorsements of Professor Gilmore from James Mooney, ethnologist, Frederick V. Coville, botanist, and Dr. Charles E. Bessey were read. The secretary moved that Mr. Gilmore be employed as superintendent of the newspaper department and to serve as curator of the museum. Seconded and carried. Chancellor Avery moved that the following persons be employed to date from April 1, 1911, at the salary named.
Motion seconded and carried. |
ment of paving taxes assessed against Lots 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, block 124, city of Lincoln. The Secretary then read the following letter from Hon. S. C. Bassett.  GIBBON,
NEBRASKA, April 17,1911.MR. C. S. PAINE, Secretary, Lincoln, Nebraska. DEAR MR. PAINE: In reply to your favor of April 15 I regret to say that I can not conveniently be at the meeting of the Executive Board on the twenty-ninth instant. I am also in receipt of a circular letter under date of April 11, requesting "That members should contribute at least $2 per year to be used toward defraying the necessary expenses of the Society." On reflection I am of the opinion that this action is not wise on the part of the governing body of the Society. Only a comparatively small per cent of the members will pay this assessment of $2 per year; when members joined the understanding was that the life membership fee was $2, with no additional fees or assessments. In the "fight" against the appropriation for support of the Society, in the House, at the late session, the criticism was made (and with some justice) that while the state appropriated money for the support of the Society an attempt was now being made by those who "run things" to tax the members $2 a year while the rules of the Society did not provide for annual dues or assessments. Some of the best friends the Society had in the House came to the writer for an explanation in regard to this charge (the $2 per annum extra). Please convey to the members of the board of directors present my sincere regret that I can not conveniently be in attendance at this meeting. I desire to be of use to the Society, and I also should greatly enjoy meeting my friends. Very
sincerely yours,S.
C. BASSETT.This was followed by an informal discussion of the subject of membership dues after which the board declined to recede from its former position. The following communication from Hon. C. H. Morrill was then presented. |
LINCOLN,
NEBRASKA, February 14, 1911.MR. C. S. PAINE, Secretary State Historical Society, City. MY DEAR MR. PAINE: I am just in receipt of a letter of February 10, in regard to the appropriation for the completion of the new historical building. During the winter, I have interviewed several members of the legislature in behalf of the appropriation and those that I have interviewed are favorable. Of course, you understand, when the appropriations are all summed up, the totals are always large and at that time the party leaders generally think it necessary to cut down the appropriations. In regard to the collection that I had at my home, I have placed a large portion of it in the University museum as a loan. I didn't have any convenient place for it at home and under the present conditions, of course, it would be folly to turn the collection over to the Historical Society. Trusting that you may be able to secure the appropriation, I remain, Yours
very truly,C.
H. MORRILL.P. S. If an appropriation is not made for the new building, it seems to me best that I remove the collection that I now have with the State Historical Society. Under the present conditions, it is doing no good to anyone. Please advise me what you think about it. C.
H. M.LMB. On motion the following resolution was adopted. Resolved, That the Nebraska State Historical Society express the wish and the hope that Mr. C. H. Morrill will permit his collection now in the possession of the Society to remain in its museum, and assure him that at the next session of the legislature we will renew all possible efforts to obtain an appropriation sufficient to construct a building suitable to properly display all articles in the museum and have them suitably exhibited for the benefit of the public, and trust that he will coöperate with us in this general work to the end that ultimately the State Historical Society will attain to the important position to which we think it is entitled. It was moved, seconded and carried that the secre- 19 |
tary be instructed to forward a copy of this resolution to Mr. Morrill. On motion of Chancellor Avery the secretary was authorized to consult with the president, and to do what they deemed necessary and proper in the work of the Oregon Trail Memorial Commission. On motion, duly seconded and carried, the secretary was instructed to have bound all accumulated newspapers. On the motion of Mr. Wiggins, duly carried, the secretary was instructed to complete the publication of volume III of Nebraska Constitutional Conventions, and to follow with the publication of a miscellaneous volume of collections, compiled from material on hand. On the recommendation of the secretary, the historian of the Society was authorized to write a monograph on the Oregon Trail, the same to be sold for the benefit of the fund to be used in marking the Oregon Trail. The persons named below were then proposed for active membership.
On motion of Chancellor Avery the
secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the members
of the board |
present for the election to membership of the names just read. On motion of Chancellor Avery the meeting adjourned. CLARENCE
S. PAINE, Secretary. A meeting of the board of directors of
the Nebraska State Historical Society was held at the office
of the Society, in Lincoln, Nebraska, July 19, 1911, at two
o'clock in the afternoon, present, John L. Webster,
president, presiding, S. L. Geisthardt, Samuel C. Bassett,
Dr. H. B. Lowry, Robert Harvey, Horace S. Wiggins, Dr.
William M. Davidson, and the secretary. |
published and sold by the Nebraska State Press Association at cost. It was moved by Mr. Wiggins that the recommendation of the secretary be concurred in and that Mr. Watkins be authorized to write a history of the Nebraska press as a part of his duties as the historian of the Society. Seconded and carried. It was moved by Dr. Lowry that correspondence be opened with the authorities of the Mormon Church at Salt Lake City, concerning the preservation of the Mormon cemetery at Florence and the erection of a monument at Florence to mark the Mormon trail. Seconded and carried. On the recommendation of Mr. Harvey, chairman of the committee on historic sites, an appropriation of ten dollars was made toward the erection of a monument at the Lamin grave on the Oregon trail twelve miles east of Bridgeport, Nebraska, provided the people of that neighborhood should raise twenty-five dollars. It was moved and seconded that the president be requested to write a letter to Mr. Charles F. Gunther, of Chicago, expressing the appreciation of the Society for the gift of a framed oil painting entitled The Passing of the Buffalo. Dr. William M. Davidson presented his resignation as a member of the board of directors as follows. On account of the fact that I will remove to the city of Washington on the first day of the coming August to take up my duties there as superintendent of schools of the district of Columbia, I hereby tender my resignation as a member of the board of directors of the Nebraska State Historical Society. William
M. Davidson.It was moved by the secretary that the resignation of Dr. Davidson be accepted with regret and that he be |
assured that the good wishes of the board and of the Society would go with him to his new home. The following named persons were on motion elected to active membership.
On motion of the secretary, seconded
and carried, the following were elected honorary members of
the Society: Mr. Charles F. Gunther, Chicago, and Dr.
William M. Davidson, Washington, D. C. The thirty-fourth annual meeting of the
Nebraska State Historical Society was held at Lincoln,
Nebraska, January 8, 9, 101 1912. The meeting began Monday,
January 8, with an informal reception to members and friends
of the Society and the Nebraska Territorial Pioneers
Association, from two o'clock to five o'clock in the
afternoon, at the rooms of the Historical Society. |
fluence of Overland Travel on the Settlement of Nebraska, by Harry G. Taylor of Central City, Neb.;1 a number by the University Place High School chorus; an illustrated lecture on The Oregon Trail in 1911, by Rev. E. J. Ulmer, of Alexandria, Neb.; and an address by Francis La Flesche from the Bureau of American Ethnology Tuesday forenoon, January 9, was devoted to a meeting of the Nebraska Territorial Pioneers Association. The annual business meeting of the Society was held at two o'clock in the afternoon. After an address by President Webster the secretary read his annual report for the year 1911. The report presented by Mr. S. L. Geisthardt, treasurer of the Society, showing total receipts for the year of $1681.60 and disbursements of $1408.99, leaving a balance on hand of $272.61, was referred to Mr. H. S. Wiggins, public accountant, for audit. Under the head of miscellaneous business certain proposed amendments to Article V of the constitution were taken from the table, read, and, on motion, unanimously adopted.2 A resolution offered by Mr. Robert Harvey commending the heroic conduct of Emma Cooper, now Mrs. Goebel, during the disastrous storm of 1873, in which the mother and sister of Mrs. Goebel lost their lives in Howard county, was unanimously adopted. On motion of Mr. Andrew J. Sawyer, the rules were suspended and the secretary was instructed to cast the ballot of the Society for the reëlection of the present officers. The ballot having been cast, the following officers were declared elected: president, John L. Webster; 1 The papers of Messrs. Hansen and Taylor are printed in volume XVII Collections Nebraska State Historical Society. 2 These amendments were presented at the annual meeting of 1908. See page 17, this volume. |
first vice president, Robert Harvey; second vice president, Samuel C. Bassett; secretary, Clarence S. Paine; treasurer, Stephen L. Geisthardt. Mr. George W. Hansen, of Fairbury, and Mr. Frank L. Haller, of Omaha, were then elected directors of the Society for a term of three years; Charles B. Letton for the unexpired term of Joseph E. Cobbey; Frank M. Currie, of Broken Bow, was elected for one year, the unexpired term of Professor William M. Davidson, resigned. At the close of the afternoon program on Tuesday, Governor, and Mrs. Aldrich gave a reception to members of the Historical Society and affiliated associations. At half past six o'clock in the evening members and friends of the Society participated in a banquet at the Lincoln Hotel. At a conference of local historical societies and old settlers associations in the Temple Theatre, Wednesday forenoon, reports and addresses were made by Mr. A. J. Leach, of Antelope county; Mr. Robert Harvey, Howard county; Mr. Vail, Lancaster county; Charles J. Dawson, Jefferson county; John L. Webster, Douglas county; Samuel C. Bassett, Buffalo county. Mr. Bassett also reported for the Valley county Old Settlers Association. A written report from Mr. John J. Lett, president of the Old Settlers Association of York county, was presented. Reports were received from Nemaha county and Boone county. At the conclusion of this session, a meeting of the Nebraska Memorial Association was held at eleven o'clock. At half past two o'clock in the afternoon there was a joint session of the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Nebraska Memorial Association at the Temple Theater, John L. Webster presiding. |
Mr. A. Vine Pease, of Fairbury, read a paper, David A. Pease, Forty-niner, which was followed with a paper by Mrs. Charles Oliver Norton; Mr. Charles J. Dawson, of Fairbury, told of the Wild Bill McCandless tragedy. Mr. Robert Harvey reviewed the story of the memorable3 Easter storm of 1873, and Mrs. Emma Cooper Goebel, a survivor of that storm, spoke briefly. Rev. Dennis G. Fitzgerald, of Red Cloud, read a paper entitled, The Semi-precious Stones of Webster, Nuckolls and Franklin Counties, Nebraska; and Francis La Flesche gave a brief address. The closing session of the meeting was held at the Temple Theater at 7:45 Wednesday evening, Mr. Robert Harvey presiding. Mr. John F. Cordeal, of McCook, presented a Historical Sketch of Southwestern Nebraska;3 Mr. Francis La Flesche talked on Indian geographical names, and the session was concluded with an illustrated lecture, Dr. Whitman's Work on the Oregon Trail, by Mr. William J. Leverett, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, assisted by Mrs. Leverett. The secretary deprecated that the
legislature had specified employees and their salaries in
the appropriation for the maintenance of the Society. 3 This paper and that by Rev. Dennis G. Fitzgerald are printed in Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society, volume XVII. |
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