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| Poorhouse Excerpts sent in by readers How to Submit your own Excerpt |
| Hamilton County Poor Farm -- Historical Notes sent in by Mona Sarratt Knight |
| "The first poorhouse [in Adams County] was built in the fall of 1872. It was 16x24 feet, one and one-half stories high, and was constructed by Ira G. Dillon for $1,400, and Peter Fowlie was appointed poormaster at a salary of $25 per month. And on November 1 of that year he reported six poor persons as charges on the county, but his administration must have been effective for on December 5, following, he reported none then in his charge." -- from "NEBRASKA PIONEER REMINISCENCES" - collection issued by NEBRASKA D.A.R. in 1916. From the book, scanned and extracted by the submitters. Submitted to the USGenweb Nebraska Archives, September, 1998 by Ted & Carole Miller |
| "I have been trying to find information on the poor farm of Merrick County. Nebraska. My aunt and uncle were the managers (or whatever the title was) when I was a young child and I remember going there to visit. I'm not sure when they had the position but it started in the early thirties -- maybe around 1935/36 and they were there until in the 40's. Their names were Harold and Grace Prowett. I remember particularly one handicapped woman by the name of Carrie who always remembered me by name when we went to visit. The farm is gone now but I did see a sign that pointed to the "poor farm cemetery". I have always remembered the screened-in porch where we ate in the summer time and the iced tea that my aunt always made -- and also my uncle on the tractor taking care of the gardens and fields." Verna Fischer [mailto:vfischer48@cableone.net] |
| A review of the book, Evil Obsession: The Annie Cook Story by Nellie Snyder Yost, Midgard Press/Westport Publishers, Inc. 1991. The book tells the story of a tragic period in the history of the Poor Farm in LINCOLN County, Nebraska. Linda Crannell |
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