Category Archives: Nebraska Memories

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a librarian about old seed catalogs. I must admit that before the conversation I’d never thought about seed companies or their catalogs. I’d seen photos of seed companies in Nebraska Memories and I thought their main business would have been selling corn, wheat or other seeds that farmers needed along with some basic seeds for the garden.

Because of that conversation, I found the US Department of Agricultural Library’s Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection. The collection contains over 200,000 items and currently 41,683 of them have been digitized and made available through the Internet Archives. In the digitized collection, I found 644 seed catalogs or price lists from Nebraska including items for all three seed stores pictured in Nebraska Memories. After looking at these catalogs, I realized that these seed companies sold a lot more than seed corn. Let me share with you what I learned about these three stores.

Griswold Seed and Nursery Company

This photo from 1928 is of the Griswold Seed and Nursery Company’s elevator and warehouse. This warehouse was built in 1910 at the corner of 8th and N Street in downtown Lincoln. In 1994, the building was sold to the Midwest Steel Company. As you can see in Google Street View, the building is still being used today.

I found 27 catalogs from the Griswold Company in the US Dept. of Ag collection. Looking through the catalogs, I learned that the company was started in 1891. The image to the left is from the 1916 catalog and shows the elevator and warehouse and their retail store that was located at 147 S 10th St. If you are familiar with Lincoln, this is the address of the parking lot next to the Terminal Building. On this same page of the catalog, they mention that their name is now Griswold Seed & Nursery Co. Previously it was just the Griswold Seed Co.

The photo of the Griswold elevator and warehouse was taken in 1928 so I looked at the Griswold Seed & Nursery Co. Spring 1928 catalog. The catalog has 92 pages. The front cover shows a couple of varieties of apples and berries. Looking at the index, I’m guessing there are over 400 items listed including a variety of flowers, vegetables, trees and bushes. I checked and they did sell field corn, wheat and sugar beets.

Gunn Seed Company View 1 and View 2

The Gunn Seed Company was located at 219 S. 10th Street in Lincoln. This was just down the block from the Griswold retail store. That location is also currently a parking lot. If you take the time to look at the photos of the Gunn Seed Company, it is obvious that they sell a variety of items. The smaller sign above the door says Gunn Seed Co. Poultry Supplies. The larger sign mentions Field, Garden, Flower Seeds on one side and Poultry Supplies / Garden Tools on other. On the sidewalk in front of the store is a collection of plants, gardening tools and bags of feed.

There are 10 documents from the Gunn Seed Company included in the US Dept. of Ag collection. Like the Griswold Seed Company, Gunn sold a variety of vegetable and flower seeds. They also offered a wide variety of poultry supplies.

Both photos of the Gunn Seed Company were taken in 1916. Their first catalog available in the collection is from 1919. I’m not sure when the Gunn store first opened. I looked in the 1908 city directory and did not find the Gunn Seed store listed but I did find an entry for Gunn, Edwin S. who was listed as the “mngr retail dept Griswold Seed Co.”. I looked through all of the Gunn seed catalogs and in every one of them is a picture of Ed. S. Gunn. My guess is that Edwin left Griswold Seed and started his own company but I wasn’t able to find any documentation that confirmed this.

C.P. Coy & Co. seed house

This photo of the C. P. Coy & Co. building located in Valley was taken around 1910. We don’t know the exact date of the photo was taken. We do know that it was built in 1903. My search of the US Dept. of Ag’s collection for Coy was successful as I found 16 different seed price lists. As I started looking at them, I realized there were two companies with similar names. There were seven prices lists from Chauncey P. Coy and Son. This name matches the name on side of the building. The dates of the price lists range from 1901 to 1926. The address listed on all of these price lists is Waterloo, NE however. The two names listed in the 1902 booklet were C. P. Coy and H. G. Coy.

The other nine price lists are from the C. Herbert Coy Seed Co. of Valley. They range from 1916 to 1926. The 1915 catalog has a picture of the same building that is in Nebraska Memories. The name on the building is now C. Herbert Coy Seed Co.

At first, I thought C. Herbert might be the son but the names didn’t match up. I found more information about C. Herbert in the 1917 book Omaha: The Gate City, and Douglas County, Nebraska, Volume 2. In the short bio about him, it states that he moved to Valley from New York in 1901 to start his company. There is no reference to him having family in Waterloo. According to a family tree created by a distant Coy relative that I found in the MyHeritage Library Edition database Chauncey P. Coy would have been Charles Herbert Coy’s uncle.

Both the Coy companies were wholesale seed growers. Their price sheets were set up to sell seed by the pound. They offered a limited selection of seeds including cucumbers, melons, gourds, and corn.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about these three seed companies. Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, contact Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

With the 2018 Primary Elections being held last week I thought it would be a good time to highlight a few former legislators whose photos are included in Nebraska Memories. When Nebraska became a state in 1867 it had both a Senate and House of Representatives. The four men whose photos appear in Nebraska Memories were all members of Nebraska’s House of Representatives.

Thomas Wolfe (1877-1879)

Thomas Wolfe was born in Germany in 1847. His family moved to Wisconsin shortly after his birth. He worked at a variety of newspapers including the Tribune in Chicago, the Evening Post in New York, the Republican and the Bee in Omaha, and the Nebraska Reporter in Seward. In 1877 became president of the Butler County bank in David City.

Thomas Wolfe was a member of the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1877 to 1879 representing Seward County. Thomas also served as the president of the Nebraska Press Association from 1879-1880. Thomas and his wife Madessa had three children Leonel, Thomas Jr. and Medessa.

Matt Miller (1885-1889)

Mat Miller was born in Scotland in 1850. He immigrated with his family to Wisconsin when he was two years old. Both of his parents died when he was eight leaving him and his three siblings as orphans. At the page of 14, Matt ran away and enlisted in the Union Army. He was discharged in 1866 and after completing high school and graduating commercial college, he moved to Burt County Nebraska.

In 1879, Matt and his first wife Sarah moved to Schuyler and a year later Matt was admitted to the bar. In 1881, he moved to David City and practiced law in town for 42 years. Matt was elected to the House of Representatives and served from 1885 to 1889. Matt also went on to serve as judge for District 5 in Nebraska from 1891-1892.

Michael Delaney (1889-1891 & 1895-1897)

Michael Delaney was born in 1843 in New York. When he was two, his parents moved to Wisconsin. He later moved to Iowa where he was a teacher and a farmer. In 1872, he purchased a farm in Butler County Nebraska. In addition to serving as a member of the House or Representatives from 1889-1891 and 1895-1897 Michael held numerous other positions. Some of the positions he held included county superintendent of schools, school director for his district, a member of the Board of Supervisors and Justice of the Peace. Michael and his wife Katherine had seven children.

Henry C. Richmond (1915-1917)

Henry C. Richmond was born in 1870 in Missouri. As a child, his family moved to Kansas and later to Webster County Nebraska. Henry worked at a number of newspapers including the Red Cloud Chief, Omaha World-Herald, and the Fremont Daily Herald. In 1907, he was elected president of the Nebraska Press Association. In 1911 and again in 1913 Henry was elected chief clerk of the Nebraska House of Representatives.

Henry Richmond served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1915-1917 representing Douglas County. Following his term in 1917, he became the secretary for the Nebraska State Council of Defense. Henry passed away in May 1945 in Portland Oregon. According to his obituary, he and his wife Jeannette had two daughters and three grandchildren.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, contact Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Are you still looking for a unique way to express your love to a special someone today? Can you sing, play the piano and/or play the ukulele? If you answered yes, I have a few scores for you. One of the participants in Nebraska Memories is the Polley Music Library. Included in their collection are 256 musical scores. The complete scores are available so if you have the skills you can perform one these love songs for your special someone.

Lovin’ you

• Written by Sara S. Green and Frances M. Green of Beatrice, Nebraska.
• First line of the chorus: “Lovin’ you, that’s all I do”

Let me sail on the ship of love

• Written by Elsie Butz of Talmage, Nebraska.
• Chorus:
  “Let me sail on the ship of love,
  And dream the whole time thru,
  Let me sail on the ship of love,
  ‘Way from all trouble too,
  Where there is no cloud or sorrow
  Only ones you have to borrow,
  Let me sail on the ship of love,
  With dreams of love and you.”

After the recent snowstorm, I saw many beautiful pictures of the snow. The pictures were taken by both friends and strangers from across Nebraska. Some were taken to show the amount of snow received while others were taken to show nature’s beauty. As I was looking at the images in Nebraska Memories today, I noticed a number of similar images of snow taken 100+ years ago. Here are a few of my favorites.

Beautiful Snow

Cedar River

The first four photos in this post were taken by John Nelson. John Nelson was born in Sweden and moved to Wheeler County Nebraska with his parents when he was a young man. Eventually he opened a photography studio in Ericson Nebraska. While we don’t know the exact dates these photos were taken, we believe they were taken sometime between 1907 and 1918.

The above stereoscopic photograph shows antique farm machinery covered in snow. On the right image, in the bottom left corner, someone wrote “The Beautiful Snow”.

The next photo shows the banks of the Cedar River covered in snow. The Cedar River is a long winding river that starts in northern Nebraska, goes by Ericson, and finally joins the Loup River west of Fullerton, NE.

Snow covered trees and field

Farmhouse in snow

The second stereoscopic photograph shows snow covered trees and field. Images like this are timeless. It’s easy to imagine someone taking a photo like this during the last snowstorm.

The fourth picture shows Nels and Bengta Nelson’s farmhouse. They were John Nelson’s parents. The snowdrifts look large and the tracks in the snow look deep.

Clarkson Hospital

Photos of two other buildings caught my attention. This photo of the Clarkson Hospital in Omaha from the early 1900’s shows a portion of 21st Street in Omaha. The street looks to be snow packed and a little rough. I don’t think it would be a fun street to drive down.

I was surprised when I first saw this postcard of the Nebraska State Capitol in winter. This was the first time I’d seen a postcard of the second capitol with snow on the ground.

State Capitol in winter, Lincoln, Neb.

While the capitol may look nice surrounded by snow not everyone was impressed with the building. This postcard was never mailed but someone did write a note on the back. Here are their thoughts on the building. “This is an old “ramshackle” place surrounding by a park as shown in picture.” The person’s description of the building was probably correct. Construction on this capitol was completed in 1888 however, the construction was supposed to have been poor. In 1919, the Legislatures passed a bill providing for the construction of a new capitol that still stands today.

The last three images I would like to highlight are postcards of Hanscom Park in Omaha. Hanscom Park is located about a block west of Interstate 480 and the Martha Street exit. The land for the park was donated in 1872 and was improved in 1889. The park appears to have been a popular spot or at least a popular spot to take photographs. There are 30+ images on Hanscom Park in Nebraska Memories.

Winter scene in Hamscom Park, Omaha, Nebr.

Winter beauty, Hanscom Park, Omaha, Neb.

Hanscom Park in winter, Omaha, Nebr.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, contact Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Some people say change is inevitable, but how much have things really changed over the past 100 years?

In 1917, the Nebraska Telephone Co. Building at left was completed in Omaha with a “modern telephone exchange” (Omaha Public Library Collection). There were over 6,000 independent telephone companies in the United States at that time with a fair number in Nebraska. Over the years many of those companies merged or were bought out. Today with the cell phone technology, different service providers, who buy out and/or merge with each other regularly, are again working to provide a new “telephone exchange” by expanding cell phone service to the more rural areas of Nebraska.

Transportation was in flux in 1917. While horse-drawn vehicles were still in use in some rural areas, motorized vehicles were taking over–both gas and electric. This brought about the building of automobile dealerships, gas stations, garages, solid-surface roads, and more. The Osborne Garage in Sidney at right was one of many such businesses being built in Nebraska (Cheyenne County Historical Society and Museum Collection). Mechanics today use computers to tune-up cars and trucks, but the basic need is still there for new tires, oil changes, etc. Now new dealerships and their garages are being built on the outskirts of town. And while gas cars won out for a number of decades, electric cars are making a comeback and bringing about the construction of re-charging stations. And who doesn’t run into road construction–or the need for it–on a regular basis?

The population growth in early twentieth-century Nebraska brought a demand for amenities such as public libraries. At least 72 Nebraska towns erected new public library buildings between 1900 and 1920. 1917 alone saw the construction of at least nine public library buildings, two of which are still used as libraries: Cordelia B. Preston Memorial Library in Orleans and Arcadia Public Library at left (Nebraska Library Commission Collection). Other libraries have had to move on from old buildings to new buildings as technology has brought demands for different services. In 2017, Blair Public Library and Scribner Public Library both celebrated grand openings of their new facilities.

Live entertainment was popular in 1917 as it is today. In the Boileau Chautauqua Company photograph at right cast members in costume pose in a car. (Townsend Studio Collection).  As the banner on the rear promotes the model of the car, perhaps this is an early example of promoting products for corporate sponsorship. While many people still traveled by train in 1917, touring cars (open cars that could carry five or more passengers a long distance) would become popular. A car allowed more flexibility in timetables and destinations. Today many entertainers move on to their next venue in tour buses.

So visit Nebraska Memories and see what old things or concepts are new again among the many historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, contact Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.