Laundry during WWII

A lonesome woman's wash: 1 nightgown, 1 dress, 4 slips,
4 blouses and a sheet. The picture is from 1944.  The house was
originally built by David Bowen.

Fox Hole Shovel

This shovel was used in WWI. It saved soldiers because they dug a hole the bullets
were slowed by the dirt.If the enemy was above you and shot at you it didn't save you.
WWI had many battles with both sides divided by a no man's land.  If they rushed
across the lines it wasn't good.  It is displayed in the Wild Rose
Museum in Pioneer Hall.

Pine River at Wild Rose, Waushara County, WI

Mary Davis Jeffers

Mary Davis Jeffers who married John Henry Jeffers who was the architect who design the Wisconsin pavilion for the St Louis World's Fair in St Louis in 1904.

Labor & Industry Review Commission Meeting

David Pearson, Chairman, Nancy Metcalf, Secretary, Hugh C Henderson, Member, Pam Anderson, Member. The meeting was in Dave's office.  LIRC reviewed appeals from administrative law judges. The case could be an unemployment, worker's compensation or equal rights case.  People could appeal to the circuit court if they if they didn't like our decision.

Wild Rose Football Team about 1927 or 1928

Top: Ray Nelson (1910-1965), Middle: Fred Shepherd (1912-1979), 

Ken  Merryfield (1912-1990), Bottom: Steve Burton (1914-1992)

 Laurel Thompson (1911-1972)-and; Everett Jones (1913-1998).

Mildred Owens and Martha Jones

Mildred Owens Cunningham class of 1924 and Martha Jones class of 1925.

Small group of Wild Rose Band

Let me know if you know the first person.  The rest are Roy Bertrand, John Campbell

Arnold Hotz, and Clarence Corning.

Butter Churn at Wild Rose Historical Museum

The handle is on the left side.  This could make a good amount of butter. It is in Pioneer Hall. The churn was donated by Ann Inda, Puddy Moldenhauer.

Display in Wild Rose Historical Society Kitchen

The temperature gage is for maple syrup.  The wood above the rolling pin is a dibble which helps you

plant seeds so they don't all clump together. The silver is a match safe with a picture of the Methodist church in Wild Rose on Main St. In the middle at the top is a candle trimmer and snuffer.

William J Thomas Tax bill 1861 Town of Rose, Waushara, Wisconsin

William J Thomas Tax bill 1872 Town of Rose, Waushara, Wisconsin

John Henry Jeffers, Architect & Musician

J H Jeffers was an architect in Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota.  He was born in the Town of Wautoma closer to Wild Rose. He designed the Wisconsin pavilion for the 1904 St Louis World's Fair. 

Wild Rose City Band with Drum on Left

Front row: Marvin Melcher, Lyle Radloff, Carl Brownlow, Rev. Hiram Eldon Mansfield, Ruth Mansfield, Menetta Melcher, Millicent Corning. Middle row: xx, Earl Towne. George Brownlow, Elmer Corning, Wilfred  Urban, Ellif Anderson, Erick Zick. Back row: Leon Deering, Glenn Etheridge. Don Willard,

Russell Anderson, Roy Bertrand, Clarence Corning.

This picture is before 1920 because Rev. Mansfield was in the Sauk County in the 1920 census. Menetta Melcher was born about 1909 and her brother about 1910.  The picture is likely between 1916-1919.

Corning's Restaurant

Wautoma Methodist Church

Rev. Richard Jones was the minister from 1906-1908.  The postcard was mailed by Blanche Etheridge Murty to her parents Alanson Pease Etheridge and Emma Spicer in Wild Rose in  early July, 1908.   Blanche had gone to Wautoma and was living in a boarding house. She wrote that there was a jacket in the store she liked and she could buy it because her brother Milford had given her some money. The church was begun in July of 1894 and was dedicated after Feb. 2, 1895.

Collar Box with collars

Men used to wear white shirts with removable collars. The shirt you wore on Sunday didn't need to be washed each week if you didn't spill on it. The collar was always changed each time you wore the shirt. Remember they didn't have driers and they used clothesline or branches.

A Steam Iron Before electricity

This is a steam iron in the early days before electricity. You boiled the water and put it in the ball attached to the iron. This is in the kitchen in the Wild Rose Historical Museum. Fred Frater donated the iron to the museum.

Egg Crate and basket

The Wild Rose Historical Society has a collapsible egg crate on display in the general store. The basket could be used to gather eggs, pick berries,  or go shopping.

Child's wicker potty chair

This is an old wicker potty chair from Wild Rose.  It is in the children's room at the Wild Rose Historical Museum.

Salesman's stove

This is a salesman's stove.  It was a smaller version of the real stove but was much easier to carry around. It is in the children's room at the Wild Rose Historical Museum.

Fox Hole Shovel

This Fox hole shovel which was used in WWI was used to dig hole to protect soldiers who fought in lines on each side.  It allowed soldiers to fire and then duck down in their hole. If the enemy shot at you the bullet could be slowed if it had to go through the soil. This is in Pioneer Hall at the Wild Rose Historical Museum.

Wild Rose High School

This building was designed and built by J H Jeffers, from Wild Rose. 

He also did the Wisconsin pavilion for the 1904 St Louis World's Fair.

The building started the right side of building in 1895. The second end 

was added after 1900. The grade school occupied the lower floors.

Welsh Quartet in Wild Rose

Bob Owens, David E Davies, Gwilym (W. E.) Jones, James E Davies at the Horeb Presbyterian Church in Wild Rose, WI

Hannah Jeffers Dodds

Hannah was the daughter of Robert Jeffers and Christiana Foote Jeffers. She lived in Rose, Wayne County, NY. 

Emma Spicer Etheridge

Emma married Alanson Pease Etheridge in Waushara County.

Ann Wilcox and Ruth Clarke at Library in Village Hall

Richard J Thomas letter 1901 page 1

This letter is written when his brother William J Thomas died in Wild Rose.
The letter is written to Wm.'s daughter Maggie Thomas Murty.

Richard J Thomas letter 1901 -2

William J Knights Parlor in 1905

This house was located at 620 Oakwood.  Mr. Knights was one of the three co-founders of the Gideons and lived the majority of his life in Wild Rose including when the Gideons were founded.

Melvin L Anderson

Melvin served in the Army during WWII and was stationed at Orlando, FL. 

Ad for J W Jeffers Kilty Band

Milford Etheridge in Feb 1955

James Ward Jeffers

James W Jeffers was born in the Town of Wautoma nearer Wild Rose. His father was John Robert Jeffers. He was Meredith Willson's model for the Music Man but he was not a con artist and he drove his car to teach children to play rather than the railroad.  His sister was Harriet Jeffers Gilson.

739 Maple Ave, Wild Rose, WI

This is the house the Pone family lived in but the picture is an improved building. The double garage was not there, in fact that was where the out house was. The windows are new and the front steps were not enclosed.  There also were no house numbers until much later than 1950.

Melvin Anderson

Melvin was the son of Halbert Theodore Anderson and Louisa Charleson. He was born April 16, 1918 in the Town of Mt.Morris, Wausahara County.  He played the trombone and was a part of the Anderson Quartet. He went deer hunting and enjoyed fishing on Norwegian Lake including ice fishing. He graduated from Wautoma H.S. 

Martha Jeffers

Martha was the daughter of William Jeffers & Phebe Wiley Jeffers. She was born in Rose, Wayne County, NY.  She died in Waushara County, WI.

Martha Jeffers Obit

Mrs John Robert Jeffers Obit

John Robert Jeffers Obit

Clarrisa Jeffers Page

Clarrisa was a daughter of William Jeffers and Phebe Wiley. Her sister Polly Jeffers married James Watson Page but Polly died in 1853.  Page then married Clarrisa. 

Leon Murty, Ella Phillips Muty, Cecil Murty

Ella Phillips Murty with her sons Leon and Cecil. Leon was in law enforcement as Sheriff, Deputy, in Waushara County, He also was the village marshall in Wild Rose. He was the man solved the Ed Gein case.

Rodney Murty Methodist Church membership

This is Rodney Murty's certificate of membership in the Wild Rose Methodist church on 

Sept. 13, 1908. John Wills was the minister.

Rodney Murty Probation

This probation is prior to joining the the Methodist Episcopal Church in Wild Rose in 1908. John Wills was the Methodist minister and W. J Knights was the leader of the class.  Mr Knights was William J Knights who was one of the three co-founders of the Gideons and the one who suggested the name.

Elza Pone

I met Mrs Pone in August of 1950 in Wild Rose, Wisconsin.  She and her sons lived next door to my grandparents, Rodney Murty and Blanche Etheridge Murty.  They lived on Maple Ave.  Mrs Pone and her youngest son Janis later John came to visit us on Euclid Ave.  John was about 10 and I was shocked because he wasn't wearing long pants.  He was tall and he wore lederhosen with suspenders. I am not 100% sure but I believe the suspenders had a rabbit on them.  I had seen men in bib overalls but lederhosen was new to me. I remember asking Mrs Pone about plastic toy pianos. I wanted to know which was better.The one with the foot pedals or the rack for music. Naturally she told me the one with pedals.  I was only 5.

Pone Trunk

This trunk belonged to the Pone family from Riga, Latvia.  They were displace persons during WWII. They were living in Germany when they left Latvia when the Russia pushed out the Germans. A church in Adams sponsored the family to come to the US but there was no housing available in Adams so they went to Wild Rose in August of 1950.  Dr  Janis Pone had to do his internship over to practice medicine. His wife and three boys were in Wild Rose.  She worked at the hospital.  Gundaris went to school at the Central State Teacher's College (now UW-Stevens Point). He was a talented violinist and his mother Elza often accompanied him even for college events.  Leon Deering used to drive his model A  car so Gundaris earned money by donations at events.   Gundaris got his PHD in Music from Minnesota. Gundaris was a Professor at SUNY at New Platz, NY. He was a concert violinist, a conductor and composer. In 1982 he won the Kennedy Center Friedheim 1st place award. He started the Pone' Ensemble.  Ervin the second son got a scholarship to go to Kansas and study electrical engineering.  The third son was Janis but he became John as did his father. The family moved to Minneapolis when Dr Pone could practice.  Mrs Pone was the organist at the biggest Latvian church in Minneapolis.  The trunk is in the Wild Rose Historical Museum.  

John R Jeffers & wife Mary Jane Bromaglin

John R Jeffers was born Sept 25, 1842 in  St Louis, MO to Samuel Jeffers and to his wife Harriet Robinson. The family moved to the Town of Wautoma in 1850.  He enlisted in  Oct. 21, 1861 in Co. A  of  the 16th Wisconsin Infantry and mustered out in Nov. 22, 1862.  He married Mary Jane Bromaglin on Sept. 15, 1863. They had ten children, three who died in infancy. The surviving children were: Harriet, John Henry, Mae, James Ward, Mabel, Maud, and Frank. John was a farmer and later built a house in Wild Rose on Main St on the Wautoma side of where the original Methodist church was.  John died on March 27, 1823 in Chicago where is daughter Maud was living. He is buried in Mt Pleasant. Mary was born Feb 16, 1848 in Delevan, WI  to Franklin Bromaglin and Sarah Taplin. Mary Jane died May 20, 1922.

Caersalem Chuch in Springwater, Waushara County

This was one of  number of Welsh churches in the Wild Rose area.  Notice the horse barns on the right. 

Wild Rose, WI Mill on a puzzle

The Puzzle is in Pioneer Hall which is one of six buildings along with a smoke house in the Museum.

Winder in Wild Rose Museum

This winder was made by Josiah Etheridge who came from Woodmancote, near Bishops Cleeve, England.  The winder measure how much yarn you have and is so important if you want both sleeves of a sweater.

Wild Rose Quilt & Norwegian Trunk in the Weaving room

People did squares for the quilt about their family of things like the Caersalem church. The trunk belonged to Thor Lovdahl from Holt, Norway who was part of the West Holden Church.