Officers Chairman: Wm. Fiss Vice-Chairman: Dr. A.M. Crandall Secretary: Mrs. Ellen Russell Treasurer: Mrs. Emily F. Sell
The Fairfax Branch was organized on June 18, 1917. Its activities covered a large field, the townships of Cairo, Wellington, and Camp being within its territory. The branch held many public meetings, solicited large sums of money and made up and shipped articles for the army camps and hospitals, all of which work completed favorably with that of any of its sister branches. Among the enthusiastic and earnest workers of the members, who gave hearty co-operation to the officers in their work, were Frank and C.H. Hopkins, Rev. Father Georgen, A.F. Carver, Charles Lammers, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Bregal, Ed Brown, and undoubtedly many others. The farmers in the district, men and women, worked faithfully also and are entitled to an unusual amount of credit. The results show their willingness to undergo many sacrifices in order to accomplish a noble purpose.
Mrs. Ellen Russell, secretary of the Fairfax chapter of the Red Cross
Editor’s Note: If you have any family information on any of the above-mentioned people please contact Nicole at the Museum. I have located information on William Alfred Fiss who is buried at Fort Ridgely Cemetery. He was born on December 12, 1879 and died on May 5, 1922. He was married to Gertrude Olga Fiss, but I do not have her maiden name.
Olivia in Mourning Over the Death of its Prominent and
Beloved Citizen. Was Spanish War Veteran and Major in National Guard. Funeral
Today From Home.
Henry H. Neuenburg, major of Olivia and beloved citizen is dead. The call came suddenly after an illness of only four days’ duration. The news of his death came as a terrible shock to the people of this vicinity on Tuesday morning. As a result, sorrow was depicted on the faces of the town people as they appeared on the streets and gloom spread to every home in the village. It seems so hard to realize that he, who was attending to his business affairs and mingling with other businessmen in town on Friday had been called so suddenly.
Mr. Neuenburg was taken ill on Friday from an attack of
acute appendicitis. Dr. Mesker was called and alter Dr. Peterson of
Minneapolis, who advised an operation. On Sunday he was taken to Minneapolis,
where he underwent an operation at Fairview hospital. Here it was found that an
abbess which formed on the appendix had broken and gangrene had set in. His
condition left little hope for his recovery and immediately his two sons,
Donald and Wilbur, were sent for and they, with Mrs. Neuenburg and of her
relatives were at his bedside when he passed away at 3 o’clock Tuesday morning.
The remains were brought to Olivia Tuesday evening and arrangements have been
made for holding the funeral this afternoon at 1:30 from the home and 2 o’clock
from the M.E. Church.
Olivia mourns today for one of its very best and most
esteemed citizens, the history of whose life has been closely interwoven with
the history of this village. Born in LeSueur County, Sept. 1, 1867, he came
with his parents to Renville County at the age of nine years. The family
settled on a farm in Beaver Falls in 1876 and here Henry remained until the age
of 18, attending the public school in Renville and Redwood counties and later
taking a course in a business college. In 1885 he entered the employ of Heins
& McClure in their hardware store at Beaver Falls and this position he held
until the death of Mr. McClure when the business closed. In 1890 he came to
Olivia taking the position here as cashier of the Peoples Bank, which position
he held until 1897 when he engaged in the lumber business forming a company
known as H.H. Neuenburg and Co. He continued in this business until 1909, when
he was appointed postmaster at Olivia. He served as postmaster for eight years
and shortly after leaving the government employ he purchased the Olivia Roller
Mills and was conducting this business at the time of his death.
During all the years of his residence here he concerned himself with the affairs of the village and community, filling various public offices and giving his support to the furtherance of every movement for the betterment of the community. At the time of his death, he was acting as major of the village, member of the board of education, member of the armory board, member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen lodges and stockholder of the Canning Co. and other local enterprises.
Captain Henry H. Neuenburg Co. H Spanish-American War
In 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war he enlisted with Company H and served during the war. He remained with the company during the years since, serving as a lieutenant, as captain, and finally as major of the battalion.
On Jan. 14, 1892, he was married to Miss Ida McClure, who
with two sons, Donald aged 15, and Wilbur, aged 9 survive him, another son,
Vern, having died in the service of his country in the late war.
A proper estimate of the character of the deceased cannot be
given in this limited space, but it should be said of him that he was ever
loyal to his town and country ever true to his friends and fellow citizen, ever
devoted to his home and loved ones and always worthy of the compliments paid
him and the honors conferred upon him. To have known Henry Neuenburg was to
admire and esteem him, for he possessed in a marked degree those qualities of
heart and mind which make men admirable and lovable. He will be sadly be missed
from the social and business life of Olivia, but most of all from the home
where the influence of his lovable nature and kindly impulses was most felt. To
the bereaved widow and sons, the sympathy of the community goes out in full
measure. May they find comfort in the thought that their departed loved one has
left to them as a rich legacy, an honored name and that his life was filled with
deeds which merit eternal reward.
Died at her home in our city, Saturday noon, December 7, 1918, Mrs. Ann Dooley, aged four score and seven years. Ann Fallon was born in Athlone, Ireland, where she spent her childhood days coming to America at the age of seventeen. Her first home in the United States was in Boston, wherein 1851 she was married to Michael Dooley, who preceded her to the Great Beyond twenty-three years ago. After residing in Boston for two years Mr. and Mrs. Dooley began looking for better opportunities in the West and moved to Ohio and then to Wisconsin and finally in 1869 to Minnesota. In 1883 the Dooley family moved to Morton from Bird Island where they had been living. One year ago Mrs. Dooley had a severe fall from which she never fully recovered and which together with her old age was the cause of her death. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dooley, three of whom survive to mourn her loss, Mike of Morton, Patrick of Hutchinson and John of Emmetsburg, Iowa. John was unable to attend on account of illness. Mrs. Dooley was buried Monday at the Catholic Cemetery, Rev. Fr. Condon officiating. Those from out of town who attended the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Pat Dooley and Arthur McGrath of Hutchinson, Miss Nellie and Frank Dooley of Belle Plaine, Mrs. Jos. Holden and baby of Minneapolis.
International Scope of the Work Dates from the Geneva Convention
The following history of the Red Cross Society published in the Renville Star Farmer of last week will be of interest to local people who are greatly interested in the work at present:
“The Red Cross, now recognized by all the civilized nations of the world, is the one organization that carries comfort and mercy to every battlefield and every scene of suffering. “Nations that meet with swords in their hands ground arms before its stations. The flag with the red cross on the white field gives protection and swift aid to the wounded of both sides. It does not inquire into the reason of the quarrel that stretched the wounded soldier on the field. It knows no foe, no nation, no race in its work of mercy. It is the emblem of all peoples and it ministers to all alike. “The international character of the work of the Red Cross dates from the Geneva convention of 1864. Previous to that the ministrations to the wounded in war fell separately upon each nation. Generally, such aid as the wounded received was given by the medical service of the armies engaged. It was never equal to the task. “In the American Civil War the United States Sanitary Commission undertook the work of relief and aided by numerous independent organizations which raised money and furnished supplies, it accomplished much. It was the work of this commission that largely gave direction to the efforts of the Geneva convention and furnished it with the emblem now known as the Red Cross. But the Commission was a make-shift and unsatisfactory. It was temporary and something permanent was needed. “The two great European wars immediately preceding the American struggle–the war in the Crimea and the Franco-Austrian conflict–first opened the eyes of the world to the necessity of supplementing the work of the army surgeons in the field. Florence Nightingale had gone into the hospitals of the Crimea and what she saw and communicated to the world there, as well as her how heroic work for the summer, shocked England and the work into a sense of responsibility for such conditions. This was the first awakening and the humanity thus stirred was kept alive by the work of Henri Dunant in the Austrian war that followed. “Dunant was a Swiss traveler in Italy when in 1859, the French, Austrians, and Sardinians met in the terrible battle of Solferino. He came upon the field where 50,000 dead and wounded soldiers lay uncared for, and the scenes he beheld there led him to dedicate his life to the work of bringing about an international agreement whereby the horrors of war might be somehow lessened. He began his work upon that field. He organized the women of the neighborhood for service. “A wounded enemy is an enemy no longer,” he told them. “After the war, Dunant began a systematic campaign among the governments of Europe to win them over to his idea of an international compact whereby the hospital and ambulance services on the battlefields should be neutralized. The Geneva treaty was the result and from that seed sprang the worldwide organization now known as the Red Cross.”
1956 Fairfax Eagles Football from the 1957 yearbook.
The Renville County Historical Society & Museum (RCHS) is in the process of putting together a special exhibit for this fall & winter on the High School Sports of Renville County. RCHS is seeking the donation or loan or High School sports items & photographs for this exhibit. Please contact Nicole at the Museum 507-697-6147 or via email [email protected] if you have items to donate or loan! Mascots are an important part of high school sports. Did you Renville County school have a mascot costume? Who wore the costume over the years? What are some of your homecoming memories?
Posted: December 3, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Fairfax Branch of the Red Cross taken from the book “Renville County in World War I: 1917, 1918, 1919” published by the Olivia Times in 1920
Officers
Chairman: Wm. Fiss
Vice-Chairman: Dr. A.M. Crandall
Secretary: Mrs. Ellen Russell
Treasurer: Mrs. Emily F. Sell
The Fairfax Branch was organized on June 18, 1917. Its activities covered a large field, the townships of Cairo, Wellington, and Camp being within its territory. The branch held many public meetings, solicited large sums of money and made up and shipped articles for the army camps and hospitals, all of which work completed favorably with that of any of its sister branches. Among the enthusiastic and earnest workers of the members, who gave hearty co-operation to the officers in their work, were Frank and C.H. Hopkins, Rev. Father Georgen, A.F. Carver, Charles Lammers, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Bregal, Ed Brown, and undoubtedly many others. The farmers in the district, men and women, worked faithfully also and are entitled to an unusual amount of credit. The results show their willingness to undergo many sacrifices in order to accomplish a noble purpose.
Editor’s Note: If you have any family information on any of the above-mentioned people please contact Nicole at the Museum. I have located information on William Alfred Fiss who is buried at Fort Ridgely Cemetery. He was born on December 12, 1879 and died on May 5, 1922. He was married to Gertrude Olga Fiss, but I do not have her maiden name.
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Last Updated: July 24, 2020 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Mayor H.H. Neuenburg Answers Death Angel’s Sudden Summons, Olivia Times August 28, 1919
Olivia in Mourning Over the Death of its Prominent and Beloved Citizen. Was Spanish War Veteran and Major in National Guard. Funeral Today From Home.
Henry H. Neuenburg, major of Olivia and beloved citizen is dead. The call came suddenly after an illness of only four days’ duration. The news of his death came as a terrible shock to the people of this vicinity on Tuesday morning. As a result, sorrow was depicted on the faces of the town people as they appeared on the streets and gloom spread to every home in the village. It seems so hard to realize that he, who was attending to his business affairs and mingling with other businessmen in town on Friday had been called so suddenly.
Mr. Neuenburg was taken ill on Friday from an attack of acute appendicitis. Dr. Mesker was called and alter Dr. Peterson of Minneapolis, who advised an operation. On Sunday he was taken to Minneapolis, where he underwent an operation at Fairview hospital. Here it was found that an abbess which formed on the appendix had broken and gangrene had set in. His condition left little hope for his recovery and immediately his two sons, Donald and Wilbur, were sent for and they, with Mrs. Neuenburg and of her relatives were at his bedside when he passed away at 3 o’clock Tuesday morning. The remains were brought to Olivia Tuesday evening and arrangements have been made for holding the funeral this afternoon at 1:30 from the home and 2 o’clock from the M.E. Church.
Olivia mourns today for one of its very best and most esteemed citizens, the history of whose life has been closely interwoven with the history of this village. Born in LeSueur County, Sept. 1, 1867, he came with his parents to Renville County at the age of nine years. The family settled on a farm in Beaver Falls in 1876 and here Henry remained until the age of 18, attending the public school in Renville and Redwood counties and later taking a course in a business college. In 1885 he entered the employ of Heins & McClure in their hardware store at Beaver Falls and this position he held until the death of Mr. McClure when the business closed. In 1890 he came to Olivia taking the position here as cashier of the Peoples Bank, which position he held until 1897 when he engaged in the lumber business forming a company known as H.H. Neuenburg and Co. He continued in this business until 1909, when he was appointed postmaster at Olivia. He served as postmaster for eight years and shortly after leaving the government employ he purchased the Olivia Roller Mills and was conducting this business at the time of his death.
During all the years of his residence here he concerned himself with the affairs of the village and community, filling various public offices and giving his support to the furtherance of every movement for the betterment of the community. At the time of his death, he was acting as major of the village, member of the board of education, member of the armory board, member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen lodges and stockholder of the Canning Co. and other local enterprises.
Co. H Spanish-American War
In 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war he enlisted with Company H and served during the war. He remained with the company during the years since, serving as a lieutenant, as captain, and finally as major of the battalion.
On Jan. 14, 1892, he was married to Miss Ida McClure, who with two sons, Donald aged 15, and Wilbur, aged 9 survive him, another son, Vern, having died in the service of his country in the late war.
A proper estimate of the character of the deceased cannot be given in this limited space, but it should be said of him that he was ever loyal to his town and country ever true to his friends and fellow citizen, ever devoted to his home and loved ones and always worthy of the compliments paid him and the honors conferred upon him. To have known Henry Neuenburg was to admire and esteem him, for he possessed in a marked degree those qualities of heart and mind which make men admirable and lovable. He will be sadly be missed from the social and business life of Olivia, but most of all from the home where the influence of his lovable nature and kindly impulses was most felt. To the bereaved widow and sons, the sympathy of the community goes out in full measure. May they find comfort in the thought that their departed loved one has left to them as a rich legacy, an honored name and that his life was filled with deeds which merit eternal reward.
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Posted: November 14, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Mrs. Ann Dooley published in the Morton Enterprise December 13, 1918
Died at her home in our city, Saturday noon, December 7, 1918, Mrs. Ann Dooley, aged four score and seven years.
Ann Fallon was born in Athlone, Ireland, where she spent her childhood days coming to America at the age of seventeen. Her first home in the United States was in Boston, wherein 1851 she was married to Michael Dooley, who preceded her to the Great Beyond twenty-three years ago. After residing in Boston for two years Mr. and Mrs. Dooley began looking for better opportunities in the West and moved to Ohio and then to Wisconsin and finally in 1869 to Minnesota. In 1883 the Dooley family moved to Morton from Bird Island where they had been living. One year ago Mrs. Dooley had a severe fall from which she never fully recovered and which together with her old age was the cause of her death. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dooley, three of whom survive to mourn her loss, Mike of Morton, Patrick of Hutchinson and John of Emmetsburg, Iowa. John was unable to attend on account of illness.
Mrs. Dooley was buried Monday at the Catholic Cemetery, Rev. Fr. Condon officiating.
Those from out of town who attended the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Pat Dooley and Arthur McGrath of Hutchinson, Miss Nellie and Frank Dooley of Belle Plaine, Mrs. Jos. Holden and baby of Minneapolis.
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Last Updated: October 3, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Red Cross Society’s Organization in 1864 published by the Bird Island Union June 28, 1917
International Scope of the Work Dates from the Geneva Convention
The following history of the Red Cross Society published in the Renville Star Farmer of last week will be of interest to local people who are greatly interested in the work at present:
“The Red Cross, now recognized by all the civilized nations of the world, is the one organization that carries comfort and mercy to every battlefield and every scene of suffering.
“Nations that meet with swords in their hands ground arms before its stations. The flag with the red cross on the white field gives protection and swift aid to the wounded of both sides. It does not inquire into the reason of the quarrel that stretched the wounded soldier on the field. It knows no foe, no nation, no race in its work of mercy. It is the emblem of all peoples and it ministers to all alike.
“The international character of the work of the Red Cross dates from the Geneva convention of 1864. Previous to that the ministrations to the wounded in war fell separately upon each nation. Generally, such aid as the wounded received was given by the medical service of the armies engaged. It was never equal to the task.
“In the American Civil War the United States Sanitary Commission undertook the work of relief and aided by numerous independent organizations which raised money and furnished supplies, it accomplished much. It was the work of this commission that largely gave direction to the efforts of the Geneva convention and furnished it with the emblem now known as the Red Cross. But the Commission was a make-shift and unsatisfactory. It was temporary and something permanent was needed.
“The two great European wars immediately preceding the American struggle–the war in the Crimea and the Franco-Austrian conflict–first opened the eyes of the world to the necessity of supplementing the work of the army surgeons in the field. Florence Nightingale had gone into the hospitals of the Crimea and what she saw and communicated to the world there, as well as her how heroic work for the summer, shocked England and the work into a sense of responsibility for such conditions. This was the first awakening and the humanity thus stirred was kept alive by the work of Henri Dunant in the Austrian war that followed.
“Dunant was a Swiss traveler in Italy when in 1859, the French, Austrians, and Sardinians met in the terrible battle of Solferino. He came upon the field where 50,000 dead and wounded soldiers lay uncared for, and the scenes he beheld there led him to dedicate his life to the work of bringing about an international agreement whereby the horrors of war might be somehow lessened. He began his work upon that field. He organized the women of the neighborhood for service. “A wounded enemy is an enemy no longer,” he told them.
“After the war, Dunant began a systematic campaign among the governments of Europe to win them over to his idea of an international compact whereby the hospital and ambulance services on the battlefields should be neutralized. The Geneva treaty was the result and from that seed sprang the worldwide organization now known as the Red Cross.”
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Posted: September 9, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
High School Sports of Renville County Upcoming Exhibit!
The Renville County Historical Society & Museum (RCHS) is in the process of putting together a special exhibit for this fall & winter on the High School Sports of Renville County. RCHS is seeking the donation or loan or High School sports items & photographs for this exhibit. Please contact Nicole at the Museum 507-697-6147 or via email [email protected] if you have items to donate or loan!
Mascots are an important part of high school sports. Did you Renville County school have a mascot costume? Who wore the costume over the years? What are some of your homecoming memories?
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