News and Just Plain Gossip Fall 1920

A review of the September 1920 local newspapers yielded these results.

Lawrenceville School News

The three Lawrenceville elementary schools and the high school opened for the fall term. The High School had an enrollment of 320, or 47 more pupils than there were seats in the assembly. Football practice began with 21 players showing up. In 1919, football had to be dropped because only a few boys tried out. In the summer of 1920, the school purchased new football equipment.

Students at James Milligan University: Phillip Davenport, Warren Barnes and Verice Rogers. Students at Eureka College were Nellie Lewis, Crystal Petty, Mildred Benefiel, Aletha and Lucille Hedden, Charles Stoll and Lawrence Whittaker. Stanley Steffey is attending a school in Greenville as is Ruby Litherland. Students at DePauw University at Greencastle, Indiana, were Mildred Homrighous, Mary Anne Seed, Anna Kirkwood, Dorothy Gee and Lucile Lingenfelter. Students at University of Illinois were Alice Lackey and Bessie Fee. Edmund Smith left for Alton where he was enrolled as a student in the Western Military Academy. Miss Imogene Strahle left for Indianapolis to attend the School for the Deaf.

Mostly Gossip

Who had quit their job: L. R. Hooks was once again the B & O agent after resigning his position with the Alexander Auto Co.

Who had moved: Delbert Runkle purchased the Henry Labowitz property on south 12th Street because the Labowitz family moved to Terre Haute. Mr. Runkle was employed in the production department of the Ohio Oil Co. and had been living near the Vandermark corner south of town. Frank Stout and family of near Sumner moved to Lawrenceville and were living in the Connett Sanitarium building. They came to be near his work at the Indian Refining Co. Jason Stiff and family of Chauncey moved to Lawrenceville to live in the Gee property on Maple Street by the Methodist Episcopal church so their son, Herschel, could attend high school.

Twins were always newsworthy. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur South were the parents of twins, a boy and a girl. Mr. and Mrs. Ethyl Wright of Petty township were the proud parents of twin girls. That made 12 children all living for that couple.

James Groff of Bridgeport has purchased the Ed Martin property at the forks of the road west of Lville. There were 80 acres in the tract and the purchase price was well over $20,000. Mr. Groff intended to build “a modern palace on the ground as soon as conditions in the building material line permitted.” (This is the old Dunseth property on West Haven St.)

The sighting of airplanes still made the news, as they were so uncommon. Two airplanes passed over Allison prairie going in a northwestern direction. Roy E. Wood, editor of the Sumner Press attended the Flora Booster Day and while there, he took a “fifteen-minute stunt flight in an aeroplane doing the loop ’n tail spin ‘n everything.”

Mr. and Mrs. Grover Jenner and children of St. Francisville, equipped their Buick with a tent and beds in preparation for a drive- through to Clearwater, Florida where they planned to spend the winter.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. R. A. McLeod of Batang, West China a son, Duncan, June 25, 1920. Mrs. McLeod was formerly Miss Esther Martin, a teacher of this county and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Martin of Bridgeport.

Czernia Shulaw posted that he would not be responsible for any debts contracted by his wife, Mrs. Grace Shulaw. Albert Beanblossom gave notice that he would not be responsible for debts of his wife, Nora Beanblossom.

For the Genealogists- Divorces- Granted in the Fall Term of 1920

Divorces granted: Eva P. Hungerford was granted a divorce and permitted to resume her maiden name from Otto Hungerford.

Nellie Harness filed for divorce and custody of their four minor children on the grounds of cruelty against Chas E. Harness. Divorce granted; Mother granted custody.

Clayton B. Fowler vs Sarah Fowler; divorce granted.

Bernice Stevens vs Dennis Stevens; divorce granted.

George Archer vs Sophia Pearl Archer; divorce granted.

Polly E. Conway filed a complaint that her husband Fred F. Conway was cruel and had willfully deserted her; divorce granted with wife permitted to resume maiden name of Adams.

Oliver Cardinal vs Melissa Cardinal; divorce granted.

Noah Brown vs Lily Brown; divorce granted.

Charles H. Jones vs Bessie Jones; divorce granted.

Grover C. Dowel vs Irene E. Dowel; divorce granted.