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Ramsey County History – Fall 2008: “Pith Heart & Nerve, Truman M. Smith: From Banker to Market Gardener”

Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter

Pith Heart & Nerve, Truman M. Smith: From Banker to Market Gardener Authors: Barry L. & Joan Miller Cotter According to the authors, Truman Smith did not give up in the face of a major economic collapse in 1857; instead he showed resilience and used “pith, heart, and nerve”…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2008: “Growing Up In Saint Paul: Random Recollections of Grace Flandrau”

Horace Blair Flandrau Klein

Growing Up In Saint Paul:  Random Recollections of Grace Flandrau Author: Horace Blair Flandrau Klein This is a memoir written by a nephew of Grace Flandrau, who was called  “Aunt Geese” by most of the youngsters of the family. The author, Horace Blair Flandrau Klein, remembered her as having…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2008: “Growing Up In Saint Paul: Love in Bloom”

John L. Relf

Growing Up In Saint Paul: Love in Bloom Author: John L. Relf This is an excerpt from the author’s book My Story,  published in 2007. John Relf was born in 1927 and first lived on Portland Avenue near Fairview. He graduated from Central High School, entered the army and later…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2008: “Growing Up In Saint Paul: When Selby and Snelling Had a Life of Its Own, 1943–1954”

Bernard P. Friel

Growing Up In Saint Paul: When Selby and Snelling Had a Life of Its Own, 1943–195 Author: Bernard P. Friel The author, who was born in 1930, lived in a three-generation home at 1237 Selby. His first real job was at Park Drug Store at Selby and Snelling, and that…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2007: “Growing Up in St. Paul:  Memories of Dayton Avenue in the 1950s”

Susanne Sebesta Heimbuch

Growing Up in St. Paul:  Memories of Dayton Avenue in the 1950s Author: Susanne Sebesta Heimbuch In August 1956, Susanne Sebesta Heimbuch’s parents and five siblings moved to 1795 Dayton. Their parents had been attracted to the parish by St. Mark’s no-tuition policy. All the children took time inspecting the…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2007: “Lost Neighborhood: The Jews of Fourteenth Street Remembered”

Gene H. Rosenblum

Lost Neighborhood: The Jews of Fourteenth Street Remembered Author: Gene H. Rosenblum Gene Rosenblum’s grandparents, immigrants from Lithuania, moved into St. Paul’s Fourteenth Street neighborhood in 1907. This heavily Jewish community comprised several streets in the shadow of the State Capitol. It had two synagogues, a community center, and…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2007: “A House of Versatile Talents: The William and Carrie Lightner Residence on Summit Avenue”

Paul Clifford Larson

A House of Versatile Talents: The William and Carrie Lightner Residence on Summit Avenue Author: Paul Clifford Larson William Lightner was a prominent St. Paul attorney for fifty years. He dabbled in politics and was a big supporter of history. Born in Pennsylvania, he came to this city in…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2007: “Lost Son: The Forgotten Fate of Roseville’s First Child, Benjamin Rose”

Patrick Hill and Cindy Rose Torfin

Lost Son: The Forgotten Fate of Roseville’s First Child, Benjamin Rose Authors: Patrick Hill and Cindy Rose Torfin This article is a portrait of Isaac Rose for whom Roseville, Minnesota, is named. He was born in New Jersey, journeyed west, married, and joined the army. He would later farm…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2007: “‘If It Can Be Manufactured from Wood, We Can Make It:’ A History of the Villaume Family and the Company They Built”

Steve Trimble

“If It Can Be Manufactured from Wood, We Can Make It:” A History of the Villaume Family and the Company They Built Author: Steve Trimble In 1847, Joseph Villaume, a Frenchman, arrived in St. Paul, and his two nephews joined him in 1873. One of them, Eugene, landed a…