Buena Vista, Colorado School Records: 1894-1907

Back in 2008, I made a trip to Buena Vista and found a number a school ledgers from the 1890's and 1900's at the Buena Vista Heritage Museum. At that time, they were kept upstairs in their research room. It is a room full of books, newspapers, old photographs and other records. The ledgers were black, hard covered, and (I think) 6" by 9". In them were listed the names and school information for my great-grandpa, Jim Dodge, and most of his siblings. I wrote down what I had found. However, I didn't think to make any copies or take any photographs of the school records to take with me. I've gone back several times since then and have been unable to locate them. 

On the first floor of the museum, there is a room that is set up as a classroom, displaying the schooling history of Buena Vista. When I was there in 2016, I had the feeling that these particular school ledgers might be somewhere in that exhibit, but I didn't think to look or pursue that thought.

Buena Vista Heritage Museum

Just a brief history on the building the Buena Vista Heritage Museum is housed in. It was constructed in the early 1880's and opened as the Chaffee County Courthouse in 1882. My great-great grandfather, Nathaniel T. Dodge, was a Justice of the Peace and very likely held court there. After the county capital was moved to Salida in 1928, the building was converted into a schoolhouse and was used for educating the children and youth of Buena Vista until 1972. Since then, it has been converted into the Heritage Museum, housing the history of this beautiful town in the Colorado Rockies.

The school ledgers I found back in 2008 are for Chaffee County School District #9 and cover most of the years between 1894 and 1908. There were other schools in the area at that time, and no doubt my great-grandpa and his siblings also attended other schools in the area during their youth. However, these records are the only ones that exist today (that I am aware of).

Here are the records that I coped down for Jim Dodge and his siblings. I have organized them by name, beginning with the oldest.

Edward Dodge (born January 1882)

1895-1896 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 11/18/1895

Grade Attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 3 in November

Notes: Kept at home to work

1897-1898 School year

Age: 15 years

Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 29 between September & January

Notes: Left school

Clara Dodge (born March 1884)

1895-1896 School year

Age: 11 years

Date Enrolled: 9/3/1895

Grade Attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 42 between September & November

Notes: Kept at home

1897-1898 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897

Grade attended: 4th

Days Attended: 152 between September & April

Notes: Promoted to 5th Grade

1898-1899 School year

Age: 14 years

Date Enrolled: 9/5/1898

Grade attended: 5th

Days Attended: 54 between September & November

Notes: Went to a Country School

Rachel Dodge (born January 1887)

1894-1895 School year

Age: 7 years

Date Enrolled: 1/14/1895

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 36 days between January & May

Notes:

1895-1896 School year

Age: 8 years

Date Enrolled: 9/3/1895

Grade Attended: 2nd

Days Attended: 20 between September & October

Notes: Too far from school to come

1897-1898 School year

Age: 10 years

Date Enrolled: 9/14/1897

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 62 between September & February

Notes: Promoted to 4th Grade

1898-1899 School year

Age: 11 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898

Grade attended: 4th

Days Attended: 42 between September & November

Notes: Moved to the county Dec.

1899-1900 School year

Age: 12 years

Date Enrolled: 9/19/1899

Grade attended: 5th

Days Attended: 31 between September & December

Notes: Withdrew Dec. 4

1900-1901 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 9/4/1900

Grade attended: 6th

Days Attended: 70 between September & December

Notes: Withdrew Dec. 2

Frances Dodge (born November 1888)

1897-1898 School year

Age: 8 years

Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 50 between September & January

Notes: 1st Grade Work

1898-1899 School year

Age: 9 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 33 between September & November

Notes: Do 1st Grade Work

1899-1900 School year

Age: 10 years

Date Enrolled: 9/18/1899

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 40 between September & December

Notes: Left town in December

1900-1901 School year

Age: 11 years

Date Enrolled: 9/5/1900

Grade attended: 5th

Days Attended: 64 between September & December

Notes: Withdrew Dec. 17

1902-1903 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 9/3/1902

Grade attended: 7th

Days Attended: 121.5 between September & April

Notes: 

1903-1904 School year

Age: 15 years

Date Enrolled: 9/28/1903

Grade attended: 8th

Days Attended: 35 between September & November

Notes: Left school to work

Dwight Dodge (born March 1891)

1897-1898 School year

Age: 6 years

Date Enrolled: 9/7/1897

Grade attended: 2nd

Days Attended: 30 between September & November

Notes: First Grade

1898-1899 School year

Age: 7 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1898

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 46 between September & December

Notes: Must do 1st Grade work again

1899-1900 School year

Age: 8 years

Date Enrolled: 9/18/1899

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 59 between September & December

Notes: Withdrew in December/left town

1902-1903 School year

Age: 11 years

Date Enrolled: 9/2/1902

Grade attended: 2nd & 3rd

Days Attended: 40 between September & November

Notes: Promoted to 3rd Grade in November/Left School

1903-1904 School year

Age: 12 years

Date Enrolled: 10/16/1903

Grade attended: 4th

Days Attended: 21 between October & December

Notes: Moved away after third month

1904-1905 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904

Grade attended: 4th

Days Attended: 42 between September & December

Notes: Dropped out

James Dodge (born August 1894)

1902-1903 School year

Age: 8 years

Date Enrolled: 9/2/1902

Grade attended: 2nd & 3rd

Days Attended: 34.5 between September & November

Notes: Withdrew

1903-1904 School year

Age: 9 years

Date Enrolled: 10/7/1903

Grade attended: 2nd

Days Attended: 23 between October & December

Notes: Moved away

1904-1905 School year

Age: 10 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904

Grade attended: 2nd

Days Attended: 50 between September & February

Notes: Withdrew

1905-1906 School year

Age: 12 years

Date Enrolled: 2/12/1906

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 14 between February & March

Notes: Dropped out of school

1906-1907 School year

Age: 13 years

Date Enrolled: 10/1/1906

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 19 between September & October

Notes: Left school in October

Annie Dodge (born January 1898)

1904-1905 School year

Age: 7 years

Date Enrolled: 9/6/1904

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 41 between September & December

Notes: Withdrew

1905-1906 School year

Age: 8 years

Date Enrolled: 2/12/1906

Grade attended: 1st

Days Attended: 10 in February

Notes: Withdrew-sickness

1906-1907 School year

Age: 9 years

Date Enrolled: 9/17/1906

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 24 between September & November

Notes: Left to attend country school

1907-1908 School year

Age: 11 years

Date Enrolled: 11/11/1907

Grade attended: 3rd

Days Attended: 10 in November

Notes: Withdrew

There is one interesting thing that these school records help show. In the 1900 Census, Nathaniel and Fannie Dodge have 10 children. The youngest is a little girl named M.L. Dodge born in January of 1898. It is believed that her name was Mildred (that is what has come down to me). Based on other records that I have found on my family, she was alive to at least 1903. The thought has come to me that had she been alive at the beginning of the 1904 school year, she would also have been listed in the school records with her siblings. She would have been six years old and would very likely have started school with her older sister, Annie. These records help place Mildred's death to around 1904.

David Nemetzky (188?-1947)

Searching out my family history and piecing this puzzle together, I'm always surprised by what I find and how pieces come together...and how many pieces there are to fit together.

Searching out the life of David Nemetzky has been a big challenge. He married my great-great aunt, Frances Cleveland (Dodge) Fogalsang in 1930 in San Francisco, California. At the time of their marriage, his place of residence is the Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio at the north end of San Francisco. He was a pharmacist with the U.S. Amy. They lived in San Francisco together until his death in 1947. He is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in the city of Colma, just south of San Francisco.

Marriage Record - 24 January 1930

World War II Draft Card - April 1942

Funeral Record - May 1947

Gravestone for David Nemetzky

David's date of birth is undetermined. According to his death information, he was born in 1883. However, his World War II Draft Card lists his year of birth as 1888. Even his World War II Draft card contains a discrepancy; his listed age should be 53 years old instead if 55 years old (if he was 55 years old, his year of birth would be listed as 1886). The 1930 and 1940 Census further obscure his year of birth. Depending on which Census Record you go by, he was born between 1888 and 1890. Also, he was listed twice in the 1930 Census, once with his wife Frances, and again at Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio.

1930 US Census - Letterman General Hospital, Presidio, San Francisco, California

For several years, I have searched into the life and military service of David Nemetzky to find out where he came from and who his family was. He was born in Warsaw, Poland and immigrated to the U.S. as a little child. He was in the U.S. Army, serving in the Medical Corps, and ending up in San Francisco. He was discharged from the Army in January of 1931. Below is his Final Payment Voucher, listing his dates of service in the Army, his rank, serial number, and length of service.

Final Payment Voucher - January 1931

He first enlisted in the U.S. Army in January of 1904 and served for a period of three years. At the time of enlistment, he was 22 years and 8 months old (further obscuring his date of birth. According to his first enlistment record, he would have been born in May of 1881). His father's name was Herman Nemetzky, who lived at 53 Suffolk Street in New York City. After completing his term of service in 1907, he re-enlisted in 1907, 1908 and 1911. Each enlistment record below shows his age at the time of enlistment; his date of birth varies from October of 1880 to August of 1881.

Enlistment Record - January 1904

Re-enlistment record - June 1907

Re-enlistment record - January 1908

Re-enlistment Record - April 1911

Each available enlistment record lists where he lived at the time of enlistment. He re-enlisted again in 1914, 1919, 1922, 1924, 1927 and 1930 before his final discharge in January of 1931. Only small portions of his Service Record are available. Following his re-enlistment in 1911, he served for a time in the Philippines. He was there between 1912 and 1914. In March of 1914, he returned to the United States, where he was discharged at Fort McDowell, California. He also served in China from March of 1924 to November of 1925. He also spent time serving in New York in 1927. The existing final payment vouchers from 1922, 1924, 1927 and 1930, as well as 1931, also list his place of enlistment and discharge. 

Final Payment Voucher - 1922

Final Payment Voucher - 1924

Final Payment Voucher - 1927

Final Payment Voucher - 1930

Troop Transport - March 1914 from Philippines to San Francisco

Troop Transport - March 1924 from Philippines to China

Troop Transport - November 1925 from China to San Francisco, California

By the time he was discharged from the Army in 1931, David had settled in San Francisco with his wife, Frances Cleveland Dodge. They married in January of 1930 in San Francisco. Frances was the owner of Fogalsang's Pru-Nut Creams, a candy store in San Francisco that opened around 1924. They ran the store until the early 1940's. Below is a picture of Frances & David (left) in San Francisco during the 1930's, with my great-grandmother (right) and her two boys (my grandfather and great-uncle). Below is a picture of my great-grandfather, Jim Dodge (Frances' brother) in front of the storefront.

Another interesting, and challenging, part of searching out David Nemetzky are his parents and siblings. One challenge is the spelling of their surname. Searching out his parents and siblings, I have found several variations of the surname: including Nemetsky; Nemetzki; and Nemetzsky. His marriage record lists his parents, Herman & Hanna Nemetzky. His father's name is either Herman or Hyman, depending on the source. His mother's name is either Betsy; Betsey; Bessie; or Hannah, again depending on the source. According to the 1900 Census, they had immigrated to the U.S. in 1892 and lived at 53 Suffolk Street (the lower East Side of Manhattan). During the 1910's, his parents and siblings moved to Brooklyn, where they passed away.

His funeral record lists his surviving siblings: Isaac, David, Bella, Molly (Goldberg), Lena (Berosa) & Anna (Zwellingberg). Other siblings include Minnie (Arond), Louis and Rachel. Below is a chart I have pieced together listing his parents and siblings. Their birth information comes from the 1900 US Census. Their death information comes from available New York City and New York State vital records.

Name	Birth	Death	Marriage	Spouse
Herman-Father	Aug 1849	11 Oct 1919	ca. 1875	Betsy Lubert
Betsy-Mother	Feb 1850	31 Mar 1932	ca. 1875	Herman Nemetzky
Isaac	Mar 1876	13 Jun 1948	ca. 1897	Rebecca Fischman
Mollie	Jan 1879	8 Jul 1948	22 Mar 1901	Isaac Goldberg
David	Feb 1881	Mar 1969	18 Jun 1911	Anna Bloom
Louis	Mar 1883
Bella	Jul 1884	14 Jan 1955	Did Not Marry	Did Not Marry
Lena	Jun 1886	14 Mar 1960	13 Dec 1910	Herman Beroza
Annie	Apr 1889	29 Dec 1951	26 Nov 1916	Jacob Zwillenberg
Minnie	Aug 1889	21 Jun 1935	22 Apr 1917	Morris Arond
Rachel	11 Aug 1894	24 Nov 1894	N/A	N/A

2018 Update: Today, I found David Nemetzky in the 1920 U.S. Census. This was the first Census that enumerated active military personnel. He was stationed at the Fox Hill Hospital in Staten Island (then known as Borough Richmond, N.Y.C.). According to the 1920 Census, he was born in 1886 (once again obscuring his still unknown real date of birth).

Here is a link giving a brief history on the Fox Hill Military Hospital: https://www.silive.com/specialreports/index.ssf/2011/03/post_1.html 

Below is the image of the 1920 Census for David Nemetzky. He is enumerated on line #14. 

James Robert Dodge in World War I

Here is a record I stumbled upon recently - the Army Transport Passenger Lists from World War I. My great-grandfather, James Robert Dodge, was drafted in to the U.S. Army in early August of 1918. He returned home in August of 1919. I've wondered what the time frame was for basic training and travel and arrival to and from the front. These records help shed light on this chapter of my great-grandfather's life. 

His story in World War I however, begins in 1917. Grandpa Jim registered for the World War I Draft in June of 1917. Each registrant filled out a draft card, answering questions about their birth, citizenship, occupation and family, physical description, as well as grounds for draft exemption. While Grandpa Jim stated that his parents were dependent on him for their support, he did not claim them as an exemption from the draft.

WWI Draft Card

Following registration for the draft, each registrant received a questionnaire that were to be completed and returned by each draftee (the completed questionnaires no longer exist). These questionnaires helped the local draft board determine classification for each registrant. The local draft board then informed each draftee of their classification. Those that were classified 1A were to report for physical examination. Those that passed the physical examination were then ordered to report to the local draft board to be inducted in to the Army. 

Grandpa Jim received and returned the questionnaire in January of 1918. He also received his classification in January (1A) and completed his physical examination in February. He was ordered to report for induction in early August of 1918.

Classification List

When Grandpa Jim reported for induction in to the Army, he was first sent to a mobilization camp, where he was accepted for military service. Because of the urgent need for American soldiers at the front, he began his basic training at Camp MacArthur in Texas. He was then sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, to sail to France and there he would complete his basic training. He sailed on the President Grant on September 23, 1918 and arrived at Saint Nazaine, France on October 7, 1918, a voyage of nearly two weeks.

Army Transport Passenger List - September 1918

Following his arrival in France and completion of basic training, Grandpa Jim was assigned to Company F, 9th Infantry Regiment within the Second Infantry Division. According to his enlistment record, Grandpa Jim was involved with the March to the Rhine and the Army of Occupation in Germany. The March to the Rhine began on November 17, 1918 and crossed from France, through Belgium and Luxembourg, to Germany, a distance of some sixty miles. The distance was covered in six days. On December 1, 1918, the Army entered into Germany, and crossed the Rhine River on the 13th of December. This is where Grandpa Jim remained until July of 1919, when demobilization and return home began. He sailed from Brest, France on July 23, 1919 aboard the Princess Matoika and arrived back at Hoboken, New Jersey on August 1, 1919. 

Army Transport Passenger List - July 1919

After returning to the States, Grandpa Jim marched with the Second Division up the streets of New York City in a celebratory parade on August 8, 1919. Many of the New York newspapers give detailed accounts of the day's celebrations. Following the celebratory parade, Grandpa Jim was sent to Fort D.A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he was honorably discharged on August 16, 1919. Along with his arrival and discharge, he received his final payment for his service in the Army: $88.55. The Final Payment Voucher lists a breakdown of his final pay: $76.30 (including a $60.00 bonus) and $12.25 travel pay back home to Buena Vista from Cheyenne. 

Final Payment Voucher - August 16, 1919

The Chaffee County Democrat from August 23, 1919 reported the return of Grandpa Jim to Buena Vista: 'We are glad to welcome in our midst Mr. James R. Dodge, who returned Sunday [August 17] from overseas.'

Enlistment Record & Honorable Discharge

Foreclosure of William J. Morgan Homestead

It is always interesting to see how pieces of the family history puzzle fall together, or even how pieces of the puzzle show up that you don't even realize are missing. This is one of those pieces.

In July of 1910, William John Morgan returned to Canada from the United States and applied for a 160-acre homestead in the area of Wilkie, Saskatchewan. His wife, Clara, and their two children joined them in June of 1911. After three years of cultivating and improving the land, the homestead was granted in October of 1913.

In December of 1917, William took out an $800.00 mortgage on the homestead. The mortgage was payable as follows: '$50.00 on the Second day of January in each and every one of the years A.D. 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922, and the balance on the Second day of January, A.D. 1923.' The loan was at 8% annual interest. Below is a copy of the mortgage. The Mortgage is signed by both William & Clara. We finally have the correct spelling of Clara's middle name, as found in her signature. Her middle name is Belle instead of Bell, which is how it has always appeared in the family records that I have.

 

 

Homestead Mortgage

In addition to the $800.00 mortgage, there were two other liens on the property. The first is a lien holder's caveat. This indicates that a particular party has an interest in the property. The caveat was filed by the Rural Municipality of Prairie No. 408. It is not clear what type interest this entity would have had in the homestead or the mortgage. The second lien was lien against the property securing a piece of personal property. The second lien was a mechanical lien for $79.85 filed by Galvin Lumber Yards, Ltd. Below is a copy of the title abstract.

Title Abstract

In July of 1922, foreclosure proceedings began against William Morgan for failure to make any payments on the mortgage. The Statement of Claim lays out the terms of the mortgage, the other lien holders, and asserts that William was in default for failure to make any payments on the principal or the interest due. In addition, the mortgage company had also paid taxes and insurance on the property, as well as property inspection and attorneys fees. Below is a copy of the Statement of Claim.

 

 

 

Statement of Claim

The Statement of Claim was filed in Court and served on William Morgan, as well as the other lien holders. In addition to the Statement of Claim, a Notice of Summons was also filed and served, indicating that he had 20 days from receipt of service to file an answer with the court. Service was given on August 8th, 1922. By this time, William was living in the area of Cando, SK. However, no answer was filed with the court and he did not file an appearance. Below is a copy of the Notice of Summons, Affidavit of Service and Affidavit of Non-Appearance.

Summons and Certificate of Service

Affidavit of Non-Appearance

Prior to beginning the foreclosure case, an inspection of the property was completed. The property inspection, which was completed in June of 1922, found 'that there was no crop whatever growing on this land, and that the land had been entirely abandoned.' Below is a copy of the affidavit of property inspection that was filed with the Court.

Affidavit of Property Inspector

In September of 1922, a representative of the Mortgage Company filed an affidavit with the court stating that no payments had been made on the property and that they had not taken possession of the property. They also stated that they had entered on to the property for the purpose of property preservation. The affidavit also included a complete breakdown of the fees and costs due, as well as the principal and interest that had been defaulted on. Below is a copy of the affidavit.

 

Affidavit of Creditor

On the 11th of September, 1922, based on the affidavit of the Mortgage Company and the affidavit of non-appearance by the defendants, an Order Nisi was entered by the Court. An Order Nisi is an order that does not have any effect unless one of the particular conditions is met. Once that particular condition is met, the Order Nisi becomes a binding Order. The Order Nisi stated the full amount that was due and owing to the mortgage company was $1,001.08. The Order also stated that the arrears due was $367.94. The arrears were to be paid by December 11, 1922, otherwise the property would be foreclosed. Below is a copy of the Order Nisi.

 

Order Nisi

The three month period came and went without any payment received by the Mortgage Company or by the Court. Following the three month period, affidavits were filed with the Court stating that the delinquent amount due had not been paid to the Mortgage Company or to the Court. Below are copies of these affidavits.

 

Affidavits of Non-Payment on Order Nisi

Following the filing of these affidavits on non-payment, the Final Order was issued on December 19, 1922. The Final Order foreclosed the property against William Morgan and the other lien holders and gave the property to the mortgage company. Below is a copy of the Final Order.

 

Final Order of Foreclosure

At the time of the foreclosure, William lived in the area of Cando, SK. Following the foreclosure, it is not known where William & Clara lived. Clara eventually lived in Neilburg, SK, with her children before returning to Wilkie in 1940. It is unknown if William & Clara stayed together or if they separated. The next Canadian Census, taken in 1926 and set to be released sometime next year, will answer some of these questions.