To be a true historian and genealogist you have to be willing to also take the time to scan and document insignificant items of history. While it may seem a waste of time, many times a lot of information can be associated to just one item.

Richard Dammann will from time to time dig out interesting items of Manning history for me...here are the most recent items he gave me to scan.
The business card is from Richard and the following material came from my database.


William "Doc" Hagedorn

Business card Dick Dammann had

Doc had a very colorful life. He was a champion wrestler, trucker, "medicine man," and land owner.
I have quite a bit of information about Doc, but no pictures of him, his wife, siblings, or parents.

April 11, 1912 William Hagedorn, Champion wrestler of Iowa


November 21, 1939


Carroll Daily Times Herald September 14, 1957

Legal troubles with medicine

Now these types of "medical miracles" were nothing new years ago, with "cure-alls" sold by numerous people in the U.S.

In 1965, my dad purchased the Hagedorn farm in town (just north of the trestle), along with the 2 lots houses were built on just north of the Trestle and once part of the Hagedorn property...one was to Herbert Anson & Anna M. Hoover who had a son, Herbert Hoover in 1923, and Fern C. Addison in 1946, a veterinarian.

One time when I was visiting with Ivan Opperman he told me something about dad I hadn't heard before. He and dad were talking one day about this Hagedorn property and dad quipped "now I can walk to town on my own land without leaving my property." One of many little stories I heard about dad from people of his generation - now they are all gone...

Here are parts of the original abstracts that feature that property.


Area lined in blue shows the Hagedorn property.
The railroad track on the right is the original Northwestern and the one on the left is the Great Western.
When the Milwaukee came through Manning they had to build the large bridge to span the Northwestern right of way.
Later the Great Western came through Manning and they had to run their track between 2 of the large pillars of the trestle on the west side of the Nishnabotna Creek.

Zoning map from 1969

Here are some snippets from 2 of our farm abstracts that show the original transfer and then later where the Hagedorn family purchased the property.
Our abstracts are very complicated because of the railroads that traversed through the property and then the land in between was sold to various individuals, so we have lots of parcels.
R.G. Sutherland is Ralph Gordon Sutherland, father of Dorothy Arp and Eleanor Schrum - grandfather of Jan Ranniger - all connected to the First National Bank of Manning


This transaction occurred 1 year before the US Civil War


When the land was sold to the Hagedorn family.


Various transactions between the Hagedorn family.

Somewhere I have a medicine bottle with Doc's name on but it must be stored in one of my boxes.
I usually scan items like this but I found it in the dump in the late 1960s, so it got boxed away.

I also have a vivid memory about Doc. When he sold it to dad, he was allowed to stay in the house that was on this farm for a while. It was just north of the Milwaukee underpass off Railroad Street, and is now closed.
One day I drove on the yard and saw Doc up in the crotch of a tree and he was scraping out bark for some of his medicines.

When we tore down the house, after pulling off the plaster/lath on the second floor - all of the rafters were charred black from a fire. At one time the upper level caught on fire while he was cooking his medicine.

Now this part of the feature is not meant to make fun of Doc, or judge him, but to give some insight into what the world was like for that generation and before.
EVERY family has "interesting" aspects in their history!

FINALLY
While going through the abstracts I noticed the middle initials and the date of death for the Jones couple mom & dad purchased the farm from.
We had always assumed that Laura was related to the Escher family, who the Jones couple purchased the farm from, but after working with a member of the Escher family, they could find no Jones connections.

I've been searching the Internet over the years for Laura & Oliver Jones.
Mom told me that they had moved to California after purchasing the farm from them...and mom/dad visited them one time.
Mom also didn't think they had any children, and the subject of where they originally came from or lived never came up.
Now after plugging in the middle initials and when Laura died, I finally found out where they are buried, but sadly no family members are listed, but at least I have this new information to work with.


From the original abstract
Laura G. Jones December 3, 1888 - August 17, 1954
Buried with her husband, Oliver M. Jones in Mitchellville Cemetery, Mitchellville, Iowa
It's sad that after Oliver died, there apparently was no family member to get his death date added.


Even more information recentally found by my 2 Manning history helpers
Laura G. Beekman
Born Harlan, Iowa
Marriage July 3, 1923 at Johnson, Iowa
Father Henry A. Beekman
Mother Anna V. Gradle
Spouse Oliver Marion Jones August 27, 1890 - August 24, 1987

Laura G. Jones to Amos and Dorothy Kusel (WD), lots 1 and 2 of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter and lot 1 of the northeast, quarter of the northeast quarter, section 17, township 82 north, range 36 west of the 5th P.M.; part of the south 100 feet of the northeast quarter of section 17, township 82 north, range 36 west of the 5th P.M.; and the southeast quarter of section 8, township 82 north, range 36 west of the 5th P.M.
Carroll Daily Times Herald March 29, 1947

Jones-Beckman
Miss Laura G. Beckman, of Des Moines, and Mr. Oliver M. Jones, of Cedar Rapids, were the principals of the quiet wedding at 11 o'clock at the parsonage of the Methodist Church, this morning at which Rev. Sylvester E. Ellis, officiated.
The young couple were unattended. Mr. Jones is a civil engineer for the State Highway Association with headquarters at Cedar Rapids, where he and his bride will make their new home.
Iowa City Press-Citizen Iowa City July 3, 1923

SERVICE FLAG AT HALL HAS SIXTEEN STARS
In honor of city employees who have joined the colors since the declaration of war against Germany, city council this morning voted to purchase a service flag, which will be hoisted above the municipal building.
According to the list filed the new flag will have sixteen service stars. The engineering department with ten former employees in the service leads all other departments.

The complete list is as follows:
Engineering department: Bert Sours, Martin Andrews, Harold Ozanne, George Holland, Frank Barton, Frank Caldwell, E.C. Kisky, Norman J. Blagburn, Oliver M. Jones. and F.M. Hunter.
Legal: Lieutenant Thomas Watters, and Lieutenant Paul Hewitt.
Public safety: John Smith, Charles McMahon, and Grant Spainhouse.
Accounts and finance: Harry Harsha.
Des Moines Tribune November 26, 1917

Now to the next item that Dick Dammann gave me to scan.
I recognized the name right away but couldn't remember why it was familiar until I got home and searched my database and found out there are Veteran connections and other interesting Manning history.


A small envelope that contained a Christmas card, which was badly cracked so I repaired it.


From Fredda & Harry Hinz - circa early 1920s.

What the original card looks like with damage before I digitally repaired it.

Now Dick found this card in the home the Dammann family lived in for a while - at 826 Park Avenue.

826 Park Avenue on a very foggy January 11, 2023, afternoon.
Harry, Fredda, and Roger Hinz lived here many years before the Dammanns moved in.

John & Augusta & Franklin lived at 211 Second Street.
John was a teller for First National - Sutherland family.
Harry Hinz was on the board and also an employee at First National

It is not known why this Christmas card ended up back at the Hinz home.
It is possible that when John's parents died that Franklin found this card and gave it back to the Hinz family.
I showed the card to Roger Hinz and he is sure the hand writing was by Fredda.


Invitation to Franklin Reetz to attend Bill Ohde's party...guessing around 1926.
Bill graduated in 1934 and Franklin in 1935.
I'm guessing this is a picture of Bill's grade school teacher.


AUGUSTA CECELIA REETZ

Funeral rites for Augusta Cecelia Reetz, 84, were held on Saturday morning, February 15, at 11:00 a.m. at the Ohde Funeral Home in Manning, with Pastor Edward F. Heinicke of Zion Lutheran Church officiating. Burial was in the Manning Cemetery. Pallbearers were Harry Hinz, Orval Fink, Leon Hass, Lyle Arp, Herman Pahde, and Arthur Talbott.
Daughter of William and Cecelia (Horst) Topf, she was born March 28, 1883, in Hanover Township, Crawford County, She attended schools near her home and later worked as a milliner in Atlantic.
On March 16, 1910, she married John Reetz at Charter Oak. Following their marriage the couple lived in Manning, where Mr. Reetz was employed by the First National Bank. He died on April 19, 1954.
Following her husband's death, Mrs. Reetz continued to live in Manning until six years ago, when she moved to the Eventide Home in Denison. She became ill and entered Crawford County Memorial Hospital where she died on Wednesday evening, February 12, 1969.
She was preceded in death by her husband, five sisters and two brothers. She is survived by a son, Franklin Reetz of Britton, Oklahoma, and a granddaughter.
Mrs. Reetz was a member of Zion Lutheran Church while she lived in Manning.

Here is some military information about Franklin...

Franklin J. Reetz
1917 - 1979

Manning Monitor article------ 1945

Frank Reetz Writes from Europe
Jan. 9, 1945.
Dear Sirs:
Just a line to let you know that I am once again receiving the Monitor, for some time I didn't get it and I really missed it. Although I've been away from Manning for a long time, I am still very much interested in its happenings; of special interest to me is the column "Letters from the boys in the service.

The weather here reminds me of good old Iowa, it is snowing constantly and the countryside is beautiful. I wish I could describe the country at length but the censor says no. I will say that the sector we're in is the most beautiful I've seen in my travels across England and France. In a nearby city you can buy Coca Colas, ice cream, American cars, etc. It really reminds me of the States.

Please convey my thanks to the Legion for sponsoring the program of sending the paper to us, some day I hope to be a member of their fine organization. Sincerely, Frank Reetz

Promotion For Franklin Reetz
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Reetz received a letter from their son, Frank, stating that he had been promoted to T/5 technician 5th grade and that he was from now on orderly clerk and mail clerk.
His job is to take care of the duty roster, assigning men for K. P., guard, fatigue details, etc., keeping the sick book, punishment book, filing all correspondence, bulletins, orders, etc., of the battery; keeping and recording of changes in army regulations, making out the training schedules, general typing, etc., and handling all incoming and outgoing mail.
He says they have a swell set-up as their battery is billeted in Hotel Faube in Eichstadt, Germany.

FRANKLIN REETZ OUT OF SERVICE AFTER 28 MONTHS
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin & Augusta Reetz are visiting with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Reetz. They came here from Mrs. Reetz home in Winfield, Kan. Mr. Reetz was recently discharged from service at Camp Chaffe, Ark., after 28 months of service.

Eighteen months overseas in the European area, Germany, France, England and Luxembourg.
His wife met him in Oklahoma City where they spent some time.
Mr. Reetz, formerly located in Indianapolis, has not decided on his future plans.

FRANKLIN REETZ

Franklin Reetz, 62, son of John & Augusta Reetz, formerly of Manning, passed away in Oklahoma City Tuesday, September 19, 1979.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, of 1502 Sheffield Rd, Oklahoma City, and one daughter, Linda.

This is the 3rd item Dick Dammann gave me to scan.
This is a subject I don't have a lot of information on.
I remember Amos Misselhorn operating the liquor store in Manning, and later Dick Dammann.
I don't have any pictures of the store front.

My 2 Manning history helpers (Connie & Ann) found some of the articles about Doc and while I captured and OCR'd the text about Doc, I also found a short article for Lance Monson & Gary Rowedder entering the Air Force.
Now I have nothing for Lance in my military database and didn't even have Gary's name as a Veteran, so while it may seem a waste of time working on the little items above from Dick Dammann, I now have something about Gary and Lance's service.
This is how a lot of the information I have added to my Manning Historical Database comes about - one little piece at a time.

Youths Enlist In Air Force
Lance Monson, son of Ralph Monson, and Gary Rowedder, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Rowedder, have enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at Omaha.
Carroll Daily Times Herald August 21, 1964

If anyone has any little items like what Dick Dammann gave to me to scan that are connected to Manning - please e-mail me - I'd like to scan them and see what other connections I may have in my database to your Manning history...
Thanks,
Dave

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