Victory Addition, peach leather and other items

It's time for another one of my tidbits columns, little pieces of information, questions still unanswered and all the kind of stuff that makes for a good stew on days when the weather is cloudy and a gentle rain is falling.

First off, I'm still searching for anyone who might remember the Hannum family. They lived in the Victory addition and Phil was born in McCook in 1948. His three older brothers, Don, Tom and Joe would have attended school in McCook but the family moved before Phil was kindergarten bound.

Records also show them living at 106 East 6th Street, which, if memory serves me correctly, would be a home that was razed when the new viaduct was built sometime in the 1970s. His father's name was Donald Bernile Hannum and his mother was Florence (Quinlan) Hannum.

There is a Sabin family bible still waiting to be returned to its' family. This bible belongs to one of the descendants of Dr. Alexander C. Sabin and his wife, Julia (Garretson) Sabin, both of whom died in 1880. Records indicate that the family lived in Nebraska during a brief period of time. The bible was recovered from a building in Perkins County.

I've been carefully reading the letters from my great-great grandfather, John C. Eckert, to his children who had taken homesteads in Cheyenne County Nebraska. You understand immediately how precious writing paper was in the late 1800s as each square inch is filled with penciled notes and the letter was a community missile to his grown children, meant to be passed among them. In one letter John mentions that he is sending peach leather to his grandchildren along with clothing (hand me downs from another sister) for them. One can certainly appreciate how wonderful peach leather (dried peaches) must have seemed to the families trying to survive on the Nebraska plains! He cautions his daughter (my great-grandmother) not to let the little ones eat too much of the treat at one sitting!

When the irises are blooming, I see my mother and both of my grandmothers in my flower garden for good reason! Even the iris plants blooming at my son's home in Lincoln originated with one of those three women. Trading bulbs between my mother and her friends was also common place. I don't remember anyone "buying" iris bulbs and when my mother's home was sold, those bulbs came with me and bloom not only in my family's yards but also at the lake around the marina.

Back to business before I close, the Red Willow County Fair had its beginnings in the Red Willow County Agricultural Society. As I am gathering information, I find that a great deal of the stories behind this society undoubtedly originated with people from around Indianola or Red Willow. If anyone has family stories, news clippings or posters concerning the Agricultural Society and its members, I would appreciate being allowed to read or photograph those items. Thanks in advance for your help!

If you have answers to any of the questions above, you can contact me at or 308-345-1583. Don't be surprised if you get an answering machine (it is spring you know) but please leave me a message!