Books found in the house:

Lester Dibble - books on WWI, Psych of Religion
William Lx Dibble, McPharm (?) Kansas (?) - Misc Essays & Poems Vol I-III
Pinkie Pearce, Tipton IA Feb 1909 - Frank Pearce - Wilhelm Tell T. (F?) D. Pearce, 3rd Training Co - WWI military manuals, inc Coast Artillery Regulations
Freda Dexheimer Gamma Delta ‘27 - hx of Greece, Rome, Middle Ages
Mamie Morgen Xmas 1897 - Jane Eyre - Philip Reader (?) Jr 1906
Jay D. Nichols - Natural Philosophy “bought Nov 14 1878…” Sullivan (?) Ill., Quincy Mich, St Paul Minn, Mrs. Jay D. Nichols 1905, #204 7th St N. W. Mason City - German & Russian literature anthologies
Dorothy E. Nichols, Wheeler Cottage also Grinnell Iowa - American lit. Universal lit. Christopher Marlowe,
Merle & Marvyl Potter February 10 1900, Feb 7 1907, Butt Iowa - children's readers, American History 1912 (Marvyl),

Cosmological History

Big Bang - 13.8 billion years ago

Formation of Milky Way Galaxy - 12.6 billion years ago

Formation of the Sun - 4.6 billion years ago

Formation of Earth - 4.5 billion years ago

Formation of the Moon - 4.5 billion years ago

Geological History

Oldest Surviving Rocks on Earth - 4.4 billion years ago

Earliest Life on Earth - 3.8 billion years ago

Formation of a greenstone belt of the Isua complex of the western Greenland region, whose rocks show an isotope frequency suggestive of the presence of life.

Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) - 3.5 billion years ago

Bacteria develop primitive forms of photosynthesis which at first did not produce oxygen. These organisms generated Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by exploiting a proton gradient, a mechanism still used in virtually all organisms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_evolutionary_history_of_life

Photosynthesizing cyanobacteria evolved - 3 billion years ago

Developed a form of photosynthesis that produced oxygen as a waste product. The oxygen concentration in the atmosphere slowly rose, acting as a poison for many bacteria, eventually triggering the Great Oxygenation Event. The Moon, still very close to Earth, caused tides 1,000 feet (305 m) high.

Reddish outcrops of Sioux Quartzite, a rock of durable quartz grains, are found in the extreme far northwest corner of Iowa. This is the oldest bedrock seen anywhere in Iowa at about 1.6 billion years.

Paleozoic Era - 540-240 million years ago

Includes the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods

The bedrock of Iowa is most easily observed in northeast part of the state. Here sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age, the Paleozoic Plateau, dominate a scenic region called the Driftless Area. Intriguing caves, springs, and sinkholes, known as “karst” features, result from the flow of underground water through natural vertical and horizontal fractures in the shallow limestone and dolomite.

Cambrian - 541-485 million years ago

Most modern phyla of animals appear in the fossil record in the Cambrian Explosion, 535 million years ago
Earliest known footprints on land - 530 million years ago
the supercontinent Pannotia begins to break up, most of which later became the supercontinent Gondwana

Ordovician -485-443 million years ago

The most common forms of life were trilobites, snails and shellfish.
The first arthropods went ashore to colonize the empty continent of Gondwana.
By the end of the Ordovician, Gondwana was at the south pole, and early North America had collided with Europe, closing the Atlantic Ocean.
Glaciation may have caused the Ordovician–Silurian extinction event, in which 60% of marine invertebrates and 25% of families became extinct.

Silurian - 443-416 million years ago

Fully terrestrial life evolved, including early arachnids, fungi, and centipedes.
The evolution of vascular plants (Cooksonia) allowed plants to gain a foothold on land. These early plants were the forerunners of all plant life on land.
During this time, there were four continents: Gondwana (Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, Siberia), Laurentia (North America), Baltica (Northern Europe), and Avalonia (Western Europe).

Devonian - 416-359 million years ago

Also known as "The Age of the Fish", the Devonian featured a huge diversification of fish, including lobe-finned fish which eventually evolved into the first tetrapods.
On land, plant groups diversified incredibly in an event known as the Devonian Explosion when plants made lignin allowing taller growth and vascular tissue: the first trees evolved, as well as seeds.
The first amphibians also evolved, and the fish were now at the top of the food chain.
Near the end of the Devonian, 70% of all species became extinct in an event known as the Late Devonian extinction

The Fossil & Prairie Park by Rockford features Devonian fossils. In addition, the bedrock under the Longnecker House is also Devonian.

"Warm, shallow seas covered Iowa during Devonian time. These waters were home to numerous marine invertebrates including abundant brachiopods, trilobites, rugose and tabulate corals, and echinoderms, and, for the first time, a variety of fish. Reefs flourished in the state; stromatoporoids (extinct organisms related to sponges) formed variously shaped colonies that resembled layered mats, branches, and rounded masses. Large colonial and solitary corals joined these sponges to form extensive reefs, some of which can be traced for over 100 miles in eastern Iowa. Many of these fossils can be seen at Devonian Fossil Gorge, several miles upstream from Iowa City along the Iowa River." The Devonian in Iowa

Carboniferous - 359-299 million years ago

During this time, average global temperatures were exceedingly high; the early Carboniferous averaged at about 20 degrees Celsius (but cooled to 10 °C during the Middle Carboniferous).
Tropical swamps dominated the Earth, and the lignin stiffened trees grew to greater heights and number.
As the bacteria and fungi capable of eating the lignin had not yet evolved, their remains were left buried, which created much of the carbon that became the coal deposits of today (hence the name "Carboniferous").
Perhaps the most important evolutionary development of the time was the evolution of amniotic eggs, which allowed amphibians to move farther inland and remain the dominant vertebrates for the duration of this period.
Also, the first reptiles evolved in the swamps.

Carboniferous period rocks are found in Iowa in the southern part of the state, including extensive coal deposits. Iowa coal has a high sulfur content, so it's not suitable for modern use." http://paleoportal.org/index.php?globalnav=time_space&sectionnav=state&state_id=52&period_id=12

Permian - 299-252 million years ago

At the beginning of this period, all continents joined together to form the supercontinent Pangaea, which was encircled by one ocean called Panthalassa.
The land mass was very dry during this time, with harsh seasons, as the climate of the interior of Pangaea was not regulated by large bodies of water.
Diapsids and synapsids flourished in the new dry climate. Creatures such as Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus ruled the new continent.
The first conifers evolved, and dominated the terrestrial landscape.
Near the end of the Permian, however, Pangaea grew drier. The interior was desert, and new species such as Scutosaurus and Gorgonopsids filled it.

The Permian–Triassic extinction event, aka "The Great Dying - 251 million years ago

Eliminates over 90-95% of marine species. Terrestrial organisms were not as seriously affected as the marine biota, but still take 30 million years to recover.

"The seas had retreated from the state by the Permian. The surface of the future state of Iowa was exposed and undergoing extensive erosion, thus there are no Permian rocks or fossils found anywhere in the state." The Permian in Iowa

Mesozoic Era - 251.4 Ma to 66 Ma

Contains the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods - dinosaurs!

Triassic (251.902 to 201.3 million years ago)

"The seas had retreated from the state by the Triassic. The surface of the future state of Iowa was exposed and undergoing extensive erosion, thus there are no Triassic rocks or fossils found anywhere in the state." The Triassic in Iowa

Triadobatrachus massinoti is the earliest known frog - 250 million years ago
Sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseridae) first appear. - 248 million years ago. Examples of these types of fish still swim in the Mississippi River, and larger connected rivers.
Earliest dinosaurs (prosauropods), first mammals (Adelobasileus) - 225 million years ago

The Triassic/Jurassic Extinction - 205 million years ago

wiped out most of the group of pseudosuchians and gave the opportunity of dinosaurs including the Apatosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Perrotasaurus, and Stegosaurus to enter their golden age.

Jurassic (201.3 to 145 million years ago)

"By Late Jurassic time, the Western Interior and Great Plains regions were flooded by the Sundance Sea. The edge of this sea extended into central Iowa, resulting in the deposition of sediments associated with embayments and lagoons of the coast. Most of these were subsequently eroded, leaving only a small area of the Ft. Dodge Gypsum in the north-central part of the state to represent Jurassic surface rocks. This deposit formed when water from the shallow Sundance Sea evaporated, producing an extremely salty solution (a brine). When the solution became sufficiently concentrated, gypsum crystals formed and accumulated on the sea floor." The Jurassic in Iowa

Earliest salamanders, newts - 170 million years ago

First pine trees - 153 million years ago

Cretaceous (145 to 66 million years ago)

Also notable on the Bedrock Geology Map of Iowa is a prominent circular feature, the Manson Meteor Impact Crater (Cretaceous). It is invisible at the land surface because it is buried beneath glacial-age deposits.

"The oldest Cretaceous rocks form the bedrock of northwestern Iowa and originated from sediments deposited in ancient river systems that drained westward to an interior seaway. Floodplains and coastal lowlands were covered with lush subtropical vegetation. Later in the Cretaceous, a vast shallow sea flooded eastward across the state, depositing layers of mud and limy sediments in western Iowa. Bones of large marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs have been found in these rocks. In southwestern Iowa, a fragment of fossil bone recovered from Cretaceous river deposits revealed a microscopic structure very similar to that seen in many dinosaur bones and may represent the first fossil dinosaur material found in the state." The Cretaceous in Iowa

Orb-weaver spiders - 140 million years ago

Earliest bees - 100 million years ago

First ants - 80 million years ago

At the end of the Cretaceous, the Deccan traps and other volcanic eruptions were poisoning the atmosphere. As this continued, it is thought that a large meteor smashed into earth 66 million years ago, creating the Chicxulub Crater in an event known as the K-Pg Extinction (formerly K-T), in which 75% of life became extinct.

Cenozoic Era - 66 Ma – present

"The Age of Mammals" consists of the Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary Periods.

Paleogene - 66-23.03 million years ago

It features three epochs: the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene.

Paleocene epoch lasted from 66 million to 56 million years ago.

Modern placental mammals originated during this time. The Paleocene is a transitional point between the devastation that is the K-T extinction, and the rich jungle environment that is the Early Eocene. The Early Paleocene saw the recovery of the earth. The continents began to take their modern shape, but all the continents and the subcontinent of India were separated from each other. Afro-Eurasia was separated by the Tethys Sea, and the Americas were separated by the strait of Panama, as the isthmus had not yet formed. This epoch featured a general warming trend, with jungles eventually reaching the poles. The oceans were dominated by sharks

Eocene Epoch ranged from 56 million years to 33.9 million years ago.

In the Early-Eocene, species living in dense forest were unable to evolve into larger forms, as in the Paleocene. All known mammals were under 10 kilograms.[13] Among them were early primates, whales and horses along with many other early forms of mammals. At the top of the food chains were huge birds, such as Paracrax. The temperature was 30 degrees Celsius with little temperature gradient from pole to pole. In the Mid-Eocene, the Circumpolar-Antarctic current between Australia and Antarctica formed. This disrupted ocean currents worldwide and as a result caused a global cooling effect, shrinking the jungles. This allowed mammals to grow to mammoth proportions, such as whales which, by that time, had become almost fully aquatic. Mammals like Andrewsarchus were at the top of the food-chain. The Late Eocene saw the rebirth of seasons, which caused the expansion of savanna-like areas, along with the evolution of grass.[14][15] The end of the Eocene was marked by the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event,

Modern bird groups diversify (first song birds, parrots, loons, swifts, woodpeckers) - 55 million years ago
First bats appear (Onychonycteris) - 52 million years ago
Modern-type butterflies and moths appear. - 40 million years ago

Oligocene Epoch spans from 33.9 million to 23.03 million years ago.

The Oligocene featured the expansion of grass which had led to many new species to evolve, including the first elephants, cats, dogs, marsupials and many other species still prevalent today. Many other species of plants evolved in this period too. A cooling period featuring seasonal rains was still in effect.

Earliest pigs and cats - 30 million years ago
First deer - 25 million years ago
Trees representative of most major groups of oaks have appeared - 23 million years ago

Neogene - 23.03-2.58 million years ago

It features 2 epochs: the Miocene, and the Pliocene.

Miocene epoch spans from 23.03 to 5.333 million years ago

Grass spread further, dominating a large portion of the world, at the expense of forests. Kelp forests evolved, encouraging the evolution of new species, such as sea otters. During this time, perissodactyla thrived, and evolved into many different varieties. Apes evolved into 30 species. The Tethys Sea finally closed with the creation of the Arabian Peninsula, leaving only remnants as the Black, Red, Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. This increased aridity. Many new plants evolved: 95% of modern seed plants evolved in the mid-Miocene.

Pliocene epoch lasted from 5.333 to 2.58 million years ago.

The Pliocene featured dramatic climactic changes, which ultimately led to modern species of flora and fauna.

The Mediterranean Sea dried up for several million years (because the ice ages reduced sea levels, disconnecting the Atlantic from the Mediterranean, and evaporation rates exceeded inflow from rivers).
The isthmus of Panama formed, and animals migrated between North and South America during the great American interchange, wreaking havoc on local ecologies.
Climatic changes brought: savannas that are still continuing to spread across the world; Indian monsoons; deserts in central Asia; and the beginnings of the Sahara desert. The world map has not changed much since, save for changes brought about by the glaciations of the Quaternary, such as the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Baltic sea.

The Great American Interchange

where various land and freshwater faunas migrated between North and South America.
Armadillos, opossums, hummingbirds Phorusrhacids, Ground Sloths, Glyptodonts, and Meridiungulates traveled to North America
Horses, tapirs, saber-toothed cats, Jaguars, Bears, Coaties, Ferrets, Otters, Skunks and deer entered South America.

Mammoths appear in the fossil record - 4.8 million years ago

Glaciation (2.5 million-12,000 years ago)

Quaternary spans from 2.58 million years ago to present day

It is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene and the Holocene

Pleistocene lasted from 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago.

This epoch was marked by ice ages as a result of the cooling trend that started in the Mid-Eocene. There were at least four separate glaciation periods marked by the advance of ice caps as far south as 40° N in mountainous areas. Many animals evolved including mammoths, giant ground sloths, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, and most famously Homo sapiens. 100,000 years ago marked the end of one of the worst droughts in Africa, and led to the expansion of primitive humans. As the Pleistocene drew to a close, a major extinction wiped out much of the world's megafauna.

First coyotes - 1 million years ago

Over Iowa's ancient bedrock lies much younger sediments left by glacial ice, and by the strong winds and swift meltwaters that accompanied the glaciersy. These deposits consist of loose pebbly clay (known as “glacial drift”), silt, sand and gravel.

Landforms of Iowa Map

Glaciers originated in the Canadian arctic and advanced over all or parts of Iowa numerous times between 2.6 million and 10,000 years ago. Iowa’s oldest glacial deposits are more than 500,000 years old and are seen across the Southern Iowa Drift Plain that covers the southern third of the state with rolling hills and well drained landscapes showing the long-term effects of stream erosion.

Between about 30,000 and 14,000 years ago, Iowa was free of ice, but the glaciers lay close by to the north. Summer melting carried glacial debris down meltwater rivers, especially the Missouri. During winter periods of low flow, strong westerly winds carried silt from the broad floodplain, and draped a gritty blanket of “loess” across most of Iowa. These deposits are especially thick along the eastern margins of the Missouri Valley. Later erosion of this silt gave rise to the unique, sharply ridged topography of western Iowa’s Loess Hills region.

During an especially intense period of glacial cold, between 21,000 and 16,000 years ago, the ice-free landscapes across northern Iowa were exposed to tundra-like conditions, with seasonal freezing and thawing of permafrost in the ground. These erosion cycles leveled out the once hilly terrain creating the more gently rolling landscapes of both the Iowan Surface (north-central to northeast Iowa) and Northwest Iowa Plains regions. The Iowan Surface in particular displays an unusual number of glacial boulders - called “erratics” - left concentrated at the land surface.

Then came a final surge of glacial ice into north-central Iowa, even as the overall climate was moderating. This ice advance is known as the Des Moines Lobe, named for the city that now sits at the southernmost reach of the glacier. These are Iowa’s freshest glacial deposits (only 15,000 to 12,000 years old), and they contrast sharply with the rest of the state. This distinctive landscape still shows the imprints of a slowly stagnating glacier – poorly drained, with numerous wetlands, lakes, and ridges called “moraines.”

Cerro Gordo county is divided almost exactly down the middle between the Des Moines Lobe on the west, and the Iowan Surface on the East. Pilot Knob State Park is located on a morraine or glacial ridge of the Des Moines Lobe.

Fascinating fossils from Ice Age deposits in Iowa range from mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, musk-ox and caribou; to smaller Arctic fox, shrews and lemmings; to tiny snails, insects and fossil pollen grains.

See

Humans

Holocene Era began 11,700 years ago and lasts to the present day.

All recorded history and "the history of the world" lies within the Holocene epoch

Native American History

1850s

1854 Abstract - U.S. of A. to B.B. Richards
1855-6 Abstract - U.S.A. to Benjamin B. Richards, grant
1855-6 Abstract - Benjamin B. Richards to John B. Long, convey
1856 Abstract - John B. Long & Anna wf. to Ira L. Williams, convey all that part of NW quarter of NE quarter-section 10-96-20 which lies south of the center of Willow Creek.
1857 Abstract - Ira L. Williams to Nancy E. Allen, mortgage

1858
Mason City was named as county seat
The first newspaper was published, the Cerro Gordo Press

1860s

1866 Abstract - Nancy E. Allen to Ira L. Williams, release of mortgage
1866 Abstract - Nancy E. Allen to George Vermilya, warranty deed

1867
The Mason City Cemetery Association (MCCA) organized the Mason City Cemetery in the northeast part of the City, near the present Mason City Waterworks

1869
The first train arrived in Mason City, the McGregor and Missouri River Railway Company

1870s

1870
Population was 1,183
Mason City was incorporated as a town
F. J. Turnure was named Mason City’s First Marshall
Mason City Fire Company #1 was authorized to act; the first volunteer hook & ladder established for fire protection

1871
The first library was established but was not a free service – it was a subscription library, meaning only paid subscribers were allowed to borrow books

1874
Central Park was established in the center of downtown

1875
St. Joseph Cemetery was organized at the present location

1876
The first ‘fire shed’ was built to house fire protection equipment

1876 Abstract - plat of subdivision, including Lot 16

1878
The first telephone service was installed; long distance service was available to Algona

1880s

1880
Population was 2,510

1880 Census - Lynnville, Ogle, Illinois, United States Daniel Countryman Self M 65 New York
Sally Countryman Wife F 62 New York
Jennie Countryman Daughter F 19 Illinois
Herman Wolgmuth Other M 29 New York

Name W Longenecker Event Place Rochelle, Ogle, Illinois, United States Age 25 (c. 1855 vs 1852?) Marital Status Single Race White Occupation Dry Goods Clerk

Jennie Viola Countryman b. in Illinois Born on Apr 1863 to Daniel Countryman and Sally Phillips. Jennie Viola married Wesley M Longnecker in 1883 and had a child. (Ancestry.com) http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/alvin-countryman/countryman-genealogy-nuo/page-4-countryman-genealogy-nuo.shtml

1881 Mason City map
Shows George Vermilya owning a big parcel including the “big house” and the future site of 718, and a lot of other property in the neighborhood, too. Mostly to the south.

1881
Carrie Chapman Catt becomes a teacher in Mason City

1883 Mason City Directory
Wesley Longnecker as carriage maker living at...

March 1883 - Jennie’s father died (married Wesley in May)

1883 - Superintendent of Schools in Mason City was Carrie Chapman Catt, the Founder of the National American Woman Suffrage Association

1884
The Civil War statue was erected in Central Park

1885 - “double” lot purchased by Jennie from Judge Vermilya per Walking Tour Guide

1885 State Census - living at Washington & 10th, daughter Grace not born yet vs. 2yo, Sally Countryman, widow, living with them (her mother)

1885 James McGhee marriage

1885
Pumps and pipes were purchased for the City water system

The Denison Hose Company was founded. The first hose cart was purchased by O.T. Denison for use by the Company. The Water Commissioner authorized to employ personnel to care for the hose and cart.

1886
Mason City Electric Company installed street lights

1888
A second library in the community opened as a reading room

1888 - Stockmans come to Mason City

June 1889 - birth of Ruth McGhee Bull

1890s

1890 Federal Census partially destroyed in a fire, so reason why not finding people there.

1890 - Longneckers move into first house built on State Street, #42 in Walking Tour Guide, sold in 1895

July 1890 - birth of Harold Bull

1893 - Birth of J. Donald McGhee and death of his mother.

August 1893 - Jennie’s mother died

1893
Dr. Stella Mason became the first female doctor to practice in Mason City

The public library moved to East State Street

The building of the Iowa Central Railroad necessitated relocating the cemetery from the northeast part of the City to the present Elmwood Cemetery site (the bodies of the persons buried were moved to Elmwood Cemetery)

1894 - Longneckers move into second house on State Street, #41 in the Walking Tour Guide.

1895 Atlas
Shows George Vermilya owning a big parcel including the “big house” and the future site of 718. Jennie V. Longnecker is shown as owner of a double parcel to the west with a couple houses on it (#42 and #4? In the Walking Tour Guide).

Cub Scout History Walk
At 718 E. State St., 10-year-old Adam Dettmer, wearing a black apron and a straw hat, portrayed early Mason City property owner Wesley E. Longnecker. “I build carriages and I sell property,” he said. “Does anyone need a property around here?” [Interesting that they talk about Wesley, when Jennie was the primary owner in the abstract.] http://globegazette.com/news/local/cub-scouts-take-history-walk/article_268f42de-0d01-11e2-9211-001a4bcf887a.html

1895
The first horse-drawn fire engine was purchased and the first paid fire fighter (driver) occurred this year

1896
A chapel was built on the grounds of the cemetery with a receiving vault and sitting room

1896 Abstract - subdivision of Lot 16 into two lots (1.5 acre Lot 2 to the west, larger 2.86 acre Lot 1 to the east)

1897
The first run of the Mason City Clear Lake Railroad was made between the two communities

1898 Mason City Directory - Wesley Longnecker as mattress company manager, living at 329 E State

1898 June Abstract - George Vermilya & Helen wf. to Jennie V. Longenecker, convey eastern 5 rods of Lot 1 in Lot 16 with the understanding & agreement that no live tree on the lot shall be damaged, destroyed or removed by either party. Quit-claim from south bank of Willow Creek north.
1898 December Abstract - Jennie V. Longenecker & W.M. hus. to C.H.McNider, mortgage to secure payment of $1500 (cost to build house?)

December 1898 Cerro Gordo Republican newspaper, W Longnecker listed with delinquent taxes.

1899-1920 Mason City history - http://iagenweb.org/cerrogordo/history/MasonCity/MCCentennialEd/cg_hist_CentMCStory_1899-1920.htm

1900s

1900 Census Record
Wesley N. Longnecker - Mason City Township Mason City Ward 1, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States
Wesley Longnecker lived in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa in 1900. He was the head of the household, 48 years old, and identified as white. Wesley was born in Pennsylvania around 1852, and both of his parents were born in Pennsylvania as well. In 1900, Wesley listed as married to Jennie V. Longnecker. Occupation:

Wesley N Longnecker Head M 48 Pennsylvania
Jennie V Longnecker Wife F 38 Illinois
listed at 860 (!) East State Street. Where is Grace, their daughter, who would have been ~15 yo. Daughter Grace (not found in 1900 census yet)

Neighbors at 804 (!) East State Street:

George Vermilya Head M 78 New York
Grace Dilts Daughter F 34 Iowa
Guerdon M Vermilya Son M 26 Iowa
William H Dilts Roomer M 40 Illinois
Nellie Everson Servant F 18 Minnesota

Judge George Vermilya - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iabiog/cerrogordo/h1910/h1910-v.htm#GEORGEVERMILYA

E.R. Bogardus’ mother was a Vermilyea. (His sister married Captain Smith - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iabiog/cerrogordo/h1910/h1910-s.htm#Captain Henry Irving Smith ) Bogardus lived with G. Vermilya when he came to Mason City and presumably worked for him in his lumberyard as he got into the building business.

1899 March Abstract - ditto, mortgage to secure payment of $450

1900 Abstract - C.H. McNider to Jennie V. Longenecker & husb, release of mortgage.

1900 Abstract - Jennie V. Longenecker & husb to May E. Kennedy, convey

1900 Mason City Directory - Wesley Longnecker as harness maker, living at 130 East State St.

July 1900 Abstract - May E. Kennedy & Charles E. husb to J.W. Ray, sell and convey subject to mortgage of $1500

1900-1901
A new court house was built in the community on the corner of 1st Street NW and N. Washington Avenue (on the site of the existing parking lot west of the current City Hall location)

February 1901 Abstract - James W. Ray to Charlotte E. Ray, executrix (widow), last will and testament

1901 Mason City Directory - Wesley Longnecker in real estate, living on Madison.

1901 - At meeting of the national NAWSA organization, Eleanor Stockman was recognized as one of the most successful fundraisers through her gift of the proceeds of a carload of hogs donated by Iowa farmers.

No Longnecker in 1923 Mason City Directory, can’t find in 1910 Census either. Ended up buried in Detroit, Michigan.

Duncan Rule House National Register Application
The house was designed by E.R. Bogardus (1850-1927), a long-time resident and builder in Mason City. Bogardus came to Mason City as a child. He opened a contracting business in 1873. Although he apparently had no formal architectural training, he gradually began to design, as well as construct, houses, and after 1894 devoted all his time to architecture. During his long career, Bogardus was responsible for numerous buildings in Mason City. His works included the mission-style Calvary M.E. Church (1913); the Georgian/Federal Revival Verimlya (1894), (house next door, related to E.R. Bogardus’ mother) Markley (c. 1902), and Keerl (c. 1894) houses; the City Park Hospital (1909), and the Queen Anne Longenecker house (1898), as well as assorted commercial buildings. He designed two houses using elements of the Shingle idiom: the Duncan Rule house and its precursor, the George Wilson house (1907).... http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/79000886.pdf

E.R. Bogardus blueprints - http://www.mcpl.org/historyandgenealogy/archives/bogardusblueprints

1901
Sophia and Dolly Story opened the Story Hospital, the first hospital in Mason City at 107 N. Pennsylvania Avenue

1902
The horse-drawn ‘Hook and Ladder Truck’ was purchased

April 1902 Abstract - assessment for Oak Street (now Virginia) not yet assessed.

1902 - Robert Meredith Wilson born

1903 Abstract - Charlotte A. Ray, widow, to J. H. McGhee, warranty deed, convey for $4000

1903 - J.H. McGhee was 41, Ruth was 13, Leone was 11 and J. Donald was 10.

1906
The first movie theater, The Bijou, was opened by J. M. Heffner, located on the corner of South Federal and 2nd Street SE (the current main entrance of Southbridge Mall to the south on the east side - mentioned in Leone’s letters to J. Donald?)

1907
The post office was built at 19 South Delaware Avenue

1908 - J.H. McGhee was 46, Ruth was 18, Leone was 16 and J. Donald was 15.

1908 - Dr. George and Eleanor Stockman House built. Eleanor’s sister, Fannie Chaffin, was long-time secretary for Carrie Chapman Catt. The artistic Eleanor, herself, was a supporter of the National American Women Suffrage Association.

1909 - Ruth McGee marries Harold Bull

1909
East Park was established and is considered Mason City's most popular park

The Mason City Police Department officially became an organized department

The Mason City Fire Department went from a volunteer department to a paid department

The Park Hospital was built (by Bogardus) on the northwest corner of 1st Street NW and North Washington Avenue

Photo of “Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bull, Mason City” on the porch of 718 East State Street! - https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/piiTL5W36V47WVigX0M5Dw Other photos here - https://picasaweb.google.com/103155050948115664395/1900s

Robert J Bull - born in Mason City, Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA on 1909 to Harold V Bull and Ruth M Bull. He passed away on 18 Jan 1994 in Mason City, Cerro Gordo, Iowa, USA. http://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/robert-j-bull_87647337

1910s

1910 - What life was like - trivia - http://www.stockmanhouse.org/life-in-1910

1910 - marriage of Ruth Stockman (?)

1910 Census: George Vermilya (widower) is living at 804 (!) East State Street and next door are
James H Mcghee Head M 48 Iowa
Leone Mcghee Daughter F 18 Iowa
Donald Mcghee Son M 17 Iowa
at 818 (!) East State Street. James is Ruth M. Bull’s father with Leone and Donald being her siblings. See below.

H V Bull Head M 19 South Dakota
(Ruth) Bull Wife F 20 Iowa
James Robert Bull Son M 0 Iowa
are living at 118 Oak Street (renamed Virginia in 1916 ). And...

C F Bull Head M 40 New York
Sarah G Bull Wife F 39 South Dakota
Dorthy H Bull Daughter F 8 Iowa
Fred C Bull Son M 4 Iowa
Living at 797 State Street - now 697 East State Street, basically across the street from the Longnecker-Bull House, old photo in the collection of Diane Jorgensen!!!!!!

1910: James Donald McGhee, Ruth’s brother, graduated from high school in 1910. We have his diploma. (So did Leone graduate in 1909? Ruth in 1907?)

1910
The Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened in downtown Mason City across from Central Park

1910-1915
Colby Car Company was in operation (buildings are still used by the Associated Milk Producers, Inc. AMPI)

1911
The first airplane flight was made in Mason City

1911-1912
The former fire ‘shed’ was razed, the new fire headquarters was built on the same lot

1912
The American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York, built locomotive number 457 for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad (the locomotive is now historically retired in East Park)

1912 Map
Shows the old Vermilya block still intact, for some reason. The previous Longnecker double parcel has been divided into two unequal parcels. Ownership is not marked on this map.

McGhee Children, college years -

1913

Leone pledge at Omega Delta p 333 The Bomb
J.D. freshman in Kappa Sigma p300-301 The Bomb

1914

Leone sophomore in Pi Beta Phi p 302-3/324-5 The Bomb
J.D. sophomore in Kappa Sigma p298-9 The Bomb

1915

Leone Pi Beta Phi junior p292/306 The Bomb
J.D. junior in Kappa Sigma, profile on pg 89 The Bomb

1916

Leone senior in Pi Beta Phi p224-5, Senior Class Play photo p 321 The Bomb
Bachelor of Science in Home Economics - p 206 Google books https://books.google.com/books?id=J41CAQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA201&ots=IpuSfSQhNA&dq=iowa%20board%20of%20regents%20report%201917&pg=PA206#v=onepage&q=mcghee&f=false
J.D. missing, not on Kappa Sigma page 190-1 The Bomb

1917

J.D. Kappa Sigma Junior (!) p 252 The Bomb

1913
The City was governed under the Commission form of government

1914
The first patrol wagon was used by the Police Department

The first motorized fire engine was purchased, a 1913 Seagrave

1915
The first motorcycle was purchased for use by the Police Department

Mercy Hospital opened

1916
Mason City was rated a City of the first class with a population of 17,172

The Chamber of Commerce opened

1917 Abstract - J. H. McGhee to Ruth M. Bull, warranty deed, convey for $1 and other considerations

1917: James Donald McGhee, Ruth’s brother, graduated from Iowa State College in Animal Husbandry in 1917. We have his diploma (on parchment). He was in the Kappa Sigma house and we have photos of his fraternity brothers.

1917 Abstract - Ruth M. Bull and H. V. Bull, her husband to C.H.McNider, mortgage for $4000
1917 Abstract - C. H. McNider to John W. Smith, assigns mortgage
1917 - James H. McGhee elected to first term in state legislature, ran unopposed per letters

1917
The Mason City Fire Department became fully motorized

1918
The first hard-surfaced interurban highway in Iowa was constructed between Mason City and Clear Lake

Mason City Junior College (MCJC) opened as the first public two year college in Iowa

1918: James Donald McGhee drafted and served in the 70th Machine Gun company. We have the unit photo.

1919 - James H. McGhee elected to second term in state legislature

1920s

1920 Census:
Harold V Bull Head M 29 South Dakota
Ruth Bull Wife F 30 Iowa
Robert Bull Son M 9 Iowa
Elizabeth R Bull Daughter F 2 Iowa
Donald Mcghee Brother-in-law M 26 Iowa
Leone Mcghee Sister-in-law F 28 Iowa
Helen Johnston Servant F 16 South Dakota
at 718 East State Street. Deckers live next door at 704. Charles, Grace and Dorothy Bull (50, 49 and 18 yo) are at 104 1st Street (vs. S. Virginia?)

1920
The census reported Mason City’s population at 20,065 and was ranked as Iowa’s 11th largest city

1922
The Red Ball Bus Line was started in Mason City by Helen Schulz. This line was one of the first bus lines in the country and perhaps the only one owned and operated by a woman.

1922 - James H. McGhee starts service as mayor of Mason City

1923 Mason City Directory:
Bull Harold V.

 Ruth
 Asst Cashr
 First National Bank
 r 718 E State

http://www.iagenweb.org/cerrogordo/Directory/1923-B2.htm

First National BAnk The, C H MacNider, Pres; W G C Bagley, C A Parker, F E Keeler and Hanford MacNider, Vice Pres; R P Smith, Cashr; H V Bull, Asst Cashr; 1 N Federal av. http://iagenweb.org/cerrogordo/Directory/1923-F.htm

1924 - James H. McGhee dies of smallpox while serving as mayor of Mason City
1924 - Retirement of Dr. Stockman and death of Eleanor Chaffin Stockman

1927
The City re-evaluated its form of government and was changed to the Manager form

Charles Lindbergh attended the dedication of the Mason City Airport

Members of the Police Department began working 8 hour days

1930s

Newspaper February 1930
For Rent Houses-FORWENT--7 roonl house. ·mr » r *r 1-..!l i^ Mass. H. V. Bull. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37194032/

Newspaper April 1930
The Klein-Wilkinson jury is made up of the following: Ruth Bull, 718 East State street; http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37196451/

1930 Census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMNL-HLZ (C. Frank and Ruth V. Bull, ages 60 and 59 at 104 S. Virginia)
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMNL-XQH (Harold V. and Ruth M., 38 and 39, with Robert J. 20 yo son, and R. Elizabeth 13 yo dau, at 718 East State Street)

Newspaper July 1931
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF MASON C1TV…. H. V. Bull, Cashier of the above named bank, do solemnly swear that the above statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. H. V. BULL, Cashier. http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38182779/

Newspaper - the March 3rd 1933 Globe-Gazette:
Officers for the coming year were elected at the meeting of the History club Thursday afternoon at the home of Mrs. H. V. Bull 718 East State street. Mrs. W. 'Earl -Hal! was elected president to succeed Mrs. J. W. Irons. Mrs. Irons was elected vice president and Mrs. Frank Pearce secretary. Mrs. H. W. Conover and Mrs A. J. Feeney are the retiring vice president and secretary. Mrs. Lee P. Loomis led the ies- son on "The Economics of Fashion," by Wystrom. http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1628655/

C. 1935 photo of construction of “new” East Park tennis courts shows east facade of house with fireplace chimney visible. Company making firebricks in business from 1929-1959.

Newspaper January 1937:
Harold Bull, former cashier of the First National bank in Mason City, has been named president of the National Citizen's bank at Mankato. iMr. Bull became cashier of the Mankato banking institution when he left Mason City in 1933. He was successively advanced to vice president and executive vine president and recently to the position of president. (Photo by Floyd IMcriclcth Wright, Kaye- rcay Engraving")

1937 Abstract - John W. Smith to Ruth M. Bull and H.V. Bull, her husband, release of mortgage

1940s

1940 census - http://www.archives.com/1940-census/charles-bull-ia-35495583
(Charles F. and Grace, 70 and 69 yo, living at 104 S. Virginia, with Dorothy Coulson, 36 yo daughter, and Robert Fren, 16 yo grandson. The Grummons are living at 718 in this census)

Harold Bull Head (bank president) M 49 South Dakota
Ruth Bull Wife F 49 Iowa
Jneo? Thorstorson Servant (household maid) F 36 Iowa
706 S. Bradford (?), Mankato, Mankato City, Blue Earth, Minnesota, United States

Robert J Bull Head (salesman) M 30 Iowa
Mary E Bull Wife F 32 Iowa
Susan E Bull Daughter F 1 Iowa
605 North Main, Austin City, Mower, Minnesota, United States since 1935

1943 Abstract - H.V. Bull, affidavit of property ownership, homestead until 1933 when moved to MN, rented by Ruth as present owner.

Newspaper December 1948:
Attorney Dated December 13, 1948 S. H. MacPEAK, Clerk District Court By EVELYN ^LOCK. Deputy NOTICE OF THE APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTOR •TATE OF IOWA. Cerro Gordo County. ss. No. 7025. Notice is hereby given, thatAhe under- «igned has been duly appointed and qualified as Executor of the estate ol Grace Bull, Deceased, late of Cerro Gordo County. All persons indebted to said estate are requested to make immediate payment: and those having claims against the same will present them, duly authenticated, , to the undersigned for allowance, and file in the office of the Clerk of the District Court. C. P. BULL RALPH S. STANBERY, Attorney http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/8144548/

1950s

Newspaper February 1959:
Officers Installed by R.N.A. Mrs.. Valborg Lum, oracle at Northwood, was installing officer at the H.N.A. meeting Thursday evening in the CIO hall. Installing marshals were Mrs. .Hector Newman and Mrs. S. A. Bemis. Those installed were Mrs. 0. A. Lund,' -oracle; Mrs. Willis Buirge, vice oracle; Mrs. V. Winchell, chancellor; Mrs. Newman, recorder; MCS. E. \V. Leiley, receiver; Mrs. Grace Bull, marshal; http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/722649/

1960s

Mrs. H.V. Bull was noted in 1960 helping host a September dinner dance at the Country Club in Mason City.

Newspaper from November 1964:
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Bull, 412 S. Vermont, announce the approaching marriage of their daughter, Susan Elizabeth, to Dale Thomas Mericle, son of Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Mericle of Des Moines. The wedding will take place Nov. 25. Miss Bull, a granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bull of Sioux City, formerly of Mason City, is a graduate of the University of Iowa. http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/5849246/

Ruth M. Bull - Death Record Sioux City, Iowa
Ruth M. Bull was born on June 8, 1889 and died on January 7, 1989 at the age of 99. Ruth last resided in Sioux City, Woodbury County, Iowa.

“My great-grandmother was Grace (Van Epps) Bull who was married to my great grandfather, Charles Francis Bull. (I was named after him, as my mother took a train trip from Sacremento, CA so I could be born in Iowa during WWII)
Both are buried in the Mason City, IA cemetary, as are my parents Robert & Mae Greene and a niece, Megan VerHelst. [A “Robert Fren” was living with mother Dorothy Coulsen and grandparents in Mason City in 1940 census]
Their son, Harold Bull was the president of Norwest bank in Sioux City,IA & their daughter Dorothy, (my paternal grandmother), remarried & is buried in Oroville, CA. Harold had a son, Bob, (buried in Mason City, IA) who had a son Jim, & a daughter, Sue.
I am thinking of relocating to the Union County area & wondered if I had any long-lost relatives there.”
Charles Greene (Charles + Grace -> Dorothy -> Robert + Mae Green) http://boards.tiscali.ancestry.co.uk/surnames.van-20-epps/12/mb.ashx

son Robert Bull (1909-1994) -> children Jim & Sue (b. in the 30s?) Granddaughter Susan E. Bull Mericle, b. 1939, married to Dale Thomas Mericle, MD, in 1964, Miss Sue Bull, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bull, 412 Vermont SE, has been appointed to the judiciary committee of the Currier Dormitory Council at the University of Iowa. Miss Bull is a junior at Iowa. November 19, 1960 Globe Gazette

Grandson James Robert Bull, b. Sept 12th 1941, cornet player in Globe Gazette 1959-1963

Daughter Ruth Elizabeth Bull…

Jennie Longnecker was 40 yo in 1903
Grace Longnecker was 40 in 1923
Ruth Bull was 40 years old in 1929
V. fictional housekeeper/servant

Mason City History:
http://www.masoncity.net/pview.aspx?id=17911&catid=477 http://www.mcpl.org/historyandgenealogy/archives/mctimeline01

Frank Lloyd Wright and Mason City: Architectural Heart of the Prairie
Info about the Stockmans and the events surrounding the house. https://books.google.com/books?id=yJKcDQAAQBAJ&lpg=PT16&ots=yJPKCXGusx&dq=Dr.%20george%20Stockman%20mason%20city%20iowa%20physician&pg=PT18#v=onepage&q=Dr.%20george%20Stockman%20mason%20city%20iowa%20physician&f=false

Eleanor Stockman bio - http://www.prohibitionists.org/history/votes/Eleanor_Chafin_Stockman_bio.html

Physicians and Surgeons of America: (Illustrated). A Collection of ...
Biography of Dr. Stockman https://books.google.com/books/content?id=vEr9eZA8V6kC&pg=PA348&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U2ritnUmruQHgoy-6FMv12CvVeloQ&ci=543%2C270%2C400%2C1013&edge=0

https://books.google.com/books?id=vEr9eZA8V6kC&lpg=PA348&ots=QVp3AB8T5N&dq=Dr.%20george%20Stockman%20mason%20city%20iowa%20physician&pg=PA348#v=onepage&q=Dr.%20george%20Stockman%20mason%20city%20iowa%20physician&f=false

Timeline