Minneapolis Star & Tribune, date unknown
Jewett, Harry H. age 69, of 4626 France Ave S. Survived by 4 daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Services 1 p.m. Tues. at Hanson-Nugent Funeral Home, 2116 Nicollet. Graveside services, 3:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Annandale.
The Annandale Advocate, date unknown
Harry H. Jewett, 69, who was raised in Annandale, died at the Methodist hospital, in Minneapolis, July 18. Funeral services were held at Hanson-Nugent Funeral home, on Tuesday. Graveside service Woodlawn cemetery, Annandale.
Survivors are four daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Harry Jewett was occupied for a time as a photographer in Annandale, and had a studio on the second floor of John Buri's Hardware.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Biography of Harry Houghton Jewett compiled from records and memories of his grandson, James K. Childers.
Harry Houghton Jewett was born Dec 29, 1894 in Maple Lake, Minnesota to Adam Aaron Jewett and Gertrude Eva Past. He was the first of seven children to survive to adulthood, having three sisters and one brother precede him in death in infancy, the last being sister Lulu who died in April of 1893. His younger brother , Calvin, born in July 1898 and younger sister Eva, born in March of 1903, would also survive to adulthood.
His family lived in Maple Lake, Minnesota, moving there from Marysville Township in Buffalo County in 1887. Harry attended elementary and secondary school in Maple Lake until the age of thirteen, when his family moved to Estabrook, North Dakota and later to Barlow, North Dakota, where his father was at one time mayor of that city. Around 1915/1916 the family moved back to Minnesota settling in the town of Annandale where his father managed the grain elevator of the Osborne-McMillan Company. During this period they also ran managed the Dale Theater in Annandale and grew their own popcorn to sell at the theater.
Harry did many different jobs while living in Annandale, one of them was loading and unloading rail cars. In June of 1917 Harry had to register for the draft of World War I. His draft notice stated that he had “two operations for serious bowel trouble and was unable to do hard work,” which was signed by the deputy registrar, who just happened to be Adam Jewett, Harry’s father. Even with his ‘bowel’ problems, Harry continued to work at the railyards off and on and one day in 1918 saw a girl’s name and address from North Carolina written with chalk on the inner wall of a boxcar. She was looking for a ‘pen-pal.’ Harry scribbled down the name and address, and started writing this girl. They wrote back and forth for about two years and in March of 1920 Harry proposed marriage to her. She accepted and in April Harry boarded a train and headed off to North Carolina. He arrived there on April 15, 1920 and the next day was married to Florence ‘Flossie’ Ellen Mills at her parents’ home. The Mills family were Quakers and the ceremony was sweet and simple. They spent that evening at the Mills residence, sleeping in separate beds, and the next day boarded a train back to Minnesota. As grandpa told me, they consummated their marriage in a Pullman car.
Upon returning to Annandale, Harry continued doing different jobs, working at one time for the Annandale Advocate newspaper where he became deeply interested in photography. He opened his own photo studio for a time. World War I had ended in November of 1918 and as the nation was celebrating along came the Volstead Act in in October of 1919 introducing prohibition of alcoholic beverages, which put a damper on things. Economically, things were pretty tough during this time, but Harry managed to make enough money to keep his head above water.
In March of 1923 Harry and Flossie had their first child, Doris Lorraine, born at home in the upstairs of a duplex they were renting and delivered by Dr. Alex Ridgway. In 1924 Harry and his family moved to Minneapolis. His mother and father were living there and his mother as getting ill and weak. They purchased a house at 3344 Emerson Ave. South. His mother passed away in April 1925 and just a little over two weeks later, their second child, Jean Louise was born.
Harry worked for the Artsign Company where he learned the trade of lithography and silk screening. He would later pass this knowledge onto two of his sons-in-law, Thomas Kennelly and Norman Smith. He worked there many years. During the 20’s era Harry drove a Model T Ford. It was a crank start and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn’t. I remember him telling me “it had its own mind.” When it didn’t start he would get to work via streetcar or cab. Later years he rode the city buses a lot.
In August of 1927, their third child was born, another daughter, Ethel Marie. She later was labeled with the nickname of the ‘wild-one.’ From stories I have heard through my lifetime, it was well earned. In a cold November of 1930, their 4th and final daughter was born, Agnes Dolores. Harry now had his family complete and worked hard supporting them. He did whatever it took to keep them fed and clothed, sometimes working second part-time jobs to get them through, if he could find the work. Things were tough in the 1930’s and by 1933 the economy was in the toilet and the depression was in full blast. But our government, consisting of some very wise legislators, decided this would be good time to repeal prohibition, which they did on December 5, 1933. Now the public could legally drown their sorrows and at least think they were happier than they actually were.
The Jewett home on Emerson Ave. was only 2 ½ blocks from Lakewood Cemetery. There is a large pond on the cemetery property that was fed underground by Lake Calhoun. The bass would come there to spawn in the spring. During the depression, Harry would sometimes sneak into the cemetery at night, scaling the high steel fence and catch a stringer full of bass and sneak back home. I remember him telling me that he had a magic bait that worked so well, he could catch a stringer of bass in less than 20 minutes. The secret bait was goldfish. Illegal? Maybe, but when you have hungry mouths to feed, you do what you have to.
It was also during the late 30’s that Flossie Jewett started getting very ill. Her four daughters had to take care of her. She had developed Parkinson’s disease and gradually got weaker and weaker. She would be so sick at times she couldn’t get out bed, and then she would rebound and would be good for a while and able to take care of herself.
This continued through 1940’s and the girls were mostly through school and preparing to ‘leave the nest.' Lorraine was first, getting married in Dec 1942 at 19 years old to Warren Childers; then came sneaky Ethel in Sep 1944 at 17 years old to Norman Smith; Jean jumped ship in June of 1946 at 21 years old and married Hank Matson; and then Dolores in March of 1949 at 18 years old to George Almsted.
Now, with all the children gone, it was time to downsize and Harry and Flossie sold the house on Emerson and got an apartment on Franklin Avenue near Loring Park. Harry was still working but was now with the H.A. Rogers Company of Minneapolis. They were living in the apartment for only a few years when Flossie passed away on April 14, 1952 in her 49th year. Her death devastated Harry. Even though she had been very ill and her death expected, it left a huge hole in his heart. She was his one and only true love and he took her death very hard.
Although Harry stayed at the apartment for a time, he began spending more and more time at the homes of his daughters. He was never one to be alone and enjoyed being with people. Everyone loved him and enjoyed him. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. But to know him as well as many of us did, you could see that the sparks in his eyes no longer shined. He would sit quietly at times and you could tell his mind was elsewhere, somewhere with Flossie, I’m sure.
Throughout the 50’s the families would all rent cabins at a resort near Annandale and all of the sisters and their families would be together for a week. They were wonderful times and Harry enjoyed it thoroughly. His whole family together would do wonders for his already gentle disposition. There were some times when Harry would go up to Annandale and get a cabin for a week by himself. When he did this, I was almost always the lucky one who got to go with him. After all, I was the fish cleaner, and every good fisherman needed a good fish cleaner. I got to spend a lot of time with him one on one and listen to his stories, his jokes, his singing and his crazy poetry. He was my mentor, my partner, my buddy, my friend and a grandpa that I loved and respected so much.
Then came the 1960’s. Most of the cousins were growing up, everyone was busy with their own lives. Our parents were all working and the trips to the cabins were over. But the worst thing to happen was that Harry was starting to suffer with hardening of the arteries, which they now call Alzheimers Disease.
It progressed rapidly and his memory was getting rapidly worse. On July 18, 1964, Harry passed away at the Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Immediate cause of death was Staphylococcal Pneumonia due to Chronic Brain Syndrome and Cerebral Arteriosclerosis.
Jewett, Harry H. age 69, of 4626 France Ave S. Survived by 4 daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Services 1 p.m. Tues. at Hanson-Nugent Funeral Home, 2116 Nicollet. Graveside services, 3:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Annandale.
The Annandale Advocate, date unknown
Harry H. Jewett, 69, who was raised in Annandale, died at the Methodist hospital, in Minneapolis, July 18. Funeral services were held at Hanson-Nugent Funeral home, on Tuesday. Graveside service Woodlawn cemetery, Annandale.
Survivors are four daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Harry Jewett was occupied for a time as a photographer in Annandale, and had a studio on the second floor of John Buri's Hardware.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Biography of Harry Houghton Jewett compiled from records and memories of his grandson, James K. Childers.
Harry Houghton Jewett was born Dec 29, 1894 in Maple Lake, Minnesota to Adam Aaron Jewett and Gertrude Eva Past. He was the first of seven children to survive to adulthood, having three sisters and one brother precede him in death in infancy, the last being sister Lulu who died in April of 1893. His younger brother , Calvin, born in July 1898 and younger sister Eva, born in March of 1903, would also survive to adulthood.
His family lived in Maple Lake, Minnesota, moving there from Marysville Township in Buffalo County in 1887. Harry attended elementary and secondary school in Maple Lake until the age of thirteen, when his family moved to Estabrook, North Dakota and later to Barlow, North Dakota, where his father was at one time mayor of that city. Around 1915/1916 the family moved back to Minnesota settling in the town of Annandale where his father managed the grain elevator of the Osborne-McMillan Company. During this period they also ran managed the Dale Theater in Annandale and grew their own popcorn to sell at the theater.
Harry did many different jobs while living in Annandale, one of them was loading and unloading rail cars. In June of 1917 Harry had to register for the draft of World War I. His draft notice stated that he had “two operations for serious bowel trouble and was unable to do hard work,” which was signed by the deputy registrar, who just happened to be Adam Jewett, Harry’s father. Even with his ‘bowel’ problems, Harry continued to work at the railyards off and on and one day in 1918 saw a girl’s name and address from North Carolina written with chalk on the inner wall of a boxcar. She was looking for a ‘pen-pal.’ Harry scribbled down the name and address, and started writing this girl. They wrote back and forth for about two years and in March of 1920 Harry proposed marriage to her. She accepted and in April Harry boarded a train and headed off to North Carolina. He arrived there on April 15, 1920 and the next day was married to Florence ‘Flossie’ Ellen Mills at her parents’ home. The Mills family were Quakers and the ceremony was sweet and simple. They spent that evening at the Mills residence, sleeping in separate beds, and the next day boarded a train back to Minnesota. As grandpa told me, they consummated their marriage in a Pullman car.
Upon returning to Annandale, Harry continued doing different jobs, working at one time for the Annandale Advocate newspaper where he became deeply interested in photography. He opened his own photo studio for a time. World War I had ended in November of 1918 and as the nation was celebrating along came the Volstead Act in in October of 1919 introducing prohibition of alcoholic beverages, which put a damper on things. Economically, things were pretty tough during this time, but Harry managed to make enough money to keep his head above water.
In March of 1923 Harry and Flossie had their first child, Doris Lorraine, born at home in the upstairs of a duplex they were renting and delivered by Dr. Alex Ridgway. In 1924 Harry and his family moved to Minneapolis. His mother and father were living there and his mother as getting ill and weak. They purchased a house at 3344 Emerson Ave. South. His mother passed away in April 1925 and just a little over two weeks later, their second child, Jean Louise was born.
Harry worked for the Artsign Company where he learned the trade of lithography and silk screening. He would later pass this knowledge onto two of his sons-in-law, Thomas Kennelly and Norman Smith. He worked there many years. During the 20’s era Harry drove a Model T Ford. It was a crank start and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn’t. I remember him telling me “it had its own mind.” When it didn’t start he would get to work via streetcar or cab. Later years he rode the city buses a lot.
In August of 1927, their third child was born, another daughter, Ethel Marie. She later was labeled with the nickname of the ‘wild-one.’ From stories I have heard through my lifetime, it was well earned. In a cold November of 1930, their 4th and final daughter was born, Agnes Dolores. Harry now had his family complete and worked hard supporting them. He did whatever it took to keep them fed and clothed, sometimes working second part-time jobs to get them through, if he could find the work. Things were tough in the 1930’s and by 1933 the economy was in the toilet and the depression was in full blast. But our government, consisting of some very wise legislators, decided this would be good time to repeal prohibition, which they did on December 5, 1933. Now the public could legally drown their sorrows and at least think they were happier than they actually were.
The Jewett home on Emerson Ave. was only 2 ½ blocks from Lakewood Cemetery. There is a large pond on the cemetery property that was fed underground by Lake Calhoun. The bass would come there to spawn in the spring. During the depression, Harry would sometimes sneak into the cemetery at night, scaling the high steel fence and catch a stringer full of bass and sneak back home. I remember him telling me that he had a magic bait that worked so well, he could catch a stringer of bass in less than 20 minutes. The secret bait was goldfish. Illegal? Maybe, but when you have hungry mouths to feed, you do what you have to.
It was also during the late 30’s that Flossie Jewett started getting very ill. Her four daughters had to take care of her. She had developed Parkinson’s disease and gradually got weaker and weaker. She would be so sick at times she couldn’t get out bed, and then she would rebound and would be good for a while and able to take care of herself.
This continued through 1940’s and the girls were mostly through school and preparing to ‘leave the nest.' Lorraine was first, getting married in Dec 1942 at 19 years old to Warren Childers; then came sneaky Ethel in Sep 1944 at 17 years old to Norman Smith; Jean jumped ship in June of 1946 at 21 years old and married Hank Matson; and then Dolores in March of 1949 at 18 years old to George Almsted.
Now, with all the children gone, it was time to downsize and Harry and Flossie sold the house on Emerson and got an apartment on Franklin Avenue near Loring Park. Harry was still working but was now with the H.A. Rogers Company of Minneapolis. They were living in the apartment for only a few years when Flossie passed away on April 14, 1952 in her 49th year. Her death devastated Harry. Even though she had been very ill and her death expected, it left a huge hole in his heart. She was his one and only true love and he took her death very hard.
Although Harry stayed at the apartment for a time, he began spending more and more time at the homes of his daughters. He was never one to be alone and enjoyed being with people. Everyone loved him and enjoyed him. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. But to know him as well as many of us did, you could see that the sparks in his eyes no longer shined. He would sit quietly at times and you could tell his mind was elsewhere, somewhere with Flossie, I’m sure.
Throughout the 50’s the families would all rent cabins at a resort near Annandale and all of the sisters and their families would be together for a week. They were wonderful times and Harry enjoyed it thoroughly. His whole family together would do wonders for his already gentle disposition. There were some times when Harry would go up to Annandale and get a cabin for a week by himself. When he did this, I was almost always the lucky one who got to go with him. After all, I was the fish cleaner, and every good fisherman needed a good fish cleaner. I got to spend a lot of time with him one on one and listen to his stories, his jokes, his singing and his crazy poetry. He was my mentor, my partner, my buddy, my friend and a grandpa that I loved and respected so much.
Then came the 1960’s. Most of the cousins were growing up, everyone was busy with their own lives. Our parents were all working and the trips to the cabins were over. But the worst thing to happen was that Harry was starting to suffer with hardening of the arteries, which they now call Alzheimers Disease.
It progressed rapidly and his memory was getting rapidly worse. On July 18, 1964, Harry passed away at the Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Immediate cause of death was Staphylococcal Pneumonia due to Chronic Brain Syndrome and Cerebral Arteriosclerosis.
Minneapolis Star & Tribune, date unknown
Jewett, Harry H. age 69, of 4626 France Ave S. Survived by 4 daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Services 1 p.m. Tues. at Hanson-Nugent Funeral Home, 2116 Nicollet. Graveside services, 3:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Annandale.
The Annandale Advocate, date unknown
Harry H. Jewett, 69, who was raised in Annandale, died at the Methodist hospital, in Minneapolis, July 18. Funeral services were held at Hanson-Nugent Funeral home, on Tuesday. Graveside service Woodlawn cemetery, Annandale.
Survivors are four daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Harry Jewett was occupied for a time as a photographer in Annandale, and had a studio on the second floor of John Buri's Hardware.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Biography of Harry Houghton Jewett compiled from records and memories of his grandson, James K. Childers.
Harry Houghton Jewett was born Dec 29, 1894 in Maple Lake, Minnesota to Adam Aaron Jewett and Gertrude Eva Past. He was the first of seven children to survive to adulthood, having three sisters and one brother precede him in death in infancy, the last being sister Lulu who died in April of 1893. His younger brother , Calvin, born in July 1898 and younger sister Eva, born in March of 1903, would also survive to adulthood.
His family lived in Maple Lake, Minnesota, moving there from Marysville Township in Buffalo County in 1887. Harry attended elementary and secondary school in Maple Lake until the age of thirteen, when his family moved to Estabrook, North Dakota and later to Barlow, North Dakota, where his father was at one time mayor of that city. Around 1915/1916 the family moved back to Minnesota settling in the town of Annandale where his father managed the grain elevator of the Osborne-McMillan Company. During this period they also ran managed the Dale Theater in Annandale and grew their own popcorn to sell at the theater.
Harry did many different jobs while living in Annandale, one of them was loading and unloading rail cars. In June of 1917 Harry had to register for the draft of World War I. His draft notice stated that he had “two operations for serious bowel trouble and was unable to do hard work,” which was signed by the deputy registrar, who just happened to be Adam Jewett, Harry’s father. Even with his ‘bowel’ problems, Harry continued to work at the railyards off and on and one day in 1918 saw a girl’s name and address from North Carolina written with chalk on the inner wall of a boxcar. She was looking for a ‘pen-pal.’ Harry scribbled down the name and address, and started writing this girl. They wrote back and forth for about two years and in March of 1920 Harry proposed marriage to her. She accepted and in April Harry boarded a train and headed off to North Carolina. He arrived there on April 15, 1920 and the next day was married to Florence ‘Flossie’ Ellen Mills at her parents’ home. The Mills family were Quakers and the ceremony was sweet and simple. They spent that evening at the Mills residence, sleeping in separate beds, and the next day boarded a train back to Minnesota. As grandpa told me, they consummated their marriage in a Pullman car.
Upon returning to Annandale, Harry continued doing different jobs, working at one time for the Annandale Advocate newspaper where he became deeply interested in photography. He opened his own photo studio for a time. World War I had ended in November of 1918 and as the nation was celebrating along came the Volstead Act in in October of 1919 introducing prohibition of alcoholic beverages, which put a damper on things. Economically, things were pretty tough during this time, but Harry managed to make enough money to keep his head above water.
In March of 1923 Harry and Flossie had their first child, Doris Lorraine, born at home in the upstairs of a duplex they were renting and delivered by Dr. Alex Ridgway. In 1924 Harry and his family moved to Minneapolis. His mother and father were living there and his mother as getting ill and weak. They purchased a house at 3344 Emerson Ave. South. His mother passed away in April 1925 and just a little over two weeks later, their second child, Jean Louise was born.
Harry worked for the Artsign Company where he learned the trade of lithography and silk screening. He would later pass this knowledge onto two of his sons-in-law, Thomas Kennelly and Norman Smith. He worked there many years. During the 20’s era Harry drove a Model T Ford. It was a crank start and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn’t. I remember him telling me “it had its own mind.” When it didn’t start he would get to work via streetcar or cab. Later years he rode the city buses a lot.
In August of 1927, their third child was born, another daughter, Ethel Marie. She later was labeled with the nickname of the ‘wild-one.’ From stories I have heard through my lifetime, it was well earned. In a cold November of 1930, their 4th and final daughter was born, Agnes Dolores. Harry now had his family complete and worked hard supporting them. He did whatever it took to keep them fed and clothed, sometimes working second part-time jobs to get them through, if he could find the work. Things were tough in the 1930’s and by 1933 the economy was in the toilet and the depression was in full blast. But our government, consisting of some very wise legislators, decided this would be good time to repeal prohibition, which they did on December 5, 1933. Now the public could legally drown their sorrows and at least think they were happier than they actually were.
The Jewett home on Emerson Ave. was only 2 ½ blocks from Lakewood Cemetery. There is a large pond on the cemetery property that was fed underground by Lake Calhoun. The bass would come there to spawn in the spring. During the depression, Harry would sometimes sneak into the cemetery at night, scaling the high steel fence and catch a stringer full of bass and sneak back home. I remember him telling me that he had a magic bait that worked so well, he could catch a stringer of bass in less than 20 minutes. The secret bait was goldfish. Illegal? Maybe, but when you have hungry mouths to feed, you do what you have to.
It was also during the late 30’s that Flossie Jewett started getting very ill. Her four daughters had to take care of her. She had developed Parkinson’s disease and gradually got weaker and weaker. She would be so sick at times she couldn’t get out bed, and then she would rebound and would be good for a while and able to take care of herself.
This continued through 1940’s and the girls were mostly through school and preparing to ‘leave the nest.' Lorraine was first, getting married in Dec 1942 at 19 years old to Warren Childers; then came sneaky Ethel in Sep 1944 at 17 years old to Norman Smith; Jean jumped ship in June of 1946 at 21 years old and married Hank Matson; and then Dolores in March of 1949 at 18 years old to George Almsted.
Now, with all the children gone, it was time to downsize and Harry and Flossie sold the house on Emerson and got an apartment on Franklin Avenue near Loring Park. Harry was still working but was now with the H.A. Rogers Company of Minneapolis. They were living in the apartment for only a few years when Flossie passed away on April 14, 1952 in her 49th year. Her death devastated Harry. Even though she had been very ill and her death expected, it left a huge hole in his heart. She was his one and only true love and he took her death very hard.
Although Harry stayed at the apartment for a time, he began spending more and more time at the homes of his daughters. He was never one to be alone and enjoyed being with people. Everyone loved him and enjoyed him. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. But to know him as well as many of us did, you could see that the sparks in his eyes no longer shined. He would sit quietly at times and you could tell his mind was elsewhere, somewhere with Flossie, I’m sure.
Throughout the 50’s the families would all rent cabins at a resort near Annandale and all of the sisters and their families would be together for a week. They were wonderful times and Harry enjoyed it thoroughly. His whole family together would do wonders for his already gentle disposition. There were some times when Harry would go up to Annandale and get a cabin for a week by himself. When he did this, I was almost always the lucky one who got to go with him. After all, I was the fish cleaner, and every good fisherman needed a good fish cleaner. I got to spend a lot of time with him one on one and listen to his stories, his jokes, his singing and his crazy poetry. He was my mentor, my partner, my buddy, my friend and a grandpa that I loved and respected so much.
Then came the 1960’s. Most of the cousins were growing up, everyone was busy with their own lives. Our parents were all working and the trips to the cabins were over. But the worst thing to happen was that Harry was starting to suffer with hardening of the arteries, which they now call Alzheimers Disease.
It progressed rapidly and his memory was getting rapidly worse. On July 18, 1964, Harry passed away at the Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Immediate cause of death was Staphylococcal Pneumonia due to Chronic Brain Syndrome and Cerebral Arteriosclerosis.
Jewett, Harry H. age 69, of 4626 France Ave S. Survived by 4 daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Services 1 p.m. Tues. at Hanson-Nugent Funeral Home, 2116 Nicollet. Graveside services, 3:30 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Annandale.
The Annandale Advocate, date unknown
Harry H. Jewett, 69, who was raised in Annandale, died at the Methodist hospital, in Minneapolis, July 18. Funeral services were held at Hanson-Nugent Funeral home, on Tuesday. Graveside service Woodlawn cemetery, Annandale.
Survivors are four daughters; Mrs. Thomas (Lorraine) Kennelly, Mrs. Don (Jean) McDonald, Mrs. Arthur (Ethel) Mills, Mrs. George (Delores) Almsted all of Mpls. 20 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Sister, Mrs. Eva Usher of Mpls, Brother, Calvin C. Jewett of St Louis Park.
Harry Jewett was occupied for a time as a photographer in Annandale, and had a studio on the second floor of John Buri's Hardware.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Biography of Harry Houghton Jewett compiled from records and memories of his grandson, James K. Childers.
Harry Houghton Jewett was born Dec 29, 1894 in Maple Lake, Minnesota to Adam Aaron Jewett and Gertrude Eva Past. He was the first of seven children to survive to adulthood, having three sisters and one brother precede him in death in infancy, the last being sister Lulu who died in April of 1893. His younger brother , Calvin, born in July 1898 and younger sister Eva, born in March of 1903, would also survive to adulthood.
His family lived in Maple Lake, Minnesota, moving there from Marysville Township in Buffalo County in 1887. Harry attended elementary and secondary school in Maple Lake until the age of thirteen, when his family moved to Estabrook, North Dakota and later to Barlow, North Dakota, where his father was at one time mayor of that city. Around 1915/1916 the family moved back to Minnesota settling in the town of Annandale where his father managed the grain elevator of the Osborne-McMillan Company. During this period they also ran managed the Dale Theater in Annandale and grew their own popcorn to sell at the theater.
Harry did many different jobs while living in Annandale, one of them was loading and unloading rail cars. In June of 1917 Harry had to register for the draft of World War I. His draft notice stated that he had “two operations for serious bowel trouble and was unable to do hard work,” which was signed by the deputy registrar, who just happened to be Adam Jewett, Harry’s father. Even with his ‘bowel’ problems, Harry continued to work at the railyards off and on and one day in 1918 saw a girl’s name and address from North Carolina written with chalk on the inner wall of a boxcar. She was looking for a ‘pen-pal.’ Harry scribbled down the name and address, and started writing this girl. They wrote back and forth for about two years and in March of 1920 Harry proposed marriage to her. She accepted and in April Harry boarded a train and headed off to North Carolina. He arrived there on April 15, 1920 and the next day was married to Florence ‘Flossie’ Ellen Mills at her parents’ home. The Mills family were Quakers and the ceremony was sweet and simple. They spent that evening at the Mills residence, sleeping in separate beds, and the next day boarded a train back to Minnesota. As grandpa told me, they consummated their marriage in a Pullman car.
Upon returning to Annandale, Harry continued doing different jobs, working at one time for the Annandale Advocate newspaper where he became deeply interested in photography. He opened his own photo studio for a time. World War I had ended in November of 1918 and as the nation was celebrating along came the Volstead Act in in October of 1919 introducing prohibition of alcoholic beverages, which put a damper on things. Economically, things were pretty tough during this time, but Harry managed to make enough money to keep his head above water.
In March of 1923 Harry and Flossie had their first child, Doris Lorraine, born at home in the upstairs of a duplex they were renting and delivered by Dr. Alex Ridgway. In 1924 Harry and his family moved to Minneapolis. His mother and father were living there and his mother as getting ill and weak. They purchased a house at 3344 Emerson Ave. South. His mother passed away in April 1925 and just a little over two weeks later, their second child, Jean Louise was born.
Harry worked for the Artsign Company where he learned the trade of lithography and silk screening. He would later pass this knowledge onto two of his sons-in-law, Thomas Kennelly and Norman Smith. He worked there many years. During the 20’s era Harry drove a Model T Ford. It was a crank start and sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn’t. I remember him telling me “it had its own mind.” When it didn’t start he would get to work via streetcar or cab. Later years he rode the city buses a lot.
In August of 1927, their third child was born, another daughter, Ethel Marie. She later was labeled with the nickname of the ‘wild-one.’ From stories I have heard through my lifetime, it was well earned. In a cold November of 1930, their 4th and final daughter was born, Agnes Dolores. Harry now had his family complete and worked hard supporting them. He did whatever it took to keep them fed and clothed, sometimes working second part-time jobs to get them through, if he could find the work. Things were tough in the 1930’s and by 1933 the economy was in the toilet and the depression was in full blast. But our government, consisting of some very wise legislators, decided this would be good time to repeal prohibition, which they did on December 5, 1933. Now the public could legally drown their sorrows and at least think they were happier than they actually were.
The Jewett home on Emerson Ave. was only 2 ½ blocks from Lakewood Cemetery. There is a large pond on the cemetery property that was fed underground by Lake Calhoun. The bass would come there to spawn in the spring. During the depression, Harry would sometimes sneak into the cemetery at night, scaling the high steel fence and catch a stringer full of bass and sneak back home. I remember him telling me that he had a magic bait that worked so well, he could catch a stringer of bass in less than 20 minutes. The secret bait was goldfish. Illegal? Maybe, but when you have hungry mouths to feed, you do what you have to.
It was also during the late 30’s that Flossie Jewett started getting very ill. Her four daughters had to take care of her. She had developed Parkinson’s disease and gradually got weaker and weaker. She would be so sick at times she couldn’t get out bed, and then she would rebound and would be good for a while and able to take care of herself.
This continued through 1940’s and the girls were mostly through school and preparing to ‘leave the nest.' Lorraine was first, getting married in Dec 1942 at 19 years old to Warren Childers; then came sneaky Ethel in Sep 1944 at 17 years old to Norman Smith; Jean jumped ship in June of 1946 at 21 years old and married Hank Matson; and then Dolores in March of 1949 at 18 years old to George Almsted.
Now, with all the children gone, it was time to downsize and Harry and Flossie sold the house on Emerson and got an apartment on Franklin Avenue near Loring Park. Harry was still working but was now with the H.A. Rogers Company of Minneapolis. They were living in the apartment for only a few years when Flossie passed away on April 14, 1952 in her 49th year. Her death devastated Harry. Even though she had been very ill and her death expected, it left a huge hole in his heart. She was his one and only true love and he took her death very hard.
Although Harry stayed at the apartment for a time, he began spending more and more time at the homes of his daughters. He was never one to be alone and enjoyed being with people. Everyone loved him and enjoyed him. He loved spending time with his grandchildren. But to know him as well as many of us did, you could see that the sparks in his eyes no longer shined. He would sit quietly at times and you could tell his mind was elsewhere, somewhere with Flossie, I’m sure.
Throughout the 50’s the families would all rent cabins at a resort near Annandale and all of the sisters and their families would be together for a week. They were wonderful times and Harry enjoyed it thoroughly. His whole family together would do wonders for his already gentle disposition. There were some times when Harry would go up to Annandale and get a cabin for a week by himself. When he did this, I was almost always the lucky one who got to go with him. After all, I was the fish cleaner, and every good fisherman needed a good fish cleaner. I got to spend a lot of time with him one on one and listen to his stories, his jokes, his singing and his crazy poetry. He was my mentor, my partner, my buddy, my friend and a grandpa that I loved and respected so much.
Then came the 1960’s. Most of the cousins were growing up, everyone was busy with their own lives. Our parents were all working and the trips to the cabins were over. But the worst thing to happen was that Harry was starting to suffer with hardening of the arteries, which they now call Alzheimers Disease.
It progressed rapidly and his memory was getting rapidly worse. On July 18, 1964, Harry passed away at the Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Immediate cause of death was Staphylococcal Pneumonia due to Chronic Brain Syndrome and Cerebral Arteriosclerosis.
Gravesite Details
Foot marker shows year of birth as 1895, it is actually 1894
Family Members
Siblings
