The "Tree of Knowledge" was a conversation a few days ago on the JCHS Facebook page. I ran across a photo that one of our volunteers said "I remember that guy sitting on the bench by the tree talking to others." The name on the back of the photo is Bob Parker. His photo was in the Naomi Johnson photo collection. Does anyone know anything about this guy? This photo, I think, has become one of my favorites. Character and personality can't help but be felt when looking at this photo. I would have liked to have a conversation with him. ~Deb

I had to chuckle when we ran across this photo in the "stacks" at the Old Jefferson Town Genealogy library. As a retired public school educator, I can say, this would have been a "busy recess duty" area. Do you recognize anyone in this photo or can anyone put a year on this? Do you remember playing on a merry-go-round like this one? Did you know that Old Jefferson Town has a merry-go-round like this near the Wellman School building? I did a rough estimate of how many photos are in our OJT files...we have close to 30,000 photos. I knew we had a lot, but when I did the Math, I was amazed and brought to reality. So far, we've scanned approximately 800 of those photos to our online program. When we scan a photo, whatever information we have is entered as well. While scanning 800 photos is a lot of volunteer hours, we have a whole lot more hours to put in. Right now we have 7 consistent volunteers who come in and keep plugging away at the files. If you would be interested in helping, we can use your help. Currently, there's a group of volunteers that comes in on Tuesday afternoon. We are limited on the number of people we can get on computers, so Tuesday afternoon is full. However, if anyone is interested in coming in on Tuesday morning, we would love to have you join us. The work time has become a fun time to share stories and learn about the past of Jefferson County. No experience is needed, we'll show you what you need to know. Along with the photos, we have been continuing to enter object data and people data. So far, we have entered over 3200 object files and entered data on over 1200 people. We are hoping to go "live" in June with what we have entered. You, the public, will have access, virtually, to the rich history of Jefferson County. It's definitely an exciting time for Old Jefferson Town and Jefferson County. ~Deb

Genevieve Hurley is referred to as "the darling of Jefferson County" in an article that was published in The Topeka Capital-Journal on September 11, 1997, in connection with a book then in the works that was to be about the tragedy that occurred at the T.A. Hurley farmhouse southeast of Meriden on May 14, 1923. Ironically, by then (September 11, 1997), the name Darling had already figured prominently in two post-tragedy accounts of the fire that destroyed the farmhouse, leaving three charred bodies in its wake, and the ensuing investigation into the fire and the events that may have immediately preceded it. What we do know for sure, as documented by a short story in the May 9, 1919, issue of The Meriden Ledger, is that Genevieve Hurley left the world (whenever she left the world) having written the lyrics to a lovely song, "When The Roses Bloom In May", the words for which can be found on the historical society's Facebook page. The song was copyrighted under Genevieve Hurley's name in 1919 and maybe one of these days those of us who don't play the piano or sing so well will be able to hear it performed somewhere here in Jefferson County. Just a thought. Message reposted by me on February 8, Genevieve Hurley's birthday. She's back!!!