History of Edgar, Nebraska

This history by Mrs. Grace Merrill appeared in the Edgar Sun on April 23, 1937.
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1940 Census - available after 72 years.

The 1940 census was released on April 2, 2012 following its 72 years in the closet. The initial product was the images of each of the pages. Indexing to follow.

The ancestry.com images for Nebraska were available on Thursday evening, the 4th. There are 38 pages of 40 names each for the city of Sutton (Sutton township portion). We'll be putting information from the census on the blog later.

Two things that stood out on the first look were associated with NYA projects. That was the National Youth Administration that was part of the WPA and operated from 1935 until 1943. The two projects that Sutton people listed as employment were "Book Repair" and "Sewing Project." One woman listed herself as a "clerk and time-keeper" for the sewing project. That needs more research before our imaginations run wild.

La Follette's brother lived in Sutton????

Another cool item gleaned from the old newspapers. 

"100 Years Ago

Mayor Bender introduced Wisconsin Senator Robert M. La Follette as he arrived in Sutton for a reception and speech during the 1912 presidential campaign. La Follette told the crowd that he felt he was not a stranger to the people of the vicinity as his brother Bill was a former resident of Sutton. (To which I say, “Huh?” A quick check finds Robert age 5 and his brother W. T., 12, in Primrose, Wisconsin in 1860. William La Follet lived in Chamberlain, South Dakota in 1900 and was back in Wisconsin in 1910.) Robert La Follette left Sutton heading for Harvard and Hastings in that 1912 visit."

Need to do some more research on this one. It sounds like William La Follette would have been in Sutton in the 1880's or 90's, not the easiest time to find more information.