AN HISTORICAL SOCIETY - 6 June l907

KELLEY, BRIGGS, HORNER, SALYARDS, SMITH, HARVEY, ARNOLD, MCGINNIS, SIGLER, VARGA

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 11/30/2001 at 15:32:56

Decatur County Journal
June 6, l907

Decatur County Organization Was Completed at
a Meeting Held Last
Saturday Evening...

The meeting held in the assembly room at the
City Library Building last
Saturday evening, for the purpose of
organizing a County Historical
Society was well attended, thirty-one being
present. The real
organization of a Historical Society in
Decatur County was started in
l90l at Lamoni with the following members:
RICHARD KELLEY, E.L. KELLEY,
JR., MRS. CARRIE JUDD BRIGGS, MISS MABEL
HORNER, DR. J.B. HORNER,
RICHARD SALYARDS and FRED M. SMITH. FRED M.
SMITH, who now resides in
Independence, Mo., was elected President,
which position he filled until
the meeting last Saturday evening when the
new and larger Organization
was formed. JUDGE JOHN W. HARVEY was elected
as Chairman at the
meeting. Those present were enthusiastic and
a Decatur County
Historical Society was organized within a
very short time after the
meeting had been called to order.
Twenty-nine joined at the meeting and
seven additional names enrolled before and
since the meeting make a
total membership of thirty-six in Leon.

HON. G.P. ARNOLD, of Garden Grove, read a
highly interesting article
entitled, "About New Buda and the
Hungarians", which was certainly
enjoyed. We reproduce the article in full
below. JUDGE HARVEY talked
for a few moments and V.R. MCGINNIS also
addressed the gathering.
Following this FRED M. SMITH, President of
the Society organized in
l90l, addressed the meeting. MR. SMITH is
indeed well informed in
historical matters and his remarks were
interesting from first to last.
He has some valuable historical records which
he proposes to turn over
to the Society. After MR. SMITH had
concluded his remarks, the
following officers were elected:

President - HON. G.P. ARNOLD, of Garden
Grove.
Vice President - JUDGE JOHN W. HARVEY, of
Leon.
Secretary - HEMAN C. SMITH, of Lamoni.
Assistant Secretary - MRS. W.E. MYERS, of
Leon.
Curators - STEPHEN VARGA and MRS. L.P.
SIGLER, of Leon.

The Society will meet twice each year or
oftener at the call of the
President. The organization will have
headquarters at the Leon City
Library Building where they will be provided
with a place where their
records can be kept. The officers were
authorized to accept members,
who will be charter members, until the next
meeting, after which time
all applications for membership will be voted
upon. There are no dues
or initiation fees, the expenses of the
Society to be paid by donations
from its members.

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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
November 25, 200l