February 23, 1942 Diary

Monday, 54th Day - 311 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

More snow last nite, about 5 inches.

Cleared off by noon.

Dad and I went to Phillip Haas to get Una's, Marjorie and ? ? birth blank signed for their birth certificate.

To Don's this P.M. to cut up the veal.

Mr. Fredel came to Don's to look at Marjorie's colt.  Offered to buy her for $60.

Listened to a speech from the President.

We went to Niwot today with Lottie B[runing] and G. Jain - all on business.

Click here to listen to FDR's Fireside Chat No. 20, the same one that Grandma listened to on this night.

Birth Certificates

Margie and Fred's daughters, Marjorie (Arbuthnot) Campion and Una (Arbuthnot) Albert would have been adults yet, they didn't have birth certificates since they were born at home.  Same for their brothers, Ken and Don.  But this year, they were able to fill out the information and get it notarized so that they could get official birth certificates issued by the State of Colorado   

Fred and Marjorie also didn't have birth certificates, What they were able to use were statements from the U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Census verifying when they were born.

It's too bad I can't read Grandma's hand writing to make out the third person who was also filling out the blank form for their birth certificate. 

Fed Arbuthnot's 1942 evidence of his birth

Margie Arbuthnot's evidence of her birth

January 17, 1942 Diary

Saturday, 17th Day - 348 Days to Follow

written by Margie Arbuthnot

20 degrees above at 8 o'clock A.M.

Not so warm today.

The girls and children came at 9:30, left at 3:30.

Stopped at Don's 

Dad brought car by from Marjorie.

N. E. wind this P.M.

Tem[perature] at 8:30 P.M. 25 degrees.

No letter from Nora today.

Elnora "Nora" Coe Wise 

Nora was the sister of Margie's.  She was living in what is now Littleton, Colorado with her brothers and mother on a farm they were renting.  In the 1940 U.S. Census, that farm is located on Coal Mine Road in South Jefferson County, Colorado.  Sometime between 1920 and 1930, Nora had married John.  He was an engineer who worked on the construction of a dam that was a part of the Panama Cannel.

By 1940, Nora and John were no longer married and she is living with her family.  In the 1940 United States Census, it states that she is a widow, but family history said that they were divorced.  It is unclear as to what had happened.  Divorce was a shameful thing at this time, so it was common for a woman to tell a census taker that she was widowed rather than divorced.  Although, John Wise may not have been living at the time of this census.  Nora and John had no children.

I have fond memories of visiting Aunt Nora and her brothers, Uncles Fred and Floyd, in their home in Littleton.  She often had a gift for me, a few that I still cherish to this day.

Here is a copy of the 1940 U.S. Census where they are listed, living on Coal Mine Road, Jefferson County, Colorado.  In the 1940's this area was known as Montana.  This is a good example of how the census taker would often get information wrong.  The head of this household is listed as Lloyd, but his name was Floyd Coe.

Close up of the 1940 U. S. Census
Coe household with Nora Wise listed

1940 U.S. Census, Montana, Jefferson County, Colorado
Family of Coe and Wise listed.

Lois Waisbrooker, One of Boulder's first feminists

In the 1870 U. S. Census on page three, household 17, in Boulder City, Colorado Territory is listed Carson Arbuthnot and his wife Frances.  Carson ten years earlier had been sheriff in the Gold Hill Mining District, his wife was in Salt Creek, Tama County, Iowa at the time.  By 1870, they had been reunited and living together in Boulder.  Here is a portion of the U.S. Census where they appear...

Page 3, 1870 US Census for Boulder City, Colorado Territory

What is very interesting about this census are the others who are living with Carson and Franny Arbuthnot.  Two men, Scott Thomas, a carpenter and farmer, William Rinker a shoe-maker.  And a woman, a lecturer, Lois Weisbroker.  None are members of the Arbuthnot family.

I have been contacted by a person who is researching a 19th century feminist who's name is Lois Waisbrooker.  He believes that the woman living with the Arbuthnot couple is the same woman as the one he is researching.  Given that the census taker misspelled Arbuthnot as Arbuttmot - I believe that this researcher is correct and the correct spelling for this woman in this household is Lois Waisbrooker.

In the 1870's she appeared before audiences in Denver for several lectures that were announced in the Rocky Mountain News.  These appearances coincide with the time period that the census was taken.

Lois Waisbrooker was not only a speaker, but an author who wrote extensively on sex, marriage, birth control, women's rights, and related issues.  She was a radical of her time, an anarchist and spiritualist.  She was one of Boulder's first feminists who worked tirelessly for the betterment of women.  She is best known for her 1893 publication A Sex Revolution.  Ms. Waisbrooker was born Adeline Eliza Nichols in upstate New York in 1826.

One wonders, what was her relationship to the Arbuthnots?  Did her presence in the Arbuthnot home have any bearing on Franny's leaving to return to Iowa later that year where she died?  Were any characters in her book, Mayweed Blossoms, that was published in 1871, have any relationship to those whom she met in Boulder?  (Could she have been having a relationship with any of the other men in this household?)  Given that her birth name was Nichols, was she related to any of Boulder's other Nichols as there were many in Boulder since it's beginnings in February of 1859, all of whom were either friends or aquaintcients of Carson Arbuthnot.  So many questions and again, one may never know the answers.

More about Lois Waisbrooker.  

1860 U. S. Census

 Every ten years our country counts and records it's residents.  It is a snapshot of one day, where people reside.  In 1860, the census was not always taken on the same day and duplicate entries happened.

The Arbuthnot's were recorded in two different places.  Carson, James and son-in-law Stephen are in Gold Hill.  And all of the family is recorded in Iowa, including Carson and James.  At this time, Samuel and William were in gold country, probably in a very remote area, and were not counted in the Nebraska Territory where they were mining.    I've included the Iowa State Census here as well, when all of the Arbuthnots were in Iowa and they had not come to the gold fields yet.

1856 Iowa State Census, Tama County, Iowa

1860 U. S. Census, Gold Hill Mining District, Nebraska Territory

1860 U. S. Census, Salt Creek Township, Tama County, Iowa

Population Timeline for Boulder, CO with establishment of surrounding areas.

1858 (Oct. 17) - Original camp of gold-seeking men of European descent camped at the Red Rocks, above the entrance of Boulder Canyon.  Population of 12 men in this first encampment.

1859 - (Jan. 15) Mining District 1, also called Gold Hill Mining District, is established

1859 - Washington Lode was established for it's "wagon coal mine" where settlers would drive up their wagons and load up with coal to take to their home or business for heating and cooking.  This was later sold to Joseph Marshall and the encampment town of Marshall was named for him.  The coal and iron town became knows as one of the toughest and fight-ingest in the entire west.

1859 (Feb. 10th) - Due to a snow storm in the mountains, there were 56 men who came out of the mountains to establish a supply town.  These 56 shareholders (all miners from Gold Hill) establish Boulder City with 4,044 lots surveyed and offered for sale at $1,000 per lot.

1860 - Ward Mining District is established

1860 U.S. Census - Nebraska Territory (included the following communities: Boulder City, Altoona City, Boulder Creek Settlement, Gold Hill Settlement, Miravalle City, Platte River Settlement)  Population of Boulder was 324 residents.

1861 - town of Altona (mouth of Left Hand Canyon) is incorporated (first called Modoc, then Ni Wot, then Altona)

1861 - where the Overland Stage Stop is located, at the St. Vrain River, the town of Burlington is established (Today, the Overland Stage Route is Highway 287 which runs through Longmont, CO)

1861 - Colorado becomes a recognized Territory, combining portions of Utah, Nebraska and Kansas Territories.

1865 - town of Valmont (Valley+Mountain) is platted

1869 - community of Ryssby is established by seven Swedish families (along what is 63rd Street today)

1870 U.S. Census - Boulder County population was 1,939 of those 343 lived in Boulder City with Carson and Frannie Arbuthnot being listed as the oldest residents in Boulder City.

1871 - town of Longmont (for Long's Peak) was founded by the Chicago-Colorado Colony.  The town of Burlington relocates a quarter-mile north to join up with Longmont.

1874 - Even before Colorado had become it's own territory, organizing and lobbying for the university had began in 1860.  In 1874, Boulder was awarded the designation for the University of Colorado after the town of Boulder had raised $15,000 and acquired 44.9 in donated acres, beating out communities such as Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver.  Since there are not enough qualified students to attend the university, the State Preparatory School - a high school, is started to prepare the students to enter the University.  This is now Boulder High School and still is represented by the original colors - purple and gold - and the original mascot - the Panthers.

1875 - town of Ni Wot (now Niwot) is established by the railroad company.  Land was donated by Porter T. Hinman, originally a gold miner, for the establishment of this community.

1880 U.S. Census - Boulder - population 3,069 

1882 - town of Louisville is incorporated.  The town first began as the Welch Mine in 1877, a coal mine that served Denver.  The town was established to serve the coal company by Louis Nawatny who platted his property and named the town for himself.

1889 - town of Broomfield established, not incorporated until 1961.  Broomfield is was an agricultural community where grains were grown and loaded on the train to transport to Zang's Brewery.

1890 U.S. Census - Boulder - population 3,330 

1890 - town of Lafayette is incorporated.  In 1888, 150 acres was platted to be the town of Lafayette to serve the growing coal mine.  Platted by the widow, Mary Miller, on her farm which had been established by her and her husband, Lafayette Miller, in 1871.

1896 - town of Superior is founded and later incorporated in 1904

1900 U.S. Census - Boulder - 6,150
1910 U.S. Census - Boulder - 9,539
1920 U.S. Census - Boulder - 11,066
1930 U.S. Census - Boulder - 11,223
1940 U.S. Census - Boulder - 12,958
1950 U.S. Census - Boulder - 19,999
1960 U.S. Census - Boulder - 37,718

1970 U.S. Census - Boulder - 66,870
University of Colorado students were counted by the U.S. Census in Boulder (rather than their home town) for the first time in 1970.

1980 U.S. Census - Boulder - 76,685
1990 U.S. Census - Boulder - 83,312
2000 U.S. Census - Boulder - 94,673
2010 U.S. Census - Boulder - 103,600 (estimated)