the photo collection of ellen fellers
Ellen Mann Fellers, second wife of Willis (W.C.) Fellers, was a lover of history and an advocate for young people's adventures into culture. She donated a photo collection that consisted of photographs she had preserved of the Fellers family. It includes rare photographs of William Fellers, a first-wave pioneer here, of W. C.'s first wife Anna Groves Fellers, and many friends and places.
These photographs reflect a network of relationships. First, Anna Mary Groves married Willis Fellers. Nine years later, Anna's sister Iantha married Willis's father, William Fellers. Iantha was a widow, and had a young daughter from the earlier marriage, Martha (Flossie) DeArnold. A sister of Anna and Iantha --Louise Eleanor (Ellen) -- married Jeremiah (J. A.) Duncan, who came to Table Rock in 1897. Finally, the sisters' mother, Louise, came to Table Rock, living out her last years with Willis and Anna Fellers. Iantha and William, with Flossie, moved to Lincoln in about 1905; he died the next year. In 1910, Flossie married Sam McKelvie, who became editor of a prominent magazine, the Nebraska Farmer, and -- from 1919 to 1923 -- governor of Nebraska. Flossie McKelvie is described as having been an important silent movie columnist and seems to have been a patron of the arts throughout her life. She and her husband retired to "By the Way Ranch" outside Valentine, Nebraska. Little known is the fact that Flossie & Sam McKelvie lost an infant daughter a few days of age; they named her Dorothy and she is buried in Table Rock next to her grandmother, Iantha Groves Fellers.
These photographs reflect a network of relationships. First, Anna Mary Groves married Willis Fellers. Nine years later, Anna's sister Iantha married Willis's father, William Fellers. Iantha was a widow, and had a young daughter from the earlier marriage, Martha (Flossie) DeArnold. A sister of Anna and Iantha --Louise Eleanor (Ellen) -- married Jeremiah (J. A.) Duncan, who came to Table Rock in 1897. Finally, the sisters' mother, Louise, came to Table Rock, living out her last years with Willis and Anna Fellers. Iantha and William, with Flossie, moved to Lincoln in about 1905; he died the next year. In 1910, Flossie married Sam McKelvie, who became editor of a prominent magazine, the Nebraska Farmer, and -- from 1919 to 1923 -- governor of Nebraska. Flossie McKelvie is described as having been an important silent movie columnist and seems to have been a patron of the arts throughout her life. She and her husband retired to "By the Way Ranch" outside Valentine, Nebraska. Little known is the fact that Flossie & Sam McKelvie lost an infant daughter a few days of age; they named her Dorothy and she is buried in Table Rock next to her grandmother, Iantha Groves Fellers.
Photo 304. William (Billy) Fellers with unidentified child. Billy Fellers settled in Table Rock in 1856, during the first part of first wave of settlement (1854-1858).
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The obituary of William Fellers (1855-1906) gives some context:
He was born in Duchess county, New York, November 11, 1834. In 1855, he was united in marriage to Susana Freeman, and to this union seven children were born: Osman W. Fellers, Table Rock; Marion N. Fellers and Anna M. Jones, Genessee, Idaho; Willis C. Fellers, Table Rock; Minnie Strickland, Keewane, Illinois; Mattie J. Smith, Kansas City; and Lulu E. Fellers, deceased. Susan died May 8, 1893. |
Photo 196, "The 1st Fellers store," which eventually burned.
Photo 198, Fellers store, burned in the big fire of 1920. An earlier photo is labeled as the W. G. Carter store; Fellers may have purchased the building at one point....or one of the photos is mislabeled
Photo 193, display window at Fellers store
Photo 203. W. C. Fellers, "Old Man Fellers" (William Fellers), and store clerk Joe W.Tomek.
Photo 1267. Two unidentified women in the front yard of the home of W.C. Fellers.
Photo 86. This was not in the envelope containing the other photos of the Ellen Fellers collection but is included for context and reference. It is taken on the east side of the W.C. Fellers house. The photo is labeled as the "Duncan Family." One of the three Groves sisters was married to a Duncan. The woman who is second from the left is believed to be Flossie McKelvie. The next woman may be Anna Groves Fellers, the wife of W. C.Fellers. The seated man on the left appears to be Ossy Fellers. They are seated in front of one of the rock "islands" at the Fellers house, seen more clearly in a picture of Flossie DeArnold feeding a horse.
Photo 1304, Osyman & Ada Fellers. Ossy was the oldest child of William & Susana Fellers.
Photo 307. Unidentified, but appears to be Jane Groves, who lived in this house with her daughter and so-in-law, Anna and W. C. Fellers.
Photo 302, This photo is dated 1909. The woman is not identified. The location is the W. C. Fellers home. Jane Groves lived there during her latter years and until her death in 1911 and is the likely subject. She was the mother of Anna Mary Fellers (first wife of Mrs. W. C. Fellers), Louise Duncan and Iantha Fellers. She would have been about 82 in 1909. She is buried in the Table Rock Cemetery.
Photos 1258 & 1330 - Martha (Flossie) Groves in the backyard of her uncle W. C. Fellers home. Historical Society member Larry Layden says that there were several stone islands in the back yard which he mowed as a kid in the 1950s. W. C. Fellers' second wife Ellen supervised the mowing around those islands and was extremely particular about how they were to be trimmed.
Photo 1326, unidentified, possibly Flossie and her mother Iantha Groves DeArnoldFellers.
Photo 1339, unidentified, probably Sam McKelvie
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Samuel Roy McKelvie (1881-1956) was Governor of Nebraska from January 1919 to January 1923. The Wikipedia entry for him says he was born in Fairfield, Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska, graduating from college 1901. Then:
He married Martha (Flossie) DeArnold on June 19, 1904 and the couple had two children. As Martha McKelvie, his spouse was a noted silent movie columnist, and, starting three years after his death, the author of what became a total of twenty-four books, including "Presidents, Politicians and People I Have Known," a memoir. |
Photo 307, Sam McKelvie. Obviously a promo shot.
flossie in hollywood....
Photo 1306, Flossie McKelvie during a trip to Hollywood in 1918. Here she is with Harold Lockwood, a big silent movie star at the time.
Photo 1309. Bessie Love was a silent movie star. And a cousin of Martha McKelvie? The photo refers to Uncle Willie and Aunt Anna.... If a cousin, perhaps she provided the entree into the Hollywood scene evidenced in other photographs that appear to be from that trip
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She was born in Midland, Texas in 1898 and her real name was Juanita Horton.
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Photo 1345. At the right is Mary Pickford, according to the back of the chair. Unidentified actress on the left.
Photo 1311. 1311 – Fox Film studio movie publicity shot. Names are on the back, but difficult to interpret. Looks like William Farnum, a William Fox [movies]s star with Francis Carpenter, and Frank Lloyd his director.
Photo 1360 – Autographed picture of Douglas Fairbanks, 1918
Photo 1345, no annotation. From the Hollywood trip?
more of the mckelvies
Photo 1346, unidentified woman, possibly a very stylized portrait of Flossie McKelvie
Photo 1354, unidentified, but appears to be an older Martha McKelvie
Photo 1349a, unidentified but believed to be Flossie McKelvie
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Photo 1349b, unidentified but believed to be Flossie McKelvie. Both photos are unframed on similar very heavy paper, matte finish, not high quality, and appear to be promo pictures
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other - a street scene in humboldt
Photo 303 shows the east side of the Square in Humboldt, looking north.
Photo 303, unretouched
other - unidentified people and places
Photo 1302, unidentified youg woman, photo annotated that it was the day before going to Roanoke, VA, age 17
Photo 1303
Mr. M. N. Fellers is identified in the newspaper clipping that was with this photograph.
Photo 1307. Unidentified people and house.
Photo 1308, unidentified school girl. Imprinted on the frame is a common phrase, Souvenir of our School Days.
Photo 1313, unidentified family. The frame is imprinted "Drummond" studio.
Photo 1317, unidentified
Photo 1314, unidentified woman
Photo 1315, unidentified man, Wilson Studio of Pawnee City
Photo 1316, unidentified woman. Mat bears the imprint of a Texas studio.
Photo 1318, unidentified girl. Wilson Studio 1915. It may still have been in Table Rock.
Photo 1319, unidentified family
Photo 1319, a word or a name on the back
Photo 1320, unidentified man. Tulsa studio imprint.
Photo 1321, unidentified
Photo 1322, unidentified location, 1905
Photo 1323, unidentified child, Humboldt studio
Photo 1353, unidentified child.
Photo 304, William Fellers and unidentified child. The same as at the right?
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Photo 1357, unidentified boy
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Photo 1338, unidentified children. Pencil mark appears to donate studio, looks like Harris.
Photo 1324, unidentified girl. "Stratford" studio.
Photo 1335, unidentified
Photo 1350 – “To Aunt Anna, memories of a happy evening Francie M. Anderson.” The studio is at “1088 King Street, Sydney”
Photo 1326, unidentified woman
Photo 1346, unidentified woman in exquisitely beaded gown
Photo 1327, unidentified woman, unknown location
Photo 1328, Bedford, Iowa photographer imprint
Photo 1329, unidentified child. Frame has imprint of Archer King studio (Table Rock)
Photo 1310, with the imprint of a Grand Island studio in the lower left. An unidentified location. Theoretically, it could be at "By the Way" Ranch, the home of Sam & Flossie McKelvie into their old age
Photo 1332, Roma Logan, age 8 months
Photo 1333, unidentified girl
Photo 1334, unidentified woman
Photo 1336, unidentified couple, Wilson Studio
Photo 1352, unidentified couple
Photo 1351 – baby picture with note tucked in it: “Dear cousin, I am sending baby picture Gladys Irene Williams, 6 months. Anna”
Photo 1346, unidentified woman with children, Los Angeles photo studio imprint
Photo 1356, unidentified children, appear to be the same as in Photo 1346
Photo 1337, Studio has offices in Kansas City & St. Joseph, MO
Photo 1358. Difficult to read, but there is writing on the photo itself. It seems to read: “For ________________, with all my love, Ada L__________” Anna, Iantha, and Louise Groves were from a large family, and they had a sister Ada. Perhaps this is she.
Photo 1341, unidentified house, almost certainly not in Table Rock.
Photo 1342a
. At the top it appearsto say "Mr.Tilford - Visa -- Mr. ___ __as___ (Hastings? Haslo?). The writing at the bottom is illegible. “North"? something?
Photo 1342b, unidentified house
a holiday booklet from sam & flossie mckelvie -- click on the thumbnails to review it
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