Author visits Black Hills for ancestral research

One of our joys at Historical Marker is hearing from folks across the country who inquire or comment about a story – or a photograph – and occasionally share information on a particular topic.

John Lundberg ca. 1889

In May, we received an e-mail from Alabama author Linda Alexander, whose great-grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1880 and would spend several years in the Black Hills as a miner – and a successful one at that.  His name was John Lundberg, and Linda was researching his years in this region.

Linda and her husband came to Spearfish in early May, unexpectedly witnessing one of our spring snowstorms.  She spent the better share of a week poring through documents in libraries, the Lawrence County Courthouse, as well as the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), where we were able to meet and visit with her and her.  Linda was well equipped for her research, having already amassed considerable information and photographs, but she was looking for more.

Her abilities in research and writing have been honed through years of work as an author, as well as her passion for genealogy.  Among others, she’s written biographies about Nebraska's Robert Taylor (Reluctant Witness: Robert Taylor, Hollywood, & Communism)  and actor Jack Kelly, who portrayed Bart Maverick in the television series Maverick more than 50 years ago (A Maverick Life - The Jack Kelly Story).

 

And so now she’s on a course of assembling a biography that hits close to home.  John Lundberg was not only Linda Alexander’s ancestor, he was a Swedish immigrant whose exploits in mining earned him and his family a good living.  In fact, he was co-owner of Lundberg, Dorr, and Wilson mining in the northern hills.  He married his wife in Keystone and they would eventually buy a home in Terry, where there son was later born.

We’ll not give away any more of this story, since Linda Alexander has kindly shared with us a “mini-biography” of John Lundberg – along with some photos.

Here’s a link to her biographic sketch of John Lundberg.

By the way, you can find Linda Alexander's books  at Amazon.com, Bearmanormedia.com, and  -- I suspect -- a variety of other online sites.

LCHS finally earns official non-profit status

After many long years of working to achieve non-profit status, the Lawrence County Historical Society (LCHS) has finally been recognized by the U. S. Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.  That official blessing came on May 13, 2014, according to LCHS President Norma Kraemer.

LCHS President Norma Kraemer

"It means that money we receive as contributions, whether as bequests, devises, transfers or gifts, are tax deductible for the donor," said Kraemer.

"It also means that we may apply for grants to accomplish our own projects from organizations that require us to be a 501 (c)(3) organization."  

"While it took the IRS 17 months to act on our application, it was a much longer process by the board of directors of the Lawrence County Historical Society.  It involved incorporation under the laws of South Dakota while our President was Jerry Bryant.  The incorporation was guided by David Wolff and Larry Miller."

The next step, according to Kraemer, was IRS paperwork, which would not have been possible without the work of Treasurer Jacke Mitchell.

"The data she provided me to complete the application was concise, making it easy to fill out the IRS application," Kraemer said.

The LCHS board of directors welcomes proposals for projects.  Kraemer says they've set up guidelines to make it an easy process.  Persons with proposals are asked to contact President Norma Kraemer at nkraemer@q.com to start the process.

The Lawrence County Historical Society strives to bring together people interested in preserving, protecting, and promoting the history of Lawrence County and South Dakota.  Membership in the society is open to all and now totals about 145 persons.