Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

About This Item:

Title: Volume 049-3 - July 1995 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 8 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-03-05 07:13:00 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:00 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:00

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 8  

History of the Grass Valley Ladies Relief Society by Harriet Lobecker Jakobs For many years, the City of Grass Valley has had a charming tradition. A few days before Christmas, the pupils of several public schools bring foodstuffs to school and take them, in a festive parade, to a certain place where the gifts are boxed and distributed to needy people. Their gifts are joined by contributions of local merchants. This form of charity was started more than a century ago and every year notices of it are published in the newspaper. However, a complete history of this event has never been published. It is therefore with gratitude that we publish the following story written in 1982 by Harriet Lobecker Jakobs, who was for many years intimately involved in this typical form of charity. Sometimes Mrs. Jakobs mentions dwellings or business enterprises which exist no more or which are located elsewhere at the moment. The map, provided by Dave Comstock, will clarify if there are any problems. Editor. L WAS NOT UNTIL the disastrous times following the October stock market crash of 1929 that government at the local, state or federal level felt any responsibility to provide help to those too ill, too poor or too old to help themselves. All charity was done by kindhearted individuals helping their neighbors or by the members of the various churches. Edward Coleman, manager-owner of the Idaho Mine (later known as the Idaho Maryland) and his wife were always ready to offer needed help, being well aware of the poverty in the community due to the dangerous work of the miners and the low pay they received. Sometime in the late 1860s they had persuaded members of the Grass Valley Congregational Church, of which they were members, to join with them in helping to alleviate some of the suffering. Mrs. Coleman and her husband lived in the beautiful home with the ivy-draped veranda that still stands on the corner of School and Neal Streets in back of the Bank of America. Mrs. Coleman was known to have remarked that she could not enjoy her holiday dinner when there were people without food on their tables. Their neighbors were Judge Alfred B. Dibble and his wife Emma, members of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, who felt that all the churches should join in helping the needy of the area. On November 6, 1873, an organization was formed that became known as the Grass Valley Ladies Benevolent Society. There were 33 charter members, with the following officers: Mrs. M. S. Norton, President; Mrs. Alonzo Delano, first Vice President, Mrs. Garvin Hamilton, Second Vice President; Mrs. Alfred B. Dibble, Treasurer; Mrs. Reuben Leech, Secretary. , In 1876, when the women applied for funds from the state of California, they received a grant of $1,000 and were recognized by the legislature as the city’s official welfare 18 organization. They were required at this time to change the name to the Grass Valley Ladies Relief Society—for what reason we do not know. The women received another grant of $1,000 in 1878, but so far as can be determined they have received no further help from the state. Dues of 25 cents a month were levied and collected at each meeting (now collected once a year, the dues still remain the same amount). The Grass Valley Ladies Relief Society had a membership of 70 during this early period and the ladies met on the first Wednesday of every month in the parlor of the Congregational Church, which stood on the corner of Church and Neal streets. Early minutes show that in 1880 the amount of cash on hand was $554.40 and charitable donations were $4,011.22, besides clothing, fuel and provisions distributed to the poor, of which no account has been kept. As you can readily see, the group did a large amount of charitable work before Donation Day was established as a community endeavor in 1883. At this time the officers were Mrs. W. H. Spencer; Mrs. J. M. Campbell and Mrs. A. B. Dibble, Vice Presidents; Mrs. C. K. Kitts, Secretary; Mrs. James Watt, Treasurer; Mrs. Reuben Leech (later Mrs. Marion V. Conaway), Mrs. J. C. Rich, Mrs. E. W. Roberts, Mrs. W. C. Jones, and Mrs. E. Coleman, Directors. Anyone familiar with the names of early fem Grass Valley families will recognize them as belonging to /"™ prominent members of the community. There was a severe money panic in the year of 1883, very similar to the disaster of 1929, which some of us well remember. The large Eureka Mine and several smaller mines were forced to close and many miners were out of work. With wages of that time being so very low, few had any savings, so the Ladies Relief Society was swamped with calls for help. Winter was coming on and the society’s funds were down to less than five dollars. Living across the street from the Colemans, on the southeast corner of Neal and School streets, was an invalid by the name of Caroline Mead Hansen. She spent much of her time in the bay window of her home watching children pass by on their way to and from the primary, intermediate, and high schools on School Street. Mrs. Hansen’s home still stands on that corner, but the schools have been gone for many years.* Knowing of the plight of the Relief Society, Caroline Hansen wrote this letter to the Grass Valley Daily Union newspaper on November 20, 1883, which began the local celebration of giving that we all know as Donation Day: * The Hansen house at 319 Neal Street is registered as a Nevada County Point of Historical Interest, and was marked with a historio-~ cal plaque in 1995 by Manzanita Parlor No. 29 of the Native 7 Daughters of the Golden West.