Friday, May 23, 2025
The Cloud County Genealogical Society is excited to host the program “Family History Preservation” at 2:00 on Saturday, May 10 at the Cloud County Museum, located at 635 Broadway, Concordia. Please use the Seventh Street main entrance. Guest speaker Linda Houser Dietz is the daughter of Nellie Mae Hudsonpillar, who hails from a farming family in Arion Township, Cloud County. Nellie was the fifth child of Clarence and Velma Hudsonpillar.
Clarence and Velma had eight children, Ruth Hudsonpillar-Farha, Fern Hudsonpillar-Odette, John Duff Hudsonpillar, Audrey Hudsonpillar-Hofflinger, Nellie Hudsonpillar-Houser, Don Francis Hudsonpillar, Wilma Hudsonpillar-Kosar-Harbour, and Leta Hudsonpillar-Paque.
Clarence Hudsonpillar came to Cloud County on a threshing crew up from Oklahoma. He went to WWI with a group from Belleville. After the war, he and Mr. Russell Vansickle lived on the farm in Arion Township as bachelors. Clarence was known for calling square dances, which usually were in barns during those years. That is when he met Velma Ruth Duff, daughter of Frank and Lillian Duff. They courted and in 1922 were married. Mr. Vansickle helped Clarence build a new house on his property. He rented that farmhouse all the years the Hudsonpillar’s lived there, which was from 1922 – 1958 when Clarence passed. After Velma left the farm, Mr. and Mrs. Tholstrup moved in and have lived there ever since.
Frank Duff came to Cloud County with his family from Wisconsin after the Civil War. Lillian Adkinson was the daughter of Rollin Adkinson, who came from Indiana. Lillian married Frank Duff, and they were always Cloud County residents. They had two children, Velma and Leland. Velma taught school for a time before she met Clarence. Leland was a farmer and well-known in the Cloud County community.
The love of genealogy started with Wilma Hudsonpillar-Kosar-Harbour. She went from town to town, courthouse to courthouse, cemetery to cemetery, learning about the family’s history. Later, her sister Leta joined her on these journeys. I have loved family history since I was a child, so it was natural for me to take up the gauntlet after those amazing ladies were finished. My journey has been more of a collector of archives and have done digital transfer of those archives to bring the material to the entire family. It is an honor for me to present the methodology that I have learned and used over the years.
As more people seek to uncover their family history, preserving precious photos and documents for future generations becomes increasingly important. This program will explore a variety of topics, including genealogy resources, methods for creating and organizing digital family archives, effective filing techniques, book-writing tools, and the use of archives in books and websites.
Whether you’re looking to organize your family archives or explore new genealogy resources, this event offers something for everyone. We look forward to seeing you there! This program is free and open to both society members and the general public. Beverages and snacks provided.
Prior to Linda Houser Dietz’s program, the Cloud County Genealogical Society, with Bruce Johnston presenting, will present ‘Family Tree Maker 101’ on how to build a Family Tree from using Ancestry.com, Find A Grave, and Newspapers.com. It will be from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. It will be for everyone that wants to learn about their family and how to use the existing tools that are out there. Come learn about your family.
