History: Neillsville, Wis. Indian
School
Contributor: George Duchow
Transcriber: Janet Schwarze
***I recently found the 2 letters below. They were both written in 1928 and sent from the Indian School to my grandmother, Rella Duchow. Rella had likely given financial aid or other help as she was deeply involved in church and social issues all of her life. My grandfather was originally from the Marshfield area, so he probably told my grandmother about the school at some point, or she may have learned about it through the church. The letters seem to be from actual students at the school that were writing to thank her for her help, and then explaining what their daily routine was. George Duchow
Winnebago Children's School - Neillsville, Wisconsin
Letters From Students
 |
Neillsville, Wis. Feb. 14, 1928
Mrs. Geo. Duchow Potter; Wis.
Dear Friends:
Now I will try my best to write and thank you for the things that you sent us for Christmas and also tell you some things about our school.
We have devotions every evening and every morning. In the morning devotions, we sing a song then the prayer and then |
 |
the teacher or one of us students would read out of the bible and then another song. That's all for the morning devotion. In the evening about 7:30 we have the evening devotion, first, a song, then our Supt. reads the bible and give a talk, explain things out of the bible. Then a prayer and another song.
After the song, the little girls march out and go up to bed and also the little boys. The upper grade boys and girls have a study |
 |
hour. We stay in our school-room for an hour and prepare our lessons for the next morning. The school subjects that we take on are: Arithmetic, Bible History or Catechism, sending, grammar, Civic, Agriculture, Physiology, and American History and the girls from fifth-grade up to eighth graders are having a "Infant Hygiene" class. I forgot to tell, how we spent our Sundays. On Sunday mornings we Sunday school and in afternoon sometimes we go to church |
 |
in town or go out sliding if no church. In the evening sometimes we go to church again in town, or else stay and play indoor games in our play-rooms. We have two play-rooms each, the boys have two and we have two.
Now, I will tell some things about myself. I am fifteen years old and am in the seventh grade my name is Eva Little Bear. I have one sister and two brothers, all younger than myself. Their names |
 |
are: Angel, Abraham and John Calvin. Angel and Abraham are here at school Angel is in fifth grade and Abraham is in Third grade, he's eight years old. And John is at home, his only two years old. Well, I will come to conclusion now, so close. From, Yours Sincerely Eva Li Bear |
 |
Mrs. George Duchow Potter Wis.
Neillsville Wis Feb 14, 1928
Dear Mrs. Duchow
I'll write to you to thank you for your kindness of helping us out to enjoy Christmas and were all very thankful.
I'm in the grade of 7a sixteen years of age. Was confirmed a year ago last spring with the girl that writing to you beside another girl and three other boys.
We were having a lot of fun skating but |
 |
The ice is thawing away and it isn't any good but to keep away from it the snow is also thawing away so not so very good coasting also We have a Victrola and one of the employees has a radio which we enjoy to hear. We had the Pan American conference and was surprise to hear were among the first people to hear our President giving a speaking in a foreign land. We also heard a Indian program. |
 |
We have about twenty our pupil in our school room. All together we have about seventy five in all. This year we had our program up town in the opera house and we brought it out very good with one night of practicing some gave some recitation dialogue pantomime and last the pageant. We had Joseph & Mary, Inn Keeper, some angels, the three wise men and some shepherd one was me.
|
 |
In the second scene we had some more walking to and fro while Joseph was trying to spend the night that we call the street scene. Some of the people in town talk about our program and one said he never saw such a program in all his life time. We usually play basket ball but this year we haven't played yet on account of the disease up town and doing our best to keep it away from us getting it.
|
 |
In school we have to study reading, Arithmetic, Catechism, Bible Storys, grammer, Civics, philology, history, spelling and also reading circle we also have Agriculture and Manuel Training. Last year I made a step ladder, a necktie rack and a milk stand. We tried to leave a exhibit on it but we didn't succeed in it. Nobody came. This year I made a tie rack and now I'm making a book |
 |
rack. We have service every morning on Sunday devotion every morning and some time some of us leader devotion. One would read from the Bible another lead in prayer, one pick out a song or more but usually two song. It is snowing today but not so very very much. Each morning we all have a certain place to clean for a term of three weeks. Now |
 |
I am cleaning in the dinning room, wash the table and sweep and clean in the back porch every other morning we scrub except in the dormitory, perhaps clean in the sewing room, wash the dishes every morning in a dish washing machine. Yesterday we made some valentine for one another in school and tonight were going to have a party from fourth grade up. |
 |
Not anymore to write to you so will close for today hoping to hear from you some time and thanking you once more again. So, Good Bye From George Green. |
1920 Kominsky Town, Jackson Co., Wis. showing Eva Little Bear residing with her Aunt & Uncle.
1905 Census, Jackson Co., Wis. showing the assumed parents and extended family of Eva Little Bear.
1920 Census Shawano, Wis., Wittenberg Village showing George Green (b. 1912) at the Bethany Indian Mission in Wittenberg Village.
1930 Census Record, Levis Twp., Clark Co., Wis. showing George Green residing with the family of Johnny & Kate Mike
(10 Oct 1897 Wisconsin, USA - 11 Apr 1986 Pinellas County, Florida, USA)
