Bio: Welch, Henrietta "Hattie" (100th Birthday – 1972)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Welch, Glasshof, Nixon, Reagan

----Source: THORP COURIER (Thorp, Clark County, Wis.) 15 Jun 1972

Mrs. Henrietta Glasshof Welch (Hattie), on of Thorp's (Clark Co., Wis.) early pioneers, recently celebrated her 100th birthday. She was born in Rantoul, Wisconsin on May 18, 1872, one of a family of 15 children. Only she and her sister, Clara, still survive. She came to Thorp with her parents in the winter of 1879. The following winter, she, her father, and two of brothers and sister cut and sawed 80 cords of wood for the railroad.

On January 1, 1888, she was married to William Welch in a tiny log church, which stook directly east of the present Ben Franklin store. This building was then the company store of the old Nye, Luck, and Hudson Lumber Company. Bill was a cok in a lumber camp 3 miles north of Thorp, and she spent her honeymoon as his "Cookee".

They had two children, Merton (deceased) and Esther, who is now the Director-Teacher of the Community Cooperative Nursery School in Bell, California. After living in Thorp and vicinity for many years, they moved to California in 1928, where Bill died soon after. She presently resides at 8944 Cal. Avenue, Southgate, California.

Two parties were given in her honor. One was held at the Baptist Church in Bell for friends and neighbors. The other was given in the Bell Civic Recreation Center for about 60 relatives, where she danced the "Anniversary Waltz" with one of her nephews. Relatives were present from Georgia, Florida, Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. Two of her most prized gifts were letters of congratulations from President Nixon and Governor Reagan.

She is very active and still travels, cooks, sews, reads, and plays Pinochle until 2:00 in the morning, nearly always coming out the winner.

When asked the secret of her long and successful life, she replied, "Just work hard and don't worry."