Gertrude Arnold Hurder
Interview Date: 16 May 1976
Gertrude “Gertie” Hurder was born in Brimfield, Illinois in 1887. She was a daughter of Henry and Lizzie (Bennett) Arnold. She married Joseph Hurder in 1904 in Brimfield. She was a member of the Union Church in town. Mrs. Hurder was interview on 16 May 1976 by Velma Clark. They discuss life in Brimfield in the late 1800s and early decades of the twentieth century including school, life in town and in rural Brimfield, holiday celebrations, recreation activities and businesses in town. Mrs. Hurder seems to have been given a list of questions and topics that Mrs. Clark wanted to discuss in this interview.
Below is a tag and timestamp for this audio recording. The original cassette recording is not high quality. Because of this there are places of the digital recording that may not be audible or discernable. There are likely spelling issues with names and places in the timestamp.
When searching for key words/tags, names, places, and dates use spelling variations if needed.
Time Stamp for major topics
00:00 Earliest recollection of Brimfield
00:23 Grade school
02:45 Residences
03:18 Living in rural Brimfield; church
05:58 Rural school
07:05 Coming to town, shopping
10:59 Peddlers, fish wagon
13:11 Rural life, farm animals
14:45 Outside toilets
15:50 Town life, doctors
18:14 Fire department and firefighting
19:19 Recreation and holidays
24:01 Chautauqua
25:25 School life
25:46 Gypsy Hill, Gypsy Lane, gypsies
30:32 Doctors in town
31:49 <interruption in recording>
32:02 Doctors in town, cont’d; childbirth
34:02 Telephones
34:42 Growing older/moving away
36:35 Life now – More desirable or less?
39:05 Getting Married and married life
43:48 Wonderful life in Brimfield
46:36 Coal mining and brickyard
48:44 Gertie’s father, Henry Arnold
52:50 Flour mill; town streets, stores
Topics Covered/Key Words
Mrs. Howe
Gimble [?] house
Brimfield Grade School
Burt [?] Hayward
Buel Rook
Guyneth (Dungan) Bridson
Methodist Church
Mrs. Vale; Mr. Arbor
Hindle [?]
Bill George
Bessie Purcel
Memler’s
Cady’s
Livery stable
Blacksmith
Bandstand
Ray Burt
Woodman Camp
Dungan
Dr. Blanchard
Band concerts
U.S. Route 150/Knoxville Street
Town well/pump
Box suppers
Sledding
Decoration Day [Memorial Day]
Brimfield Cemetery
Sons of Veterans
Ice cream social
Ewalt Building [Community Building]
Chichester Hall
Fourth (4th) of July
Kimbell
Farmer’s Table [Restaurant]
Dr. Miller
Dr. Filly [sp.]
Mrs. Atwood
Robert “Bob” Carroll
Henrietta [Memler]
Earl Maher
Brimfield Public Library
Brimfield Senior Citizens group
Walk for Mankind
Peoria
Horse and buggy
Oak Hill
Charles “Charlie” Carson
Mulvaney
Tucker
Dunlap
Railroad
Pool hall
Farmer’s Club
Barber shop
Dad [M. R.] Clark
Rev. Young David Clark
Coal mining
Lumber yard
Clark’s Hill
Tolley’s [sp.]
Mrs. Kingdon
George and Charlie Wyman
Henry Arnold
Hitching post
Brimfield Cemetery
Miars Gas Station
Millenary store
Variety store
Interviewed by: Brimfield Historical Society
Interview Format: mp3 Recording Converted from Original Cassette Tape
Total Time : 57:24
The interview is archived at the Brimfield Public Library District in Brimfield, Illinois.
The Brimfield Oral History Project is a long-term effort to record the stories of Brimfield’s past in the voices of those who remember and make these original sources available for generations to come. This collaboration is a partnership between the Brimfield Public Library District, the Brimfield Historical Society, and the Peoria County Genealogical Society.
Readers of interview transcripts, if available, should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word and that the interviewer, interviewee, and editors sought to preserve the interview as recorded. Brimfield Public Library District and project volunteers are not responsible for the factual accuracy of this interview, nor for the opinions expressed within.
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This interview and accompanying documents may be used for educational and non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Brimfield Public Library District. However, the Fair Use criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials may not be deposited in other repositories or used for resale or commercial purposes without authorization from the Brimfield Public Library District Director.
