A recent legacy grant allowed the Aurelia Heritage Society to install an air conditioning unit that maintains the temperature upstairs at the Heritage House. This not only keeps the museum more comfortable but also helps regulate the atmosphere and protect the artifacts. Additionally, they were able to install a new electrical outlet upstairs.
The Heritage Society is currently pursuing plans to restore the garage located on the grounds of the Heritage House. The garage was the recipient of one Legacy Grant that allowed for the installation of new doors, but the group would like to see the space develop into a more “guy-friendly” museum space. They are seeking donations of old tools as well as financial contributions to renovate the building.
Currently, there is an old telephone booth restored by Brandon Mier. It belonged to his grandmother, and he completely stripped and refinished the unit, donating it to the museum. Other older phone models, along with machinery and signage from 1st Trust and Savings Bank can also be found in the garage.
Each piece in the home has connections to Aurelia’s past residents. There are fancywork, knitted, and embroidered pieces by Blanche Daniels. Toys belonging to Art Daniels and Pam Allen are on display, including Shirley Temple memorabilia upstairs. Clothing, including some belonging to Betty Jean Daniels and wedding dresses, are on display. There is Haviland china, and handmade quilts cover each bed.
The Heritage House is always open by appointment by contacting a member of the Heritage Society. It operates in conjunction with the museum located downtown.
Whitney and Daniels Families
Reuben Robert Whitney was the son of John and Larissa (Sutherland) Whitney. He was born either July 24 or August 7, 1842, in London, Ontario, Canada. He died on April 15, 1900, in Aurelia and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. He was 58 years old. His death was noted as “alltogether unexpected.”
When Whitney was 10 years old, his parents moved from Canada to Clayton County and settled near Postville. He lived there until coming to Aurelia in 1869. Whitney served on the city council from 1881–1883 and as mayor from 1891–1892. He was active in the Masonic Lodge of Cherokee. He began the first grain warehouse and lumberyard in Aurelia in 1871. This elevator was the first to ship grain on the Illinois Central Railroad from Aurelia. He was also the first lumber dealer in Aurelia.
He married Mary McAndrew on July 7, 1863, in Lansing, Iowa. She was the daughter of John and Mary (Davie) McAndrew and was born on January 2, 1840, in Glasgow, Scotland. She died in Aurelia on November 14, 1888, and is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
The Whitneys had six children.
John “J.M.” Whitney was born on September 28, 1864. He moved to Aurelia with his parents in 1869, when he was five years old. He later recalled that there were about nine families in a train of covered wagons who came from Clayton County to Cherokee County. There were about 18 wagons drawn by horses, mules, and oxen.
J.M. married Libby Jane White in 1885. For a brief time, they lived in Nebraska, but returned to Aurelia after four years. He served on the board of the First Trust and Savings Bank in Aurelia for 43 years and was active with the local baseball team. He died in 1947 and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Their second son, William “W.G.”, was also born in Clayton County. He was 3 years old when his family moved to Aurelia. W.G. was also in the grain business and was lauded as a leader in Aurelia’s community. He was married twice, first to Anna Strand in 1887 and, after her death in 1905, to Millie Coombs in 1907. He died in 1932 and is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Alexander was their third son. He was born in March 1869. He lived in Chicago and Manhattan and worked as a traveling salesman. He married Edith Sullivan in 1892 and eventually settled in Lima, Ohio, where he owned a grain elevator. He died around 1920.
Carrie Whitney was born in November 1869. She is thought to be the first white child born in Pitcher Township. She married Franklin Meyers in the Whitney family home in Aurelia in 1888. He was a general physician and, later, an oculist in Sheldon. She died in 1948 and is buried in Sheldon.
Homer Whitney was born in September 1876. He was killed in an elevator accident when he was only 10 years old. He is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Bernice Whitney was born in December 1877. She was only 9 years old when her mother died, and she moved to Cherokee to live with her maternal grandmother, Mary McAndrew Gilchrist. Bernice married Albert Geger in 1898, and the couple owned a store in Freeport, IL, and operated the post office there. She died in 1933 in Las Vegas and is buried in California.
Their family home was the first house in Aurelia, with lumber hauled from Denison, Iowa. It was built six years after the town was platted. The house has a built-in bay window and consists of four rooms downstairs, including a living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom. Upstairs are four additional bedrooms. During its construction, a third-floor room was added above the entryway, which has since been removed.
The front entryway was especially interesting because it was built with two separate doors. One led to Whitney’s office, where he could conduct business without disturbing his family, while the other led to the family’s living space.
Eventually an indoor restroom was added off the kitchen. The house was purchased by Caroline Zwick after the death of Whitney in 1900. The property was transferred to Louisa Daniels around 1907. A member of the Daniels family lived there until 1998.
Louisa’s son, Frederick, lived in the house with his wife Blanche and his three children, Fred Jr, Betty Jean and Arthur. Frederick Sr married Blanche Anderson of Afton Township in 1919. Fred Jr “Freddie” was born in 1921. He graduated Aurelia High School and served in World War II as a member of the U.S. Navy. He married Virginia Carlberg and the couple had two children, Fred III and Juliann. He died after a long illness in 1959.
Arthur “Art” was born in 1927 and graduated from Aurelia High School in 1945. He attended Buena Vista University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951. He never married. Art owned and operated Daniels Well Digging Service, and he was a Master Carpenter. He died in 1998.
Betty Jean was born in 1924 and died at only four years old. She swallowed an open safety pin and was taken to a hospital in Sioux City where they would attempt to surgically remove it. She received two blood transfusions, including one from her father, but ultimately developed pneumonia and died five weeks after she swallowed the pin. Her parents were consumed by grief and shut the door to her room, saving all of her tiny clothes.
The home was purchased from the estate of Art Daniels in 1999 by the Aurelia Heritage Society. The group worked diligently to restore the house, volunteering their time to remove wallpaper, clean, paint, and sift through memorabilia.
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