Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

I just thought I was done with the story of Thomas Sturgeon when I checked my email and found the following letter from Don Versaw. He mailed Thomas Carroll the same letter. After reading the well-written letter I feel it warrants printing. Don always does such a good job writing and he never fails to tell me something new. Can you imagine a photographic lab in our Franklin County Courthouse to day let alone the custodian living in the present day Sheriff’s office? That is not a very big area and I really don’t know how they fit. Times sure have changed. Hope you will get as much out of Don Versaw’s letter as I did. I am anxious to know if the helpful lad in the courthouse was Thomas Carroll.

“Dear Mr. Carroll,

“My letter carrier brought me nothing today except two issues of the Franklin County Chronicle. But they were most welcome, particularly the issue of February 25, 2002, that carried your letter in Rena’s column For Another Day. If nothing else I am just pleased to read the interesting material about your family. But I think there is more than that.

“When I read about your father being the custodian at the Franklin County Courthouse during the last years of 1930 decade I remembered that his son had a fine photographic lab there. At that time I was interested in Photography too and was stumbling along trying to learn developing and printing. I received some very valuable instruction from this young man. In fact I remember being given a used batch of liquid film developing fluid called DK-50. I had been using stuff bought at Sears Roebuck by Alice McRae Royal in 1921 and some things still on the shelf at Malick’s drug store in Bloomington until then. I think I was also given a 5 x 7 printing frame with built -in masks for making white borders on prints. Maybe it was mounted on a home made wooden box with an electric lamp, switch and ruby bulb in it. I don’t think I would have been clever enough to make myself. I feel that it was probably a gift from the F.C.C.H custodians’ clever son.

“Well Mr. Carroll, I remember lots of little things that happened a long time ago or maybe I think I do. I’ve come not to trust my memory as much as I used to. I can still see in my mind, the person I’m writing about and if there had been no change in appearance over the years I could easily pick him out of a crowd. I’ve tried in the past years to remember the names of kids my age that I knew in Franklin. As a young boy Bloomington and Franklin seemed to be a long distance apart. I could never think of the lads name in the courthouse who was so helpful to me as a boy. It was a boost that eventually led me into the photographic field. So if that was you then I am anxious to express my thanks for your helpful hand so many years ago.

“I will send a copy of this letter to Rena. I want to tell her how much I enjoyed your correspondence with her and pass along my thanks for running it in her column. Donald “Red” Versaw”

The man lives twice who lives the first life well. Herrick

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

Return to For Another Day main page

Return to Franklin County NEGenWeb Main Page