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A few weeks ago the Lac qui Parle County Historical Society received some new donations from a few members of the Ness family. The donations included a 1932 Singer sewing machine, 4-H memorabilia, and a hand-crafted dress made out of flour sacks. The items were donated by Gloria Gelle, Joyce Brinkman, and Doris Lampert, three of Claribell and William Ness’s six children who all grew up in this area and graduated from Madison High School. As they made this donation, the sisters were kind enough to tell us the story of how these items came to their families.
The Ness sisters started by telling us about their childhoods in Providence township helping out on the family farm and growing up with their three brothers Wayne, Lyle, and Roger. They also told us about their time in country school. The sisters distinctly remembered the time the district 66 school flooded and the appearances of Superintendent Melvin Wroolie watching class from the back of the room.
The Ness’s then told us about their mother’s time in the 4-H program and some of the projects she took on. Claribell Ness (nee Smith) was very active in 4-H throughout her childhood and adult life and she worked on more than a few projects during that time. One project was a dress hand sewn by Claribel and made out of recycled flour sacks. As you can see in the included picture, the dress is very well made and looks like something out of a store, rather than something handmade by a young woman barely out of school. 4-H judges agreed with that assessment and gave Claribel tickets to the State Fair in the Twin Cities and the National 4-H rally in Chicago so she could display the dress and her other projects.
Apart from the awards and acclaim she received, Claribel was also given a brand-new Singer sewing machine as a prize for her work. Claribel’s previous sewing work was largely done with neighbors’ machines, so a new sewing machine for her family was greatly appreciated. It was also frequently used. The Ness sisters told us about Claribel making clothes for the family on the machine and using it to instruct young 4-H members on how to sew when she was a 4-H leader. This wasn’t the only way 4-H impacted the Ness family either. The Ness sisters told us the story of their parents first meeting while attending a 4-H event.
The Lac qui Parle County Historical Society would like to express our appreciation to the Ness family for their donations and for sharing the story of their mother and her 4-H work. Their family has already made a few donations to our museum including Claribell’s wedding dress and a band uniform displayed in the Providence township display. The sewing machine and the dress that earned it will make a great addition to our museum’s clubs display.
