A Helle family wedding last weekend inspired me to find details of a Hormel family wedding. Ben Hormel, George A. Hormel’s youngest brother was married June 28, 1906. Ben began working at his big brother’s plant at age 14 and eventually retired as Senior Vice President. He began working in sales and had a long career, only leaving the company briefly to serve in the Spanish-American War in 1898. From the Austin Herald on July 4, 1906: “Miss Flora Mae Kaufmann, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kaufmann and Benjamin F. Hormel of Austin were married at high noon Thursday, June 28 at the home of the bride’s parents in Tracy, Minnesota. Only the immediate families of the bride and groom were present. The bride wore her going away gown and was unattended. Rev. William Henry Hormel of Ottumwa, Iowa, brother of the groom, officiated. Mrs. George Hormel of Austin played the wedding march. The ceremony was performed in an alcove in the parlor, under a large wedding bell of asparagus ferns. The other decorations were roses and smilax. After the ceremony a wedding breakfast was served and the bride and groom left on the 1:50 train for Minneapolis and the lakes, accompanied by the out of town guests to Mankato. The out of town guests were Mrs. Susan Hormel, mother of the groom, Miss [Elizabeth] Hormel, Mrs. George A. Hormel, all of Austin and Rev. William H. Hormel of Ottumwa, Iowa. The groom and his winsome bride will be at home after July 15th, in the C. J. Sargent house on Mill Street in this city. Both are very popular here where they have lived for years.” According to the details of this article, George did not attend his brother’s wedding but his wife, Lillian, did and played the piano for the ceremony. It was a family affair as the groom’s mother and oldest sister attended and his brother officiated. Ben and Flora had three children: Lois Jeanette in 1908, Virginia Mae in 1911 and Benjamin Franklin in 1914. Both Ben and Flora are buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Austin. Ben died in 1960 and Flora died in 1955. Social Concerns
Social Concerns returns in September with Staying Safe in Mower County presented by Sheriff Terese Amazi. Sign up to attend on Tuesday, September 15 at 11:00 by calling 433-4243 or emailing hormelhh@smig.net by Friday, September 11. Lunch will be served at noon. This program is funded in part by the United Way of Mower County. Everyone is welcome to attend.
HHH Will Get Your Goat
Goats will be spotted in yards across Austin this month as part of a Hormel Historic Home fund raiser for the expansion project. Between Saturday, August 15 and Tuesday, September 8, For a $50 donation, you can send a pair of Goats to your friends’ lawn. Goat removal is a $50 donation and includes the chance to send the goats to someone else. Insurance is available to protect from repeat Goatings for a $40 donation. So if someone has gotten your goat, call the HHH to have them Goated. The HHH office will accept goating requests at 433-4243 or hormelhh@smig.net. Feel free to leave a voicemail after hours. Construction Update Drywall has been installed. Tiling continues and exterior stucco is being applied. The project is on-time and on-budget to date. The new space will open November 1, 2009. The HHH building committee is so pleased with the building progress that they are planning to complete interior finish work that will reflect the high quality of the existing home. If you have not had a chance to donate to the project, you could help fund this finish work. Send a check to the Hormel Historic Home at 208 4th Ave NW Austin MN 55912. Or go online and donate by PayPal at www.hormelhistorichome.org. The HHH will continue to be available for rental events during construction. Please call for details of the space available. We are also booking now for November and December 2009 and for summer 2010. “King of SPAM” CD Available Hormel family members have collaborated on a music CD to benefit the Hormel Historic Home. The Hormel Family Band, led by Jim Hormel, produced “King of SPAM” featuring hits of the 1930s and 40s. Tracks include “Pennies from Heaven,” “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “You Are My Sunshine” and eleven other classics. CDs, featuring a vintage photo of Jay C. Hormel playing the tuba, are available for $16 each at the HHH office. All proceeds benefit the HHH.