This blog was written June 26, 2011. Since then, I’ve learned many new facts. Please click here to read the latest.

Two weeks ago, I cleaned out the apartment at my father’s assisted living facility and found an old shoe box. Inside was a photo album from the late 1800s, full of people that I didn’t recognize. The most significant clue was these few words scribbled on the back of one photo (first photo below). It said, “Enoch and Addie Hoyt Fargo on their wedding day, 1896.”

My great-grandmother’s maiden name was Hoyt, so I figured I had to be related to these folks - somehow.

I thought “Fargo” was the location. Later, I learned it was the last name of Addie’s new husband, and that Enoch was a direct descendant of the same Fargo that started the big bank with his friend Mr. Wells.

I posted the photos on Facebook, asking for ideas or suggestions on where to learn more. That was Friday morning (June 24, 2011). By Friday evening, I had learned a lot, thanks to my friend and local historian David Spriggs. He dug around a bit and found old census records and much more.

Enoch was 22 years older than his second wife, Addie Hoyt. In fact, one of Addie’s two step-daughters was only four years younger than Addie! This was Addie’s first marriage and it would be her last. She died in 1901, a mere five years after her wedding day. Born in 1872, she was only 29 years old when she died.

There were rumors that Addie did not die a natural death, but that Enoch may have helped speed things along because he was in love with Addie’s cousin (Martha). She was 23 years younger than Enoch. Seems he had a thing for the young women. It was Martha who provided nursing duties, and sat at Addie’s bedside as she lay dying.

Six weeks after young Addie died, Enoch married Martha, Addie’s cousin. It caused quite a scandal at the time.

UPDATED!  Aunt Addie was apparently shot in the head by her loving husband! Click here for the latest!

Martha fared better than the first two wives, and she outlived Enoch by 40 years. Enoch died in 1921. Martha, born in 1873, died in 1964. I do not have a maiden name for her.

As to my familial connection, Addie Hoyt and Anna Hoyt were sisters, and Anna Hoyt was my great-grandmother, so Addie Hoyt Fargo was my great, great Aunt. Anna Hoyt ended up marrying Wilbur W. Whitmore and landed in Denver, Colorado. This photo album that I found amongst my father’s treasured possessions was inscribed, “A Merry Christmas, to Wilbur, from Addie.” I’m not sure why she gave a photo album to her brother-in-law, but apparently she did.

Thanks to David Spriggs’ amazing sleuthing, I learned that this house is in Lake Mills, WI and is still standing. In fact, it’s now a Bed and Breakfast. And thanks to Mark Hardin for finding those birth/death dates!

Last night, I talked with the owners of the B&B and told them about my amazing shoebox discovery! They provided some history on the family and Enoch’s three wives. And as always, please leave a comment if you know anything more!

To read more about Addie and Annie Hoyt, click here.

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If you know any more about these people, please leave me a note!

To read about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Built-in breakfast nooks became wildly popular in the early 1920s and especially so in kit homes. After the grand Victorian home fell from favor, the bungalow craze took over and suddenly The Little House was the best house to have.

Bungalow builders and architects dealt with small houses by making the best use of small spaces, such as a built-in table and matching benches for the morning meal. It was a wonderful idea, and also saved the housewife some work. It was easier to set up and clean off a small table in the kitchen than dealing with the big fancy wooden table in the dining room.

This is the third of three posts on breakfast nooks at this site. Read more about breakfast nooks (and see many more photos) here and here.

Below are pictures from Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs, showing the breakfast nook (with prices) of the early 1920s.

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And the real deal - in the flesh - a 1930s breakfast nook as seen in the Sears Lynnhaven in southern Illinois.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To learn more about Wardway Homes, click here.

To contact Rose, send an email to thorntonrose@hotmail.com

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The Magnolia was Sears biggest and best kit home, but the Ivanhoe was a close second. In my travels, I’ve only seen a handful.

One of them was in Lewisburg, WV and the other was in Elmhurst, Illinois (see pictures of these homes below). I found a third in Northern Illinois but neglected to note the city. Carol Parish (Monmouth, IL) sent in a picture of an especially beautiful (and original) Ivanhoe in her city.

According to the testimonials found in the old Sears Modern Homes’ catalogs (and referenced in Rebecca Hunter’s book), there’s a Sears Ivanhoe in West Point, Virginia, but it faces the waterfront and despite letters written to the owners, I’ve not been able to get a photograph.

Recently I was scanning some old paperwork and stumbled across the Sears Ivanhoe (LaGrange, IL) featured in a Sears roofing brochure. I’d love to get a current photo of this BRICK Ivanhoe! 

Below are the Ivanhoes in Lewiston, West Virginia, Elmhurst, Illinois, and an unknown city in northern Illinois.

First, the original catalog image.

If you know of the location of an Ivanhoe, please leave a comment below. And if you own an Ivanhoe and would like to send me a picture, please do!  Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you!

If you’ d like to read more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The Sears Alhambra was one of Sears’ most popular houses. In fact, I’d say it was one of their top ten best sellers. And, it was a pretty house with a distinctive Spanish flair and with a splash of mission style. If you take away the fancy accoutrements, you’ll see it’s little more than a classic American foursquare.

The first photo is from the 1921 Sears Building Materials catalog. It’s a letter from a happy, happy Alhambra homeowner. (Say that four times fast.)

Click here to read All Things Alhambra, part 2.

To see more pictures of Sears Alhambras, visit All Things Alhambra, part 2.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Recently, I’ve learned all kinds of new facts. Click here to read the updated version of this post!

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Two weeks ago, I cleaned out the apartment at my father’s assisted living facility and found an old shoe box. Inside was a photo album from the late 1800s, full of people that I didn’t recognize. There was only one clue scribbled on the back of one photo (first photo below). It said,  “Enoch and Addie Hoyt Fargo on their wedding day, 1896.”

My great-grandmother’s maiden name was Hoyt, so I figured I had to be related to these folks - somehow.

I thought “Fargo” was the location. Later, I learned it was the last name of Addie’s new husband, and that Enoch was a direct descendant of the same Fargo that started the big bank with his friend Mr. Wells.

I posted the photos on Facebook, asking for ideas or suggestions on where to learn more. That was Friday morning (June 24, 2011). By Friday evening, I had learned a lot, thanks to my friend and local historian David Spriggs. He dug around a bit and found old census records and much more.

Enoch was 20 years older than his second wife, Addie Hoyt. In fact, Addie’s new step-daughters were only two and four years younger than Addie! This was Addie’s first marriage and it would be her last. While still a young woman, she became ill and her cousin came to sit by the bed and take care of her. Enoch apparently took a shine to Addie’s cousin. Six weeks after young Addie died, Enoch married Addie’s cousin who was 40 years younger than Enoch!

There was talk that Addie did not die a natural death, but that Enoch may have helped speed things along because he was in love with the younger cousin.

As to my familial connection, Addie Hoyt and Anna Hoyt were sisters, and Anna Hoyt was my great-grandmother, so Addie Hoyt Fargo was my great, great Aunt.

Thanks to David Spriggs’ amazing sleuthing, I learned that this house is in Lake Mills, WI and is still standing. In fact, it’s now a Bed and Breakfast. Contemporary photos can be seen the B&B’s website.

Last night, I talked with the owners of the B&B and told them about my amazing shoebox discovery! They provided some history on the family and Enoch’s three wives. I still would love to learn when Addie passed on, and when old Enoch passed on.

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If you know any more about these people, please leave me a note!

To read about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The cover of the 1921 Sears Building Materials catalog has proven to be a source of endless entertainment for me. But then again, I’m pretty easily entertained. I’ve started scanning catalogs and ephemera so that it may be preserved and shared with a larger audience. And this website’s traffic is growing every day. In May, this site had more than 22,000 visitors.

Read the captions below to see what *I* see when I look at this 1921 catalog’s cover.

Pretty darn interesting!

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To read another article on Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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In the early 1900s, you could sit down with a Sears Roebuck catalog and order a complete house. After selecting the perfect house, buyers were asked to send in a $1 “good faith” deposit to Sears Roebuck and by return mail, the hopeful homeowners receive a Bill of Materials List and full set of blueprints.  If you liked what you saw, you’d send in the balance of your money, and that $1 deposit was credited toward the final purchase price.

A few weeks after the order was placed, a boxcar containing 12,000 pieces of house would arrive at a nearby train depot.

A 75-page leather-bound instruction book, with the homeowner’s name embossed in gold on the cover, gave precise directions on the proper placement of those 30,000 pieces of house. The book offered this somber (and probably wise) warning:  “Do not take anyone’s advice as to how this building should be assembled.”

In anticipation of our big move, I’ve started going through my papers and boxes and sorting things out. I found two of these early 1910s original “Bill of Materials” list. One went to a friend that owns a Sears Modern Home #111; the other went into a pile of items that I have donated to Old Dominion University Library’s “Special Collections” and is now known as “The Papers of Rosemary Thornton” (I love that).

The super-heated attic in my 1925 house was not a proper repository for these priceless, precious old documents and I’m gladdened they’ve gone to better places. And I’m also glad to know that - thanks to modern technology - the originals will be preserved forever and the electronic images of those originals can now be shared with a larger audience through this website (which now gets 500 hits per day).

Look closely at these pages below, and you’ll see a fascinating piece of American history.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

Below is a picture of Modern Home #111, The Sears Chelsea.

To read another article on Sears Homes, click here.

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The number one question I’m asked again and again - Can you tell me if my house is a Sears Kit Home?

First, begin by eliminating the obvious. Sears sold these homes between 1908-1940. If your home was built outside of that time frame, it can not be a Sears catalog home. Period. Exclamation mark!

The nine easy signs follow:

1) Look for stamped lumber in the basement or attic. Sears Modern Homes were kit homes and the framing members were stamped with a letter and a number to help facilitate construction. Today, those marks can help prove that you have a kit home.

2) Look for shipping labels. These are often found on the back of millwork (baseboard molding, door and window trim, etc).

3) Check house design using a book with good quality photos and original catalog images. For Sears, I recommend, “The Sears Homes of Illinois” (all color photos). For Wardway, there’s “The Mail-Order Homes of Montgomery Ward.”

4) Look in the attic and basement for any paperwork (original blueprints, letters, etc). that might reveal that you have a Sears home.

5) Courthouse records. From 1911 to 1933, Sears offered home mortgages. Using grantor records, you may find a few Sears mortgages and thus, a few Sears homes.

6) Hardware fixtures. Sears homes built during the 1930s often have a small circled “SR” cast into the bathtub in the lower corner (furthest from the tub spout and near the floor) and on the underside of the kitchen or bathroom sink.

7) Goodwall sheet plaster. This was an early quasi-sheetrock product offered by Sears, and can be a clue that you have a kit home.

8 ) Unique column arrangement on front porch and five-piece eave brackets (see pictures below).

9) Original building permits. In cities that have retained original building permits, you’ll often find “Sears” listed as the home’s original architect.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

To read another article, click here.

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To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Send Rose an email at thorntonrose@hotmail.com

To read more about Sears Homes, click here.

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Who doesn’t love relaxing in a back-yard swing, nestled neatly under the strong timbers of a hand-made pergola?

This pergola can be yours for a mere $287,900, and as an extra bonus, we’ll throw in the big house for free!

This coming Sunday, our Realtor (Gary Crawford) will be hosting an Open House here at Gosnold.  There’ll be pony rides and face painting and a free Krugerrand will be given away to every third visitor!

Okay, not really, but it’s a beautiful old house and if you love old houses, you should stop by.

This old pink house has been faithfully restored to its original splendor, and has a high-efficiency gas boiler (94%+), high-efficiency central air (14 SEER) and a dazzling rainwater harvesting system. Enjoy the best of old-world craftsmanship together with the latest and greatest of modern technology. In short, you’ll have the unique pleasure of living in a beautiful old house with none of the environmental guilt.

Mr. Realtor will be here from 12-3 pm on Sunday, June 26th at 3916 Gosnold Avenue.

House is 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, with a large sunporch, full third floor and awesome basement.

Asking price is $287,900, which is $58,000+ below city assessment. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment please contact the Realtor.

Ready for the tour? Enjoy the photos!

To read part two (more photos!), click here.

17 Really Good Reasons to Buy The Big Pink House

1) Low electric bills - average budget bill of $115/month (and we love our air conditioning!).

2) High-efficiency central air (14 SEER) with all new ductwork, and electrostatic air cleaner (installed October 2007).

3) High efficiency, top-of-the-line gas-fired boiler (94% efficient) installed March 2011.

4) Thorough restoration of original (Buckingham Slate) roof, with new copper flashing and copper cap at roof ridge. Roof repairs will be required again in 2085 (or so). (About 25% of all the construction debris found in landfills is roofing materials. Slate is the “greenest” roof in the world and with occasional maintenance, it can last forever.)

5) Seamless 6-inch (extra large) aluminum gutters and downspouts.

6) No worries about old plumbing! Entire house replumbed with new copper lines in 2007.

7) Electrical service updated (some new wiring and new panel) in Spring 2007.

Fresh paint, too! Two coats of Sherwin Williams Duration (25-year warranty) cover the home’s cypress clapboards.

9) Eleven new high-end replacement windows have been installed within the last two years. Windows on home’s front are original (to preserve architectural integrity).

10) “Move-in ready” for your favorite quadruped! Custom-built picket fence surrounds peaceful back yard.

11) Who doesn’t love a little house, especially one with a slate roof? “3916-1/2 Gosnold” is a custom-built “mini-house” with a 9′ ceiling, floored attic, built-in ladder and vintage windows.

12) When it’s time for the morning’s ablutions, step into the bath and back in time. Faithfully restored second-floor bath features porcelain sconces, vintage medicine chest, and a Kohler Memoirs sink, sitting atop a restored hex floor. Also has elegant wainscoting, Danze high-end faucets and solid brass vintage towel rack.

13) Modern kitchen is full of light with seven large windows, stainless steel appliances and a brand new Kenmore gas range (May 2011).

14) Harvest Time is nearly here! Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, zucchini and flowers thrive in three separate raised bed gardens in spacious back yard.

15) Handy rain-water harvesting system already in place for those thirsty plants, with more than 200 gallons of available storage.

16) Bibliophiles delight! Built-in bookcase on sunporch is more than 9′ tall and 6′ wide, with 27 sturdy shelves.

17) The house was custom built in 1925 by William Barnes, owner of one of Norfolk’s largest lumber yards. His grandchildren recall that he hand-selected every piece of framing lumber that went into the house. And it shows.

To schedule an appointment, leave a comment below or contact the Realtor.

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The kit homes sold by Sears in the early 1900s were known as “Sears Modern Homes” because they were just that - modern!

Plumbing, electrical and heating systems were not part of the kit, but were offered separately for many reasons. For instance, someone in Wisconsin would need a very different heating system than someone in southern Florida!

Sometimes, these homes were more modern than the communities into which they were sold, and there was no need for an “electrical outfit” (wiring and fuse boxes and fixtures) if electricity was not available to the house. (In 1910, only 10% of American households had electricity.)

However, everyone - city dweller and homesteader alike - was tired of hauling water to and fro, so modernistic plumbing systems that provided water at the tap were very valuable.

In this 1930 “Modern Plumbing” catalog, one of the hot items was this “reliable water supply system.” You’ll note that the woman in the picture is standing on the foot pedal whilst dressed in her Sunday best, complete with high heels! The foot pedal is used to give the four-cycle Briggs and Stratton engine a kick start, which provides power to a pump that will draw water from a nearby well.

She probably descended those long, steep, dark basement stairs in a most lady-like fashion, but once she starts that little engine, she’d better be ready to run like a bat out of hell before the carbon monoxide fumes overtake her!

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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