Olive Alice Hulme – The Hulmes of Henry County.

My dear grandmother, Olive Alice Hulme, was born on September 16, 1887 and was raised on the farm home of Hiram Howard Hulme and Anna Dill Hulme, located southeast of Wayland, in Henry County, Iowa. Olive was the oldest of five children, and the only girl. Something tells me that Olive Alice got some special “daughter-only” treatment from her daddy as she was growing up. A hard-working farmer’s daughter, she also was one who knew how to dress up and look like the beautiful young lady she was. I can certainly see why Waldo Boller was attracted to her! For more on that story, click here.

You can read much more about my grandmother, Olive (Hulme) Boller here.

Hiram Howard Hulme and Anna Dill Hulme – The Hulmes were long-time residents of Henry County, Iowa, with Olive’s father being a very successful cattle farmer on land located southeast of Wayland.

(Left) Olive & Max Hulme – Circa 1889 (Right) The Hulme Family – Circa 1908 – Front Row – H. Howard, Herold, Sam, and Anna Dill, Back Row – Max, Olive & John Dill.

*1910 Census (above) shows Hiram Howard and Anna Hulme’s household, which includes their five children: **Olive** (22), **Max** (21), **John** (19), **Harold** (17) and **Samuel** (12).*

The Hulme’s were long-time members of Finley Methodist Church in Wayland.

My grandmother was very close to her family, even after her marriage to my grandfather, Waldo Boller. After her mother, Anna Dill, died in 1936, H. Howard came to live with Olive & Waldo until his death in 1946.

Hiram Howard, Anna, and John Dill Hulme (below) – who died in France during WWI – are all buried in the Finley Cemetery in Wayland.

This would be an appropriate place to honor yet another brave Iowan who gave up their life during World War I…

On **March 26, 1918,** **Marion Crandell** of Davenport became the first American woman to die while serving the U.S. military in World War I. Born in Cedar Rapids in 1872, Crandell initially attended school in Linn County before her family relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, where she completed high school at Omaha Central. Following graduation, she journeyed to France to study at Sorbonne University in Paris. Eventually, Crandell found her way back to Iowa, teaching French at St. Katherine’s School in Davenport up until she enlisted following America’s declaration of war on Germany on April 6, 1917. Convinced her language skills might prove useful on the French front, the 45 year old Crandell joined the United States Christian Commission of the YMCA, a group which provided the primary support of overseas military services for the Entente and allied troops. Following a brief training period, Crandell arrived in France on February 15, 1918, to work at a YMCA canteen called the Le Foyer du Soldat, or ‘soldier’s fireside,’ in Sainte Menehould roughly 135 miles east of Paris. She served with the rank of ‘enlisted’ until her death the following month. Initially buried in the Sainte Menehould hospital cemetery, Crandell’s remains saw reburial at the American Cemetery at Meuse Argonne. Following the war, St. Katherine’s School bought Crandell’s Davenport residence and converted it into faculty housing, and Colonel D.M. King, Commandant of the Rock Island Arsenal, spearheaded an effort to place a marker commemorating her service.

Now, back to the Hulme family story…

One of the Hulme family’s close friends was fellow-farmer, Ray Ernst. Like the Hulmes, Ray was an active member of Finley Chapel and was instrumental in getting Mt. Pleasant’s Old Settlers & Threshers Reunion off the ground in the late 1940’s, 50’s and early 60’s. Read more here.

The Hulme Family – Circa late 1930’s – (above left) – Max, Sam, Ada (Max’s wife), Herold, Verna (Sam’s wife), H. Howard, Ruth (Herold’s wife), Olive & Waldo. Olive & Her Brothers – 1963 Hulme Reunion in Mt. Pleasant (above right) Olive, Max, Harold, Sam.

Over the years, my grandmother, Olive, was one of the mover-shakers in getting the Hulme family together for an annual Hulme reunion. Many times, these gatherings were held in Mt. Pleasant. Above are reports from The Wayland News on the 1941, 1957, 1961, and 1963 reunions.

Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.

Wayland, Iowa, Wikipedia

Wayland Museum, WaylandIowa.com

Jefferson Township Historical Survey, WaylandIowa.com

Jefferson Township Historical Survey -Appendix, WaylandIowa.com

History of Finley Chapel, Wayland, Iowa, Henry County Churches, IAGenWeb

Olive Alice Hulme Boller, Find-A-Grave

Hiram Howard Hulme, Find-A-Grave

Anna M. Dill Hulme, Find-A-Grave

Max H. Hulme, Find-A-Grave

John Dill Hulme, Find-A-Grave

Harold H. Hulme, Find-A-Grave