Alfred Mueller was featured in the November 15, 2000 issue of the Galena Gazette when he was presented with the Illinois Humanities Council's Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award. This award honors people throughout the State of Illinois who, as volunteers, make a significant contribution to their community. Alfie is in the Galena-Stauss Hospital Nursing Wing. He misses his large collection of photographs which are still in his home. He spent hours organizing them, getting negatives made, and helping Galenians who were trying to preserve their historic homes. At the Galena Library he answered mail of people searching their ancestors in Jo Daviess County. He compiled books of information about the former residents. These books are now in the Galena History Room which was renamed as the Alfred Mueller Room. He always greeted me with "Hello Lady." He didn't remember my name but he knew who I was and always asked about my sister. He gave up working at the library when his eyesight started to fail. Alfie is the one you should thank for much of the cemetery transcription that appears on the Jo Daviess web site. Alfie suffers from Parkinson disease and his wife can no longer care for him in their home, so he has moved to the nursing home. I'm sure he would appreciate hearing from those he has helped or corresponded with in the past. Marjorie Smith

Marjorie Smith, Hannover, and Daryl Watson and others of our Jo Daviess group Thank you for all your information on Alfred Mueller. If this email duplicates my email to Hannover, sorry, but my gratitude to Alfred Mueller deserves to be spread to all of us on the Jo Daviess website. Alfred Mueller is my idea of the ultimate genealogist. In 1983, my aunt and mother and I planned our "Great Trek" into the past. I had been working on the HART family history for about 7 years prior. First we flew from San Francisco to Denver and searched Denver, Central City, Cripple Creek and Victor seaching for the graves and sites of my great grandparents. (Michael Hart was a miner) Then we flew from Denver to Chicago/Dubuque and drove to Galena. Michael was raised in New Diggings/Vinegar Hill. (Some of you may rmember my article about howe we locked ourselves out of our rented car on Vinegar Hill!)His parents (my great greats Thomas and Bridget Hart) are buried in back of the priests home in Benton, Wis. Right over the stateline and Vinegar Hill. We stayed in Galena at Mrs. Kelly's beautiful mansion which was right next door to the Historic Belevedere Mansion. Mrs. Kelly gave us the name and address of Alfred Mueller and we started corresponding. He had invited us to drop in when we got to Galena and so we did. We had a very nice visit in his home and he brought us to the Library and I gave it a copy of the list of names mentioned in the diary of my great grandfather, Michael Hart. Since Michael was a miner, he moved around to many places and I am listed on 5 different rootswebites. I have helped many people doing lookups, etc. Alfred Mueller really served as my model of a truly generous and kind and dedicated genealogist. I know we thanked him in 1983 but is if any of you can send or print this email and give it to him--I'd really be grateful. I want him to know that he wasn't forgotten. Free free to email me at any time, Susan Hart -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Susan Hart San Francisco State University Internet: [email protected] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- On Sat, 13 Jan 2001, Marjorie Smith wrote: > Alfred Mueller was featured in the November 15, 2000 issue of the Galena > Gazette when he was presented with the Illinois Humanities Council's Studs > Terkel Humanities Service Award. This award honors people throughout the State of Illinois who, as volunteers, make a significant contribution to their community. > Alfie is in the Galena-Stauss Hospital Nursing Wing. He misses his large > collection of photographs which are still in his home. He spent hours organizing them, getting negatives made, and helping Galenians who were trying to preserve > their historic homes. At the Galena Library he answered mail of people searching > their ancestors in Jo Daviess County. He compiled books of information about > the former residents. These books are now in the Galena History Room which was renamed as the Alfred Mueller Room. > He always greeted me with "Hello Lady." He didn't remember my name but he knew who I was and always asked about my sister. > He gave up working at the library when his eyesight started to fail. Alfie is the > one you should thank for much of the cemetery transcription that appears on > the Jo Daviess web site. Alfie suffers from Parkinson disease and his wife > can no longer care for him in their home, so he has moved to the nursing home. > I'm sure he would appreciate hearing from those he has helped or corresponded > with in the past. > Marjorie Smith > > > >