Silver Star Grange No. 1868 Records (DeKalb County

A meeting was held at the Elva Hall on April 28, 1932 to organize the Silver Star Grange.  At that meeting four officers were elected: Carl Lungstrom, Master; William Heller, Overseer; Mrs. William Heller, Treasurer; and Florence Heller, Secretary.  On May 12th the grange voted to  name the grange Silver Star, set the membership fee at $1.50, and elect the remaining officers.  The officers were installed on May 26, 1932.  Meetings were held either at the Elva Modern Woodmen Hall or at the homes of Grange members.  The meetings started out as being held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month but changed over the years.        On June 22, 1933, a meeting was held at the Dennis O’Brien home to decide whether to continue the grange.  No decision was made at that meeting.  According minutes from the December 8, 1933 meeting a meeting was held in August at the home of Hugh Finnan to discuss the future of the grange.  Another meeting was to be held two weeks later but never took place.  It was decided at the December 8, 1933 meeting to hold elections on December 14, 1933.    The Grange donated money to many organizations in the area such as the Red Cross, the Cancer Society, Easter Seals, and the Blood Bank.  The members helped with the CROP Walk, rang bells for the Salvation Army, and provided garden products for the farmers market.  During World War II the grange members held benefit card parties for the Red Cross, sent Christmas presents to the boys in the service, and shared their food from their victory gardens.  Social events included box lunch socials, square dances, pot luck suppers, bake sales, ice cream socials, holiday parties, and quilting bees.    The Grange was active politically too.  They wrote a letter of confidence to President Roosevelt in 1933, wrote letters to the senators and representatives regarding the exemption of farmers from the draft in 1941, suggested the government make use of new tires laying around in garages and automobile sales rooms which could not be sold in 1942, and wrote letters complaining about the implementation of the use of Central War Time Savings Time in 1943.  Locally they passed a resolution for the use of butter instead of butter substitutes for food in the relief of indigent families and promoted farm safety.

Note written by