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Browneller, Martha Jean Nicholson, 1920-

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1920-

Biography

Martha Jean Nicholson was born on September 16, 1920, the daughter of Irma and Homer Nicholson. The Nicholsons raised their four children on a farm four miles outside of Oskaloosa, in Mahaska County, Iowa, during the Great Depression. Nicholson's mother supplemented the farming income by working in a cannery. After graduating from Oskaloosa High School, Jean Nicholson obtained a job as a telephone operator with the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. Nicholson married her childhood friend Max Browneller on September 18, 1940. The couple farmed and would often hire help to tend their farm. Jean Browneller was a leader in the 4-H group called the Monroe Busy Bees, worked as an Avon representative, and was active in local clubs and organizations. She was instrumental in forming a sewing club that would later develop the Iowa "Make it yourself with wool" contest and helped her husband form the Mahaska Sheep Breeders Association in Oskaloosa.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Martha Jean Nicholson Browneller papers

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0804
Abstract

Mahaska County, Iowa, farm woman who was active in 4-H and rural organizations. She recorded her daily activities in her diaries between 1935 and 1973.

Dates: 1920-2010