Gertrude Thiebaud MacDuff
On
February 29,1879 Gertrude Thiebaud was born in Vevay, Indiana. She was the daughter of a druggist. Gertrude’s maternal grandfather was in
Congress in Washington DC while Lincoln was president.
There were two brothers in the family who
did not survive beyond childhood. In 1892 Gertrude’s family moved from
VeVay to
Peru, Indiana. Her father opened a drug
store in that city on the corner of Broadway and Second Street. Gertrude was an 1894 graduate of Peru High
School. From 1895 to 1897 she attended
Shepardson College in Denison, Ohio. She
became assistant librarian at the Peru Library by 1902 and took over as
head
librarian in 1903. Gertrude took
some
classes in 1911 at the Carnegie Library School, which is affiliated
with the
University of Pittsburg, and was elected secretary of the Indiana State
Library
Association in the fall of 1913. On
August 30, 1916 Gertrude was one of the original eight individuals who
gathered
in Peru to begin the process of forming a local Red Cross Chapter. At the January 30, 1917 meeting she was
elected to the office of recording secretary which also placed her on
the
executive committee and the board of directors.
Gertrude and her parents lived at #170 East Sixth Street
in Peru. From 1917 through 1920
Gertrude gave several
presentations at the state level library association conventions having
to do
with library work related to the war effort. She also served on the
Women’s
Council of Defense in charge of Educational Propaganda.
She followed all the suggestions made by the
state chairman of this committee. Gertrude saw to it that 5,300 copies
of a
letter called “To The Children Of Indiana” were distributed to all
children in
public and parochial schools in Miami County.
A brochure called “War Subjects for Club Programs” was
also distributed
to all organizations in the county. A
reading list called “Patriotism” published by the New York Public
Library was
given to ministers, teachers, club members and businessmen and women.
In May of
1918 Gertrude resigned from being Secretary of the Miami County Red
Cross
Chapter Executive Committee and on the first day of June she reported
to Walter
Reed Memorial Hospital as ordered for service.
Gertrude served as American Library War Service Librarian. This was a program that the American Library
Association launched at the beginning of WWI to provide books and
library
services to soldiers in camps and hospitals both in the United States
and
overseas. The American Library War
Service continued after the war until 1920 at which time Gertrude
married
Russel U. MacDuff. Gertrude’s
parents
left Peru in 1925 and in the summer of 1926, tragedy struck Gertrude’s
life
when her father died while living with her in Mount Rainier, Maryland. The depression found her living in Washington
DC and working for the government as a librarian. Her
husband was not employed. They lived at
1813 F NW apartment 3. In the winter of
1933 tragedy again touched
her life when Gertrude’s mom died while living with the MacDuff’s. Not
to be
deterred, that summer Gertrude obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Library
Science from George Washington University.
During her career she was Assistant Librarian in the US
Patent Library
in Washington DC for 21 years, and eventually her husband joined her
there as a
patent searcher. When Gertrude died in
1942 in Washington DC, America lost a competent emissary.
Her funeral was in Vevay, Indiana. She
was 64 years old and had contributed a
great deal in service to her country.
Works Cited
City Directory
Washington DC. Unknown Year page 1874
City Directory
Washington DC. Unknown year page 999
“Closes Tuesday Afternoon.” The Indianapolis Journal, 25 Dec. 1918, p. 13.
“C.O. Thiebaud Is Dead.” Peru Republican, 16 July 1926.
“Deaths Reported.” Evening
Star, 3 Aug. 1942.
“First Library Women Here.” Indianapolis Star, 20 Nov. 1917.
“The Following Students From Indiana Were Graduated
from George Washington University Today.” The
Indianapolis News, 9 June 1933, p. 8.
“Former Peru Librarian Dies.” The Kokomo Tribune, 4 Aug. 1942, p. 10.
History Of Miami
County . Page 309
“Letter to Omer Holman from Gertrude Thiebaud upon Her
Mother's Death.” Peru Republican, 8
Feb. 1933.
“Librarian As Factor In Guiding Opinion Is Topic At
Convention.” The Indianapolis Star,
21 Nov. 1917.
“Librarians Of State To Meet In Convention.” The Indianapolis Star, 5 June 1919.
“Marion Ind. Oct 17.” Evansville Courier and Press, 18 Oct. 1913.
“Mrs. Charles O Thiebaud.” Peru Republican, 17 Feb. 1933.
“Mrs. Russell MacDuff.” Peru Daily Tribune, 5 Aug. 1942.
Narccissus. Vol. 1917. High school Year book Page 133 under heading Class Of 1894.
“Obituary .” Kokomo
Tribune, 4 Aug. 1942.
Peru High School
Annual. Vol. 1901. page 109
First year book of Peru High
Peru, Indiana,
City Directory. page 235
“Peru.” Indianapolis
Journal, 23 Aug. 1903, p. 2.
“Peru.” The
Republic, 29 May 1918, p. 6.
“State Library Association.” The Daily Republican , 18 Oct. 1913, p. 2.
“ ‘United States Census, 1880," Database with
Images, FamilySearch (Https://Familysearch.org/Pal:/MM9.1.1/MHSF-PQH : 9
September 2017), Gertrude Thieband in Household of Chas O Thieband, Vevay,
Switzerland, Indiana, United States; Citing Enumeration District ED 169, Sheet
40A, NARA Microfilm Publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and
Records Administration, N.d.), Roll 0313; FHL Microfilm 1,254,313.”
“ ‘United States Census, 1900," Database with
Images, FamilySearch (Https://Familysearch.org/Pal:/MM9.1.1/M9MX-2NS : Accessed
27 April 2018), Gertrude H Thirband in Household of Charles O Thirband, Peru
Township Peru City Ward 2, Miami, Indiana, United States; Citing Enumeration
District (ED) 104, Sheet 18A, Family 394, NARA Microfilm Publication T623
(Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL
Microfilm 1,240,393.”
“ ‘United States Census, 1910," Database with
Images, FamilySearch (Https://Familysearch.org/Pal:/MM9.1.1/MK53-CPW : Accessed
27 April 2018), Gertrude Thriband in Household of Charles Thriband, Peru Ward
2, Miami, Indiana, United States; Citing Enumeration District (ED) ED 127,
Sheet 9B, Family 234, NARA Microfilm Publication T624 (Washington D.C.:
National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), Roll 371; FHL Microfilm
1,374,384.”
“ ‘United States Census, 1920," Database with
Images, FamilySearch (Https://Familysearch.org/Pal:/MM9.1.1/MF7Y-ZJS : Accessed
27 April 2018), Gertrude Thiebaud in Household of Charles Thiebaud, Peru Ward
3, Miami, Indiana, United States; Citing
ED 158, Sheet 9B, Line 63, Family 251, NARA Microfilm Publication T625
(Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), Roll
441; FHL Microfilm 1,820,441.”
“ ‘United States Census, 1940," Database with
Images, FamilySearch (Https://Familysearch.org/Pal:/MM9.1.1/K7S6-XRY : Accessed
27 April 2018), Gertrude Macduff in Household of Russell Macduff, Tract 57,
District of Columbia, Police Precinct 3, District of Columbia, District of
Columbia, United States; Citing Enumeration District (ED) 1-75A, Sheet 20A,
Line 10, Family 448, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA Digital
Publication T627. Records of the Bureau
of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and
Records Administration, 2012, Roll 555.”
