Maplewood History: SHSMO Archives Material from Five Maplewood Families
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Warning: Less Than Hardcore Maplewood History Fans Should Proceed With Caution. This is just a reminder that the William Lyman Thomas collection of images and documents that was recently donated to The State Historical Society of Missouri is actually the fifth Maplewood trove to find a home there. The first was the Charles and Mary Rannells collection which was composed of donations from many descendants now located in various parts of the country. Elise Rannells Todd was crucial to bringing that collection together. As the family historian, Elise possessed a great store of knowledge and was kind, generous and open about sharing it. Not long ago I learned that Elise had passed away early in 2021. I feel the loss and wish her husband, Glenn, the best. Elise’s nephew, Greg, who lives in Maplewood, gave me her contact info in 2004. At that time I was engaged in trying to save the Rannells family’s historic home, Woodside (Maplewood’s oldest building). As luck would have it, my brother was getting married in Richardson, Texas, where Elise and Glenn were living. When I told Elise that my wife and I were headed in her direction, she invited us, without ever having met us, to stay in their home. We didn’t take her up on that but we did visit her. On that visit, Elise showed us and allowed me to photograph her incredible collection of artifacts that had once belonged to Charles and Mary 150 years earlier. Many of these I have documented in my books and blog. Under a bed was a carpenter’s tool chest that was absolutely stuffed to the brim with letters and documents, some dating back to the 1830s.