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H0174 The study's number for this person. Cite it and it will always lead here, whatever the spelling.
· A life in the study

Verna Violet Curtis

Born at Spencer in 1910 and died at Montevideo in 2001.

born 20 Apr 1910 at Spencer, Clay died 26 Jan 2001 at Montevideo, Chippewa

Also written Verna Potter, Verna Violet Potter, Verna V. Curtis

Verna Violet Curtis was born on 20 April 1910 at Spencer, in Clay County, Iowa, the eldest child of Arthur Garfield Curtis and Hazel Lucile Cook; her mother was then eighteen. Her parents were renting a farm at Gillett Grove, in the same county, and the census taker of that April wrote her down as a newborn in their household.1–4 In January 1920, aged nine, she was living with her parents, her sisters Dorothy and Madge and her baby brother, Arthur, in a rented house on East Fourth Street in Spencer, where her father farmed.5 Later that year the family moved to Chippewa County, Minnesota, where her sister Adelaide was born.

On 28 April 1928, at Montevideo in Chippewa County, eighteen-year-old Verna married Elmer Nelson Potter.3, 6–7 Their first child, Elmer Arthur, known as Bud, was born in neighbouring Yellow Medicine County on 14 November 1928.8 In April 1930 the young family lived at Maynard, next door to her parents: Elmer, twenty-four; Verna, nineteen, keeping house; their son and a baby daughter (living); and Elmer's sister Stella.9–10 By 1950 they had moved to a farm in Melville Township, Renville County, where Verna, thirty-nine, had two younger sons and a small daughter at home, and Stella still lived with them.11–12 Verna and Elmer had six children in all; the funeral home's notice names them.7 Their eldest, Bud, a veteran, died at Bloomington, Minnesota, on 2 February 2023, aged ninety-four, and was buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery; the others are living and are not named here.8

Verna made her home at Montevideo, the seat of Chippewa County. She was "Verna Potter of Montevideo, Minn." when her mother died in January 1978, and again when her sister Adelaide died in April 1995.13–14 She died at Montevideo on 26 January 2001, aged ninety, and was buried on 30 January in Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens, across the Minnesota River in Lac qui Parle County.2–3, 7, 15 Her funeral home's notice named her father and all five of her brothers and sisters: Arthur Curtis, Dorothy Harbour, Madge Curtis, Adelaide Hegnauer and Inez Tallard.7

What we know

Proven

  • Birth at Spencer, 1910
  • Marriage to Elmer Nelson Potter in Chippewa County, 1928
  • Death at Montevideo, 2001
  • Burial in Lac qui Parle County, 2001
  • 5 homes, from the census and other records

What's still open

Nothing the notes flag. Which is not the same as nothing left to find.

Sources

Sources 1–4

1 Iowa, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1910
2 Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1910
3 Find a Grave, memorial 122557771, 1910
4 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Gillett Grove [Township]

Source 5

5 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Spencer Ward 1

Sources 6–7

6 Web: Minnesota, Marriages from the Minnesota Official, 1928
7 U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847–Current

Source 8

8 Web: Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1928

Sources 9–10

9 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Maynard
10 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Maynard village

Sources 11–12

11 1950 U.S. Federal Census, Melville Township
12 Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 2026

Sources 13–14

13 Hazel L. Curtis, 1978
14 Adelaide L. Hegnauer, 1995

Source 15

15 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1910

Life in time

20 Apr 1910

Birth, Spencer, Clay, Iowa, United States

proven Sources 1, 2, 3, 5, 15

How we know

  1. 1910 Residence Gillett Grove, Clay · proven

    "Verna Curtice", daughter, age 0 (read also "11/12"), born Iowa, in the household of her parents "Athur" (29) and Hazel (18) Curtice (E.D. 33, sheet 6A).

    Her parents identify the household (index read 27 Sep 2026; image not read). The official census day was 15 Apr 1910, five days before her birth; see Research Notes.

    Source 4

  2. 1910 Birth 20 Apr 1910 · Spencer, Clay · proven

    Iowa birth index: Verna Violet Curtis, born 20 Apr 1910, Clay County, daughter of Arthur Garfield Curtis and Hazel Lucile Cook. The Minnesota death index and Find a Grave give Spencer.

    The Iowa births index gives the date, the county and both parents by their full names; the Minnesota death index (born 20 Apr 1910, Spencer, Iowa; mother's maiden name Cook), the Social Security Death Index and Find a Grave give the same date, and her age of 9 in January 1920 at Spencer fits. No birth certificate has been read.

    Sources 1, 2, 3, 5, 15

  3. 1920 Residence Jan 1920 · Spencer, Clay · proven

    802 East Fourth Street. Daughter, 9, the eldest child at home, in the household of her parents A. G. and Hazel Curtiss.

    Her parents and her brothers and sisters identify the household (index read; her own line).

    Source 5

  4. 1928 Marriage, with Elmer Nelson Potter 28 Apr 1928 · Chippewa County, Minnesota · proven

    Minnesota Official Marriage System index: Elmer N. Potter and Verna V. Curtis, Chippewa County, certificate Book I, p. 78; the funeral home's obituary index gives the place as Montevideo. The record image has not been read.

    The Minnesota marriage index (both lines) gives Elmer N. Potter and Verna V. Curtis, married 28 Apr 1928 in Chippewa County, where her parents lived; her funeral home's obituary index gives 28 Apr 1928 at Montevideo; in April 1930 she was Elmer's wife, married at 18; Find a Grave names her husband Elmer Nelson Potter, and she was "Verna Potter of Montevideo" in her mother's obituary.

    Sources 3, 6, 7, 10, 13

  5. 1928 Son born: Elmer Arthur Potter family event

    Their page →

  6. 1930 Residence Maynard, Chippewa · proven

    Dwelling 47, family 49, next door to her parents (dwelling 46). "Verna V. Potter", wife, 19, born Iowa, married at 18, homemaker, with her husband Elmer N. Potter, 24, a son (1), a daughter (0) and Elmer's sister Stella M. Potter, 38.

    Her name with the initial V., her age and Iowa birth, her parents' birthplaces (Indiana and Nebraska) and her husband Elmer N. Potter identify her (index read 27 Sep 2026; image not read).

    Source 9

  7. 1950 Residence Melville Township, Renville · proven

    On a farm ("Going North on Section 34-35", dwelling 36), the same house as in 1949. "Verna Patter" [Potter], wife, 39, born Iowa, 11th grade, with her husband Elmer, 44, two sons, 16 and 5, a daughter, 3, and Elmer's sister Stella, 58.

    Her age and Iowa birth, her husband Elmer and his sister Stella (as in 1930), and a daughter of the right age identify her (index read 27 Sep 2026; image not read).

    Source 11

  8. 1978 Residence between 1978 and 2001 · Montevideo, Chippewa · proven

    "Verna Potter of Montevideo, Minn." in her mother's obituary (Jan 1978) and her sister Adelaide's (Apr 1995); her last residence in the Social Security Death Index; she died there in 2001.

    Both obituaries and the Social Security Death Index give Montevideo.

    Sources 13, 14, 15

  9. 2001 Death 26 Jan 2001 · Montevideo, Chippewa · proven

    Aged 90. Minnesota death certificate 2001-MN-500802 (index).

    The Minnesota death index gives Verna Violet Potter, born 20 Apr 1910 at Spencer, Iowa, mother's maiden name Cook, died 26 Jan 2001 at Montevideo; the Social Security Death Index and Find a Grave give the same date. The certificate itself has not been read.

    Sources 2, 3, 15

  10. 2001 Burial 30 Jan 2001 · Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota · proven

    Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens (Find a Grave). The date is from the obituary index of the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home, Montevideo.

    Her funeral home's obituary index (with her exact birth and death dates, her father and all five of her brothers and sisters) gives burial on 30 Jan 2001; Find a Grave records her grave in Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens, Lac qui Parle County, across the Minnesota River from Montevideo. The memorial page has not been seen.

    Sources 3, 7

  • proven
  • family event

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Places in this life

7 places, in order
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  1. 1 Gillett Grove, Clay County Residence 1910
  2. 2 Spencer, Clay County Birth 20 Apr 1910 · Residence Jan 1920
  3. 3 Chippewa County, Minnesota Marriage 28 Apr 1928
  4. 4 Maynard, Chippewa County Residence 1930
  5. 5 Melville Township, Renville County Residence 1950
  6. 6 Montevideo, Chippewa County Residence between 1978 and 2001 · Death 26 Jan 2001
  7. 7 Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota Burial 30 Jan 2001

Hollow markers are placed approximately, at the town, county or region.

Family

Father Arthur Garfield Curtis 1880–1966 Mother Hazel Lucile Cook 1891–1978
This page Verna Violet Curtis 1910–2001
Husband · m. 28 Apr 1928 Elmer Nelson Potter c. 1906–aft. 1950
Son Elmer Arthur Potter 1928–2023 Child Living Potter living Child Living Potter living
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Family tree

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Records

Search the archive →
Deaths and burials 1 record · 1995

In the papers

The newspaper room →
  1. “Adelaide Louise Curtis”

    Longview Daily News · as sister

The evidence 9 facts with their grades, 17 sources, and the research notes

Facts

Fact Date Place Grade Sources
Residence 1910 Gillett Grove, Clay, Iowa, United States proven 4
Birth 20 Apr 1910 Spencer, Clay, Iowa, United States proven 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 15
Residence Jan 1920 Spencer, Clay, Iowa, United States proven 5
Marriage with Elmer Nelson Potter 28 Apr 1928 Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States proven 3 , 6 , 7 , 10 , 13
Residence 1930 Maynard, Chippewa, Minnesota, United States proven 9
Residence 1950 Melville Township, Renville, Minnesota, United States proven 11
Residence between 1978 and 2001 Montevideo, Chippewa, Minnesota, United States proven 13 , 14 , 15
Death 26 Jan 2001 Montevideo, Chippewa, Minnesota, United States proven 2 , 3 , 15
Burial 30 Jan 2001 Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States proven 3 , 7

Research notes

  • Sources: The Iowa birth index, the Minnesota marriage (MOMS), birth and death indexes, the Social Security Death Index, her funeral home's obituary index and her Find a Grave index entry were read on 27 Sep 2026; none of the underlying images or the memorial page has been read. Her censuses of 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1950 are Ancestry index entries; her married name and residence also come from her mother's obituary (a member's clipping) and her sister Adelaide's (read on the newspaper page).
  • Identity: (1) The Iowa birth index names Verna Violet Curtis, born 20 Apr 1910 in Clay County, daughter of Arthur Garfield Curtis and Hazel Lucile Cook.1 (2) Verna, 9, born Iowa, is the eldest child of A. G. and Hazel Curtiss at Spencer in Jan 1920.5 (3) Verna V. Curtis married Elmer N. Potter in Chippewa County, her parents' county, in 1928.6 (4) Her mother's obituary (1978) and her sister Adelaide's (1995) name her as Verna Potter of Montevideo.13, 14 (5) The Minnesota death index gives Verna Violet Potter, born 20 Apr 1910 at Spencer, mother's maiden name Cook, died at Montevideo in 2001, and Find a Grave names her parents Arthur Garfield and Hazel Lucille Curtis and her husband Elmer Nelson Potter.2, 3
  • Middle name (resolved): Violet, in the Iowa birth index, the Minnesota death index and Find a Grave, as on WikiTree.1, 2, 3, 16 The "Verna Lillian" of a member tree's links is wrong.17
  • Burial date: 30 Jan 2001, from the obituary index of the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home, Montevideo; the old family tree had the same date without a source. The index's "obituary date" of 23 Oct 2024 is only the date the funeral home's web page was indexed, not a publication date; the entry itself gives her exact dates, her father and all her brothers and sisters, so it is hers.7
  • 1910 census: Her line gives age 0 (also read "11/12") in her parents' household at Gillett Grove. The official census day was 15 Apr 1910, five days before her birth on 20 Apr; enumerators often recorded babies born before their visit, so the entry fits a visit after 20 Apr. The image should be read to check the age and the date of enumeration.4, 1
  • Children: Her funeral home's obituary index names six children.7 The study has three from the old family tree: Elmer Arthur (born 14 Nov 1928, Yellow Medicine County; died 2 Feb 2023, Bloomington; identified by the birth index, whose mother's maiden name is Curtis, and Find a Grave, with the same full name and birth date), a daughter born in Dec 1929 (no death record found) and a daughter born in 1947.8 The 1950 census adds two sons, born about 1934 and 1945, who are not yet in the study.11 All but Elmer Arthur are living or presumed living under the study's rule and are not named.
  • 1930 and 1950 censuses: Her own lines were read as index entries on 27 Sep 2026: Maynard, 1930, next door to her parents, and a farm in Melville Township, Renville County, 1950, both with her husband's sister Stella M. Potter in the household.9, 11
  • This profile is part of the Hegnauer one-name study, as the sister of Adelaide Louise (Curtis) Hegnauer.

Working notes

  • Sister of H0105; m. Potter; of Montevideo, Minn., in 1978 and 1995 (mother's and sister's obituaries); middle name Lillian (member tree) or Violet (WikiTree), unresolved; 1920 census Spencer, Iowa (6061/28792357), 9, born Iowa
  • Sister of H0105; m. Potter; of Montevideo, Minn., in 1978 and 1995 (mother's and sister's obituaries); middle name Lillian (member tree) or Violet (WikiTree), unresolved; 1920 census Spencer, Iowa (6061/28792357), 9, born Iowa; WikiTree Curtis-3939 'Verna Violet': b. 20 Apr 1910, d. 26 Jan 2001 (unsourced)
  • Sister of H0105; m. Potter; of Montevideo, Minn., in 1978 and 1995 (mother's and sister's obituaries); middle name Lillian (member tree) or Violet (WikiTree), unresolved; 1920 census Spencer, Iowa (6061/28792357), 9, born Iowa
  • Sister of H0105; m. Potter; of Montevideo, Minn., in 1978 and 1995 (mother's and sister's obituaries); middle name Lillian (member tree) or Violet (WikiTree), unresolved; 1920 census Spencer, Iowa (6061/28792357), 9, born Iowa; WikiTree Curtis-3939 'Verna Violet': b. 20 Apr 1910, d. 26 Jan 2001 (unsourced); WikiTree 26 Jan 2001 death is a lead
  • SSDI, MN death index, Iowa birth index, Find a Grave (bur. Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens); m. Elmer N. Potter (H0301) 28 Apr 1928
  • Burial 30 Jan 2001 (funeral-home index 2190/10475747); middle name Violet settled

Sources

  1. 1

    "Iowa, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1800–1999," database, Ancestry.com, Verna Violet Curtis, born 20 April 1910, Clay County, Iowa; father Arthur Garfield Curtis; mother Hazel Lucile Cook; FHL film 1434998 (index read 27 September 2026).

    Ancestry

  2. 2

    "Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908–2017," database, Ancestry.com, Verna Violet Potter, age 90, born 20 April 1910, Spencer, Iowa; died 26 January 2001, Montevideo, Chippewa County, Minnesota; mother's maiden name Cook; certificate 2001-MN-500802 (index read 27 September 2026).

    Ancestry

  3. 3

    Find a Grave, memorial 122557771, Verna Violet Potter, maiden name Curtis, born 20 April 1910, Spencer, Clay County, Iowa; died 26 January 2001, Montevideo, Chippewa County, Minnesota; Terrace Lawn Memory Gardens, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota; father Arthur Garfield Curtis; mother Hazel Lucille Curtis; spouse Elmer Nelson Potter (findagrave.com/memorial/122557771); as indexed in "U.S., Find a Grave Index," Ancestry.com (index read 27 September 2026; the memorial page not viewed).

    Ancestry

  4. 4

    1910 U.S. Federal Census, Gillett Grove [Township], Clay County, Iowa, E.D. 33, sheet 6A: "Verna Curtice" (daughter, age 0 [alternative reading 11/12], born Iowa, father born Indiana, mother born Nebraska) in the household of "Athur Curtice" (head, 29) and Hazel Curtice (wife, 18) (record 137087876; index read 27 September 2026; image not read).

    Ancestry

  5. 5

    1920 U.S. Federal Census, Spencer Ward 1, Clay County, Iowa, E.D. 41, sheet 4B, 802 East 4th Street, household of A. G. Curtiss (39, born Indiana; farmer; rented), with his wife Hazel (28) and children Verna (9), Dorothy (8), Madge (4) and Arthur (1), born in Iowa; enumerated in January 1920, before Adelaide's birth; NARA T625, roll 483; database with images, Ancestry.com (index read; image not read).

    Ancestry

  6. 6

    "Web: Minnesota, Marriages from the Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS)," database, Ancestry.com, Elmer N. Potter and Verna V. Curtis, married 28 April 1928, Chippewa County, Minnesota; certificate Bk I - Pg 78; source moms.mn.gov (the groom's line, record 314603, and the bride's, record 90314603; index read 27 September 2026; the record has not been read).

    Ancestry

  7. 7

    "U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847–Current," database, Ancestry.com, obituary index entry from the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home, Montevideo, Minnesota: Verna Violet Potter [also indexed Verna Violet Curtis], female, age 90; born 20 April 1910, Spencer, Iowa; married 28 April 1928, Montevideo; died 26 January 2001, Montevideo; buried 30 January 2001; father Arthur Curtis; six children named (not given here, except her son Elmer "Bud"); siblings Arthur Curtis, Dorothy Harbour, Madge Curtis, Adelaide "Hegnaure" [Hegnauer] and Inez Tallard (record 10475747; the "obituary date", 23 October 2024, is the date the web page was indexed) (index read 27 September 2026).

    Ancestry

  8. 8

    "Web: Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1900–1934," database, Ancestry.com, Elmer Arthur Potter, born 14 November 1928, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota; mother's maiden name Curtis (record 119804; search-result line read 27 September 2026); and Find a Grave, memorial 249229784, Elmer Arthur "Bud" Potter Sr., veteran, born 14 November 1928, died 2 February 2023, Fort Snelling National Cemetery, section 33, site 4796 (findagrave.com/memorial/249229784/elmer-arthur-potter) (memorial read 27 September 2026); and "Potter, Elmer 'Bud'," obituary, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), 12 February 2023, p. B11: aged 94, of Bloomington, died 2 February 2023 (page read on Newspapers.com, newspapers.com/image/929573253).

  9. 9

    1930 U.S. Federal Census, Maynard, Chippewa County, Minnesota, dwelling 47, family 49: Verna V Potter [alternative reading "Patter"] (wife, white, 19, born about 1911, Iowa; married, age at first marriage 18; homemaker; not attending school; father born Indiana, mother born Nebraska), in the household of Elmer N Potter (head, 24), with a son (1), a daughter (0) and Stella M Potter (38, sister [of the head]) (record 80149985; index read 27 September 2026; image not read).

    Ancestry

  10. 10

    1930 U.S. Federal Census, Maynard village, Chippewa County, Minnesota, E.D. 13, sheet 2B, dwelling 46, family 48, household of Arthur G. Curtis (49, born Indiana), with his wife Hazel L. (38, born Nebraska) and children Madge M. (14, born Iowa), Arthur N. (11), Adelaide L. (9, born Minnesota, attending school) and Inez L. (0); FHL microfilm 2340817; database with images, Ancestry.com (index read; image not read).

    Ancestry

  11. 11

    1950 U.S. Federal Census, Melville Township, Renville County, Minnesota, "Going North on Section 34-35", dwelling 36, on a farm, same house in 1949: "Verna Patter" [Potter] (wife, white, 39, born about 1911, Iowa; married; highest grade 11th), in the household of Elmer Patter [Potter] (head, 44), with two sons (16 and 5), a daughter (3) and Stella Potter (58, sister [of the head]) (record 92913499; index read 27 September 2026; image not read).

    Ancestry

  12. 12

    "Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1935–2000," database, Ancestry.com, the mother's line in the birth entry of a daughter (living): Verna Violet Potter, female, maiden name Curtis; spouse Elmer Nelson Potter (record 309548668; index read 27 September 2026).

    Ancestry

  13. 13

    "Hazel L. Curtis," obituary, [Longview Daily News] (Longview, Washington), 30 January 1978 [page not identified]: Hazel L. Curtis, 86, of 926 Delaware St., Longview, died 28 January 1978 in a Longview hospital; born 27 September 1891 at Julian, Neb.; came to the Carrolls area in 1952; survivors include four daughters, "Adelaid Hegnauer of Kelso," Inez Tallard of Sandy, Ore., Verna Potter of Montevideo, Minn., and Dorothy Harbour of Maynard, Minn., and a son, Arthur Curtis of Alturas, Calif.; funeral at the Maynard Presbyterian Church, Minnesota. Clipping from Newspapers.com shared as "Obituary for Hazel L Curtis" in an Ancestry member tree (contributed 22 October 2023), a derivative copy; the newspaper's name is inferred from the place and the funeral home.

  14. 14

    "Adelaide L. Hegnauer," obituary, Longview Daily News (Longview, Washington), 21 April 1995, p. B2 ("News of Record"): Adelaide Louise Curtis Hegnauer, 74, of 2431 Kingfisher Lane, Kelso, died 19 April 1995 at St. John Medical Center; born 31 May 1920 in Montevideo, Minn., to Arthur and Hazel Curtis; survived by three sons (Robert C. Hegnauer of Tacoma and two sons (living)), her adoptive mother, Berenice Burger of Longview, three sisters, Verna Potter of Montevideo, Dorothy Harbour of Maynard, Minn., and Inez Tallard of Milwaukie, Ore., 11 grandchildren and a great-grandchild; preceded in death by a sister, Madge Curtis, and a brother, Arthur Curtis; image, Newspapers.com (newspapers.com/image/575671218).

    Ancestry

  15. 15

    "U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935–2014," database, Ancestry.com, Verna Potter, born 20 April 1910; Social Security number issued in Minnesota, 1955; last residence Montevideo, Chippewa County, Minnesota (56265); died 26 January 2001 (index read 27 September 2026).

    Ancestry

  16. 16

    WikiTree, "Verna Violet Curtis" (Curtis-3939), born 20 April 1910, Spencer, Iowa; died 26 January 2001; daughter of Arthur Garfield Curtis (Curtis-3938) and Hazel Lucille Cook (Cook-9279) (as found in the study's WikiTree reconciliation, 26 September 2026; no sources on the profile as far as the reconciliation found).

  17. 17

    Ancestry member tree 157860921 (contributor Sonja Alves), in which the shared obituary clippings of Hazel L. Curtis (1978) and Adelaide Hegnauer (1995) are linked to "Verna Lillian", "Dorothy Lucille", "Madge Maxine", "Adelaide Louise", "Arthur Nathan" and "Inez Larayne" Curtis (seen in the Ancestry survey of 26 September 2026; the tree itself has not been searched).

Cite this page H0174

Evidence Explained

Hegnauer One-Name Study, “Verna Violet Curtis (H0174, 1910–2001),” hegnauer.family (https://hegnauer.family/people/h0174-verna-violet-curtis/ : accessed 28 September 2026).

Chicago (notes)

“Verna Violet Curtis (H0174, 1910–2001),” hegnauer.family, Hegnauer One-Name Study, accessed September 28, 2026, https://hegnauer.family/people/h0174-verna-violet-curtis/.

H0174 is this person's permanent number in the study. Names get respelled; the number never changes, so the link and the citation keep working.

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