Netta Bartholomew Anderson papers

Netta C. Bartholomew was born 13 April 1873 in Clark City, Missouri to parents Edward Fry (E. F.) and Catherine Bartholomew. She attended schools in Carthage, Illinois, where her father was a professor and then president at Carthage College, until the family was relocated to Rock Island, Illinois, when her father took a job at Augustana College and Theological Seminary in 1888. In 1894, she was one of the first six women to graduate from Augustana College. She was active in student groups at Augustana, belonging to the Augustana Ladies' Choir, Philodoi Quartette, and Adelphic Society. Immediately after graduating, she took a trip abroad with her father to Germany. She spent several months traveling throughout Europe.

She married K. T. Anderson 16 June 1897 in Rock Island where both would remain for their entire lives. Netta Anderson was very active in the community, belonging to many groups including the board of the Bethany Home, the Rock Island's Woman's Club, the Augustana Endowment Fund Society, the Ladies' Aid Society of the Grace Lutheran Church, the Augustana Alumni Association, the Rock Island Choral Society, and the Rock Island Historical Society. She was a founding member of several of these organizations and held various offices.

Throughout her life, she was a prolific writer and speaker. She contributed articles to local papers and Augustana publications and was often asked to speak at meetings for civic groups. Anderson also kept travel journals and a personal diary. She was keenly interested in the history of Rock Island and did much research along these lines, collecting articles and papers of historical interest. She wrote a lengthy article about pioneer women that she presented before the Illinois Historical Society, which was later republished in pamphlet form by the Rock Island Historical Society. This article was the result of personal interviews Anderson conducted with early women settlers from the area.

She remained actively involved with her community and her alma mater until the end of her life; she was stricken with a heart attack while attending the Augustana Alumni Homecoming Banquet on 22 October 1960 at the age of 87.