Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum, Author at The Mendocino Voice | Mendocino County, CA • Page 4 of 7

Columns & Opinion

McNear: A noteworthy Mendocino marriage had a rocky start

by Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum January 22, 2026February 13, 2026

Otis Kelley ended up marrying Annie, ensuring descendents—and the Kelley House’s collection.

A scanned, typewritten legal document from Mendocino County, California. The text is an affidavit sworn by Marie Gloria Andre of Mendocino, stating that she acted as midwife at the birth of a son born to John Roland Rodgers and Anna Pereira Rodgers in Mendocino County, California, and that the child is now known as Sylvester Rodgers and is a resident of Mendocino. The document is dated Sept. 25, 1939, and includes formal legal language indicating it was subscribed and sworn before an official.

Columns & Opinion

McNear: From delivering babies to recordkeeping, Mendocino County women did it all

by Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum January 15, 2026February 13, 2026

Midwives traveled to Ukiah once or twice a year to add babies to the county’s records.

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a woman in a long dark Victorian-era dress, standing beside an upholstered chair with one arm resting on it, against a patterned backdrop.

Columns & Opinion

McNear: Her name was America — and she did not suffer fools

by Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum January 8, 2026February 13, 2026

Coming West by covered wagon, America set up a millinery shop on Mendocino’s Main Street.

A black-and-white illustrated poster shows a rocky coastline inside a circular vignette above bold text reading “Protect Your Coast,” with the handwritten-style phrase “you can help!” in red below.

Columns & Opinion

McNear: Little River innkeeper is a prime example of how one person can change the world

by Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum January 1, 2026February 13, 2026

Rachel Binah started a movement to protect the entire North Coast from oil drilling.

Columns & Opinion

McNear: Christmas cards tell stories throughout the decades

by Averee McNear, Kelley House Museum December 25, 2025February 13, 2026

The Kelley House Museum maintains a collection of early greetings up to the 1930s, including an entire photo album from 1873,

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