The other day I posted a photo of a couple I had not yet been able to identify. Once I got it posted and readers started pointing things out to me, I began to wonder if it could be George Paak.
On the advice of some readers, I pulled the original photograph out of storage and looked at the back and at the sleeve. The back is blank, but the sleeve itself says this:
PATENTED MCH 271917
I still have a lot of work to do on the research, but I thought I’d post the photo with a concentration on the man’s face along with photos of the women I suspect could be his sisters. See what you think.
What I want to eventually find out is if this is George Paak.
Alice Paak DeKorn
Alice is my great-great-grandmother. Look at their mouths. The hairline, forehead, and sparkling eyes. Don’t they look alike?
Carrie Paak Waruf
Mary Paak Remine
The ones above are sisters Carrie and Mary. They don’t look quite like Alice or the man. Or do they?
Annie Paak
There’s another look alike. I think Alice and Annie look a lot like each other–and they look equally as much like the man. What do you think?
PAAK / PEEK FAMILY
Teunis Peek immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands with his children.
He was the son of Joost Peek and Annigjen den Besten, born on June 5, 1822 at Zijderveld. (He died on April 24, 1893, in Kalamazoo, Michigan).
Teunis was married on December 21, 1848 at Lexmond to Jacoba Bassa, daughter of Dirk Bassa and Aaltje van Nek. Jacoba was born on June 18, 1824. She died on November 23, 1865 at Lexmond, before Teunis took the kids and left the country.
From the marriage of Teunis and Jacoba:
1 Joost Peek (George Joseph Paak) was born on August 25, 1850 at Lexmond. He died December 9, 1925, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.*
2 Aaltje Peek (Alice Paak) was born on September 9, 1852 at Lexmond. She died in Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 5, 1908, a few months before her grandson, my grandfather, was born.
3 Anna Catharina Peek (Anna or Annie Paak) was born on January 6, 1855 at Lexmond and died on October 6, 1933 at Kalamazoo (MI). She married Jacob Salomon Verhuist.
Anna was married on March 20, 1890 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Jacob Salomon Verhulst, son of Jacob Verhulst and Cornelia Strijd. Jacob was born on May 1, 1848 at Kortgene, died on June 20, 1923 at Kalamazoo (MI).
4 Willempje Peek was born on September 17, 1856 at Lexmond (alive in 1870, as William ??).
5 Maaike Peek (Mary Paak) was born on July 28, 1859 at Lexmond. Mary married Richard Remine. She died in 1954 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
6 Cornelia Peek (Carrie Paak) was born on May 8, 1862 at Lexmond, died in 1957 at Kalamazoo (MI). Cornelia was 95 years old. Cornelia was married on June 2, 1882 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Hendrik Waruf (Henry). Hendrik was born in 1863, died in 1945 at Kalamazoo (MI).
Later, Teunis was married on January 8, 1869 at Kalamazoo (MI) (2) to Prina Adriana Schoonaard (Perena), daughter of Jan Schoonaard and Tannetje Servaas. Prina was born on August 1, 1814 at Borssele.
The other day another Paak descendent found this blog. I am looking forward to comparing notes with him about the family. He is the grandson of George Joseph Paak (Pake).
The Family Kalamazoo 
Great detective work. I think they all have the same smile and hairline but the eyes are more similar with the sisters, in my opinion…though Annie’s does droop down a bit which makes George being a sibling more plausible.
Thanks, Mrs. P! My daughter said that to me, too, about the eyes. I agree with you both, but I will note that my eyes have now drooped a lot from age (need some surgery over here pretty bad haha). I’m thinking it’s because these people are at different ages in the photos? Yes? No?
I think so.
Thanks, WJ!!!
Forgive me if this is obvious, but could that imprint mean “Patented March 27, 1917”?
I don’t know. I’m hoping somebody can read patent markings. I did a quick Google search and saw another item online that had the MCH as well. I kept seeing Michigan, which I didn’t think was right, but March makes a lot of sense. But the clothing (which show in the previous post) seems too out of date for 1917? Or not? It’s also possible that the photograph is a copy of an earlier photograph and was put in a sleeve in or after 1917.Because why wouldn’t there the photographer use the photo as a way to advertise? I’m beginning to think it’s a copy . . . .
Something here jumped out at me immediately: a distinctive long philtrum (groove going from nose to upper lip), and thin upper lip. Next thing that jumped out: very square face shape in Alice and Mary; narrower, more rectangular in putative George and Carrie, but in all of them a strong, angular, jaw (giving the square or rectangular face shape). Ears very similar in silhouette and positioning, compact pinned close to the head. [Annie has the square face shape and neatly pinned ears, but lips thin with age, ears and noses enlarge, so a little harder to know]. Fun to try and pick out the similarities!
Trying to recall which branch of your Kalamazoo family were brick masons who built public buildings in Kalamazoo–the library, wasn’t it? I believe I have evidence that one of my Vincent brothers–also brick masons (and ultimately developers) in Kalamazoo second half of 19th century–owned the property that the fire station was built on. Don’t know if they built the fire station or later built on the property (if the fire station was torn down and relocated).
What a fabulous analysis. Yes, that is what I was seeing, but couldn’t put into words! So great!
My great-great-grandfather Richard DeKorn was a brick mason. He was married to Alice Paak (see photo above). He built the Ladies Library Association, the Pythian Building, the water tower at the “Asylum,” etc.
So excited that zero in on something like your fire station find! It takes a lot of work to try to find out this information. Are you located in Kalamazoo so you can go through the records or are you a “NorthwestIslander” where it’s more difficult to do the research?!
Definitely a Northwest Islander out in Washington state! I have a couple books on Kalamazoo history–I think, unfortunately, I had to return (to a now-deceased family member) the one that showed a number of historic residences with their builders. Maybe I can find it on ebay–has been a good source for out of print genealogy-related texts for me!
I have a two or three and haven’t looked at them in a long time. Two by Peter Schmitt for sure.
I do think that Alice, Annie and the man look very much alike!
Me too! Watch, I’ll find out he’s not even related ;).
That does happen sometimes. But just think how grateful his relatives may be if you solve it and identify him and they come across your blog post! 🙂
I hope so!
I see the resemblance, but I also know we see what we want to see. But who else could it be??
Amy, I never really understood that until I saw that we also see what we expect to see. I noticed it with adoptees who grew up in the 60s and before–when many people kept adoption a secret. If people think a person was born into that family they assume a resemblance that isn’t necessarily there at all. Very weird phenomenon.
I suppose these people could be almost any of the shirttail relatives I don’t have photos for, but after studying the faces it seems clear that only the man could be a relative. The features are similar enough and the features of the woman are not seen elsewhere, that I can think of.
Yes, I have seen and experienced that myself with adoptees. I think sometimes even adopted children pick up facial expressions that make them look like their adoptive parents. And after all, we all do have eyes, nose and mouth!
I agree that this man looks like those women. If he is that professor’s grandfather (if I read your blog correctly), wouldn’t he know?
I am hoping that he will. I wrote back to him last night and gave him the post link and asked him to check it out.
Both my kids and my brother are adopted, and there are so many similarities. My brother sounds just like my uncle, and my sons and I have the same medication allergies, for instance. And his friends say he stands and holds his body like his dad.
Not surprising to me. Nature and nurture!
That’s right!
I’m not much help. I look at him and see a resemblance to Daniel Craig! So, go figure! 🙂
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