I’ve written before about my great-grandfather, Charles Mulder, of Caledonia, Michigan. He was born in 1885 in the Netherlands, but moved with his parents and younger brother to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he was only two. His baby brother Jan passed away within a few months.
Although Great-Grandpa was raised by his parents in Grand Rapids, where his father built furniture, he ended up starting his own adult life in Caledonia–as a farmer. He came from town folk. They weren’t farmers. What would have made him decide to become a farmer? And how did he purchase his farm? These are good questions, I know, and I wonder if there is anybody who can answer them. Maybe his daughter, my grandmother, didn’t even know the answers.
I used to love to visit GG and his 2nd wife Margaret on the farm. My great-grandmother had passed away a couple of years before I, the oldest great-grandchild, was born. So I grew up knowing Margaret, a very nice lady, as my GG.
I’m guessing that in this photograph, I am with Great-Grandpa at his farm. He’s very comfortable in his undershirt and suspenders, and I see the hint of a dark colored (red?) outbuilding behind him. I remember the barn, the corncrib, and the henhouse. And let’s not forget the outhouse!
This photograph, as you can see, was taken in July 1957, which means that I was just turning two.
Message to my family: if anybody has any photos of the farm, please scan and send to me!
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Here are links to other posts about Charles Mulder of Caledonia, my great-grandfather (the 1st two are my favorites):
The Blog Will Now Come to Order
I Raided Great-Grandpa’s Library
Great-Grandpa’s Family: The Mulders of Grand Rapids
The Family Kalamazoo 
I don’t know the history of land grants for the state of Michigan but is it possible that your great-grandfather was awarded land? Even if he did not recieve a grant you may be able to find out more about his land acquisition at the following link:
Click to access mhc_sa_circular02_49679_7.pdf
I have an interest in this because my husband’s ancestor was awarded a large piece of land in Ohio during the mid-1800’s after returning from the military. He ran a large farm on it until his death.
What a beautiful website linked from this pdf. Thank you so much! I am trying to figure out how to navigate it. I see that you can order stuff, but will need to understand the steps to using it. I will work on it!
So he was only 70 when he became a great-grandfather? He looks even younger than that! You are so lucky to have known a great-grandfather. I barely knew my grandparents…one died before I was born, one when I was four, one when I was nine, and only one lived long enough for me to know her my whole childhood. How blessed you are!
He was 70. And I was so blessed. Also, I was lucky being the first of my generation because I knew him all those years until he died when I was 11–April of 1967. And the only kid in the area (very rural) was exactly my age so I even had someone to play with when we visited and when I stayed with him. I’m so sorry that you only had one grandparent for your entire childhood, Amy. Grandparents are so wonderful.
Thanks—at least now I can bring them to life by understand who they were.
And you’re doing such a great job with your blog, Amy!
Wow it’s great to see *real* genealogists at work! What fun you must be having – when you’re not pulling your hair out, of course. I want my research to be like yours when I grow up! Congrats to you and to Amy for such great work.
Hahaha, yes, Nydia, you can call Amy a real genealogist. Her research is absolutely amazing. I have too many irons in the fire right now to do the research I need to do, but I have been thinking (fantasizing) about cloning myself so that is one to do all the genealogy research I have been putting off! Your blog looks interesting! Heading over there now.
What a nice post –> and how nice to have that real-life connection with your GGF. The photo of you two is great! It’s clear that he is proud of his little GGD.
Thanks, WJ. Do you think so?! Ah, I like hearing that!
Sometimes complex questions have somewhat easy answers! Grandpa got grandma (waldeck) mulder pg and with family help bought a farm near the waldecks who were farmers in caledonia. Because he had contracted tb at an early age his dr recommended he not work in the dust and fumes of furniture making. Actually from my perspective grandpa let grandma mulder do most of the work. He was a very nice man but not ambitious!
Sent from my iPad
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Wow, I’m thrilled that you knew the answer to the question! I hadn’t thought about the dust and fumes, but that makes a lot of sense. So funny what you wrote about him. I laughed! I don’t suppose you know how he got TB?
Did he become a farmer during the great depression? I think that land was very cheap back then, and that some people moved to farms when they lost their jobs in town and had little hope of being hired by another employer.
Sheryl, no, my grandmother was born when they lived on the farm–and that was 1912. See my Uncle Don’s response above. It looks like his family helped him buy the farm so he would have a way to make a living outside of the furniture business. Maybe he “lucked out” by having TB!!
However, it’s interesting to think that some people moved to farms just after the period when people were moving from the farms to the cities!!!
I think it’s wonderful that you even got to know your great grandfather. So many of us never knew past our grandparents.
Mrs. P, yes, I am so blessed with knowing my great-grandfather and 3 of my grandparents!!!
WOW!
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