Bessie Klosterman’s Mother with Another Update

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Bessie Klosterman’s Mother with Another Update

March 31, 2016 by Luanne

This week I discovered a photo from the bunch that Grandpa had identified that I had not yet scanned.

So I scanned it.

And then I scanned the back of it.

Here is what it says:

Bessie Klosterman / Pete DeBoer shot (and killed) her mother

The name Klosterman (Kloosterman) sounded familiar to me, so I looked on the census pages where my family lived. I found her family in the general neighborhood. Then when I went back to look again, I lost them. Now I don’t know which census I found them in–or on what street. This is what happens when I try to “skim” something in the middle of working! So that is going to take more searching.

In the meantime I went to Genealogy Bank, but I couldn’t find any stories relating to a shooting involving a Klosterman or a DeBoer (or denBoer either). I can’t even find Bessie in a search for documents on Ancestry.

This is obviously a very sad (and unknown to me) story, and the fact that Grandpa had her photograph shows that the families were close.

UPDATE:

A friend saw my post on Facebook and said Bessie might have been:

Elizabeth Klosterman born 13 Sept 1883 Kalamazoo died 27 Jun 1962
Husband Henry. Hindrik H Ouding
Parents: Louise Newhouse and Peter Kloosterman

Off to check on that tip!

Better yet: here is the 1900 census showing Bessie and her brother Peter living with their maternal grandfather!

Today I will update you where the search has taken me. I will post a page of the 1894 Michigan census.
To sum up my findings:

1894 Michigan census

At 1137 South Burdick St. lived:

CORNELIUS DEBOER, 40 years old

Wife MARY DEBOER, 33 years old

Step children (of Cornelius)

1880 Elizabeth, 14

John, 12

Peter, 10

Cornelius, 8

The children were all born in Michigan, the adults in Netherlands.

At same house lived John DeKorte (father, widower). Could be an error in spelling or could be another explanation.

Cornelius was a labor, Mary a housekeeper, Elizabeth “at home,” and the boys at school.

The census indicates that Elizabeth has not attended school that census year, though the boys have.

Cornelius has only been in the US for 6 years (1888 arrival) and Mary for 25 years (since 1869 when she was 8 years old).

1900 federal census:

At 1645 S. Burdick Street lived:

Peter Newhouse, born 1839, 61 years old, an invalid, arrived from Netherlands 1868

Peter Klosterman, grandson, born 1885 so 15 years old, working as “callander man”

1882 Elizabeth Klosterman, granddaughter, born 1882 so 18 years old, can’t read her occupation

Both children born in Michigan

According to Ancestry trees, Elizabeth Klosterman was born 13 Sept 1883 in Kalamazoo and died 27 Jun 1962. Her husband was Henry or Hindrik H Ouding. And her parents were Louise Newhouse and Peter Kloosterman. She could also be Louisa or Louiza.

I wondered if there could be errors involved and if John and Cornelius had died, but I found a Cornelius Kloosterman, born 1889, who died in1973 and is buried at Mount Ever-rest.

Either they are two different families or the children were split between two families. This is a possibility because Grandpa Newhouse was an invalid and maybe two of the kids were there to take care of him.

I have to leave the Klostermans for now as I must return to searches for my own family (not to mention work haha). But I feel that the answers about Bessie’s mother and family will eventually fall into place.

Posted in Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Michigan history, Photography early 20th century | Tagged antique photo, Bessie Klosterman, family history, genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Klosterman family, Klosterman surname | 27 Comments

27 Responses

on March 30, 2016 at 7:56 am | Reply Barb Drummond

Amazing how many important incidents seem to slip through the cracks. Intriguing.
- on March 31, 2016 at 1:50 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Isn’t it, though?! I have added more information above, but I still don’t really have an answer. Was the mother Mary or Louisa? Were there two children named Elizabeth and Peter Klosterman who both lived on South Burdick Street? The mysteries are growing.
on March 30, 2016 at 8:46 am | Reply Don

The klostermans lived near burdick and cork. The kids attended Christian schools. Very big family big in athletics –Hank is one I remember. If I remember right, one of the girls about your mothers age was killed by a stray 22 bullet in portage. Klostermans and DeVries families were lose and may have intermarried. Also a klostermans was in wholesale tobacco and candy business and called on Dad.

Sent from my iPad

>
- on March 31, 2016 at 1:51 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Thanks for the information. It’s this kind of detail that makes it so much more interesting!! Now I am wondering if there was more than one Klosterman family in that vicinity! I added a little research above relating to earlier days, but I’m going to leave it for now as it’s so time-consuming!
on March 30, 2016 at 9:58 am | Reply thegenealogygirl

So intriguing! I did a quick check on newspapers.com and didn’t find anything. I hope you get to the bottom of it.
- on March 31, 2016 at 1:53 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Thanks so much! I added yet more info above, but this is it for me unless something new falls into my lap. It’s harder when it’s not your own family because you don’t have information that you know is correct to mesh with new information. Does that make sense?
on March 30, 2016 at 11:30 am | Reply Amy

Intriguing! Have you tried searching for the alleged murderer? Do you know who he was? Keep us posted.
- on March 31, 2016 at 1:54 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  I’m thinking it probably was an accident and not murder, but after reading what my uncle wrote, I wonder who was killed and what generation it occurred in. I added a lot more info above, but I am not making a lot of headway. So back to the family!!
on March 31, 2016 at 9:10 am | Reply Mary Drexler

OMG I have been working all morning trying to solve this story
- on March 31, 2016 at 1:52 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Mary, you and me both. I added more information above. You might have found that yourself. I think it’s even more confusing now, but I’m going to leave the search for now or I will never get anything else done!
on April 1, 2016 at 7:53 pm | Reply Sheryl

Mary looks like such a nice woman. The mysterious caption on the picture pulls on my heart – I want her to have had a good life, but it’s obvious (though I don’t know exactly how) that it was difficult.
- on April 2, 2016 at 8:15 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Bessie, yes. I know. And it’s all quite the mystery!
on April 3, 2016 at 8:35 am | Reply Curt Clapier

I came across your site because you had liked a post on my site. I’m not sure how you found my site, but your site caught my I because my family and I spent a summer in Kalamazoo. It was a neat place. I’m starting a family history podcast. Would you open to being interviewed on that podcast.
- on April 4, 2016 at 1:38 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Feel free to email me at mlmmcastle@gmail.com. Thanks for stopping by!
on April 4, 2016 at 5:40 pm | Reply Sheila Morris

Okay, Luanne…now you and your grandfather have created a real mystery!! I’m going to hope that the accident explanation is correct – I can’t imagine any woman who looks that good and kind could be a murderer.
But, then, of course this is why I can’t write fiction. 🙂
Thanks for a great story!!
on April 6, 2016 at 6:41 am | Reply Barb Drummond

Am interested that the term used was killed, not murdered, suggesting an accident?
- on April 13, 2016 at 2:54 pm | Reply Luanne @ TFK
  
  Not murdered, I believe.
on April 7, 2016 at 5:02 am | Reply pattimoed

This mystery would be the basis of a great story. 🙂
on December 4, 2017 at 8:00 am | Reply Cees Kloosterman

Check my website: Kloosterman Genealogy and Emigrants to America:
http://www.kloosterman.be

Not about the mystery described above, but a lot of info about Kloosterman immigrants
- on December 4, 2017 at 12:55 pm | Reply Luanne
  
  What a gorgeous website, Cees! Thank you for posting a link here!
on December 4, 2017 at 8:09 am | Reply Cees Kloosterman

The Cornelius you are talking is about can be found here:
http://www.kloosterman.be/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I2161&tree=001
- on December 4, 2017 at 12:56 pm | Reply Luanne
  
  Thank you!
on December 4, 2017 at 8:10 am | Reply Cees Kloosterman

Check out:
http://www.kloosterman.be
Kloosterman Genealogy and Emigrants to America
on May 21, 2019 at 5:49 pm | Reply marymomentsblog

Luanne, you will love this: Bessie was the mother in law of my great aunt, Katherine Kuiper! Wow!
- on May 22, 2019 at 1:55 pm | Reply Luanne
  
  I knew there HAD to be a connection!!!! Super cool!!!!
on May 23, 2019 at 12:13 am | Reply ckworld

HI MARY, Can you give me more details about Bessie. the mother in law of your great aunt Katherine Kuiper

Check out:
http://www.kloosterman.be
Kloosterman Genealogy and Emigrants to America

and
The Cornelius t can be found here:
http://www.kloosterman.be/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I2161&tree=001
on December 5, 2020 at 3:37 pm | Reply marymomentsblog

I JUST saw the post from ckworld! Luanne, is there a Marinus Zudweg in your family? Slager?