I have written about the Flipse family in Kalamazoo and my connection to them. My great-great-grandfather Richard DeKorn’s niece Frances DeSmit married Jacob Flipse. Now it looks to me as if there are least two connections between the Flipse family and the Kallewaard family, so when I use the name Kallewaard in the future know that I mean Kallewaard/Flipse.
Jan Denkers from the Netherlands contacted me with some information about the Kallewaard/Flipse family that lived in the Burdick and Balch neighborhood in Kalamazoo near my family. His father had carefully kept information about the family.
I will be writing another post or two about the family before too long.
In the documents that Jan shared with me was the above photograph. This house was probably the 3rd house north from my great-great-grandfather’s house on the corner of Burdick and Balch. Inside it lived the Kallewaard family: Cornelius, Mary (Flipse), and their children.
The next photo is my great-great-grandfather’s house at the corner. You can see the variety in styles of homes, although each is special in its own right.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could find a photo of each house in the neighborhood and put them together to see the neighborhood in its heyday?
Although the DeKorn house is still standing, the Kallewaard house is not, unfortunately. Thank you, Google Maps.
The Family Kalamazoo 
I went all the way thru school with Jean Ann Kalleward and her older sister Marie was Marie Van Dam who lived next door to us for years. Harold Van Dam ,Marie,s husband,who grew up in the neighborhood had a sister Marian Van Dam who was your Mom’s best friend!
Howard Kalleward an uncle of Jean Ann was Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Foundation for many years. He worked for my Dad in the early days.
Thanks so much for this! What great information! When you say next door, you mean facing the side porch? So interesting! And, yes, I know Marian and played with her boys when I was a kid.
Those are beautiful homes!
I agree! It’s such a shame most of them are no longer in the neighborhood, having been torn down long ago.
I’ve seen houses in Kalamazoo in the style of the Kallewaard/Flipse house. Like you, I’d love to go into the past and walk down the street when the houses were new. It would be such fun to see the pride people took in their homes. These days the houses are old and neighborhood rundown. Some of the older houses in Kalamazoo (such as on South Street) are well maintained due to a lot of work, cash, and love.
It would be so wonderful to see it–I can almost imagine it, but need to see a few more houses first.
Thanks Luanne! Great initiative to rebuild this neigbourhood! I am anxious to read your conclusions about the information we shared. Also, I was in Wissenkerke, Zeeland, The Nethlands, last month. Here lie THE roots of the Flipse family. Overthere we fond a small lane named after and a small statue of, Edurd Flipse, former leader/dirigent of the Rotterdam Philarmonic orchestra and (co-?)initiator of the concert hall De Doelen in Rotterdam. A local citizen told me that the Flipses are a ver music oriented family!
Oh, how wonderful to hear about your trip to Wissenkerke, Jan. I wonder if that still holds true about music with the American Flipse family!
I love those old houses with huge porches and an upstairs for the bedrooms. Thanks for posting.
Me too! I wish towns had saved more of these houses, but so many became so run down that it would cost too much to renovate, I am guessing.
I went all the way thru school with Jean Ann Kalleward , her older sister Marie became Marie Van Dam who lived next door to my folks for years. Harold Van Dam, (Marie’s husband) who grew up in the neighborhood, if fact Harold’s sister Marian was your Mothers best friend. They lived just across Burdick from Flipse Flower Shop.
Howard Kalleward, a cousin or uncle, was Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Foundation for many years. He worked for my Dad in the early days. There is more to the story if you want to ask your Mother when she comes out.
I will ask Mom when I see her! Yes, I know Marion!
Such stately and elegant homes. Too bad neighborhoods like that are disappearing, being replaced with cookie cutter homes (like the one I live in) or McMansions.
Oh, I know. Imagine how elegant this neighborhood was. It definitely doesn’t look like that now–sad for the people who live there, sad for the community, and sad for all of us really.
I enjoy reading your blogs. Wish I could come back and see how things were. It is impossible for me. I sent most all of my genealogy stuff to and thought I would not try to bring it here. My deceasd bro. Rober’ts family has a lot I think but limited in what I can do. Did you ever get the whole Lawrence Family tapes.? So many children in his family I only know only a few. I have kept up somewhat withWendy’s. I wish she could do that!
Hi Ed, thanks so much for the photos and the explanations! I did not get the tapes. I would love to have seen these old neighborhoods when they were in their heyday. Most of the beautiful houses are gone and those that are left are not in good shape, for the most part.
My wife and I recently moved to Kalamazoo .
I grew up in Niles but my grandparents lived on Burdick Street in Kalamazoo when I was a kid .
They later move to Westnedge Hill in past on in the 1970s .
I am interested in more about Kallewaard’s.
My grandfather was Eman Kallewaard and had several siblings. My father, Gysbert (Kal) kallewaard mentioned his cousin Dick Flipse.
Hi Tom, wow, that is exciting. The Kallewaard/Flipse branches I need to do more work on. If you could email me so that I have your contact info in case I have questions when I get started on it, that would be great. luanne[dot]castle[at]gmail[dot]com. Thank you!
Thanks – very interested. Very few family
pictures. I notice some drop the “second
A” in Kallewaard??
Several years ago I got to know Cobi And Luke Kallewaard in Kenmare Ireland. Even
own some paintings they did as I liked their
art. Luke passed away, but Google Cobi.
OK! Yes, like most of the Dutch surnames, there are almost as many spellings as people ;).