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Hobnobbing

Posted in Adrian Zuidweg, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Leeuwenhoek, Photography early 20th century, Remine, Zuidweg, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2014| 12 Comments »

I started to prepare a post about the Bosman branch of the Remine (Remijnse) family, but then one character in the drama led to another, and I realized I need to do more work on it before I can post.

So instead I offer you a photo from a collection I have not yet shared. It’s from a photo album owned by Alice Leeuwenhoek Moerdyk. She has a lot of photos of the good time the family used to have at Brook Lodge, outside of Kalamazoo.

In this photo, taken at Brook Lodge, the boy is most likely my grandfather. The date is 1915, and my grandfather was born in 1908. This photo was taken in the summer, and Grandpa’s birthday was October 31. The boy looks to be about six, and the facial resemblance is there.

Brook Lodge, Michigan 1915

Brook Lodge, Michigan
1915

Brook Lodge  was a 40 acre farm that was purchased in 1895 by Dr. W.E. Upjohn, founder of the Upjohn Company. He converted the old creamery to a summer cottage for his family. Grandpa told me that the family was invited often to relax at Brook Lodge. This photo was taken two years after Dr. Upjohn married the widow of James F. Gilmore, a founder of the Gilmore Brothers Department Store. People from the area will recognize both the names Upjohn and Gilmore.

Update: My uncle believes that the woman in the photo is Alice who would have been about 18 at the time of this photo.

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Christmas 1907 in Kalamazoo, Michigan

Posted in Alice Paak DeKorn, Cora DeKorn Zuidweg, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Jennie DeKorn Culver, Joseph Peter DeKorn, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Leeuwenhoek, Michigan history, Netherlands history, Paak, Peek, Richard DeKorn, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 21, 2014| 27 Comments »

My great-great-grandmother Alice Paak (the brave woman who survived a horrific near-tragedy that I wrote about last spring) gave her middle child Cora a gift for Christmas 1907. Perhaps she gave one to each of her three children.

You can see from the photo that it’s a hand-painted genealogy shell.

My grandfather and grandmother inherited it, and my grandmother gave it to me.

Let’s take a look at what she wrote over one hundred years ago, and how it relates to the information I have received more recently.

Alice Paak

If you remember my story about Alice’s near tragedy, you might also remember the post I wrote about her beautiful handmade shawl. Or the post I wrote about Alice and all her sisters.

On the shell, she names herself “Alice Paak ,” which is the name Grandpa had told me.  But genealogical research in the Netherlands shows that she was born Aaltje Peek. The source used for that name was this:

Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands, birth record, 1852, 36, Aaltje Peek, 9 September 1852; digital images,
Familysearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-159370-202016-19?cc=1576401&wc=6426532 : accessed 23
December 2012)

Apparently, she accepted the American name “Alice.” Her granddaughter, Alice Leeuwenhoek, the daughter of Jennie and Lou Leeuwenhoek, was named after her. Later, my own aunt, the granddaughter of Alice’s daughter Cora, was given the name Alice.

Alice Paak’s birth date is given on the shell as 17 September 1852.  But my genealogical information (the source I listed above) shows that she was born on that same month and year, but on the 9th, not the 17th. Wouldn’t she know her own birth day? That confuses me.

On the shell, she lists her birth place as Leksmond, Nederland. That sounds right, and I think it’s the same place as Lexmond, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.

Richard DeKorn

My great-great-grandfather Richard DeKorn was born Dirk de Korne.  But he clearly changed both his first name (Americanized it) and the spelling of his last name (maybe to make it easier for others).

He was born on 21 Aug 1851.  The shell corroborates the date.

However, his birth place is listed on the shell as Goes, Zeeland, Nederland. But wait!  In another post I mentioned that I had always thought he was born in Goes, but the genealogical documentation shows that was born in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands! This is the documentation:

Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands, birth record, Dirk de Korne, 21 August 1851

Jennie DeKorn

Born March 18, 1873. That’s according to the shell. But my information is March 8, 1873. I have to check on this!

Cora DeKorn

Born January 2, 1875. That’s according to the shell and to my records.

Joseph Peter DeKorn

Born June 30, 1881. That’s according to the shell and to my records.

The treasure itself

The design is beautiful with holly branches. The berries are raised to look like real berries. Originally there was a gold leaf paint trim around the shell, but it has worn off in many places.

Her use of “Xmas” because it fit better on the small surface seems astonishingly modern, as does the use of metallic gold and red and green for Christmas.

What I find particularly poignant, though, about this family heirloom is the date. She gave this gift to her daughter on Christmas 1907, and on May 5, 1908, a little over four months later, she passed away.

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A Sister and Her Family: How Can I Find Out More?

Posted in Genealogy on January 17, 2014| 35 Comments »

Maybe you can help me with a brick wall. I’m looking for ways to research my great-great-grandfather, Richard DeKorn’s, little sister Jennie.  I mentioned her and the mystery of her in a post called Uncertainty about Boudewijn’s Kids

Let me back up a bit. Boudewijn DeKorn and Johanna Remijnse had three children in the United States:

  • My great-great-grandfather Richard: born Dirk de Korne, born 21 Aug 1851, Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands; died 26 Jan 1930, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States.
  • A sister Geertruit de Korne was born on 28 Aug 1848 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands. She died on 6 May 1849 at the age of 0 (just a baby) in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
  • Then another sister, Maria Catharina de Korne, was born on 4 Jan 1855 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the Netherlands. Maria became Mary DeKorn DeSmit when she married John DeSmit in Kalamazoo. They had seven or eight children.

The family immigrated to the United States in 1856, right after the birth of Maria. After locating in Holland, Michigan, they had one or two other girls. I found record of a daughter Adriana, born around 1859, and a daughter Jennie, born around 1861. Dutch genealogist Yvette Hoitink thinks they may be the same girl.  She says, “Jennie is a common English version of Adriana. The nickname for Adriana in the Netherlands could have been ‘Sjaan’ or ‘Jaantje’, which sounds similar to Jennie. My own great-aunt Adriana has been called Jeanny since she moved to the US in 1948. So chances are that Jennie and Adriana are indeed the same person.” I suppose it is also possible that the first Adriana died and then Jennie was born and that her name could have been either Adriana or Geertruit or something else.

What I do know was told to me by my grandfather, Adrian Zuidweg. He said that Jennie DeKorn married John Culver, had children, and moved to Seattle.

Jennie DeKorn Culver

Jennie DeKorn Culver

In the photo I think she does look a lot like Richard DeKorn, her brother, and like Boudewijn her father.

Richard (Dirk) DeKorn

Richard (Dirk) DeKorn (brother of Jennie)

Boudewijn de Korne

Boudewijn de Korne (father of Jennie)

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I found the following information about her death in the Washington State Death Records.

Name: Jennie Culver
[Jennie DeKorn] 
[Jennie Dekoris]
Gender: Female
Birth Date: abt 1861
Death Date: 7 Apr 1947
Age at Death: 86
Death Location: Fort Steilacoom, Pierce, Washington
Father: Richard Dekoris
Mother: Remyure
Record Source: Washington State Death Records

These records are kind of a mess.  Her maiden name was not Dekoris. And her father wasn’t Richard.  And her mother’s maiden name wasn’t Remyure.

The Culver Children

The Culver Children

I haven’t been able to find these people in the censuses or other documents, other than Jennie’s death certificate.

What websites should I check out? How can I find out more about Jennie and her family?

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A Familial Occupation

Posted in Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Lucille Edna Mulder Zuidweg, Michigan history, Mulder, Netherlands history, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2014| 16 Comments »

When I posted my genealogy to-do list, I asked if you could guess what occupation I found a few of my Mulder relatives engaged in during the 19th century in Holland. I said it was one I have had–and so have my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  Emily Ann at Child Out of Time wondered if it was teaching, which was a very good guess, based on our family history, but isn’t correct.

What I am talking about is retail.  My family was engaged in retail business for a long time.  My husband and I owned stores, and so did my parents. My grandfather owned a gas station. His father owned a fish market and a soda shop.

My 3rd great-grandfather, Karel Mulder, was born 21 February 1837 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands. He married Johanna Maria Boes on November 1861, also at Goes. On 27 August 1868, he married Klazina Otte at Goes. He died on 22 April 1881 in Goes.

His parents were Karel Mulder and Rose Melanie Bataille (remember the Bataille family?).  These are the children of Karel and Rose Melanie–namely, Karel and his siblings:

  • Karel Mulder, born 21 February 1837, Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands (Witnesses: Carel Mulder and Adriaan Zuijdweg). On 7 November 1861 he was an apothecary’s assistant in Goes. On 27 August 1868 he was an apothecary’s assistant in Goes. On 22 April 1881 he was a shopkeeper in Goes.Karel died on 22 April 1881.
  • Pieter Philip Mulder was born on 29 August 1838 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
  • Kornelis Mulder was born on 4 September 1840 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.25 He died on 3 June 1887 at the age of 46 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.26 On 3 June 1887 he was a shoemaker in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
  • Melanie Mulder was born on 21 January 1842 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.27 She died on 23 June 1884 at the age of 42 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
  • Johannes Mulder was born on 12 November 1843 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.29 He died on 7 January 1849 at the age of 5 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands. [died at age 5]
  • Andries Mulder was born on 23 January 1846 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands. [shop’s financial partner]
  • Jan Mulder was born on 9 December 1848 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.32 On 22 April 1881 he was a shopkeeper in paint and colonial goods in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.5
  • Johannes Mulder was born on 10 February 1851 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.33 He died on 26 June 1876 at the age of 25 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.34 On 26 June 1876 he was a shoemaker in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.
  • Jacobus Mulder was born on 13 May 1856 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.35 He died on 17 June 1874 at the age of 18 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.36 On 17 June 1874 he was a shopkeeper’s assistant in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands.

My 3rd great-grandfather owned a “paint and colonial goods” store.

According to genealogist Yvette Hoitink:

Karel Mulder had a company in paint and colonial goods together with his brother Jan, called the “Gebroeders Mulder [Mulder brothers]”. This company owned a house at the Korte Kerkstraat (property tax registration section D nr. 377). The most important financer of this company was Andries Mulder in Goes, for a total of fl. 4000 (1/3 of the value of the company). This Andries is probably their brother Andries Mulder, son of Karel Mulder and Rose Melanie Bataille.

Here is a map of where the Mulder Brothers shop was located:

That means that at least 3 of the brothers were involved in the paint and colonial goods shop: Karel, Jan, and Andries. Two other brothers are shoemakers, one died at age five, and the professions of Pieter Philip (we don’t have a death date, so I’m not sure if he lived to maturity) and Melanie, the only girl.

Here are some photos taken by Yvette Hoitink of the building at the location of the Mulder Brothers shop. We don’t know if this is the original building or not. The houses adjacent to the building are original.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

What do you imagine a “paint and colonial goods” shop would have sold?

Finally, do you remember (from this blog post) what happened to Karel’s son, my great-great-grandfather Pieter?  He ended up in an orphanage!

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It Can Be Scary to Look at the Back of the Photographs

Posted in Genealogy on January 10, 2014| 17 Comments »

I mentioned in a post called “My Great-Grandfather Reinvented Himself as a Business Owner in the U.S.” that my grandfather was in the Dutch army.

Adriaan Zuijdweg

Adriaan Zuijdweg

He was born in 1871 and immigrated from Goes to the United States in 1893, at the age of 22. According to Yvette Hoitink,  it would appear that he fulfilled his military duties before he left the country.

Notice that the photo says “BERGEN OP ZOOM” on it.  Yvette says that this was “a fortified town with a garrison.” So my relatives did get to other places in Holland besides Goes!

However, there might be more to the story.

Can I learn anything from the back of the photograph? Let’s see.

The first thing I learn is that when I was twenty I was a nitwit. Who writes on the back of an antique photograph?  I did.  What in the world. I can’t believe I was so stupid  ignorant.

Sigh.

Notice what I wrote. That was dictated by Grandpa (Adrian Zuidweg), Adriaan’s son. So he says his father ran away from the Dutch army because the man (officer?) over him had a contagious disease! He went AWOL!

I suppose the disease could have been anything, but it was something that Adriaan was afraid to get. Maybe tuberculosis?

We still need to investigate my great-grandfather’s military records to see if they support this family story.

Finally, do you know what it says at the bottom of the back of the photo?  De plaat blijft ter nabestelling bewaard.  My Dutch friend Linda says that this means “the picture will be saved for order purposes.”  Maybe it was a proof?

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Do You Remember The Mystery of Mrs. Jacob Flipse?

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Richard DeKorn, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 7, 2014| 16 Comments »

Last July I posted about the Flipse family. I grew up knowing that we were related to them, but I didn’t understand the connection.

When I got married, we bought my wedding flowers from the Flipse family flower shop. In 2007 the Flipse business was bought out by the VanderSalm flower shop. Here is an article about the new business, ValderSalm’s-Flipse Flower Shop and Garden Center. I also discovered that in 2010, the former location of Flipse flowers burned down. Here is an article about the fire. You will also find a map of the location of the business, on Burdick Street, just north of my grandparents’ old house and in the same area where many of my grandfather’s relatives owned homes and businesses.

Click the photos for another article and the photo credits.

I met the elderly Mrs. Flipse when I was around twenty. Her name at birth was Frances DeSmit, and her mother, Mary DeKorn DeSmit, was Richard DeKorn’s sister. Richard is my 2nd great grandfather, so that makes Frances my first cousin 3x removed. As I mentioned at the time, Frances was near the end of her life when I met her; she died at the age of 97.

When I researched Frances, I discovered that Mr. Flipse had been married before he married Frances and was, in fact, a widower.  But I couldn’t figure out who was his first wife.

My friend Adri has helped me out once again and located more information about the Flipse family. The family patriarch was Flip Flipse. That’s right: Flip. Like Flip Wilson. I looked up this name, and apparently it is the diminutive form of the Dutch name Filip or Filippus.

Flip Flipse was born in 1787 at Colijnsplaat and died on July 25, 1842 at Wissenkerke.

Flip was married on July 20, 1814 at Colijnsplaat to Maria Leendertse.  Maria was born in November 24, 1792 at Colijnsplaat and died on  September 13, 1828 at Wissenkerke.

The children of Flip and Maria were:

1 Pieter Flipse was born on September 9, 1817 at Wissenkerke.

Pieter was married on October 14, 1842 at Wissenkerke to Cornelia Blazina de Smit, daughter of Eduard de Smit and Anna van der Maas.  Cornelia was born on October 14, 1822 at Wissenkerke.

2  Izak Flipse was born on January 3, 1821 at Wissenkerke, died on July 17, 1875 there.

Izak was married on August 2, 1848 at Wissenkerke to Pieternella Spruit, daughter of Adriaan Spruit and Geertruid Buis.  Pieternella was born on January 29, 1826 at Wissenkerke, died on March 8, 1896 at Goes.  Pieternella was before married (1) to Johannes de Dreu.

3  Marinus Flipse was born on April 3, 1822 at Wissenkerke.

4  Iman Flipse was born on January 25, 1827 at Wissenkerke, see II-A.

Flip was married on June 4, 1829 at Wissenkerke (2) to Maria Dorst, daughter of Jan Dorst and Maria Boer.  Maria was born in 1809 at Ouwerkerk, died on January 14, 1834 at Wissenkerke.

From this marriage:

5  Jan Flipse was born on January 8, 1830 at Wissenkerke.

6  Pieternella Flipse was born on June 11, 1831 at Wissenkerke, died on December 21, 1831 there.

7  Jacob Flipse was born on November 14, 1832 at Wissenkerke, died on January 15, 1833 there.

8  Maria Pieternella Flipse was born on November 9, 1833 at Wissenkerke, died on April 24, 1836 there.

When Flip married for the third time, he waited a decent amount of time.

Flip was married on March 18, 1836 at Wissenkerke (3) to Janna Dorst, daughter of Jan Dorst and Maria Boer.  Janna was

born on March 19, 1811 at Ouwerkerk, died on February 21, 1878 at Wissenkerke.  Janna was married on April 9, 1846 at

Wissenkerke to Pieter Verhulst, son of Willem Verhulst and Pieternella Flipse. Pieter was born on July 14, 1816 at Kats, died

on June 23, 1891 at Wissenkerke.

From this marriage:

9  Maria Janna Flipse was born on February 11, 1837 at Wissenkerke, died on February 27, 1837 there.

10        Janna Flipse was born on August 2, 1838 at Wissenkerke, died on June 12, 1839 there.

11        Jacob Flipse was born on December 20, 1839 at Wissenkerke, died on April 21, 1840 there.

12        Pieternella Flipse was stillborn on December 20, 1839 at Wissenkerke.

13        Jacob Flipse was born on May 11, 1841 at Wissenkerke, see II-B.

NEXT GENERATION (if you’re falling asleep skip down to the next bolded passage):

Iman Flipse, son of Flip Flipse (I) and Maria Leendertse, was born on January 25, 1827 at Wissenkerke, died on February 11, 1886 there.

Iman was married (1) to Catharina de Moor.

Iman was married on May 4, 1853 at Wissenkerke (2) to Adriana Susanna Meulenberg, daughter of Dirk Meulenberg and Tannetje van der Weele.  Adriana was born in 1829 at Wissenkerke, died on July 28, 1864 there.

From this marriage:

1  Maria Flipse was born on October 15, 1853 at Kamperland, died on December 28, 1921 at Kalamazoo (MI).

Maria was married on August 16, 1876 at Wissenkerke to Cornelis Kallewaard, son of Pieter Kallewaard and Jacoba Rademaker.  Cornelis was born on November 18, 1851 at Nisse, died on March 12, 1931 at Kalamazoo (MI).  Cornelis was married on August 10, 1922 at Grand Rapids (MI) (2) to Adriana Gillesse, daughter of William Gillesse and Adriana Bolier. Adriana was born in 1859.

Jacob Flipse, son of Flip Flipse (I) and Janna Dorst, was born on May 11, 1841 at Wissenkerke, died on March 15, 1870 there.

Jacob was married on May 18, 1859 at Wissenkerke to Cornelia Kallewaard, daughter of Pieter Kallewaard and

Jacoba Rademaker.  Cornelia was born on July 27, 1839 at Wissenkerke, died after 1900.   Cornelia was married on March 1, 1871 at Wissenkerke (2) to Adriaan Boot, son of Cornelis Boot and Lena van der Maas. Adriaan was born on  November 30, 1838 at Kortgene.

From this marriage:

1  Flip Flipse was born on August 28, 1859 at Wissenkerke, died on September 30, 1859 there.

2  Pieter Flip Flipse was born on December 22, 1860 at Wissenkerke, died on January 18, 1861 there.

3  Flip Pieter Flipse was born on January 17, 1862 at Wissenkerke, died on December 15, 1897 at New Haven (CT).

4  Pieter Flipse (Peter) was born on April 2, 1863 at Wissenkerke, see III-A.

5  Janna Jacoba Flipse (Jennie) was born on September 23, 1864 at Wissenkerke, died on January 10, 1932 at Kalamazoo (MI).

Janna was married on January 18, 1888 at Wissenkerke to Johannes Boot (John), son of Iman Boot and Maria Albregtse.  Johannes was born on October 18, 1858 at Wissenkerke, died on November 7, 1922 at Kalamazoo (MI).

6  Jacobus Flipse (James) was born on March 14, 1866 at Wissenkerke, see III-B.

7  Jacoba Pieternella Flipse was born on May 28, 1867 at Wissenkerke, died on August 1, 1877 there.

8  Jacob Flipse was born on August 19, 1868 at Wissenkerke, see III-C.

9  Pieternella Flipse was born on October 2, 1869 at Wissenkerke, died on October 13, 1870 there.

III-A      Pieter Flipse (Peter), son of Jacob Flipse (II-B) and Cornelia Kallewaard, was born on April 2, 1863 at Wissenkerke, died on May 25, 1935 at Kalamazoo (MI).

Pieter was married on November 29, 1882 at Wissenkerke to Sophia Maria Meulenberg, daughter of Pieter Cornelis Meulenberg and Jannetje Verschuur.  Sophia was born on February 2, 1862 at Kats, died on March 11, 1918 at Kalamazoo (MI).

From this marriage:

1     Jan Flipse (John) was born on May 11, 1879 at Wissenkerke, see IV-A.

2     Cornelia Flipse was born on October 17, 1885 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on February 17, 1900 there.

3     Sofie Flipse was stillborn on December 31, 1886 at Kalamazoo (MI).

4     Peter Flipse was stillborn on January 24, 1887 at Kalamazoo (MI).

5     Peter Cornelius Flipse was born on August 6, 1888 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on August 7, 1888 there.

6     Peter C. Flipse was born in 1890 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on February 26, 1890 there.

7     Jennie Flipse was born on September 24, 1890 at Kalamazoo (MI).

Jennie was married on July 15, 1910 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Tour Grobsky, son of John Grobsky and Torrey Mozzes.  Tour was born in 1891.

8     Nellie Flipse was born on September 20, 1893 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on January, 22 1971 there.

Nellie was married on April 5, 1916 at Kalamazoo (MI) to William Van Zee, son of Aart Van Zee and Martha Immerseel.  William was born on October 11, 1882, died in April 1965.

9     Adah Flipse was born on March 16, 1896 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on April 15, 1948 at Grand Rapids (MI).

Adah was married on July 29, 1920 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Roy J. Wiarda, son of John Wiarda and Jennie Huyser.  Roy was born on April 8, 1896 at Grand Rapids (MI), died on October 8, 1979.

10   Jacob Peter Flipse was born on June 4, 1898 at Kalamazoo (MI).

Jacob was married on February 28, 1919 at Muskegon (MI) to Phoebe Stanbaugh, daughter of John Stanbaugh.  Phoebe was born in 1900.

11   Marnie Flipse was born on July 24, 1899 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on June 27, 1931 at Dowagiac (MI).

Marnie was married on September 7, 1918 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Cornelius Hiemstra, son of William Hiermstra and Jessie DeYoung.  Cornelius was born on August 16, 1896.

Cornelius was before married (1) to Harriet Stafford, born in 1909.

12   Cornelius Flipse was born on February 5, 1902 at Kalamazoo Twp (MI), died on July 13, 1902 at Kalamazoo (MI).

III-B      Jacobus Flipse (James), son of Jacob Flipse (II-B) and Cornelia Kallewaard, was born on March 14, 1866 at Wissenkerke, died before 1949.

Jacobus was married on July 21, 1892 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Joanna VanBrussel, daughter of Cornelius VanBrussel and Pieternella Faasse.  Joanna was born on February 7, 1870 at South Haven (MI), died on October 25, 1949 at Lansing (MI).

From this marriage:

1  Cornelia E. Flipse was born on February 9, 1893, died in August 1976 at Cuyahoga (OH).

Cornelia was married (1) to Ernest A. Armbrest, son of Gideon M. Armbrest and Mary Gharkey.  Ernest was born on  February 22, 1878, died in September 1957 at Palm Beach (FL).

Ernest was married on September 30, 1906 at Columbiana (OH) (2) to Nettie C. Taylor, daughter of Ira M. Taylor. Nettie was born on July 15, 1883 at Columbiana (OH), died on August 7, 1922 at Cleveland (OH).

Cornelia was married on June 17, 1916 at Cuyahoga (OH) (2) to Lucien Perry Shepard, son of Ralph C. Shepard and Alice J. Shaylor.  Lucien was born on December 22, 1889 at Cleveland (OH), died on February 16, 1920 at Warren (OH).

2  Nellie A. Flipse was born on October 2, 1894 at Kalamazoo (MI), died in February 1980 at San Marcos (TX).

Nellie was married on July 2, 1915 at Cuyahoga (OH) (was divorced before 1930) (1) to Claude G. McKim, son of J.C. McKim and Lillie Willett.  Claude was born on October 29, 1890 at Pratt (KS).

Claude was married before 1930 (2) to Marion N.N. Marion was born in 1895.

Nellie was married on March 25, 1922 at Kalamazoo (MI) (2) to Ernest Hermon Forth, son of Herman Forth and Julia Schuman.  Ernest was born on February 14, 1893, died in November 1970.

3  Cora A. Flipse was born on September 10, 1896 at Kalamazoo (MI), died in June 1987 at Lansing (MI).

Cora was married on June 16, 1915 at Cuyahoga (OH) to Hardy Brabbs, son of John Brabbs and Mary Holsteiner.  Hardy was born on April 6, 1890 at Flint (MI), died in February 1973 at Boyne City (MI).

4  Florence R. Flipse was born in July 1898 at Flint City (MI).

Florence was married on July 2, 1921 at Cuyahoga (OH) to Floyd George Brightbill, son of George B. Brightbill and Elizabeth Sowden.  Floyd was born on June 10, 1891 at Harrisburg (PE), died on November 5, 1958 at Lakewood (OH).

5  Mildred H. Flipse was born in 1906.

Mildred was married to Charles T. Halier.  Charles was born in 1899 at Harmony (IN).

Charles was before married (1) to Hulda Deway.Hulda was born at Cleveland (OH).

6  Aileen M. Flipse was born in 1907 at Flint (MI).

Aileen was married on July 3, 1923 at Birmingham (MI) to Leland Stoll, son of George Stoll and Edna Spicer.  Leland was born on September 20, 1901 at Birmingham (MI).

The bolded section explains the first and second Mrs. Jacob Flipse–the second being my relative, Frances.

III-C      Jacob Flipse, son of Jacob Flipse (II-B) and Cornelia Kallewaard, was born on August 19, 1868 at Wissenkerke, died on August 11, 1940 at Kalamazoo (MI). 

Jacob was married on January 10, 1895 at Kalamazoo (MI) (1) to Christina Desmit, daughter of Jannis de Smit (John Desmit) and Jacoba Lamper.  Christina was born in September 1864 at Kalamazoo (MI), died on February 15, 1914. 

 

Jacob was married on September 17, 1914 at Kalamazoo (MI) (2) to Frances Gertrude DeSmit, daughter of John DeSmit and Maria Catharina de Korn (Mary DeKorn).  Frances was born on November 22, 1883, died on January 15, 1980. Frances was before married on November 26, 1902 at Kalamazoo (MI) (was divorced in 1911) (1) to Charles Reeves, son of Foster Reeves and Theresa Jewell. Charles was born in 1879 at Ann Arbor (MI).

Frances and Jacob had one child:

1      Richard Jacob Flipse was born on May 29, 1916. He died on June 10, 2001 at Kalamazoo (MI). Richard was married in 1940 at Kalamazoo (MI) to Florence Helen Jordan.  Florence was born on August 18, 1917, died on January 10, 1993 at Portage (MI).  Richard and Florence had three children.

I suspect that Richard Jacob is the man who helped me pick out my white orchid wedding bouquet.

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What Do We Know About the Girls in This Photograph?

Posted in Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Klein, Netherlands history, Photography early 20th century, Photography late 19th century, Richard DeKorn, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2013| 39 Comments »

Here’s another photo I need a little (OK, a lot of) help understanding.  Here is what I know:

  • The photo was in my aunt’s photo collection, and it presumably comes from photographs belonging to my father’s grandmother who lived in Elmhurst, Illinois
  • The family came from Budesheim, a village outside of Bingen. This is in the district of Bitburg-Prüm, in Rhineland-Palatinate, an area along the Rhine river in western Germany.
  • The family was Catholic.

What are the ways I can discover more about the photograph?  Any ideas on how to find information on the photographer? What do you think is the occasion of the photo? The girls’ dresses are what kind of lace? What is the pole behind the girls? Why does the window appear to be barred? Does the umlaut over the “a” in the photographer’s name indicate that the photograph was taken in Germany, rather than the United States?

I will say that from the time I first saw this photograph, because its appearance is so different from the rest of the family photographs, I assumed it was either brought with the family from Germany or was sent from a family member in Germany to my great-grandparents in the U.S.

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An Update on the Bataille Family

Posted in Family History, France history, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Mulder, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2013| 12 Comments »

My last post was about the Bataille branch of the family from Etaples, France.

On 5 May 1836, Karel Mulder married Rose Melanie Bataille in Goes. It appeared that her family had immigrated to the Netherlands from France, but then it also seems that the Netherlands was part of the French empire at the time.

Since then I’ve gotten more information from my friend Adri.  This is what he provided.

Rose’s father, Philippus Franciscus Bataille (Philippe Francois Marie), was born on January 28, 1772 at Wimille (near Boulogne in  France). His parents were Pierre Philippe Bataille and Marie Nicole Austrebeth Fontaine. Philippus died on April 28, 1818 at Goes.

Philippus was married on November 28, 1802 at Waterdijk (Holland) to Rosalie Goduin, daughter of Jean Goduin and Marie Jeanne Oudaert.  Rosalie was born in 1780 at Bevercamp (probably Belgium), died on December 7, 1802 at Waterdijk (Holland).

Then Philippus  was married to a second wife on July 31, 1805 at Waterdijk (Holland). This wife was Rose’s mother, Melanie Regina Barthaux (Melanie Berthaudt), daughter of Adrien Joseph Bertaux and Marie Joseph Godart.  Melanie was born on June 28, 1782 at Meenen (Belgium) and died on October 18, 1853 at Goes.

Here are the children of Philippus and Melanie–Rose and her siblings:

1  Caroline Ugenie Stephanie Bataille was born on May 2, 1806 at Hoek (Holland), died on December 10, 1878 at Goes.

2  Maria Joseph Bataille was born on October 11, 1807 at Hoek (Holland) , died on February 3, 1873 at Goes.

Maria was married on May 15, 1834 at Goes to Jan de Munck, son of Pieter de Munck and Martijna Sloover.  Jan was born in 1803 at Goes, died on September 19, 1847 there.

3  Rose Melanie Bataille was born in 1809 at Etaples (France), died on July 10, 1887 at Goes.

Rose was married to Karel Mulder, son of Carel Mulder and Johanna Cornaaij.  Karel was born on December 3, 1812 at Goes, died on January 3, 1870 there.

4  Pierre Philippe Bataille was born in 1812 at Outreau (France), see III.

5  Angelica Louise Bataille was born on November 17, 1813 at Goes, died on February 8, 1857 there.

Angelica was married on August 15, 1839 at Goes to Leonardus Johannes Theuns, son of Pieter Theuns and Helena Briens.  Leonardus was born on September 11, 1813 at Kattendijke, died on November 22, 1867 at Goes.

Leonardus was married on July 2, 1857 at Goes (2) to Adriana Meulblok, daughter of Quinten Meulblok and Anna Elizabeth van Steveninck. Adriana was born on November 5, 1829 at Heinkenszand.

6  Catharina Johanna Bataille was born on May 28, 1817 at Goes, died on December 23, 1817 there.

Here is a little more information about Rose’s brother, Pierre:

Pierre Philippe Bataille, son of Philippus Franciscus Bataille (Philippe Francois Marie) (II) and Melanie Regina Barthaux (Melanie Berthaudt), was born in 1812 at Outreau (France), died on June 21, 1857 at Goes.

Pierre was married on November 22, 1849 at Goes to Victoria van Ranst, daughter of Adriana Francisca van Ranst.  Victoria was born in 1824 at Doel (Belgium), died on July 9, 1868 at Goes.

Victoria was married on July 22, 1858 at Goes (2) to Jacobus van Buijsse, son of Frans van Buijsse and Aleida Groeneveld. Jacobus was born on February 21, 1815 at Goes, died on February 17, 1876 there. Jacobus was before married (1) to Maaijke van Brakel.

From the marriage of Pierre and Victoria:

Pierre Philippe Bataille was born on April 16, 1853 at Goes.

Here is the information that I wanted to know about Rose’s father.  

In 1802, Philippe was an “employ de la douane”. This means that he was a customs officer. In 1805, he was listed similarly.  In 1817, Philippe was a laborer. 

His father, Pierre, was “sous Lieutenant a la Douanes.”

Look at how the French empire is all in darker green and includes the Netherlands (and therefore Belgium, too)

Now go back and look at the birth places of Rose and her siblings. Her older siblings were born in Holland, not France. So either the father has been assigned to various customs ports and moves around and is clearly French. Or the family is more Belgian (see Rose’s mother’s birth place), which would have been part of the Netherlands at that time. Or the family could have been the descendents of Huguenots.

One last thing: Karel Mulder, the husband of Rose Bataille, and the great-great-grandfather of Grandma, is the brother of Grandpa’s great-grandmother.

We are getting closer with this wonderful information! The more I know, the more I want to know . . . .

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How Did Etaples, France, Show Up in My Family Tree?

Posted in Family History, France history, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Mulder, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 23, 2013| 15 Comments »

As you know if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, a lot of my ancestors were Dutch people from the town of Goes in Zeeland, the Netherlands.

When I read the family tree information on these branches, I see that generation after generation comes from this one town–or from near by. But one ancestor stands out from the others, like an iris in a bouquet of tulips.

Her name was Rose Melanie Bataille, and she was born about 1810 in Etaples, France.

How did she wind up in Goes, 200 miles away and why?

Her father was François Marie Bataille. He was also known as Philip François Bataille. He died before 5 May 1836 in Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands, which means that he must have immigrated with his family to the Netherlands from France. Rose’s mother was Melanie Berthany, who was born about 1782.

On 5 May 1836, Rose married Karel Mulder, a shoemaker. He owned 3/8 of a house and yard in the “Papegaaistraatje [Parrot Street]” district C nr. 97 on 3 January 1870 at section D nr. 278 in Goes. On the wedding document, Rose was listed as a servant and her mother  Melanie was listed as a laborer.

On 22 April 1881, Rose was still living in Goes, and she died there on 10 July 1887 at the age of 77, having outlived her husband by eleven years.

Here is the timeline:

Rose was born in Etaples, France, in 1810.

The family was living in Goes, the Netherlands, by 1836.

The family stayed in Goes and all died there.

So at some point between 1810 and 1836 the Bataille family left France for the Netherlands. Why?

Because I had always been told we had French Huguenot ancestry, I first thought of them. But a quick refresher on their history showed that their emigration from France to the Netherlands (and other countries) would have stopped by the time the Batailles moved.

Was it a reason to leave France or a reason to go to Holland?  I checked out the history of the Netherlands during this time period and guess what I found? That the French, thanks to Napoleon, kind of appropriated the Netherlands!  This is according to Wikipedia:

The United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1839) (Dutch: Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, French: Royaume-Uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name used to refer to theKingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, French: Royaume des Pays-Bas) during the period after it was first created from part of the First French Empireand before the new Kingdom of Belgium split off from it in 1830. This state, a large part of which still exists today as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was made up of the former Dutch Republic (Republic of the Seven United Netherlands) to the north, the former Austrian Netherlands to the south, and the former Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The House of Orange-Nassaucame to be the monarchs of this new state.

Since the Netherlands was for a short period part of France at the time Rose was growing up, it might not have been a stretch for the family to move to Zeeland.

Without knowing her father’s occupation, it is hard to tell if it was easier to make a living in Goes than in Etaples, but Rose married Karel Mulder who was a shoemaker (it wouldn’t be a leap to guess that her father might have had a similar occupation).

Let’s take a look at Etaples.

The first thing I discovered is that Etaples has a Dutch connection from its very origins.  According to Wikipedia, “Étaples takes its name from having been a medieval staple port (stapal in Old Dutch), from which word the Old French word Estaples derives.”  So Etaples is a port city and Goes is also on a river and somewhat close to the sea. In 1807, the population of Etaples was 1,507. Goes was a much larger town. Perhaps the job opportunities were greater for Philip/François in Goes.

What is more puzzling is Rose’s religion. To marry Karel Mulder, she would have been Protestant, no doubt. But the period when France made it impossible to be a Protestant in that country meant that the Huguenots had either converted to Catholicism (about 3/4 of them) or had emigrated to other countries. How would the Batailles have still been Protestant in France?  Does anyone have any ideas about this?

Descendents of Rose Melanie Bataille and Karel Mulder

Karel Mulder and Rose Melanie Bataille had nine children. The oldest, Karel Mulder, was born 21 February 1837, Goes, Zeeland, the Netherlands and died 22 April 1881 in Goes. He and his wife, Johanna Boes, had several children, and Pieter Philip Mulder, born 1865 was my great-grandfather’s father, the generation to immigrate to the United States.

Karel Mulder and Rose Bataille

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Karel Mulder and Johanna Boes

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Pieter Philip Mulder and Neeltje Gorsse

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Karel Pieter Philippus Mulder and Clara Waldeck

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Lucille Edna Mulder and Adrian Zuidweg

(Yup, that’s my grandparents!)

Traditional Dutch clothing and house furnishings circa 1830

Traditional Dutch clothing and house furnishings circa 1830

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Korean War: Why Did It Take Dad So Long To Get to Korea?

Posted in Family History, Genealogy, Klein, Korean War history, U.S. military, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2013| 15 Comments »

Last month, I posted a link to an article in the Western Herald about my Dad’s Combat Veterans’ Writing Group. Dad’s story and others had been showcased in the article.

Dad has written another story about his experience in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  I’d like to share a bit of it with you. In this piece, he explains why it took a long time on the sea for him to arrive in Korea.

Let’s start at the beginning. His military service started in 1948. He was a graduate of Lane Tech High School in Chicago and had realized he did not want to work in a factory or a grocery store. He counted on the army to help him get to college via the G.I. Bill.

World War II was over and the close down of the army for its people and materials was on the downslide. My two-year enlistment was a growing time of my life. It opened up travel: Ford Knox (gold storage), black-and-white drinking fountains, Camp Carson (mountain troops), New York City, driving the old Alaskan highway, Whitehorse Yukon Territory Canada.

Dad also visited Washington, D.C., when he was at Quartermaster School.

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By June 1950, Dad says, “my recall sent me back to Fort Knox for retraining with World War II veterans.” His enlistment had originally obligated him to a seven-year inactive tour, but this looked like change.

For two days we were issued tools and told to chop the corn down– (NO WAY!) All of these men were high-grade noncoms who had been commissioned officers during wartime conditions in World War II.

I asked Dad what “NO WAY” meant. Did they do it or didn’t they? Did they risk court-martial? He said the details are coming up in the next installment!

A few days later we boarded trains for Seattle, where we boarded the Navy troop ship, M.C. Meigs. The exact dates are foggy to me at this part of my journey. Once on board, we realized that half of the ship was the Canadian U.N. Army.

As the ship started out, we found that we were running north until we got to the Aleutian Islands and then for some reason we turned south, spending several days in Pearl Harbor. This was the first time I heard the song, “Harbor Lights.”

This video features Dinah Washington singing the 1950 version of “Harbor Lights.”

After 30 days, we arrived in Yokohama, Japan, where we were transferred to Camp Drake by Tokyo. After a few days, we departed for Inchon, Korea. We were lightly equipped and no personal arms.

The coincidence of this day was that the Chinese Army crossed the border, entering the Korean War: 3 November 1950. Chaos at that time was very evident to us. We were immediately loaded on a train for our destination, Pusan perimeter. As we moved south on the train, U.S. troops were suffering some of the worst part of the early part of the war: the retreat of our army!

The reason for the 30-day adventure was directly related to the Canadian UN troops. The Canadian government was not going to enter the war until the United Nations had declared it a Peace Action.

The REAL value of the story was not recognized by me until much later.

What Dad means is that because he had the luck to be connected with the Canadians at just that moment in time, he was “stalled” along with the Canadian troops until just after the worst danger was over.

This is how he tips his hat to the Canadians:

When playing golf now, I use a Canadian loonie to mark my golf ball.

Not being a golfer, I had to look up loonie because I might have gotten the wrong idea ;). However, it’s not about golf, but about it being Canadian. A loonie is a gold-colored Canadian one dollar piece, first created in 1987. Thank you, Wikipedia.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History has an online page devoted to the phase of the Korean War which began November 3, 1950, the day Dad landed at Inchon, the day the Chinese entered the Korean War.

Next up: I will start tackling my list, beginning with Etaples!

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