In the 1970s, Grandpa identified some of the old photographs as members of the Ebelink family–from Kalamazoo, of course. He didn’t mention just who they were, but I wrote down the names on the back of the photos. I’ve labelled the photos as my grandfather told them to me and corrected them if I found an error.
Anna Ebelink Fisher Fletcher 1891
Ann Ebelink Myers
John Ebelink: 1891
The father (Benjamin Ebelink) and stepmother (Van de Giessen) of John Ebelink
So who were these people? According to the 1880 census, Benjamin and Wilhelmina, both born in Holland (the Netherlands), had three children: Frederich (age 6), John (age 5), and Joanna (age 2). Since there is no existing 1890 census for Michigan, I had to skip ahead to 1900, where I found John married for four years to Jennie, with one child, Wilhelmina, age 3. A quick search for the death of John’s father Benjamin and I find the year 1916 in Ottawa, Michigan. He was a widower, so he must have already buried at least two wives.
But who were Anna and Ann? I can see Joanna being one of them. Are these two different sisters? And were they really married to Fisher and Myers?
It appears Anna married a Fletcher, not a Fisher. Could have been Grandpa’s memory–or my hearing.
| Name: | Anna Ebelink |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Female |
| Race: | White |
| Birth Year: | abt 1878 |
| Birth Place: | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Marriage Date: | 12 Jul 1900 |
| Marriage Place: | Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA |
| Age: | 22 |
| Residence Place: | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
| Father: | Barend Ebelink |
| Mother: | Wilhelmina Stroup |
| Spouse: | Claude H Fletcher |
| Record Number: | 5305 |
| Film: | 68 |
| Film Description: | 1900 Delta – 1900 Mackinac |
Benjamin was also Barend, a Dutch male given name, and it looks like John and Anna’s mother’s maiden name was Stroup. A bit curious about Anna’s photo is she appears to be in mourning, doesn’t she? I wonder when their mother died.
I can’t find Ann Ebelink Myers. Was she Anna or a different child?
I didn’t want to go too far down this tangent without knowing how these people are connected to my family. I found it by looking at the 1940 census. John and his family lived on Balch Street, right near my family. I would think that my mother and uncle must have known the family.
The Family Kalamazoo 