The Family Kalamazoo

Posts Tagged ‘Pake family’

George Paak’s Legacy, Part IV: A Letter to His Daughter

Posted in Alice Paak DeKorn, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Paak, Peek, Richard DeKorn, tagged DeKorn family, family history, floods in the Netherlands, genealogy, George Joseph Pake, George Paake, history of Kalamazoo, Jan De Hartog, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo State Hospital, Kliphouse, Michigan history, Paak genealogy, Pake family, Peek family, Theresa Lawrence, Theresa Pake on August 13, 2014| 18 Comments »

I didn’t abandon Theresa or the Paake/Pake/Peek/Paak family. Here is George, Theresa’s father.

George Paake

When Theresa was sixteen or seventeen, her father wrote her a letter. (Note that the spelling of the surname for George that I settled on is not one used further on in this post).

He wrote it in Dutch, but Theresa no longer could read or speak Dutch. Professor Lawrence introduces the translation he had prepared of the original letter:

 

The mention of the floods reminds me of a book I read when I was a child. The Little Ark, by Jan De Hartog, was the story of two children caught up in a horrific flood in Holland. I remember that the book seemed to be an adult book, although it was about children. It was very realistic, but like a good “adventure story,” it gave me confidence that if I were faced with a similar situation I could use my wits to survive.

Professor Van Zeitoff who translated for Professor Lawrence gave him the information to prepare this “glossary” for some of the first names, surnames, and geographical names associated with the family.

 

Most of my knowledge of The Netherlands comes from my early education and the books I read that romanticized Dutch culture. The book Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, by Mary Mapes Dodge, is one of those books. She was an American writer and at the time she wrote the book she had never even visited Holland. Part of the romance of the culture was the threat of flooding and the significance of the dikes.

What I want to know is why we never hear on the news about these Dutch floods? Is there technology today that prevents these floods from occurring?

A Series of Disasters

The Children After the Fire, 1902

Paak-a-boo

Saved from the Fire

Who is George Paake, Sr.?

Curious about George

George Paake’s Legacy, Part I

George Paake’s Legacy, Part II: Theresa’s Pre-Professional Education

George Paake’s Legacy, Part III: Theresa’s Professional Education

 

 

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George Paak’s Legacy, Part III: Theresa’s Professional Education

Posted in Alice Paak DeKorn, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Paak, Peek, Richard DeKorn, tagged DeKorn family, family history, genealogy, George Joseph Pake, George Paake, high school class of 1917, history of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo State Hospital, Kliphouse, Michigan history, nursing school 1920s, Paak genealogy, Pake family, Peek family, State Hospital Water Tower, Theresa Lawrence, Theresa Pake on July 2, 2014| 20 Comments »

In Part II, I described Theresa Pake’s high school and college education, but although she was 25 years old and had had a great deal of education for a young woman of her time, she wasn’t satisfied.

Her next step was to attend nursing school at the Kalamazoo State Hospital. I’ve written here about how my great-great-grandfather Richard DeKorn built the historic landmark water tower at the state hospital.

 

Here is an engraving of the hospital circa 1863:

Kalamazoo State Hospital

The Michigan Asylum for the Insane was built in 1859, the water tower in 1895, and, in 1911, was renamed the Kalamazoo State Hospital. According to internet sources, nurse’s training was a pioneering program (perhaps started in 1906? I’m not certain), and Theresa would have been there during a vibrant period for the program. After Theresa left Asbury College, she began training as a nurse and graduated in 1925. On May 15, 1925, Theresa was registered by the state.

Notice the pin she wears in this graduation portrait. She actually received two pins. One says “Kalamazoo State Hospital” and the other has the initials KSTS for Kalamazoo State Nursing School.

Theresa Pake
Graduate nursing school

Here is Theresa with a classmate or coworker sitting outside the hospital. The caps they wear do not yet have the black stripe that is on Theresa’s graduation cap. Also, I wonder if the pinafore style uniform is an example of a student nurse costume.

And here Theresa sits alone:

Theresa’s career as a nurse meant that she worked hard her whole life. She was employed as a private duty nurse for many years. She also worked at Beloit Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin:

 

After graduating with a nursing degree, Theresa was free to begin her life with a career, quite a feat for a young woman in 1925.

A Series of Disasters

The Children After the Fire, 1902

Paak-a-boo

Saved from the Fire

Who is George Paake, Sr.?

Curious about George

George Paake’s Legacy, Part I

George Paake’s Legacy, Part II: Theresa’s Pre-Professional Education

 

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George Paak’s Legacy, Part II: Theresa’s Pre-Professional Education

Posted in Alice Paak DeKorn, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Paak, Peek, Richard DeKorn, tagged DeKorn family, family history, genealogy, George Joseph Pake, George Paake, high school class of 1917, history of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo history, Kliphouse, Michigan history, Paak genealogy, Pake family, Peek family, Theresa Lawrence, Theresa Pake, Western Michigan University history, Western State Normal School on June 24, 2014| 10 Comments »

In Part I, I introduced George’s middle child, Theresa Pake, who was born in 1893.

 

Professor Lawrence has put much effort into piecing together his mother’s educational history.

At some point Theresa lived with foster parents, Una Orline and Oliver Oratio Pickard.  Prof. Lawrence thinks she maybe have gone to live with them as early as age six, which would mean she wasn’t under the care of her older sister. However, the newspaper article about the fire in 1902 would show that she was still living at home at the time of the fire (nearly 8 years old). Regardless, at some point, the Pickards became the caregivers of Theresa. None of the other children in the family seem to have gone to live with the Pickards.

The Pickards sent Theresa to Jennings Seminary, a private Methodist school in Aurora, Illinois, from 1911 – 1913.  Here  is a link to the history of Jennings Seminary, but to give you an idea, it was a school for young ladies and once considered one of the finest private high schools in the middle west.

Jennings Seminary

From there, Theresa went to Chicago Evangelistic Institute. After studying at CEI from 1913-1915, she graduated from the missionary course.

Theresa moved on to Western State Normal School’s High School Department.  She attended the program for at least the school year of 1916-17, participating in a play (where she played “mother-in-law”) and gave a speech advocating Republican Charles Evans Hughes (who was supported by Teddy Roosevelt) as the next President of the United States. She took classes such as anatomy, chemistry, French, and children’s literature.  Western was a teaching college, and the high school department was designed to not only give an excellent education to its students, but to provide a sort of student teaching experience for the college teaching students who planned to teach in high schools. Theresa graduated, at the age of 24, in June 1917 with 27 other graduates. At this time, it is possible that Theresa planned to become a teacher.

Here is a description in the yearbook about the high school program at the teaching college:

Here is Theresa’s yearbook photo. Note that in the above portrait, Theresa is not wearing glasses, but in the yearbook photograph she is wearing them. I think it’s likely she began to wear them in her early 20s.

In 1919, Theresa went to Wilmore, Kentucky, to attend Asbury College. At that time, Mrs. O. O. Pickard, at 1846 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, Michigan, was listed as her parent, so Theresa still was being educated under the guidance of the Pickards. Theresa had matriculated at age 25 with the intention of becoming a missionary. She attended Asbury for four semesters, from 1919-1921.

But Theresa’s education was far from over!

A Series of Disasters

The Children After the Fire, 1902

Paak-a-boo

Saved from the Fire

Who is George Paake, Sr.?

Curious about George

George Paake’s Legacy, Part I

 

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Online Generosity and Family History

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo history, Mulder, Noffke, Paak, Peek, Waldeck, Zuidweg, tagged Brook Lodge, DeKorn, DeKorn family, DeKorn genealogy, Dutch Genealogy, family history, genealogy, history of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo history, Michigan history, Paak genealogy, Pake family, Peek family, Ramona Park, Richard DeKorn, Waldeck, Zuidweg surname on June 10, 2014| 23 Comments »

I started this blog in September 2012 with three private posts and then didn’t write again until November. The idea was that I would start to put the photos and stories I had accumulated “out there” for family members to access. Although the details aren’t that memorable to me, it seems that I switched to public but didn’t tag the posts at first, hoping that the posts wouldn’t get picked up by Google. That way, relatives could easily find the blog, but I was in hopes that nobody else would find it.

It didn’t take too long to see that some family members (Hi, Mom and Dad haha) and a few friends liked the blog and I thought it might be better just to tag the posts and connect with other WordPress bloggers. What I had seen of the bloggers working on family histories interested me a lot, so I wanted to feel more involved.

I had no idea what would happen. No, I don’t have an amazing number of blog followers, but those that do follow tend to be loyal and friendly. They are also kind and generous and have helped with looking at the details in photographs and giving me clues about where to search–as well as giving me some behind the scenes help.  You know who you are and you are fabulous.

Another aspect of blogging that I could not have predicted is how many wonderful non-bloggers have found the blog through internet searches and have shared information with me. I hesitate to name people because I don’t want to leave anybody out, so I will list just a few of the insights I’ve gained from these generous souls.

• One of the biggest mysteries was the Paak family fire and that branch of the family–now I have info and photos to sort through and a new “cousin”
• Information and photographs about my great-great grandfather Richard DeKorn’s second wife and her daughters.
• Dates and names beyond count from a very kind and hardworking soul in the Netherlands
• Through the previous individual, I found a first cousin once removed (I think that’s right) with a big heart–and photos and info–from my dad’s family
• Photos and information of my ancestors in the Netherlands
• Found the Noffke line
• Found out more about the Jenny DeKorn Culver family–and received the gorgeous album of photographs and postcards
• Information and photographs relating to Ramona Park, Long Lake, and the Waruf family
• Learned more about the Bosman family
• Learned more about the VanLiere family and corresponded with that branch and, yes, photos
• Traced a branch from the Netherlands to the Holland area of Michigan
• Identification of various photographs

I could continue as there are more goodies that have come my way since starting this blog. I am so grateful for the generosity of everyone involved. If I had kept this blog just to “us,” I wouldn’t have known how large my family truly is and how kind strangers can be.

That’s all I wanted to talk about today: how grateful I am and how thrilling it is to look back at all the information that has been shared here from such generous souls.

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Saved from the Fire

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Paak, Peek, tagged Eastlake furniture, family history, genealogy, George Joseph Pake, George Pake, history of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo history, Michigan history, Paak genealogy, Paake family, Pake family, Peek family, Sr. on April 22, 2014| 10 Comments »

Here is another follow-up to my post about the newspaper clipping I found tucked in with the family photos. If you missed it, you can find it in A Series of Disasters or read the clipping below. Since then I have learned a lot about the George Paake (born Joost Peek and also known as George Pake) family of widowed father and five children.

In addition to learning about the children, which I will explore more in future posts, I was told that a piece of furniture that was rescued from the fire is still in the hands of the family. Since I thought you might like to see a sample of what was in that house in 1902, I asked for a photograph of the dresser.

 

I am not an antiques expert by any means, but it struck me as different from most of the pieces I’ve seen from that period. Since the fire was in 1902, the dresser was most likely from the late 1800s.

Teunis Peek and his wife Jacoba Bassa had six children while living in Lexmond, the Netherlands. In 1865, Jacoba passed away at the age of 41. A few years later (1868 or 1869), Teunis brought the children to the United States, where he settled in Michigan.

Therefore, when the fire occurred at the home of Teunis’ son George,  the family had been living in Michigan for over 30 years. Because of the style of the dresser and the length of time in this country, I would assume that the dresser was purchased in the United States.

From a little Google research, I am guessing that this dresser is of the “Eastlake” style. The straight lines were meant to vary from the norm of Victorian curlicues, and the ridges on the corner columns and the stylized branch with leaves carving are typical of that style of furniture.

Do you agree or disagree about the style and age of this piece? and why?

 

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Related articles

• Paak-a-boo
• A Series of Disasters
• The Children After the Fire, 1902

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The Children After the Fire, 1902

Posted in Alice Paak DeKorn, DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Paak, Peek, Richard DeKorn, tagged DeKorn family, family history, genealogy, George Joseph Pake, history of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo history, Michigan history, Paak genealogy, Pake family, Peek family, Sr. on April 15, 2014| 24 Comments »

Just over a year ago, in A Series of Disasters, I posted a newspaper clipping that I found tucked in with the family photos. This is the copy of the article:

The residence of George Paake at 1016 Trimble Avenue was burned this morning about 10:30 o’clock and a worthy family which has had a series of disasters, left without a home.  The house which Mr. Paake was paying for in the Building and Loan Association was entirely ruined although most of the contents of the home were saved. Mr. Paake receives no insurance whatever and the little which had been accumulated by the family was lost.

The fire is only an incident in the history of the family. Mrs. Paake died a short time ago leaving five children, the oldest being fourteen years old. Since the mother’s death the little girl has had entire charge of the house and the four little children and has had all the responsibility of the family except the support which Mr. Paake gave as a laborer.  Recently he has been unable to work and was ill this morning when the fire occurred.

The neighbors have taken in the little ones and are doing all that is possible to alleviate the sufferings of the family. Mrs. Carrier has been responsible for raising a sum of money to which the neighbors have liberally contributed.

At the end of this post I will re-post the newspaper clipping for documentation. I want to apologize for spelling the surname every which way, but at every turn the name is spelled differently. Family members changed the spelling, and different documents recorded it differently. Paak-Peek-Paake-Pake: they are all the same.

Eventually, I discovered that this man was George Joseph Paak, Sr.,  the brother of my great-great-grandmother Alice Paak DeKorn and that the fire occurred on Wednesday, September 3, 1902.

George’s wife Lucy Kliphouse passed away in 1900, leaving 5 young children in their father’s care.  George (born Joost) was 50 at the time he was left a widower. At some point he had changed the surname to Pake.

The five children were Cora, the eldest mentioned in the article, Jennie, Theresa (also called Tracy), Fanny (also called Frances), and George Jr. Cora was born in 1888; Jennie (who later changed her name to Jane) in 1890; Theresa in 1893; Fannie in 1896, and George in 1898.  George was only four when the fire occurred. Imagine Cora, at 14, taking care of the others–ages 12, 9, 6, and 4. What a burden on such a young girl. And when her mother died, she was only twelve and young George was two!

Since the time of that post, George’s grandson, Professor Edgar Lawrence, discovered this blog. He’s been able to fill in many of the missing pieces about this branch of my family. His mother was Theresa, the middle child.  Here is a photo, taken at least a decade after the fire, showing all five Pake children.

Front row: Theresa and Cora
Back row: Frances, George Jr., Jennie (Jane)

 

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