From Whence I Came...Elmer Meyer Schulte

My paternal grandfather, Elmer Meyer Schulte, was born August 4, 1894 in Detroit, Michigan to Rudolph Meyer Schulte and Juliane Feucht. He was their only child, though they had lost an infant daughter two years earlier.



While I don't have many details of his early childhood, many photos exist of those years. I do know that he and his parents lived in Detroit, that his father went off to the Spanish American War in 1898 when Elmer was just 4 and that his mother and he were extremely close.

The 1900 Detroit census shows this family below.


In 1906, this family photo of the Rudolph & Julie Schulte family was taken and it is my most prized genealogical photo...



...because in January, 1907, following the taking of the above photo, Elmer's mother, Juliane, passed away of cancer, leaving a 12 year old boy without a mother. My grandfather told me many times when I was growing up how much he had loved his mother and how he had missed her terribly after her death.

His father didn't waste too much time, though, in marrying again - just a few short weeks - which just amazes me when I think of it. By February, 1907, following the January 14th death of his beloved wife, Rudolph Schulte had married Juliane's sister, Elizabeth, who had been widowed twice. Elizabeth came into the family with 4 children from her first marriage and a son from her second marriage giving my grandfather many cousins (or step siblings) to share a home with.

The 1910 Detroit census shows this combined family living on Concord Avenue in Detroit.





During the start of WWI, my grandfather enlisted in the Army and was stationed in San Antonio, TX. Prior to shipping off to Europe, his fiance (my future grandmother), Ella Wellhausen, made a secret journey to Texas and returned to Michigan a married woman. How my grandparents had met is a mystery but it is thought that they met through Ella's aunt who lived in Detroit and whose sons were good friends of Elmer. In any event, Ella, snuck off to Texas, with the above mentioned aunt, in order to wish her beloved Elmer farewell prior to leaving for France and when she returned, a married woman, her parents were none too happy and her mother was not that happy with her own sister - the above named aunt. Ahh, rebellious children in the early 1900's!!

Their marriage, though, which took place on Christmas Eve, 1917, did last just a month over 50 years and was a happy one.





My grandmother was a no-nonsense, tough, outspoken person in my memory so I have no doubt that she eagerly took this trip to Texas with the intent of becoming married. In any event, Elmer shipped off to Europe, was injured, was awarded the Purple Heart and they did not see each other for over 2 years.







Upon his return from the War, Elmer and Ella set up a home on Hendricks Avenue in Detroit as evidenced in the 1920 Detroit census.



In 1921, son Melbourne Meyer was born, followed in 1923 by my father, Mylen, and in 1928 by daughter, Marilyn. In 1930, the family lived on Strasburg in Detroit and Elmer was a driver for Bond Bread. As a child in the 1950's I can still remember him bringing us little loaves of bread from his Bond Bread company.





Through the years, my grandparents had a good life, they both inherited some money at the deaths of their respective parents and their life was more affluent than my maternal grandparents. Through it all, they had a strong faith and were active in their church and in the community. Though they only had 4 grandchildren, I was the only granddaughter and while my grandfather was loving and kind to all 4 of us, I like to think he had a special place in his heart for me. I can remember him driving me to and from school as my parents worked, he would bring me home to his house until my parents could pick me up from school, he spent time with me asking me about my day and having a genuine interest in what I was doing and thinking.

In December, 1967, my grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary with a renewal of their wedding vows and a large party.





A little over one month later, on January 21, 1968, my grandfather passed away after a sudden and unexpected heart attack.



He and my grandmother are buried in Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan on a family plot.



I was extremely close to my grandfather; he was very special to me and when he died, I remember my grandmother telling me at the funeral home "your special buddy is gone". He was a sweet, kind, gentle grandfather who never raised his voice and always showed his love to me. I spent much time during my youth in my grandparent's home and the memories of my grandfather remain with me to this day. I have many keepsakes of his, his metals and honors from his service in WWI, numerous photos but the most important thing I still carry with me is my memory of my grandfather.

Above photos & documents - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

From Whence I Came...Joseph Kijak

To continue my series of posts on my grandparents and great-grandparents, this is a week in which three of my four grandparents had birthdays. As a child, I can remember the pure joy of having three birthday celebrations in a week for three of my special grandparents.

Joseph Kijak was born August 3, 1892 in Bay City, Michigan to John Kijak and Mary Anna Rubisz. He was their first child and only son and his birth was followed by the births of three sisters, Anna, Martha and Rose. Joseph Kijak would be my maternal grandfather and was a very special grandparent though I was only 12 when he passed away.

While I do remember my grandfather, I have very little information regarding his childhood. I don't have any photos of him from childhood but I know that he was baptized in the Catholic faith as an infant and that he lived in Bay City with his parents and sisters as evidenced by the 1900 Bay City Census.



From what I have learned over the years, and most recently confirmed after finding a relative in the family of Mary Rubisz Kijak, the marriage of my grandfather, Joseph's parents, was not a pleasant one. His mother had been only 14 when she was married to his father, who himself was 30. This no doubt was an arranged marriage after both families had arrived in the US from Poland and how this marriage was allowed is evidently laws of the time in the 1890's.

Somewhere during the period from 1900 (when the Bay City census shows the family still together) to 1903, when Joseph Kijak's step sister, Emma, was born in South Bend, IN, mother, Mary Kijak left Bay City with her 4 children Joseph, Anna, Martha and Rose and settled in South Bend, IN with a gentleman named Frank Banner. Father, John Kijak, remained in Bay City.

My grandfather, Joseph, spent his youth living in South Bend with his mother, sisters, step sister and step brothers and his mother's companion, Frank Banner, and this is the only photo I have of him during his youth.

The 1910 South Bend, IN census shows this family though the 4 Kijak children are listed with the surname "Banner" which was incorrect. It is amazing the steps a genealogist has to go through to find hidden data. For years I could not put my finger on a 1910 census for my grandfather and never thought to look under the surname Banner. We must always be alert to all the possibilities.



While living in South Bend, my grandfather found a job in St. Joseph, MI working for Cooper Wells, a hosiery manufacturing company. This was only a 30 mile drive from South Bend and it was here, at work, that he met my grandmother, Ella Kolberg. How long they dated, I don't know, but on June 17, 1914 they were married.

They began their married life in St. Joe where Joseph continued to work at Cooper Wells. In 1915, son Harris was born and in 1918, son Elden was born. The 1920 census (above) shows this family then living on Court Street in St. Joe.

In 1925, their daughter (my mother) Eloris, was born, followed in 1926 by their 3rd son, Leslie. With these 4 children, their family was complete. At this time, Joseph and Ella had a fruit farm on Cleveland Avenue in St. Joseph and the work and toil was their income.

In addition, at this time, my grandfather had a unique experience with a member of the Al Capone gang which led to his discontinuation of driving.

The Depression came in 1929 and with it the loss of their home and farm though the 1930 census does still show them living on Cleveland Avenue.



The family lived in a variety of rental homes over the next 10+ years until Joseph & Ella were able to purchase a home at 818 Pleasant Street in St. Joseph in approximately 1940. During these years, Joseph worked as a painter and decorator and in later years for the S&H Green Stamp store.

In 1945, my grandparents had a professional photo taken of themselves on the occasion of my grandmother's 50th birthday. This is a favorite photo of mine.



Though photos with my grandfather in them are few and far between, this one of myself and my brother with my grandmother as well is one that I remember.



My memories of my grandfather are many - his coming to Detroit to help my parents with construction work when my parents bought their first home, building shelves in the basement to hold all of our toys, planting a maple tree in the back yard and planning the placement of the tree so as not to obstruct a future garage, getting paint poisoning and having to bandage his fingers for the rest of his life, living in extreme pain. He was a gentle man, never raised his voice and was a loving husband to my grandmother and a good father to his four children.

My grandfather became ill in October, 1960 and was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm. The hospital in St. Joseph could not treat this condition at that time and he was transported to a hospital in South Bend where he passed away on October 23, 1960. I was only 12 at the time but have vivid memories of our drive from Detroit to South Bend, having an accident on the way, getting lost trying to find the hospital in South Bend and my mother arriving to see her father just before he passed away.

He was a wonderful grandfather and I have always remembered him. He and my grandmother are buried in Stevensville Cemetery in Stevensville, MI and his memory lives forever in my heart.

Above photos & documents - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

From Whence I Came...Bertha Kramp

Bertha Kramp was my mother's maternal grandmother though she had died long before my mother was born. When my mother was growing up, nothing was ever discussed about her grandmother and she has no memories of her. I have always wondered why my grandmother never mentioned her own mother to me either as I am sure there would have been many stories that I could have heard.

Bertha Kramp was born July 26, 1860 and was the second of ten children of Albert Kramp and Emilie Rutt. At the time of her birth, the family lived in Borntuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern where the first three children of this couple were born. Between 1862 and 1866, Albert and Emilie Kramp moved their family to the nearby village of Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern where their remaining seven children were born. I visited these areas in 1993 though my photography skills were not the best. These images shown above were taken from Google and are excellent depictions of the areas of Borntuchen and Klein Tuchen as I remember them.

Nothing is known of Bertha's early years but on October 4, 1878 in Groß Tuchen, Bütow, Pommern, she married August Kolberg. Interestingly, Bertha's sister, Pauline Kramp, married on the same date in the same church to Heinrich Gersonde.



At least three children were born to August and Bertha Kolberg while still living in Klein Tuchen. These were (1) Paul Lui Robert, born June 8, 1879 and who died on October 20, 1879, (2) Hedwig Johanne Auguste, born June 2, 1880 and (3) Bertha Hermine Franziska, born January 14, 1883 and who also died as an infant though the date of death has never been discovered.

In the spring of 1883, the little family of August, Bertha and young Hedwig (age 3) began their long journey to America. August's brother, Heinrich, had already made the journey and had settled in Lincoln Township, Berrien County, Michigan.

Passenger list information from the port of Castle Garden in New York state the following: August, Bertha and Hedwig COLBERG arrived in New York, on the ship, Lessing, on November 28, 1883. They traveled from the port of Hamburg in Germany, on to the port of Havre in France and then on to the US. Their name was spelled Colberg on the ship passenger list. Bertha's sister, Emilie Kramp, and Emilie's future husband, Friedrich Skibbe, also traveled with them on the same ship. Arriving in New York, they took the train to Michigan and were met in St. Joseph by brother Heinrich.



Bertha brought with her to the US her German hymnal which I am fortunate to have received from my grandmother and which I still have and treasure.





Once in the US, another six children were born to August and Bertha. These were (1) Frederick Gustav Emil, born November 6, 1886 and who died July 13, 1887, (2) Amelia Alvina Henreitta, born December 6, 1887, (3) Kurt Paul Hugo, born July 23, 1890, (4) Robert Ernest Paul, born September 19, 1892, (5) Hugo Otto Heinrich, born May 29, 1894 and (6) Ella Emma Louise, born August 8, 1895. According to the US census records, Bertha had given birth to 11 children and it is believed the remaining two unknown children were perhaps born in Pommern as well given the three year gap between daughter Hedwig's birth in 1880 and daughter, Bertha's birth in 1883. No additional birth or death records for children of this couple were ever located in Berrien County, Michigan.

When I began my genealogical research, my grandmother was already deceased and I had to rely on the memories of many of her cousins for information (and one lowly photo) of my great-grandmother, Bertha, which based on the ages of the two daughters in the photo, must have been taken around 1889.



When I interviewed several of my grandmother's cousins I was told that August and Bertha Kolberg did not have much prosperity in their lives. Times were very hard and August had a desire for excessive drinking. I was informed that Bertha and daughter, Ella (my grandmother), would come to the farm of another Kolberg relative to pick berries which they would then sell on a stand in front of their own property for a little money to keep the family going. I was also told that on many a morning August would ride his horse through the countryside in Lincoln Township on his way to town to drink. At night, he would ride back with the horse knowing the way without guidance. A very religious woman, this must have been a trying lifestyle for Bertha.

When talking to these cousins of my grandmother, on separate occasions, it was interesting that each one of the four cousins I spoke to all remembered these same incidences.

I was told, also, that Bertha was especially closest to her youngest, my grandmother Ella, and missed her deeply when Ella married in June, 1914. On August 8, 1914, which was Ella's first birthday as a married woman, her mother, Bertha, wrote her a poignant birthday poem and finished with a short letter imploring daughter Ella not to forget her. This poem, written in the old German script, together with an English translation follows and, again, I am blessed to have been given this letter by my grandmother many years ago.

















It was right after writing this poem and letter that Bertha became ill and six months later, on February 26, 1915, Bertha passed away in the Kalamazoo State Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI. According to her death certificate, at the time of her death, Bertha had been suffering from mental depression and exhaustion which had lasted for approximately 6 months. It was approximately February 19, 1915 when Bertha became too ill to remain at home and son, Kurt Kolberg, took her to Kalamazoo to the State Hospital, where she died one week later of nephritis (inflammation of the kidney) aggravated by the mental depression and exhaustion. Perhaps the hard life that she was forced into in this country and the loss of five children, along with having to work extremely hard to raise her family, became too much for her. It obviously made an impression on my grandmother, Ella, as after she was a married woman and raising her own family, my grandmother never touched alcohol and would not allow it in her own home.

August and Bertha Kolberg are buried in City Cemetery, St. Joseph, Michigan very close to my home.



I often wonder of just how difficult her life was in this country and the fact that she died so young with her own mother outliving her by a good 10 years. It is a sad commentary on the life of my great-grandmother but I like to think that somewhere during her 54 years of life that she had some happy times - perhaps with her children and the few grandchildren that she was able to know.

I think she would be pleased to see how large her family had grown to by the year 2000:


Above photos - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

My Grandfather's Part in History

My memories of my maternal grandfather, Joseph Kijak, are limited. I was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, where my grandparents lived, but when I was 18 months old my parents and I moved to the Detroit suburbs and only came to St. Joe once or twice a year to visit. The memories I do have of my grandfather are pleasant ones - he was a small man, very quiet and easy going and was always happy to have us visit. I remember him promising my younger brother at the age of 8 that he would take him fishing off the pier in St. Joe and my brother was anxious to do this but unfortunately my grandfather died before this could be accomplished.

One year in school, my class was instructed to write an article of interest about a grandparent. I struggled with who to choose to write about as I knew all my grandparents and I decided to write about the one grandparent who was at that time already deceased. I asked my mother for any interesting stories she could share with me about her father and she told me there was one incident that would make a great project for school.

It was at that same time that an article appeared in the Sunday Parade magazine that came out with the Detroit Free Press. It was an anniversary of an incident involving a henchman of Al Capone, named Fred Burke, and my mother proudly showed me this Parade magazine and told me "here is your story about your grandpa Kijak".

Al Capone??? What could my quiet, gentle grandfather have to do with Al Capone and his organization? Much, as it turns out.

Al Capone is a well known figure in history. Most people of a certain generation have heard of Al Capone and perhaps studied his organization and the crimes committed by his group. Perhaps, not so well known, was one of his henchman, Fred "Killer" Burke. Over the years, though, I have learned much about Fred Burke and how he related to my grandfather.

Fred "Killer" Burke was a participant in the infamous St. Valentine's day massacre. He then unknowingly hid out in Stevensville, MI trying to be obscure. On December 14, 1929, in downtown St. Joseph, Fred Burke happened to be driving. He struck a car driven by a resident, George Kool and Mr. Kool approached the car of Fred Burke and demanded payment for the damages. An argument took place and a police officer approached, named Charles Skelly. In the ensuing argument, Fred Burke picked up his revolver, fired three times at Officer Skelly and killed him.

Fred Burke then fled the downtown area of St. Joseph in an attempt to escape and soon abandoned his car after he struck a telephone pole. When the police later found his car and registration the paperwork showed the car was registered to a Fred Dane who was later identified to be Fred "Killer" Burke of the Al Capone 'family'.

Enter my grandfather who was driving along Cleveland Avenue in St. Joseph on his way home. While driving, my grandfather noticed a man hitchhiking. In those days of 1929, it was not uncommon for people to frequently pick up hitchhikers (these were all country roads at the time and farmland) and my grandfather picked up this gentleman. He later recounted that they spoke briefly, the rider said he needed to be driven several miles down the road which my grandfather did. At one point, near Glenlord Road and Cleveland Avenue, the rider suddenly announced "let me out here" and my grandfather did and the last he saw of his hitchhiker was when the man went through the farmland and disappeared from view heading toward Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan. Thinking nothing of it, my grandfather returned home.

The next morning, the local newspaper carried the report of the shooting of Officer Skelly and there was a photo of the man accused of killing him - Fred "Killer" Burke. My grandfather immediately recognized the photo as belonging to the hitchhiker he had transported the day before. He showed my grandmother and together they went to the local police and my grandfather gave his report.

Some time later Fred Burke was arrested, convicted of multitudes of crimes and imprisoned where he later died.

Whether this incident propelled my grandfather into discontinuing driving OR whether the effects of the Great Depression had a part (they lost their farm and property in the depression), my grandfather sold his car and never drove again.



Over the years books have been written about Fred "Killer" Burke and his part in St. Joseph history though my grandfather's part was obscure enough to not warrant mention. Life as my mother knew it (she was only 4 at this time) could have been tragically different if the automobile ride my grandfather gave Fred Burke had turned out differently.

Fred Burke's Stevensville home today? It is still on Lakeshore Drive and Glenlord Road but is now an office of Coldwell Banker, a local realtor. Wonder what secrets are in those walls (or buried under the foundation)!!

Above photo of Joseph & Ella Kijak - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

95 years ago today...

...my grandparents, Ella and Joseph Kijak, were married.

Joseph Kijak, born August 3, 1892 in Bay City, MI and Ella Emma Louise Kolberg, born August 8, 1895 in Stevensville, MI met in St. Joseph, MI when both were working at Cooper Wells Company, a hosiery manufacturing firm.

They were married at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph, MI on June 17, 1914 and began their married life in a rental home on Hoyt Street, also in St. Joseph.

Joseph & Ella Kijak
June 17, 1914
St. Joseph, MI

Four children were born during their marriage - Harris in 1915, Elden in 1918, Eloris in 1925 and Leslie in 1926.

Life was not easy for my grandparents during their marriage. Financially they struggled the entire 46 years of their married life. They began their married life in a rental home on Hoyt Street, in St. Joseph where their first two sons were born, Harris and Elden. They then moved to a rental home on Brown School Road in St. Joseph and their sons attended elementary school at the Brown School. During these early years, Joseph continued to work at Cooper Wells.

In approximately 1924, after 10 years of marriage, they were able to purchase a home, farm and property on Cleveland Avenue & Maiden Lane in St. Joseph where they worked together at farming with Ella's brother, Kurt Kolberg and his family, living and working on an adjacent farm. They lost the home, farm and property during the Depression and were forced to live in a variety of rental homes for many years following that on Court Street, Market Street and Wayne Street, all in St. Joseph, with my grandfather working as a house painter/decorator.

During their entire marriage, Joseph's father, John Kijak, lived with them. In addition, they repeatedly had renters living with them in their variety of homes. With all these extra people in the house, my grandmother did all the laundry, cooking and cleaning for not only her husband and 4 children but the borders and her father-in-law as well. During some of these years, Joseph's uncle, Stanley Rubis, also lived with them. It was definitely more than a 'full house'.

In approximately 1941 they were able to purchase a home on Pleasant Street in St. Joseph, across the street from the St. Joseph Catholic Church. This was a 2 story home where, again, John Kijak lived with them.



All 3 sons served in WWII with two of the sons going overseas and, thankfully, all came home safely. During WWII, my grandfather worked at Dachel-Carter Shipbuilding in Benton Harbor, MI where he did ship painting. During this time he developed paint poisoning and suffered the rest of his life with the effects of this poison in his system. I can remember as a child my grandfather sitting at the end of the dining room table bandaging his fingers to try to ease the pain from the poison. He could no longer work at painting and decorating so the remainder of his working life he spent working at the local S&H Green Stamp Store in Benton Harbor.

They had no automobile after 1929 (that will prove to be a most interesting future blog post and I do mean, very interesting) and both my grandparents walked everywhere that they needed to go.

Joseph & Ella Kijak
ca 1929

Despite the financially hard times and the excessive work that both of my grandparents did, they had the most stable and happy of marriages. I can safely say that my mother grew up in a true NON-dysfunctional family where there was peace, happiness, love and a feeling of everyone pitching in to do their share for the total family. Interestingly, there were issues with extended family due to the fact that my grandfather was Polish and Catholic and my grandmother was German and Lutheran but these issues did not affect their marriage. They were a true team and my grandfather took confirmation lessons to become Lutheran of his own initiative early in their marriage so that their family could worship as one family unit. My mother has told me repeatedly that she cannot ever recall her parents sharing a harsh word between them.

In 1945 at the occasion of Ella's 50th birthday they had this professional photo taken to commemorate this special event.

Ella & Joseph Kijak
August 8, 1945
St. Joseph, MI

Joseph died on October 23, 1960 at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, IN where he had been transported after becoming ill. He had had a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and died a few days later.

My grandmother continued living in their home on Pleasant Street and supplemented her small social security income by doing sewing and crafts and selling her hand made doll clothes, baby garments and decorative craft items many of which I have to this day as shown below.



In 1971, she was able to sell her home and move into the Senior Citizens high rise apartment complex along Lake Michigan and the St. Joseph River where she had a small apartment on the 14th floor. She passed away on May 29, 1973 and both she and my grandfather are buried in Stevensville Cemetery in Stevensville, MI.















I have the most wonderful and loving memories of both of my grandparents. I was only 12 when my grandfather passed away but I remember him well. Visits to my grandparent's home in St. Joseph were always occasions for great joy. My grandparents went out of their way to make our visits memorable. I was especially close to my grandmother and have many special keepsakes from her as well as wonderful memories. Even now, 36 years after her death, my memories and love for her are still as strong as ever.

Jeff Schulte, Joseph Kijak,
Cheryl Schulte, Ella Kijak
818 Pleasant Street, St. Joseph, MI
1958

Above photos - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

My Father...The Romantic Car Thief?

When my parents were married on June 15, 1946 my father was just returning from service in WWII. Their courtship had been unique - they had not known each other but were brought together by my paternal grandfather. My father had grown up in Detroit, Michigan and my mother lived on the opposite side of the state in St. Joseph, some 200 miles away. The families knew each other, though, through another familial connection but my parents had never met. While my father's parents, and even his brother, had traveled numerous times to St. Joseph to visit my mother's family, my father had never joined his family on these trips.

When my father went into the service he was already engaged to someone from Detroit. She was wearing his engagement ring and my father had presented her with a photo of himself in uniform with a personal inscription that he had written on the photo. During his time in Central America in the Army Air Corps, his fiance, Lillian, had 'strayed' and my grandmother had been privileged to 'catch' Lillian in this indiscretion. My grandmother, being a very controlling person, had demanded the engagement ring and photo back and Lillian was banished - never to be heard from again.

It was at this time that my grandparents traveled to St. Joseph to visit my mother and her family. During this visit my grandfather played matchmaker and asked my mother if she would like to write to his son in the service who had just broken up with a girlfriend. My mother agreed to write to the serviceman only if he were to write her first. The correspondence began and would last for about 2 years until my father was discharged in February, 1946. During this time my father decided that it would be a great idea to send his "new" girlfriend a photo of himself in uniform and this is the photo he sent her. Evidently he had been raised to "waste not, want not" though my brother and I thought this was the most hilarious thing as we were growing up and would hear this story and see this photo.



In February, 1946 my father was discharged from the service and returned to Detroit. My mother and HER mother traveled to the train depot in Detroit to greet him. This would be the first time my parents actually saw each other. Immediately my father proposed, my mother accepted and you guessed it - she was given the same engagement ring that my father's previous fiance had worn. They were married just a few months later on June 15, 1946 and I will say that on their 25th anniversary in 1971 my mother did get a new engagement and wedding ring set though she really never seemed to mind the original setting either. It was more of a humorous story that was told over the years to friends who would always marvel at the recycled photo and ring.



But there is more - and another great story which was told over the near 50 years of my parent's marriage. My parents were to be married in my mother's home town of St. Joseph. A few days prior to the wedding my father arrived in St. Joe with his new acquisition - a used car that he had just bought in Detroit. He was most proud of this car and it would be their honeymoon transportation to Niagara Falls.

On June 15th, the day of their wedding, my father decided to move the car from my mother's house because he was sure his brother and other male friends were going to be playing a prank on him with his car. So, not knowing the area of St. Joe, he simply drove his car a few blocks from my mother's home and parked it in front of a house. The wedding took place, the guests moved to the reception and the day was perfect. After the reception, my father walked back to pick up his car and drive to pick up his new bride so they could start on their honeymoon. But when he got to the place he had parked the car, the car was gone.

Thinking for sure that his brother, cousins or friends had moved the car as a joke, he simply walked around the downtown area and happened upon his car - parked in the parking lot of what he assumed to be a business of some sort. He got in the car and proceeded back to pick up my mother at her home where she had gone to change out of her wedding gown. He had just pulled up in front of my mother's home when suddenly the police came up behind him and told him that he was driving a stolen car, and despite protests that my father was the owner of the car, he was made to drive back to the police station.

My mother, so sure now that HER brothers had played some prank was so angry that she marched back to the reception hall where the party was still going on and confronted her brothers, cousins and brother-in-law and all professed innocence in the matter.

Back to the police station they all went where my father was being held as being in possession of a stolen car. Everyone attempted to convince the police that my father was the rightful owner of the car, some offered to stay in his place and my mother's uncle even offered to put his nearby hotel up as collateral if the newlyweds could leave but were told that it was a state offense and that my father would have to stay in the police station until word came from Lansing, the state capital, as to the rightful ownership of the car.

What had happened was that my father had purchased the car in Detroit from a man going through a divorce. The man's wife had not known about the sale of the car and she reported the car stolen. When my father had moved his car on the day of the wedding and parked it a few blocks away, the owner of that home had noticed the car parked there all day and reported it to the St. Joe police who ran a trace on the license plate which came up as having been stolen in Detroit. The police towed the car to the parking lot of the police station and my father, not knowing the area, simply got in the car and drove it away.

After sitting in the police station until 4 in the morning, the word finally came from Lansing that my father was indeed the rightful owner and my parents were able to finally leave on their honeymoon.

They next day they did make the front page of the St. Joseph newspaper which made for a repeat of a good story over the next 50 years. My father died in 1996 but my mother continues to have friends remind her of this tale when they get together to reminisce about old times.

Mylen & Eloris Schulte (6/16/46)
with cans from back of car from wedding day

Above photos - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte

From Whence I Came...John Albert Kijak

John Albert Kijak was my mother's paternal grandfather. He was the only grandparent that she ever knew as both her grandmothers and her maternal grandfather had passed away before she was born. I was very fortunate to know all 4 of my grandparents but my mother only knew her grandfather Kijak.

John Albert Kijak
ca 1910

John Albert Kijak was born May 20, 1861 in Taniborz, Poznan, Poland to Thomas Kijak and Balbina Korcz. He was baptized in the Catholic faith on May 21, 1861 at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Tulce, Poland.

Birth and Baptismal Record of
John Albert Kijak

When preparing my materials for this post, I had my first experience with NOT finding anything on these small villages in the Internet to aid me. It was necessary to go to my old maps of Poland to find a reference to Taniborz and Tulce.

Taniborz & Tulce
Poznan, Poland

When I say small villages, I do mean small. I was actually in Poland in 1993 on my 17-village genealogical tour with my brother and his family. Dear readers, let me assure you that Taniborz does exist but it is nothing more than a small road with some farms on each side. We did drive down a somewhat "main" road and found a sign indicating a right turn to Taniborz. Driving down this road (which was the extent of Taniborz) gave the impression of driving through someone's farm land. People were out working in their fields and stopped to stare at the American van driving by. The wonderful photos that I took in other areas of this trip did not extend to Taniborz and Tulce as I was trying my hand in Poland with a video camera and the results were less than perfect.

On to the village of Tulce we went and I was able to find quickly the Catholic church still in existence. A small cemetery behind the church was very accessible and my 10 year old niece and 9 year old nephew delighted in searching all the gravestones but they were newer burials and no Kijak names could be found.

I had previously written to this Catholic church and was pleased to have received numerous records of the Thomas and Balbina Kijak family including records of other children that were born to them during their marriage, all of which occurred in Taniborz. In addition, I had received the death certificate for father, Thomas Kijak, who died on January 13, 1865 in Taniborz at the age of 53 and who was buried in the Catholic cemetery in Tulce on January 16, 1865.

On February 2, 1867, after the death of Thomas Kijak, his widow Balbina remarried in Taniborz to Casper Kowalak and they later had a son, Martin. Records for these two events were also sent to me. Later, Casper, Balbina and Martin would immigrate to America as well.

Tulce, Poland



Family tradition stated that John Kijak came to the US from Poland in 1882 and arrived via Canada. He entered into the US on June 19, 1882, became lost in Upper Michigan and eventually made his way to friends in Bay City, Michigan where he settled. He carried with him from Poland his featherbed (on his back) and a flute that he had used in Poland for calling sheep. I have this flute to this day.

I have never been able though to find any passenger list information on John's arrival nor on the later arrivals of his mother, stepfather and stepbrother or any information on the later arrival of his sister, Hedwig. This has been disappointing for sure.




John Kijak's flute from Poland


Once in Michigan, John Kijak created a career as a butcher and the 1890-1891 Bay City directory shows a listing for "John Keyak as butcher for J.F. Dork and living in the area of Bowery Street". The name Kijak has been spelled (and pronounced) multiple ways. In Polish, the name is pronounced as KEYOC which means "stick". However, the pronunciation that has been used in the US is KIYAK which sounds like the Kayak boat.

On October 26, 1891, at the age of 30, John Albert Kijak married Mary Anna Rubisz at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Bay City. They were married by Rev. F. Votypka with Martin Kowalak and Ignacy Szulc as witnesses.

Marriage Certificate of
John Kijak and Mary Anna Rubisz
1891

The 1894 Bay City special census lists the family living on Johnson Street and shows John Kijak, Maryanna (wife), Joseph (son-2 years old) and Anna (daughter-2 months old). On this census, John Kijak is listed as a laborer.

By 1900, John and Mary Kijak had 4 children - Joseph (born in 1892), Anna (born in 1894), Martha (born in 1896) and Rose (born in 1898). The 1900 Bay City, Michigan US census shows the family living at 1006 South Sherman and John is listed as a "coal miner" though where this occupation came from I don't know as family stories always stated that he was a butcher. I am at a loss as to where in Bay City there would have been coal mines!

1900 Bay County, Michigan
US Census

This is where the story of John Kijak becomes confused. For whatever reason that has never been discovered, John and Mary Kijak separated in 1900-1901 though never divorced. At that time, Mary took her four children and relocated to South Bend, IN with John remaining in Bay City. The 1910 South Bend, IN census does show Mary with her four children, Joseph, Anna, Martha and Rose. John Kijak is shown in Bay City living with his stepbrother Martin Kowalak and family.

1910 Bay County, Michigan
US Census

It was around this time that John and his stepbrother, Martin Kowalak, had this wonderful photo taken of themselves.

Martin Kowalak (sitting)
John Kijak (standing)
ca 1910

By 1913, son Joseph was living and working in St. Joseph, MI which was just some 30 miles from South Bend, IN. At that time he received the following postcard from his sister, Anna, who was now living in Detroit. The photo on this postcard shows their father, John Kijak, with a group of fellow butchers. The license place on the car shows a Michigan plate with the year 1913 which places John living in Detroit at that time.

John Kijak with fellow butchers
Detroit, Michigan
ca 1913

It is amazing what can be uncovered that is forgotten for many years. I have had a box of photos on the Kijak family for years and had seen this postcard many times. This time I turned it over and noticed that it had been obviously glued in a photo album and then torn out with the black paper from the old album still affixed to the back of the card. I had always just assumed that this was just a photo of my great-grandfather, not realizing that there was an actual message on the back of the card. After some extensive work at trying to remove the black paper, I was able to reveal some of the message in which Anna Kijak had written to her brother, Joseph, and said in part:

"Dear brother, Joe,

Here is a picture of Pa with his working friends. Pa is on the top row in the middle. It has been some time since you have written us. You said that you would try to come visit us in Detroit for the 4th of July but you did not come. We hope you are not ill. You can write to Daddy anytime. I know he would be glad to hear from you.

Sister, Anna"

The 1920 Detroit US census does show John Kijak, now living in Detroit, and working as a butcher while boarding with the Stanley Bobrowski family.

1920 Detroit, Michigan
US Census

John Kijak was evidently a wanderer. By the time my mother was born in 1925, John had moved in with his son, Joseph and his family, in St. Joseph, MI. My mother says that her grandfather lived with them in all of their various homes while she was growing up. The 1930 Berrien County, MI census does show the family of Joseph & Ella Kijak with my mother and her 3 brothers listed but grandfather, John Kijak, does not appear. My mother is insistent that he was living with them and even remembers the bedroom that he had. He may have missed enumeration when the census was taken but in his last 20 years of life he did live with son, Joseph, and family.

John Kijak
St. Joseph, MI
ca 1925

John Kijak
St. Joseph, MI
ca 1930

John Kijak & Otto Kolberg
Kolberg Family Reunion
St. Joseph, MI
1944

On August 19, 1945, John Albert Kijak passed away at his son's home in St. Joseph, MI. He was 84 years of age. His obituary in the local paper was quite lengthy, though it did contain a few errors. He is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in St. Joseph.

Death Certificate
John Albert Kijak
1945

Obituary of John Albert Kijak
St. Joseph, MI
1945

In researching and writing this post, I did find that I had more information and photos than I had originally thought. I refreshed my memory with the Polish certificates that I had received in the late 1970's and early 1980's which added to my data and reminisced about my 1993 trip to these villages of the Kijak family. It was a rewarding post to put together.

I struggled, though, with how to adequately present this story because it is obvious that not all families had idyllic lives. There must have been "secrets" in the closet in the marriage of John and Mary Kijak but my mother said she was unaware of any of the facts. It was only after my mother visited her aunt, Anna Kijak, in Florida in Anna's later years (she lived to 101) that my mother learned some of the facts of the marriage of her grandparents.

No matter the situation, my mother has fond memories of her grandfather who she grew up with and remembers him as a quiet and kind person, not particularly a grandfatherly loving person, but a kind person nonetheless.

Today I did pay a visit to his grave which is walking distance from my home. I wanted to get a photo of his grave but its location made the picture less than adequate. I did have to stop and wonder just what situations and decisions created the life that he had and I could only say "rest in peace".

Above photos - personal collection of Cheryl Schulte