End of a Kolberg Generation

On my Schulte surname side I have two first cousins.  My mother, on her Kijak surname side, had 3 first cousins.  My grandmother, however, on her Kolberg surname side had 67 first cousins!  That's correct there were 68 children from 7 Colberg/Kolberg brothers.  After many years of research on my Kolberg line I have been able to collect data on each and every one of these first cousins of my grandmother.

Today in the newspaper I was saddened to read of the death of my grandmother's last remaining first cousin.  Over the years that I have lived back in my home town of St. Joseph I was able to interact frequently with this cousin and developed a fondness for her.  She was blessed to reach the age of 95 and when thinking of this, what can one say about somebody who lived to that age and will be remembered fondly by many.

Mildred Helen Grace Kolberg was born on August 22, 1917 in Stevensville, Berrien County, Michigan to Paul Kolberg and Augusta Zuhl.  She was their 10th and final child.  When Mildred was only 19 months old her mother passed away and she was raised by a combination of her father, her three older brothers and their wives and was very close to her next oldest brother who always was very protective of her.  On November 17, 1962 she was married to Charles Herman Price and they had 49 years together before Charles passed away in February of 2012.  I believe her sorrow at losing her partner of many years hastened her death though, again, I will say what more can someone ask than 95 years of life.  Mildred had a beautiful smile which she was always ready to give another and she had a strong personality and faith.  She will be remembered.

             Charles & Mildred Price

                   ca 1990

THE COLBERG/KOLBERG FIRST COUSINS:

Family of Friedrich Wilhelm Colberg, Jr.:

• Martha Marie Franziska Colberg (1882-1882)
• Paul Willy Colberg (1883-1886)
• Fritz Wilhelm Colberg (1885-1886)
• Erich Ernst Franz Colberg (1886-1887)
• Ernst Friedrich Paul Colberg (1888-1888)
• Max Friedrich Adam Colberg (1889-1889)
• Clara Marie Emilie Colberg (1893-1893)
• Max Erich Colberg (1899-after 1913)
• Anna Meta Therese Colberg (1901-after 1915)
• Paul Otto Colberg (1903-after 1917)
• Helene Martha Minna Colberg (1905-after 1919)

Family of August Gottlieb Kolberg:

• Paul Louis Robert Kolberg (1879-1879)
• Hedwig Johanne Auguste Kolberg (1880-1956)
• Berta Hermine Franziska Kolberg (1883-1883)
• Frederick Gustav Emil Kolberg (1886-1887)
• Amelia Alvina Henreitta Kolberg (1887-1963)
• Kurt Paul Hugo Kolberg (1890-1935)
• Robert Ernest Paul Kolberg Sr. (1892-1950)
• Hugo Otto Heinrich Kolberg (1894-1951)
• Ella Emma Louise Kolberg (1895-1973)

Family of Heinrich Carl Kolberg:

• Johann Charl Kolberg (1883-1883)
• Carl Heinrich Kolberg (1885-1885)
• Hertha Emilie Katherina Kolberg (1886-1976)
• Alexander Otto Paul Kolberg (1889-1965)
• Heinrich Friedrich Ernest Kolberg (1892-1966)
• Retha Lina Minna Kolberg (1894-1947)
• Ortha Amalie Friederike Kolberg (1895-1966)
• Erick Carl August Kolberg (1896-1897)
• William Louis Julius Kolberg (1898-1947)
• Bentha Bertha Alwine Kolberg (1900-1989)
• Arnold Albert Emil Kolberg (1901-1957)
• Gerhart Walter Hugo Kolberg (1903-1966)
• Esther Maria Helena Kolberg (1905-1988)
• Lorenz Gustav Johann Kolberg (1907-1983)
• Ralph Nelson Ferdinand Kolberg (1914-1915)

Family of  Johann Eduard Colberg:

• Marguerite A. Colberg (1884-1946)
• Richard Hugo Georg Colberg (1888-1982)
• Johanna Helene Marie Colberg (1890-1977)
• Johannes Colberg (1893-1964)
• Walter Colberg (1894-1954)
• Max Colberg (1896-1946)
• Otto Hermann Erich Kolberg (1904-1937)
• Charlotte Colberg (1906-1997)

Family of Otto Ferdinand Paul Kolberg:

• Grace Henreitta Othella Maria Mathilde Kolberg (1893-1986)
• Frederick A. Kolberg (1894-1978)
• Victor Henry Kolberg (1896-1993)
• Orville Carl Julius Kolberg (1904-1973)
• Viola Elaine Kolberg (1911-1966)
• Leo Henry Kolberg (1912-1994)

Family of Paul Wilhelm Rudolf Kolberg:

•  Oscar Otto Gustav Kolberg (1892-1970)
•  Ralph Heinrich Johann Kolberg (1893-1894)
• Waldimar August Wilhelm Kolberg (1895-1985)
• Clarence Heinrich Berthold Kolberg (1897-1989)
• Lillian Maria Ottillie Kolberg (1899-1905)
• Leo Otto Edward Kolberg (1902-1903)
• Ruby Edna Kolberg (1904-1988)
• Edna Olga Kolberg (1907-1991)
• Harry Paul Ferdinand Kolberg (1910-1985)
• Mildred Helen Grace Kolberg (1917-2013)
• Alvin Albert Kolberg (1921-1984)

Family of Ferdinand Robert Kolberg:

• Oscar Friedrich Hermann Kolberg (1898-1970)
• Waldemar Paul Hugo Kolberg (1899-1989)
• Alfred Paul Ferdinand Kolberg (1900-1995)
• Selma Anna Helene Kolberg (1901-1988)
• Gertrud Martha Marie Kolberg (1903-before 1910)
• Herta Anna Augusta Kolberg (1904-before 1910)
• Kurt Hugo Max Kolberg (1905-1986)
• Arthur Ferdinand August Kolberg (1906-1990)

What a glorious reunion they must all be having tonight in heaven!  Rest in peace to all these cousins.

Above photos personal collection of Cheryl Schulte
Copyright (c) 2013, Cheryl J. Schulte  

My Father The Bowler

My father was an avid sports lover.  Growing up in the Detroit suburbs he had plenty of outlets for his love whether it were the Tigers, Lions, Pistons or Red Wings and he could be seen either attending the games, watching them on television, listening on the radio or doing both the television and radio at the same time.  I can still see him sitting in his recliner with the main television showing one game, a small portable television (very small) sitting on his lap watching another and the radio in his ear listening to a third game.

My grandfather told me that my father received his first baseball uniform when he was a teenager and he wouldn't take it off for days.  He loved playing baseball as a young boy but that quickly changed when he discovered bowling.  Bowling would continue to grip him for his entire life.

During my childhood and teen years I like to say that I grew up in bowling alleys.  Actually my father bowled in two men's leagues a week and then my mother and he bowled in a mixed league on another day.  Three days a week my brother and I had to accompany them to the bowling alley where I would sit and either read or do homework.  Guess the action bored me.

Today I was going through some old photos and found a few of my father related to his bowling.  He was an excellent bowler and in high school was predicted to be a champ.  He probably could have if he had pursued that but WWII came up and that changed young men forever.

When I was growing up our house was filled with bowling trophies.  Here is a photo of my father in approximately 1958 with his championship team at the time.

 Back Row:  Robbie Robinson, Mylen Schulte, Floyd Labuhn

Front Row:  William Machleit, Clifford Rupnow

Ritz Bowling Alley

Detroit, MI, ca 1958 

In approximately 1966 another championship for his team and my father is sitting with his trophy.  I believe this was from the mixed league he was in with my mother; why her photo isn't here I don't know unless she was taking the picture.

 Mylen Schulte with bowling trophy

ca 1966

But where did this love begin?  A few days ago due to the post of another genealogy blogger, I learned something new about my father.  Kristin of "Finding Eliza" had an excellent post about her mother in which she mentioned that her mother had graduated from Eastern High School in Detroit in 1940.  My father graduated from Eastern in 1941 and I sent off a comment to Kristin.  I follow her blog faithfully but never knew of our "Eastern" connection.  A few comments went back and forth and Kristin asked me if my father had been in any sports or activities at Eastern.  I told her he was an avid bowler and she graciously checked her mother's 1940 yearbook and found a photo of the bowling team of that year.  She scanned the photo and sent it to me and there WAS my father in the photo in his Junior year of high school.  This was a photo I had never seen of my dad when he was very young.

 Eastern High School, Detroit, MI

Bowling Team, 1940

Mylen Schulte back row, left side

This only shows again the kindness and generosity of our fellow genealogy bloggers.  Thanks Kristin!

Above photos personal collection of Cheryl Schulte
Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte  

My Tenth Birthday

I was born on November 24, 1854 in Klein Tuchen in Pommern, Germany and was the third son of my parents.  In our family a boy's 10th birthday was a special occasion and the year I was turning 10 my birthday in November was on my mind constantly.

November 24, 1864 began bright and early.  I awoke even before it was light outside and could hear Mama and Papa working in the house.  Today would be my special birthday and many aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors would be coming by.  Papa and Mama had a strict law in our family that each child must attend school for 4 years; that was very important to them as they were not able to have any schooling.  So far my 2 older brothers, Albert and Fritz, had studied for 4 years in school and then when they were 10 they were allowed to begin working on the farm with Papa.  I was looking forward to this as well.  I must admit school was not my favorite thing to do; I would have rather been outside in the fields or playing with my brothers but Papa and Mama were very strict about the school rule.  Today I would be allowed to stop school and begin to work on the farm as well.

Papa called to us boys to get up while it was still dark.  Albert, Fritz and I got up immediately but our younger brothers, Heinrich and Johann, were lazier and had to be prompted to get up.  They were only 7 and 5 at the time.  Baby Hermann would be 2 tomorrow and he was still sleeping as well.  Mama also had the new baby, Gustav, who was only 5 weeks old at the time.  There had also been another brother, Franz, but he had died last year when he was only 2.  Mama had been so hoping that this latest baby would be a little girl but now we were a family of Mama, Papa and 7 sons.

That morning Mama had our breakfast ready for us and told us to hurry and eat because aunts would be arriving soon to help with the birthday celebrations.  Because Mama had baby Gustav to tend to some of the aunts would be helping with the food for the birthday so that Mama could rest.  Mama would do this for the aunts in return as well.  Having a large family was important Mama would say because everyone would help everyone else.

We had barely finished our breakfast and the light was just beginning on the day when we could hear a wagon outside.  It was Oma Kautz coming to help with the birthday.  Oma was Mama's mother and all us boys loved Oma Kautz because she always brought us special breads and cakes that she had made.  Oma was the only grandparent I had any more.  I had not known Opa Kautz because he had died long before I was born.  When he died, Oma married a Mr. Krause so that she would have help on the farm.  Mr. Krause was very stern and never smiled so we boys stayed away from him.  

Oma came in the house and told me "Happy Birthday, August" and showed me the basket she was bringing that held some special cakes with sugar on top.  She went over to Mama and inquired how baby Gustav was doing.  Mama said he was sleeping fine but not eating well and she was worried.  We did not know it then but in a few months baby Gustav would die.  

After breakfast all us boys were sent outside to give Mama and Oma room to work on the birthday.  Soon the aunts arrived carrying baskets of food as well.  Mama was going to make my favorite Pommern potatoes and the aunts had been helping her the last few days by boiling and cooling pounds of potatoes.  Now they were bringing them to the house so Mama could prepare them for me. The potatoes took a long time to make but it helped Mama that the aunts had boiled them ahead of time.  Mama then sliced them and put them in the pan on the fire with lots of lard.  The potatoes sizzled and fried for quite some time while Mama kept slicing more potatoes.  We would need a lot for all the family that was coming.  What made these potatoes special was after they were almost done frying Mama would crack eggs into the potatoes and fry them together; the eggs would work into the potatoes and Mama would get them very crispy.  I always wanted the potatoes around the edge of the frying pan because they were the best.  Many times we had these Pommern potatoes for dinner only because they were so good.  Mama had promised me she would make them herself for my birthday because her potatoes were much better than those made by the aunts though we could not tell them that.

Aunt Carolina and Uncle Johann vonJutrzenka arrived soon with some of the cousins.  Aunt Carolina was one of Papa's sisters.  They brought more food and chicken as well for the meal.  Mama was happy to see them because Aunt Carolina was a hard worker.  Soon Uncle August and Aunt Friederike Colberg arrived.  Uncle August was Papa's brother and he was my godfather which was something he reminded me of all the time.  I liked Uncle August because he would take my older brothers out behind the barn and let them smoke some tobacco and he had been promising this to me all year.  Aunt Friederike came bearing her usual gift for all the cousins which were hand knit socks.  She took great pride in using heavy yarn so that the socks would be warm and would always say the same thing "if your feet are warm you won't get sick".  We boys thought her socks were picky and uncomfortable but Mama always frowned at us and we quickly thanked Aunt Friederike.  Later Mama would tell us that we needed to be grateful because we had many feet in the house to put socks on and it helped Mama when an aunt would give new socks.

By mid day we had many guests - aunts, uncles and cousins and even neighbors all coming for my 10th birthday.  Uncle Gottlieb and Aunt Karolina brought a smoked ham from the hogs on their farm and Papa praised the ham.  Uncle Gottlieb was Papa's brother as well.  They had children the same ages as us boys and even had an August born the same year as me.  Sometimes it became very confusing when all the cousins were together.

The day went by quickly but it was grand fun.  Uncle August tried to take me out behind the barn to show me his tobacco but Papa saw us and quickly stopped this.  Uncle August and Papa talked loudly about this for a while but in the end Uncle August shrugged and walked away.  Papa told me that there would be plenty of time for tobacco but he didn't want me to be sick today on my birthday. I wasn't very happy but we boys knew we had to obey Papa.  That was the way it was.

By the end of the day the families were all leaving but Aunt Carolina and Oma Kautz stayed longer to help with cleaning up the house.  Mama was looking very tired and Oma was worried about her.  But she said to me "I think August Gottlieb that you had a grand 10th birthday and now you are a man".  Oma Kautz reminded me that Mama had worked hard on my Pommern potatoes while tending baby Gustav and I should never forget the grand birthday I had.

And I never did!!!

The above are recollections contained in notes written by Ella Kolberg Kijak from verbal discussions with her father, August Gottlieb Kolberg, on Ella's 19th birthday on August 8, 1914.  

Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte  

Cousins Meet after 80 Years

Newspapers and television broadcasts frequently have human interest stories of family members meeting after many years apart.  Recently I took part in arranging for my 87 year old mother to reconnect with her 85 year old cousin after 80 years apart.

I personally thought it was a slow news day in South Bend but alas nobody in the media appeared to cover this story.  So here is my coverage of this event.

A few years ago I received an e-mail from a person who had come across my blog.  While I frequently receive such e-mails, none have ever had a connection with my mother's paternal grandmother's family - the Rubisz line.  I have previously written about my great-grandmother, Mary Rubisz Kijak, and the very difficult life she had.  My mother knew very little about this grandmother as she had passed away in 1918 long before my mother was born.  My mother did know that her grandparents had a very rocky relationship and had separated around 1900 and that her grandmother had connected with another gentleman, moved to South Bend, Indiana and had 7 more children with him before she passed away in 1918.

That was why this e-mail I received a few years ago surprised and pleased me as the woman writing indicated she had seen my blog, noted the banner on the blog that contained the 4 photos of my great-grandmothers and recognized the name of Mary Rubisz Kijak.  This writer, D, told me that she believed that my great-grandmother was HER husband's great-grandmother as well.

E-mails went back and forth between D and myself.  She indicated that her mother-in-law was the daughter of Mary Rubisz Kijak's oldest child from her relationship with Frank Banner, Sr.  While my mother knew that there were children from her grandmother's relationship with this Mr. Banner she only remembered them from her childhood.  Living in the fruit belt of Southwest Michigan (St. Joseph) it was common for family members from other areas to visit St. Joe during the summer to take the fresh produce home.  Evidently members of the Banner family would frequently do so, coming from nearby South Bend, Indiana (35 miles) and my mother remembered playing with these half cousins when they were children.

D and I exchanged information and I learned that D's mother-in-law Betty was very eager to see my mother again.  My mother as well was eager and did remember Betty as a child though 80 years had gone by.

On August 22nd this year we had our reunion.  My mother and I drove from St. Joe to Mishawaka, Indiana where I knew there was a big mall. We arranged to meet Betty and her daughter-in-law, D, at a restaurant at this mall and there we did.

We had a wonderful lunch in a very nice restaurant.  D and I exchanged genealogical materials and both D and Betty had brought scads of photos with them.  Out came my Flip Pal scanner (love this device) and I was able to scan all the photos right at the table.  After lunch we went to Betty's house, right near Notre Dame, for some further visiting.

 Eloris Kijak & cousin, Betty Linehan,

August 22, 2012

Mishawaka, Indiana

When there are sensitive issues involving ancestors it is often difficult to learn any of the details involved but Betty was very forthcoming with information that was welcomed by myself.  It was information I would have never learned otherwise.  Since then D and I have really been fortunate in being able to learn much more information on the Banner family with the help of Ancestry and other web sites.

We are now planning a return visit with D and Betty coming here to visit us in St. Joe and we are hoping they also bring another cousin that my mother has not seen in ages either.

Never say never - there are always avenues to follow that will open up new information on a family line.

Above photos personal collection of Cheryl Schulte
Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte

Six Degrees of Kolberg

As with the trivia game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, I firmly believe that a case can be made for a "Six Degrees of Kolberg" connection.  In Berrien County, Michigan this could be reduced to "THREE or FOUR Degrees of Kolberg".  Consider this saga:

Last night was the first Ladies Aid meeting of the new season at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph where I belong.  My mother and I are members and are continuing the tradition started by my maternal grandmother, Ella Kolberg Kijak.  I know my grandmother would be pleased that (1) we have relocated back to St. Joe and (2) that we are active in the Ladies Aid organization.  This organization has declined over the 15 years we have been back in St. Joe and now has 49 members.  Last night's meeting had 19 ladies present with a few guests. 

We sat at a table with several other ladies that we knew well.  One senior lady had a guest with her and she introduced the guest as her niece, Marilyn, who was her chauffeur now that she herself could no longer drive.   Marilyn was a very pleasant woman and she indicated to the group that she was a retired teacher who continues to do some special education teaching.  I inquired as to where she had taught and our conversation went like this:

Me:  Where did you teach, Marilyn?

Marilyn:  At Grace Lutheran Church in St. Joe (a neighboring church to Trinity).

Me:  Do you know Karen Kolberg K from Grace? 

Marilyn:  I do - Karen and I went to school together.

Me:  Karen and I are cousins.  Do you know Mary Kolberg B and her sister Donna Kolberg R?

Marilyn:  I do indeed.  I taught both of Mary B's daughters.

Me:  Mary and Donna are cousins of mine also.

Now Marilyn is intrigued and she asks me:  Just how are you related to Karen, Mary and Donna?

Me:  Through our very large Kolberg family.  My grandmother was a Kolberg - Ella Kolberg Kijak.

Marilyn:  Very intrigued now...Do you know Sharon Kolberg whose father was Alvin Kolberg and whose mother...oh, I can't remember her name now?

Me:  Yes I know who you mean; I never met Sharon but I know who she is.  (I then proceeded to open my purse and extract my Smart Phone which contains my Ancestry app with my whole family tree and I quickly found the above Sharon Kolberg).  I told Marilyn - her mother was Thelma?

Marilyn:  Yes indeed.  Now Marilyn intrigues me when she says:  Sharon's husband, Dave A., is MY brother.  Just what do you have on that cell phone?

I explained that I have my genealogy on Family Tree Maker which syncs to an Ancestry Tree.  Ancestry has an app for a smart phone and I can carry my data with me on the phone.  We proceeded to have a lengthy discussion about Marilyn's brother and sister-in-law, other Kolberg people that Marilyn knew and my genealogy.  Marilyn said she also knew a R. Kolberg and his parents R and E Kolberg (cousin ROY if you are reading this, you will know of whom I am speaking!!)

We had quite a conversation during the evening (yes we did listen to the program as well) and this further convinced me that each and every person in Berrien County is in some way, shape or form related to or knowledgeable of a Kolberg. 

Lesson to me:  When entering a room, any room, any place where 1 person at least is present, loudly declare "Does anyone in here know anyone named Kolberg?"  I'm guessing somebody will.

Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte

Two Generations of General Store Owners

If I were to do a comparison of my various ancestors and the occupations they had I would find invariably that most were farmers - both in Europe and in the US.  There was a butcher thrown in here and a blacksmith thrown in there but the majority were farmers.  An honest occupation for sure and one that was sorely needed but the farmers needed somewhere to market their crops in the 1800's and early 1900's in America.  That would be where the General Stores came in.

In my ancestry I have 2 generations of General Store owners and the stories are interesting, historical and were challenging to research.  My paternal grandmother, Ella Wellhausen Schulte, lived well into her 90's and I had many opportunities to tap into her memories of her ancestry.  She told me many times about the General Store that her parents had and in which she and her older sister lived as young girls.  Taking the meager information I had from her I was able to discover some interesting facts.

My second great-grandparents Charles and Christina (Graumann) Wellhausen were both born in Germany in the Pomeranian county of Demmin with Charles being born in the village of Alt Kentzlin and Christina born in the neighboring village of Hohenbollentin.  These villages are still in Germany in what later became the DDR.  Charles and Christina married in 1860 at the Evangelical Church in Hohenbollentin and their first two daughters, Bertha and Augusta, were also born there as well in 1860 and 1862 respectively.

 Evangelical Church in Hohenbollentin
 Kreis Demmin, Germany

Still standing in August, 1993

When Bertha was 3 years old and Augusta 6 months Charles and Christina decided to immigrate to the United States.  Accompanying them as well was Christina's mother, Christina (Neider) Graumann.  They arrived in the US on the ship Saxonia on April 19, 1864 settling in the village of Fraser in Macomb County in Michigan where their next daughter, Caroline, was born in 1866.  Information found indicates the next 3 children Anna, George and Edward were born in 1867, 1869 and 1872 respectively in what was then known as Greenfield Township in Michigan.  Following this they evidently moved back to Macomb County because their last child, son Charles, Jr., was born in Fraser in 1876.  Whether Charles was farming at the time first in Fraser, then in Greenfield Township is unknown but it is assumed that he was.  However upon relocating back to Fraser in Macomb County prior to the 1876 birth of their last child, Charles and Christina were able to purchase a large farm in what is now Clinton Township.  The 1880 Macomb County, Michigan US census corroborates the family was living in Clinton Township, Michigan and Charles was a farmer.

With more daughters than sons Charles naturally was assuming that his 3 sons would help him on the farm and Edward is known to have done so.  Son George, however, was not a well man with bronchial ailments and farming played havoc with his health.


On February 14, 1895 in Fraser, Michigan son George Wellhausen married Amelia Schluessler at St. John's Lutheran Church.  They are my 1st great grandparents.  Later in 1895 their first daughter, Gertrude, was born in Fraser and in 1896 their second daughter, my grandmother, Ella, was born. 

The 1895 Atlas of Macomb County, Michigan reproduced in November, 1985 by the St. Clair Shores Historical Commission in St. Clair Shores, Michigan contains some sketches of prominent farms in the area in 1895 along with photos of the owners.  In this volume in 1985 I was delighted to find the farm of my 2nd great grandparents, Charles and Christina Wellhausen, along with pictures of both.  This is the only photo I have of Charles.  Their farm was listed as having been in Section 29 of Clinton Township in that year of 1895.  

 Farm and Home of 

Charles and Christina Wellhausen

1895 - Clinton Township, Michigan

In early 1900 Detroit Creamery was buying up farms in Clinton Township attempting to corner the milk market.  Charles and Christina decided to sell their farm to the creamery as they were both now 67 and undoubtedly farming was becoming more than they could handle.  As part of the arrangement they retained ownership of the farm house which to this day still is standing on what is now called Moravian Drive in Clinton Township.  To have an ancestral home still in existence some 117+ years later is very exciting.

 Home of Charles and Christina Wellhausen

Currently Standing in 2012

Moravian Drive, Clinton Township, Michigan

Shortly after selling their farm in early 1900, Charles and Christina purchased a small general store in a nearby village known as Cady's Corners.  They gave this store to my great-grandparents George and Amelia who ran it.  This was much less taxing on George's health than farming had been.  George and Amelia ran this General Store until 1905 and then moved to Utica where George ran a "jitney" service which we now would call a taxi service.  There in Utica, George and Amelia had their 3rd and final child, a son they named George as well who was born in 1906.


My grandmother always spoke of Cady's Corners to me.  She told me that their General Store was on one corner and a "beer garden" as she always referred to a bar was on another corner.  In researching this little village I learned that Cady's Corners was an area first settled in 1833 with a post office being established on July 15, 1864.  The post office operated until July 31, 1906 when the village was disbanded.  Today the former area of Cady's Corners can be found at what is Moravian and Utica Roads in Clinton Township, Michigan.  

George and Amelia Wellhausen General Store

Cady's Corners, Michigan

ca 1905

While living in Utica, Michigan great-grandpa George was an upstanding citizen and involved in local politics.  He was Utica's Clerk in the years 1917-1918 and was even Mayor of Utica from 1920-1921.  


In 1924 the local Kroger store in Utica needed a manager and George and Amelia persuaded their 18 year old son, George, to apply for the position where he was hired becoming the youngest manager that Kroger ever had.  Son George remained with Kroger's as their manager for 24 years.  In 1948, an opportunity arose for George and his wife Eleanor to purchase a General Store at 24 Mile Road and Van Dyke in a village that was known at that time as Disco, Michigan.  The store had been built in the mid 1850's and not only was a general store but also a gas station and in the early days a stage coach stop.  Originally it had sleeping quarters on the second floor for travelers and supposedly General George Custer stayed there on one occasion.  An excellent article on "The Lost Village of Disco" can be found here by the Shelby Township Historical Committee.

After much deliberation George resigned from his position at Kroger's and he and Eleanor purchased this General Store which they owned from 1948 until 1970.  One of the big draws in this Wellhausen General Store was the home made German Pomeranian Teewurst sausage that was made there.  It was certainly a family delicacy and people came from near and far to purchase the sausage.  The recipe for the sausage came from my great-grandmother Amelia Wellhausen who had learned this recipe from her Pomeranian Schluessler ancestors.  Teewurst is a sausage made from two parts of raw pork, sometimes beef, and one part bacon which are minced, seasoned and packed in casings before being smoked over beech wood.  The sausage has to mature for 7-10 days in order to develop its typical taste and contains 30-40% fat - ahh a great dietary food.  I never had the privilege of tasting the teewurst sausage but sausage and I are not friends so it is just as well.  

My great aunt and uncle, George and Eleanor Wellhausen, had this General Store until 1970 when they sold it for $68,000.  Under the new ownership it went into disrepair.  On January 24, 1977 a photo was taken of the former Wellhausen General Store which I found on sale via eBay.  Why anyone would want to buy this photo is beyond me as the store obviously was not cared for in the 7 years since my great aunt and uncle had sold it.  The caption on the photo states:

"The 111 year old Wellhausen Country Store at Van Dyke and 24 Mile Road is the genuine rustic item in Disco".

Despite the efforts of the local historical association to raise money to move the store to an area nearby that had other historical buildings, the store was demolished.

Today a huge CVS store is at the location of 24 Mile Road and Van Dyke with the land purchased for $650,000.   

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the research and discoveries that went into this post.  I think it is a valuable piece of my family ancestry that deserved to be shared.

Above photos personal collection of Cheryl Schulte
Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte

Genetic Quirks

Two of my four goddaughters recently gave birth to their first baby - a little girl for each of them.  As always happens when a new baby enters a family, everyone is intent on seeing just WHO the baby resembles.  Does she have her mother's nose, her father's ears, her grandmother's eyes, etc?  I am sure my family did the same when I was born as well.  For as long as I can remember, and even today, people are forever telling me how much I resemble my father.  I always hated that!!

I wanted to resemble my mother.  She is small and petite, 5' 2", 120#, attractive, friendly, bubbly, self confident, interested in others and very outgoing.  I, on the other hand, am truly more like my father was - heavier, struggling with weight, reserved and have inherited the medical ailments that plagued my dad.  I have had digestive problems since I was a teenager - he did as well as did his mother and her father - direct line in that Wellhausen to Schulte family to me!  I struggle with blood pressure as he did, struggle with weight as he did and tend to be hard on myself as he was.  

Finally, though, I have come across something that I HAVE inherited from my mother and it makes me laugh in a way - my bad teeth.  Yesterday I had to have a tooth pulled; not the first time either but the first time in years.  I couldn't even remember what I had gone through before with the teeth but this time was quite different, not as bad as I had anticipated but not exactly something I want to do every day.  And it took a bite (oops) out of my wallet, too, to the tune of $307.00.  It would appear that my teeth are falling apart.  My mother reminded me though that these teeth have carried me to my 60's when HER teeth were all removed when she was 18.  Imagine!

She was working at the time, at the end of her day's work she went to the dentist, had ALL her teeth pulled that day and had the dentures put right in, she went home and back to work the next day and nobody at work knew she had dentures.  I asked her yesterday if she remembered how much that cost and, of course, this was 1943 so she did not.  Obviously different procedures for the time!

Recently I had another insight when I read an article on Kelly Ripa.  Everyone probably is familiar with Kelly and her career.  The headline of this article stated that "Kelly Ripa has a rare disorder".  I thought it would be interesting to read the article and my eyes popped open.  This rare disorder is just what my father had and another thing I have inherited from him.

The disorder has been identified for years and years and is called Misophonia though I had never heard of the title before.  Basically it is the "hatred of sound" such as gum chewing, snapping of fingers, slurping while eating, clinking teeth against silverware and an array of other sounds that cause the person to have heavy anxiety.  I remember only too well as a child sitting at the dinner table eating and having my father scream at my brother and me not to hit our teeth on the silverware, not to slurp and definitely we did NOT chew gum.  When reading about this disorder now I have to say that my father's case was probably mild but it was a very nervous household that I grew up in.

I find some characteristics of misophonia in myself as well namely gum chewing.  Yesterday while waiting at my dentist's office there was an elderly man in the waiting room chewing up a storm to the point I had to get up and walk across the room to sit.  While it may sound funny or humorous it really isn't and it was a tense time in my life over the years.  I think it added to my digestive distress.

I even have my father's situation documented in none other than his baby book.  Who wouldn't love to get a hold of a parent's baby book from 1923 and to even find that there was one.  I have my father's baby book and a copy of my uncle's (his brother) as well.  Evidently my grandparents were big on baby books and both my grandmother and grandfather wrote in them.

When my father was 15, my grandfather wrote the following which we always thought was so funny when we read it but obviously his Misophonia tendencies were starting then:

At the age of 15 yrs he took a notion to eat away from the table as 

he says he could not stand any one smack their lips when eating

so he'd eat by himself.  We hope he will outgrow this as if he 

ever marries his wife will have to eat alone.  

Written in 1938 by Elmer M. Schulte 

regarding son, Mylen Schulte

Who knows what can be found in a baby book that is of genealogical value!  It would appear there is a name and description for everything that could "ail you" and the Internet brings it all to us in glorious verbiage.  Perhaps before long there won't be any need for doctors; everyone can diagnose themselves from Google!!

Above photos personal collection of Cheryl Schulte


Copyright (c) 2012, Cheryl J. Schulte