52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 43 "Shock"

MY FIRST TIME "TRICK OR TREATING" 

The topic for this week's contribution to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge is "Shock".  I struggled with what to contribute on this topic and while looking through some old photographs of myself I happened upon two photos taken when I was three years old and having my first experience with "trick or treating".  

Now true enough this was 70 years ago (oh, my goodness), I certainly don't remember this day and I have no idea what my costume was supposed to be but evidently I was having a good time.

The quality of the photos is definitely lacking in clarity and I can see that my mother at one time taped some tears with scotch tape but it was a Halloween view and while I am sure I didn't shock anyone with my costume - it wasn't something intended to scare - it is appropriate for a post just prior to Halloween, 2021.

Here I am at Halloween in 1951:

I don't know where this photo was taken.  It was probably my home with my parents or could have been at my paternal grandparent's home, both in Detroit.  I do see a baby photo of myself in a frame on a piece of furniture in the background.  In the second photo I also see a very early television.  It appears that I have a box of caramel corn in my hands and I do remember loving that snack when I was a child.

In any event Happy Halloween 1951!

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

From Whence I Came - Rudolph Myer Schulte

RUDOLPH MYER SCHULTE

My paternal great-grandfather, Rudolph Myer Schulte, was born October 24, 1869 in Beckum, Westphalia, Preußen, Germany to Joseph M. Schulte and Alvina Tobian.  Joseph, Alvina and Rudolph immigrated to the US on the ship "Holsatia" and arrived on April 24, 1872 when Rudolph was only a 2 1/2 year old young boy.  The family settled in Detroit, Michigan where father, Joseph, carved a career as a blacksmith.

Very little information exists about Rudolph's childhood but I do have this photo of him at the age of 21 where he looks so elegant in a professional photo with a hat on a stand and an umbrella (photo from 1890):

The above photo was taken just prior to his marriage to my great-grandmother, Juliane Feucht.  Their son, my grandfather, Elmer M. Schulte, was born on August 4, 1894 in Detroit when Rudolph was working as a Detroit Fire Fighter.  Here are a few photos of Rudolph as a Detroit Fire Fighter.  The first photo was taken in 1890:

Rudolph with some of his fellow Detroit fire fighters in 1910; Rudolph is on the far left:

Another outstanding photo of the Detroit Fire Fighters with Rudolph in the bottom row, far right (date unknown):

At the age of 28, Rudolph enlisted in the US Navy and served aboard the USS Yosemite during the Spanish American War.  His younger brother, Theodore, also served in the military as this photo of the two of them indicates:

Rudolph did not spend a great deal of time in the US Navy as he was injured and returned home to Detroit where he continued to work as a Detroit Fire Fighter:

Between my genie cousin, TK, and myself we have extensively researched our mutual Schulte line back to Beckum and uncovered exciting data taking our family back several generations.  Despite all of our research, we have been unable to uncover an actual birth record for Rudolph from Beckum though we have several US records indicating that was his place of birth.  We have, also, spent a great deal of time and research in attempting to uncover the reasons for the oft-times recorded hyphenated surname in the Beckum records of Meier/Meyer/Myer-Schulte.  In my own immediate family I do know that the name of Meier (again with variant spellings) has shown up as the middle name of one male in each generation going back 6 generations to Rudolph's father, Joseph.  When I questioned my grandmother about this years ago she indicated that the name of Meier, et al was "an old family name".  Anything further she did not know.  Additional research will be needed to solve this mystery.

In 1907, Rudolph lost his wife, Julie, to liver cancer and he was left with his son, Elmer, age 12.  Despite the fact that Julie was to have been his "beloved" wife (as my grandfather often told me his father referred to his mother), Rudolph wasted no time in marrying again.  Within a few WEEKS he was married to Julie's older sister, Elizabeth, who had been widowed twice before and came to their marriage with 5 children of her own.  In essence my grandfather grew up with a step-mother who was really his aunt and cousins who were also step-siblings.  One of the step-brothers even assumed the surname of Schulte though no evidence exists that Rudolph actually adopted him.  It must have been an interesting household.

Over the years, besides being a Detroit Fire Fighter, Rudolph also  worked selling insurance and perfected the early art of investing in real estate.  At one time in the 1930's he owned 4 homes on Concord Avenue in Detroit - homes that he promised to each of his three grandchildren when they reached adulthood.  Unfortunately these promises did not materialize as Rudolph's second wife, Elizabeth, died in 1938 and he immediately turned around and married a third time to a previously single woman, Mary Bender.  It was his third wife who inherited his estate upon his death.

This photo is probably my last photo of Rudolph with  his granddaughter, Marilyn Schulte, and Amelia Wellhausen, Marilyn's maternal grandmother:

Rudolph passed away on April 1, 1940, a short time after his marriage to Mary Bender, and he is buried with her at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit:

Elmwood Cemetery is a very old cemetery in Detroit, considered an historic site and quite beautiful though located in an area now that is best visited with a large, burly partner.  Despite this, I do have the following photos of the cemetery and the gravestone of my great-grandfather:

I have often thought of what drove my great-grandfather during his life.  My father and my uncle remember their grandfather well and can recount that he always had huge wads of money in his pockets (in actuality single dollars wrapped around a $50 bill) which he would bring out and tease them with.  They said he was a good grandfather but their "grandmother" as they referred to Elizabeth, wife #2, was very solemn and not a grandmotherly type.  I have always felt a kinship to my great-grandmother, Julie, and am just amazed that Rudolph would have chosen to remarry just a few weeks after Julie's death.  While I know that men in those years did not want to be alone raising their children following the early deaths of wives, Rudolph did not have a baby to raise as my grandfather was already 12 when his mother died.  Family stories have indicated that Julie's sister, Elizabeth, initiated the marriage prompting Rudolph to combine their families.  For whatever reason Rudolph and Elizabeth were married many years and her children remained close to my grandfather, Elmer, following the deaths of their parents.

Today I am thinking of him on this 152nd anniversary of his birth.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 42 "Sports"

DETROIT SPORTS

In my family, sports played a large part in the activities that my father (and brother) enjoyed.  The Detroit teams were my father's passion and he could always be found enjoying a game or three at the same time.

I can still see my father sitting in his recliner watching the Detroit Tigers on the large TV, watching another sport on a small 7" TV that he propped up on his stomach and holding a radio to his ear listening to another team.  Whether it was the Detroit Tigers playing baseball, the Pistons playing basketball, the Red Wings - and Gordie Howe - playing hockey or the Lions playing football, there was my dad.  In fact my parents had season tickets to all the Detroit Lions games for many seasons. 

In going through my photos for an interesting story to enhance this post I came across two photos of my paternal grandfather showing him enjoying sports.  

While I remember my grandfather vividly, and while we were extremely close, he never mentioned anything to me about having actively taken part in a sport.  But pictures do not lie!

Here is my grandfather, Elmer Schulte, in 1902 at the age of 8 with his bicycle.  I am taking liberties here for the purpose of this post that riding a bicycle is indeed a sport!  I am amazed at the size of the tires on this bike and how young my grandfather was when he had this bike.  He was also pretty well "dressed up" for a bike ride; was that the way children road bikes in the early 1900's?  Realizing this photo is well over 100 years old I did the best I could with scanning it:

Some years later, perhaps when newly married, my grandfather was shown in a baseball uniform out on the field catching a fly ball.  My grandmother wrote on the back of the photo that this was "Elmer in baseball uniform" though I never knew that he had actually played on a team.  

Was this a staged photo for fun showing him with feet off the ground catching the ball or was it a real game?  I don't know but it is a unique photo that is also over 100 years old:

While I remember my grandfather enjoying watching the Detroit teams on TV and listening to them on the radio, it is interesting to me to realize that he also at one time did actually take part in sports.

Memories and newly discovered memories are enjoyable!

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 41 "Changes"

MELBOURNE M. SCHULTE, SR.-A LOVING GODFATHER

I have been blessed with four goddaughters; the first born in 1980 and the other three born in January, February and March, 1983.  I have tried to take this responsibility seriously and am close to all four of my goddaughters even at their ages of 38 x 3 and 40! I like to think that I developed my godmother responsibilities from my own, very special godfather.  

Today I am going to honor his memory with a photo post of how he changed over his lifetime from 1920-2013.

My godfather, Melbourne M. Schulte, was born September 27, 1920 in Detroit, Michigan to Elmer M. Schulte and Ella Wellhausen.  He was their first child; their second child was my father.

The earliest photo I have of my godfather/uncle Mel was this one taken in early 1921 with his parents; my how they dressed little boys in those days:

In later years I was able to receive his baby book which my grandparents studiously recorded his early years in; I also have my father's baby book and both are interesting and humorous to read.  In my uncle's baby book was a bulletin from his confirmation on March 25, 1934:

My uncle attended Marcy Elementary School in Detroit and on May 23, 1935 he was awarded a Certificate of Honor for being on the School Safety Patrol (this baby book is a treasure trove of information):

My grandparents evidently liked taking photographs and I am fortunate to have a large supply of my uncle/godfather.  These are some photos of him with his younger brother, Mylen-my father, and his younger sister, Marilyn:

From 1935:

From 1938:  

Also in 1938, Mel's grandfather, George Wellhausen, died and Mel sweet-talked his grandmother, Amelia Schluessler Wellhausen, into letting him have his grandfather's car.  His grandmother only agreed when Mel was able to show her that he had saved $300 which was the price she was going to sell the car for.  In his later years, Mel submitted this story and photo to Reminisce Magazine and it was published in one of their issues.  He was very proud of this car and the article:

From 1939:

In 1939 Mel graduated from Eastern High School in Detroit.  Here he is at graduation with his grandmother, Amelia Schluessler Wellhausen:

Here he is in 1941 with my father when they were both ushers at the Rialto Theatre in Detroit:

It was while serving as an usher at the Rialto Theatre that he met his future wife, Virginia Reske.  As the story goes he was shining his flashlight up and down the aisles and the flashlight stayed on the beautiful legs of Virginia!  They were married on November 15, 1941 and were blessed to have a loving and long marriage of just two months shy of 70 years.

Their marriage was unique in that it was a double wedding at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Detroit with another bride and groom who were Mel and Virginia's good friends.  Here are the 4 of them a few months prior to their double wedding; left to right are Russell Stickney, Dorothy Voelker, Virginia Reske and Melbourne Schulte:

Wedding Day:

WWII came and Mel enlisted in the US Navy and was sent to the Pacific leaving his pregnant wife at home in Detroit:

Later that year Mel became a father when he and his wife welcomed a son, Melbourne M. Schulte, Jr.   Mel was in the Pacific at the time and the Red Cross notified him of the birth of his son.  However, in a mix-up the notification was sent to my father who was serving in Central America at the time with the US Army Air Corps.  It was a humorous story told many times over the years.

Mel, Virginia and baby Mel, Jr. in 1944:

Here is a photo of myself with my godfather/uncle Mel in 1948:

Mel in his own barber shop in 1950:

Here are some photos of Mel and Virginia over the years of their marriage:

From 1950:

From 1957:

From 1960:

From 1961:

From 1970:

From 1975:

From 2005:

From 2006:

Over the years I was extremely close to my aunt and uncle and my uncle was a wonderful and loving godfather.  He took this responsibility seriously, sending me cards on various occasions which he selected and signed himself as my aunt was wheelchair bound for much of her later years. He called me frequently and always began the call with the words "this is your godfather calling". 

On September 5, 2011 my aunt passed away and my uncle was lost without her.  He later moved from their retirement home in Arizona back to Michigan to live with his son and daughter-in-law.  In 2013 I was able to visit with him one last time as his health was failing. 

Here is a photo of my mother with my uncle at that visit:

On April 9, 2013 my special uncle and godfather passed away.  I was glad that I had been able to visit with him one more time and I will never forget him or the part he played in my life.  

His obituary, although containing some errors that only a genealogist would know, truly represented the life that he had been blessed with.  I also was blessed to have had him as my godfather!

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 40 "Preservation"

KEEPSAKE ITEMS TO PRESERVE

I have been very fortunate to have inherited many keepsake items from my parents, grandparents and even a few from great-grandparents.  These are very important to me and are items I want to preserve.  While I don't have children of my own I am hopeful that my niece (with three young sons) or my nephew will one day continue to keep and preserve these items.

Here are some examples:

A six volume set of "The New Practical Reference Library Encyclopedia" dated 1915 which was owned by my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  The illustrations in these books are outstanding and they are handy reference guides to events in the world prior to 1915:

A German violin which also belonged to my great-grandfather, Rudolph Schulte (1869-1940).  Rudolph was an insurance salesman in the 1920's.  He had a client who could not pay his insurance premium so he gave Rudolph this German violin in exchange for his insurance premium.  The violin is dated from the 1850's:

A German prayer book which belonged to my great-grandmother, Bertha, nee Kramp, Kolberg (1860-1915).  She brought this book to the US when she immigrated on November 28, 1883 from Klein Tuchen, Kreis Bütow, Pommern, Germany:

My most prized possession is this cut glass mushroom lamp which belonged to my great-grandparents, Rudolph (1869-1940) and Juliane, nee Feucht (1870-1907), Schulte.  This lamp dates to the mid-1890's and was in their home throughout their marriage and later passed down in the family until I received it.  This lamp is special to me because it is the only item I have of my great-grandmother who passed away at the young age of 36:

A childhood roll top desk that was my father's (1923-1996).  I still use this desk today to hold office supplies and I have a desk lamp placed on top:

A Polish flute (or better known as a recorder) which belonged to my great-grandfather, John Kijak (1861-1945), who used this flute to call sheep while he was still living in Poland.  He immigrated to the US from Taniborz, Tulce, Poland, on June 19, 1882:

A photo album that belonged to my great-grandmother, Amelia, nee Schluessler, Wellhausen (1876-1963).  This type of album is frequently seen now in antique shops:

My mother's (1925-2016) cedar chest which she received for her high school graduation in 1943 from her parents.  Her parents had this cedar chest hidden in their own bedroom, covered with a quilt, for weeks before the graduation and my mother told me she never noticed anything different:

 All of these items are important to me and are all displayed in my home.  It is important to me, as a genealogist and family historian, that these items continue to be preserved.

Copyright 2021, Cheryl J. Schulte