Nettie Margaret Kline was the fifth of eleven children born to William Henry Kline, an immigrant farmer from Prussia, and Mary Melissa Showalter from Tuscawaras, Ohio.
The siblings were, in order, Ada Elvessa, Nancy Matilda, Esther Cristina, Andrew Oliver, Nettie Margaret, Ernest Henry, Abraham Lenox, William Willis, Almer Winfred, Alice Alma and Rachael Rebecca.
It is too bad that no one is left to help figure out some of the family stories like this one. Following what was available online and what was told in a writing by my cousin Howard Brandt is what led me to the following conclusions as to what actually happened with my great aunt, Nettie Kline, and her first husband, Evan D Evans. I had a heck of a time even figuring out who Evan Evans even was so that I could get started.
Howard Brandt wrote: (excerpted)
"Mother’s sister, Aunt Nettie, went to Chicago to work as a young girl. She met and married a man by the name of Evans. I was real small and can just remember him. He used to bring candy to us kids.
During that time Michigan Transportation Co., then another name, decided to build a huge ice house at their dock site and ship ice to Chicago. The biggest share of the men in Onekama were employed there. Uncle Louie Brandt and Dad worked on it. Evans was the contractor.
Aunt Nettie went back to work in Chicago after she and Evans divorced and she later married Louis Kemmer, who was a train director in the main train station tower. He was a high up in the Knights of Columbus and because he was marrying a protestant, he left the order and said his life wasn’t safe in Chicago, so they moved to Manistee.
They bought 40 acres in back of the County Farm. In later years Uncle Louie (Brandt) was down there and stayed to work for him (Kemmer), as they were building their house and raised lots of asparagus, berries and vegetables for market."
A marriage record found on familysearch.org says that on September 13, 1905, in Onekama, "Margaret" Kline is 22 years old (1883) and marrying Milwaukee born, E D Evans who is 37 years old (1868). His parents, G D Evans and Sarah Jones are listed and Margaret's father's name, Wm Kline, is listed but it says her mother is unknown.
Perhaps this marriage was not approved of by Nettie's parents and likely was not attended by them even though it was in Onekama. Nettie might have chosen to be Margaret and chosen to be "over 21" so she would not need their blessing or permission. She would actually not turn 21 for almost another year.
Nettie and Evan Evans were only married a short time and no children resulted. Howard Brant had indicated that they divorced.
Research surprise: Evan D Evans was actually born January 15, 1959; NOT 1968 like he stated on his marriage license with "Margaret". That means he was 46 years old, not 37 and she was 20, not 22. He lied to be younger and she lied to be older.
Also, further research finds that Evan was a widower. His wife, Alice, had died in February, 1900 and he was left with five children!!! The eldest child, Gwladys (spelled correctly) is only 4 months younger than Nettie Margaret!! The children range from 19 to only 9 years old when Evan and "Margaret" marry. This youngest child, Beulah Sarah, was only 4 1/2 years old when Alice died.
The 1900 Census was collected three months after Alice Evans died and shows Evan living in Chicago with his children, 14, 12, 10, 6, and 4. Evan appears to be raising the children alone or only with the help of his elder children. So is he a cad for lying about his age or a just a good dad trying to get by in a difficult situation?
Perhaps Nettie discovered all of Evan's secrets and left him? Realistically, she must have known about all the kids all along and thought she could handle it. Or, perhaps they didn't want a young stepmother and made her life hell and she bailed out; or a combination of both.
The 1910 Census shows that Nettie was living with her parents. The census indicated that she had been married for four years, it was her first marriage, she had not had any births.
The June 5, 1917 draft registration of Louis J Kemmer indicates that he is married (to Nettie though he doesn't name her) but lists no children yet. So sometime between the 1910 census and June 5, 1917, Nettie's divorce from Evan Evans occurred and she married Louis Kemmer. When? I have no documents for either the divorce or the new marriage.
The 1920 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lewis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kimmel" and little Edward L is listed as 1-11/12 (23 months) Since the census was collected on the 9th of January that means that he was born in February of 1918, which makes his eventual headstone incorrect after he dies in 1967. (It says 1917.)
1930 Census: Louis is working as a helper at the power house. The family is living on their farm and Edward is 12.
1940 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lowis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kenner" and Edward is listed as working 50 hours per week as a farmer; most likely on their own farm. Louis is working as an oiler for the Morton Salt Company.
Louis Kemmer dies in 1941 at age 52.
Nettie Kemmer dies in 1946 at age 60.
Edward L Kemmer dies in 1967 at age 49.
All three Kemmers are buried together in Oak Grove Cemetery (see picture).
Nettie passed away at the age of 60 after having been widowed for five years. Edward continued to live with his mother until she also passed away in 1946 and then I suspect that he lost the farm or was helped to sell it. It appears that Edward never married. The next time I can find Edward is 1954 and he is listed in the City Directory as living at the rear of 798 E Parkdale Avenue. A widow (of Ival) named Esther Hutchinson lives at 798 E Parkdale Avenue, so Edward is renting from her.
Conjecture: Edward is not "regular". Something makes me think he is mentally or physically disabled, but I have no reason for that other than not seeing him listed in the City Directory or in the 1940 Census. Was he incarcerated or a mental inmate or was he living away from Manistee?
Nettie's life doesn't sound like it was fun.
Addendum: I spoke to my Uncle Don Boulanger and asked him what he remembered about his Aunt Nettie and the Kemmer's. He said I was correct, that he did not think his Aunt Nettie had a very easy or happy life either. He thinks that when she went off to work in Chicago that she must have thought life was going to be grand and exciting, but then through a series of events that changed everything, her life was not what she had hoped for.
He said that he could remember going out to the Kemmer farm and that they didn't even have electricity at the farm. He remembers some kind of fuel lamps that hissed while they were burning. He said they were very bright but always hissed and he was fascinated by that. Uncle Don said that Aunt Nettie always worked really hard and grew lots of asparagus, berries and other vegetables to be sold at market. That was referred to as "truck farming".
I asked about Edward Kemmer and he said my instincts about Edward were also correct. He said that Edward looked normal but he was not bright at all and needed the care of his parents so he did not ever get out on his own while they were alive and he never married.
Uncle Don remembered going out to the farm once during the winter with my mother, his sister Alice. Edward had a bobsled of sorts and they were sledding and when it was Edward's turn, he got on it and sledded right smack into a tree and got messed up pretty bad. He said that was just how Edward was; not really bright.
After his parents died, Uncle Don was not sure what arrangements had been made for Edward, but he thinks that the farm was sold and that Uncle Bill Kline tried to look after him and his finances, but Edward was an adult so it was not easy to make his choices for him. What happened when the money ran out, he did not know.
I mentioned that I had found the notation in the 1954 City Directory that Edward was living in the rear of a house owned by a widow and Uncle Don said that sounded right and that that was probably how Edward lived most of his years after his parents died.
I asked if he knew why Edward had died at only 49 and he said, "Well, he was just never right so that sounds like how it would have been."
The siblings were, in order, Ada Elvessa, Nancy Matilda, Esther Cristina, Andrew Oliver, Nettie Margaret, Ernest Henry, Abraham Lenox, William Willis, Almer Winfred, Alice Alma and Rachael Rebecca.
It is too bad that no one is left to help figure out some of the family stories like this one. Following what was available online and what was told in a writing by my cousin Howard Brandt is what led me to the following conclusions as to what actually happened with my great aunt, Nettie Kline, and her first husband, Evan D Evans. I had a heck of a time even figuring out who Evan Evans even was so that I could get started.
Howard Brandt wrote: (excerpted)
"Mother’s sister, Aunt Nettie, went to Chicago to work as a young girl. She met and married a man by the name of Evans. I was real small and can just remember him. He used to bring candy to us kids.
During that time Michigan Transportation Co., then another name, decided to build a huge ice house at their dock site and ship ice to Chicago. The biggest share of the men in Onekama were employed there. Uncle Louie Brandt and Dad worked on it. Evans was the contractor.
Aunt Nettie went back to work in Chicago after she and Evans divorced and she later married Louis Kemmer, who was a train director in the main train station tower. He was a high up in the Knights of Columbus and because he was marrying a protestant, he left the order and said his life wasn’t safe in Chicago, so they moved to Manistee.
They bought 40 acres in back of the County Farm. In later years Uncle Louie (Brandt) was down there and stayed to work for him (Kemmer), as they were building their house and raised lots of asparagus, berries and vegetables for market."
A marriage record found on familysearch.org says that on September 13, 1905, in Onekama, "Margaret" Kline is 22 years old (1883) and marrying Milwaukee born, E D Evans who is 37 years old (1868). His parents, G D Evans and Sarah Jones are listed and Margaret's father's name, Wm Kline, is listed but it says her mother is unknown.
Perhaps this marriage was not approved of by Nettie's parents and likely was not attended by them even though it was in Onekama. Nettie might have chosen to be Margaret and chosen to be "over 21" so she would not need their blessing or permission. She would actually not turn 21 for almost another year.
Nettie and Evan Evans were only married a short time and no children resulted. Howard Brant had indicated that they divorced.
Research surprise: Evan D Evans was actually born January 15, 1959; NOT 1968 like he stated on his marriage license with "Margaret". That means he was 46 years old, not 37 and she was 20, not 22. He lied to be younger and she lied to be older.
Also, further research finds that Evan was a widower. His wife, Alice, had died in February, 1900 and he was left with five children!!! The eldest child, Gwladys (spelled correctly) is only 4 months younger than Nettie Margaret!! The children range from 19 to only 9 years old when Evan and "Margaret" marry. This youngest child, Beulah Sarah, was only 4 1/2 years old when Alice died.
The 1900 Census was collected three months after Alice Evans died and shows Evan living in Chicago with his children, 14, 12, 10, 6, and 4. Evan appears to be raising the children alone or only with the help of his elder children. So is he a cad for lying about his age or a just a good dad trying to get by in a difficult situation?
Perhaps Nettie discovered all of Evan's secrets and left him? Realistically, she must have known about all the kids all along and thought she could handle it. Or, perhaps they didn't want a young stepmother and made her life hell and she bailed out; or a combination of both.
The 1910 Census shows that Nettie was living with her parents. The census indicated that she had been married for four years, it was her first marriage, she had not had any births.
The June 5, 1917 draft registration of Louis J Kemmer indicates that he is married (to Nettie though he doesn't name her) but lists no children yet. So sometime between the 1910 census and June 5, 1917, Nettie's divorce from Evan Evans occurred and she married Louis Kemmer. When? I have no documents for either the divorce or the new marriage.
The 1920 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lewis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kimmel" and little Edward L is listed as 1-11/12 (23 months) Since the census was collected on the 9th of January that means that he was born in February of 1918, which makes his eventual headstone incorrect after he dies in 1967. (It says 1917.)
1930 Census: Louis is working as a helper at the power house. The family is living on their farm and Edward is 12.
1940 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lowis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kenner" and Edward is listed as working 50 hours per week as a farmer; most likely on their own farm. Louis is working as an oiler for the Morton Salt Company.
Louis Kemmer dies in 1941 at age 52.
Nettie Kemmer dies in 1946 at age 60.
Edward L Kemmer dies in 1967 at age 49.
All three Kemmers are buried together in Oak Grove Cemetery (see picture).
Nettie passed away at the age of 60 after having been widowed for five years. Edward continued to live with his mother until she also passed away in 1946 and then I suspect that he lost the farm or was helped to sell it. It appears that Edward never married. The next time I can find Edward is 1954 and he is listed in the City Directory as living at the rear of 798 E Parkdale Avenue. A widow (of Ival) named Esther Hutchinson lives at 798 E Parkdale Avenue, so Edward is renting from her.
Conjecture: Edward is not "regular". Something makes me think he is mentally or physically disabled, but I have no reason for that other than not seeing him listed in the City Directory or in the 1940 Census. Was he incarcerated or a mental inmate or was he living away from Manistee?
Nettie's life doesn't sound like it was fun.
Addendum: I spoke to my Uncle Don Boulanger and asked him what he remembered about his Aunt Nettie and the Kemmer's. He said I was correct, that he did not think his Aunt Nettie had a very easy or happy life either. He thinks that when she went off to work in Chicago that she must have thought life was going to be grand and exciting, but then through a series of events that changed everything, her life was not what she had hoped for.
He said that he could remember going out to the Kemmer farm and that they didn't even have electricity at the farm. He remembers some kind of fuel lamps that hissed while they were burning. He said they were very bright but always hissed and he was fascinated by that. Uncle Don said that Aunt Nettie always worked really hard and grew lots of asparagus, berries and other vegetables to be sold at market. That was referred to as "truck farming".
I asked about Edward Kemmer and he said my instincts about Edward were also correct. He said that Edward looked normal but he was not bright at all and needed the care of his parents so he did not ever get out on his own while they were alive and he never married.
Uncle Don remembered going out to the farm once during the winter with my mother, his sister Alice. Edward had a bobsled of sorts and they were sledding and when it was Edward's turn, he got on it and sledded right smack into a tree and got messed up pretty bad. He said that was just how Edward was; not really bright.
After his parents died, Uncle Don was not sure what arrangements had been made for Edward, but he thinks that the farm was sold and that Uncle Bill Kline tried to look after him and his finances, but Edward was an adult so it was not easy to make his choices for him. What happened when the money ran out, he did not know.
I mentioned that I had found the notation in the 1954 City Directory that Edward was living in the rear of a house owned by a widow and Uncle Don said that sounded right and that that was probably how Edward lived most of his years after his parents died.
I asked if he knew why Edward had died at only 49 and he said, "Well, he was just never right so that sounds like how it would have been."
Nettie Margaret Kline was the fifth of eleven children born to William Henry Kline, an immigrant farmer from Prussia, and Mary Melissa Showalter from Tuscawaras, Ohio.
The siblings were, in order, Ada Elvessa, Nancy Matilda, Esther Cristina, Andrew Oliver, Nettie Margaret, Ernest Henry, Abraham Lenox, William Willis, Almer Winfred, Alice Alma and Rachael Rebecca.
It is too bad that no one is left to help figure out some of the family stories like this one. Following what was available online and what was told in a writing by my cousin Howard Brandt is what led me to the following conclusions as to what actually happened with my great aunt, Nettie Kline, and her first husband, Evan D Evans. I had a heck of a time even figuring out who Evan Evans even was so that I could get started.
Howard Brandt wrote: (excerpted)
"Mother’s sister, Aunt Nettie, went to Chicago to work as a young girl. She met and married a man by the name of Evans. I was real small and can just remember him. He used to bring candy to us kids.
During that time Michigan Transportation Co., then another name, decided to build a huge ice house at their dock site and ship ice to Chicago. The biggest share of the men in Onekama were employed there. Uncle Louie Brandt and Dad worked on it. Evans was the contractor.
Aunt Nettie went back to work in Chicago after she and Evans divorced and she later married Louis Kemmer, who was a train director in the main train station tower. He was a high up in the Knights of Columbus and because he was marrying a protestant, he left the order and said his life wasn’t safe in Chicago, so they moved to Manistee.
They bought 40 acres in back of the County Farm. In later years Uncle Louie (Brandt) was down there and stayed to work for him (Kemmer), as they were building their house and raised lots of asparagus, berries and vegetables for market."
A marriage record found on familysearch.org says that on September 13, 1905, in Onekama, "Margaret" Kline is 22 years old (1883) and marrying Milwaukee born, E D Evans who is 37 years old (1868). His parents, G D Evans and Sarah Jones are listed and Margaret's father's name, Wm Kline, is listed but it says her mother is unknown.
Perhaps this marriage was not approved of by Nettie's parents and likely was not attended by them even though it was in Onekama. Nettie might have chosen to be Margaret and chosen to be "over 21" so she would not need their blessing or permission. She would actually not turn 21 for almost another year.
Nettie and Evan Evans were only married a short time and no children resulted. Howard Brant had indicated that they divorced.
Research surprise: Evan D Evans was actually born January 15, 1959; NOT 1968 like he stated on his marriage license with "Margaret". That means he was 46 years old, not 37 and she was 20, not 22. He lied to be younger and she lied to be older.
Also, further research finds that Evan was a widower. His wife, Alice, had died in February, 1900 and he was left with five children!!! The eldest child, Gwladys (spelled correctly) is only 4 months younger than Nettie Margaret!! The children range from 19 to only 9 years old when Evan and "Margaret" marry. This youngest child, Beulah Sarah, was only 4 1/2 years old when Alice died.
The 1900 Census was collected three months after Alice Evans died and shows Evan living in Chicago with his children, 14, 12, 10, 6, and 4. Evan appears to be raising the children alone or only with the help of his elder children. So is he a cad for lying about his age or a just a good dad trying to get by in a difficult situation?
Perhaps Nettie discovered all of Evan's secrets and left him? Realistically, she must have known about all the kids all along and thought she could handle it. Or, perhaps they didn't want a young stepmother and made her life hell and she bailed out; or a combination of both.
The 1910 Census shows that Nettie was living with her parents. The census indicated that she had been married for four years, it was her first marriage, she had not had any births.
The June 5, 1917 draft registration of Louis J Kemmer indicates that he is married (to Nettie though he doesn't name her) but lists no children yet. So sometime between the 1910 census and June 5, 1917, Nettie's divorce from Evan Evans occurred and she married Louis Kemmer. When? I have no documents for either the divorce or the new marriage.
The 1920 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lewis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kimmel" and little Edward L is listed as 1-11/12 (23 months) Since the census was collected on the 9th of January that means that he was born in February of 1918, which makes his eventual headstone incorrect after he dies in 1967. (It says 1917.)
1930 Census: Louis is working as a helper at the power house. The family is living on their farm and Edward is 12.
1940 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lowis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kenner" and Edward is listed as working 50 hours per week as a farmer; most likely on their own farm. Louis is working as an oiler for the Morton Salt Company.
Louis Kemmer dies in 1941 at age 52.
Nettie Kemmer dies in 1946 at age 60.
Edward L Kemmer dies in 1967 at age 49.
All three Kemmers are buried together in Oak Grove Cemetery (see picture).
Nettie passed away at the age of 60 after having been widowed for five years. Edward continued to live with his mother until she also passed away in 1946 and then I suspect that he lost the farm or was helped to sell it. It appears that Edward never married. The next time I can find Edward is 1954 and he is listed in the City Directory as living at the rear of 798 E Parkdale Avenue. A widow (of Ival) named Esther Hutchinson lives at 798 E Parkdale Avenue, so Edward is renting from her.
Conjecture: Edward is not "regular". Something makes me think he is mentally or physically disabled, but I have no reason for that other than not seeing him listed in the City Directory or in the 1940 Census. Was he incarcerated or a mental inmate or was he living away from Manistee?
Nettie's life doesn't sound like it was fun.
Addendum: I spoke to my Uncle Don Boulanger and asked him what he remembered about his Aunt Nettie and the Kemmer's. He said I was correct, that he did not think his Aunt Nettie had a very easy or happy life either. He thinks that when she went off to work in Chicago that she must have thought life was going to be grand and exciting, but then through a series of events that changed everything, her life was not what she had hoped for.
He said that he could remember going out to the Kemmer farm and that they didn't even have electricity at the farm. He remembers some kind of fuel lamps that hissed while they were burning. He said they were very bright but always hissed and he was fascinated by that. Uncle Don said that Aunt Nettie always worked really hard and grew lots of asparagus, berries and other vegetables to be sold at market. That was referred to as "truck farming".
I asked about Edward Kemmer and he said my instincts about Edward were also correct. He said that Edward looked normal but he was not bright at all and needed the care of his parents so he did not ever get out on his own while they were alive and he never married.
Uncle Don remembered going out to the farm once during the winter with my mother, his sister Alice. Edward had a bobsled of sorts and they were sledding and when it was Edward's turn, he got on it and sledded right smack into a tree and got messed up pretty bad. He said that was just how Edward was; not really bright.
After his parents died, Uncle Don was not sure what arrangements had been made for Edward, but he thinks that the farm was sold and that Uncle Bill Kline tried to look after him and his finances, but Edward was an adult so it was not easy to make his choices for him. What happened when the money ran out, he did not know.
I mentioned that I had found the notation in the 1954 City Directory that Edward was living in the rear of a house owned by a widow and Uncle Don said that sounded right and that that was probably how Edward lived most of his years after his parents died.
I asked if he knew why Edward had died at only 49 and he said, "Well, he was just never right so that sounds like how it would have been."
The siblings were, in order, Ada Elvessa, Nancy Matilda, Esther Cristina, Andrew Oliver, Nettie Margaret, Ernest Henry, Abraham Lenox, William Willis, Almer Winfred, Alice Alma and Rachael Rebecca.
It is too bad that no one is left to help figure out some of the family stories like this one. Following what was available online and what was told in a writing by my cousin Howard Brandt is what led me to the following conclusions as to what actually happened with my great aunt, Nettie Kline, and her first husband, Evan D Evans. I had a heck of a time even figuring out who Evan Evans even was so that I could get started.
Howard Brandt wrote: (excerpted)
"Mother’s sister, Aunt Nettie, went to Chicago to work as a young girl. She met and married a man by the name of Evans. I was real small and can just remember him. He used to bring candy to us kids.
During that time Michigan Transportation Co., then another name, decided to build a huge ice house at their dock site and ship ice to Chicago. The biggest share of the men in Onekama were employed there. Uncle Louie Brandt and Dad worked on it. Evans was the contractor.
Aunt Nettie went back to work in Chicago after she and Evans divorced and she later married Louis Kemmer, who was a train director in the main train station tower. He was a high up in the Knights of Columbus and because he was marrying a protestant, he left the order and said his life wasn’t safe in Chicago, so they moved to Manistee.
They bought 40 acres in back of the County Farm. In later years Uncle Louie (Brandt) was down there and stayed to work for him (Kemmer), as they were building their house and raised lots of asparagus, berries and vegetables for market."
A marriage record found on familysearch.org says that on September 13, 1905, in Onekama, "Margaret" Kline is 22 years old (1883) and marrying Milwaukee born, E D Evans who is 37 years old (1868). His parents, G D Evans and Sarah Jones are listed and Margaret's father's name, Wm Kline, is listed but it says her mother is unknown.
Perhaps this marriage was not approved of by Nettie's parents and likely was not attended by them even though it was in Onekama. Nettie might have chosen to be Margaret and chosen to be "over 21" so she would not need their blessing or permission. She would actually not turn 21 for almost another year.
Nettie and Evan Evans were only married a short time and no children resulted. Howard Brant had indicated that they divorced.
Research surprise: Evan D Evans was actually born January 15, 1959; NOT 1968 like he stated on his marriage license with "Margaret". That means he was 46 years old, not 37 and she was 20, not 22. He lied to be younger and she lied to be older.
Also, further research finds that Evan was a widower. His wife, Alice, had died in February, 1900 and he was left with five children!!! The eldest child, Gwladys (spelled correctly) is only 4 months younger than Nettie Margaret!! The children range from 19 to only 9 years old when Evan and "Margaret" marry. This youngest child, Beulah Sarah, was only 4 1/2 years old when Alice died.
The 1900 Census was collected three months after Alice Evans died and shows Evan living in Chicago with his children, 14, 12, 10, 6, and 4. Evan appears to be raising the children alone or only with the help of his elder children. So is he a cad for lying about his age or a just a good dad trying to get by in a difficult situation?
Perhaps Nettie discovered all of Evan's secrets and left him? Realistically, she must have known about all the kids all along and thought she could handle it. Or, perhaps they didn't want a young stepmother and made her life hell and she bailed out; or a combination of both.
The 1910 Census shows that Nettie was living with her parents. The census indicated that she had been married for four years, it was her first marriage, she had not had any births.
The June 5, 1917 draft registration of Louis J Kemmer indicates that he is married (to Nettie though he doesn't name her) but lists no children yet. So sometime between the 1910 census and June 5, 1917, Nettie's divorce from Evan Evans occurred and she married Louis Kemmer. When? I have no documents for either the divorce or the new marriage.
The 1920 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lewis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kimmel" and little Edward L is listed as 1-11/12 (23 months) Since the census was collected on the 9th of January that means that he was born in February of 1918, which makes his eventual headstone incorrect after he dies in 1967. (It says 1917.)
1930 Census: Louis is working as a helper at the power house. The family is living on their farm and Edward is 12.
1940 Census shows the Kemmer family ("Lowis", Nettie, & Edward) listed as "Kenner" and Edward is listed as working 50 hours per week as a farmer; most likely on their own farm. Louis is working as an oiler for the Morton Salt Company.
Louis Kemmer dies in 1941 at age 52.
Nettie Kemmer dies in 1946 at age 60.
Edward L Kemmer dies in 1967 at age 49.
All three Kemmers are buried together in Oak Grove Cemetery (see picture).
Nettie passed away at the age of 60 after having been widowed for five years. Edward continued to live with his mother until she also passed away in 1946 and then I suspect that he lost the farm or was helped to sell it. It appears that Edward never married. The next time I can find Edward is 1954 and he is listed in the City Directory as living at the rear of 798 E Parkdale Avenue. A widow (of Ival) named Esther Hutchinson lives at 798 E Parkdale Avenue, so Edward is renting from her.
Conjecture: Edward is not "regular". Something makes me think he is mentally or physically disabled, but I have no reason for that other than not seeing him listed in the City Directory or in the 1940 Census. Was he incarcerated or a mental inmate or was he living away from Manistee?
Nettie's life doesn't sound like it was fun.
Addendum: I spoke to my Uncle Don Boulanger and asked him what he remembered about his Aunt Nettie and the Kemmer's. He said I was correct, that he did not think his Aunt Nettie had a very easy or happy life either. He thinks that when she went off to work in Chicago that she must have thought life was going to be grand and exciting, but then through a series of events that changed everything, her life was not what she had hoped for.
He said that he could remember going out to the Kemmer farm and that they didn't even have electricity at the farm. He remembers some kind of fuel lamps that hissed while they were burning. He said they were very bright but always hissed and he was fascinated by that. Uncle Don said that Aunt Nettie always worked really hard and grew lots of asparagus, berries and other vegetables to be sold at market. That was referred to as "truck farming".
I asked about Edward Kemmer and he said my instincts about Edward were also correct. He said that Edward looked normal but he was not bright at all and needed the care of his parents so he did not ever get out on his own while they were alive and he never married.
Uncle Don remembered going out to the farm once during the winter with my mother, his sister Alice. Edward had a bobsled of sorts and they were sledding and when it was Edward's turn, he got on it and sledded right smack into a tree and got messed up pretty bad. He said that was just how Edward was; not really bright.
After his parents died, Uncle Don was not sure what arrangements had been made for Edward, but he thinks that the farm was sold and that Uncle Bill Kline tried to look after him and his finances, but Edward was an adult so it was not easy to make his choices for him. What happened when the money ran out, he did not know.
I mentioned that I had found the notation in the 1954 City Directory that Edward was living in the rear of a house owned by a widow and Uncle Don said that sounded right and that that was probably how Edward lived most of his years after his parents died.
I asked if he knew why Edward had died at only 49 and he said, "Well, he was just never right so that sounds like how it would have been."
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