  Metaldoctor Member Username: Metaldoctor Post Number: 107 Registered: 01-2007 |
I just curious as to the personal historical make up of this beautiful multi cultural city. I believe we are more simular than dissimular in the long run. U1132, Germany  and Coal miner, West Virginia  | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 953 Registered: 10-2006 |
mother's father: from Minnesota/Wisconsin and was vice president of Firestone. http://www.bridgestone-firesto ne.com/ father's father: from Akron, OH and started the SPIROL shim Co. http://www.spirol.com/company/ products/prod_d.php?ID=60 | ||
Ookpik Member Username: Ookpik Post Number: 208 Registered: 01-2007 |
 Paternal Grandfather - Born in Berlin, Germany. Twin Pines milkman in Detroit, Michigan then a junk dealer in Tampa, Florida. Maternal Grandfather - Born in a house on Trowbridge in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit Public Schools janitor then a local area junk dealer. Ookpik | ||
Jman Member Username: Jman Post Number: 52 Registered: 10-2006 |
Maternal Grandfather died in 1910. He was a farmer In Edinburgh Il. Paternal Grandfather was an engineer for the Wabash R.R. No, his name was not Casey. Died in 1945 in a train accident when a switchman threw the wrong switch. He lived in Springfield and Decatur Il. | ||
Durango Member Username: Durango Post Number: 20 Registered: 10-2006 |
My maternal grandfather worked at Ford Rouge in Dearborn. He worked in the steel mill, if I remember correctly. He is not in the picture shown below. Photo courtesy of the Wayne State Archives.  | ||
Leoqueen Member Username: Leoqueen Post Number: 1563 Registered: 07-2004 |
Paternal Grandfather---born in Montgomery Alabama in 1878, a biracial child. He emigrated to Detroit in 1920 to work as a laborer in the Packard Plant. Died in an industrial accident in that same plant in 1935. Left a wife and seven children; the three youngest became lawyers and dentists. Maternal Grandfather---born in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana in 1888. Married, and lived with family in Beaumont, Texas then moved to Detroit in 1921. Was a laborer, according to the census. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 2114 Registered: 12-2005 |
Metaldoctor, that was a great thread starter. Congratulations. Paternal Canadian grandfather was a young tattoo artist who became a printer. Maternal German grandfather was a Burroughs adding machine technician who became a Nebraska farmer. | ||
Krawlspace Member Username: Krawlspace Post Number: 313 Registered: 04-2004 |
My paternal Grandfather, with his brother and mother arrived at the Port of New York on July 25, 1923. The brothers were born near Stuttgart, Germany, and they crossed the Atlantic aboard the steamer Thuringia. My Grandfather was 15 at the time. They arrived at Michigan Central Depot the next day, and moved into a two family flat on Springle on the Eastside. He started as an apprentice baker, but went on to be a tool & die man at a small automotive supplier. His brother became a book binder at Gregory, Meyer, and Thom at Cadillac Square, and retired from there in 1967. My maternal Grandfather was born in Detroit to German immigrants as well. He was a boilerman at U.S. Rubber (Uniroyal) and eventually became Chief Engineer at Jennings Hospital.  Paternal Grandfather ca. 1927  Paternal Grandfather and Great Uncle in Toronto 1946 | ||
Qweek Member Username: Qweek Post Number: 247 Registered: 07-2006 |
Maternal Grandfather was a coal miner, with thirteen children, my Mom and my Uncle (twins) were the youngest. They lived on Casper in Detroit. Paternal Grandfather was a bootlegger tough guy in Detroit, Dad didn't elaborate much on the subject. | ||
Wfw Member Username: Wfw Post Number: 221 Registered: 03-2004 |
Maternal grandfather: Born in Detroit in 1912, moved to Windsor as a child. Was a Canadian Navy Captain in WWII, worked multiple jobs afterwards - prospector in northern Ontario, insurance salesman, high school custodian. Died in Windsor in 1991. Paternal grandfather: Born in Detroit in 1915. Worked for the US postal service in Detroit all his life, served with the US Army in Europe during WWII. Lived in Detroit until 2002, then at the Veterans Home in Grand Rapids. Died there in 2005. | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 117 Registered: 12-2005 |
Maternal Grandfather was a plumber in Pittsburgh by the time he had kids. He grew up in Connecticut. Being the Master Plumber at Univ of Pitt saved his job through the depression. They had to keep department heads working even when things got tough. I knew both from this side. G'ma and G'pa from this side both passed after my High School years. I was lucky and blessed to know them as I grew up. Good times. Fraternal Grandfather was a farmer in a small town in North Carolina, Morven, near the South Carolina border and the Pee Dee River. We met before he passed on but I was too young to remember. His wife died when my Dad was only about 10. Dad was in Pittsburgh during WWII and found Mom. He was moved to Detroit for work around 1950. I was born here. (Message edited by ptero on May 05, 2007) | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 870 Registered: 01-2006 |
Pa's Dad: Worked for the trains, up yonder in Mackinaw City. Killed in an accident on the tracks. Descendant of Albertans (Canada.) Ma's Dad: Worked for General Motors, back in their early days. Irishman from Pennsylvania. Died from a stroke. I never had a chance to know either one of these men, as they died at fairly young ages. As it turned out, I look very much like my mother's grandfather. My geneology suggests the truth about me: The fact that I am a pacifist doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 2083 Registered: 06-2004 |
Maternal grandfather: Born in 1904 near Cambridge, Ohio, from Scots-Irish stock. Worked as a general farm laborer, bakery salesman, iron furnace laborer, attended Chicago Technical Institute, came to Detroit during the Depression and ended up an over-the-road Teamster driver. More than anything he was a frustrated musician. Paternal grandfather: Born in 1889, in Copper Country and, like his dad, was a blacksmith for Calumet & Hecla. Wandered down Wisconsin to Chicago, where he enlisted for WWI (cavalry). After the war he got into Ford's, first Highland Park, then the Rouge frame shop. He died shortly after retiring, a year before I was born. Both his and his wife's families arrived from Cornwall a few generations earlier. (Message edited by lilpup on May 04, 2007) | ||
Club_boss Member Username: Club_boss Post Number: 79 Registered: 12-2006 |
"U1132, Germany" The pic of the German sailor, is that your father? U1132, as in U-Boat U1132 | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 3459 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maternal Grandfather: Born 1902, Auburn, Ontario, a small town of mainly German-speaking immigrants. Despite the fact that his father was born there, the family continued to speak German...Came to Detroit in 1920's, first residing in a boarding house at 62 Alfred Street. Worked as a cabdriver, undertaker's assistant, eventually a Pipefitter, after surviving the depression by keeping bees and selling honey door to door. Disliked the city, moved to then rural Garden City in the 1930's, then Redford Twp in early 40's. Paternal Grandfather: Born 1888, Ferrysburg, Mi, briefly attended Michigan Agricultural College until the death of his mother, came to Detroit in the teens, worked as Salesman for Medical Suppliers of Cotton to Hospitals and Dentists. Settled and lived in Northwest Detroit. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 817 Registered: 12-2005 |
Maternal grandfather: born 1893 in Sanilac County, MI; his family moved to the near west side of Detroit as a youth; he was a tool and die maker and died of TB in 1928. Paternal grandfather: life-long resident of Macomb County (1895-1977); decorated WW I veteran who fought the Bolsheviks in North Russia as a member of "Detroit's Own" 339th Infantry Regiment of the US Army (aka "Polar Bears"); municipal worker and later a church custodian. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 452 Registered: 11-2006 |
Paternal Grandfather: VP of Public Relations, General Motors. Maternal grandfather: Owned a meat packing business | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 950 Registered: 02-2006 |
Maternal: 1st Lieutenant, US Army, European Theater, WWII, Purple Heart. Kelsey-Hayes, Chrysler, Ford, some others I can't remember anymore. Raised 12th and Davison, West Side, moved to Dearborn after the war, retired to Florida in the 1990s. Paternal: Can't remember the rank, US Navy, Pacific Theater, WWII. Weirton Steel, Weirton WV (Pittsburgh). Died in the house that 3 generations of his family had lived in. Pancreatic cancer. | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 563 Registered: 07-2005 |
Maternal: Born in Liverpool, England 1900, Mechanical & Structural Engineering, graduated from the University of Cambridge 1922. Worked for AKA (Albert Kahn Associates) 1924 - 1949, Fisher Body 1949 - 1954. Owned and operated three Tool & Die Shops in Detroit and Livonia from 1954 - 1977. Invested heavily in Real Estate in Oakland County in the 1940's, developed holdings in the late 1950's through 1969. He also owned a hamburger joint that my grandmother and her sister ran on the corner of Marlowe and Plymouth Road in the 1950's. He owned a bar somewhere in Detroit in a Finnish neighborhood in the 40's and early 50's called "The Finn Bar" but I have no idea where it was located. Died in 1989. Paternal - Born in Glasgow, Scotland 1894, Steam Turbine Operator Ford River Rouge Complex 1920 - 1955. Died on the job in 1955. (Message edited by quozl on May 05, 2007) | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 322 Registered: 12-2006 |
What a great thread! Metaldoctor, I congratulate you for the wonderful idea. My paternal grandfather had many jobs, the longest was that he was a factory worker at a company that made cardboard milk cartons and similar containers in Oswego, New York from the 1940s through the mid 1970s. He lived to a ripe old age, dying at almost 94 years old, not too many years ago. Built his own house during the depression. Lots of wonderful stories about him and his. My mother's father came from sturdy Quebec stock; he was born either in Quebec or in Vermont just south of the border in 1920 or 1921. He drove a taxi in Cohoes, New York (the eastern end of the original Erie Canal) before buying my great-grandmother's grocerette, which he and my grandmother operated until they closed the store in order to retire in 1987. Sadly, he did not live to a ripe old age; a stroke took him in 1990 at barely 70 (if that). I came to Detroit on a scholarship from (as it was then) U of D; I have no family in Michigan that I know of, except the one I've started. | ||
Urbanoutdoors Member Username: Urbanoutdoors Post Number: 283 Registered: 11-2005 |
My Paternal grandfather was born in 1910 in Streator, Illinios(parrents from Lebanon). Went to Notre Dame in the late 20s and early 30s where he was driven to school by Knute Rockne in exchange for helping the four horsemen. Then brought his family to Detroit and studied Law at Detroit college of law. After passing the bar in the mid thirties he found it was more profitable to open up two grocery/ liquor stores on the west side one on 14th, one on linwood. He closed his doors finally in the 1970s but peddled fruit and vegetables to Indian river and petoskey till he died in 1994. My maternal grandfather died before I was born but was canadian born and came here and worked for the water and sewage departments from the 40s thru the 60s. | ||
Kville Member Username: Kville Post Number: 23 Registered: 04-2007 |
Dad's father, like many others in this forum, came from Germany (Steinpleis). Came to USA by himself at age 16, arriving July 3, 1906. Lived in McKeesport, PA with his sister a while. He took any job available. If someone asked, "Can you do so & so," he'd say "yes" and figured out how to do it. Worked on railroad and ended up in Detroit where he worked in various breweries most of his life. Retired in 1956 from Pfeifer Brewery. Built his own house out in the sticks at 7 & Gratiot in 1920's. Worked on it daily after work. Married my grandmother in 1914 and her parents built a Sears catalog house right next door on Coram. My grandfather died at age 103 in 1994. In later years when we took him out for a ride in car, he'd look at all the houses out in suburbs and ask, "Where are all the people?" He couldn't understand how people would have some of these big houses and there were no people outside or sitting on porch or visiting with each other in the neighborhood. Everyone was in their car going somewhere. | ||
Audioswhite Member Username: Audioswhite Post Number: 10 Registered: 02-2006 |
My maternal Grandfather came over from Northern Italy in 1916 I believe. He settled on the eastside where he eventually raised his family. My aunt, who made her home with my grandfather and grandmother (Nono and Nona) lives in that house still. (Seyburn south of Lafayette). He, among other things, owned and ran a candy store, and worked for Burroughs. My Paternal Grandfather was an orphan. He was raised on a farm in upstate New York, (basically a farm hand in exchange for room and board). It is our understanding that his mother was from England, but he have not been able to track that down. He left the farm at 18 and joined the military. He was an ambulance driver in WWI. Settled on the eastside. He was in real-estate and built a great home on Riverside Drive on the lower eastside. He lost the house in the depression. He and his family eventually rented a place on Shipherd’s Court, the kids went to St Charles, where my mom went, mom and dad met at St Charles and created 2 more generations of eastsiders. | ||
Wally2times Member Username: Wally2times Post Number: 33 Registered: 03-2007 |
Grandfather born in Yugoslavia, worked as a farmer all his life. Father was a Partisan at age 13 and fought against the nazis during the occupation . Grandmother: Unknown Mother from Germany and Hungary, entire family was executed in concentration camps when she was a toddler. She was adopted by a German woman. Parents emigrated to Detroit in 67 , mother was always a stay at home mom and dad started woking in the slaughter houses that used to be on the east side. Dad opened up business in 70 and never turned back, owned coffee shops and furniture stores. | ||
Jjw Member Username: Jjw Post Number: 303 Registered: 10-2005 |
maternal grandpa and grandma--Quebecois farmers and small-town general store owners. (15 children: Catholic) paternal grandpa--engineer on the rr and grandma was a housewife. (7 children: Catholic) Monty Python: "Every sperm is sacred, every sperm is pure" | ||
Peter Member Username: Peter Post Number: 67 Registered: 02-2007 |
Dad's side- Tobacco farmer in Southern Lebanon, did not live long enough to see his family immigrate. Mom's side- Immigrated to Detroit in the 1960's, opened a surveying equipment store in Ferndale. | ||
Sticks Member Username: Sticks Post Number: 288 Registered: 08-2005 |
It's a shame to see how many of them died on the job, working on the rails or in a plant. | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1065 Registered: 11-2003 |
My paternal grandfather was in the Purple Gang and was a mechanic, then he later worked at Federal-Mogul. My maternal grandfather was a chemical engineer at Uniroyal. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1335 Registered: 03-2006 |
dad's dad- architecht for DPS, Dad told me stories of watching the parade in the Maccabees bldg mom's dad- died before I was born but I think he was a pipefitter on the east side | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 1503 Registered: 11-2005 |
Maternal grandfather born in Poland in 1909 came to US with his parents as a young child. Became a pharmacist. First member of his family to go to college. Died in 1981. Paternal grandfather born in 1900, came from Ohio. Worked in a salt mine in Wyandotte. Died in 1935 from a gunshot wound. My Dad wasn't born yet so he never go to know him. | ||
Xd_brklyn Member Username: Xd_brklyn Post Number: 224 Registered: 10-2003 |
From the early 1920s, my paternal grandfather was an electrical engineer, the high-end tech of the day, so he was always in demand during the depression. He was also a WWI vet. My grandparent's house was built near 8-Mile and Concord, when that area was sparsely developed. He ended up working for Detroit Edison until retirement. He died in '69, so I do have some clear memories of him, his brothers, and of that generation. My maternal grandfather immigrated to Detroit from Mexico in 1909. He died when I was just two years old. My grandparents owned homes along the Lower East Side of Detroit. Will have to find out more about him. | ||
Gargoyle Member Username: Gargoyle Post Number: 75 Registered: 04-2006 |
This is a great subject! So many different stories. Maternal grandfather was born into farming in southern Indiana to second generation British immigrants. We believe it was 1894, but he lied about his age so many times to get employment (we found 3 social security cards when he died) that we can't be sure. Worked as a tobacco salesman and then in a canning factory before following his daughters to Detroit in the 1930's. Worked many years for Wyandotte Chemical and then boarded horses in his retirement. Paternal grandfather was born in Lee County, Georgia in 1870. His paternal ancestors had arrived in Virginia from Wales in the 1760's. He was the postmaster, and married the local spinster schoolteacher in the 1890's. They produced 8 children, but only 4 survived childhood. My father was the oldest son, born in 1907. My grandfather died in Leesburg, GA in the forties. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2249 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maternal grandfather: Born 1891 Detroit to first generation American parents (mother German, father Irish Canadian), grew up on Hastings St. between Monroe and Lafayette. Graduated Eastern High School. Spent time in the Navy. Worked for Hygeia Filter Company as secretary/treasurer. Died 1977. Paternal Grandfather. Born 1910 St. Louis. Family came to Detroit around 1912 when his father came to work a blue-collar job for Packard. Family lived at 1525 Church St. right near Trumbull and Michigan Ave. (Imagine living that close to Navin Field!) Divorced my grandmother c.1938. Enlisted in the Army during WWII and spent time in the South Pacific. Worked as a security guard at Beaumont Hospital for many years until retiring to Tucson, Arizona. Died 1984. | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 183 Registered: 04-2006 |
This thread reminded me that I had an old book of my paternal grandfather's in which he'd written his address as a kid (I knew it was on the west side, somewhere near Grand River and Schoolcraft). After about five minutes of randomly grabbing old-looking children's books off my shelves, I got lucky: Bowser the Hound and 12083 Pinehurst. I went by there today, and the house seemed in pretty good shape, although I'm not sure if the exterior walls were quite that vivid shade of electric blue when he lived there. The neighborhood around it looked pretty rough--overgrown empty lots and old tires everywhere--but I was surprised at how many people were out on their porches or standing around chatting or riding bikes. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 615 Registered: 01-2005 |
Paternal grandfather was born in Ireland and immigrated to Indiana. He owned a soda fountain and during the depression built about 22 Sears homes (The "kit homes" that were shipped in a boxcar.) He rented most of them until the renters could afford to buy them. My maternal grandfather was of Scottish descent (but born in IN) and was a farmer. | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 28 Registered: 11-2006 |
Paternal Grandfather emigrated from Poland as a child and worked at Dodge Main (doing exactly what I'm not sure). Lived in several rented houses all over the lower east side while my Dad was a kid and ended up buying a house on Klein St. not far from the plant. Maternal Grandfather worked for the city of Pleasant Ridge. Again not sure what he did. Something with DPW, but not a garbageman. Lived on Woodward Hgts. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1408 Registered: 01-2005 |
Paternal grandfather was born in Pennsylvania in 1874, moved to Kansas in 1877. After his family was well under way, he moved to Chicago in 1914 and then to Detroit around 1925 (all for job opportunities, he was a photographer). He died in 1951. Maternal grandfather born in Germany in 1895, emigrated to the US through Ellis Island in 1923, and located in Detroit as he had cousins there. He was an interior decorator. I mentioned in another thread that his last 15 years of working was at the Lee Plaza Hotel. He would turn over in his grave if he could see it today. He died in 1979. Two good people. I was fortunate to have them as grandfathers. | ||
Douglasm Member Username: Douglasm Post Number: 827 Registered: 10-2003 |
Dad's dad: From Lebanon, PA originally, worked for Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, PA then for Gulf Oil, where he was a senior vice president until he had a major stroke at age 55. Youngest in the family to speak fluent Pennsylvania Dutch. Mom's dad: Born in Sudbury, PA, was a boiler salesman. Lived in Highland Park in the '40's until he and Grandma retired to Hollywood, Fla in the very early '50's, dying of a heart attack in 1954. Grandpa Miller took me on my first train ride from Detroit to Buffalo when I was 4. Both died when I was very young. Definately wish I had known them better. | ||
Birdwoman Member Username: Birdwoman Post Number: 10 Registered: 06-2006 |
Maternal grandfather: From Petrolia, Ontario, owned Slann's Signs, did the gold leaf signs on glass office doors in many of the old buildings downtown in the 1920s-1940s. Paternal grandfather: Native Detroiter, vaudeville actor and dance instructor:  | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1410 Registered: 01-2005 |
That's neat, Birdwoman. From the 1920's, I'd guess???? | ||
Oladub Member Username: Oladub Post Number: 36 Registered: 08-2006 |
Paternal - Journeyman millwright from Norway. Foreman of crews building rail lines and roads through far northern Ontario. Maternal - From Belgium. Built and lived in houses on Beniteau, Three Mile Drive, and Kerby in GP Farms. Otherwise did carpentry, bricklaying, and cement work. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 4374 Registered: 10-2003 |
Paternal grandfather was born in Illinois and moved to Detroit when he was a child. His parents were Italian immigrants who spoke little English. He went to the Henry Ford trade school and worked for over 40 years on the line at Chrysler he grew up on Newport and raised his family on Rossini. He was born in 1913 and died in 1986. I have heard a lo9t lof stories but I think he may have worked with mobsters. I guess it is a hush-hush kind of thing in my family. My maternal grandfather was born in Kentucky to Lebanese immigrants. He grew up on Heidelberg and attended Eastern HS and Wayne State. All of his siblings went on to be very successful even though their parents spoke no English and came to this country with nothing. His brother be came a respected lawyer and colonel in the Air Force and several sisters went to U of M and became professors. One sister made it to the front row of the White House press room. He served in WWII at the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded the Purple Heart after being shot. Later, I was told that he was a machine gunner and had to do “horrific” things. Knowing now that being a machine gunner in the Battle of the Bulge meant he had to do unspeakable things. Prior to the war he had visited Europe for a month and biked through France and made his way to Beirut when it was know at the “Paris of the Middle East.” He went on to real estate and raised his family on Collingham. He died in 1996. (Message edited by patrick on May 06, 2007) | ||
Ct4438 Member Username: Ct4438 Post Number: 40 Registered: 08-2005 |
Maternal Grandfather: Born in Detroit in 1906, lived in Detroit and Hamtramck. Worked for Studebaker and eventually Ford as a die setter. Too bad that his childhood residence was razed for the current GM D-Ham plant. Paternal Grandfather arrived in Detroit in the mid-40s during his 12th grade year from Louisiana with his family. Always claimed he graduated on job applications, but never actually did due to their cross-country move. Worked various jobs until getting in with Detroit Edison as a pipe-fitter/welder in the 1950s. | ||
Eastside_charlie Member Username: Eastside_charlie Post Number: 50 Registered: 02-2007 |
He was from the U.S. and helped build this city. Where is your father from, really. | ||
Bobj Member Username: Bobj Post Number: 2071 Registered: 11-2003 |
My paternal Grandparents came to Detroit from Lithuania in 1920 with my Dad and 3 other kids. He ended up being a streetcar conducter for many years. He ended up getting murdered and robbed in Hamtown by the drunk down the street. Guess it was a big deal at the time, I wasn't born yet, but I have the newspaper articles about it. | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 22 Registered: 03-2007 |
Paternal grandfather was born in Poland and moved to Cleveland, Ohio before WWI. I don't know his line of work. He never lived in Michigan at all. Maternal grandfather was born in Ionia, Michigan in 1888 and moved to Detroit about 1910. He first worked as an electrician. His first job was at Hudson's making custom lamps. Then he worked as an electrician at Ford when the Rouge plant was being built. Then in the 1920's he worked for Dolby-Hayes, a housing developer, wiring houses in a subdivision near Kelly/Hayes. During the depression and later he worked as a butcher at many meat markets in Detroit. He died in 1962. | ||
Oladub Member Username: Oladub Post Number: 37 Registered: 08-2006 |
Through Lmr, here is a tally of places of origin. 10 Detroit. Of which 7 were maternal. 7 each Germany, Canada. 5 of the Canadians were maternal. 6 non-Detroit Michiganders 3 each Poland, IL, OH, PA 2 each IN, WV, NY 1 each Scotland, England, Norway, Mexico, Lithuania, Italy, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Lebanon, Ireland, AL, CT, GA, KY, LA, MN, NC | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1411 Registered: 01-2005 |
Interesting synopsis, Oladub. Thanks. | ||
99gprix Member Username: 99gprix Post Number: 22 Registered: 01-2007 |
My dad's father was a Detroit police officer from 1945-1972ish. His brother (my great uncle) was accidentally shot by the Purple Gang. Wrong place at the wrong time. I suppose that may be why he decided to become a Detroit Cop. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 4949 Registered: 10-2003 |
Paternal Grandfather: I really don't know, he died when my dad was 12. I'll have to ask some of my uncles about him. I do know he owned 99 acres of land not far from Windsor airport, which my grandmother sold off too cheaply. Maternal Grandfather: According to family tradition, he jumped ship in Montreal from the Austrian-Hungarian empire where he was a soldier, from there he made his way to Alberta where he worked on the railroad. Somehow he ended up in Windsor married to my grandmother who died when my mother was 7. He was a cabinet maker or carpenter (I have some of his hand-made tools) and married a woman whose children moved to Dayton, OH and started a group of BBQ restaurants, of which he was of the only two that knew the recipe for the dry-rub. Suddenly I realize how berefit of knowledge of my own family, my paternal grandfather died long before my birth and my maternal grandfather refused to speak of his past. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 4382 Registered: 10-2003 |
I wish I could have set down a tape recorder and had a long discussion with him. Once he died, all his experiences and stories died with him. My grandma said that he would have wanted me to experience these things on my own without anyone telling me. Don't take old folks for granted lol. | ||
Jams Member Username: Jams Post Number: 4950 Registered: 10-2003 |
I at least had the opportunity to photograph my maternal grandfather as a portrait photographer. I take great pride that photograph hangs prominently in my mom's, as well, in all of his children's homes. A very small thing in the course of my career, yet surpasses all of the ribbons and awards I've achieved to know how much my family appreciates that simple photograph. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 176 Registered: 04-2006 |
I never met my paternal grandfather, as he died before I was born in '69. He came over from Damascus, Syria, sometime in the early 1900s. His brother, my great-uncle Mike, ran several small grocery stores on Detroit's east side until the early 1970s. Much of that time he spent at the local horse tracks (Hazel Park and DRC) and studying the Daily Racing Form, to try to make an extra buck. He died in 1993 at age 94. My maternal grandfather came to Detroit from Canada (I forget what province), via Wales. He was born in 1911 and never owned a car. He took the bus to work at Uniroyal every day from the far east side of the city. As most of you know, the tire company once sat at the foot of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle. He spent much of that time getting drunk in the local watering holes. He died in 1990 at age 79. As for me, I'm the world's only Syrian Welshman. | ||
Gibran Member Username: Gibran Post Number: 316 Registered: 02-2007 |
Never met my paternal grandfather who came from Lebanon via south America and points all over...he ran grocery store near Olympia Stadium and owned a few apartment houses...(where I don't know)he died in the 1940's... My maternal Grandfather's folks came over from Poland/Germany late in the 1800's and settled in Cedar Michigan....farmer, woodworker and grandpa. Lebanese and Polish ... with a few stories of travel mixed in.... | ||
Peter Member Username: Peter Post Number: 75 Registered: 02-2007 |
Gibran- I am Lebanese and Latvian... unusual combinations I suppose. Are you an active Maronite Catholic? Are you active in either Lebanese or Polish communities here? | ||
Redvetred Member Username: Redvetred Post Number: 12 Registered: 04-2007 |
This is a very interesting thread! Maternal grandfather was born in 1899 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to German immigrants. He was an orphan and moved to Detroit when he turned 18. Was a tool & diemaker for Fisher Body until his retirement in 1966. Passed away in 1992. Paternal grandfather was born, in 1886, in Michigan's U.P. to a Scandinavian family who operated a boarding house for lumberjacks. He moved to Detroit and operated an automotive repair shop somewhere near Virginia Park and 12th Street. Relocated to suburbs before WWII. Passed away in 1961. | ||
Peanut757 Member Username: Peanut757 Post Number: 268 Registered: 10-2004 |
My maternal grandfather (Shirley Turner 1930 - 2005) was born in Southampton County, VA on Mr. Richard White's farm to James Arthur Turner & Verna Lee Chambliss Turner. On May 16, 1953, He married Natherland Louise Faltz. He was an avid farmer who loved the outdoors. He worked for H.P. Beals Meat Packing Plant(Courtland, VA) in the 1950s, Smithfield Gwaltney Meat Packing Plant (1964 - 1967) and R.M. Felts Meat Packing Plant (1967 - 1995) He did odds and end jobs in addition to his regular job to take care of a wife and 13 children. My Paternal Grandfather, Willie J. Cannon (1932 - ), was born in Snow Hill, NC to Clinton & Leatha Streater Cannon. He began his career driving tractor trailers in 1954 and he still does it today...(we thinks he needs to retire but....he's not quite ready) On May 20, 1960 he married Bernice Griffin. He's the outdoorsey type too. He's good at fixing things and he, as my maternal grandfather, is a provider. (Message edited by peanut757 on May 07, 2007) | ||
Peanut757 Member Username: Peanut757 Post Number: 269 Registered: 10-2004 |
Maternal Grandfather Shirley Turner Oct. 24, 1930 Dec. 4, 2005  | ||
Ptpelee Member Username: Ptpelee Post Number: 12 Registered: 09-2005 |
My maternal Grandfather was born in Glengarry County, Ontario in 1897. He worked as head of Construction and Maintenance at the Ford Rouge plant from 1922-1962. My paternal Grandfather was born in Big Pond, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1904. He worked as plant electrician for Detroit Steel Products 1934-1969. | ||
Ltdave Member Username: Ltdave Post Number: 53 Registered: 09-2006 |
Maternal Grandfather born in Gleason Tennessee. Bootlegged 'shine running from HIS dad the Sheriff. moved to Bad Axe in 1930 when he started working for Detroit Edison. moved to Port Huron in 1952 to work at the Marysville plant. retired in 1968, died 1988, heart disease. he did several years as a supervisor for the WPA. Paternal Grandfather born in Woodstock Ontario Canada. moved to Port Huron when he was 14 and worked for Grand Trunk Western Rail Road in the Block I shops where the Blue Water Bridges are now. retired in the 60s died 1984, stomach aneurysm. david | ||
Irvine_laird Member Username: Irvine_laird Post Number: 42 Registered: 02-2007 |
My dad's side of the family comes from Memphis, Tennessee, and my mom's side come from Nashville. To this day, I am the only member of my family--immediate or extended--who does not live within two hours of Nashville or in Atlanta, Georgia. I recently discovered, however, that my maternal grandmother was born and lived much of her childhood and adolescence in Detroit. When the family farm in Tennessee failed in the 1920s, my great grandfather came to Detroit to work at Ford's and at Kroger's. I don't know what Granddaddy did at Ford's, but Grandmama tells me he was a baker at Kroger's. The family lived on Brandon Street in southwest Detroit. Grandmama tells me that every family on her block was from the same county in Tennessee. She also recalls catching a train to Nashville from Michigan Central Station when she was a teenager. Eventually, the family got back on its feet and returned to the South. | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 81 Registered: 01-2007 |
My paternal grandfather was born in Brooklyn, NY and dropped out of school to join the 7th Regiment. He then became a spotter in WWI (flew above battlefields and helped to direct ground artillary fire.) Apparently he was good at it because the Army sent him to Selfridge to train spotters. There, he somehow met my grandmother who was born in Detroit. My maternal grandparents were from Milwaukee. Grandpa Kleist was hired by General Motors as an accountant in 1917, then transferred to Charlotte, NC. They eventually were transferred to Detroit in the mid-20's. James | ||
Homer Member Username: Homer Post Number: 170 Registered: 08-2004 |
Maternal GF escaped the draft in Austria in late 1800's and ended up in Wisconsin then Tiffin Ohio where he was some sort of plant supervisor. He passed in the early 50's and was laid out in the front room of their home. I attended the funeral as a young boy and had to sleep in the bedroom above the casket. Was never so scared in my life. Still dream about it. Paternal GF whose ancestors came from England in the 1700's grew up in Akron Ohio. He ran a patent medicine company, made from roots and herbs. Expanded to Detroit in 1900 and owned several homes over time, in Hubbard Farms, and LaSalle Blvd. He kept the drug business going and opened several furniture stores one near Tiger Stadium and another near The Olympia. He died in the bedroom I sleep in now. Oh no more dreams. | ||
El_jimbo Member Username: El_jimbo Post Number: 149 Registered: 12-2006 |
My maternal GF was born during the Depression in South Dakota. During the Dust Bowl days, his whole family picked up stakes and moved first to Jonesville, Michigan where they worked a farm and then finally to Wyandotte. He grew up, was the 1949 and 1950 men's 100 yard high and 300 yard low champion. He turned down a track scholarship from Eastern to marry my grandmother and then worked 35 years rolling steel at the Rouge Plant. Both he and my grandmother are still alive and reside part of the year in Taylor and the other part just outside of Tampa, Florida. My paternal GF was born in the early 20s to recent Jewish immigrants from Poland. In fact, he was the first member of his family to be born in the United States. His two older siblings were born in Poland. He grew up along 12th street in one of the Jewish neighborhoods (Perhaps Jjabba might know him or my dad?). They later When he grew, he joined the Teamsters and drove a local delivery truck until his back became too bad. At that time he became a foreman at a warehouse. They lived on 12th street for quite a while but eventually bought a house on Northlawn. He died of heart disease in 1970. I never met him because I wasn't born until 1981. | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 721 Registered: 11-2005 |
My dad's dad was a deadbeat, so I have no idea what he did other than be a fighter pilot in Dubya-Dubya 2. My mom's dad was the plant manager for the Rouge glass plant for Ford (aka Fords). | ||
Zimm Member Username: Zimm Post Number: 9 Registered: 10-2006 |
My paternal grandfather was the American born son of German immigrants. He spent his entire career at GM as a design engineer, specializing in interiors. His claims to fame were working on the Corvette and (according to family legend)designing a change to window weatherstripping that saved GM $1 per car. He also worked on engineering for fighter planes during WWII. He was born on Alter Road near Jefferson, moved to Harper Woods, and spent the last years of his life in Eastpionte. My maternal grandfather moved to Detroit from rural Arkansas in the 30's to find work, eventually getting a job as a railroad brakeman. His family lived on Ashland until the early 70's, when they moved across the state to Rockford so that he could be on a train line that brought him home every night. He has retired to Hot Springs, AR where he goes to the horse track every day and bitches about Republicans like it's his job. | ||
Ednaturnblad Member Username: Ednaturnblad Post Number: 13 Registered: 09-2006 |
Paternal grandfather was born in Buffalo, NY to Polish immigrants in 1902. Moved to Detroit in early 1910's settling in west Detroit (Michigan/Lonyo). Owned and operated Walt's Deluxe Mobil Service on the corner of McGraw/Springwells (building is still there and used as a service station - was the first "double stall" service station in Detroit) until the early 1960's. Maternal grandfather was born in Malta in 1900, came to Detroit in 1918 and worked for Ford Motor Company (Rouge plant tool room) from 1920-1965. Both good hard-working, family-loving men. | ||
Karenk Member Username: Karenk Post Number: 36 Registered: 07-2006 |
Paternal Szymanski/Schemansky born in Poland, came with parents/family in 1872 to Metz, MI to farm. 1920ish he brought the family down to Detroit to work construction. Maternal Burmeister was a candymaker and had his own store next to Finck's. He was Morley chocolates only real competition at the time from what the family tells me. Unfortunately, he died in 1924. | ||
Jrich2425 Member Username: Jrich2425 Post Number: 5 Registered: 03-2007 |
My grandpa was a Detroit police officer for years. He's told me some pretty good stories. He was with the DPD during the riots in the '60s. | ||
Nickg Member Username: Nickg Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2007 |
 Gordon Grant..Boxing heavyweight champ of New York State..his record was 40-1.. Then a detective for the DPD for 20 years. I hope this picture comes through. He is the big man on the left with his hands crossed. He would be hired to be a bodyguard for visiting politicians. In this, he was guarding JFK. I believe that's in front of the Book-cadillac??? | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 456 Registered: 11-2006 |
Welcome to DY Zimm! ....He has retired to Hot Springs, AR where he goes to the horse track every day and bitches about Republicans like it's his job. OMG that made me laugh! ...bitches about republicans like it's his job. I bet your grandpa is a hoot  (Message edited by kathinozarks on May 12, 2007) | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 457 Registered: 11-2006 |
Nickg, Welcome to you also. Maybe you will join in our fun little discussions about everything. I'm kinda new here so sometimes I just lurk. I don't think I'd want to do anything wrong around your grandpa! Was he one of those tough looking teddy bears? Fabulous that you have that pic of him. | ||
Ragtoplover59 Member Username: Ragtoplover59 Post Number: 92 Registered: 09-2006 |
"I'm kinda new here so sometimes I just lurk. " Kathinozarks, Thats a good one. I remember when you were still 15-20 post's behind me, And now look at your count ? You've become a Pro before my eyes ! Good Job ! | ||
Nickg Member Username: Nickg Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2007 |
Kathi, you've heard of "good cop, bad cop" techniques? Well, he played the bad cop when they were having trouble getting someone to talk. The presence of a 6'6" 270 lb monster like him would have an advantage in certain situations. He was a great guy, though. | ||
Kathinozarks Member Username: Kathinozarks Post Number: 459 Registered: 11-2006 |
Awww Ragtop, I'm blushing Oh My God Nickg - now that's one big man. I bet he heard "yes sir, no sir" all the time! | ||
Newport1128 Member Username: Newport1128 Post Number: 21 Registered: 05-2007 |
My parents were both born in western Maryland. My paternal grandfather was a coal miner. He died in a house fire in 1917, when my dad was only 6 years old. He remembered very little about his father. My maternal grandfather also worked for a mining company, but was not actually a miner. He took care of the horses and mules that they used to used to haul the coal cars in and out of the mines. He got kicked in the abdomen by one of the mules and developed gangrene of the intestine. Due to the incompetence of the company doctors, he died. No penicillin in 1939. | ||
Ed_golick Member Username: Ed_golick Post Number: 642 Registered: 10-2003 |
My great grandfather Issac Fromberg was a realator and one of the first Old Newsboys.  | ||
Fareastsider Member Username: Fareastsider Post Number: 395 Registered: 08-2006 |
When I read the headline for this thread all I can think of is the Arnold Schwarznegger clip from Drew and Mike where he says "Who is your daddy and what does he do?" My grandfather was a security guard for Chrysler at 9 and mound and my other grandfather was a Grand Trunk Railroad cop. | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 991 Registered: 11-2003 |
My paternal grandfather was born in Saginaw, MI in 1914. He served in the CCC on Isle Royale. In WWII, he was a 1st Lt. in the Army Corps of Engineers, Asian-Pacific campaign. He spent most of his career with the Ann Arbor RR, and retired in 1975 as Assistant Engineer of Bridges & Buildings, DT&I RR, Dearborn. My maternal grandfather was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1917. In WWII, he took aerial photos in the Asian-Pacific campaign. He got a degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology, taking at least one class from Mies van der Rohe. He began working for GM in Detroit as a Design Engineer in the early '50s, and retired in 1982 from the Warren Tech Center, specializing in Cadillac interiors. He also got a patent for GM, for some type of chassis or frame design. | ||
Gdub Member Username: Gdub Post Number: 1103 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maternal grandfather born in Co. Mayo, Ireland. Beginning at age 12 worked in England on a farm, shipyards in Bombay, dove for pearls in Australia, moved to NYC, rode the rails during the depression, opened a bar in NYC, coal miner in West Virginia, worked construction on buildings in New York, San Francisco, settled in Detroit and worked on the tunnel, the Penobscot, Guardian, and other buildings. Raised a large family on Wabash in Corktown, retired to Westland in the late 60s. (Message edited by g-dub on May 27, 2007) | ||
Burnsie Member Username: Burnsie Post Number: 992 Registered: 11-2003 |
My maternal grandfather, Byron Voight, working at the J.S. Stevens studio in Milwaukee circa 1938:  | ||
Nere Member Username: Nere Post Number: 39 Registered: 04-2007 |
Maternal grandfather: (born 1908) worked as a laborer in Puerto Rico and in 1944 came to New York, moved to Bingham, Utah where he worked for the Utah Copper Company; grandmother cheated on him; divorce; remarried; moved back to Puerto Rico; died October 1976 in Puerto Rico Paternal grandfather: (born 1878) worked on a coffee farm in Puerto Rico as a laborer, had many a kid with my grandmother; my dad and his sister (twins) are the youngest of about nine or ten (possibly more); later worked his way out of everyone's lives when he had an affair in that same farm; no one knows when or how he died | ||
Ro_resident Member Username: Ro_resident Post Number: 235 Registered: 11-2003 |
My paternal grandfather was born in Argentina. He lived there his whole life. He was trained as a physician and worked at a number of universities. He's sitting at the bottom left of this picture taken in 1918. (The guy in the center ended up winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1947.) My grandfather died in 1987 at the age of 91.  My maternal grandfather was born in Grand Rapids to a family in the auto industry. He moved to Detroit after college in 1940. After the war he took a job with GM as a buyer, then a succession of suppliers as a salesman. He died in 1965. | ||
Citychick Member Username: Citychick Post Number: 7 Registered: 05-2007 |
My maternal grandfather was born and raised on Detroit, in the area of Mt. Elliot and Lynch Roads. He was a mechanic with the cleanest hands anyone had ever seen. I don't know exactly where he worked, but his company was responsible for cleaning and repairing the presidents limo after Kennedy was killed (at least that is what the family told me). He served in WWII as an MP in Europe. He died in 1991 of pneumonia and was suffering from Alzheimers. My paternal grandfather was born in Canada and raised in St. Clair Shores and Detroit. He was a mean SOB who left his wife and five kids for a woman almost as mean as him. Apparently he was a butcher, but never knew where exactly he worked, or lived until he died. Him leaving his family actually benefitted them though, my paternal grandmother went to work to feed her kids, and was a bartender for over 30 years, only retiring to get married in the early '80s. | ||
Beadgrl Member Username: Beadgrl Post Number: 135 Registered: 07-2006 |
Wow! Some great stories here. My maternal grandfather was a newly wed from Minneapolis in the 40's when they came to Detroit. G'Ma and G'Pa were both of Norwegian decent. G'Pa worked at Kindy Optical near Hudson's downtown. Passed in the mid 90's. Paternal grandfather was born in Kansas in the 20's. His family came to the Albion Michigan area and settled. Stationed in Guam during WW2 in the Army Air Corp. Was a pilot and flew the Enola Gay, but not on "the mission". He worked for Colson Casters. Passed in 1999. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 954 Registered: 07-2004 |
Mom's dad: From Calitri, Italy. Estate gardener, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, then sweeper at Ford Motor Company. Died 1982. Dad's dad: From Sand Beach (Harbor Beach),gre up in Harbor Springs, then move to Detroit in 1915, then Dearborn in 1920s. Worked as migrant laborer, then tire builder at U.S. Rubber. Died 1956 or so. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 482 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maternal grandfather: Born in Detroit, Loaded bombs onto bombers in Britain during WWII, Barber in Detroit. Paternal grandfather: Born in Detroit, Did aerial survelience over Korea during the Korean War, then using the photos to create 3-Dimensional maps of the Terrain; accountant at B.O.C. Lansing for GM. | ||
Vetalalumni Member Username: Vetalalumni Post Number: 221 Registered: 05-2007 |
Maternal, construction worker from New Jersey. Paternal, chef from New Jersey. | ||
Ron Member Username: Ron Post Number: 322 Registered: 03-2006 |
Paternal Grandfather: Harry "Carl" Liscombe, b. Galt, Ont. y. ? Stanley Cup winner, 1943 Detroit Red Wings Maternal Grandfather: Roger Cornwall, b. CA, y.1908 Executive, Grand Trunk RR Intelligence, Army (WWII) | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 524 Registered: 07-2006 |
mine both died before or shortly after i was born, and my parents have rarely talked about either. My mom came to the US in the 70s, so that side doesn't really apply in this thread anyways. however, my paternal grandfather, before being an electrician at Flint's Mott Foundation building, he and his father worked in Detroit - not only as electricians, but bootlegging during prohibition. unfortunately, my dad wouldn't say much more than that. | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 1071 Registered: 06-2006 |
My paternal grandfather worked for one of the car companies (died when dad was 9). Dad's stepdad, "Pop", was an inventor (he invented the automatic orange juicer and underground sprinkler systems) and he worked closely with Henry Ford inventing things. Both were from Canada, originally. Both died LONG before I was born. My maternal grandfather originally came from Austria and worked for Chrysler as their midnight security guy for decades, following a bout in the Army and WWII. He died in 1982. | ||
Dannaroo Member Username: Dannaroo Post Number: 69 Registered: 05-2006 |
Mom's dad worked for Ford (line worker) from the 30's into 60's. My Dad always told me that his father got run out of Cincinnati for bootlegging back in the early 30's before moving up to the Detroit area and working construction. I never know when to believe my dad though... especially after finding ut the pony we had really wasn't a race pony after all! Both were the offspring of immigrant parents (one from Germany one from Denmark) (Message edited by Dannaroo on June 19, 2007) | ||
Exmotowner Member Username: Exmotowner Post Number: 317 Registered: 06-2005 |
My grandfather (yes grandfather) was in the civil war. He was born in 1836 and went into the army in 1864 right at the end of the war. He was in the Illinois 33rd infantry. He had my father when he was 70 and died 2 years later. My dad had me when he was 50. Im almost 50 now myself. | ||
Jeffrey_thomas Member Username: Jeffrey_thomas Post Number: 59 Registered: 10-2005 |
My Grand Father on Dads side worked at Michigan Tank and Boiler in the area of 21st and Michigan {anyone have any information on this Co.?} died in the 30's. On my Mom's side Southern Illinois Bootlegger/railroad worker, also died in the 30's. Both were German immigrants. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 1186 Registered: 08-2006 |
That's cool Exmotowner that your grampa was still gettin' down at 70. Paternal Grampa Born in Pittsburgh to Second generation German and Irish parents in 1914. He dropped out of school at the age of 14 when his dad died to help support his younger siblings by working at a bakery. He immigrated to Detroit in 1934 to take a job at the Ford Rouge plant where he worked the assembly line. He had an older cousin all ready living in SW Detroit who was a priest who helped get him the job at Ford's. Grampa settled on St John St where he met my gramma, a young high school girl who was taken by the tall handsome working man. Grampa hated working for Ford and recollected often to his kids about what an asshole Henry was. He said people that looked up from thier work station when he walked through the plant would be escorted out the door by the foreman. Those stories seemed to work in scaring all of his five children to not pursue manual labor jobs. They all are successful white collar types. After the war he got into Finish Carpentry which he loved. He passed away in 1977. Maternal Grandfather is a member of Bay Mills indian community born in 1922. He served in WW2 on the Navy in the Pacific operating anti air craft guns on a ship. After the war he came to Detroit seeking work and settled in Highland park where he met my Grandmother, a strikingly beautiful young woman born to French Canadian parents. Grampa worked as a body man in the bump / paint shop of Highland Nash. During the heady boom times of the early 50s the family was able to afford a home in Brightmoor on Lyndon St. Grampa never cared much for the city so the family moved to the UP in 1956, they came back down in 1964, but Grampa could not deal, he had a mid life crisis and was a big time philanderer, he ended up marrying one of his love interests and moving back to the country. This happened about the time I was born, so I only saw him on holidays and we never got to close. He is still around however and lives back on the reservation, I call and talk with him once in awhile. | ||
Goblue Member Username: Goblue Post Number: 87 Registered: 03-2007 |
Paternal Grandfather was born the day the Civil War ended. he was a West Virginia coal miner. He never lived in Detroit but visited my dad and his brothers and sister who were Detroiters. He died in the '30's well before I was born...had ten kids by my grandmother who died in 1908 and ten more with a second wife. Maternal Grandfather was born in Detroit in an old French farming family. I think he was a machinist of some type. He also was a bigamist...had a family on each side of the city...my grandmother was his first...not sure how he managed all of that. He died in 1940 the year before I was born...probably was lucky one wife or the other didn't find out and shoot him. | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 2571 Registered: 12-2004 |
Dad's side = Came here with his brother from what was then Czechoslovakia and met the woman who became my grandmother on the boat. Worked as a miner in Pennsylvania. His brother was killed during a labor strike. Shortly after that, he and his young family literally jumped on the next train out of town, which brought them to Detroit. They found an apartment near the train station and he found work as a carpenter. Mom's side = worked the assembly line for Ford Motor Co. His side of the family was in Detroit for so long there's no record of the family ever being anywhere else. | ||
Lakesuperior Member Username: Lakesuperior Post Number: 191 Registered: 06-2005 |
my paternal grandpa has a really cool detroit story: he was a first generation american of czechoslovakian descent who grew up in owosso- he didn't learn english until he enrolled in school at the age of 10. he graduated from MSU with a horticulture degree and was hired by the detroit zoo to enhance and develop the flower beds and plantings at the zoo. he worked there from 1936 to 1942. in 1942 my grandpa moved to the detroit department of parks and rec. he started as a laborer in the horticulture area and worked his way up to become the superintendent of forestry and landscaping for the COD. during his tenure as sup. of forestry, he administrated a successful dutch elm disease control program which won a national award for the COD in 1963. (then kansas city lured him away to become their superintendent of parks so he could fix their dutch elm problem!) and that's why today, i do work for the greening of detroit. | ||
Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 260 Registered: 01-2006 |
My maternal Grandpa came here from Virginia after WWII to work in Great Lakes Steel. He had graduated from Virginia Tech. They ended up settling in Trenton. Paternal Grandpa moved here from Florida, after serving in the Navy in WWII. He worked at Penn-Sault Chemical company in Wyandotte. He had the glorious job of cleaning out chemical storage tanks! He is still living on his pension in Trenton. Raised 8 kids on that salary. Back in the day when a single income household could live a middle class life and expect a pension. | ||
Rms Member Username: Rms Post Number: 49 Registered: 11-2005 |
My maternal Grandfather was born and died in the UP....not sure he ever visited us "trolls" below the bridge. My paternal Grandfather came from a small farming village in Finland, and worked in the lumber mills near Newberry, MI. They had 11 kids that lived. You needed lots of hands for the farm. My dad and most uncles learned skills during WWII and settled in metro-Detroit. Dad worked at GM Proving Grounds in Milford. One uncle owned a gas station in Highland Park, and a couple other uncles lived in Detroit working at auto factories. They used to like to visit the Finn honky tonks in the city. I don't know if there ever was an official Finntown, but I recall seeing a map that showed where many of the Finns and their businesses were. Vaguely I recall that to be somewhere close to Woodward in a stretch along midtown. | ||
J_stone Member Username: J_stone Post Number: 377 Registered: 10-2003 |
Maternal Grandfather was 1 of 9 brothers in a family that immigrated from Italy. They first settled in a small town that no longer exists called Furnace Run PA as coal miners. The family moved to Detroit when he was a young boy, were he grew up to become a Detroit Police Officer. I couldn't even tell you the name of my paternal grandfather. | ||
Pythonmaster Member Username: Pythonmaster Post Number: 63 Registered: 12-2006 |
Grandfather was a patent attorney for General Motors . Started out as a teen in the mail room and they put him through DCL. He worked for GM all his life and retired in the early 60's. |
