Welcome to the first house history in the windy city - Chicago! It was so exciting and challenging to venture out of Grand Rapids and learn more about Chicago and its residents. This first house in Chicago was requested by a follower of the blog - thank you to Bridgid for this amazing idea!
General Facts:
Built: 1907
City, State: Chicago, Illinois
Neighborhood: Morgan Park/Beverly
Size: 4 beds/2 baths ≈ 2000 sq. ft
Previous Address (most Chicago streets were renamed and houses renumbered in 1909): 2410 Monticello Ave
The image to the left is the 1911 Sanborn Insurance map. This map shows that the house was one of the first built on the block. When the map was drawn, the street and house number were still the former - 2410 Monticello Ave.
The image below is the Sanborn Insurance map from 1949. The address was 2312-10 W. 108th Place.
Finally, the image below is the Sanborn Insurance map from 1950. The address was 2312; The house was two stories with a basement. There was a garage, and a back room on the house that was only one story high.
Unlike Grand Rapids, Chicago doesn't have old photos of houses that are filed with old property/assessment cards. After requesting a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request for property information on this house, there wasn't anything different than what is online already. So unfortunately, there are no older photos of the home that I could find online.
Another aspect that is different from my research in Grand Rapids, is the lack of Chicago City Directories. Compared to Grand Rapids, which has every directory archived online from 1860's to the late 1940's, Chicago only has a few random years in the 1920's and '30s. But what makes it worse, there is no address index for those Chicago directories. That means you have to know who lives in the house - you can't search by address. Now there are archived digital Chicago directories for the mid-late 1800's and there are business directories for most of the early 1900's. But it's not the same as Grand Rapids (which I know is a much smaller city!)
Therefore, I had to search census records to find these families. However, because I couldn't search directories, I do not know how long each of these families lived in the home. Because the tenures are unknown, there could be additional families that lived in the home.
With all this said, sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the history of 2312 W. 108th Place in the amazing city of Chicago!
Thomas & Anna Meinema
Known Years at 2312 W. 108th Pl: 10 (1910-1920)
Thomas Meinema
Birth: October 1, 1872; Bedum, Netherlands
Death: October 28, 1938; Fairhope, Alabama
Parents: George (Gerrit) (1842; Netherlands - 1916; Grand Rapids, Michigan) & Johanna (Janna) Van Der Lijn (1841; Netherlands - 1883; Chicago, IL);
Siblings: 4 - Albert, Elizabeth, Jacob, and John.
Thomas, along with his brother, Albert, and their parents, arrived in New York in August 1873 from the Netherlands. By 1880, the family had moved to Chicago, Thomas had three more siblings and his father was working as a carpenter.
In August of 1883, Thomas' mother, Johanna, passed away during the birth of her 6th child. The baby also passed. A few years later, Thomas and his father (I'm not exactly sure if his siblings also went) moved across Lake Michigan to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
On June 18, 1898 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Thomas Meinema married Anna Bohlen. Both were living in Chicago at that time, but had family in Grand Rapids.
Anna Bohlen
Birth: January 28, 1874; St. Louis, Missouri
Death: 1961; Fairhope, Alabama
Parents: Peter Bohlen (1841; Germany- 1900; St. Louis, MO) & Adelaide Barth (1839; Germany - death unknown);
Siblings: unknown
Thomas and Anna Meinema had four children:
George Thomas Meinema
Birth: September 13, 1900; Chicago, IL
Death: January 1986; Fairhope, AL
Spouse: Ethel (maiden name unknown) (1896-1986)
Children: unknown
Herbert Earl Meinema
Birth: April 24, 1904; Chicago, IL
Death: July 12, 2003; San Diego, CA
Spouse: Anne (maiden name unknown) (1910-1991)
Children: unknown
Iris E. Meinema
Birth: March 13, 1908; Chicago, IL
Death: July 19, 2003; Fairhope, AL
Spouse: Never married
Children: None
Harold Meinema
Birth: December 23, 1909; Chicago, IL
Death: December 27, 1995; Fairhope, AL
Spouse: Mary Katherine Hubbard
Children: unknown
Thomas Meinema's birth and death records, and his immigration records - all states that Thomas Meinema was born in the Netherlands. However, the 1910 & 1920 US Census records state that he was born in Illinois. Since he was only 1 year old when he came to the US, I wonder if he just said he was born in IL to avoid any immigration issues that may have occurred. (I'm assuming)
There's a similar story with Anna Meinema too. The US census records show she was born in Arkansas but her birth, marriage, and death records state St. Louis, MO. These various accounts of birthplaces on censuses is not uncommon.
Below are the 1910 & 1920 US census from when the Meinema family lived at 2312 W. 108th Place. You can see the 1910 census still had the address at 2410 Monticello Ave.
The Meinema family would often visit the coastal town of Fairhope, AL during the long and cold Chicago winters. In 1937-1938, they bought a plat of land and decided to build a permanent residence there. Just after they moved to Fairhope in 1938, Thomas Meinema passed away and never enjoyed their brand new ocean view home. His wife and daughter, Iris, continued to live there and were very influential in the small town, until they passed away - with his sons visiting often.
Elbert & Marion Lindsey
Known Years at 2312 W. 108th Pl: 1930 - probably more
Elbert Raymond Lindsey
Birth: February 7, 1888; Beatrice, Nebraska
Death: July 27, 1971; Sarasota, Florida
Parents: Edmund Lindsey (1849; Illinois - 1903; California) & Mary Ann Whittlesey (1844; New Hampshire - 1903; California);
Siblings: 5 - Elbert was the youngest - Lulu, Annie, William, Nina, and Stephen
Below: Mary Ann Lindsey's obituary from the Oakdale Graphic Newspaper - Oakdale, CA.
In 1918 or 1919, Elbert Lindsey married Marion Ritchie.
Marion Ritchie
Birth: March 20, 1894; New Jersey
Death: May 31, 1984; Sarasota, Florida
Parents: William Ritchie (1872; New York - 1956; New Jersey) & Mary Simon (1871; New Jersey - 1958; New Jersey);
Siblings: Unknown
At the time of their marriage Marion was a teacher in Jersey City and Elbert was a welding engineer in Minneapolis. Their first few years of the marriage was going to be an adventure. Elbert applied for a passport because his job was sending him to Havana, Cuba for a couple of years!
During their time in Havana, Cuba, Elbert and Marion had their first child - William.
William Lindsey
Birth: March 27, 1921; Havana, Cuba
Death: November 25, 1998; Florida
Spouse: Jytte Inga Nielsen (Judy Nielsen). Jytte was born in 1928 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She immigrated to the US in August 1948. William and Jytte married on November 6, 1948 in Washington, D.C. They had one son - Michael Kaj Lindsey.
Elbert and Marion had one more child a few years later:
Jean Lindsey
Birth: October 21, 1924; New York City, New York
Death: Unknown - could still be living
Spouse: Unknown
The image below is of the 1930 US Census when the Lindsey family lived at 2312 W. 108th Pl.
By 1940, the family had moved to Downers Grove, IL.
Other articles and documents from the Lindsey family:
John & Evelyn Gifford
Known Years at 2312 W. 108th Pl: 1940 - probably more
John Whitcomb Gifford
Birth: April 2, 1916; Chicago, IL
Death: May 24, 1988; Grand Haven, MI
Parents: Raymond Gifford (1885; Salem, Massachusetts - 1958; Chicago, IL) & Vesta Whitcomb (1887; Massachusetts - 1974; Illinois);
Siblings: One younger sister - Mary Gifford
John's father, Raymond, worked as a manager at Swift & Co - a meat packing business located at the Chicago Union Stock Yards. On the 1920 US Census, the Gifford family lived at 9210 N. Winchester Ave and a servant worked and lived in their home as well. Ironically, similar to the Lindsey family, John' father was also sent to Havana, Cuba in 1917 for the business.
In 1938, John Gifford married Evelyn Bennett in Chicago.
Evelyn Bennett
Birth: November 19, 1917; Chicago, IL
Death: October 2002; Missouri
Parents: Stevens Bennett (1890; Missouri - 1965; Florida) & Marjorie Hooper (1891; Nebraska - death unknown);
Siblings: Unknown
Other families that also lived at 2312 W. 108th Place:
William H. & Ora Gehl
Known Years at 2312 W. 108th Pl: ≈ 12 (1950-1962)
The Staisiunas Family
Thank you for reading the history of 2312 W. 108th Pl in Chicago! It's amazing to know how different each family is that lived in the same home over time but yet are very similar. There are strong connections to Grand Rapids and Grand Haven from this house as well - makes the world seem just a bit smaller!