Thank you for reading about the history of 468 Kenwood! This house was requested by a follower of the blog- shout out to Alison!
General Facts:
City, State: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Neighborhood: Creston/Riverside Gardens
Built: 1925
Size: 3 bedrooms/1 bath - 865 sq. ft
The house at 468 Kenwood was part of the Plainfield Heights Addition - which started selling land for house plats in 1925. The north end of the Grand Rapids city border ended at Knapp St and Plainfield Ave - Kenwood Ave is two blocks north of Knapp and intersects west into Plainfield. The city border expanded north in 1926 which included Kenwood St. Before highways, Plainfield Ave was the one of the only roads that ran North/South from in and out of downtown Grand Rapids.
The growth of houses on Kenwood St began between 1925 and 1926. As you can see from the images of the GR City Directory of Kenwood St, the number of houses on the street dramatically increased during that span of time. (Kenwood St was John St until 1925)
The house at 468 Kenwood was built in 1925, but it wasn't until the end of the year or early into 1926 when the first family moved in.
The history of 468 Kenwood is quite unique as there was only one family that lived there from when it was built in 1925 until it was sold in 1989. This will be the only post about the house and since there was only one family to research, I spent more time than usual into the Otte and Slater families.
*The photos throughout this post were found online at Ancestry.com and are public. It was really exciting to see so many photos of the family!
1925 - 1989: OTTE - Cornelius & Leah (Slater) and their children - Thomas and William
Cornelius (aka Neil/Neal) Otte was born February 20, 1894 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Jacob and Jacomina (aka Minnie) Zweedyk. Jacob and Minnie had six children and Cornelius was their fourth.
Jacob, Cornelius' father, was born in a small coastal town in the Netherlands - Baarland, Zeeland, Netherlands in 1867. He immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1881 when he 13 years old with his parents and four other siblings.
When the Otte family immigrated to Grand Rapids, Jacob Sr, Cornelius' grandfather, worked in various furniture factories as a general laborer and assembler. The furniture factory industry was a very common occupation for many of the Polish and Dutch immigrants of Grand Rapids - below is a brief narrative history.
Source: Erdmans, Mary Patrice. “The Poles, the Dutch and the Grand Rapids Furniture Strike of 1911.” Polish American Studies, vol. 62, no. 2, 2005, pp. 5–22. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20148725.
One of the furniture companies both Jacob Sr and Jacob Jr (Cornelius' paternal grandfather and father) worked at for many years was McCord and Bradfield Co - which at one point was the world's largest manufacturer of bedroom and dining room furniture.
Cornelius' mother, Minnie Zweedyk, (also spelled Zweedijk or Sweedyk) was also born in a small coastal village in the Netherlands - but it was four miles west from Baarland called - Driewegen, Zeeland, Netherlands. She immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1882 when she was 12 years old with her parents and five siblings.
Minnie's father (Cornelius' maternal grandfather) also worked in the furniture factories after he immigrated - one of them was the Michigan Barrel Co. The Zweedyk family lived on Coit Ave NE - they were one of the first residents in that particular area. Coit Ave is part of the Creston Neighborhood and also part of Riverside Gardens (which has been featured in other entries to this blog).
I was lucky to find photos of Cornelius' maternal grandparents online from 1880!
Jacob Otte and Minnie Zweedyk (Cornelius' parents) were married on May 29, 1889 at the Dutch Fourth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids.
Later that year in November, Jacob Jr and Minnie had their first child - also named Jacob III. Five years later in February of 1894, they had their fourth child which was Cornelius. Jacob Jr was still working in the furniture factories as a finisher. The Otte family lived at 880 Coit Ave NE - which later became 1844 Coit Ave NE.
The house at 1844 Coit Ave NE was built in 1889 - there's a good chance the Otte family was the first owner. Houses in this area weren't numbered yet so it's hard to trace the exact house on Coit they lived before 1895.
The house remained in the Otte family until at least 1975 when the youngest child of Jacob Jr and Minnie (Cornelius' brother) passed away.
*1844 Coit Ave is 0.7 miles northeast of 468 Kenwood St.
Jacob Sr and Gertrude Otte and (Jacob Jr's parents & Cornelius' paternal grandparents) and their remaining grown children were living at 112 Dean St NE - which was only 1 block west of where Jacob Jr and Minnie Otte were living (1844 Coit Ave). The house at 112 Dean St was built in 1875!
Cornelius and Mary Zweedyk (Minnie's parents & Cornelius' maternal grandparents) and their remaining grown children were living on Elmwood St NE - which was one 1 block east of where Jacob Jr and Minnie Otte were living (1844 Coit Ave). (The house is now razed)
Jacob Jr and Minnie Otte continued to live very close to their parents and siblings. Both sides of the family remained within that close proximity of the Creston neighborhood their entire lives.
Below: Photos of 1844 Coit Ave NE via Redfin.com from when it was sold in 2016.
By 1898, Jacob Jr and Minnie Otte (Cornelius' parents) had their sixth and final child, William Otte, who was born on September 7.
Tragically, four months later, after 17 days of being sick, Jacob Otte Jr (Cornelius' father) passed away of Typhoid Fever. Jacob was only 31 years old.
After her husband's death, Minnie was left by herself to find a source of income but also had to raise six children ranging from 9 years old to 4 months old by herself.
Based on the 1900 and 1910 US Censuses and the city directories for the next 10 years, Minnie raised her six children by herself at 1844 Coit Ave. At least her parents and in-laws lived very close by so I'd assumed they helped out when needed.
By 1910, her children, who were of age, were all working in some sort - Jacob III (20 years old) worked as a grocery store clerk; Mamie (18 years old) worked in a shirt factory; Gertrude (17 years old) worked as dressmaker; and Cornelius (16 years old) worked as a golf caddy.
Again, as it will appear throughout this post, I was lucky to find a picture online! This photo of the Otte/Zweedyk family had a caption so I can tell who is who. The photo was taken in 1910. I labeled Cornelius Otte (16 years old), his mother, Minnie, and her parents - Cornelius and Maria Zweedyk. The other people in the photo are Cornelius Otte's siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Exact caption reads: 'Top row: Neal [Otte], Uncle "Case" [Cornelius Jr], Aunt "Lindy" [Jennie (Zweedyk) Lindeboom], Mother [Minnie] Otte, Uncle Mart Zweedyk, Uncle Simon [Lindeboom], Jake Zweedyk; 2nd row: Ethel [Lindeboom], Jane [Otte], Grandpa [Cornelius] Sweedyk, Gertrude [Otte], Aunt Lizzie [Sweedyk], Aunt "Jen" [Kooman] Zweedyk, Mayme [Marie Otte]; Bottom row: Bill [Otte], Mabel [Lindeboom], Grandma [Mary] Sweedyk, John Zweedyk'
The next six years was tough for Cornelius' mother, Cornelius, and his siblings. During the span of 1912-1917 - Minnie's father (Cornelius Zweedyk; 1835-1912), Minnie's mother (Maria Zweedyk; 1842-1915), her father-in-law, (Jacob Otte Sr; 1838-1916), and most tragic of all is Minnie's son and Cornelius' older brother, Jacob III (1889-1917) all passed away.
The support system that I'm sure was crucial for Minnie and her children since the death of Jacob Jr in 1889 slowly disappeared.
I couldn't find details, but Cornelius was a WWI veteran according to census records and the Kent County, MI WWI Veterans Census Index. Below is his WWI draft card from 1917, which he claimed exemption from the draft because of his widowed mother.
From at least 1912 when Cornelius was 18 years old, he worked as a machinist and repairman for Fox Typewriter Co.
Fox Typewriter Co created and held the patent for the first visible typewriter. A visible typewriter means that the typist could see the letters on the paper as it was typed. The company also, in 1899, created and held the patent for the first electric typewriter. All the parts of their typewriters were made in Grand Rapids. Fox Typewriters exported their locally made machines to Paris, Italy, Belgium, Australia and even Russia. The company was founded by William R Fox in Grand Rapids, MI and existed from 1885-1921.
By 1920, Cornelius Otte was 25 years old and still lived at 1844 Coit Ave NE with his mother and three of his siblings- Gertrude (26 years old; stationary saleslady); Jennie (22 years old; stenographer at a lumber company) and William (21 years old; mechanical dentist) - all were single and working full-time to support their mother and themselves.
The information on the 1920 US Census was given to the enumerator on January 7, 1920. It was 10 months later, on October 29 that Cornelius Otte married Leah Slater.
Leah Pearl Slater was born on April 15, 1895 in Big Rapids, Michigan to Fred and Rachel (Richardson). Leah was the oldest of her three siblings - who were also all born in Big Rapids.
Leah's father, Fred, was born in 1862 in Fowlerville, Michigan. His father, Albert, (Leah's paternal grandfather) was born in 1846 in Handy Township, Michigan - just outside of Fowlerville. As with most families in that area in the mid 19th century, the Slaters were farmers.
An interesting detail on the 1870 US Census for the Slater family, was that Albert's wife, (Leah's paternal grandmother) Harriet, could not read or write at 33 years old.
Leah's father, Fred, left his family's farm and worked as a farm laborer on another farm - 18 miles south in a the town of Unadilla, Michigan - by the time he was 19 years old in 1880.
All but a very small portion of the US Census records of 1890 were destroyed in a fire in Washington D.C. in 1921. Also, because the rural towns in Michigan during the 19th and early 20th century didn't have a city directory, it's hard to trace exact dates to a person.
However, it was sometime between 1880 and 1893 when Fred Slater moved to Big Rapids, Michigan. It was there in 1893 when Fred married Rachel Richardson. Then two years later, Leah, was born.
Leah's mother, Rachel Richardson, was born in Big Rapids, MI in 1873 to Cyrus and Maria (Youard). The image below is from the book, "The Portrait and Biographical Album, Mecosta County," which was written in 1883. In the book is a brief synopsis of the life of Cyrus Richardson - Leah's maternal grandfather.
Fred Slater's parents, Leah's paternal grandparents, also moved to Big Rapids with Fred. According to the 1900 US Census, when Leah was 5 years old, her family lived on Bronson St in the city of Big Rapids - their next door neighbors were her paternal grandparents - Albert and Harriet Slater.
In 1910, Leah's family moved to East Maple St, within the city limits of Big Rapids. Her grandparents - Albert and Harriet - were still their next door neighbors!
I was excited to find pictures of Leah online from when she was a child - one with her parents, one with her grandparents, and one alone when she was 15 years old.
When Leah was 16 years old in 1911, her father, Fred Slater, passed away from pneumonia. Fred was only 49 years of age. Leah's mother, Rachel, was alone to raise three young children in a rural town with no skills or opportunities to make an income for herself. According to census and directories, she took in roomers to live at her house which did help with money.
The same year and part of the next (1911-1912), Leah attended Ferris Institute (now called Ferris State University) in her hometown of Big Rapids. She attended the school for one year where she learned short hand and typewriting. Since she was oldest of her siblings, her mother was dependent on her to learn valuable skills to provide an income for the family.
The below image is of the 1905 Ferris Institute Catalog which describes the school's mission and shorthand and typewriting classes.
The stenographer and typewriting skills that Leah was taught at Ferris were very crucial in being able to provide income for herself, mother, and siblings. Unknown to her at the time, but those skills would be very important 45 years later.
But those skills also brought her 50 miles south to Grand Rapids, MI where her first job, at 17 years old, was a stenographer at none other than The Fox Typewriter Co.
Leah worked at the Fox Typewriter Co at the same time as Cornelius Otte - hence how they met! Leah worked there at least until 1918 and she lived at a different address every year - renting a bed or a room in boarding houses - until she was married.
When Leah left Fox Typewriter Co she worked as a stenographer at Phoenix Furniture Co.
The city of Grand Rapids is one of the very few cities in the United States that archived their 1918 Women's Committee of Council of National Defense cards. These cards were used during WWI so when paid or volunteer help was needed, they called on to these women for their service.
I was lucky to find Leah's 1918 Women Defense card. This gives a great look into Leah's education, skills, occupation, and also her appearance.
After meeting at the Fox Typewriting Co in 1912, Cornelius Otte and Leah Slater married on October 29, 1920 in Grand Rapids, MI.
I don't have a wedding photo of Cornelius and Leah, I did find two other photos of them that were taken the same year.
The first five years of their life together, Cornelius and Leah lived at 38 Melbourne St NE in Grand Rapids; Cornelius was still working at the Fox Typewriting Co.
In 1922, their first child, Thomas Edward, was born.
That same year, Fox Typewriting Co was forced to close due to bankruptcy because of multiple patent lawsuits which forced Cornelius to change careers. But the next career move would provide a solid income for his family- he started his career as a cabinet maker at Imperial Furniture Co. He remained at Imperial Furniture for the next 23 years!
Cornelius and Leah lived on Melbourne St NE until they moved into literally their forever home 1.2 miles west at 468 Kenwood St in 1926 (if not late 1925). They were the first family to live in the newly built bungalow - in the heart of the newly developed Creston neighborhood.
Shortly after their move, in July 1925, their second son was born - William Howard.
During the 1930's, which was hard for most Americans because of the Great Depression, the Otte family seemed to do pretty well. They remained in their house on Kenwood, and Cornelius was still working in the cabinet division at Imperial Furniture.
Thomas and William attended Fairmount School which was located on the corner of Julia and Oakwood (presently is ISJ School and church). Leah was very active in Fairmount's PTA - serving on the board for multiple years.
Below: Another amazing photo from ancestry.com of Thomas and William Otte in 1930.
Also, in 1934, Cornelius' younger brother, William, was arrested and arraigned for negligent homicide. It was claimed that William Otte fatally hit a man that was walking on Monroe Ave in front of the Veterans' home and didn't stop. However, the jury found William not guilty. The series of newspaper articles about the trial can be found in this Google folder.
The 1940's started out well for the Otte family...however by the end of that decade, there were two major deaths in the family that changed everything.
Thomas Otte was 17 years old and graduated from Creston Junior/High School. William Otte was 13 years old - also attended Creston Junior/High. Cornelius actually left Imperial Furniture and started working at American Seating - also in the cabinet division.
In 1940, Cornelius' salary was $1410, which in 2021 dollars would be worth $26,000.
In 1942 at 19 years old, Thomas Otte moved across the country to Hawthorne, California and lived with his uncle Edward Slater. (Leah's brother). He worked for his uncle at Northrop Aircraft. I found a newspaper article from 1944 and also on his military records it states that Thomas married Jacqueline Norton.
However, when I search that name and try to find an official marriage record, I came up with nothing. Also there are other users of Ancestry.com that published photos of Thomas and Jackie together, but yet none of their trees list any other details of her.
Also something to note - on Thomas' WWII draft card, when most men listed either one of their parents under the section - "Name and Address of Person Who Will Always Know Your Address"...Thomas listed his uncle, E.A. Slater - not his parents. So I'm not sure if Thomas and his parents a fall out which made Thomas move to California at a young age, or maybe he eloped with Jacqueline without his parent's approval...or maybe it's nothing and I'm thinking too much into it! But these details seemed to be unusual.
In April of 1944, Thomas enlisted into the Army - and was part of the 135th Red Bull Infantry Division which was part of the US National Guard. It was first National Guard division to be deployed to Europe. Their major battle they fought while in Europe was in Italy - which is where Thomas served.
On April 15, 1945, while his unit was in Bologna, Italy, Thomas Otte died in a truck roll-over incident. According to a story that was shared on Ancestry.com, the incident happened while his unit was preparing for the Pro Valley Campaign. The following is an exact wording of the story that was shared online:
The 34th Inf Div dug in for the winter of 1944-45 in the mountains south of Bologna. The 135th Inf Reg appears to have been based in the area around Castelnuovo di Bisano (Monzuno, Monterenzio, etc) in the Zena Valley. Elements of the 34th (e.g., the 168th Inf Reg) "jumped off" on Apr 15 to begin the attack north toward Bologna as part of the Po Valley campaign. The 135th held back until advancing to Livergnano Apr 18-19 in preparation for participation for the assault on Bologna.
Thomas Otte was 22 years old - he was just one of the 400,000 American military deaths in WWII. And as you can tell from the GR Press image below, Thomas Otte, was just one of thousands of American soldiers deaths who were born in Grand Rapids, MI. *For a larger view, click here.
William Otte also served in the Army during WWII from 1944-1946.
Two years after William Otte came home from the war, he married Barbara Straayer - also of Grand Rapids, MI. They were married in June of 1948.
Four months after Leah and Cornelius had the Grand Rapids funeral for their son, Thomas... in June of 1949, on his way to California, Cornelius Otte passed away in New Mexico. The death records from that year are not archived online and the newspaper article does not list a cause - so I do not know what caused the unexpected death. Cornelius was 55 years old.
Within a five year span, Leah Otte lost her oldest son and her husband. I'm sure that time of her life was very difficult emotionally.
According to the 1951 GR Directory, Leah went back to work as she once again, 30 years later, had to support herself. She worked in the County Clerk office in downtown Grand Rapids as a clerk and a stenographer - using her skills she was taught at Ferris Institute.
Her son, William, and his new wife, Barbara, lived close by in 1951 - at 2861 Belknap St NE and William was a platemaker for the Dickinson Brothers Co.
Information about Leah Otte after the 1950's is scarce - but there was one article I found from the GR Press in 1960 that is quite ironic. In the article it stated, Leah Otte was offered an extension to continue to work as clerk in the county clerk office... in this article Lucille Stinson is also mentioned since she was offered an extension for her work as a clerk in the same office. (Lucille Stinson was a homeowner of 2510 Coit, another house in this blog!)
Unless Leah Otte went to live with her son, William, as she aged, from the sales history of 468 Kenwood and from whitepages.com, I believe Leah lived in that house until it was sold in 1987.
At 99 years old, Leah Otte passed away on June 9, 1994 in Grand Rapids.
At 93 years old, her son, William Otte, recently passed away in April 2020 in Kalamazoo, MI.
It was so fun to learn the family and with all the amazing photos their ancestors and descendents shared online, I felt I had a good glimpse into their lives. The fact the Otte family lived at the same house on Kenwood St for that many years is incredible. Cornelius and Leah had similar childhoods - both had fathers who died early in their lives, their mothers had to raise young children on their own, and both Leah and Cornelius had to learn to support themselves at very young ages.
Throughout all their trials and tribulations of life, one thing remained constant for the family - their home at 468 Kenwood.
*A fun fact - Leah's sister, Mattie Slater, married Mose Howard. Mose Howard was also from Big Rapids and they moved to Los Angeles, CA. Mose Howard was the Assistant District Attorney for LA County for more than 30 years during the 1940-1960's.
