Category Archives: Ream Family

Amelia and Grover Ream lived in California for approx. 3 years.

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Grover and Amelia Ream 1915

My maternal grandmother was Amelia Grayer Ream and my maternal grandfather was Grover Cleveland Ream.

I was aware that my maternal grandparents had “visited” California, but it is only  recently that I realized my grandparents actually lived there for a period of time that was approx. 3 years long.

This blog showcases the materials that I have collected to show this “California” time frame of my grandparents life.

Grover and Amelia were married on 26 Sept 1912 in Ann Arbor, MI. The photo below indicates that after a honeymoon, they resided at 554 Elizabeth Street, Ann Arbor, MI.

Grayer Ream Wedding in AA news Sept. 27, 1912

It seems that they only stayed in Ann Arbor for a short while after their wedding.

The article below is from 11 November of 1913. It appeared in the Ann Arbor News as an announcement of the birth of twin boys. Our family was told the boys were named Richard and Robert.

The article reads: Twin boys were born November 7 to Mr. and Mrs. Grover Ream of Santa Clara, Cal. Mrs. Ream was formerly Miss Amelia Grayer of this city.

 

1913 Nov 11 Twin Boys Ann Arbor News page 3

The article below was published in the Ann Arbor News on 19 August 1915. As you can see, Grover and Amelia have left California and on their way home to Ann Arbor because Amelia’s father is dying.

19 Aug 1915 Ann Arbor News page 3

My mother told me that the picture below was taken in California. It is a photo of her parents with an unknown man on the left side of the photo.

Amelia and Grover ream with unknown man in California

This timeline of facts suggests that Grover and Amelia moved to California shortly after their 1912 marriage and returned to Ann Arbor, MI in 1915.

26 Sep 1912 marriage in Ann Arbor MI

7 Nov 1913 birth of twin boys in Santa Clara, CA

3 Nov 1914 Voter registration records for Grover C. Ream in Santa Clara, CA

19 Aug 1915 Grover and Amelia return to Ann Arbor because her father is dying.

 

Other:

In this link from January of 1915, carpenters are told that things are looking brighter for jobs in Ann Arbor https://books.google.com/books?id=fxo2AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA26&lpg=RA2-PA26&dq=carpenters+union+512+of+ann+arbor,+mi&source=bl&ots=LTUsQheyDM&sig=Ha9RxOkg2jVOSnmOnG86tmOGsac&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij84nlvevLAhUHmoMKHSlGC2sQ6AEINDAG#v=onepage&q=carpenters%20union%20512%20of%20ann%20arbor%2C%20mi&f=false

 

My Grandmother was magical. Her name was Amelia Grayer Ream 1995-1965.

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Amelia Ream beautiful portrait pic with glasses

I had a magical Grandmother. 

Her name was Amelia Grayer Ream but I called her “Grandma Pet.” In 2012 I became a grandmother. I asked my family to let me also be called “Grandma Pet” it was my way to honor her.

Grandma was magical in nature, but this was not to say that her life was without a great deal of struggle, heartache, and physical pain. Her response to these life challenges has tremendously helped to shape me because in the midst of those considerations she was purely delighted by family and life. She was happy and she carried a smile on her lips and in her eyes, she laughed in a contagious manner. She knew her friends because she cared to listen to them. She clapped for us (her granddaughters) because of the delight we brought her. Her most beautiful attribute was her complete love for family. When I sat on her lap, it was as if I had entered a safe, cozy, spot where the eyes looking down at me reflected only admiration and joy. I still remember leaning into her soft body and being surrounded by her arms while I smiled back up at her hoping she could see my love for her. All these many years later, my memories of her are filled from my senses. I can see her, I can hear her and feel her touch. And, because this is from a childhood memory, I can also see and almost taste the candy kept on the highboy chest in her dining room. During my sleepovers with Grandma Pet, we would share a bed and ever so quietly as I snuggled close to her she would recite the 23rd Psalm in a way that still brings me comfort.

My sisters and I loved to watch the Lawrence Welk show on her black and white TV. Her TV had a funny film laid on top of the screen. This film was blue at the top of the screen and  green at the bottom. This gave the rather lame impression that we were watching in color.

My grandmother’s body was full of rheumatoid arthritis. Because she could not dance along with the Lennon Sisters on the Lawrence Welk show, my sisters and I twirled and danced for her.  As a young child I heard people say that my Grandma was crippled. The only evidence I had of this was that she had to crawl up instead of walk up the stairs. Being a child, I did the best I could and just crawled with her turning my head to smile and encourage. I was rather proud to hear how she liked getting injections in her joints. I thought it must be very special to enjoy getting a shot.

When I arrived on the planet, my Grandmother Pet was already 68 years old. By this time, she had been a widow for 24 years. She had never remarried after the early death of my grandfather. At the time of my birth, she was still running her “tourist” house at 520 N. Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. She  lived on the main floor of this grand 3 story home. The 2 stories above her housed the rented rooms for the guests traveling through the city (mostly sales persons or folks associated with the University.) The basement level of the house had a huge mangle for the sheets to be pressed for the guests.

Grandma Pet Amelia Ream Tourist Home on N. Main Street Ann Arbor

We always walked in the back door to visit Grandma. This would lead us straight into her kitchen. Again, I need to use the word magic. She could whip up everyone’s favorites in that kitchen on a short order notice. If I was there with my 2 sisters, she would make each of us our special meal. 3 girls and 3 menus! There was also a special jar in the kitchen. She called it the riddle jar. My Grandmother had to lead a very frugal life so she found inexpensive ways to entertain. She would find funny jokes in the newspaper and cut them out into little strips of paper that would be folded and added to the riddle jar. The very special treat that came as a food treat with the riddle jar were Purple Cows for me and my sisters. In case you do not know, a purple cow was a float with vanilla ice cream on grape soda pop. My sisters and I were allowed to take turns pulling out a slip of paper from the riddle jar and reading the jokes aloud. We laughed. Oh, how we laughed and laughed. I still thank her for making humor a part of our family treasure.

Grandma was born in Ann Arbor, MI on 14 September 1885. She fell in love and married my grandfather Grover Cleveland Ream. He was a carpenter. Many of the fine fraternity houses in Ann Arbor were built by my grandfather. He also built the home on North Main Street. This was the home that also was used to house the business of “tourist home.”

Grandma Pet was 27 when she married. My grandparents had twin boys that died in infancy in 1913. They had another son in 1919 who also died as a 2 day old infant. Then they had my Uncle Bob and 8 years after that, my mother Gretchen was born. My Grandmother Pet was 40 years old when my mother was born. My Grandfather died at the age of 45. My mother was only 5 years old at the time of her father’s death. This was a sadness that would be a part of my mother’s life story because she was not old enough to have more that a couple of memories of her own father. The lesson we learned from her was to always treasure each moment we share with those we love.

My Grandmother was left alone as a single mother just as the Great Depression was beginning.

2 days after my birthday in 1965, my father woke me up very early in the morning. He hugged me and told me that Grandma Pet was now an angel. He told me she had died overnight and had gone to heaven. I was so heartbroken, but also I knew that she always had been an angel. I still love her with my whole heart. I also am honored to carry her namesake, “Grandma Pet.”

 

 

c1910
My grandparents in 1915 when they were in San Francisco
520 N. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI c1933
My Great Grandmother and Grandmother c1939

What kind of work did our grandparents do?

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My nephew, Kevin, inspired me by a question that he asked some time ago. That question has very much been in the back of my mind for some time now. The question was, “what kind of work (occupations) did our ancestors have?” So, today, I thought I would start to document some of the occupations that make up my story of ancestry and the also the ancestry story of those that I love. I will simply write a paragraph or so about several of those ancestors and hope that you will enjoy sharing your insight into this topic as well.

GROVER CLEVELAND REAM – CARPENTER – MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER

I will start with my maternal grandfather. His name was Grover Cleveland Ream. He was born on 16 Sept. 1885 in Denver, Miami County, Indiana. In the US census from 1900, Grover was living in Ann Arbor, MI and was a mere 14 years old. The 1900 census shows that his father Benjamin Ream (my great grandfather) was a carpenter. Grover, like his father, would also become a carpenter. It was always my understanding that he was exceptional at his trade. I found a copy of his death certificate that shows the last date that he was engaged in his occupation was February of 1931. He died the next month on 26 Mar 1931. He was young, only 45 years old at his death. My mother was a mere 5 years old at the time her father died. In my ancestry notes, I have copies of news articles showing his association with the Carpenter’s Union 512 of Ann Arbor where he served as an officer. In addition to many of the important buildings he constructed, there was also the home he built for his family at 520 N. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI that would become not only a residence, but a guest home.

EMILIE “AMELIA” ANGELINA GRAYER REAM – GUEST HOUSE HOST – MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER

My maternal grandmother was Emilie “Amelia” Angelina Grayer Ream. She was born on 14 Sept. 1885 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan. Actually, as I write this blog, I notice for the first time that my grandparents birthdays were a mere 2 days apart. My grandmother would affectionally be called “Grandma Pet. ” I loved her beyond measure. She died 1 day after my 11th birthday party on 13 Feb 1965. I have many treasured memories of her humor, sweetness, and joy for life. My grandmother’s occupation was to run the guest home in her residence on Main Street in Ann Arbor. I was under the impression that the guests who stayed at the home were primarily business or sales men who were often associated the University of Michigan. In the basement of the home was a large ironing mangle (it impressed me greatly) that was used to iron the sheets of the house guests.

GEORGE KELLOGG HESS, SR. – ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, ORCHARD FARMER, POLITICAL ACTIVIST – MY PATERNAL GRANDFATHER

My paternal grandfather was George Kellogg Hess, Sr. He was born 6 Sept. 1891 in Benton Harbor, Berrien County, Michigan. He was born on a successful fruit farm whose harvests supplied the Chicago market and other large cities. He wanted to leave the farm! My father told me that George did NOT want to be a farmer. In the WWI draft application he completed on 5 June 1917, he states that he is employed by Western Electric Company, Hawthorne Station, Chicago. He went on to graduate from the University of Michigan in 1921 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. I have been told that he was a genius. He worked in Chicago for the electrical company until 1930. Perhaps you will recall the story my father told us so often. My father became direly ill in 1930 (he was 5 years old) and the doctors in Chicago said the only hope for my father’s survival was to move the family to the countryside and out of the large city. What? I know…huh? Anyway, this put George back at the orchard farm in Benton Harbor, MI. This was the same place he had so wanted to leave as a young man. My father’s story is even more amazing because at exactly the same time as my father became ill, George’s father Juan Hess died leaving the farm to George. George must have not liked going back to the farm enough that when his obituary was written it states that he “was a retired electrical engineer” without mention of his successful management of the farm. I have collected numerous newspaper articles that show that George was an activist, even to the point of traveling to Washington to lobby for certain changes that primarily related to pipelines, farm taxes and migrant workers.

HENRIETTA SPRUHAN – PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER- MUSICIAN AND DICTAPHONE OPERATOR

Henrietta was born on 31 Jan 1894 in Illinois. In 1914 she graduated from the Chicago Musical College. She was a very accomplished pianist. (As a note, in 1930 when the family was forced to move to Benton Harbor, MI and back to the farm, she would not agree to go unless she had her grand piano too.) In the 1920 census, Henrietta was 26 years old and single. She is living with her parents. In the census records, she lists her occupation as Dictaphone Operator. I recall that my father told me this was an honorable position that she was able to claim because her pianist’s hands moved so quickly on the keys of the dictaphone.

EUGENE LUDLOW BARNES “E.L.” – PATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF MY SISTER’S HUSBAND- SCHOOL TEACHER, COACH, SHEET METAL WORKER AT A SHIP YARD, A CHEIF DEPUTY SHERIFF AND UNION OFFICIAL.

E.L. was born on 5 August 1906 in Bond, Stone, Mississippi. His home in the 1930 census (when he was 23 years old) was in Columbia, Marion, Mississippi. He listed his occupation as school teacher. In the 1940 census, he still is a teacher and states that he has had 3 years of college education. (This question was particular to the 1940 census, so I don’t know when he actually attended college.) It is known that he was a graduate of Mississippi College. In 1940 he was living in Hattiesburg, Forrest, Mississippi.

ALICE “CHRISTINE” THOMPSON- PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER OF MY SISTER’S HUSBAND- STUDENT, HOMEMAKER

Christine was born on 10 June 1905 in Grange, Lawrence County, Mississippi. In the 1930 census she is 24 years old and states that she is a student. This must have been college, but I do not have educational records for her. In the 1940 census she lists her education level as having completed 1 year of college.

FRANCESCO “FRANK” BIVONA- MATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF MY SISTER’S HUSBAND- CLERK IN SILK FACTORY, CONTRACTOR, INSURANCE AGENT

Frank was born on the 30 November 1904 in Mendoza, Argentina. He arrived in New York in 1916. In the 1920 census, Frank states that he is a clerk in a silk factory. In his 1928 petition for citizenship, he lists his occupation as contractor. In the 1940 census, he lists his occupation as an Insurance Agent. In the 1940 census, folks were asked to record their level of education. Frank states that he had completed school through 6th grade.

ANGELINA “ANGIE” CIRABISI – MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER OF MY SISTER’S HUSBAND – CLOTHING INDUSTRY

Angie was born on 6 September 1909 in New York City, New York. In the 1940 census she lists her occupation as worker in the clothing industry.

Amelia Wisthoff Grayer 1861-1955. My Great Grandma Grayer.

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A family story of my Great Grandmother – Amelia Wisthoff Grayer 1861 – 1955

There she was in 1871, a child of only 10 years old, and on her way to America. Amelia Wisthoff was leaving Prussia while her family was staying briefly behind. A wealthy family would take Amelia with them so she could serve as a play-mate companion to their daughter. From my understanding, this family was kind and generous to Amelia and allowed her to be tutored with their own daughter. I have been unable to locate any ship records with her name nor do I know the name of the family that provided her passage. I took a few hand written notes when I was young and talking with my mother about our family history. I was told that Amelia had come to America on a steam vessel. In fact, the only verification that I have for this whole story is from my mother’s recounting and the fact that Amelia’s arrival in America did occur before the rest of her family.

It was not until 1906, that America required daughters and wives to appeal for citizenship. They previously only carried the status of their father or husband. Of course, Amelia did arrive many years prior to 1906 making it more difficult to research her arrival. There is no packet of information about citizenship, because it was never required and would not have been possible for a woman to complete.

The only way to figure out or try to verify Amelia’s date of immigration is from the US census records. In census records of 1880 and 1900, Amelia lists her place of birth as Prussia.  By the time of the 1910 census she lists her place of birth as Germany rather than Prussia. This is easy to historically explain as the borders were changing often. My mother told me that she came from a place near Berlin.

Here is a map from Prussia in 1871: (source is lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical)

The subject of this story, Amelia Wisthoff Grayer, was my maternal great grandmother. I was one year old at the time of her death in 1955. I am fortunate to have photographs of her and my great grandfather, August Grayer.

August and Amelia Grayer portrait

I am also fortunate to have photographs of myself with my great grandmother.

Linda Claire in Grandma Grayer's lap

For the rest of this story, I will refer to Amelia as “Grandma Grayer” for that is what our family called this strong and lovely woman who lived a long full life. My mother would be close to her grandmother, would spend much of her childhood having her girlhood home opened to have her grandmother live in and even sharing a bedroom with Grandma Grayer.

Gretchen Ream Hess with her Grandmother Amelia Grayer

In her adult life, Grandma Grayer spent much of her time doing amazing crocheting and tatting.  My sister, Mary Ann, carries on the tradition of advanced crochet skills and has made heirloom blankets, snow flake art pieces, and lovely hats – all with a great sense of color and style. It is nice to know this tradition carries on in our family- a special type of legacy.

Grandma Grayer crocething

But, now, back to 1871. Grandma Grayer had started the voyage to the U.S.A. as a 10 year old. The destination would eventually lead her to Ann Arbor, MI. Ann Arbor had a large German settlement. It seems that about 75% of the Germans who came to Washtenaw County were from Württemberg. My mother had told me that she had come from a place near to Berlin. I do not have any documents that support her German city of origin.

Grandma Grayer’s parents would follow Amelia within a year, arriving stateside in 1872.  My family called her parents (my great great grandparents) “Grandfather Wisthoff” and “Little Grandma”. They were William Wisthoff and Ernestine (or Ernestina) Nevroth. We also have family photographs of these great great grandparents.

William and Ernestine Wisthoff

Grandmother Grayer was one of 4 girls and had 3 younger sisters.

The 2nd in the birth order of the girls and Grandma Grayer’s sister was Hulda Grayer. At the age of 19, Hulda married Adolph Kern in Washtenaw County. In the 1910 census, Hulda and Adolph live at 717 N. Main Street. Adolph worked in a flouring mill as a miller. Hulda stayed at home and worked as a seamstress. Huldah’s 1927 death certificate gives her address as 926 Catherine Street, Ann Arbor.

Hulda kern death certificate

The 3rd sister in the birth order was Emma Grayer who arrived in America at the age of 5.  Emma would marry Fred William Ehrenberg who was a blacksmith and owned his own shop. They lived at 170 Pontiac Road, Salem Township, MI. Emma died in 1936 when my mother was only 11 years old. I do have a copy of her death certificate that states she died from apoplexy with a contributing factor of high blood pressure.

Emma Ehrenberg death certificate

The youngest of the girls was A. Ernestina Grayer. She would marry William Carl Scherdt.  William was a woodworker who worked at Ann Arbor Machine Company. In a government form he completed he states that he is unable to serve in the service because he lost his right leg to his knee. He also states that they reside at 302 N. Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI.

William carl Scherdt draft registration

Now, let’s travel 5 years forward from Grandma Grayer’s arrival in the states. The next part of the story seems VERY strange from our 2018 perspective, but was more common in 1877.  You see, Grandma Grayer was only 15 years old on February 1st, 1877, when she married August Grayer who was 28 years old.

 

They had their first son Herman Grayer (my great uncle) on October 29, 1877. At the time of Herman’s birth, Grandma Grayer was only 16 years old!

Herman Grayer portrait

The wedding records for Grandma Grayer and August Grayer list his name as August Frederick Kreuger. My mother told me a story about the Kreuger/ Grayer name story, but I was very young and do not recall all of the details. I do remember that there was some sort of divide and conflict in the Kreuger family and some of the folks including my great grandfather changed their last name to Grayer. I am so lucky that I took notes of this discussion. It is funny for me to look at my hand-writing.  I recognize it as my junior high/high school penmanship.

Linda handwritten notes on Grayer name

I do not know if Grandma Grayer’s marriage was arranged. August was known to be a hard working farmer. He spent most of his time farming in Scio Township, MI but retired 8 years prior to his death and then lived at 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI. This is more exact information on his place of birth: Hammer-Sandkrug, Posen Province, Prussia. He arrived in America when he was approximately 15 years old.

In 1879, Grandma Grayer was 17 years old. She had a new sister born the same year that she gave birth to her second child, a girl. Grandma Grayer’s second child was Whilimina L. “Minnie” Grayer was born on 23 April 1879. This was our “Aunt Minnie.” She married Frederick Gross. He was a merchant and first operated a store at 115 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI and then at 309 S. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI.

Minnie Grayer Gross portrait.jpg

In the 1880 census, records indicate that Grandma Grayer and her husband August Grayer are living with their son Herman, and their daughter “Louise” (I believe that Louise is Great Aunt Minnie’s second name.)  August’s 23 year old brother Fred Grayer is also living with them at the time of the census.  (note: they also lived just 2 houses away from Grandma Grayer’s parents- The Wisthoff’s.) Some of Grandma Grayer’s sisters are younger than her own son Herman Grayer!

In 1880, there was a U.S. census taken. August is now 34 years old, and Grandma Grayer is 21 years old. August’s occupation was as a farmer and he states that his birth place and the birth place of his parents was Prussia. Grandma Grayer also lists her birth place and her parent’s birth place as Prussia. In this census year, Grandma Grayer’s father, William Wisthoff, was only 46. (Remember that Grandma Grayer was considerably younger than her husband which explains why William and August’s ages are so close together.)

Sometime after the census report was taken, Grandma Grayer had her 3rd child in 1880. This was her daughter Huldah Amelia Grayer born 26 November 1880 in Scio Township, Washtenaw County, MI. Huldah was obviously given her name as a namesake to Grandmother Grayer’s sister Huldah. This newest daughter of Grandma Grayer’s is our “Aunt Hud.”

4 Generations with Ernestine Nevroth Wisthoff

The fashion of re-naming seems to run strongly in our family.  Grandma Grayer herself was an Amelia (originally Emilie) and then named her daughter, my grandmother, Amelia (this was Grandma Pet.) I named my daughter Amy, a derivative of the name Amelia, and a name that is so beautiful to me and means, dearly loved, or beloved.

In 1882, Grandma Grayer was only 21 years old. She had her 4th child at this time, a son, Ernest August Grayer, born on 22 October 1882. Ernest would later move out of state to Washington. He married Tessie Viola Nienkirk. For some funny reason, I remember my mother saying these words as I scribbled them on a back of a photograph of him, “He left, and never came back.”

Herman and Ernest Grayer.jpg

On 14 September 1885, Grandma Grayer gave birth to my “Grandmother Pet” who was Amelia Grayer. This was a truly beloved Grandmother. When I became a grandmother myself in 2012, I asked to be also called “Grandma Pet” as a tribute to this woman who was for me a form of truest love. I will write a blog on my Grandmother soon. She married Grover Cleveland Ream, a carpenter, in Ann Arbor.

portrait of young Amelia Augusta Ream

In 1888, Grandma Grayer had a daughter Adelaide Amanda Grayer. She would marry Frederick Miller.

In 1897, Grandma Grayer’s father, William Wisthoff, died of consumption.

The youngest of Grandma Grayer’s children was “Aunt Babe.” This was Helen Mae Grayer born on May 20, 1890. She married Walter Mayer.

Helen Mae Grayer portrait young.jpg

In the census of 1900, we see that Grandma Grayer confirms her entry date from Prussia as 1871.  Her husband, August Grayer, who was by then a naturalized citizen, had immigrated in here in 1864.  Because he is a citizen she would automatically have had that status also.  August came from Hammer-Sandkrug, Posen Province, Prussia.

August Grayer certificate of citizenship

In 1908, there is a posting in the newspaper for the sale of August and Grandma Grayer’s 63 acre farm, 5 miles north of Ann Arbor.

for sale by August Grayer

By the census year 1910 under the name Wisthoff, we see that Grandma Grayer’s mother “Little Grandma” Ernestine Nevroth Wisthoff had stated that she immigrated in 1872 which is a year after Grandma Grayer arrived here in the states. This census also shows that Ernestine (Grandma Grayer’s mother) is living in Ann Arbor at 602 Goth Street (probably Gott Street that was misspelled).  “Little Grandma” is living there with Grandma Grayer’s sister, A. Ernestine Grayer Scherdt and her son-in-law, William Carl Scherdt. “Little Grandma” lists her occupation as nurse. Her son-in-law, William’s occupation is ladder maker.

I also remember that my Grandma Grayer was a nurse. I think at this time in history, it might have been a learned skill rather than something obtained by years of education. Her mother was a nurse, and she might well have studied under her mother.

Also in the 1910 census, the birth location for Grandma Grayer and August Grayer has changed from Prussia to Germany. Grandma Grayer is now 49 years old and August is 61 years old.

In May of 1912, the paper announces that August Grayer and Grandma Grayer’s new home is almost ready to be moved in to. This will be the house at 404 N. Ashley, Ann Arbor, MI.

home almost completed August Grayer.jpg

1917 must have been a very difficult year for Grandma Grayer. In July of that year, her mother (“Little Grandma”) passed away and then one month later in August, her husband August Grayer passed away too. By now Grandma Grayer is already 55 years of age.

August Grayer death notice

Grandma Grayer re-married in 1920 and the marriage was brief, lasting only a few years. I believe it ended in divorce. She married Edward Osiander. He was employed at the time as a foreman at the Hoover Ball Plant. He had a previous divorce from a wife also named Amelia. My mother said this marriage was not talked about much in her presence.

Amelia Grayer weds Osiander

In 1930, Grandma Grayer is living as the head of household at 404 N. Ashley and has 2 boarders. By this time, my mother, Gretchen Ream, who was a girl of 5 in 1930 was living at 520 N. Main Street, only a short walk to see her grandmother! My mother would lose her father in 1931. I do not know at what point Grandma Grayer came to live with Grandma Pet, my mother Gretchen Hess and my uncle Robert Ream on North Main Street, but my mother often recounted living with her Grandmother from childhood thru young adulthood. My guess is that she moved to North Main after Grover’s death, although it does look like she spent some time also at Uncle Herman’s house- just a block or so away.

The home on 520 N. Main was a house for lodgers. This was the livelihood of Grandma Pet (Amelia Grayer Ream.) The house was only a short walk to the downtown district and the University of Michigan.

Tourist rooms at 520 N. Main Street

Although Grandma Grayer lost part of her vision as she aged, I believe that at her time of death at age 93, she was living a full life. Photos of her at this age still show her with a crochet project in her hands.

Grandma Grayer's obit

 

 

Here are some of the addresses I have traced from Ann Arbor city directories for Grandma Grayer:

1910 Grayer, August (Amelia), lab, res. 400 Ashley N., Ann Arbor, MI – (So, just guessing that the lab means they are probably leasing this house. The home they were building at 404 N. Ashley, Ann Arbor, MI was not ready until 1912.)

1911 Grayer, August (Amelia), lab George Bischoff, res. 400 Ashley N., Ann Arbor, MI

1914 Grayer, August (Amelia), fireman George Bischoff, res. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1916 Grayer, August F. (Amelia) res. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1918 Grayer, Amelia (wid. August) res. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1920 Grayer, Amelia (wid. August) res. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1923 Osiander, Edward (Amelia) h. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1927 Grayer, Amelia (wid. August) res. 404 N. Ashley Street, Ann Arbor, MI (Mom was only 2 years old. N. Ashley Street was an easy few blocks from where Mom lived on N. Main.)

1938 Grayer, Amelia L. res. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI (so this means she is living in Uncle Herman’s home)

1939 Grayer, Amelia L. (wid. August) 520 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI MI (so this means she is living in Grandma Pet’s home)

1945 Grayer, Amelia L. (wid. August) 520 N. Main, Ann Arbor,

 

 

Children of Grandma Grayer residences:

Herman:

1910 Grayer, Herman W. (Dell), steamfitter U of M, res. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

1911 Grayer, Herman W. (Dell), fireman U of M, res. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

1916 Grayer, Herman W. (Dell) h. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI – engineer

1927, Grayer, Herman W. (Luella D.) 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI – power plant at U. of M.

1938 Grayer, Herman (Luella D.) 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI – eng., U of M building and grounds dept.

1939 Grayer, Herman (Luella) h. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI

1945 Grayer, Herman (Luella) h. 502 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI – eng. U of M

 

Minnie:

1904 Gross, Frederick W. (Minnie L.) clerk Jacob Lutz, Ren. 320 E. Madison

1937 Gross, Fred W. (Minnie L.) Fine tailoring, Woolens Direct from the looms, tested by the Better Business Bureau 401 First National Building, h 102 Crest, Ann Arbor, MI

Hulda:

1900 Grayer, Huldah, domestic 331 E. Liberty

1906 from a Detroit Directory– Grayer, Huldah, machine operator, rooms at 75 Church, Detroit, MI

 

Helen:

1910 Grayer, Helen, seamstress for Mack & Co., bds. at 400 Ashley North, Ann Arbor. (So this is the same house # and street name as Grandma Grayer’s- see above)

1911 Grayer, Helen, seamstress for Mack & Co., bds. at 400 Ashley North, Ann Arbor.

 

Grandma Pet (Amelia):

1900 (from the census records) There is a notation that Ernest Grayer (age 18) and Amelia Grayer (Grandma Pet, age 14) are living with Foster and Martha Brown in Ann Arbor Township. Ernest is a farmhand and Amelia (Grandma Pet) is a domestic.

1904 Grayer, Amelia, domestic, 509 E. Jefferson, Ann Arbor, MI

1906 Grayer, Amelia, 212 12th Ann Arbor, MI

1910 Grayer, Amelia, domestic 314 Huron E., Ann Arbor, MI

1911 Grayer, Amelia, domestic 314 Huron E., Ann Arbor, MI

1923 Ream, Grover C. (Amelia A.) contractor, 520 N. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI h same

1924 Ream, Grover C. (Amelia) contractor carpenter, 520 N. Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI

1930 Ream, Grover (Amelia A.) building contractor, 547 S. 4th Ave. h do

 

For more photos of the Grayer and Ream family…visit my Google photo album: https://goo.gl/photos/NzDjP4obCYqhURhS6

Grandma Grayer with 4 of her daughters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Grover Cleveland Ream 1885-1931 – my Grandfather

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I believe this photo of Grover was taken on his honeymoon in Sept. 1912
Photo of Grover as a child. He is standing on the far left of the photo

When Grover Cleveland Ream was born on 16 September 1885, in Miami County, Indiana, his father, Benjamin Ream, was 31 and his mother, Harriet Fike, was 21.

Grover  went by the name “Clevie” which was an abbreviation of his middle name.  He was one of 9 children.  In the 1900 census,  his father Benjamin is listed as head of household and states that his occupation is a carpenter.  This would also become Grover’s occupation.  His mother, Harriet, listed her occupation as “laundry business.” In the 1900 census, Grover was 14 years old and was in school.  By that time, the family lived in Ann Arbor, MI on Wells Street.

The link  below takes you to a catalog of Ann Arbor High School for the academic year of 1900-1901 and shows that Grover attended classes there.

https://books.google.com/books?id=jwDiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=grover+ream+ann+arbor&source=bl&ots=s4rEoEBiuT&sig=lJp0NDgVXjnGAC3x7FUEqIJja1A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3Me_UsrPKO66yAH0_4D4Cw#v=onepage&q=grover%20ream%20ann%20arbor&f=false

Grover’s siblings were Winfield Emery Ream (1883-1940), Lucy Katherine Ream (1887-1976), John B. Ream (1891-1967), Harriet Isobel Ream (1894-1969), William B. Ream (1897-1982), Josephine Marie Ream (1901-1957), and baby Ream (1903-1903).

Grover married Amelia Grayer on 26 September 1912, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He died on 26 March 1931 in Ann Arbor, MI, at the age of 45, and was buried there.  Sadly, my mother was only 5 years old at the time her father Grover died and my Uncle Bob was only 13 years old.  My mother had very few memories of her father but continued to express her love and longing for him during her entire life.  My grandmother, Amelia (a.k.a. “Grandma Pet”), would remain a widow for the next 34 years until her death in 1965.  Grover’s death had happened during the time of the Great Depression.  My grandmother’s income would be made by running a tourist house on North Main Street.  My Uncle Bob, was a young teen when his father died, and he assumed an adult role of helping to care for his mother, his grandmother who lived with them, and his younger sister (my mother).

Both Grover and Amelia were 27 at the time they were married.  Amelia’s family home had been on North Ashley Street, in Ann Arbor, MI.  In the records of their marriage, Grover lists his employment as a carpenter.  The best man was John Ream and the maid of honor was Julia Reichenecker ( a life-long friend of my grandmother).

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Grover and Amelia were 32 years old when they had my Uncle, Robert Emerson Ream.  They were 40 years old, when they had my mother, Gretchen Lois Ream.  I was also told that they had twin boys who both perished as infants.  I believe the twins may have been born and buried in California and would have been the oldest children.  I believe that the twins were named Richard and Robert.  There was another son, named Richard Philip who was born on January 18, 1918 and died two days later on January 20, 1918.

In Grover’s WWI draft registration, he states that he is tall and slender with blue eyes and brown hair.

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Grover was in the Carpenter’s Union #512 and served as their treasurer and seems to have been greatly involved with the social life of his union friends.  I have included a link to an interesting article about Carpenters during this time of history in Ann Arbor.

ttps://books.google.com/books?id=fxo2AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA26&lpg=RA2-PA26&dq=carpenters+union+512+of+ann+arbor,+mi&source=bl&ots=LTUsQheyDM&sig=Ha9RxOkg2jVOSnmOnG86tmOGsac&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwij84nlvevLAhUHmoMKHSlGC2sQ6AEINDAG#v=onepage&q=carpenters%20union%20512%20of%20ann%20arbor%2C%20mi&f=false

It was only recently, that I began to understand that my Grandfather may have known that he had a serious health issue.  He had made such an effort to enlarge the home at 520 N. Main Street into a 3 story multi-bedroom home that served my Grandmother well as a source of income while she used it for a tourist house with “rooms for rent.”  This all happened fairly close to the time of his decease.  My mother was proud of the work her father had done as a carpenter and would often point out buildings on the U of M campus in Ann Arbor that her father had helped to complete.  It appears that Grover died of cancer.  At the time of his death, this diagnosis was not generally discussed and so I do not have full details.  My grandmother, Amelia, became very unstable for a period of time shortly after his death.  It was ALWAYS my understanding that the whole family continued to miss his presence for all of their lives.

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The Washtenaw Tribune 27 Mar 1931