Living

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Cass City Chronicle
September 6, 1995
Page 11

Harold Kolb

Harold G. Kolb, 91, of Waterford, died August 26.

He was born in Tuscola County, July 27, 1904. He and Beatrice (Goodell) Kolb had been married for 68 years.

Kolb was an experimental engineer at General Motors Truck and Coach for over 38 years. He was a member of St. Perpetua Catholic Church and the 50 & Up Club.

He is survived by his sons, Gerald (Marjorie) KOLB of Las Vegas and Rodney KOLB of Fenton; a daughter Kathleen (James) BURNS of Waterford; 7 grandchidlren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, Frederick, and a grandson.

Mass of the Resurrection was held Tuesday, August 29, at St. Perpetua Catholic Church, with Father Richard Rakoczy officiating. Interment was in All Saints Catholic Cemetery. Simpson-Modetz Funeral Home, Waterford, made the arrangements.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

Harold married Beatrice Ellen Goodell on 1 Aug 1927. Beatrice was born on 22 Dec 1907 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 14 May 2004 in Oakland County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

George took up homesteading across the road from his folks, but when his mother died, he sold the homestead to pay for her funeral.

He worked in the area known as Harwick Pines.

He was over six-and-a-half feet tall. Wife Annie was not quite five feet. It was said that when George died, the undertaker had a problem finding a large enough casket. It was rumored George's legs had to broken for him to fit.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, March 4, 1932
Vol. 26, Number 47

Pioneer Residents Called By Death Edw. Knoblet, Geo. Kolb and Geo. Parrott Have all Resided Here over 50 years

Geo. H. Kolb

Geo. H. Kolb passed away at Pleasant Home hospital at Cass City on Friday morning, Feb. 26, at the age of 74 years. Funeral services were conducted at the Evangelical church by Rev. C.E. Smith, on Sunday afternoon.

Born Nov. 5, 1857, at Milwaukee, Wis., Mr. Kolb came to Michigan with his parents when he was 7 years of age. Except for 10 years residence at St. Johns, he lived in the vicinity of Cass City. In September, 1883, he was married to Anne Holmes Cleaver. To them nine children were born, three of whom prededed the father in death.

Mr. Kolb is survived by his widow, five daughters, Mrs. Edith Ormes of St. Johns, Mrs. Iva Wisniewski and Mrs. Helen Markin, both of Detroit, Mrs. Elsie Brueggeman of Philadelphia, and Mrs. Bernice Kleinschmidt of Cass City; one son, Harold Kolb of Pontiac; two sisters, Mrs. A.J. Craw and Mrs. Rose Don, both of Caro; eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren. All the children were present at the funeral service.

Kindness was a crowning virtue of the deceased and to the surviving family and his friends he will be remembered as a kind man.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

George married Caroline Annabel "Annie" Holmes in Sep 1883 in Tuscola County, Michigan. Caroline was born on 15 Apr 1867 in Ellington Township, Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 21 Mar 1951 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Called "Annie." She was legally adopted by the Cleaver's when she was 12 years old, as her mother had died at the birth of her last child, who was stillborn. Annie remembered her brothers using a little ditty to remember their names. She said "they were Alf and Doug and Mac, Charlie, Keat and Jack, James and Henry." Her sister was named Catherine, after their mother. All contact was lost with her birth family. Apparently only the girls were adopted out, the boys all being big enough for their father, Caleb, to care for and to help him with the farm.

Annie went to with the Cleaver family to help cook for the men that worked in the forest. There she met George and they were married. Later they moved to St. John, Michigan, and then on to Cass City.

An item in the Cass City paper (circa 1947) reads:

""One Cow Heard" Brings Owner Nice Revenue

The "one cow heard" of Mrs. Geo Kolb, who lives in Elkland Township, on the Tuscola-Sanilac County Line, brought its owner a check for $20.30 for milk produced the first two weeks of July. Mrs. Kolb is in the eightieth year and cares for the cow herself and does the milking.

Her grandchildren, sent over to help with the chores, remember that she would not allow anyone to milk HER cow. She would, however, put them to work, telling them she'd have a surprise for them at supper. When they came in, their would be a big, deep dish apple pie, warm from the oven. She had apples years round, as she would thread the excess on a string to dry.

Annie was thrifty, drinking hot water reather than coffee. She would sometimes flavor it with hot milk and call it 'Cambridge tea.'

At Easter, the children could have all the eggs they wanted, but this was the only time. The rest of the year, eggs were sold for money that was needed to help raise such a large family.

(Excerpted from Art Peck's book)

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, March 23, 1951

BULLETIN

Mrs. George Kolb, for many years a resident of Elkland township, died Wednesday in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ted Bruggeman, in Philadelphia, Pa. and was brought to Cass City Saturday. Funeral services will be held in the Douglas Funeral Home Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock.

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, March 30, 1951

Mrs. Kolb Funeral Rites Held Sunday

Funeral services for Mrs. George H. Kolb, former Elkland township resident, who died in Philadelphia last week, were held Sunday afternoon at the Douglas Funeral Home, Rev. S.R. Wurtz officiating. Interment was in Elkland cemetery.

The former Annie Holmes, she was born April 15, 1867 in Ellington Township. She married George H. Kolb in 1883 at Caro. In 1900, Mr. and Mrs. Kolb moved to their farm in Elkland Township on Greenland Road where Mr. Kolb died 18 years ago. Mrs. Kolb remained on the farm until a few years ago when she went to live with her daughters in Detroit, St. Johns and Philadelphia because of her failing health.

Mrs. Kolb is survived by five daughters, Mrs. Leon Ormes of St. Johns, Mrs. Walter Wisniewski of Detroit, Mrs. Charles Kleinschmidt of Dearborn, Mrs. Ted Brueggeman of Philadelphia, Pa. and Mrs. Walter Markin of Birmingham, one son, Harold Kolb of Pontiac, 11 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren. Three children also preceded her in death.

Other out-of-town relatives who attended her funeral included Mrs. Ferris Jamison and daughters of Saginaw, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Abke of Caro, Mr. and Mrs. Robt Wagner and family of North Branch, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gordon of Pontiac, Mr. and Mrs. Morley Wright of Oxford, Mr.a nd Mrs. Lester Theill of Flint, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Helbeck and family of St. Johns and Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Nix, Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Theill, Mr. and Mrs. Eldred Wright, and Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Theill, all of Detroit.

(Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, Summer 2007)

The classified section of the Cass City Chronicle, March 30, 1951, page 7, also contained the following note of thanks:

It is with deep appreciation and gratitude that we acknowledge the kindness and thoughtful consideration of our loving friends in sharing with us the loss of our dear mother, Mrs. Annie Kolb. We also express our thanks to Rev. Wurtz and those assisting him in the services. The family.