For the past three Saturdays, I have shared a letter written by my great
aunt Martha Elisabeth Pape Bleidt (1890-1980), my paternal grandfather's
older sister, in 1969. She sent it to a distant cousin, Lawrence Pape,
who'd found me through this blog.
Aunt Martha's letter started out "Grandfather Pape [Jacob Pape, and his wife Elisabeth Gierse] had 4 sons: John - Joseph - Anton - Lawrence."
The first three parts of the letter talked about Joseph, Anton, and Lawrence (or Laurenz or Lorenz). The last part is about the oldest son, John, who is my great-grandfather and Martha's father.
Transcription: John Pape had three wives. John Pape and his first wife had 2 daughters. The mother and the two children passed away. Then John went back to Germany and married Gertrude Kramer and came back to Evanston, Illinois. They had 7 children. Clara, Martha, Rhea, Leo, Paul, Dick, and Walter. Clara, Rhea, Dick, and Walter are not married. Leo married Gretchen Reis and she has passed away. Paul is married to Betty Massmann and they have 5 children and 28 grandchildren. I, Martha, was married to Charles Bleidt (who passed away 10 years ago) and we had 3 children. Now I have 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. I hope this gives you the information you desire. Martha Pape Bleidt (over) - My father's third wife was Henrietta Reimer (We called her Aunt Agnes). She passed away in 1937. My father passed away March 9 - 1945."
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John (born Johannes) Pape was born October 25, 1851, in Bödefeld, Westphalia, Germany, and baptized in the Roman Catholic Church three days later. He apparently served in the Kaiser's army sometime before emigrating to the United States about 1880 (according to three US Census records) or 1881 (according to the 1930 Census). I have not yet found him on a passenger list, nor any definitive naturalization records - John Pape is a more common name than I thought.
I was aware of John's first wife from the probate for my Uncle Walt, who died intestate in late December, 1975. The 1910 Census also indicates he had this first marriage, and the 1930 Census indicates he was 28 when it occurred, which would have been about 1879.. I don't know the name of this wife or the two daughters, nor when they died. It's not clear from Aunt Martha's letter whether these deaths occurred before or after John came to America. [ETA - I now know the names, and that the deaths occurred in 1886 and 1887. More on this in a future post.]
However, by 1882-1883, John is living in Evanston, Illinois, according to that city directory, working as a carpenter with a home on the west side of Sherman Avenue, south of Greenleaf.
According to Martha's letter, John went back to Germany and married his second wife, Gertrude Kramer (or Cramer, 1859-1919), around 1888. They came back to Evanston and had seven children.
According to the 1890 Census and city directories, they lived at 1043 Sherman Avenue in Evanston through 1899. John moved from being a carpenter to a partnership in Senge & Pape Dry Goods. In 1900, the U.S. Census shows the family living at 1072 (now 1943) Lawndale Avenue on the north side of Chicago, and John is a dry goods merchant at nearby 889 (now 3060) Armitage (with Senge & Pape). The family's house at 1043 Sherman Avenue in Evanston was rented out. By 1904, according to the Evanston city directory, the family is back at the Sherman Avenue address, where they remained through at least 1925 (according to a city directory). Gertrude died there of liver cancer on August 20, 1919, according to her death certificate (Martha does not note her death in this letter).
On the 1930 Census, John is living with his third wife, Hedwige (not Henrietta) Agnes Burkhardt Reimer (1872-1937), at 1949 Lunt in Chicago, not far from his son Paul (at 2093 Lunt). According to the 1940 Census, John is living in Chicago in 1935, and at 3648 N. Hoyne in Chicago in 1940 with his single sons Walter and Dick (and around the corner from daughter Martha Pape Bleidt at 2043 Waveland). John died at this address of liver cancer on March 9, 1945. John and Gertrude are buried at St. Henry's Cemetery in Chicago.
The picture above includes six of the seven Pape siblings, the children of John and Gertrude Kramer Pape. Clara M. Pape (1889-1975), Martha Elisabeth Pape Bleidt (1890-1981), Leo John "Lee" Pape (1893-1979), Paul Robert Pape (1896-1970), Otto
Richard "Dick" Pape (1898-1972), and Walter Francis Pape (1900-1975). Third child and daughter Rhea Maria Pape (1892-1977) is not in the picture above; perhaps she took it (it was provided by her granddaughter). I've included a photo of Rhea at left that may have been from approximately the same time (this was also provided by her granddaughter).
At the time Martha wrote the letter in 1969 or early 1970, she had three children (a son, daughter, and older stepdaughter), seven grandchildren (two of these were step-grandchildren, and there was one more grandson born in 1973), and four great-grandchildren (at that point). While she mentions brother Paul's five children and 28 grandchildren as of 1970, she forgets to mention Rhea's daughter Patricia Pape Hunter Parks (perhaps because Pat died in auto accident in 1967), and Pat's five daughters and two granddaughters at that point.
I've written about Martha, Rhea, Lee, and Paul and their spouses and children in previous posts - I will write about the single, childless ones - Clara, Dick, and Walter - in future posts.
© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.
Aunt Martha's letter started out "Grandfather Pape [Jacob Pape, and his wife Elisabeth Gierse] had 4 sons: John - Joseph - Anton - Lawrence."
The first three parts of the letter talked about Joseph, Anton, and Lawrence (or Laurenz or Lorenz). The last part is about the oldest son, John, who is my great-grandfather and Martha's father.
Transcription: John Pape had three wives. John Pape and his first wife had 2 daughters. The mother and the two children passed away. Then John went back to Germany and married Gertrude Kramer and came back to Evanston, Illinois. They had 7 children. Clara, Martha, Rhea, Leo, Paul, Dick, and Walter. Clara, Rhea, Dick, and Walter are not married. Leo married Gretchen Reis and she has passed away. Paul is married to Betty Massmann and they have 5 children and 28 grandchildren. I, Martha, was married to Charles Bleidt (who passed away 10 years ago) and we had 3 children. Now I have 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. I hope this gives you the information you desire. Martha Pape Bleidt (over) - My father's third wife was Henrietta Reimer (We called her Aunt Agnes). She passed away in 1937. My father passed away March 9 - 1945."
--
John (born Johannes) Pape was born October 25, 1851, in Bödefeld, Westphalia, Germany, and baptized in the Roman Catholic Church three days later. He apparently served in the Kaiser's army sometime before emigrating to the United States about 1880 (according to three US Census records) or 1881 (according to the 1930 Census). I have not yet found him on a passenger list, nor any definitive naturalization records - John Pape is a more common name than I thought.
I was aware of John's first wife from the probate for my Uncle Walt, who died intestate in late December, 1975. The 1910 Census also indicates he had this first marriage, and the 1930 Census indicates he was 28 when it occurred, which would have been about 1879.. I don't know the name of this wife or the two daughters, nor when they died. It's not clear from Aunt Martha's letter whether these deaths occurred before or after John came to America. [ETA - I now know the names, and that the deaths occurred in 1886 and 1887. More on this in a future post.]
However, by 1882-1883, John is living in Evanston, Illinois, according to that city directory, working as a carpenter with a home on the west side of Sherman Avenue, south of Greenleaf.
According to Martha's letter, John went back to Germany and married his second wife, Gertrude Kramer (or Cramer, 1859-1919), around 1888. They came back to Evanston and had seven children.
According to the 1890 Census and city directories, they lived at 1043 Sherman Avenue in Evanston through 1899. John moved from being a carpenter to a partnership in Senge & Pape Dry Goods. In 1900, the U.S. Census shows the family living at 1072 (now 1943) Lawndale Avenue on the north side of Chicago, and John is a dry goods merchant at nearby 889 (now 3060) Armitage (with Senge & Pape). The family's house at 1043 Sherman Avenue in Evanston was rented out. By 1904, according to the Evanston city directory, the family is back at the Sherman Avenue address, where they remained through at least 1925 (according to a city directory). Gertrude died there of liver cancer on August 20, 1919, according to her death certificate (Martha does not note her death in this letter).
On the 1930 Census, John is living with his third wife, Hedwige (not Henrietta) Agnes Burkhardt Reimer (1872-1937), at 1949 Lunt in Chicago, not far from his son Paul (at 2093 Lunt). According to the 1940 Census, John is living in Chicago in 1935, and at 3648 N. Hoyne in Chicago in 1940 with his single sons Walter and Dick (and around the corner from daughter Martha Pape Bleidt at 2043 Waveland). John died at this address of liver cancer on March 9, 1945. John and Gertrude are buried at St. Henry's Cemetery in Chicago.
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| Standing, from left: Lee Pape, Walter Pape, unknown priest, Dick Pape Seated, from left: Paul Pape, Elizabeth Massmann Pape, Martha Pape Bleidt, Clara Pape |
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| Rhea Pape |
At the time Martha wrote the letter in 1969 or early 1970, she had three children (a son, daughter, and older stepdaughter), seven grandchildren (two of these were step-grandchildren, and there was one more grandson born in 1973), and four great-grandchildren (at that point). While she mentions brother Paul's five children and 28 grandchildren as of 1970, she forgets to mention Rhea's daughter Patricia Pape Hunter Parks (perhaps because Pat died in auto accident in 1967), and Pat's five daughters and two granddaughters at that point.
I've written about Martha, Rhea, Lee, and Paul and their spouses and children in previous posts - I will write about the single, childless ones - Clara, Dick, and Walter - in future posts.
© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.
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