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Note: Henry John VanWelde born 4/27/1912 1320 W.Warren Detroit
Graduated 1934 University of Michigan B.S. Electrical Enginering, member Triangle
A Son of Detroit In a large, roomy, gray house in Detroit, Michigan, April 27, 1912, I first saw the light of day. To look at me now anyone would think I was quite a mite when I was ushered into this world, but I am told I weighed only seven pounds. My father was Henry F. Van Welde a skilled machinist and toolmaker who at the time of my birth was employed at the Northway Motor Co. in Detroit. He was born in New York City and had a Belgium father and a Belgium mother both of whom were born in the United States. My grandfather's parents came from Belgium and settled a block from that part of New York City which later became famous as the Bowery. Here my grandfather was born. He was a small boy during the Civil War and saw Lincoln's funeral when seven years of age. Soon after his marriage and when my father was still a baby the family moved to Detroit where my grandfather is still living. My father's mother was also born in New York City. Her parents came from Bohemia in the later fifties. She died when my father was about five years old. My grandfather married again and my father's stepmother was just like a real mother to him. My mother was formerly Anna B. Smith of Saginaw, Michigan, who taught in the public schools of that city previous to her marriage. Her parents were of Bohemian descent both born in the old country. Grandmother Smith came as an immigrant in 1870 with her parents to Saginaw where she met my grandfather whom she married here in 1874. My mother's father made the trip across the ocean when a lad of fifteen and went directly to Iowa City, Iowa, intending to make his home there with a sister. However when he reached his destination, he found that during the time he was making the trip to America, his sister had moved to Nebraska. The mails were so slow in those days that he had received no notice of her moving. Not wishing to go farther west he finally located in Saginaw, where he had another sister living. Here he and my grandmother lived continuously until his death in 1914. My grandmother is still living and makes her home with us in the same house in which my mother was born. The house in which my early boyhood was spent was a large, gray, three story frame house situated on a sixty foot lot and belonging to my father's parents. The first floor consisted of five living rooms, the sleeping rooms being on the second floor. Above this was a large attic where I liked to romp and play. Behind the house was a large backyard. My father had nearly half of this for his garden. The rest was divided between a chicken coop and yard and the lawn on which I played. As a small boy I was very happy when I was able to unlatch the gate of this chicken yard and chase the chickens until their loud cackling would bring out of the house either mother or grandmother and of course I was carried out of the chicken yard in spite of my loud protests. My father's parents lived with us in this house of my birth. They were especially fond and devoted to me, and I can remember many happy times with them and my parents in this house. One of my favorite pastimes was to have my father or grandfather march through the house to the music of an old fashioned graphaphone while I had the seat of honor on his shoulders. At the age of two a little sister named Mary who later became my playmate was born. When she grew older she occupied my shoulder seat and I brought up in the rear on a newly acquired velocipede, a gift of my grandparents. We were both taught the Bohemian language from infancy and I was nearly four years old before I could speak any English. However circumstances in the next few years gave us children little opportunity to speak the Bohemian language so that now I can only understand it. At the age of three we moved from the house in which we children were born to a new bungalow my parents had built. My father's parents came to live with us here. We had some good times in this house. There was a large backyard and my father built us a playhouse and here all the neighbor's children came to play with us. During the winter time we played in the nice warm basement. How we did race around in it, Mary in the express wagon and I on my velocipede. The summer of 1916, the one following my fourth birthday was unusually hot and my father became ill with rheumatism and on Sept. 29, he was taken from us. Although I missed his companionship, I was too young to realize what it all meant, but my mother tells me I must have known money would not be so plentiful now, for the day my father was buried I told her that now I would have to go to work in order that we have money to buy things with, little realizing that it would be many years before I would be a wage earner. Six months after my father's death my mother sold our home and with my grandfather bought a variety store in Detroit. I did not like the idea of giving up our wonderful playyard and nice home and moving upstairs above the store and having no backyard in which to play. All my boy chums had good backyards so I found plenty of places to play, but of course it was not having my own back yard. I got so that I enjoyed helping in the store especially at Christmas time when we sold so many different kinds of toys. Before we sold the store I had become quite handy as a salesman. During the summer of 1920 the business was sold and we moved to Saginaw, Michigan, my mother's old home, where we had often visited. I attended Kindergarten and first, second and part of third grade at the Columbian School in Detroit which was located across the street from our store. In the Detroit Public Schools the pupils have to buy all the paper, pencils, and pens that they use in the schools. After moving to Saginaw I went to the Houghton School until I entered the seventh grade at the Central Junior High School. Before I entered the Central Junior High School, I had decided upon the Academic Course not because I am certain of going to college, but because it is the safest course. Thus far I have progressed very well in all of my subjects. So far as I know now, I intend to become a mechanical engineer but I may have to change my mind as the future is uncertain, but with thoughts like these, one is bound to suceed. "Yield not, whatever woeful stroke may be thy portion, when befalls the evil day; But draw fresh courage from calamity, and Forward press, where Fortune points the way".
Henry wrote this paper Jan. 3, 1927, for 7th hour English, 9th grade. He received an A. His teacher's notes are; "Very well done. Shows that(?), preparation & care in the writing-also interesting. I enjoyed reading this, especially so because I know you all! J.K.H." (Josephine K. Hugener, maid of honor at parent's wedding)
Name: Mr Henry J Van Welde Gender: Male Race: White Birth Year: abt 1912 Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan Marriage Date: 26 Nov 1944 Marriage Place: Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, USA License County: Saginaw Age: 32 Residence Place: Saginaw Father: Henry F Van Welde Mother: Anna B Smith Spouse: Helen F Kretzmeier Spouse Gender: Female Spouse Race: White Spouse Age: 31 Spouse Birth Place: Astoria, Oregon Spouse Residence Place: Saginaw Spouse Father: Edward Norgard Spouse Mother: Hilda Puhakka
Birth: Apr. 27, 1912 Detroit Wayne County Michigan, USA Death: May 30, 1993 Manatee County Florida, USA
Death Bradenton, Florida unknown if buried or cemated Family links: Parents: Henry Frank Van Welde (1883 - 1916) Anna Barbara Smith Van Welde (1880 - 1960)
Sibling: Henry John Van Welde (1912 - 1993) Mary Antonia Van Welde Engel (1914 - 1983)*
*Calculated relationship
Cremated, Other. Specifically: Believed cremated, unknown
Created by: Barb Pepper Record added: May 23, 2015 Find A Grave Memorial# 146865227
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name: Henry J. Van Welde SSN: 105-05-1620 Last Residence: 34217 Bradenton Beach, Manatee, Florida, USA BORN: 27 Apr 1912 Died: 30 May 1993 State (Year) SSN issued: New York (Before 1951)
1940 United States Federal Census Name: Henry I Van Weide Respondent: Yes Age: 27 Estimated birth year: abt 1913 Gender: Male Race: White Birthplace: Michigan Marital Status: Single Relation to Head of House: Head Home in 1940: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan Map of Home in 1940: View Map Street: Burlingame House Number: 213 Farm: No Inferred Residence in 1935: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan Residence in 1935: Same Place Resident on farm in 1935: No Sheet Number: 9A Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 183 Father's Birthplace: New York Mother's Birthplace: Michigan Occupation: Sales Engineer House Owned or Rented: Rented Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 40 Attended School or College: No Highest Grade Completed: College, 4th year Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 40 Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work Weeks Worked in 1939: 52 Income: 2325 Income Other Sources: No Native Language: Czech Veteran: No Social Security Number: Yes Usual Occupation: Sales Engineer Usual Industry: Ind El Equipment Usual Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work Neighbors: View others on page Household Members: Name Age Henry I Van Weide 27
Saginaw News 12/16/1944 Saturday Oregonian Word has been received from Saginaw, Mich., of the wedding there last month of Miss Helen Florence Kretzmeier, Portland, daughter of Mr & Mrs Edward Norgard of Astoria, to Lt Henry John VanWelde, United States navy. The ceremony was performed by Rev, Hans F. Knauer at the home of the bridegroom's mother, Mrs Anna B. VanWelde. Mrs Verne Engle, the bridegroom's soster, was the bride's only attendant, and Arthur J. Dork was best man for his cousin. The couple will be at home in Washington D.C., where Mr.VanWelde is now stationed.
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
Name: Henry John Vanwelde Race: White Age at Death: 81 Birth Date: 27 Apr 1912 Death Date: 30 May 1993 Death Place: Manatee, Florida, United States
Florida, Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001
Name: Henry J Vanwelde Spouse: Beatrice H Sampson County of Marriage: Dade Marriage Date: Dec 1964 Volume: 2279 Certificate: 44482 Source: Florida Department of Health
U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Name: Henry John Van Welde Gender: Male Race: White Age: 28 Relationship to Draftee: Self (Head) Birth Date: 27 Apr 1912 Birth Place: Detroit, Michigan, USA Residence Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA Registration Date: 16 Oct 1940 Registration Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States Employer: Crouse Hinds Co. Weight: 140 Complexion: Light brown Eye Color: Gray Hair Color: Brown Height: 5 9 Next of Kin: Anna Van Welde Household Members: Name Relationship Henry John Van Welde Self (Head) Anna Van Welde Mother
Name: Henry J Vanwelde Residence Year: 1957 Residence Place: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Occupation: Elec Equip Publication Title: Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1957
Name: Henry J Vanwelde Address: 5333 Rutherford Rd, Powell, OH, 43065-7626 (1983)
Name: Henry J Vanwelde Address: 5333 Rutherford Rd, Powell, OH, 43065-7626 (1987)
Name: Henry J Vanwelde Gender: Male Residence Years: 1994 Address: 5333 Rutherford Rd Residence Place: Powell, Ohio, USA Zip Code: 43065 Phone Number: 614-(unlisted)
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