The Nankin Township Historical Society

Plymouth Mail , May 17, 1907 Death was in the familial framework of Newburg in the May 17, 1907 edition of the Plymouth Mail . The most prominent one belonging to Emma Smith Knickerbocker who passed way at the age of 55 and was buried in Newburg Cemetery. The Rev. W. G. Stephens eulogized her, reading from John:14:18, "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." Other names mentioned are Mrs. William King, Mrs. Alan Gier, Mrs. Sarah Royal, Mrs. Walter LeVan, Mrs. James LeVan, Harry Bassett, Mrs. Reuben Barnes and Glenn Smith.

I tried in vain to get this Flower Girl Perfume bottle at an estate sale this morning but somebody beat me to it. Guessing by the lack of advertisements for the product, the ones shown below are from between July and October of 1907, I would suppose that this was a short-lived venture by Edwin H. Lee of Detroit. Detroit Free Press , August 28, 1907 Detroit Free Press , July 26, 1907 Detroit Free Press , July 28, 1907 Detroit Free Press , September 22, 1907 All local newspaper advertisement ceased after 1910 so it's safe to assume that the product did as well. Though there are mentions of a Flower Girl Perfume in other c ities but none directly tie back to Detroit. Which could mean anything from it being a generic fragrance that was sold to various druggists under that name which they would self-bottle or it's the same product and they neglected to mention Detroit in their ads. It makes sense from a regional standpoint that you would localize the product. Either way, all adver...

I found this excellent mini menu from the Fellowcraft Club's First Anniversary Banquet in 1907 today at the Farmington estate sale that I went to yesterday but only made it into the garage. The skull and bones Prost cover won me over. It's vintage age and Detroit connection sealed the deal. Detroit Free Press , May 31, 1908 According to a feature in the Detroit Free Press from the year after this booklet the club was founded in the 1890s and seemingly persisted into the later middle 1940s. On the menu for the first banquet was blue points, celery, olives, fried frog legs, tartar sauce, sliced cucumbers, roast young chicken, brown sweet potatoes, combination salad, Budweiser and cigars. Members listed and those who autographed the menu included B. S. Tomlinson, H. Lelliott, Jas. Thompson, F. O'Hara, E. Schremser, F. van Amburgh, O. Till, Carl Haines, H. Komrofsky, Wm. Votruba, Wm. Maier, Thos. Bowler, Chas. Krejci, L. Motto,  Max Smith, Homer Grenier and Arthur May. A view ...

I've thrown off my spendthrift shackles lately and spent more than I should have on this novelty postcard emblazoned with an ELOISE postmark from 1907 but it'll last longer than a 6 pack of pumpkin ale. It's from a girl named Helena to her friend Grace Knoepfler of Milford, Michigan telling her to meet her in Detroit the week after the Milford Fair. Which seems like a pretty vague meet-up time and place but what do I know?

This 112-year-old real photo post card of Ira F. Johnson's homestead in Romulus is for sale currently for $30. Were it a modest price I'd have already purchased it but I can just lift the picture and pretend that I own it instead. Detroit Free Press, March 7, 1938 I'm envious of Mr. Johnson for two reasons: because of his glorious house and the fact that he owned a newspaper, The Romulus Roman among his other occupations which included notary public and deputy sheriff. All at the age of 74 to boot. Detroit Free Press , June 7, 1940 He was also active in a group called the Three Score and Ten Michiganders . They were native Michiganders who were septuagenarians or older, still lived in state and had no criminal record. Meetings were held on the first Thursday of each month where cards, music and games were played. Their June 7, 1940 meeting was at the Palmer Park Casino. Members included Charles C. Brewe, M. W. Scott, John A. Williams, Edward H. Maske and, of course, John...