933 Oaklawn St NE
- Jeny Mueller
- Apr 20, 2021
- 4 min read
Welcome, come inside to the history of 933 Oaklawn St NE in the Creston neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan! This house was requested by a follower of the blog - thank you Ashley for the suggestion!
General Facts:
City, State: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Neighborhood: Creston
Built: 1930
Size: 3 beds/ 2 bath; approx. 1500 sq. ft
The house was built in 1930, but there were five families that lived from the time it was built until 1946.
Family #1
John, Mary, Russell, & John Harding
Anthoney & Helen Trunka
John Edwin Harding
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 6 (1930-1932; 1934-1936)
Birth: January 22, 1903; Cadillac, Michigan
Death: May 29, 1995; Belmont, Michigan
Parents: William Harding (1865; Michigan - 1913; Grand Rapids, Michigan) & Anna Vogue (1870; Sweden - 1947; Grand Rapids, Michigan); Anna Vogue immigrated to the US between 1878-1879. William Harding's father immigrated from England around the 1850's.
Siblings: Grover, Pearl, George, and Hazel.
John Harding grew up on North Pine Ave on the west side of Grand Rapids and his father worked as a teamster for the Harrison Land Co. After John's father passed away in 1913, the family moved to the northeast side of the city and lived at 2216 Plainfield Ave. As a young adult, John worked as an auto mechanic. Later on in his career, John owned and operated the Harding Machinery Co/Harding Service Co. According to his obituary (below) his sons were still running the business in 1995.
His brother, George Harding, lived right next door to him at 939 Oaklawn Street for the entire tenure of their time on Oaklawn. George continued to live on Oaklawn for a few years after John and his family moved.
Not only were John and George Harding brothers and lived right next door to each, their wives were also sisters - and they had a dual wedding on April 21, 1923 in Charlotte, MI!
Mary Anne Trinka (Trnka)
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 6 (1930-1932; 1934-1936)
Birth: February 5, 1905; Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Death: June 6, 1999; Belmont, Michigan
Parents: Albert Trinka (1870; Austria-Bohemia region - 1936; Grand Rapids, Michigan) & Rosalie Melichor (1868; Austria-Bohemia region - 1949; Grand Rapids, Michigan);
Siblings: Joseph (1893-1949); Stefania (1898-1974); Anthoney (1904-1980)
Albert and Rosalie Trnka, Mary's parents, immigrated to the US in 1904 with Mary's three older siblings. Mary was born in Michigan the year after they immigrated. The family settled in Grand Traverse County, Michigan where Albert worked as a laborer at the local asylum. Rosalie also worked - as a washerwoman for a private family, and their eldest son was a merchant tailor.
For the first three years of living at 933 Oaklawn, Mary's brother and sister-in-law, Anthoney and Helen Trinka (Trnka) also lived there.
John and Mary Harding had four children but only two lived at 933 Oaklawn:
Russell William Harding
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 6 (1930-1932; 1934-1936)
Birth: August 19, 1924; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Death: December 10, 2003; Phoenix, Arizona
Spouse: Ann Ramp
Military Service: Pfc US Army Air Forces - World War II (March 1943 - February 1946)
Russell William Harding
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 6 (1930-1932; 1934-1936)
Birth: 1930; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Spouse: Joan Van Ess - December 24, 1951
Ann Rosalie Harding
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 0
Birth: August 27, 1936; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Spouse: John Thompson
Virginia Adeline Harding
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 0
Birth: April 23, 1943; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Death: January 21, 2011
Spouse: Philip Maldag
Mary Harding (Trinka)'s brother and sister-in-law:
Anthony Trinka (Trnka)
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 3 (1930-1932)
Birth: January 4, 1903; Pavlov, Czechoslovakia
Death: December 11 1980; Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Parents: Albert Trinka (1870; Austria-Bohemia region - 1936; Grand Rapids, Michigan) & Rosalie Melichor (1868; Austria-Bohemia region - 1949; Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Spouse: Helen Neeson
Helen Neeson
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: 3 (1930-1932)
Birth: 1908; Schoolcraft, Michigan
Death: 1967; Grand Traverse County, Michigan
Parents: John Neeson (1869; County Antrim, Ireland - 1954; Mancelona, Michigan) & Eva Beers (1872; New Jersey - 1945; Mancelona, Michigan)
Helen's father immigrated from Ireland to the US in 1889.
Miscellaneous articles
Family #2:
In 1933, for only that one year, Reinhart M. Reinertson lived at 933 Oaklawn St.
Family #3:
1937-1940:
Lawrence, Ruth, Mary Clare, & Kim Lawrence Weeks
Mary L Ellsworth
Family #4:
1941-1945:
Robert Louis, Mary Edith, Robert Jr, and Richard Bek
Mary Edith Bek (Emery) graduated in 1931 from South High School - same graduating class as former President Gerald R. Ford - and they were on the same yearbook page:
Family #5:
Sherwood and Ethel Seekell.
Sherwood Chester Seekell
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: ≈ 32 (1946-1978)
Birth: May 27, 1911; Detroit, Michigan
Death: February 6, 1997; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Parents: Chester A. Seekell (1884; Seneca County, New York - 1913; Detroit, Michigan) & Mercy Steinle (1889; Detroit, Michigan - 1966; Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Sherwood Seekell married Ethel Schumacher on June 17, 1933 in Detroit, Michigan - where they both were living at that time.
Ethel Schumacher
Years Lived at 933 Oaklawn: ≈ 32 (1946-1978)
Birth: August 17, 1908; Chicago, Illinois
Death: October 15, 1978; Grand Rapids, Michigan
Parents: Frank Schumacher (1870; Germany - 1930; Allegan County, Michigan) & Ida Domann (1872; Chicago, IL - 1940; Chicago, IL). Frank immigrated to the US in 1884.
Thank you for visiting 933 Oaklawn St NE. There were a lot of families and memories that are within these walls in its first years of existence. As the house is reaching it's 100th anniversary, the memories will continue to fill the house and provide security and love to all the families who live there!
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