Kent-Wexford-Kalamazoo County MI Archives History - Letters .....Earl BALDWIN Letter 21 Aug 1982 - Parts Of August 21, 1982 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marcia Shears u08554@hotmail.com March 9, 2005, 3:28 pm Book Title: BALDWIN Earl Letter 21 Aug 1982 - Parts of - Written to Marcia Shears. "...My Father (Marcia's Note: Leonard Baldwin) had an Uncle Henry Baldwin, (a brother to Edwin Baldwin Sr.) He lived in Cadillac for many years. His wife's name was Rose. As far as I know they had a son Milton Baldwin, that was on the Chicago police force. Also, a daughter Nina that married her first cousin Clarence (my dad's brother). Then there was Millie. She married a man named Grant. There was a son Orson (or Orsin) Grant, who I believe still lives in Grand Rapids. A few years ago there was a skit on T.V. about a Grant book store. I believe that was him. After Mr. Grant died she, Millie, married Horace Proper. They lived for years on the west side of Grand Rapids. They had several children. I can't recall any names except Leora, perhaps Milton or Milty. (Marcia's Notes: This is Monte. The other children were Theodore "Ted", Dale, Thelma and Ruth.) Orson was very studious as a child and was very popular with the neighborhood boys as well as the girls. The picture on T.V. showed him looking much like Mickey Rooney, but I remember him as a handsome blond lad. Maybe you could call either Orson or some of the Propers. I imagine Horace and Millie are long gone. Did I tell you that you are part Guernsey? Somewhere back on my dad's side there was a Guernsey. I don't know whether it was English or Dutch. There is a little Dutch somewhere along the line.... ...Most of my life I was shy but seem to be breaking out of my shell now. I have more self-confidence now, but I am too critical of others. It sometimes gets me into trouble. After 25+ years in quality control, I have a tendency to compare people to standards and specifications as I did the products of our labors. But whose standards am I using? As I said before, people should be judged by their merits. ... ...I wish you could see and enjoy our cabin. Mae and Burleigh bought it about twenty years ago. There are five acres about 2/3 cleared. The fellow they had bought it from had 3 small buildings brought in and attached them to form a bedroom, living room and kitchen-dining area. It didn't even have a foundation under it. It just set on poles. It had an outside john and pump. There were evergreens planted in front and back of the cabin and miniature fruit trees in the middle of the field. They bought it for $1250. Burleigh built on a new kitchen with a basement beneath, put the rest on a cement block foundation and put on a sun porch the full length of the souht end. He paneled the whole interior except the bath, which they put in off the kitchen. He put in all new ceilings and put insulbrick siding on everything except the sun porch. We have since had new siding put on the whole thing and a new roof. We had a new slab put in at the entrance and had a new self storing storm door put on. I have been doing some painting and varnishing in the sun porch and we put up new curtains and drapes. We had 2500 Christmas trees set out. They are growing like mad. Our fruit trees and grapes are loaded this year. We give them to our neighbor who looks after things for us. We try to spend one week each month there from May thru Nov. (deer season). I don't hunt or fish anymore but Mae's boy and grandchildren do. The deer love our apples and pears. We also have wild turkeys and recently a bear in the area. On my daily walks at the cabin, I made the acquaintance of two more neighbors. One was the township clerk and the other was a retired couple. ... Love and best wishes from, Uncle Earl and Aunt Mae P.S. ... Jackie is planning to go to Nebraska early in Sept. and staying with her daughter Becky until her baby is born, about 2 months." Additional Comments: Marcia's Notes: There use to be a Grant's Book Store on the corner of Bridge St. and Seward N.W. when I was younger. Earl Baldwin was my Great-Uncle. He lived at 410 S. Sherman, Otsego, Allegan Co., MI at the time this letter was written. Earl Baldwin died 14 Jan 1987 in Otsego, Allegan Co., MI and is buried at Mount Ever-Rest Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., MI File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/kent/history/letters/gms2earlbald.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mifiles/ File size: 4.8 Kb