Welcome to the Kent City Area Society of History and Genealogy
Alice Wannamaker. 1 March, 1989.
Mabel Bitely only had a car in W.W.II. Ken Coalter’s wife has a painting of Mabel. It is believed it was done for her 8th grade graduation.. Ken’s wife is a Bitley. Mabel graduated and was teaching when she was 18.
Schools Mabel Bitely taught at: Apple Avenue near Muskegon. A school up by Bitely. Detroit or Ithaca.
Norm Bitely has papers that were Stephen Bitely’s.
Maude Hogadone went to Birch school two years about 1910 - 1912. She remembers these families and children. Hawley. Uncle Eben and George Taylor. Two Robinson families. Wallers. Glen Osborn, Sara Osborn.
Casnovia had an annex building which was to the side of the main building. This is where classes were held.
1976 Alumni Reunion at K.C.H.S.
The Bitely old farm is east of Bailey. John Paul Bull lives there now. There used to be two homes there. The old home was behind and that is where Leo Bitely was born. It was tore down and Bonter’s built a new home there.
In Bailey it was often asked, “Are you a Bitely, Bull or Bonner?”
Montgomery Hayward home was was where Charley and Ella Kaher lived near Half Moon Lake. It is a block off M-37. It is a big old place.
Mildred Weston is a sister to Dan Schroeder, who was a mortician in Casnovia.
Hagadone obituaries. William, Lydia, Peter. Died 1912, buried at Lisbon.
Aunt Phebe Pickard married William Hogadone.
Alice’s aunt Rennie Taylor Geesey lived on or near Wainwright St. She raised the Hawley boys.
Lola and Beatrice Geesey.
Bill and Rennie were mother’s aunt and uncle.
Mother is Maude Bitely.
Russ Nyblade perhaps went to Chubbuck.
Mae Nyblad married to Howard Shaw. She is a sister to Bill and Irv Nyblad.
Alice graduated with Ray WIlder.
Vivian Brown is Archie’s sister.
Emmorey’s lived on 19 or 20 mile road. Wayne Emmorey died. Wayne lived near Sheridan. He had a heart attack. Wayne was a brother to Joyce Castenholz. Don, Wayne, Arids, Joyce.
Nancy Wannamaker is Alice's daughter.
Donald and Nancy Todd made the Longcore School into a home. They lived on 22 mile road near Elder, an old Fisk pace.
In Alice’s graduation class 33 began and 19 finished. There are now about six that have deceased.
Alice’s class was the first class to graduate from the new auditorium building in Kent City, that was built while they were in their senior year.
Alice has the deeds and abstracts to the old Thatcher place. Al and Herm Thatcher.
Norm hauled logs out that were from the trestle in Half Moon Lake. There used to be two ice houses and a depot on Half Moon Lake.
Elgee Halmlman, was a brother to Amel Hallman. Elgee claimed he let 3 cars go for a prank and they went into the lake. He possibly died in the 1950’s. Jerry Wannamaker told the story to Alice.
Orrin Gee is up in his 90’s. Orrin lived around Bailey and Half Moon Lake all of his life.
Dances were held at the Chicken Coop Dance Hall at Solon, at the Casnovia V.F.W., the Casnovia Community Building, and the Canada Corners Community Building.
We would got to Grand Rapids one time a year and it would be a treat.
Alice is related to the Buzzards.
1915 Tornado.
The feathers were picked off the chickens. Henry and Unknown Naglehut, and Unkonwn Jackson lived in Grand Rapids and she remembered the tornado.
Pickard homes were north of Charlie Harrison’s. They were log cabins. The log cabin was still there in 1951 when she and her husband moved into the neighborhood.
One of the Hultgren’s drowned in Half Moon Lake, another brother had a car sales in Grant.
Leo Bitely was 93 in 1987. This makes him born in 1894. An aunt was born in maybe 1892.
Mrs. Wilford Heiss is an Emmorey. She is a sister to Joyce Castenholz.
The 1955 Reunion Photo. Left to right: (1.) Ida Murray Beason, went to Bailey Church of Christ. (2.) Dea and Goldie Harrison. (3.) Resin and Ethel Munn, lived in 16 Mile Road. Reformed Church in Casnovia. Grandparetns to Mrs. Gordon Bitely. They are in Florida now. They live at Bitely. Graduated with Pauline.
1930’s Estlow’s. Claude Estlow had a restaurant and Tavern at the Lake. He served food and drinks. On Wednesday's and Saturdays Estlow had dances. Alice worked there when she was 16. She made homburgs right and left. It was where North Shore is now. North side of Hess Lake.
Russ Morton’s mom and dad would come up and help.
Estlow’s lived in Casnovia.
Newspaper articles to copy:
Gooding. 5 August 1971.
Sparta Reminder. Kent CIty School History. 15, October 1975.
Lisbon School. 26, October 1967.
Rock Museum. Bert Ives. Newaygo County Sun. 23, August 1971.
The T.S.M. railroad went through Gooding. When Alice was a child they called it “Too slow to mention.”
Maude moved to Gooding about 1911, when Maude was about 11.
Mr. Elkins was a station master in Kent City and went to While Cloud later.
Volney Elkins is from a different family of Elkins.
Florence Saur Speese. (Wayne).