Ben was the son of Fred Knoper and Kate/Katie Hulst Knoper both born at the German - Dutch border and who immigrated to Michigan. Ben had no middle name. He occasionally used the name Benjamin.
Birth - 23 Nov 1895, Allendale, MI.
History of chronic heart issues.
Death - Wed., 19 Oct. 1966, fatal heart attack.
Ben seemed to be perpetually confused about his date of birth throughout his life. Although his Michigan birth registration definitively shows he was born on Nov. 23, 1895, he indicated on every official document that he was born in 1896 which is incorrect. It is unknown as to whether he completed the second year of high school. He registered for the WWI draft in Montana on May 29, 1917 at the age of 21. At this time, he was single and working as a farm laborer in Manhattan, Gallatin, Montana for rancher Bill Nevins. (Later he would portray himself as a cowboy which was untrue as he was just a laborer.) On his WWII draft registration is was 6ft tall, blue eyed, red hair with lots of freckles, heavy frame, about 165 lbs.
He was drafted into WWII military service being inducted into service on 18 Sept. 1917 in Holland, Michigan but his residence being noted at Bozeman, Gallatin, MT. His cousin Gerrit Knoper was in the same induction group as Ben. He was a member of the 85th Division which had been activated 25 August 1917 at Camp Custer, Michigan. After a year of training the division left the U.S. for England, organized into four Infantry Regiments including the 338th Regiment.
Pvt. Knoper (military service #2,020,402) of the Machine Gun Company 338th Inf 85th Div. traveled on the USS Orca departing NY, NY on 22 Jul 1918 for Brest, France. After arriving in France, the 338th was selected as a replacement unit. On 16 Nov 1917 Pvt. Knoper was reassigned to the 4th Div., Co. B, 12th Machine Gun Battalion. At the 31 Aug 1918 muster if the 338th MGB, Ben was found again with his cousin Gerrit Knoper. His final reassignment was on 5 Nov 1918 he was reassigned to MEng until his discharge. His records indicated he served overseas from 21 July 1918 to 29 July 1919. His rank remained Pct. 1C for the entire duration.
Pvt. Knoper's WW1 records were all lost in the vast 1973 fire at the Military Personal Records Center with the exception of his last pay voucher, so most specifics of his military service are unknown. He claimed he had been exposed to mustard gas during the war resulting in a portion of his stomach being removed after gas damage, but this claim cannot be proven, conflicts with his discharge information, and the grandchildren of his daughter Kathryn had never heard of such a story. The story is believed to be a self constructed fabrication.
After the WWI Armistice on No. 11th, 1918, the 4th Division served in the army of occupation until the entire division returned to the US in July 1919. Pvt. Knoper left Brest, France on the USS Von Steuben, on 21 Jul 1919, arriving at the port of Hoboken, NJ on 29 Jul 1919, with members of the 4th Div., Co. B, 12th Machine Gun Battalion. Their final destination with Camp Merritt, NJ, an embarkation camp for WWI holding 38,000 troops. He was honorably discharged on 6 Aug 1919 with zero percent disability and having suffered no wounds or injuries during his service.
In less than four months after returning to US soil from WWI France, 24 year old Ben was married to the five-week pregnant ANNA BING aged 28 yrs. Anna appears may have been previously engaged to someone else prior to meeting Ben. The unintended pregnancy probably resulted in a hurried wedding. Fred Bing and his wife Emma were witnesses to the wedding and the foursome are in the wedding photo. At the time of the wedding Anna was the daughter of the deceased Conrad and Mary Bing. The Knopers and the Bings were not close neighbors hence it is extremely doubtful that the couple knew one another before 1919. The Michigan marriage license was dated on 13 Nov. 1919, Allendale, Ottawa, MI, the marriage was on 15 Nov. 1919. The marriage register shows Ben's residence was lined out and another notation entered in the register, "In war service against Germany, Gallatin, Montana" (so Ben may not have been officially discharged at the time of his marriage or was without a home). Additionally Ben Knoper occupation was listed as a truck driver and Annie as unemployed.
At the 1920 census wife Anna Bing was living with her brother Gust Bing in Allendale, MI. Ben Knoper is nowhere to be found in census.
In the 1920 Grand Rapids City Directory - Benjamin Knoper, laborer, 528 Mt. Vernon Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In the 1921 Grand Rapids City Directory - Ben Knoper, 528 Butterworth, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, Laborer
By the 1930 census he identified his occupation as a woodsman working the woods.
In the 1936 Grand Haven Michigan City Directory - Benjamin Knoper, residence RD2 Coopersville, Mich, Employee County Road Commissioners
Anna Bing lived until June 20, 1937 when she died of chronic tuberculosis, an illness that had also claimed her father several decades earlier. She had lived intermittently in tuberculosis sanitariums but was at home at the time of her death. In their 19 year marriage, the couple had 4 biological children: Robert Fredrick Knoper, Catherine (her name is spelled several ways) Louise Knoper, Dona (also spelled Donna) Knoper, and Alfred Louis Knoper.
Their marriage was very troubled. It is extremely doubtful that the couple loved one another. He was mentally cruel to his wife and perhaps physically violent. Anna appeared to have been frightened of him.
Fifteen months after his wife's death on Sept 16, 1938, BEN KNOPER married Anna Lepley Hinkle in Lagrange, Indiana, United States. The 1938 marriage license indicated he was now working for the Michigan Highway Department and living in Grand Haven, MI. His children still appeared to be living in Coopersville and all left home as quickly as possible following Ben's remarriage.
In the 1940 federal census (the information given by his second wife Anna), he was listed a laborer for Ottawa County, Michigan, and was living in Coopersville, Polkton Township, Ottawa, Michigan with his second wife Anna Lepley Knoper, his 4 biological children and his 2 step-children Donald & Ruth Hinkle.
His WWII draft registration indicates he was still residing in Coopersville, Ottawa, Michigan, United States. The family remembers that he worked for the Ottawa county road department.
Prior to marrying Ben Knoper, ANNA LEPLEY had been living the previous two years in Howe, Indiana after divorcing her husband Burl Hinkle in 1936. (Burl B. HInkle - b. 12 Dec 1895 Salina, Ohio, d. 8 Oct 1958, Michigan, son of James M Henkle & Eliza N. Musselman-Henkle.) The couple later is found residing in Grand Haven, Michigan.
Anna Lepley Bing died in 1961. After the death of his second wife, Ben married his stepdaughter RUTH E. HINKLE although no marriage license can be found. This was Ruth's first marriage which was brief as Ben died in 1966. The matrimonial bond was claimed to be one of convenience so as to provide for transfer of his assets to the "old maid/ spinster" Ruth upon his death. Ben's photos and other estate items became lost to the family after Ruth remarried sometime between 1970-1975 to Harold R. "Jim" Moffatt (1919 -1992). A widower Jim Moffatt and his first wife Gertrude (VanWylen) Moffat owned a greenhouse and a florist shop, Casnovia, Muskegon County. He loved his greenohouse and enjoyed raining roses; he was always so proud of his many flowers. Ruth's mother & Ben Knoper's possessions were lost to the family including a photo album fell out of family hands and was sold on the internet.
Ben is remembered by his children Katherine, Dona, and Alfred in exceedingly unkind terms, none of his family ever recited a positive memory of him. The family frequently moved from home to home in an effort to stay ahead of creditors as Ben had a bad gambling habit.
Ben was also remembered for his mental cruelty. While Anna Bing was ill with tuberculosis and intermittently hospitalized in tuberculosis sanitariums, Ben dated other women and went so far as to permanently affix photographs of these women into his children's photo albums. Ben also went on extended vacations with his current girlfriend at the moment leaving his extremely young children to fend on their own. Kathyrn remembers that they only dry flour to eat during one of Ben's periods of abandonment. The children mixed the flour with water to make it edible. His daughter Dona told of an instance when Ben learned that his first wife Anna Bing had gone to a movie theatre, in a fit of anger he smashed her beloved violin (probably her only luxury and a source of great enjoyment) and burned it in the woodstove. (We conject that she actually went looking for Ben at a speakeasy where he was gambling.)
Anna Bing-Knoper was said to have possessed a diamond engagement ring of unknown origin. The ring may have been either from an earlier previous engagement or may perhaps actually have been her sister Mary Bing's engagement/wedding ring. Mary later passed the ring to Dona Foy who passed the ring to Jane Knoper in 1983. The story provided to Dona by her Aunt Mary was that Anna hid the ring from Ben by passing it to her sister Mary Bing for concealment as Anna was concerned that this ring would be sold by her husband Ben. However, Aunt Mary had been in a short term marriage to a wealthy artist and it is not known what became of her ring. There is no record of Anna being previously engaged during the war years. It is strongly suspected that the ring was indeed Mary's wedding ring and the story was concocted for Dona to believe she was given something precious belonging to her late Mom. It is doubtful that Ben a serious gambler could have ever raised the money to have bought the diamond ring and if he had he probably would have beaten Anna senseless to have gotten it back so he could hock it for gambling. Plus Anna would have sold the ring to pay for her medical treatment as her sister was providing money for drugs.
When his son Alfred went off to war during WWII, Alfred found upon returning that Ben had spent all of Alfred's military pay that had been sent home for safekeeping on gambling and luxury clothing for himself and son Robert, so Alfred returned home penniless. This led to Alfred estranging himself from Ben and Robert. Alfred was unable to find decent work in Michigan and had to reenlist to make a living.
Ben's auburn hair and freckles remain part of the family legacy and has been inherited by four of his grandchildren.
Ben was the son of Fred Knoper and Kate/Katie Hulst Knoper both born at the German - Dutch border and who immigrated to Michigan. Ben had no middle name. He occasionally used the name Benjamin.
Birth - 23 Nov 1895, Allendale, MI.
History of chronic heart issues.
Death - Wed., 19 Oct. 1966, fatal heart attack.
Ben seemed to be perpetually confused about his date of birth throughout his life. Although his Michigan birth registration definitively shows he was born on Nov. 23, 1895, he indicated on every official document that he was born in 1896 which is incorrect. It is unknown as to whether he completed the second year of high school. He registered for the WWI draft in Montana on May 29, 1917 at the age of 21. At this time, he was single and working as a farm laborer in Manhattan, Gallatin, Montana for rancher Bill Nevins. (Later he would portray himself as a cowboy which was untrue as he was just a laborer.) On his WWII draft registration is was 6ft tall, blue eyed, red hair with lots of freckles, heavy frame, about 165 lbs.
He was drafted into WWII military service being inducted into service on 18 Sept. 1917 in Holland, Michigan but his residence being noted at Bozeman, Gallatin, MT. His cousin Gerrit Knoper was in the same induction group as Ben. He was a member of the 85th Division which had been activated 25 August 1917 at Camp Custer, Michigan. After a year of training the division left the U.S. for England, organized into four Infantry Regiments including the 338th Regiment.
Pvt. Knoper (military service #2,020,402) of the Machine Gun Company 338th Inf 85th Div. traveled on the USS Orca departing NY, NY on 22 Jul 1918 for Brest, France. After arriving in France, the 338th was selected as a replacement unit. On 16 Nov 1917 Pvt. Knoper was reassigned to the 4th Div., Co. B, 12th Machine Gun Battalion. At the 31 Aug 1918 muster if the 338th MGB, Ben was found again with his cousin Gerrit Knoper. His final reassignment was on 5 Nov 1918 he was reassigned to MEng until his discharge. His records indicated he served overseas from 21 July 1918 to 29 July 1919. His rank remained Pct. 1C for the entire duration.
Pvt. Knoper's WW1 records were all lost in the vast 1973 fire at the Military Personal Records Center with the exception of his last pay voucher, so most specifics of his military service are unknown. He claimed he had been exposed to mustard gas during the war resulting in a portion of his stomach being removed after gas damage, but this claim cannot be proven, conflicts with his discharge information, and the grandchildren of his daughter Kathryn had never heard of such a story. The story is believed to be a self constructed fabrication.
After the WWI Armistice on No. 11th, 1918, the 4th Division served in the army of occupation until the entire division returned to the US in July 1919. Pvt. Knoper left Brest, France on the USS Von Steuben, on 21 Jul 1919, arriving at the port of Hoboken, NJ on 29 Jul 1919, with members of the 4th Div., Co. B, 12th Machine Gun Battalion. Their final destination with Camp Merritt, NJ, an embarkation camp for WWI holding 38,000 troops. He was honorably discharged on 6 Aug 1919 with zero percent disability and having suffered no wounds or injuries during his service.
In less than four months after returning to US soil from WWI France, 24 year old Ben was married to the five-week pregnant ANNA BING aged 28 yrs. Anna appears may have been previously engaged to someone else prior to meeting Ben. The unintended pregnancy probably resulted in a hurried wedding. Fred Bing and his wife Emma were witnesses to the wedding and the foursome are in the wedding photo. At the time of the wedding Anna was the daughter of the deceased Conrad and Mary Bing. The Knopers and the Bings were not close neighbors hence it is extremely doubtful that the couple knew one another before 1919. The Michigan marriage license was dated on 13 Nov. 1919, Allendale, Ottawa, MI, the marriage was on 15 Nov. 1919. The marriage register shows Ben's residence was lined out and another notation entered in the register, "In war service against Germany, Gallatin, Montana" (so Ben may not have been officially discharged at the time of his marriage or was without a home). Additionally Ben Knoper occupation was listed as a truck driver and Annie as unemployed.
At the 1920 census wife Anna Bing was living with her brother Gust Bing in Allendale, MI. Ben Knoper is nowhere to be found in census.
In the 1920 Grand Rapids City Directory - Benjamin Knoper, laborer, 528 Mt. Vernon Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In the 1921 Grand Rapids City Directory - Ben Knoper, 528 Butterworth, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, Laborer
By the 1930 census he identified his occupation as a woodsman working the woods.
In the 1936 Grand Haven Michigan City Directory - Benjamin Knoper, residence RD2 Coopersville, Mich, Employee County Road Commissioners
Anna Bing lived until June 20, 1937 when she died of chronic tuberculosis, an illness that had also claimed her father several decades earlier. She had lived intermittently in tuberculosis sanitariums but was at home at the time of her death. In their 19 year marriage, the couple had 4 biological children: Robert Fredrick Knoper, Catherine (her name is spelled several ways) Louise Knoper, Dona (also spelled Donna) Knoper, and Alfred Louis Knoper.
Their marriage was very troubled. It is extremely doubtful that the couple loved one another. He was mentally cruel to his wife and perhaps physically violent. Anna appeared to have been frightened of him.
Fifteen months after his wife's death on Sept 16, 1938, BEN KNOPER married Anna Lepley Hinkle in Lagrange, Indiana, United States. The 1938 marriage license indicated he was now working for the Michigan Highway Department and living in Grand Haven, MI. His children still appeared to be living in Coopersville and all left home as quickly as possible following Ben's remarriage.
In the 1940 federal census (the information given by his second wife Anna), he was listed a laborer for Ottawa County, Michigan, and was living in Coopersville, Polkton Township, Ottawa, Michigan with his second wife Anna Lepley Knoper, his 4 biological children and his 2 step-children Donald & Ruth Hinkle.
His WWII draft registration indicates he was still residing in Coopersville, Ottawa, Michigan, United States. The family remembers that he worked for the Ottawa county road department.
Prior to marrying Ben Knoper, ANNA LEPLEY had been living the previous two years in Howe, Indiana after divorcing her husband Burl Hinkle in 1936. (Burl B. HInkle - b. 12 Dec 1895 Salina, Ohio, d. 8 Oct 1958, Michigan, son of James M Henkle & Eliza N. Musselman-Henkle.) The couple later is found residing in Grand Haven, Michigan.
Anna Lepley Bing died in 1961. After the death of his second wife, Ben married his stepdaughter RUTH E. HINKLE although no marriage license can be found. This was Ruth's first marriage which was brief as Ben died in 1966. The matrimonial bond was claimed to be one of convenience so as to provide for transfer of his assets to the "old maid/ spinster" Ruth upon his death. Ben's photos and other estate items became lost to the family after Ruth remarried sometime between 1970-1975 to Harold R. "Jim" Moffatt (1919 -1992). A widower Jim Moffatt and his first wife Gertrude (VanWylen) Moffat owned a greenhouse and a florist shop, Casnovia, Muskegon County. He loved his greenohouse and enjoyed raining roses; he was always so proud of his many flowers. Ruth's mother & Ben Knoper's possessions were lost to the family including a photo album fell out of family hands and was sold on the internet.
Ben is remembered by his children Katherine, Dona, and Alfred in exceedingly unkind terms, none of his family ever recited a positive memory of him. The family frequently moved from home to home in an effort to stay ahead of creditors as Ben had a bad gambling habit.
Ben was also remembered for his mental cruelty. While Anna Bing was ill with tuberculosis and intermittently hospitalized in tuberculosis sanitariums, Ben dated other women and went so far as to permanently affix photographs of these women into his children's photo albums. Ben also went on extended vacations with his current girlfriend at the moment leaving his extremely young children to fend on their own. Kathyrn remembers that they only dry flour to eat during one of Ben's periods of abandonment. The children mixed the flour with water to make it edible. His daughter Dona told of an instance when Ben learned that his first wife Anna Bing had gone to a movie theatre, in a fit of anger he smashed her beloved violin (probably her only luxury and a source of great enjoyment) and burned it in the woodstove. (We conject that she actually went looking for Ben at a speakeasy where he was gambling.)
Anna Bing-Knoper was said to have possessed a diamond engagement ring of unknown origin. The ring may have been either from an earlier previous engagement or may perhaps actually have been her sister Mary Bing's engagement/wedding ring. Mary later passed the ring to Dona Foy who passed the ring to Jane Knoper in 1983. The story provided to Dona by her Aunt Mary was that Anna hid the ring from Ben by passing it to her sister Mary Bing for concealment as Anna was concerned that this ring would be sold by her husband Ben. However, Aunt Mary had been in a short term marriage to a wealthy artist and it is not known what became of her ring. There is no record of Anna being previously engaged during the war years. It is strongly suspected that the ring was indeed Mary's wedding ring and the story was concocted for Dona to believe she was given something precious belonging to her late Mom. It is doubtful that Ben a serious gambler could have ever raised the money to have bought the diamond ring and if he had he probably would have beaten Anna senseless to have gotten it back so he could hock it for gambling. Plus Anna would have sold the ring to pay for her medical treatment as her sister was providing money for drugs.
When his son Alfred went off to war during WWII, Alfred found upon returning that Ben had spent all of Alfred's military pay that had been sent home for safekeeping on gambling and luxury clothing for himself and son Robert, so Alfred returned home penniless. This led to Alfred estranging himself from Ben and Robert. Alfred was unable to find decent work in Michigan and had to reenlist to make a living.
Ben's auburn hair and freckles remain part of the family legacy and has been inherited by four of his grandchildren.
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