At first I didn't think there was an Aunt Kate. When I first started researching my grandma's family, a website I found had 8 children born to Peter and Barbara Bingen Thomas, and not a Kate, or Katherine among them. There was, however, a gap from 1878 when my grandma was born to 1885 when another sister was born. The other children were born much closer together.
Her name first surfaced while going over old family photos with my Aunt Lillian, who resided in an assisted living facility, and was 103 years old. A photo was labeled "Aunt Kate Koster (Kate Thomas)" and Aunt Lillian said that she was grandma's sister. I wondered if Aunt Lillian's 103 year old memory was misdirected; was Aunt Kate a sister-in-law? Was she a friend of the family, lovingly called Aunt Kate?
I started putting pieces together. I had a copy of my grandma's marriage application from 1899 and one of the witnesses was "Katie Thomas".
I had funeral books and they showed Flowers of Remembrance from "Aunt Kate & Uncle Tony" sent in Feb of 1952 when grandpa died. Just a few months later in July of 1952 when grandma died "Mrs. A.C. Koster" was listed on the page for Relatives Attending.
I started to believe there was an Aunt Kate.
The census was no help in verifying Aunt Kate as a child. The 1880 census listed my grandma, Gertrude age 1, but Aunt Kate was not born until 1882. The unavailability of the 1890 census was extremely frustrating - Kate would have been 8 yrs old.
I found her in Chicago, IL in 1918 and 1920. A few family letters mentioned an Aunt Kate - dated 1951, 1954, and 1955. I had an Easter card signed "Kate" that I could date to 1956. I was starting to fill in a time line.
My search turned to the Saugatuck, Mi area because of an old address book with that city noted in it. The Holland Michigan Evening Sentinel reported that on Dec 31, 1953 "Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Koster were dinner guests of Mr. & Mrs. H Waltman." It was also reported that in 1962 "Mrs. Anthony Koster of Lansing, formerly of Saugatuck is a patient at Ingham Hospital, Lansing."
This was the clue I needed. A RAOGK volunteer found an obit and burial location. Aunt Kate has been found and that website? It's been updated to show 9 children.
Her name first surfaced while going over old family photos with my Aunt Lillian, who resided in an assisted living facility, and was 103 years old. A photo was labeled "Aunt Kate Koster (Kate Thomas)" and Aunt Lillian said that she was grandma's sister. I wondered if Aunt Lillian's 103 year old memory was misdirected; was Aunt Kate a sister-in-law? Was she a friend of the family, lovingly called Aunt Kate?
I started putting pieces together. I had a copy of my grandma's marriage application from 1899 and one of the witnesses was "Katie Thomas".
I had funeral books and they showed Flowers of Remembrance from "Aunt Kate & Uncle Tony" sent in Feb of 1952 when grandpa died. Just a few months later in July of 1952 when grandma died "Mrs. A.C. Koster" was listed on the page for Relatives Attending.
I started to believe there was an Aunt Kate.
The census was no help in verifying Aunt Kate as a child. The 1880 census listed my grandma, Gertrude age 1, but Aunt Kate was not born until 1882. The unavailability of the 1890 census was extremely frustrating - Kate would have been 8 yrs old.
I found her in Chicago, IL in 1918 and 1920. A few family letters mentioned an Aunt Kate - dated 1951, 1954, and 1955. I had an Easter card signed "Kate" that I could date to 1956. I was starting to fill in a time line.
My search turned to the Saugatuck, Mi area because of an old address book with that city noted in it. The Holland Michigan Evening Sentinel reported that on Dec 31, 1953 "Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Koster were dinner guests of Mr. & Mrs. H Waltman." It was also reported that in 1962 "Mrs. Anthony Koster of Lansing, formerly of Saugatuck is a patient at Ingham Hospital, Lansing."
This was the clue I needed. A RAOGK volunteer found an obit and burial location. Aunt Kate has been found and that website? It's been updated to show 9 children.
At first I didn't think there was an Aunt Kate. When I first started researching my grandma's family, a website I found had 8 children born to Peter and Barbara Bingen Thomas, and not a Kate, or Katherine among them. There was, however, a gap from 1878 when my grandma was born to 1885 when another sister was born. The other children were born much closer together.
Her name first surfaced while going over old family photos with my Aunt Lillian, who resided in an assisted living facility, and was 103 years old. A photo was labeled "Aunt Kate Koster (Kate Thomas)" and Aunt Lillian said that she was grandma's sister. I wondered if Aunt Lillian's 103 year old memory was misdirected; was Aunt Kate a sister-in-law? Was she a friend of the family, lovingly called Aunt Kate?
I started putting pieces together. I had a copy of my grandma's marriage application from 1899 and one of the witnesses was "Katie Thomas".
I had funeral books and they showed Flowers of Remembrance from "Aunt Kate & Uncle Tony" sent in Feb of 1952 when grandpa died. Just a few months later in July of 1952 when grandma died "Mrs. A.C. Koster" was listed on the page for Relatives Attending.
I started to believe there was an Aunt Kate.
The census was no help in verifying Aunt Kate as a child. The 1880 census listed my grandma, Gertrude age 1, but Aunt Kate was not born until 1882. The unavailability of the 1890 census was extremely frustrating - Kate would have been 8 yrs old.
I found her in Chicago, IL in 1918 and 1920. A few family letters mentioned an Aunt Kate - dated 1951, 1954, and 1955. I had an Easter card signed "Kate" that I could date to 1956. I was starting to fill in a time line.
My search turned to the Saugatuck, Mi area because of an old address book with that city noted in it. The Holland Michigan Evening Sentinel reported that on Dec 31, 1953 "Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Koster were dinner guests of Mr. & Mrs. H Waltman." It was also reported that in 1962 "Mrs. Anthony Koster of Lansing, formerly of Saugatuck is a patient at Ingham Hospital, Lansing."
This was the clue I needed. A RAOGK volunteer found an obit and burial location. Aunt Kate has been found and that website? It's been updated to show 9 children.
Her name first surfaced while going over old family photos with my Aunt Lillian, who resided in an assisted living facility, and was 103 years old. A photo was labeled "Aunt Kate Koster (Kate Thomas)" and Aunt Lillian said that she was grandma's sister. I wondered if Aunt Lillian's 103 year old memory was misdirected; was Aunt Kate a sister-in-law? Was she a friend of the family, lovingly called Aunt Kate?
I started putting pieces together. I had a copy of my grandma's marriage application from 1899 and one of the witnesses was "Katie Thomas".
I had funeral books and they showed Flowers of Remembrance from "Aunt Kate & Uncle Tony" sent in Feb of 1952 when grandpa died. Just a few months later in July of 1952 when grandma died "Mrs. A.C. Koster" was listed on the page for Relatives Attending.
I started to believe there was an Aunt Kate.
The census was no help in verifying Aunt Kate as a child. The 1880 census listed my grandma, Gertrude age 1, but Aunt Kate was not born until 1882. The unavailability of the 1890 census was extremely frustrating - Kate would have been 8 yrs old.
I found her in Chicago, IL in 1918 and 1920. A few family letters mentioned an Aunt Kate - dated 1951, 1954, and 1955. I had an Easter card signed "Kate" that I could date to 1956. I was starting to fill in a time line.
My search turned to the Saugatuck, Mi area because of an old address book with that city noted in it. The Holland Michigan Evening Sentinel reported that on Dec 31, 1953 "Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Koster were dinner guests of Mr. & Mrs. H Waltman." It was also reported that in 1962 "Mrs. Anthony Koster of Lansing, formerly of Saugatuck is a patient at Ingham Hospital, Lansing."
This was the clue I needed. A RAOGK volunteer found an obit and burial location. Aunt Kate has been found and that website? It's been updated to show 9 children.
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