I am fascinated by news that informs the day’s newspaper reader that my ancestor has picked up a new car. Today, I learned that on 23 Apr 1911, Anton H. Tapper, Sr. picked up a brand new Speedwell motor car. It is described as being: “a 50-horse-power 7-passenger, 4-door touring car and is certainly one of the finest cars in Hammond. It is painted a light green and a darker green trimming, and is upholstered in a beautiful mixed green leather.”1 The 7-passenger Tourer rested on a 132-inch wheelbase.
State of the art 113 years ago
According to the US Inflation Calculator (https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/), which only goes back to 1913, a $2900.00 car would today cost $91,491.19.
The Speedwell Motor Car Company was founded in 1907 by Pierce D. Schenck, producing cars from 1907 to 1914. The factory was located in Dayton, Ohio, home of the Wright Brothers, and by 1910, Schenck had increased his production space to include nine buildings. In 1910, the market for Speedwell cars was not yet large enough to need all of the buildings; he leased some of this space to the Wright Brothers while their manufacturing buildings were being completed. The Speedwell was the first car to offer hidden door hinges and a horn built under the hood.
Known as the Brass Era of American automobile manufacturing, cars built between 1896 and 1915 used brass fittings for features such as lights and radiators. Although not the model Anton purchased, the brass is evident on this renovated 1911 Speedwell.
“Gets New Speedwell,” The Lake County Times, 24 Apr 1911, Monday, p. 5, col. 1; digital images, GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 17 Apr 2024), Newspaper Collection. ↩︎
My grandfather, Roland John Tapper, was born in Hammond, Lake, Indiana, on August 1, 1909, to Anton H. Tapper and Louise L. Normann. He was their fourth child and third son.
Anton H. Tapper was a serial entrepreneur with many business interests, but he concentrated most of his time and energy on real estate and, later, banking. Grandpa, like his siblings, worked in the family business.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. on 3 October 1968, two men armed with guns entered the Calumet Federal Savings and Loan Association. Roland, the president, was in the building along with the teller, Mildred Hill, and his son, Roland Tapper Jr., treasurer.
Pushing Mildred from her stool, one of the gunmen began to rummage through two cash drawers. The gunmen then forced the three to a back room, where they were told to lie down. Wallets were taken from the pockets of the Tapper men before the robbers cut the phone lines and fled out the front door.
At the time of The Hammond Times article, Roland Tapper Sr. did not know precisely how much money had been taken in the holdup. He stated that the firm started each morning with $2,200 in cash in the two drawers, but he did not know how many transactions had been made that morning.1
The next day, the paper published a follow-up story stating that the robbers had taken $1,914.00 from the cash drawers and $90.00 from “the bank president,” Roland Tapper. The police were still searching for the robbers, described as being in their mid-twenties. One was short and dark, the other tall with light hair and a southern accent. Both men used foul language. A red 1961 Pontiac was seen parked in an alley near the savings and loan around the time of the holdup. A man who appeared to be in his 40s was sitting behind the wheel. At the time the paper went to print, the police had no leads.
In the article, Roland Sr. stated that the savings and loan had no alarm system, although federal law would soon require them to install one. “Tapper Sr. said he prefers to wait until the federal requirements are spelled out before installing a system.”2
This was the 32nd robbery of an Indiana financial institution in 1968; the FBI 19 “considered solved” to have been solved. The year prior, there were 33 robberies in total.3
Friday, November 8, 1968, the FBI arrested Theodore James Franiak, age 22, and charged him with the robbery of $1,914 from the Calumet Federal Savings and Loan Association. There was no mention of his accomplices.4
The Hammond Times, 24 Dec 1964
At the time of the robbery, Grandpa was 59 years old. Uncle Rollie was 34. Sometime before the robbery, Grandma had given him a 1909 $5.00 Gold piece attached to a money clip for Christmas. It was in his pocket on this day. He was in the habit of carrying most of his cash secured in the money clip in his front pocket. He would put the money clip in his pocket, then a smaller amount of cash closer to the opening. Oh, how I envy the pockets in men’s trousers. So when the gunman searched his pockets while he was lying face down on the ground, he easily discovered the $90.00 that was in his pocket; we can assume he did not search my grandfather’s pocket any deeper, content to take the ready cash, and never imagining that there would be more further inside. Sometime after this, he took the coin off the money clip and gave it to my Grandma for Christmas as a pendant.
I can only imagine my grandmother’s fear when she heard the news that day in 1968. It had only been four years since the last robbery, which occurred on 26 Oct 1964. Grandpa was not at the Savings and Loan at the time of this robbery; his nephew, the firm’s vice-president/secretary, Clarence “Butch” Tapper, was there, as was his son, Roland.
During this armed robbery, a lone gunman, well-dressed and about 45 years old, entered the building and demanded money. Butch gave him $611 from the drawer of the first teller’s cage. The gunman stated, “I know you’ve got more than that,” so he was given $898 from another drawer. He then said to Butch and Uncle Rollie: “Get in the vault or I’ll blow you to bits.” They walked into the “standup vault at the end of the office area, and the gunman slammed the door shut“ before he walked out the front door of the savings and loan. When they heard the door close, Butch and Uncle Rollie were able to open the vault by an inside lever and call the police.5 I found no report that this lone robber had been apprehended.
Roland retired in 1973, remaining as Chairman of the Board until March 1974, at age 64. He had a long career with Calumet Federal Savings and Loan Association. He was elected to the board of directors in 1934, became assistant secretary-treasurer in 1937, secretary-treasurer in 1949, president in 1957, and chairman of the board in 1971. He passed away on 11 Nov 1981, at age 72. His grandson is now the owner of the 1909 $5.00 gold piece.
RESOURCES:
“2 Bandits Rob S&L,” The Hammond Times, 3 Oct 1968, Thursday, p. 1B, col. 1; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 2 Feb 2006). ↩︎
“Police Seek 2 Robbers,” The Hammond Times, 4 Oct 1968, Friday, p. 1B, col. 2; digital images, NewspaperARCHIVE (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 28 Apr 2004). ↩︎
“Robbers Get $2,200 Cash in Hammond,” The Palladium-Item and Sun-Telegram, 4 Oct 1968, Friday, p. 27, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com: accessed 1 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Arrest Made,” The Terre Haute Tribune, 9 Nov 1986, Saturday, p. 14, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com: accessed 1 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Bandit Gets $1,509 At Savings-Loan,”The Hammond Times” 26 Oct 1964, Monday, p. 1, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com: accessed 31 Mar 2024). ↩︎
1929 was a momentous year for the Anton H. Tapper, Sr. household. A year that started with such bright promise and much excitement for the younger members of the household.
“Rollie in front of his platoon”
In June, sons Roland and Anton graduated from Culver Military Academy, located in Culver, Marshall, Indiana, on Wednesday, June 5th, 1929. Both Roland and his brother were members of the Culver Legion and the prestigious Black Horse Troop, with Roland receiving an honorable discharge as a 2nd Lieutenant from the troop. The whole Tapper family, along with “…Miss Verna Grey [sic]…attended the commencement exercises.”1
Two days later, Anton went to the clerk’s office of the U.S. District Court in Hammond, Lake, Indiana, and applied for passports for himself, his sons, Anton and Roland, and his daughter, Alice.2 They were going to spend the summer in Europe!
Anton Tapper, Sr.
Anton’s wife, Louise, was not able to make the trip as she was the primary caregiver for her granddaughter. 16-month-old Gwendolyn Warber’s mother, Gretje Tapper Warber had tragically died of an embolism at age 27, on 25 Mar 1928, one month after her baby was born.3 At this time, Anton and Louise had taken the baby into their home to raise as their own. Helping her family prepare for this trip had to be bittersweet for Louise, as it was only four years before, in 1925, that she and her daughter, Gretje, spent the summer in Germany. Their eldest son, Norman, was also staying home as he was married and had two young sons.
The preparations complete, on Friday, June 28th, the family loaded the car with their luggage, and set out on the to drive to New York City4 in anticipation of their ships departure on Saturday, July 6th.5 Nothing is known as to how long it took to drive to New York or where they stayed upon their arrival.
Anton Tapper, Jr.Roland TapperAlice Tapper
We do know that they set sail aboard the S.S. Veendam, heading for Rotterdam, Holland. The ship arrived in Holland on Monday, July 15th, after a nine-day journey.6
Anton celebrated his 22nd birthday on July 24th, most likely while traveling in England.
On July 27th, The Lake County Times published a report sent by Anton Jr., where he writes that “his trip to Europe has been fine and they are enjoying the sights.” The last report from the family, they were “enjoying the sights of Plymouth Devon, England.”7
Roland celebrated his 20th birthday on August 1st, somewhere in Europe as sadly, no reports appear in the newspaper during the month of August, but the next report dated September 4th took place during the month.
The Lake County Times’ report is a good one and bears the sub-heading: “Tapper Boys Climb Snow Covered Mountain in Switzerland.”
“Word has recently come from Interlaken, Switzerland from a reader of The Times, of an interesting day which Anton Tapper, his sons, Roland and Anton and his daughter, Alice, enjoyed in Switzerland, one of the countries they have been visiting on the continent during their stay abroad.
The Tappers were said to be up on the Jungfrau, Switzerland’s highest mountain. From there the Tapper boys took a guide and climbed one of the neighboring peaks, while Mr. Tapper, Senior, and his daughter watched them through a telescope as they made their way over the rocks and snow of the Mathildaspital, which is 3,560 meters high.
The descent was a hazardous one for the course took the boys over dangerously slippery rocks. Both young travelers are said to have declared the mountain climb the real thrill of their lives. They both seemed relieved to return to solid ground.”8
As they made their way from Switzerland back to Holland for the return home, they stopped in Germany, in the Black Forest.
They set sail on Wednesday, September 4th, from Rotterdam, Holland, aboard the S.S. Volendam. Later that day the ship picked up additional passengers in Southampton, and Boulogne-Sur-Mer, before heading on to New York, and arriving in New York Harbor on Friday, September 13th.
The passenger list was manifested,9 and they were recorded as:
No. 10, Anton H. Tapper, age 61, Male, Married, If Naturalized: Citizen by Father’s Papers, Address: 616 Ann str, Hammond, Ind.
No. 11, Anton H. Tapper, age 22, Male, Single, Native of U.S., b. 24th July 1907, Hammond, Ind.
No. 12, Roland Tapper, age 20, Male, Single, Native of U.S., b. 1st Aug 1909, Hammond, Ind.
No. 13, Alice Tapper, age 17, Female, Single, Native of U.S., b. 26th Sep 1912, Hammond, Ind.
Not knowing what time the ship arrived in the harbor, we do know it would have taken time for them to disembark, retrieve their luggage, wait for the car to be taken to shore, and finally be ready to head home. They must have been eager to return to Hammond, as they made good time, arriving in Hammond on Sunday evening, September 15th.10
Ten days later, Alice would celebrate her 18th birthday at home in Hammond.
Louise Tapper
The family was not allowed to end 1929 on this high note, as on 8 Nov 1929, Louise entered St. Margaret’s Hospital in Hammond to have her appendix removed. She passed away, at the age of 49, on Friday, November 29th. The newspaper report of her death states that “She [had] stood the operation well but physicians were concerned over a blood clot which had formed, threatening a condition similar to that which had resulted in the death of Mrs. Gretje Warber, daughter of the Tappers about a year ago. However she had shown a marked improvement in the last week.” The whole family had been gathered in her hospital room that night, discussing plans for her return home in the next day or so. Leaving at 9:00 p.m., they went home looking forward to bringing her home. She passed away just a short while later at 10:46 p.m., “as an unabsorbed portion of the blood clot was carried to her brain.”11
I just can’t imagine the grief, the loss. After her death, Anton pasted this small piece of paper onto the glass of a framed image of Louise, which says: “‘I Put All the Girls in the World in a Row and Picked Your Mother'”
Why am I writing this story now? I have been slowly attacking the vast amount of family heirlooms that need to be recorded so that my children will have some understanding of what is junk and what is special. Then it will up to them to decide what to keep, and what to toss. Items purchased on this trip have long been part of my family life. Purchased in the Black Forest region of Germany are two music boxes, one a bowl that my mother always used for nuts for cracking at Christmas, and another square box that was given to me so many years ago, I have no memory of NOT owning it. Other pieces purchased in the Black Forest piece are a trick Vesta match safe and a Cuckoo clock that Roland purchased as a gift for Verna Gray.
One piece that I would like to share here is a framed piece of Edelweiss, “Picked on Jungfau Mt.”
“College News,” About Our Young People, The Lake County Times, 7 Jun 1929, Friday, p. 24, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Aug 2017). ↩︎
“Did You Hear That,” The Lake County Times, 8 Jun 1929, Saturday, p. 15, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Mar 2024). ↩︎
Indiana Archives and Records Administration, “Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017,” database and images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, Ancestry.com (ancestry.com ; accessed 19 Aug 2019), Lake County, 1928, Registered no. 140 (penned), no. 8107 (stamped), Gretje Sophia Warber; citing Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900-2011. Microfilm, Indianapolis, Indiana. ↩︎
“Personals,” The Lake County Times, 28 Jun 1929, Friday, p. 24, col.3; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Mar 2024). ↩︎
“Personals,” The Lake County Times, 15 Jul 1929, Monday, p. 10, col.4; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Mar 2024). ↩︎
“Did You Hear That,” The Lake County Times, 27 Jul 1929, Saturday, p. 1, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Mar 2024). ↩︎
“Hammondites Have Thrill in Europe,” The Lake County Times, 4 Sep 1929, Wednesday, p. 10, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 Aug 2017). ↩︎
National Archives, “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” database and images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2010, Ancestry.com(www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 Aug 2018), 13 Sep 1929, S.S. Volendam, p. 1 (penned), p. 40 (stamped), e74, No. 10-13, Tapper Family; citing The National Archives at Washington, D.C. ↩︎
“Personals,” The Lake County Times, 16 Sep 1929, Monday, p. 17, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 1 Mar 2024). ↩︎
“Mrs. Tapper Dies from Embolism,” The Lake County Times, 30 Nov 1929, Saturday, p. 1, col. 6; Hammond Public Library Microfilm Collection. ↩︎
I belong to a German genealogy group on Facebook where members are ready and willing to help in any way, many times by translating German text.
I also have a scan of a small piece of ephemera that is part of the collection of a Tapper relative. In 2008 this collection was sent to my mother to scan, catalog, and organize, which she did, and then returned the box to her cousin. While I found all the small bits fascinating, one piece, in particular, caught my eye as it had the name A. H. Klöfkorn written at the bottom. I grabbed my German/English dictionary and took a stab at translating the text. I didn’t get very far in creating a translation that made sense to me. I opened Google Translate and what it produced made even less sense. I put the image of the piece aside but would return to it now and again to take another stab at it.
The small piece is very pretty, with a bouquet of flowers on one side, with the text “Heartfelt Congratulations” written below, but scratched out with a strong line across it. This I could translate. Flowers, congratulations, the signature of A. H. Klöfkorn… All I could think ,was that this was a token of love given to my great-grandmother Gretje Folkerts Müller by her husband, Albert Heinrich Klöfkorn. I wrote about them in my post titled: “Strength at Christmas” which can be found here: https://www.outagamieandbeyond.com/2015/12/26/strength-at-christmas/.
A friend from high school is also a member of the aforementioned Facebook group, and I began to notice that she was having a lot of luck asking for translations of postcards and other items in her collection. A lightbulb went off as I remembered this piece and my frustration in translating it. I decided to ask the group for help. OH MY GOSH! Almost before I finished hitting send, the messages of help started to flow in. What I received that morning was not only a translation, but a link to the original poem it came from, a link to a good German to English translator, comments about the text, and me having the opportunity to tell everyone who helped why this was so important to me. It was a good morning.
Here is what I learned. The text includes words that there is no direct equivalent in English, so the wonderful translator included options:
You remain in your still/quiet/peaceful being/existence.
And I must travel on.
Let us remember with gratitude,
What we were to each other.
As a reminder/memory, A. H. Klöfkorn
I was both right and wrong in my thoughts about what this small piece was to Gretje. Albert did not give her the small card, he did not sign the small card, but in many ways, it is a small token of love, a memory of a person lost. It is an early form of today’s funeral card.
The text, (thank you to the wonderful translator) is the third stanza of a poem by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866) titled: “Du hast mir hell in’s Herz geblickt.” The text has also been put to music.
A bit of Googling tells me that mourning cards date as far back as the 1700s, and stem back to the custom of using calling cards to announce your visit. Receiving a mourning card could serve as your “ticket” to attend the funeral.
While we may never know if this small card was created at the time of Albert’s death on 20 Dec 1870, or if Gretje found the card and many years later wrote his name at the bottom, I feel confident that this card with its stanza of poetry on the back meant something to Gretje. The sentiment reminded her of her first love, her husband, Albert Heinrich Klöfkorn who was lost at sea, going down with his ship the Drei Schwestern (Three Sisters).
A week ago today the weather was miserable in Wisconsin. After two days of 65° degree weather we woke to temps in the 30s, and an expected snowfall of 2-5”. Not the weather we had hoped for as we laid my mother to rest in Neenah’s Oak Hill Cemetery.
We met at the cemetery at 11:00 and headed to what shelter a nearby mausoleum entrance could provide from the snow and sleet. It was a beautiful service with readings and intentions from some of her oldest friends.
Upon leaving the cemetery we headed back to our hotel at the Home2Suites in Appleton. We had two rooms that were adjoining, and so allowed the 12 of us ample seating and room to move around. Mom loved a grazing meal in front of the fire in the library, a glass of wine in hand. We couldn’t provide the fire or library, and we didn’t offer wine, but we had warm coffee, cupcakes, and all the cheeses and charcuterie meats she loved.
As a genealogist, I love to tell stories. As the keeper of the photos, my mother loved to identify, date to the best of her ability, and gather them into an album of sorts for all to view. Last week we played on the room’s massive TV a slideshow I had put together of her life.
In the past, we have done photo boards where pictures are randomly tacked to foam core sheets, and placed along the receiving line. For my mother-in-law, I created a movie using actual footage from their wedding and adding images of her and my father-in-law through the years. I was a bit ahead of my time as it didn’t transfer to a form that would play well at the dinner after the funeral.
This time we had a bit more control as we sent the slideshow from my laptop to the Apple TV.
As people entered the room, the kids had it playing and the coffee brewing (we brought a 12 cup pot from home, along with a favorite flavored decaf). The images stopped people in their tracks. 51 images with captions flowed across the screen. Mom and her brother as young children, mom as a teen in red shoes, a 1947 selfie stating “Me ’47 taken by me,” when she was 14. An image from her days studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, graduation from Drake University in 1955. Her summer trip to Europe where she and two college friends traveled 2900 miles over 31 days in a small Renault, visiting France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, back to France, London, Scotland, back to London then the ship back to New York. Her days working at Quaker Oats in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, meeting my father, their marriage and move to New York City. The birth of their first child, me, and the second, my brother. Images of us as a family, and her days working as the secretary at First English Lutheran Church in Appleton. Images through her life. A snapshot of time. A life. My mom’s life.
Because of COVID and distance, it took a year for this to happen. But I think she would have been pleased with how the day came together. Rest in peace mom.
Letter writing is a lost art. It is so easy to slam out a text or write that “quick email” that our penmanship is failing, and our ability to put together a proper complete sentence is suffering.
This past week I have been busy transcribing my mother’s travel journal. The summer after she graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, she and two of her sorority sisters left to spend the summer traveling around Europe. They rented a 4-door Renault in Paris, a car so small that only one suitcase and the coats fit in the trunk, the other suitcases were strapped to the roof of the car. Leaving Paris, they would drive 2900 miles over the next 31 days, traveling through France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, before returning the car, and boarding a train to spend another week between London and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Mom was diligent about recording the Date, Place, and Weather for each day, along with a short synopsis of how they had spent their day, and what they had seen. I thought that this small journal was giving me a great insight into her trip, and all of the wonders she had seen. That is until I read her letters home. My grandparents had saved each letter and postcard that she had sent home, mom had saved all the letters that she received at American Express offices throughout Europe, and neighbors had “returned” to her the postcards that she had sent to them.
After I had finished the journal, I started to transcribe the letters, inserting the transcription of the letter following the date of the journal entry. Suddenly the trip came alive! From her journal entry I learn: “… ate a wonderful meal of snails, wine (Claret) & ice cream & raspberries…” From her letter home I discover that “… That evening we enjoyed a wonderful meal of snails & claret & ice cream & raspberries. They are served in their shells on trays, which look something like tiny, shallow muffin tins. Each snail is covered with melted butter, garlic, and parsley. You are given a small fork and tong like things (to hold the shell) with which you eat them. After you eat the snail you soak tiny bits of your bread in the garlic butter. It is really very tasty — of course you leave reeking of garlic, but happy.” As my grandma said in her August 7th letter to mom “You will never know how much your wonderful letters & cards mean to us. Am saving all of them & just to read about what you are seeing and such thrills us to death. Your letters are almost like a travelogue. Gosh but it sure sounds wonderful and we are so pleased that you are having such a wonderful time.”
Speaking of grandma. In the summer of 1955, Verna Amelia Gray Tapper was 44 years old. My grandfather, Roland John Tapper, Sr. was 45, turning 46 on August 1st. That summer, on August 6th, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They were so young!! And grandma was just full of news to share. Mom’s trip spanned ten weeks, and grandma wrote seven letters during that time, and mom sent 12 letters home, plus several postcards. For grandma and grandpa, they received a travelogue, and for mom, she kept up with all the news from home. And me? Well, I can sit down and “see” into the past. I can enjoy mom’s trip along with grandma and grandpa, and I can feel the heat of the 100° days, the happiness that grandma felt when “Dad had my diamond reset & got me a new wedding ring. So — for the first time I have matched rings…The settings are simple but dainty & beautiful & he is so proud of them he could just burst.”
Now I am scanning and organizing the letters, the postcards, the travel journal, and the book that mom put together at my request. In 2011 I had asked her to document her trip, which she did in the form of a photo journal, as she organized and captioned the photos that she had from the trip. I am working on putting this together in book format so that the whole summer can be savored in one bite, “The Summer of 1955.”
