CHRISTEN KRYGER
(Matt's Great Grandfather)

Upon arriving in Kalkaska County in the winter of 1879, Christen first worked in the woods clearing the land, cutting ties and logs. In the following years he worked for A.E. Palmer (Mr. Palmer was a pioneer and later became a Senator for the state of Michigan) as a farm hand. He then secured a clerical position in the grocery establishment of Kellog and Wooden, of Kalkaska, and later was for seven and one-half years a faithful and popular salesman in the dry good store of the firm of Palmer and Gibson.

On the 13th. of March, 1890, Mr. Kryger was united in marriage to Miss Mary McKee Wheeler, (Matt's Great Grandmother) (Daughter of John Wheeler and Margaret Hard) who was born in LaGrange, Indiana, and who was reared in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and Capac, Michigan, having been engaged in the dressmaking business in Kalkaska at the time of her marriage.

Mary's mother Margaret Hard died in the 1870's when Mary was 10 or 12 years old. Her father John Wheeler later met and married another woman. John and the new wife began another family and Mary soon became the odd person out. She recalled feeling abandoned by her family while the new wife pressured John to have Mary "go live with other relatives".

Mary told of being moved around from family to family. We are currently research the Wheeler and Hard families. Our current lead is Christen and Mary's marriage license which states Mary was living just outside of Kalkaska in Leetsville. We have found other "Wheeler's" living in Leetsville at the same time.

Christen having saved his hard earned money and Mary with her dressmaking business combined efforts and in 1897, rented a small store in Kalkaska. The name chosen for the store was Den Danske Botik, translated means "The Danish Clothing Store". Christen and Mary's general good nature and willingness to help others ensured their success. Their story is found in "Biographical History of Northern Michigan" Publisher: B.F. Bowen & Company, 1905, page 369.

The family business became very successful and in the spring of 1903, Christen and Mary opened a branch store in Boyne City, Charlevoix County, Michigan. In addition to providing their customers with the highest quality products and lowest possible prices, Christen would use advertisements in the local newspaper, The Kalkaskian Leader, to attract new customers. He was also known for holding auctions on Saturdays and bringing a circus to town. Take a look at some of their advertisements.

Downtown Kalkaska 1908 - Den Danske Botik Picture

Christen was very active in his community and served 2 years as Village Treasurer, while he was also a member of the Village Council for two terms. He also was involved with the local organizations of the Knights of the Macabees, of which he has been finance keeper, the Knights of Pythias and Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

In 1919, Christen and Mary where woken in the middle of a cold winter night with the news that his store had caught fire. Christen and his son Elton rushed to the scene and found the store engulfed in flames. The two men along with some friends attempted to put the fire out and recover as much of the goods in side the store as they could. They lost on both fronts. The lack of any modern fire equipment hindered the fight as did  the bitter cold winter night. The store was a total lost and left ice forming on the men's hair and clothes.

The family decided to sell their possessions and moved to Detroit Michigan in 1920. Upon arriving in the big city, they purchased a new store located the corner of Kercheval St and Baldwin St. The new building was a two level flat with the store downstairs and living quarters on the second level. Again, Christen and Mary became successful in business until 1929 and the Great Depression.

The store had to be sold and Christen and Mary moved in with their son Elton and his wife Elizabeth. It was a total lost for them yet they kept their good disposition and cheery nature. Christen, still the son of a farmer, spent many hours producing a fine vegetable garden while Mary assisted in the care taking of their grandchildren. The relationship between Mary and her daughter in law Elizabeth soon soured and in 1931 they moved to Chicago to live with their daughter Dannia and her husband Jerry Lambert. Christen again started another garden.

In the early 1930's Dannia and her husband separated, so Dannia, Christen and Mary moved to an apartment building with studio apartments. Christen and Mary's studio was down the hall from Dannia's.

One spring morning, April 19, 1936 Christen when out for his usual walk. Later, their was a knock at the door and upon opening it a police officer announced that Christen had been found collapsed on the ground. Christen had suffered a heart attach and passed away.

Mary and her daughter Dannia moved together into a new apartment. Mary  was very talented with her hands working on oil painting, water coloring, fine sewing and crocheting. Later in life when the use of her hands became to painful for the detailed projects, Mary would create little animals out of yarn which her daughter Dannia took to work and sold, which provided Mary with some spending money.

Mary passed away Jun of 1948 and was buried with her husband Christen at the Evergreen Cemetery in Kalkaska, Michigan.

We have a few pictures of Christen and Mary, so visit the small photo gallery.

The following are the children of Christen Christen Kryger and Mary McKee Wheeler:

ELTON C. KRYGER -  (Matt's Grandfather) Elton was born September 23, 1891 in Kalkaska, Kalkaska County, Michigan USA. During his youth, Elton would help his parents at their store and learned the trade first hand. Upon becoming a young man, he was sent to Ferris Institute in Big Rapids, Michigan to be educated in business. At the end of his college years, Elton and a friend named Eichen decided to move to Detroit Michigan and work for the local newspaper, The Detroit Free Press.

One weekend Elton and his friend went to Edgewater Park located on Jefferson and Townsend streets (Later the park was torn down and the Naval Armory was built, at the entrance to Belle Island), Where Elton met his future wife Elizabeth Louise Holzapfel, daughter of the late Karl Holzapfel and Catherine Diehl. Elizabeth at the time was working for the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Company.

Soon afterwards the couple where married on June 16, 1915. Elton and his new bride left Detroit and headed back to Kalkaska Michigan where they planned to settle down.

In the photograph shown here, notice Elton's pince-nez glasses. On his left hand, he always wore a gold band with a red garnet.

The newlyweds bought a house down the street from his parents Christen and Mary. Elton return to help run the family business.

On September 28, 1917, the couples first child, Lawrence Charles Kryger was born.

During that unfaithful winter night in 1919, Elton was with his father attempting to fight the fire at the family store. When the store burnt to the ground, Elton and Elizabeth made the decision to move back to Detroit.

In Detroit, the couple moved in with Elizabeth's mother, Catherine. The house was built by her father Karl. Elton went to work for the United States Post office in the collections department.

Elizabeth's mother decided to move in with her other daughter's house and let Elizabeth and Elton have full use of the house.

On January 9, 1921 Katherine Elizabeth Kryger was born (Matt's mom). The following children where also born to this union. I currently don't have all the dates, so I list them in order: Rosemary Kryger, Phyllis Jean Kryger, Barney Kryger, Elizabeth Anne (Who died within hours of birth. Elizabeth allowed my mother to give her little sister a name),and Barbara Kryger.

During the Great Depression, Elton who was lucky enough to be employed by the federal government did not lose his job. Elizabeth joined the local women's club. Around this time, Elton's parent after losing their store, moved in with the family.

Elizabeth started to increasely spend more time with the social life and less with the care of her family. Her social circle include the likes of TV star Danny Thomas, prior to his success. This caused friction between Elizabeth and her mother-in-law Mary. The relationship soured and Elton's parents left Detroit to live with their daughter Dannia and her husband Jerry in Chicago.

Not having anyone to watch the children, Elizabeth hired an Irish woman named Annie to watch over the children. The children referred to Annie as a "Biddy" which nicely translated means a hard woman. This was a hard time for the children as their mother would sleep all day, get up at six in the evening and take off for her social life. Elton, who worked all day to pay for her life style, had the choice to fight, which was not in his nature, or join her. One of Their favirote places to associate was Cal's on Kercheval.

It didn't take long for the money to run out. Soon the hired helped was gone and the family found themselves moving from home to home, staying just long enough and missing rent payments to be kicked out again.

Elton, began having problems with his teeth. Deathly scared of the dentist, he refused to seek help. Not until some time in 1946 did he finally feel confident in the new dental procedures to any work preformed. With the dentist's recommendation, Elton was to have all of his teeth pulled and fitted for dentures. The first six teeth where pulled and two days later, Elton suffered a heart attack. The procedure was a shock to his system. While in the hospital, more teeth where pulled and finally stopped when cancer was found deep in the gums.

The family made the decision not to inform him of the grave news due to his current physical condition. Slowly the condition worsen until on December 17, 1948 Elton died.

In the years to pass, his wife Elizabeth gave up the social life and became a more caring person. Often caring for her grandchildren. Myself as a young child was taken care of by Elizabeth while my parents both worked to support the family. I remember being given bath's in the kitchen sink, watching the TV game shows in the morning with grandma. We loved concentration. When I started kindergarten, Grandma Kryger would come and pick me up when school was let out. Never once was grandma ever late.

Elizabeth lived in a couple different flats within a few miles of my family's home. One morning, she woke up and went into the kitchen to have breakfast and clasped from heart failure. Elizabeth died September 17, 1978.

Be sure to visit Elton's Photo Album.

VERNON KRYGER - Vernon was born in 1893-1894 in Kalkaska, Michigan. The exact date is being currently researched. Vernon's family was burning leaves in the front of the house and the children where in the yard with them. The young child moved to close to the flames and the back of his clothes and hair caught fire. His father tired to put the flames out as quick as possible while his mother ran for medical help. The burns proved too great for young Vernon and he died shortly afterwards.

DANNIA MYRTH KRYGER - Dannia was born January 14 1897 in Kalkaska, Kalkaska County, Michigan. Below is the birth announcement that appeared in the January edition of the Kalkaska Leader newspaper. Dannia was always a well dressed little girl with her mother Mary, the dress maker.

Around 1915, After finishing her education in the local school system, Dannia was sent to Mount Pleasant Teacher's college located in Mount Pleasant Michigan. Upon completion of her college courses, Dannia moved to Detroit became a teacher and taught second and third grade student at several schools.

There she met her future husband, Harold "Jerry" Lambert, the son of Charles Lambert and Eleanora Carner. He was ten years older than Dannia, being born in 1887, and previously married once before. Jerry was a mechanical engineer and working at Jim Handy Picture Corporation in Detroit on Grand Boulevard. His company produced commercials and short features movies.  Jerry was known to be a "High Roller" and as a salesman, wore the latest clothes, drove the newest cars and was very good at being flashy.

Dannia's parents did not approve of the relationship so on December 21, 1921 Dannia and Jerry ran away and got married.

The couple moved to Buffalo, New York. They may have moved a couple times but ended up in Niles Center, just outside of Chicago Illinois. My mother remembers visiting her Aunt Dannia a few times. They lived in a very big apartment (during the Great Depression) and she remember the beautiful white Spinet piano. She also remembers seeing the first General Electric refrigerator in her life, everyone else at the time owned ice boxes. It was a box on big legs and the motor was located on the top of it. Mom recalls playing jacks on the kitchen floor and jumping when she heard the motor automatically start for the first time.

In 1929, Dannia's parents left Detroit and moved to Chicago to live with her and Jerry. Christen, her father had another big garden in the back yard. But shortly afterwards, Dannia found out her husband Jerry was cheating on her with a couple other women. Not believing in divorce, Dannia separated with her husband and did not legally divorce him for many years later.

Dannia, along with her parents Christen and Mary moved into Chicago and rented two studio apartment down the hall from each other. She went to work for Bissett's Department store as a clerk, working her way all the way up to a buyer's position. Very impressive for a women at that time. Later, Bissett closed and she moved on to another buyer position.

In 1936 when her father Christen died, Dannia and her mother Mary moved in together and shared an apartment until Mary's death in 1947.

In 1965 Dannia did some extensive traveling in England and Europe, enjoying her retirement. Through the years she had remained friends with her ex husband's sister and often talked about retiring in Florida with Jerry's sister. One or two years before the planned move, her sister in law passed away.

After coaxing from the family, Dannia in 1976 moved to Detroit, Michigan to live near her family. She had a very nice apartment near Gratiot Avenue and Seven mile road.

On January 8, 1990, six days short of her 93rd birthday Dannia passed away. Dannia, along with her brother Vernon, Brother Elton and his wife Elizabeth are buried with their parents Christen and Mary at the Evergreen Cemetery in Kalkaska, Michigan.eAlbum.

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