Notes for Walter THURTELL

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Notes for Walter THURTELL

The Thurtell Family History done about 1963, the History of the Thurtell Family done by Susan Persia Thurtell about 1968, and a letter from Dr. James Walter Miller (born October 14, 1913, grandson of Walter and Agnes Hall Thurtell) to Susan Persia Thurtell Miller dated April 10, 1977, confirm the dates of birth and death of Walter Thurtell, who was an optician in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

His marriage record shows him as Walter Thurtell, age 24, a farmer residing at Kasson, Oviatt Post Office, Leelanau County, Michigan, and born in Rockwood, Ontario, Canada, at the time of his marriage to Agnes Mary Hall, age 25, who was residing at Kasson and born in New York City. The witnesses to their marriage on February 23, 1885, were Harry Thurtell of Kasson and Howard J. Hall of Kasson, Leelanau County, Michigan.

The January 1886 Grand Traverse Herald found on the internet in August 2000 at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jayhomer/heraldja.htm showed that "Walter Thurtell has gone to Frankfort to work, teaming for Banks."

A notice in the January 1889 Grand Traverse Herald found on the internet in August 2000 at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jayhomer/heraldja1.htm showed in its Maple City section "As I chanced to be in Maple City a few days ago I was surprised to see the stir and enterprise manifested there. . . We then crossed the street [from the Post Office] and stepped into the store of Walter Thurtell. Walter has a nice stock of general goods, and is doing a good business, we should judge, from the number of customers being waited upon. Walter has a bland smile upon his face that betokens prosperity. He runs, beside the store, the Traverse City and Glen Haven mail route. His brother Ed. attends to the latter."

There is a notice in the "Grand Traverse Herald" in November 1889 for Maple City, Michigan, showing "Mr. Thurtell's child is thought to be on the mend." No further information was found regarding which child, but it probably refers to one of the children of Walter Thurtell.

The 1901 Traverse City, Michigan, directory lists him as "Thurtell, Walter, trav optician, res 219 E. 9th." The 1905 Traverse City directory lists him as "Thurtell, Walter, trav agt, res 410 5th." He is not listed in the 1911 directory.

He and his family are listed in the 1900 U.S. census for Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan (Vol. 23, E.D. 42, Sheet 7, Line 40). The index shows the family was living at 219 East Ninth Street, Traverse City, Michigan, at the time of the census. Walter is shown as a white male born January 1861 in Canada, age 39, married 16 years, who came to the U.S. in 1866, 34 years earlier. His U.S. citizenship is shown as NA on the census. His occupation is shown as "grocerer," with no months unemployed. It shows he can read, write, and speak English, and that he was renting the home where the family was living. It shows his father was born in England, and his mother was born in South Carolina. It lists his wife, Agnes, daughters Evangeline and Hellen T, and son Walter B, as living with him.

The 1910 U.S. census index for Michigan (089 0120 0014) shows Walter Thurtell and his family were living in Washtenaw County, Michigan, at the time of the census. He is listed as white, age 49, born in Canada on the index. His wife is shown as Agnes H., age 49, born in New York. His daughters, Eva and Helen, are both shown as born in Michigan. Eva is shown as age 23, and Helen is shown as age 20.

The Traverse City Record Eagle for December 1, 1922, confirms that Walter Thurtell had been a business man in Traverse City, Michigan, for many years. It shows he died suddenly in Kalamazoo. Funeral services were being held from the Anderson chapel, with Rev. Demas Cochlin from the First Congregational Church, Traverse City, Michigan, officiating. It showed his survivors as his widow plus his "two daughters, Mrs. Dr. Miller of Berrien Springs and Mrs. Harold Jahraus of Cleveland, and one son, Ben Thurtell, of Detroit."

Kalamazoo County death records on page 69 show that Walter Thurtell, married, age 61 years, 10 months, 22 days, died November 28, 1922, from heart disease and that he was born in Canada. This record shows his father was Frances Thurtell (obviously this should have been Francis), born in England, and that his mother was Amelia Higinson, born in Virginia.

He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery, 1225 East Eighth Street, Traverse City, Michigan 49686, telephone 616-922-4907, in Block 5, Lot 2, Second Edition. Oakwood Cemetery records confirm he died November 28, 1922, at age 61 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

An undated family history shows that Walter Thurtell was a grocer in Maple City, Michigan, and later became an optician (eyeglass salesman) all over Michigan. The same history shows that the children of Walter and Agnes Thurtell all attended high school in Traverse City, Michigan.

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