Sons Carl and Henry Batke with friend, Jacob Link

Sons Carl and Henry Batke with friend, Jacob Link
Sons Carl and Henry Batke with friend Jacob Link, St. Joseph, Michigan, c 1941, Photo courtesy Don Fredrick

About Martin Batke and Anna Lock

About Martin Batke and Anna Lock

Martin Batke and Anna Lock(?) are parents to at least five children. In their son Henry's death notice in The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Michigan, dated April 7, 1949, four brothers are named: John of Canada; Peter of Germany; Carl of Fresno, California; and, Fred of Stockton, California. To my knowledge Martin never came to North America. Anna traveled with her sons John and Henry and their families from the Port of Bremen on the ship Pallanza to Quebec, Canada and eventually settled in Saskatchewan. She homesteaded at Queen Center, Saskatchewan and became a British citizen in 1919. It is believed, but not proven, Anna died on October 31, 1939 in Saskatchewan and may be buried in the Elim MB Church Cemetery, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Fred Batke, Death Notice, 1974


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"BATKE -- In Stockton, December 26, 1974.  Fred Batke, uncle of Ann Becker and Ann Metzler both of Fresno.  A native of Russia, aged 86 years.
Friends are invited to attend funeral services Friday, January 3, 1974 (sic) at 1:30 P. M. in the chapel of the MARTIN FUNERAL HOME, 446 N. American."

Fred is the brother of Henry Batke (1877-1949).  We know that Fred's niece Ann Metzler, mentioned in the death notice above, is the daughter of Karl and Frederika Batke, but who is Ann Becker?  It occurred to me Ann Becker might be the granddaughter of Anna Batke (mother of Fred, Henry and Karl), who traveled with her and John Batke from Russia on the Pallanza.

Per the Pallanza passenger list, granddaughter Anna Batke was eleven when she came to Canada in 1912.  In 1974, she would be approximately 73 years old.  The death notice says she is living in Fresno, California.  I have been unable to find an "Ann Becker" of the appropriate age living or dying in California.

Does anyone out there know who this Ann Becker is?
 
The death notice was located in the Obituary Index File of the San Joaquin County Public Library, Stockton, California.  It is dated December 31, 1974, but no Newspaper title is given.  The Obituary Index File had been microfilmed and is part of the Family History Library's collection, MF#1786746.

1 comment:

  1. There was an Anna Becker born 11 April 1901 and died 20 February 1990 who received an SSN in California before 1951 (per SSDI). The California death index entry for the same Anna Becker gives her place of birth as "other country" and her death in Fresno County. Under father’s surname and mother’s maiden name are "Block" and "Batcke", respectively. Seems like a strong candidate.

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