Two years ago when I decided to investigate my paternal family roots I never imagined how much I would learn.  There is so much information about the family "out there"... it is just a matter of uncovering and discovering it. 

A perfect example is a series of newspapers from the Grand Rapids Press (early 1900s) detailing the life of Frances Kruizenga Slooter and her husband Jacob, owner of the Slooter Broom Company and later the Richards Manufacturing Company.  I had the usual birth dates, marriage dates, and death dates.  But that was about it.  No photos.  Nothing that took me into their lives.  Until now.

This series of newspapers brought me a bit closer to Frances and her husband because they detail a particular organization that they were both a part of.  If you remember, Frances was a daughter of Jacob Derks Kruizenga and his 2nd wife Gezina Rotmans.  Come to find out that Frances was a member of the Independent Michigan Order of Foresters.  This Order supported the community of which they were a part.  A PDF download of the history of this order is linked below.

Frances worked her way in the order - which reached a membership of 250,000 in 1906 - and became PRESIDENT of the Michigan branch!  She gave speeches and worked hard to make the Grand Rapids community a better place.  This little tidbit of information colors Frances and her family.  It lets us take a peek into their lives.  It also speaks loudly on the kind of family Jacob Derks and Gezina had - the morals and training that they passed on to Frances and the rest of their children. 

I will soon be posting these news articles on the appropriate page relating to Frances and the Slooter family.