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Frederick and Lulu Liniger Mantele Collection

 Collection
Identifier: RH-A-3678

Scope and Contents

Black-and-white photographs of the family, friends, pets, babies, vacations of the Frederick and Lulu Liniger Mantele family. Photographs of family activities include the New Idea Club, the Kalamazoo Movie Club and various garden clubs.

The family traveled often as seen in the albums, primarily throughout the Great Lakes region, taking trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Canada. They traveled to Switzerland to visit Lulu’s family, and also visited Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Georgia, California, Washington, Oregon, the Dakotas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Maryland. They especially liked to visit beaches and National Park, meeting with family and friends along the way.

Dates

  • Creation: 1924-1949

Creator

Frederick Mantele

Frederick Mantele was born in Kalamazoo on May 25, 1885. He began working for the Upjohn Company as a bacteriologist and research assistant in 1911 and retired on July 1, 1951. His wife, Lulu Liniger, was born on April 4, 1893 in Chesire, Michigan. Her mother Henrietta was born in Monroe, Michigan, on April 12, 1859 and died on June 30, 1938. Lulu’s father, Gottlieb, was born in Switzerland in May 1862.

Lulu and Frederick were married in Buffalo, New York on August 12, 1912. They had two children, Kenneth and Kathryn. The family lived in Kalamazoo on 324 E. Lovell in 1913, moved to 1621 East Avenue in 1915, and then moved to 141 S. Berkeley in 1926 until the 1950s.

Lulu died in Kalamazoo on May 4, 1971, and Frederick followed her on July 15, 1975.

Kenneth Austin Mantele

Kenneth Austin Mantele was born on March 15, 1914. He graduated from Central High School and Kalamazoo College. He then spent a year at John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore and received his master of science degree from the University of Michigan in 1942, and his doctor’s degree from their medical school in 1943. He interned at St. Vincent’s hospital in Los Angeles until he was placed on active duty in the navy in May 1945. He married Ozma Baum in Los Angeles on December 24, 1946, and passed away in Los Angeles on December 12, 1981.

Kathryn Henrietta

Kathryn Henrietta was born February 9, 1916. She married George Taylor Bruen on July 19, 1936 in Indiana. However, they divorced on April 6, 1940, not long after the birth of their daughter Georgia Ann in 1939. Kathryn married again to Kenneth Austin Conklin on May 1, 1943. Kathryn died on August 26, 1991 in Arlington, Texas.

Extent

4 boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains photograph albums of the Frederick and Lulu Liniger Mantele family of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Physical Description

These photograph albums amount to 2.0 cubic feet of space, all of which have many photographs of the family, friends, pets, babies, vacations, and photos of the family’s activities associated with the New Idea Club, the Kalamazoo Movie Club, and various garden clubs. The photographs total to ten albums and date from 1924 to 1949. Most of the photograph albums are blue or black with “Photographs” lettered on the front. They are bound with string and are 12” x 7.”

All of the photographs were glued to the pages of the albums, so they have not been removed; however, a small number have become detached. The detached photographs have been placed inside of folders in the pages where they were found. Some photographs and pages have been cut out. Many of the photographs have been labeled with the location and date that the photograph was taken, along with names of people in them, by Lulu.

The albums are a little worn, but they are in decent shape, except for album #8 which is no longer bound together.

Provenance

These albums had been transferred from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in 2007, when the Upjohn Company papers were send to Western Michigan University, because Frederick Mantele was employed by the Upjohn Company. The albums and were then found during the 2013 move to the Zhang Legacy Collection Center.

Notes

Information on the Liniger and Mantele family was found primarily through census, marriage, and death records, along with newspapers and research done by previous archive employees.

Subject

Title
Frederick and Lulu Liniger Mantele Collection Finding Aid
Status
Completed
Author
Abbey Buckham
Date
1924-1949
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections Repository

Contact:
Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center
1650 Oakland Drive
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5307 US
(269) 387-8490