Higgins family papers
Scope and Contents
The Higgins family papers is made up of photographs, newspaper clippings, high school ephemera, high school reunion materials, and employee magazines and newsletters. Notable are eighteen snapshots of Ira and Ethel Higgins with Sue and Carl Bengert taken in the 1920s. The collection also contains newspapers from April of 1933 with stories of the murders of Sue Bengert and her two sons.
These papers also include reunion materials and photographs from the 50th reunion of the Creston High School class of 1944. There are employee publications in the collection, primarily from Consumers Power Company, including a directory of retired employees published by Consumers Energy in 2002.
Local family researchers may find the employee newsletters and publications from Consumers Energy and Meijer, along with the information from the Creston High School class of 1944 particularly helpful. Those researching the Creston Neighborhood might find this collection useful as well.
It is also interesting to note the drafting work done by Robert Higgins in high school and the maps he drew years later, during his time with Consumers Power.
Dates
- 1924 - 1994
Biographical / Historical
Ira Owen Higgins was born in 1897 in Henderson County, Kentucky and came to Michigan in his 20s. Prior to moving to Michigan, Ira worked in a furniture factory as a cabinet maker and he continued working in the furniture industry in Grand Rapids. In 1925 he married Ethel TenBrink and together they had two sons, Robert and Edgar. Ethel (Effie as a child), was born in Michigan in 1902 to immigrants from the Netherlands and was one of at least nine children. Ira was a salesman for the Colonial Baking Company in the 1930s, likely out of necessity during the Great Depression, returning to work in the furniture industry in 1948. Ira died in December of 1965 and is buried in the Pilgrim Home Cemetery in Holland, Michigan, as is Ethel, who died in 1989.
Robert H. Higgins was born in 1926 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He attended Creston High School, graduating in 1944. He married Barbara Lind (1927-2017) in October of 1953 and together they had two children, Susan Higgins and Jamie Higgins. Robert retired from Consumers Power after 30 years in 1984. He also served with the U.S. Air Force during World War II. Robert died in November of 2005.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection of family papers was donated by Susan Higgins, the granddaughter of Ira and Ethel Higgins and the daughter of Robert and Barbara Higgins. Ira Owen Higgins was born in 1897 in Henderson County, Kentucky and came to Grand Rapids, Michigan in his 20s. In 1925 he married Ethel TenBrink (1902-1989) and together they had two sons, Robert and Edgar. Ira died in December of 1965 and Ethel died in 1989. Robert H. Higgins was born in 1926, in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from Creston High School in 1944. The Higgins family papers is made up of photographs, newspaper clippings, high school programs and high school reunion materials. The collection also includes employee magazines and newsletters from Consumers Power Company and Meijer, notably a directory of retired employees of Consumers Energy published in 2002. Robert married Barbara Lind (1927-2017) in October of 1953 and retired from Consumers Power after 30 years in 1984. This collection may be most useful to the local family researcher and the researcher interested in the Creston Neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Higgins family papers were donated by Susan Higgins, daughter of Robert H. Higgins. [2020.014]
- Title
- Finding aid for the Higgins family papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jennifer Andrew
- Date
- 2020-11-30
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503 USA
616-988-5497
localhis@grpl.org