Karl Starkweather

Karl & Mary

   Karl was a freshman student at Valparaiso College in Indiana, but after a semester decided to travel to North Dakota and work the summer months in the wheat fields. Karl would later write, “The crew, all told, consisted of about 30 men. We camped and lived right on the job, traveling with the threshing rig. The men slept in a tent, in wagon boxes, or wherever we could find a place to lay down. A cook car traveled along with the outfit. “

 It was during his North Dakota stay that he met Mary, who cooked for the threshers at her father’s farm.

Family Life

  After he returned to Michigan, Karl continued to write Mary and they married in 1910.

    Karl and Mary had five children: Eugene, Evelyn, Beulah, Jewel and Doris. In 1922, soon after the birth of Doris, the family moved from their crowded Detroit area flat to the family home on Starkweather Ave., where Karl had been born on Christimas Day, 1989.

Karl, Mary and children would share the large house with Mary Hillmer, whose husband, Louis had died in 1921. Mary Hillmer died in 1951 at the age of 85.

Karl worked hard to provide for his family. For example, he was a street car conductor for a period, and labored as a machinist at Ford Motor Company for 35 years.

Name Change For some time, Karl had been wrestling with a difficult decision–to change his last name to Starkweather, in order to continue the Starkweather lineage. He had traced his ancestry nine generations to the original Starkweathers who had arrived in America. While he still considered himself a Hillmer, Karl felt it was the right move. On December 17, 1924 the probate court confirmed that Karl Starkweather Hillmer was now officially Karl Hillmer Starkweather. He was 35 years old.

Family Members Move West

   Of course, it was inevitable that some of the Starkweather family would eventually leave Michigan. Eugene and wife Elizabeth had moved to California and Jewel and husband Gil Robinson and Beulah and husband Art Dennis relocated there as well.

The Later Years

   Of course, Karl remained very busy after he retired. He enjoyed reading and writing letters and the family history. Karl also loved walking to the downtown business section, to get his exercise and most important, to meet friends along the way. He relished the opportunity to discuss current events and especially Plymouth history.

In addition, he was an active member of the Plymouth Historical Society and the Plymouth Optimist Club.

Mary had her own interests, including an extensive button collection.

Karl and Mary welcomed the chance to visit California and stay with one of their children and families.

Source: http://thestarkweatherclan.wordpress.com/history/