Tithes and offerings were often paid in produce or other goods. Once a parishioner delivered a 1/3 bushel of spoiling apples. "Here," he said to J.L., "take it off my tithe. I'd have had to feed them to the hogs anyway." (recollection by granddaughter Janna Hey Dean) Grandpa Holtzman in his garden. |
History of Adult Children of Jacob's First Family Grandpa posed to the west of his house in Sterling with Ruth and his five children from his first marriage (June 20, 1922). Seated left to right: Ira, Grandpa, Ezra. Standing left to right: Ruth, Christina, Earl, Sue. |
 Same setting without Ruth (1922). Seated left to right: Ira, Grandpa, Ezra. Standing left to right: Christina, Earl, Sue.  Ruth, (likely) Lucille (Christina's daughter) |
 I don't know where Ira served as pastor, but I do remember seeing a picture of him at Grandma's once. She told me it was of Ira when he served as a chaplain with the Red Cross in France during World War I. He was in uniform in the picture. They also had an adopted son named Charles who lived in Ottawa, Illinois. After Ira's death, Rose supported herself and Charles as a cook in a military academy for several years. I met Rose only once at Aunt Christine's when I was very small and remember nothing else about her. Ira and Rose's adopted son Charles lived in Ottawa for years. Aunt Sue was in contact with his wife also. She copied information from the front of Grandpa Holtzman's Bible and sent it to Sue, but did not want to part with the Bible. Rose's sister Merle was one of Gram's best friends. We always called her "Aunt Merle." We were completely surprised to learn that she had included us in her will. Each of us received $1,000. After Sue and Ed moved here, we drove to Ottawa where Phil joined us, and we took Aunt Merle out to dinner. Most of those recollections were all from things Mother told me. I never met Ira. Of my mother's half brothers/sisters, I knew only Christine. When I met Aunt Sue, she was dying of cancer at Christine's farm home and the funeral was in the parlor. I met Earl once when I was a teen-ager, but at the time, it did not register on me how important that was. Earl and his wife Louise lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut and stopped by to see Grandma for a few hours. I never met Ezra. Ezra and Ellen had a daughter named Alice who Mother told me suffered from diabetes and died at age 20. (recollections by Janna Ruth Hey Dean) |
 Rev. & Mrs. Ira E. Holtzman 830 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois Phone: Superior 8600 (on back of photo; the address is Moody Bible Institute) |
 Alice, daughter of Ezra & Ellen Alice had diabetes, didn't care for her diet, and lived to about age 20 (according to Ruth Hey). |
Alice, daughter of Ezra & Ellen |
 Left to Right: Louise & Earl, Lucile (?, Christine's daughter), Alice, Ira & Rose  Alice at Christmas Postcard Photo: Back addressed to Mrs. R. Weber and family (Aunt Christine), "Kenosha, WI, January 9, 1910. This is my Xmas. We had a good time. All of us. But Papa he is not very well. With Love, Your Niece. Alice H." |
 Sue and Dad Caption: "Sue and Dad talking politics. 1919"  Lucille, Alice, Christina, Earl Blowing balloons. Summer, 1919"  Lucille, Sue & Bill Callahan, Jack |
JL and daughter Susan "Ruth took this of JL and Susan last Summer, 1919 when Susan was here from Detroit." (back of photo)  |
 Sue & Dad  Caption: "Big Earl, Little Earl, Medium Earl" (JL's son, Big Earl's son, Aunt Christine's son) |
 Sinnissippi Park, 1908 Back of photo: "What a good time they are having." |
Ira, Sue, Earl, Christina |
 Sinnissippi Park, 1908 Back of Photo: "Christina family, Ezra family, Going picnicing." |