Family papers, 1839-1942, and undated include: biographical materials, 1928-1929; correspondence, 1895-1935; legal papers, 1839-1866; autograph albums, 1878, 1880-1882, 1885-1889; photographs and miscellaneous, 1883-1897 and undated; school reports, 1880-1881; and teaching certificates, 1879-1883 and 1879-1911. Most of the correspondence is to Minnie and Clara Ellen Starr concerning their nephew, Jack. Photographs document several generations of the Starr family, Dennis and Nancy Quick, and the Hamer family, the first African American family in Royal Oak, Michigan. Other materials document Eva, George E., Mary, and the general family, within photographs, a family tree, and some miscellaneous legal papers and correspondence. The collection is organized by family, alphabetical by individual creators’ names, and then chronologically organized.
Biography:
The Orson Starr family moved from N.Y. (State) to Royal Oak (Michigan Territory) in 1831 to engage in the manufacturing of cowbells. A son, Almon, later established a brick manufacturing firm. Almon’s son, Edwin (1854-1929) became a florist and seed experimenter. His house was built with bricks from his father’s firm, which later became the property of the Royal Oak Historical Society. Edwin married Mary Salisbury. Together they had eight children: Minnie, George Elon, John, William, Clara Ellen, Rhoda, Arthur, and Allen. All the daughters became professional educators. After Mary’s death, Edwin married Carrie Bingham.
(This information from Royal Oak, our living legend and Portrait and biographical album of Oakland County, Michigan.)
Ella N. Hamer, 1870-1932, was a second-generation Hamer family member, who worked as a nursemaid and domestic servant for the Staff family. Dennis H. Quick (1804-1887) and his daughter Nancy Quick Starr (1832-1895) were early settlers of Royal Oak. (This information is from ancestry.com, accessed October 2019.)
