Tenth Generation

382. May Isabell "Mabel" GRIGGS (~) was born on 1 May 1889 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,157,221 (In a letter to his cousin, Elton Griggs, on 31 December 1918, her father, Clarence, states: "Her name is May Isabell and we called her Maybell for short." Other sources spell her name as "Mae Isabelle." She apparently shortened it to "Mabel." She appeared in the census in 1895 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.¹³¹ She appeared in the census in 1900 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.¹³⁹ Mabel appeared in the census in 1905 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁴ Her occupation was "Student." She appeared in the census in 1910 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁵ She was living with her parents. She appeared in the census in 1920 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁶ She and her children were living in the household of her parents at 1308 Stoughton Avenue. Between 1925 and 1929 Mabel was a restaurant and boarding house operator in Adams, Adams Township, Adams County, WI.^330,331 Her restaurant was named "The Daisy Eat Shop." She appeared in the census in April 1930 in New Lisbon, Juneau County, WI.³³² Her household consisted of her children, Merle, Mildred, Milo and Lucille Koopman. She was listed as Mabel Thompson, a "Widow," with an occupation of "Housekeeper." They lived on Pearl Street. She lived at her home in New Lisbon, Juneau County, WI in July 1931.¹⁰⁷ Her father's obituary listed her as "Mrs. Mabel Thompson, New Lisbon." Mabel lived at her home in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI in November 1936.¹⁰⁷ Her mother's obituary listed as her as "Mrs. Mabel Thompson," living in Tomah. She lived in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Township, Milwaukee County, WI in April 1938.¹⁶² A letter dated 21 April 1938 that she wrote to her cousin Elton Griggs listed her return address as "2903 W. Mich St., Aprt 1, Milwaukee, Wis." She listed her name as "Mrs. Mabel Koopman." She lived at her home in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Township, Milwaukee County, WI in November 1939.^269,333 Gary Griggs has a copy of a letter that she wrote to her cousin Blanche Griggs in October 1939, as well as a letter that she wrote to her cousin Elton Griggs in Missouri in November 1939. The return address on the envelopes was 737 South 34th Street.

(She cannot be located in the 1940 Census.) Mabel died of cancer of the lymph glands on 15 February 1949 at the age of 59 in West Allis, Milwaukee County, WI.^{115,157,334,335} Obituary Notes: "Mrs. Mabel Griggs Koopman was born in the Town of LaGrange, Monroe County, Wis., May 1, 1889, daughter of Clarence and Carrie Griggs. She passed away at the home of her eldest daughter, Mrs. Ignis Mack, in Milwaukee, Wis., on Feb. 15, 1949, at the age of 59 years.

She was united in marriage to Edward Henry Koopman in April 1912. To this union four children were born: Merle E. of Tomah, Mrs. Ignis (Mildred) Mack of Milwaukee, Milo R. of Eagle, and Mrs. Gordon (Lucille) Reisenauer of Milwaukee. (Note: Her marriage to Floyd Thompson was not mentioned.)

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Griggs, four brothers, Ben, Carrol, Sam and Claire Griggs, and her husband, Edward Koopman.

She is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren and her only sister, Mrs. Rollie Vandervort.

She lived in and around Tomah until 1937 when she went to Milwaukee, where she resided until the time of her death.

Funeral services were held at the Methodist Church at 3 P.M. on Friday, February 18, the Rev. C. Kilde officiating. Burial was in the Oak Grove Cemetery beside her husband, who preceded her in death on Dec. 2, 1918."

Note: She was also survived by a fifth child, Marge Rettammel Crawford, whose birth father is believed to have been Floyd Thompson, although they did not marry until two years after the birth of Marge. Marge was adopted and raised by Edward and Eva Rettammel. She was buried on 18 February 1949 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,336 in the Oak Grove Cemetery.
She has Ancestral File Number LVL7-RHW.

May Isabell "Mabel" GRIGGS (~) and Floyd Horace THOMPSON were married on 25 August 1923 in Winona, Winona County, MN.^{311,330,332,337,338} Blanche Griggs wrote an autobiography when she was a student in high school, in which she referred to her "Uncle Floyd." It was written in about 1927, so Mabel and Floyd may have married before then.

Gary Griggs has a picture of Blanche Griggs, Lucille Koopman, and Helen and Freda Vandervort that was taken in about June 1928 in front of Mabel's restaurant--The Daisy Eat Shop--in Adams, WI. The front window of the restaurant has the lettering, "Mrs. Thompson, Prop.", indicating that she was married to Floyd Thompson. No official record of Mabel's marriage to Floyd or of their divorce, if any, can be located. But she was listed as "Mabel Thompson" in the obituaries of both of her parents, so she acknowledged that they had been married at one time. They^{311,330,332,337,338} were separated in September 1925 in Monroe County, WI.³³⁸ They³³⁸ were divorced on 9 June 1948 in Sparta, Sparta Township, Monroe County, WI.³³⁸ Floyd Horace THOMPSON, son of Lucien G. THOMPSON and Jenna Agnes WEAVER, was born on 29 June 1878 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.^{126,139,339,340} He appeared in the census in 1880 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.¹²⁶ He appeared in the census in 1900 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.¹³⁹ He was living with his father and his occupation was "Farm Laborer." About 1906 Floyd was a rural mailman in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁵⁸ He appeared in the census in 1910 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁵ His household on Glendale Avenue consisted of Floyd; his wife, Myrtle; their son, Lyle; Floyd's father, Lucien; and his sister, Myrtle.
He registered for the Military Draft on 9 September 1918 in Sparta, Sparta Township, Monroe County, WI. ³⁴⁰ His World War I draft card listed his residence as 600 Superior Avenue and his occupation as "Machinist, Fairbanks Morse Co., Beloit, Wisconsin." He was described as "Medium" height, "Slender" build, "Blue" eyes, and "Dark Brown" hair, that was "Thin on Top." The card listed his nearest relative as "Miss Ida Myrtle Thompson," his sister. He appeared in the census in 1920 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁶ He was listed as a "Widower" and lived with his sister, Myrtle, and his son, Lyle. Floyd appeared in the census in 1930 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.^207,316,341 He was a "Boarder" at the home of Roll and Mattie Vandervort and was listed as a Widower. (There was no mention of his divorce from Mabel Koopman in 1925.)

(It is not known where he was living at the time of the 1940 Census. He is not listed in Monroe County or anywhere else in Wisconsin.)

(His gravestone cannot be located in any of the Monroe County cemeteries, or in Milwaukee County, where his son lived.) He registered for the Military Draft on 25 April 1942 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI. ³⁴² He was listed as age 63 on the draft card, Race: "White;" Height: "5 - 9;" Weight: "150;" Eyes: "Blue;" Hair: "Grey;" Complexion: "Ruddy;" with a "Crippled Right Hand."

His nearest relative was listed as his sister, Myrtle Thompson. No occupation or employer were listed, so he may have been retired.

(No record of his death is listed in the Social Security Death Index.) He died before 20 December 1949 at the age of 71.³⁴³ A "Life Claim" was filed in Milwaukee by an unknown person with the U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Department. The claim reference number is 66196894430. It may have been filed by his son, Lyle, who was a teacher and coach at West Milwaukee High School at the time. He has Ancestral File Number GMJ6-R4N.

May Isabell "Mabel" GRIGGS (~) and Floyd Horace THOMPSON had the following children:

May Isabell "Mabel" GRIGGS (~) and Edward Henry KOOPMAN were married on 12 April 1913 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,157,203 Newspaper Article: "Marriage ceremony conducted by Rev. Slater. Married at the home of the Bride's father and mother. The best man was Ben Griggs and the bridesmaid was Erma Martin of Ridgeville. Susan Griggs was a witness." Ben Griggs was a brother of Mabel, but the identity of Susan Griggs is not known for sure, but it may have been her father's sister. Edward Henry KOOPMAN³⁴⁴, son of Nicolaus KOOPMANN and Gesche SANDKAMP, was born on 2 August 1887 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,345 He was christened on 28 August 1887 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.³⁴⁶ He appeared in the census in 1895 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.¹³¹ Edward appeared in the census in 1900 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.¹³⁹ He appeared in the census in 1905 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁴ He was living with his parents and his occupation was "Farm Laborer." Between 1910 and 1918 he was a City Clerk in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI. Edward appeared in the census in 1910 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁰⁵ He was living with his parents and his occupation was "Farmer."

He registered for the Military Draft in 1917 in Monroe County, WI. ³⁴⁷ He died on 2 December 1918 at the age of 31 in La Grange Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,348 Obituary Notes: "Edward Henry Koopman, a young farmer of the town of LaGrange, died on Monday, Dec. 2, of pneumonia following the influenza. Funeral services were held at the farm home on Wednesday afternoon, conducted by Rev. J. G. Glaeser, and burial was in Oak Grove cemetery.

Mr. Koopman was born in Tomah on August 2, 1887, and lived all of his life in this vicinity. He was an industrious and successful farmer. Last summer during an electric storm he was seriously injured by a shock of lightning, from which he had not fully recovered.

He leaves his wife Mabel (nee Griggs) and four small children, aged five, four, two and one year; also his mother, Mrs. N. Koopman, and one sister, Mrs. Carl Wegner."

Cherry Valley Newspaper Article: "We are all very sorry to hear of the death of Ed. Koopman and we all extend sympathy to his family.". He was buried on 4 December 1918 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^115,336 in the Oak Grove Cemetery. Edward has Ancestral File Number 9Q8B-78M.³⁴⁴

May Isabell "Mabel" GRIGGS (~) and Edward Henry KOOPMAN had the following children: