James Filipek
James Albert Filipek was born August 15, 1892 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were James and Katherine Filipek and they were recent immigrants from southern Bohemia. James was baptized within a week of his birth on August 21st at St. John Nepomucene, the Filipek's parish church. His baptismal sponsors were Vojtech Dedina and Rosalie Mauz.

At the time of his birth, his mother Katerina was 29, his father James was 28, his big brother John was nine, and his little sister Mary was two. The Sokolik boys, cousins of the Filipek children lived in the same home as the Filipeks and John was 16 and Theodore 13. James was named after his father and it appears his middle name came from his baptismal sponsor Vojtech Dedina as Vojtech translates to Albert. James was normally referred to as Jim and his father spelled it Jimi in one of his letters. The Filipeks had finally decided to immigrate in May 1889 although they were here and back before they finally decided. Neither of Jim's grandparents ever immigrated although a number of their children did. In Chicago, though, there was only Uncle Frank (Katherine's brother) who had just married in August 1891 and cousins Theodore and John Sokolik. The rest of little Jim's cousins were in faraway Minnesota, Pueblo, and Bohemia.

At the time Jim was born, the Filipeks had recently moved to 187 24th Place. In the few years before, they lived at 218 25th Place where it is thought they shared an apartment with Katherine's brother Frank. After Frank married in August 1891, he may have wanted his own place. At 187 24th Place, the Filipeks shared an address with the Dedinas, friends of the Filipeks from the early 1880s and occupants of this address for many years. Most likely the 187 location was a multi-story flat and the Filipeks and Dedinas lived on separate floors. Little Jim's father was a butcher and a laborer back then and times were tough for the Filipeks with seven of them in the new small rented quarters. This location is likely the small four-room basement flat that Theodore described in his My Life as I Live It.

When Jim was about two, the family decided to temporarily seek work in Colorado. This was probably around late 1894 or early 1895. In Colorado Jim's mom and dad worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. His father was a foreman for various work crews putting in track. The Filipeks were also responsible for boarding the workers and Katherine cooked the meals for the crew. She was a great cook. While in Colorado, the family lived in both Pueblo and two towns about 10 miles to the north, Pinon and Dawkins. They lived in Pueblo in the earlier years and Pinon and Dawkins later. There is a faded but great picture of Jim and his sister Mary on mules in this time period. Towards the end, Jim must have started school since there is an early script letter (circa 1899) in English from him to his Uncle John Sokolik who stayed in Chicago. One of Jim's boyhood memories was that he could see Pike's Peak from his backyard.

Around late 1899 or early 1900, the family returned to Chicago to stay but they chose a new location at 2956 S. Emerald, about a half mile west and a half mile south of the previous neighborhood. Young Jim would have been about 7 1/2 and had probably completed through the first half of 2nd grade in Colorado.

When the family returned, Jim's father went into the grocery business. First at 2956 Emerald and then about 1903 at 3001 S. Emerald. The family lived upstairs in a nice home above the grocery. It is thought that Jim attended the attended the Brenan Thomas GramMarch School at Lime and Archer. Lime is now Green Street and the location is about Green and 25th Place. Jim was certainly assimilated into American culture through the old neighborhood, which was very diverse. While he learned and spoke Czech at home, his early letters were in English and there never was a trace of an accent.

After their return from Colorado, James continued their religious education. Jim had his first communion in 1904 at age 11. Nowadays children have their communions about age 7 in the 2nd grade, but then it was later. James was confirmed in 1908 at the age of 15 or 16 and took the name of St. Thomas. His sponsor was Vojtech Dedina, the same as his baptismal sponsor.

If he was on schedule, Jim would have graduated grade school around 1906; however, it is believed he may have been delayed a year or two because of the move to Pueblo. It is thought that he attended Brenan Thomas School at Lime and Archer; Lime is now Green Street and the location is about Green and 25th Place.

Later Jim attended Wendell Phillips High School at 39th and Prairie. Wendell Phillips was about 2.4 miles from Jim's home at 30th and Emerald and he likely took a streetcar there, perhaps south on Halsted first and then transferred east on 39th. He took chemistry and was on the high school baseball team. There is a good collection of pictures of him in his Wendell Phillips sweater, baseball jersey, cap and gown and the Wendell Phillips School itself in the James Filipek Picture Collection.

Jim Filipek probably graduated between1909 and 1912 at which time he would have been between 17-20 years old. He is not listed as a graduate in the 1910 Wendell Phillips Yearbook. It is possible he graduated a year earlier in 1909 or was delayed a year or two because of the Filipek move to Pueblo.

Although he likely worked at his parent's grocery store from a young age, the earliest job there are records for show Jim as a clerk in 1914, he would have been 22. By 1916 he was an insurance agent and in 1917 he became a clerk at the Morris and Company in the Chicago Stockyards. Around this time he attended night school at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago and by May 1918, his occupation was attorney. He was about 25 when he finally became an attorney.

World War I had raged since August 1914 and the USA entered the war in 1917. While relatively old, James at age 25 enlisted on May 25, 1918. He did his training at Fort Benning, Georgia and made lifelong friends from the experience. On August 6, 1918, he made corporal and prepared to sail overseas. Mom recalls he was in the 3rd Division but his records show he was a Corporal in Company C, 4th Infantry, but it's possible Company C or 4th Infantry was a unit of the 3rd Division.

Jim sailed for France on October 7, 1918 and fortunately nearly at the war's end. It is not known if he saw any combat and it is believed he was a cook for his unit. With the war ending on November 11, 1918, he became part of the Army of Occupation in France and Germany. In the James Filipek Picture Collection, there are a number of pictures of him in heavy wool army outfits. The winter was cold and many of the occupation troops endured in outside barracks and tents. Jim and his unit returned to USA on August 28, 1919 and he was discharged August 30, 1919. Upon returning, he reportedly drank an entire bottle of ketchup as he missed it so much. Upon honorable discharge, he was paid $82.02 including a $60 Illinois bonus. Jim's Army papers state he was 5 foot 2 inches tall, gray eyes, ruddy complexion and light hair. His character was rated as excellent and his health as good when he was discharged. In a way he was very lucky. It was a difficult war and he arrived almost at its' completion. He made it without wounds or being gassed but made lifelong friends and had many experiences. I still have his old doughboy iron helmet.

Grace Vanderkloot
Trijntje Vanderkloot was born on August 7, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Adrianus and Martha Vanderkloot, recent immigrants from Texel in Noord Holland. It is uncertain if she was baptized but if so, it would have been at the Dutch Reformed Church. Our Trijntje was also called Grace at an early age perhaps as a way of better assimilating her into their cosmopolitan immigrant neighborhood since Trijntje is a difficult name to say and spell in an English. Trijntje is the Dutch name for Catherine, so it's pretty unclear why the name Grace was chosen. The earliest documents using Grace are: 1) her entry in the 1900 Census, and 2) a 1959 letter from the Self Help Insurance Company which indicated there was a December 1, 1894 policy issued in the name of Grace L. Vander Kloat who was born August 7, 1894. Perhaps she was given the name Trijntje for use within the Dutch household but when relating to the English speaking world she used the name Grace.

At the time of her birth, Grace's mother Martha was 37, her father Adrianus was 42, big brother Matthew was 10, middle brother Art was 8, little brother Adrian was 5, and little sister Aletta was almost three. Her father, Adrianus had come over from Holland in 1881 and her mother in 1882.

The Vanderkloots lived in a variety of rented homes in the 1880s and 1890s but all were between 26th to 29th and Emerald or Lowe. These homes were all very close to Vanderkloot Iron Works at 26th and Halsted where Adrianus worked as a blacksmith. In August 1894, Grace's family had just moved to 2834 S. Emerald, possibly slightly larger quarters for a growing family. Grace's grandparents, Matthijs and Trijntje Vanderkloot lived just two blocks south at 2612 S. Emerald. Matthijs was a machinist at the Iron Works and it was Matthijs' brother that had come over in 1868 and had started the ironworks business. Grace's father, Adrianus had many brothers and sisters in Chicago, so there were also lots of cousins for little Grace play with.

Not much is known of her early life, but Grace provided us a few recollections. She remembered that all the roads in her neighborhood were dirt except Halsted Street. She also told us that before going to bed, they would heat up bricks and put them under the covers to keep warm. Most likely there weren't any heater vents and the heat came from natural convection from a coal or wood burning potbelly stove.

Grace remembered that she attended the Brenan Thomas Grade School. Brenan was located at Limes and Archer; Lime is now Green Street and the location is about Green and 25th Place. She would have graduated Grade School about 1908. Instead of high school, she and her sister Aletta went to secretarial school. She recalled going to two schools about three blocks apart, the Healey School at 35th and Wallace and another called the Capes School also on Wallace. Wallace is 1/4 mile east of Halsted, so she probably used the streetcar to travel south on Halsted from 26th Street. At secretarial school she studied Exlectic Shorthand for 6 months. She told my mom that she was first in her class as a secretary.

Grace also told us she started working first at the Vanderkloot Iron Works. At age 18, she is shown in the 1913 Chicago Directory as a stenographer and in the 1917 Directory she is still a stenographer but then working at 2902 Carrol Avenue. Her sister Aletta is also shown in the Chicago Directory as a stenographer but at locations in the Chicago Loop. Grace also told us she worked in the Chicago Loop and had been an Executive Secretary for the Link Belt Company. She left her job April 1, 1920 when she married Jim later that month. I have copies of her old recipes on Link Belt stationary.


James and Grace Filipek
It is not known when Jim and Grace met but they may have known each other as little kids in Brennan School or in the neighborhood. Grace remembered Jim's father as the butcher at the grocery store at 3001 S. Emerald, so this had to be before 1914. In addition, Jim and his family moved away from the old neighborhood around 1914 and settled in with his family at 73rd and Union. So it's likely they met and started dating before 1914. In 1913 Jim was 21 and Grace was 19.

My mom recalled that Jim met Grace at the tennis courts. Assuming it was the old neighborhood, McGuane Park at 30th at Halsted is a good possibility. The earliest though it can be verified they were together was August 18, 1917. On this date, James Filipek and Grace Vanderkloot were the witnesses to the marriage of Jim's cousin Theodore Sokolik to Louise at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Chicago. This was about three years before their own marriage and one would suspect they knew each other pretty well for Jim to ask her to his cousin's wedding and to be a witness. At the time Jim was 23 and Grace 21.

Jim had an intense interest in photography throughout his life and it is believed that he took many of the early pictures in the Grace Filipek Picture Collection. Through these pictures, it appears they enjoyed being outdoors especially going swimming. Most likely Jim took her to JK Sokolik's Twin Lakes Wisconsin Lake Cottage. Most likely they also attended Chicago White Sox games in Chicago as Comiskey Park was very close to the old neighborhood and Jim was an avid fan all his life.

Grace loved to read and while they dated, Jim bought her most of the Dickens and Shakespeare novels. She kept these books for years and as children we would be in awe at the many volumes of thick leather bound books without pictures on their shelves.

Jim and Grace were married on April 15, 1920 at the Emmanuel Baptist Church at 2320 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Jim was 27 and Grace 25. While they might have wanted to be married earlier, Jim needed to volunteer for the Army because of the war. Jim enlisted in May 1918 and did not return until August 1919, so it is likely they both started the wedding planning upon his return.

Mom said that the only people to come were JK Sokolik and his wife Kate. This seems a bit unusual and we can only speculate now on what the family stresses were.

One possible issue could have been religion. Jim's mother was a strong Catholic and certainly would have objected to a marriage outside the Catholic Church. However, it appears that Jim stopped practicing well before this. It also appears that John Sokolik and Theodore also chose other religions as well. JK became a Baptist and perhaps had guided Jim to that Baptist Church for the marriage. Mom said that John Sokolik was trying to convert her dad, but when Jim found out that he would have to be immersed to become a Baptist he lost all interest. Grace's family wasn't very religious at all and certainly couldn't have been married in the Catholic Church without converting, so given a desire for a church wedding, Jim chose the Baptist Church.

Another possible stress was their respective nationalities. Both their parents were immigrants and most likely both expected or desired their children to choose Czech or Dutch spouses.

Either way it'd hard to believe that only JK Sokolik and his wife came to the wedding. Jim and Grace were witnesses for Theodore and both Jim and Grace certainly had many friends. In addition, the wedding certainly was planned, since from her Social Security Application it is known that Grace's listed her last day of work as April 1, 1920, 14 days before the wedding. On the other hand, the wedding date itself, April 15 was a Thursday, certainly not a day of the week one would expect for a large wedding. The other unusual aspect of the wedding was there are no known wedding pictures. This seems especially unusual since both appear to have had money, and Jim was an avid photographer and there certainly was a tradition of wedding photographs including numerous ones for Mary Filipek, JK Sokolik and Theodore Sokolik.

The Early 1920s
After their marriage, all appears to be well with the families. Grace's mother's September 20, 1920 letter mentions that Jim and Grace came for dinner the night before to the Vanderkloot home at 811 W. 27th. And my mom also recalled Grace speaking fondly of Katherine's great cooking.

Grace's mother died unexpectedly in October of 1920 of uremia. Shortly thereafter Grace's father, Adrianus Vanderkloot purchased a three-flat at 7047 S. Ada, about 5 miles south of the old neighborhood. While it is unknown where Jim and Grace lived initially, they did live at 7047 S. Ada from about 1921 to 1925.

In April 1921, Jim and Grace had their first child, Marjorie Grace, and three years later Jeanne was born in December 1924. Both were born at the German Evangelical Deacon Hospital and as far as is known, neither was formally baptized, although Mom always believed Katherine baptized them secretly. Jeanne was initially called Katheryn after her grandmother, but later her parents renamed her Jeanne Catherine. Mom tells the story that Grace was in great pain on the way to the hospital with her. There was a blinding snowstorm and Grace kept pulling and hanging on Jim, screaming in pain while he was trying to drive her to the hospital.

Riverside
Some time around 1925 Jim and Grace moved to 389 Addison Street in Riverside. Previously, Theodore had moved to Riverside and then Katherine Filipek and her son John followed him around 1921. Riverside was an early suburb of Chicago and represented all the attributes of suburbia including windy and leafy streets, controlled residential zoning, less noise and congestion. Grace was hesitant to move because all her friends and cousins were in Chicago. Ultimately, they bought a home that cost $10,000 a huge sum for the times. The previous owners were the Jordans, no relation to Jeanne's future husband, but an interesting omen.

In the beginning, Jim commuted to his office in the Chicago Loop at 117 N. Dearborn. But later he worked as the attorney for a large automobile repair concern in Riverside. The late 1920s were good times in America and life was going well. The young girls had many friends and cousins and enjoyed attending Riverside GramMarch School. Sometimes Grandma Katherine would bring a chicken from her yard for Sunday dinner and other times Grandpa Vanderkloot would stay with them for a few months as he made his rounds among his daughters.

Unfortunately, the good times ended for the Filipeks as it did for many with the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Within a few years later, Jim lost his job with the auto firm when the company went bankrupt. He picked up part time work with various trust companies acting as their attorney for the refinancing of mortgages of mortgages for people who couldn't pay them. He also sold Maytag washing machines to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, by late 1938, Jim and Grace lost the house because they were unable to make the mortgage payments for two years.

Back to Chicago
Around January 1939, James and Grace moved to 7304 S. Emerald, which was a 6-flat owned by Vanderkloot relatives. This was pretty close to the neighborhood they lived before the move to Riverside fourteen years before. The losing of the house had to be traumatic. Jim and Grace lost their equity and they never again purchased a home. For Marge, it had to be especially difficult because she was partway through her senior year at Riverside High School. To complete the year with her class, she took long streetcar rides from the 73rd and Emerald home and occasionally stayed during the school week with relatives in Riverside. For Jeanne it was less difficult, as she had only completed the first semester of her freshman year in Riverside. As a young teenager, she found the excitement of Chicago and new relatives more interesting than the pastoral ways of Riverside. For her, it would lead to lifelong friends at the new Parker High School and to finding her partner for life.

The loss of their home because of the ups and downs of the economy has been a life's event that stuck in my mind throughout the years. Their loss was a reminder that good times don't last forever. And while it may be impossible to plan for a 15-year depression, it's useful to occasionally think about how to prepare for the inevitable not so good times.

Around 1938, Jim re-established an office in the Loop, but this time at 120 S. LaSalle. It is believed he stayed at that office until his death in 1961. Occasionally Grace would take the "Elevated" in and help out with the secretarial work.

By 1943, the Filipeks had moved to 8243 S. May. It is here that mom stayed while dad was away at war and where I lived before mom and dad bought their home in 1947 on 83rd Street. Then around 1950, Jim and Grace moved back to the 7047 S. Ada Street flat, where Grace's sister Aletta lived upstairs. In a way it was full circle for them, back to the same home they had lived when they were first married in 1921, except I think it was on a different floor.

Throughout the years, Jim continued his passion for experiencing the everyday joys of life. In Riverside, he constructed his own 9-hole miniature golf course in their yard. During WWII he made balsa wood airplanes. Later he made regular summer trips to Minnesota and Canada to go fishing with his friends. He and Grace enjoyed playing cards, including pinochle and gin rummy. And of course there was his backyard garden, the tomatoes, the fish aquariums, the photo developing, the White Sox on TV and of course, his black Cadillac.

Throughout the 1950s, Jim and Grace enjoyed regular Sunday visits with Jeanne's three children. The grandkids would play with the soup cans, explore Jim's stuff in the basement, walk in his garden, and play with the building blocks. A few times a year, the Odette's would come in from Minnesota and occasionally Grace would take the Zephyr to Minnesota via passes from Theodore Sokolik. It was a good decade of relaxation, grandchildren, going fishing, watching the Sox games on TV, finally beating the Yankees for the pennant in 1969 and settling into life's passage.

Jim died of a coronary occlusion at home on December 3, 1961 at age 69. He had been up and around that day but took a morning nap and passed away in his sleep. His daughter Marge was visiting from Minnesota so he got to see her one last time. Jim was buried at Chapel Hill Gardens South.

After Jim died, Grace stayed for about a year before the changing neighborhood and the upkeep of the home and yard became too much. She moved about 5 miles south to an apartment at 107th and Hale, near the Rock Island train to the Chicago Loop. There she would commute to the Loop to work temporary office jobs with her friends. She joked about how she often got jobs then an "envelope stuffer". With mom's move to Wheaton in 1969, Grandma Grace who had a small stroke a few years earlier moved with in with them. In one of life's bit of luck, I had just graduated and needed apartment furniture and thus saved Grandma Grace's furniture from being lost forever. Her old oak kitchen table and chairs and maple dressers have been stripped and refinished and are a pleasant reminder of days gone past.

Grace died on March 7, 1979 at the Abbey-Winfield German and Convalescent Home in Winfield. She was suffering from cardiac failure along with some senility. She spent the last ten years of her life living her daughter Jeanne and helping out around the kitchen, doing ironing, and making delicious speculaasjes and cinnamon rolls for all.