Details about the contents of this index and the records included
Bagnasco Funeral Home (Bagnasco & Calcaterra)
Frank T. Bagnasco started his funeral business on St. Aubin Street in Detroit in 1915. In the late 1930s, he relocated to East Grand Boulevard.
In response to the growth and shift of the population toward the suburbs, the Bagnasco Funeral Home, then operated by Frank's widow, Bessie, and her two sons, Sam and Anthony, moved to St. Clair Shores in Macomb County. Later, Bagnasco and the Calcaterra Funeral Home joined to form the firm of Bagnasco & Calcaterra.
Bell Funeral Home
The Bell Funeral Home was located at 820 East Maple in Birmingham. It was owned and operated by Samuel Oliver Wylie Bell (1875-1945), a mortician, with his son, Donald Snow Bell (1907-1958). The business was sold to the William R. Hamilton Funeral Home in 1951, when Donald retired and moved to Arizona. The Bell Funeral Home records that were transferred to the Hamilton Funeral Home do not commence until 1934. When the William R. Hamilton Company closed its Birmingham location in 2007, the Bell Funeral Home records were transferred to Hamilton's Mount Clemens location.
Brenda Miller and Karen Rogers, who are in charge of the funeral home records project, would like to express their thanks to Barry Hamilton of the William R. Hamilton Company for providing access to the Bell Funeral Home records.
Calcaterra Funeral Home
Three brothers, Frank J., Louis C. and Paul C. Calcaterra opened their first funeral home in Detroit on Brewster and Rivard, near the present Eastern Market area in 1908. In the late 1930s they relocated their business to prestigious East Grand Boulevard.
After Frank J. Calcaterra passed away in 1949, his brother took over the operation along with four of his sons, Louis, Jr., Frank, Paul and Lawrence. Later they moved the business to Moross and Kelly in the northeast corner of Detroit. Suburban sprawl caused another move and in 1984 they opened another funeral home at 15 Mile and Schoenherr in Sterling Heights.
Today they are part of the Bagnasco & Calcaterra firm. (see above)
DeSantis Funeral Home
The Jerome A. DeSantis Funeral Home was opened about 1928 on the east side of Detroit, at 2670 Chalmers. A fire destroyed part of that building, and in 1974 or 1975 the business moved to a new facility at Thirteen Mile and Hoover in Warren. The DeSantis Funeral Home was purchased by the Wasik Funeral Home in December, 1988.
Eppens-Van DeWeghe Funeral Home
Alfred W. Eppens and his wife Corinne operated the Alfred W. Eppens Funeral Home located at 8339 Gratiot in Detroit from the 1930s through 1957. At the same time, the Schneider-Van DeWeghe Funeral Home was located on East Warren in Detroit. Sometime in the 1960s the two businesses formed a partnership. The Eppens-Van DeWeghe Funeral Home was located at 6150 Cadieux in Detroit. It is now closed. Brenda Miller and Karen Rogers, who are in charge of the funeral home records project, would like to express their thanks to Bagnasco-Calcaterra Funeral Home for providing access to these records.
William R. Hamilton Funeral Home
The history of the William R. Hamilton Funeral Home began in 1855, when a partnership of former furniture makers began the business in Detroit. Five years later, they sold the business to William R. Hamilton, superintendent of Elmwood Cemetery, and George Latimer, an undertaker. The company was located at first on Lafayette Street, but in 1917 relocated to the corner of Cass & Alexandrine, where it remained until 1980. Hamilton acquired two other locations: the former Bell Funeral Home in Birmingham in 1952, and the former Groesbeck Funeral Home in Mount Clemens in 1979.
For current information, visit the William R. Hamilton Funeral Home web site.
Hubbard Funeral Home
The Hubbard Funeral Home was established in Mount Clemens in 1875 by William Burton Hubbard. Hubbard's son, Duncan Burton Hubbard, joined his father in the business in 1904 and continued it until his own death at age 90 in 1971. The funeral home closed in 1972 and the records covering the years 1902 through 1972 were transferred to Clinton Grove Cemetery. The cemetery board of trustees donated them to Mount Clemens Public Library in 2013.
Kaul Funeral Home
Roy J. Kaul established the Kaul Funeral Home in St. Clair Shores, Michigan in 1927. In 1937, Fred H. Kaul formed the Kaul Funeral Home in Roseville, Michigan. Through the years, Kaul Funeral Homes have expanded and been modified to meet the needs of the surrounding communities. In 1985, Kaul Funeral Home expanded again by adding a Clinton Township location.
In 2005, Kaul Funeral Homes generously provided the opportunity for genealogists Karen Lee Hemme-Rogers and Brenda McMahon-Miller to transcribe the records from the St. Clair Shores and Roseville locations. The records are included in this index, and copies of their transcriptions are available in the genealogy collection of Mount Clemens Public Library.
For current information about the funeral home, visit the Kaul Funeral Homes web site.
Killeen Funeral Home
George F. Killeen opened his first funeral home in the city of Detroit at 19555 Chalmers in the early 1950s. In 1977, he and his wife opened a second location in Clinton Township. In 1985, the Clinton Township location was sold to the Kaul Funeral Home and the Detroit location was sold to Jeter Funeral Home.
LaCroix-Groesbeck Funeral Home
Howard V. Groesbeck established a funeral home in Mount Clemens in 1917. Henry LaCroix became his partner in 1925 and the two operated the LaCroix & Groesbeck Funeral Home at 75 N. Broadway, and later at 105 Cass Avenue, until the mid-1940s. At that time, Henry LaCroix left the business and it became the Groesbeck Funeral Home, operated by Howard V. Groesbeck, and his son, Howard V. Groesbeck, Jr.
In the mid-1950s, Groesbeck Funeral Home moved to 226 Crocker Boulevard. In 1979, the William R. Hamilton Company purchased the funeral home from the Groesbeck family and has operated it ever since. In 2006, Ms. Barry Hamilton of Hamilton Funeral Home granted permission for genealogists Karen Lee Hemme-Rogers and Brenda McMahon-Miller to transcribe and index the LaCroix-Groesbeck records. The records are included in this index, and copies of their transcriptions are available in the genealogy collection of Mount Clemens Public Library.
For current information about the funeral home, visit the William R. Hamilton web site.
Schwarzkoff Funeral Home
The records of the Schwarzkoff Funeral Home, which was located at 4599 Cass Avenue, Utica are now housed at Mount Clemens Public Library. They cover the period from 1924 to 1941, with a few earlier deaths which were handled as removals. They were originally indexed in 1991 by Nancy Burge and Karen Hemme Rogers. Most files contain a death record and obituary. Other items found include funeral cards, photos, insurance papers, military records, funeral details, and information on family members.
Otto Schemansky & Sons Monument Company
Otto Schemansky was born in Germany on the 10th of November 1852. When he was 16, he immigrated to America with his parents and four brothers. He married Mary Lenz in 1877 and they had three daughters and five sons, with Otto F. Schemansky being the first born.
Otto was first listed in the 1873 Detroit City Directory as a marble cutter. In 1878, the directory lists him working for Samuel Elsey. In 1882, he appears at 827 Gratiot Ave. as a policeman. In 1887, the first published advertisement appeared in the directory for Otto Schemansky, Marble and Granite Works, above. Subsequent ads indicate that he established his business in 1883.
Otto died on November 5, 1912. He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery with a large monument marked simply, “Schemansky”.
In 1914, his sons had a new building constructed at 823-829 Gratiot Avenue to house the business, Otto Schemansky Sons. It had a display room, general offices, a drafting room and a work area in the back. There was also a yard to store material.
A 1923 ad lists his business at 13826-34 Van Dyke Avenue at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. It was located on the southeast corner at McNichols. There was a branch office at 20420 Woodward Avenue. At some time, the Van Dyke location was sold and Merollis Chevrolet built a dealership on the corner. The business was moved to it’s current location at 13702 Van Dyke, just south of the previous location.
In 1977, The business was purchased by the current owners from brother and sister, Carl and Gwendolyn “Dolly” Schemansky, Otto’s great grandchildren. It continues to operate as Otto Schemansky Sons, monument cutters.
Wasik Funeral Home
Wasik Funeral Home was founded in Detroit in 1904 by Frank J. Wasik. The business has passed down through four generations of the family. In 1988, the original Detroit location was sold, and in 1989, a new location in Warren was opened. In April, 2000, a second Macomb location was opened in Shelby Township.
For current information about the funeral home, visit the Wasik Funeral Home web site.
