In the Archives: Erich and R.A. Steinke

I was digging through the "farm scenes" photo file at work last week to see if any Steinkes popped up, and wouldn't you know it, I found two photos from Steinke farms. This one is a photo from the Erich Steinke farm near Sodus where Hale-Haven peaches were being picked in August 1939. Were any of these people Erich? I don't know. I wish I could say for sure. The photo was used in the paper's year-end section. The paper that day was 134 pages. Let that sink in for a second.

There are many references to Erich Steinke in old news clippings. Sadly most of them had his name spelled Eric, but here's what I know about him. He was a farmer, obviously. He was born in 1896 in Benton Harbor to Julius and Bertha Steinke (my great-great-grandparents). He was one of nine children. I can't even imagine having that many siblings. Erich, 36, married Alice Kent, 24, during a simple home wedding in April 1933.

But she wasn't even supposed to be his wife.

In front page news on Monday, May 6, 1929, Miss Dorothy Wohler's death was reported. She died on the day she supposed to marry Erich. I know that picture is a little tough to read, so let me share a portion of the text (and remember this was a much different time in newspapering):

Dorothy Wohler, 20-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Wohler, prominent Sodus township farmers, was to have been married Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock to Erich Carl Steinke, a popular Sodus young man, but she became, instead the bride of death.

Today the bride's trousseau, the newly furnished farm home that Steinke had prepared, and his sweetheart's wedding finery were poignantly sad reminders of happiness that turned suddenly into dark sorrow.

Stricken while chatting with friends Friday night, just after a rehearsal of the wedding was held at the Lutheran church in Sodus, Miss Wohler died Saturday evening, a few hours after the marriage was to have taken place. Physicians, including Dr. P.G. Hanna of St. Joseph, struggled to save her, but their efforts were futile. Her death was ascribed to complications of anaemia and Bright's disease.

The wedding was to have been "a big affair," so it's easy to understand why he opted for the quiet, home wedding the second time around. The pastor who was to have conducted the wedding conducted the funeral that Wednesday instead.

In more uplifting news, Erich lived to be 80 years old, and Alice even older (94). They were married for 44 years and had one daughter, Mildred. Erich was Sodus Township highway commissioner for quite some time from what I can tell, was a member of the Berrien County Milk Producers Association, and, later in life, had a pretty talented dog:

His dog, Smoky, a 2 1/2-year-old collie learned how to open the gate, and the box stall in the barn, to let out the half dozen ponies on the farm for the semi-retired Erich, saving him steps.

R.A. Steinke

The second photo I found was pretty nondescript. It was an undated photo of an orchard that still had grease pen marks on it. But it did say it was at the R.A. Steinke farm. So I did some digging.

R.A. Steinke was Reinhold, Erich's brother. It's hard to imagine there were more involved or active people in Sodus than R.A. He was a member of the Berrien County Milk Producers Association, a director on the Sodus Fruit Exchange board, a president of the Sodus Farm Bureau, a member of the Sodus Township board of review, president of the Berrien Guernsey Breeders Association, an accordionist, a home builder (seriously), an actor (in support of the Mount Pleasant school district parent-teacher association) ...

... and, oh yeah, a successful farmer. According to this article from 1929, he was "one of the largest and most successful raspberry growers of Berrien County." His berries were considered "of the first quality and the fruit has received praise wherever it is marketed. Consumers always ask for more of the Steinke raspberries." I'm sure he dabbled in many other crops, but I also found references to cherries, award-winning cows and potatoes ...

... really big potatoes. How much this guy did, and did so well, just puts us all to shame. It makes me wonder just how much people could get done today if there were no TV or internet to kill our time.