The family of Fremont Holbrook

 I wrote a short blog post about Fremont Holbrook in 2014, and have learned little more of his life since then.  He was the son of Joseph Rockwood and Mary Elizabeth Whittemore Holbrook, and was born February 10, 1851 in Cook County, Illinois.  I've not found information about his education but he clearly was literate and well respected in his community, so he probably at least finished high school, or seminary as it was sometimes called then.  He was too young to have served in the Civil War, but he likely followed the war closely, and probably rooted for the Union and for Abraham Lincoln.  

His marriage was to Phoebe Ann Brown, daughter of Adam and Phoebe Myers Brown, on October 10, 1877 in Cook County.  The Brown family was in Bloom Township, not far from Chicago Heights, where the Holbrooks lived.  They may have met at an inn the Browns operated, but that is speculation.

Fremont and Phoebe were Methodists, and long time members of the local church.  They had a family of three sons.  There was a gap of five years between the second and third sons, so it is possible that there was a lost pregnancy or an infant death that is not recorded.  (That is my speculation only, there could be other reasons for the gap.)

It has been difficult for me to find much information about their sons, so I apologize for the lack of information.  However, one of these men was my grandfather, the other two were grand uncles, and they deserve to have what is known about them mentioned at least once.

Ray Rockwood Holbrook was born in 1881, exact date not known.  He married Mary Ruby Maddox January 6, 1910.  His employment on the census and World War I draft records is given as in the shipping department of a chemical factory.  I haven't been able to further identify Ruby, except that she frequently sang for social clubs, weddings, and other occasions.  As far as the census records show, there were no children, although of course it's possible that one or more children were born and died between the census years.  Ray died July 31, 1929 in Chicago Heights, two years short of his 50th birthday.  I found Ruby in the 1940 census, living in Chicago Heights, where she owned a home and had at least three boarders.  I've not located her in the 1950 census, nor have I located death information.  

Their second son was Loren, born March 13, 1881.  He married Etta Stanard (Stannard) and they had four children.  I will write more of his story in a future post.

Clark was the youngest son, born in 1888.  He married Nellie M Waggoner January 10, 1920, after returning as a corporal from serving in France in World War 1.  I may or may not have the correct Clark Holbrook in the 1920 census, because he was then listed as a single boarder on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, even though the census was taken after his marriage.  By 1930, this Clark Holbrook owned a hotel, the Hotel Del Mar.  That is recorded as his residence but there is no mention of Nell.  (Nor, for that matter, is she to be easily found anywhere else in the 1930 census.)  The "hotel" appears to have been a three story building, brick, and may or may not be still standing.  The Holbrooks were together in the 1940 census in Chicago Heights (probably the family home built by Fremont), by which time Clark was not working.  Shortly after this, they moved to Dade County, Florida, where he worked as a court reporter for 16 years, before dying in 1958.  It does not appear that this family had children, or if they did, the child or children did not survive.  I have one picture of this man, in which he appears to look very much like his brother Loren.

This is little enough information about men that my mother may have heard stories about.  I am grateful for this much information, but how I wish I knew more about them.