Biography

For the family of Clarence Gerald Deal and Cora Belle Hammond

CLARENCE GERALD DEAL was born on 08 May 1857 in Cassopolis, Cass County, Michigan, son of Owen Deal and Angeline Nash.  On 21 May 1857 he married Miss CORA BELLE HAMMOND, the daughter of Charles Hammond and Aramintha Parker.   She was born on 28 June 1862 in Constantine, St. Joseph County, Michigan.

 After their marriage, they lived in Constantine for a year on Lafayette Street, opposite Union School.  Then they moved to Three Rivers, St. Joseph County, Michigan, where they lived for most of their married life.  They lived at a house located at 309 East Street for many years.  Then they bought a lot from Schirmeier in April 1900 and built their own house on it, the address being 503 Portage Avenue.   They referred to this home as “Three Oaks Cottage”.   A newspaper article at the time it was being built said that, “… there will be no building in the city like it.  It will contain all the modern improvements.”

 Clarence’s occupation was listed as “cooper” (or store owner).   He worked as clerk and store manager for various groceries in Three Rivers.    First,  for the “Jake & Jack” grocery (which I believe was the store owned by Jack Thoms), then for the H.F. Schirmeir grocery.  In April 1906, he purchased the grocery & bakery owned by Fred Fry located at 124 St. Joseph Street in Three Rivers.  Their grandson remembered that he had a big store on Main Street in Three Rivers.  “It had one of the big wheels that you turned around to grind the coffee;  peanut butter would be in tubs and you’d dip in the tubs with a wooden spoon and take the peanut butter home in these little tubs.”

 According to their grandson, :Clarence saw the A & P chain stores starting to come into the area.   Clarence thought that he wouldn’t be able to compete with them, so he sold his grocery store.”  He saw the end of the small, individually owned full service groceries coming and saw the future with the large self-service A & P groceries that were being built.   So he sold his business in 1919 and went to work as store manager for several A & P Stores, at Mt. Pleasant, Saginaw, Owosso and Lapeer, Michigan.

 They had 2 children, both surnamed DEAL:

             They seemed to have been pretty well off and seemed to have been part of the social elite in Three Rivers.  Cora kept meticulous scrapbooks and there are many newspaper articles about visits to their house, parties, meetings and so on.   Also, many of their photos show them dressed in a very high style of fashion.

 Clarence died at his home in Lapeer, Michigan on 02 November 1922 of “auquia pectoris”, which I believe is a heart attack.  After his death, I’m not exactly sure where Cora went to live, although their grandson believes that she was living with her sister Cynthia Holmes & their family.   She still owned the house at 503 Portage Avenue, and it was being lived in by her daughter Mabel & her family.   In 1926, this house and all of its contents were auctioned off.  Their grandson remembered that “ I think that the house in Three Rivers brought $5000 at the time….  The money was invested in some bonds.  In 1929 you know, there was a market crash and the bonds became worthless…”

Cora is found living in Flint Michigan from 1937 – 1942 with her son Carl & daughter in law.  Then she probably went to live with her daughter Mabel, who had moved to Elkhart Indiana.  Cora died on 13 September 1951, at the home of her daughter Mabel at 1624 South Main Street in Elkhart, Indiana.  Clarence & Cora are both buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Three Rivers, Michigan. 

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This web site was last updated on October 10, 2008