The John Lewis Michel Sr Family Timeline

8 Oct 1913 – John Lewis Michel (JLM) and Elizabeth Howard were married at The New Church of the Advocate, located at the intersection of 18th and Diamond Streets in Philadelphia. The The New Church of the Advocate is also known as the the George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate. At the time of their marriage, the pastor was Rev. Henry Martyn Medary.

After getting married in 1913, JLM and Bessie move to Haddonfield, NJ, where in 1915 they are renting a home at 62 Grove St. JLM's occupation is listed as "Clerk". Later documents say he was employed at The Eighth National Bank in Philadelphia for a short while and then went on to work as a National Bank Examiner for the US Government for about three years. Elizabeth was listed as housewife. There is no evidence that she was ever employed outside their home.

Nov 1917 – JLM's mother, Anna, who was divorced from his birth father, marries Simon Y Fredrick, a contractor in Hazleton, PA.

Jun 1917 – JLM's draft card has him employed at "Asst. Bank Examiner".

JLM's family's official residence was Haddonfield from at least 1915 into 1925.

JLM worked at The Eighth National Bank, 2nd St and Girard Avenue in Philadelphia for "some years" prior to March 1928 as provided in a 27 Mar 1928 reference letter from GE Stauffer to H James Sautter regarding JLM's application as Cashier for Abington Bank & Trust. A 27 Mar 1928 reference letter from GE Stauffer, President of The City National Bank and Trust in Philadelphia provided "...his first banking experience, I believe, was the the Eighth National Bank of Philadelphia; later as Assistant National Bank Examiner of this City..."

15 Jul 1915 – John Lewis Michel II is born in New Jersey according to the 1915 NJ Census and 1920 Federal Census. No birth certificate or baptism record has been found; it is presumed he was born at their home in Haddonfield.

July 1917 – under somewhat odd circumstances, JLM was attacked but fought back; securing a gun in the struggle with his assailant (unclear as to whose gun) and shot at his attacker. The story has the name wrong: "John T Michell", but the home address of Grove St, Haddonfield is correct for it to be JLM.

27 Jun 1920 – Richard Howard Michel (hereinafter Dick) is born in Hazleton, PA. JLM's mother Anna had married SY Fredrick of Hazleton, PA on 16 Nov 1917. They had a large home at 45 W. Diamond St. so it is likely that Bessie stayed a while there to birth Dick and to receive post-natal care while John worked in New Jersey (have to assume JLM II was also living in Hazleton). Anna's life at this time point is covered in the Fredrick page.

Of note, in the 1920 Census shown below, JLM provided that his father and mother were both born in Luxembourg and spoke German. In his mother's 1910 Census listing, it was stated that his father and mother were both born in Germany and spoke German. Not known is if this is a correction, an error, or perhaps a desire to distance one's heritage from Germany in the time so closely following the ending of World War I.

Jan 1920 – US Census has JLM living in Haddonfield and employed as a Bank Examiner. At some time after this, he takes a position at the Mechanics National Bank in Trenton, NJ. The bank was headed from 1905-08 by Edward Casper Stokes, the former NJ governor."A merger took place in 1928 with the First National Bank, then on East State Street, and the bank became known as First Mechanics National Bank. On April 21, 1958, the stockholders of the Trenton Banking Company voted to merge with the First Mechanics National Bank to form the First Trenton National Bank."¹

Mar 1921 – JLM leaves his position of General Manager and Auditor of the Mechanics National Bank in Trenton, NJ and becomes the Secretary and Treasurer of The Morrisville Trust Company in Morrisville, PA.

Jun 1921 – Dick is baptized at the Church of the Incarnation in Morrisville, PA by Rev. Seaver Milton Holden (died in 1933 at age 72).

In Mar 1923, John changed jobs, leaving the Morrisville Trust Company in Morrisville, PA as secretary-treasurer. John resigned from there, taking the position of Cashier of The City Banking and Trust Company in Hazleton, PA. It would open for business on 2 Apr 1923. The Cashier of a bank in this time period is akin to the Chief Operating Officer of the bank in today's parlance. [Note: visit Topics for more information on bank structure and compensation of that time period.] For some reason, JLM leaves this position in April or May of the following year and becomes a bond salesman. Perhaps the effects of the Depression impacted the business and/or JLM was uncertain of the bank's future stability and he changed jobs for a more secure position.

The below article from Mar '23 "Cashier for New Bank Here" states that JLM attend Temple University. A search by a person from Temple's Special Collections Research Center for JLM being listed as a graduate between 1908-1916 was negative. The person stated "It's possible that he took classes here, but we don't have records for that.".⁴

May 1925 – a Hazleton newspaper article reports JLM is a bond salesman. Based on a later referral letter, he likely worked for Halsey, Stuart & Company.

August 1925 – a newspaper article reports that bond seller JLM and his home is moving from "N James St to Druckenmiller property on the Rocks at Weatherly".

May 1926 – JLM becomes Deputy Boy Scout Commissioner for Weatherly, PA (near Hazleton).

June 1926 – JLM is Assistant Manager of a pool.

December 1926 – JLM moves to Diamond St in Hazleton with his mother, Anna Fredrick.

February 1927 – JLM is moving to Philadelphia as Director of Personnel and Comptroller for Mitten, Men, and Management Bank & Trust Company. It was granted a charter in Mar 1926.

The images that follow are related to these years.

In 1925, John changed jobs, working at the Morrisville Trust Company (a bank) in Morrisville, NJ as treasurer. John resigned from there in June of 1923, taking a position in Hazleton, PA for ~2 years.

Dec '26 – Simon Y Fredrick, JLM's mother's second husband, dies.

Mar 1928 – JLM writes a letter to HJ Sautter, Esq reaffirming his interest in the Cashier position at the Abington Bank and Trust. JLM's address is 5044 Erringer Pl, Germantown, PA. A high number of JLM's prior employers wrote very positive letters of reference on his behalf to HJ Sautter (these letters follow JLM's in the image gallery).

September 1929 – the City of Philadelphia filed a "lawsuit against Thomas Mitten's company, claiming it charged exorbitant fees and mishandled funds. Mitten was found dead in his summer home in October, just a month later (drowned fishing on a lake in Poconos). In 1932, his former secretary, A. A. Chapman, publicly alleged that Philadelphia Mayor Harry A. Mackey accepted Mitten funds during his campaign directly in return for the promise of support for certain transit policies that Mitten was trying to push on behalf of PRT [ Philadelphia Rapid Transit]. He claimed that Mitten Men and Management Bank and Trust Company was part of a fraud ring, headed by Mitten, which took money out of funds for PRTC employees and stockholders, as well as out of the transit company's general fund." ^{2, 3} JLM evidently leaves their employ, thought be in March 1928. In Nov 1929, subpoenas were issued to principals of Mitten Management and many related public and private entities involved in Philadelphia transit. JLM was not mentioned and had already left there (assuming a Feb 1927 newspaper report was accurate).

JLM worked at The Eighth National Bank, 2nd St and Girard Avenue in Philadelphia for "some years" prior to March 1928 as provided in a 28 Mar 1928 reference letter from John Adair, Assistant Cashier to this bank to H James Sautter regarding JLM's application as Cashier for Abington Bank & Trust. A 27 Mar 1928 reference letter from GE Stauffer, President of The City National Bank and Trust in Philadelphia added "...his first banking experience, I believe, was the the Eighth National Bank of Philadelphia; later as Assistant National Bank Examiner of this City..."

29 Oct 1929 – The Wall Street Crash occurs to initiate the Great Depression -- the worst economic crisis in modern history, lasting from 1929 until the beginning of World War II in 1939. No doubt the Great Depression caused trouble for JLM and his career in banking as the industry faced significant upheaval. As the Depression lasted approximately until the late '30s, it is relevant to consider how the national economy and employment opportunities impacted the day-to-day life and decision-making of JLM and Bessie as they and other Americans navigated their way. "Unemployment never dipped below nine percent, no matter how it is measured." ⁵ A timeline of the Great Depression generated by Google AI (17 Sep 2024) follows as a reminder of the sequence of key national events:

• 1929: The Wall Street Crash, which marked the end of a period of prosperity for the American economy, triggered the Great Depression.
• 1930: The Dust Bowl began, and more than 3.2 million people (23 percent) were unemployed.
• 1931: Food riots broke out, and the Bank of the United States in New York collapsed.
• 1932: Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president, defeating incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover.
• 1933: Roosevelt's New Deal programs were introduced and the economy began to recover in most affected countries.
• 1934: Dust storms and droughts continued.
• 1935: The Works Progress Administration was created.
• 1936: Roosevelt was elected for a second term.
• 1937: Spending on New Deal programs was cut.
• 1938: The economy began to grow.
• 1939: World War II began, and the manufacturing production increases that resulted helped end the Great Depression.

Apr '30 – The 1930 Federal Census has JLM and family living at 31 Eckard Ave in Abington. The home rents for $50/month. They likely moved here from Hazleton in 1927.

Jul '30 – JLM's mother, Anna Michel Fredrick, marries Charles Seese of Baltimore following the death of her husband, SY Fredrick, in Dec '26.

Jun '32 – JLM's mother, Anna, dies at her home in Philadelphia. Her obituary mentions Covenant Chapter 199, O.E.S. (Order of Eastern Star); presumably she was a Mason.

Jun '33 – Bessie has her appendix removed by Dr. Pfieffer.

1935 – JLM begins fish casting. Within three years he breaks the World's Indoor Accuracy casting record. More on JLM's fish-related activities may be found at JLM Fishing.

Mar '36 – Bessie has an operation with a transfusion by Dr. Porter.

Aug 1938 – Sportsmen's Show in Philadelphia, he breaks the world's indoor casting accuracy record with a score of 99%.

Sep '39 – Second World War starts with Germany's invasion of Poland.

Feb '42 – Dick inducted into the Army.

Aug '43 – Bessie has cataract surgery on right eye.

Nov '43 – Bessie has cataract surgery on left eye.

Nov '43 – Dick graduates from Officer Candidate School.

Jan '44 – Bessie has 2nd cataract surgery on left eye.

'44' – Dick is in Europe with the Army as a medic.

May '45 – JLM elected President of the Montgomery County Bankers Association.

Sep '45 – Second World War ends with Japanese surrender.

Apr '46 '– Dick returns to civilian life.

Nov '49 '– JLM II dies of a heart attack.

Jun '50 – 1950 Census shows JLM's home is at 114 Jericho Road in Abington; it is likely they moved out of the home on Eckard Ave as it was a rental. JLM will pass away in this home. Today, this property's address is 1174. It was built in 1930, has four bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms totaling 1,692 square feet.

May '54 – Bessie has a finger operation by Dr. Plums.

Jul '54 – The Abington Bank & Trust gets held up near closing time. JLM's secretary hit the alarm and the adventure took off with JLM taking a shot at the fleeing robbers. He missed but the police nabbed them in Rydal.

Aug '54 – Bessie has finger operation by Dr. Sain.

Feb '58 – JLM has his first GI operation. Bessie was a great chronicler of the family and she wrote a list of JLM's medical issues leading to his death (obviously in 1961 or later). He had an operation in Feb 1958 at ~68 years of age that was the beginning of a three‑year journey to his eventual death. JLM's declining health likely resulted in his retiring from Abington Bank & Trust.

NB: A Harris tube mentioned in Bessie's notes on JLM's health is a single-lumen tube with a mercury weight used in the study of the small intestine. It is indicated for use in an obstructed bowel and presumably JLM experienced this as part of the diagnosis and treatment of his stomach cancer condition. ⁶

May '58 – Fidelity Bank announces it will be acquiring Abington Bank & Trust.

July '58 – Fidelity Bank announces that Abington Bank & Trust is now open as a Fidelity Bank.

Sep '58 – The Fidelity Bank in Abington held a 30th Anniversary celebration. JLM was quoted that when it opened in 1928, the bank had 270 accounts totaling $280,000. In 1958, there were 7,000 accounts totaling $6,250,000.

Mar '59 – JLM retires from the bank effective March 31.

May '59 – JLM has a second GI operation; he is discharged 10 June.

Mar '60 – There is a picture of an Ontario Hospital where JLM may have had a kidney stone operation; looks a bit primitive.

Mar '61 – JLM's last day outside.

May '61 – JLM dies on Mother's Day.

Nov '66 – Bessie dies in her apartment at the Benson Manor in Jenkintown of a heart attack.