Johann F. Kraft^[1]

1876 - 1957

• Name	Johann F. Kraft
  Nickname	John
  Born	24 Jul 1876  [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  	Hamburg Passenger List indicates "1877."
  Gender	Male
  Emigration	5 Mar 1882	Poggelow, Mecklenburg (Germany)   [2]
  Immigration	24 Mar 1882	Castle Garden, New York, New York   [7]
  Naturalization	1898	Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan   [5]
  Residence	1905	420 Eleanor, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan   [8]
  _UID	AFD2A122C6BFD647924F314F4E6794A030BD
  Died	14 Feb 1957	Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan   [9]
  Buried	18 Feb 1957	Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo Township, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan   [10]
  	In Section GG, west edge, about midpoint of the section. It appears that when his mother Sophia died, John placed a "mother" stone to mark her place, and then, when he died, a headstone with both their names and dates was placed. The "mother" stone lies between two rows of stones.
  		Kraft, Sophia M. (nee Schröder)(1841-1930) and Son John F. (1876-1957) Sophia M. Kraft 1841-1930 John F. Kraft 1876-1957 Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
  		Kraft, Sophia M. (nee Schröder)(1841-193) and John F. (1876-1957) Headstone with "Mother" Stone Headstone for Sophia (mother) and her son John F. with the "Mother" headstone for Sophia. Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
  		Kraft, Sophia M. (nee Schröder)(1841-1930) and son John F. (1876-1957) Headstone Under Tree. Location of headstone for Sophia M. (nee Schröder) Kraft and her son John F. under a tree. Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
  Notes	John had.... he appears in the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses living with his mother Sophia in Kalamazoo. In 1910 and 1920, his occupation was listed as laborer and presser, respectively, at the Kalamazoo Corset Company. Although that might sound mundain, workers at this company played a pivotal role in changing the employee–employer relationship in this country. I found this on the Kalamazoo Valley Community College website: "More than 800 of the company’s workers were women. Some women worked for a few years before they married, while others supported themselves or their families. Poor working conditions and wages eventually led the women to organize a union, and when contract talks failed in 1912, to call a strike that drew national attention. Photographs, newspaper accounts, and court records provide insight into the lives of working women and the risks they took to try to improve their conditions. Edward K. Warren started the Featherbone Corset Company in 1883 in Three Oaks. Warren used splints of turkey feathers, rather than the traditional whalebone to give corsets their stiffness. Whalebone broke easily and, when warm, actually smelled like old fish. Warren’s change to what he called “featherbone” stays was a successful innovation, and his company grew rapidly. In 1893, under new management, the company moved to Kalamazoo and changed its name to the Kalamazoo Corset Company. By 1912, the Kalamazoo Corset Company was one of the largest factories in the United States. Working conditions and wages were terrible at most factories in the United States at that time and this factory was no exception. Workers typically worked a 6-day, 60-hour week. Men made $10 to $12 per week and women made about half that. Women working on sewing machines were required to pay for their own thread from their wages. The Kalamazoo corset workers organized Local 82 of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. It was time to fight. In March 1912, the union presented a list of demands for improved wages and a shorter workweek. They proposed that women workers receive $7 per week when hired and $9 per week after one year of employment. They also demanded that the workweek be reduced to 54 hours. When the company president, James Hatfield, refused to discuss their demands and fired the leaders of the union, the workers went on strike. The strike quickly drew national attention. The national headquarters of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union sent experienced organizers to lead the strike. Management threatened to close its Kalamazoo facility and move its operations to another factory in Iowa if the workers did not end their strike. A court injunction banned picketing. At public rallies and union meetings women spoke up. “All we want is fair wages and a chance,” said Miss Elizabeth Williams. “We do not want anything unreasonable. How do they expect that we are going to live on such small wages?” Harriet Hartman asked a newspaper reporter, “How do I manage to pay board, clothe myself, and exist on the wages I earn? Well, to tell the truth I scarcely know myself. It is heartbreaking work. I could not tell you the disappointments I have to undergo. Many times I have needed a pair of shoes, for instance, and have had to put it off from time to time until I was almost ashamed to go up on the streets. Oh, I do hope we will get something better.” Others spoke about being pressured to go out with male supervisors in exchange for which they would not be charged for thread. Said one young worker, “Society demands that we lead clean, pure lives. Will you please tell us, mister, how on $4 and $5 a week we can do that?” Despite determined efforts the union was unable to rally public support for the strikers. The weeks took a toll on the workers. With no money coming in, workers found it difficult to keep going. Finally, in mid-April, the union called off the strike. The workers went back to the factory with no improvement in their wages or working conditions. The International Ladies Garment Union and other labor unions organized a national boycott of Kalamazoo Corset Company products. Within three years, the Company was forced to file for bankruptcy and begin operations under a new name. The International Ladies Garment Union claimed that the boycott was the reason for this failure. However, women’s fashions were also changing and corsets were going out of style. This, too, may have contributed to the failure of the company. The story of the Kalamazoo Corset workers shows that Kalamazoo was not immune to the strife that was part of the process of industrialization in America." http://kvm.kvcc.edu/content/exhibits/moredetails/oth-kalamazoocorsetcompany.htm (accessed 18 Mar 2009)
  Person ID	I980	Page-Dumroese
  Last Modified	23 Aug 2012

  
  

  Father	Heinrich Friederich Kracht,   b. Abt 1839, Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Germany) ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Sophia M. Schröder,   b. Feb 1841, Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Germany) ,   d. 16 May 1930, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan
  Family ID	F85	Group Sheet

  
  

• Event Map

  Emigration - 5 Mar 1882 - Poggelow, Mecklenburg (Germany) Immigration - 24 Mar 1882 - Castle Garden, New York, New York Naturalization - 1898 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Residence - 1905 - 420 Eleanor, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Died - 14 Feb 1957 - Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Buried - 18 Feb 1957 - Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo Township, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Headstones

  Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Entrance Entrance

  
  

• Sources

  [S9] Leonard Frederick Edwards letter 14 April 1994.. [S339] Germany: Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 (Ancestry), Staatsarchive Hamburg, 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 043 B, Seite 274 (Mikrofilm Nr. K_1727. Search = "Fritz Kracht" (accessed 22 Oct 2010). [S320] 1900 US Census, (accessed 14 Jan 2012). Craft, Sophia. Three Oaks, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: T623_703; Page: 7A; Lines: 15-17; Enumeration District: 80.. [S307] 1910 US Census, (accessed 14 Jan 2012). Kraft, Mrs. Sophie; Kalamazoo Ward 2, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Roll: T624_654; Page: 3A; Lines: 17-18; Enumeration District: 0135; Image: 362; FHL Number: 1374667.. [S308] 1920 US Census, (accessed 11 Jan 2012). Kraft, Sophia; Kalamazoo Ward 2, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Roll: T625_775; Page: 12A; Lines: 23-24; Enumeration District: 152; Image: 121.. [S263] 1930 US Census, (accessed 11 Jan 2012). Kraft, Sophia; Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Roll: 998; Page: 25A; Lines: 19-20; Enumeration District: 17; Image: 52.0. [S332] New York Passtenger Lists, 1820-1957 (Ancestry), Year: 1882; Arrival: New York , United States; Microfilm Serial: M237; Microfilm Roll: M237_448; Line: 40; List Number: 342. Search = "Fritz Kracht". Register lines 469-475. [S404] Michigan: Kalamazoo County Genealogical Records, (accessed 11 Jan 2012). 1905. Page 339. Kraft John, opr Kal Corset Co, bds 420 Eleanor. Kraft Sophia (wid Henry), res 420 Eleanor. [S128] Michigan: Kalamazoo County Death Records. [S127] Michigan: Kalamazoo County, Riverside Cemetery.