Est. 1854
Above: Immigration shipping papers leaving from a port in Belgium to New York on May 26, 1854 and final destination, Detroit, Michigan. Document written in Flemish (Dutch). The deClaire family traveled from France to Belgium to embark ship. The ship was the William Jarvis and it's Captain was "Bahard or Bakard."
Benjamin Henri deClaire purchased this clock (pictured right) in 1922. It's been on the fireplace mantle at 970 Birkshire Road in Grosse Pointe for decades until Eleanor's death in 2014. Underneath this clock was a letter that Benjamin typed for Madeline deClaire on December 24, 1924. It is the original letter and not a copy. For decades this letter was read on special occasions in the Birkshire home after Benjamin's death. It is in the possession of George deClaire.
The clock is in the home of Marc, Tonya and Zachary deClaire in Cookeville Tennessee.
The picture below is Zolange Louisa deClaire with her children. She was a seamstress all her life and made uniforms for Union Officers during the Civil War. When Henri deClaire died, furnerals were held at the decendant’s residence- there were no furneral homes in that period. The legend is that after Henri died at the young age of 48; (1895), Zolange immediately started working on all the black outfits and all the children had to participate in preparing their outfits for the following day’s wake.
Above right is the an embarkation manifest from the ship, "William Jarvis." It is stamped May 26, 1854.
