1st Lt. Johann ''John'' Edward Donker - I7526 - Individual Information - Wisconsin and Illinois Genealogy

1st Lt. Johann ''John'' Edward Donker (I7526)

Surname: Donker
Given Names: Johann ''John'' Edward
Prefix: 1st Lt.
Nickname: John

Gender: Male

Birth: 29 December 1894 -- Florence Station, Florence, Stephenson Cty Il
Death: September 1978 -- Freeport, Steph. Cty Il

Hit Count: pgv_counter

Pedigree Chart Descendancy Chart Timeline Chart

Personal Facts and Details

Notes

Note

first name spelling per family bible is Johanna
Worked in the White House prior to WWI reporting to the Pres. - census shows Lt J.E. Donker working at Walter Reed Hosp. Since he worked in intelligence, assumed this was his cover.

On Gen Pershing's staff during the WWI stationed in France. A photo of his desk in France is in the 2 Vol. book of WWI written by Gen. Pershing. After the war, the Gen. had John talk to all the officers and many enlisted and take notes. Gen Pershing wanted the history of the various battles recorded correctly. Those notes are now in the Smith. Inst. Gen Pershing used them to write his books. There were 2 war maps used by Gen. Pershing. One is now in the Smith. Inst., John had the other. It was destroyed when water got into the trunk he had it stored in.

While in France John acted as a spy. He stayed with a widow and her two daughters. One was working for the Germans. After the war, that daughter was sent away and her mother vowed nerver to speak her name again. After WWII, John's daughter Jeanne went to France and visited with the daughter. Her mother was ill and wouldn't see her. The daughter said that they had never mentioned her sister again and had no idea where she was. John spoke quite fondly of this woman and regreted that he had caused the family to break up.

Carpenter by trade after leaving the service, as were most of his brothers.

Lived in FL near Miami and worked in real estate in 1926. The family lost everything they owned and then with help of the Red Cross, returned to Freeport IL. He later became an alderman.

His marriage to Juile was kept a secret for almost a year. His daugher Catherine overheard Julie's niece talking about it at school. She called her sister, then confronted her father. John was a strong believer in morning the dead for 30 days by only going to work and no social activity at all, then another 11 months of mourning. Since he broker his own rule, this may be one reason that the marriage was kept a secret. According to his daugher Jeanne, he married Julie just months after his wife had died. It is assumed he had been having an affair with her. During the year of the secret marriage, he and his daughter Catherine were living with his sisters. One sister complained to his daughter Jeanne that he had been staying out very late every night and asked her to talk to him. She did and he never mentioned that he had been with his new wife.


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	Events of close relatives
Birth	29 December 1894 5529 Florence Station, Florence,Stephenson Cty Il
Death of father	15 May 1917 (Age 22) Reinder J Donker (I14906) (Age 78) - [Relationship Chart]
Marriage	21 August 1917 (Age 22) Helen Howard - ‎[View Family ‎(F27)‎‎] Florence Station,Florence, Stephenson, Il
Death of mother	15 June 1933 (Age 38) Gertruda A Kruse (I3183) (Age 67) - [Relationship Chart]
Marriage	September 1941 (Age 46) Julie Wheat - ‎[View Family ‎(F2775)‎‎] Little Brown Church in the Vale, Nashua,Chickasaw County Iowa
Death	September 1978 (Age 83) Freeport, Steph. Cty Il
Reference Number	6
Universal Identifier	51E2F623CF89D511973400E02931A9518969
Burial	Calvary Catholic Cem ‎‎(Stephenson St)‎‎ Freeport, Steph. Cty, Il
Last Change	11 December 2006 - 20:08:17 Last changed by: dcoplien

Multimedia Object	John and Hellen ‎(Howard)‎ Donker Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 350 x 458 Type: photo Helen Howard - [View Family ‎(F27)‎] Note: Wedding Day, home of John's father, Florence Station, Stephenson County, IL
Multimedia Object	John and Hellen ‎(Howard)‎ Donker Wedding Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 634 x 849 Helen Howard - [View Family ‎(F27)‎] Note: 1st Lt John E. Donker, Helen ‎(Howard)‎ Donker, Mildred Michales, Charles Michales
Multimedia Object	John and Hellen ‎(Howard)‎ Donker Family Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 502 x 851 Type: photo Helen Howard - [View Family ‎(F27)‎] Note: left to right: Catherine, Jeanne, Helen, John. about 1928, Freeport, Stephenson IL
Multimedia Object	John and Julie ‎(Wheat)‎ Donker Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 326 x 395 Type: photo Julie Wheat - [View Family ‎(F2775)‎] Note: Catherine, John, Julie, Jeanne
Multimedia Object	John and Hellen ‎(Howard)‎ Donker Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 350 x 458 Type: photo Note: Wedding Day, home of John's father, Florence Station, Stephenson County, IL
Multimedia Object	John E. Donker Format: JPG Image Dimensions: 2300 x 2044 Type: tombstone
Multimedia Object	Gen. John J. Pershing Format: jpg Image Dimensions: 640 x 506 Type: photo Note: 1st Lt. John Donker's desk was next to the wall to the left of where this photo was taken.