Land Records 1912-1950

Purchased in 1912

The sale of the land that becomes Schwiem's Poplar Beach was recorded February 6, 1912 for a property bordered by Jefferson and Lake Saint Clair. It was sold by Frederick and Wilhelmina Kaess to Herman Schweim, wife Gretchen Schweim and sister, Anna Schweim (the deed has an incorrect spelling, "Schwein".) (Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds Document: 19120001299 Liber: 00149 Page: 0004.)

North Half Sold in 1913 to Detroit Turners

About two years later, on December 5, 1913, a warranty deed for the sale of property from Herman, Anna and Gretchen Schweim to Detroit Turners Sommerhelm (sic) Assn is recorded in Liber 00153 Page 0594. Recorded on 12/5/1917 is another warranty deed for property sold by Herman and Anna L Schweim to the Turner Sommer Heimgesellschaft (sic).

A Lake Township map from 1916 shows a parcel with the current outlines of Schweim's Poplar Beach subdivision marked "H. Schweim" with a small square indicating a building near the lake that we will call "Schweim Cottage." There is a parcel adjacent to the north marked "Turner Summer Home."

More about the Turners here >

Above: Schweim Cottage with Lake Saint Clair in the background.

Above: Judging by the clothing of the two ladies on the porch of Schweim cottage, this is an image from well before the 1920's. The Poplar trees and Lake Saint Clair are visible in the background.

Lot Sales Begin in 1917

A search of Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds data revealed Poplar Beach lot sales by Herman and his sister Anna L. Schweim to various buyers (in chronological order):

  • Lot 11 (22859) on 03/12/1917
    to William Duckert (Document: 19170005129 Liber: 00166 Page: 0510)
  • Lot 12 (22863) on 05/10/1920
    to Albert and Lena Krimmel (Document: 19200011161 Liber: 00186 Page: 0020)
  • Lot 13 (22869) on 11/11/1922
    to Adolph and Mary Schadt (Document: 19220004099 Liber: 00199 Page: 0407)
  • Lot 19 (22838) on 11/18/1922
    to Charles G and Augusta A Weber (Document: 19220004145 Liber: 00199 Page: 0444
  • Lot 15 (22858) and pt of Lot 14 (22864) on 03/10/1925
    to Margaret Jeffers (Document: 19250001589 Liber: 00222 Page: 0041)
  • Lot 16 (the undeveloped lot west of 22858) on 08/01/1925
    to August J Wagner (Document: 19250007277 Liber: 00229 Page: 0609)
  • Lot 10 (22847) on 10/07/1925
    to Emma A Crysler (Document: 19250008446 Liber: 00231 Page: 0371)
  • Lots 6 - 7 (22833), 9 (later split between 22837 and 22847) on 11/06/1931
    by Herman to Anna Schweim (Document: 19310005922 Liber: 00309 Page: 0546)
  • Lots 1-5 (28130 Jefferson and 22825), 18 (22848), 20 (22838), 22-23 (22824), 24 (22816) and pt Lot 26 (28126 Jefferson) on 11/06/1931
    by Anna to Herman Schweim Document: 19310005921 Liber: 00309 Page: 0545)
  • Lot 8 (22837) on 05/28/1936
    by Herman to Anna L. Schweim (Document: 19360006304 Liber: 00345 Page: 0469)
  • Lot 17 (22848) and part of lot 16 on 06/24/1936
    by Herman to Anna L. Schweim (Document: 19460015713 Liber: 0646 Page: 0916 and 01936.)
  • Lots 1-5 (Lots 1, 2 and part of 3 are 28130 Jefferson; Lot 3, 4, 5 are 22825) on 03/08/1937
    by Anna to Herman (Document: 19370003334 Liber: 00352 Page: 0185)
  • Lot 20 (the garage for 22838), 21 (22828) on 03/08/1937
    to John P and Mildred Ryan (Document: 19370003335 Liber: 00352 Page: 0186)
  • Lot 1, 2 (28130 Jefferson) on 03/19/1937
    to John P and Mildred Ryan (Document: 19370003888 Liber: 00352 Page: 0225)
  • Lot 18 (22848) on 08/19/1939
    to Russell and Lucille Higgie (Document: 19390011391 Liber: 00387 Page: 0399)
  • Lot 27 & part of Lot 26 (28126 Jefferson) on 06/19/1940
    to Roland T. Lakey (Document: 19400012279 Liber: 00407 Page: 0105)
  • Lot 8 (22837), Lot 9 (22837 and 22847) on 12/30/1942
    by Anna to Thorwald and Agnes Falke (Document: 19420025673 Liber: 00503 Page: 0080)
  • Lot 6 (22833), Lot 7 (22833) on 10/25/1943
    by Anna to Thorwald and Agnes Falke (Document: 19430019865 Liber: 00534 Page: 0099)
  • Lot 3, pt of Lot 4, Lot 5, pt of Lot 23, Lots 24, 25, pt of Lot 26 on 10/31/1945 (Document: 19450019824 Liber: 00613 Page: 0377)
    by the estate of Herman Schweim to John P and Mildred Ryan, John P Ryan Jr and Elaine Ryan

A Subdivision in 1923

"Schweim's Poplar Beach Subdivision" is platted in "Part of the SW 1/4 of Sec 14 TIN, R13E., Lake Twp., Macomb Co. Mich." The plat was notarized on November 14, 1923, then approved by the Lake Township Board on December 4, 1923, and recorded by Macomb County in Liber 7, Page 43 on February 14, 1924.

The document below records the outlines of the 27 lots along Poplar Beach Drive and lakefront park. It shows a gravel alley running east and west along the north side of lots 1-10 that led from Jefferson to Mary Street.

The property boundary ran about 800 feet from the center of Jefferson Avenue (two lanes wide at the time) to the lake. The current cement seawall and boat launch appears in many early pictures, so it may be about 100 years old at the time of this writing (2022).

Below: current property boundaries overlaid on a 2024 aerial image.

Voter Registration Records from 1924

On August 23, 1924, several residents registered to vote in Precinct #2 of Lake Township and then voted in the elections later that year.

The people who registered were as follows:
22828: John P. Ryan
22838: Alvin T. Huston
22863: Albert Krimmel
22864: HermanSchweim

Also registering on August 23, 1924 were Louise and Anna Schweim. On September 9, 1924, Hortense Schweim registered to vote. 

The addresses for Louise, Anna and Hortense were all listed as "Schweim's Sub," with no specific house numbers given. That is fairly common in these records, by the way. (Thank you to St. Clair Shores librarian Heidi Christein for the voter information.) Louise is Herman's wife, so she should be at 22864 with Herman's daughter Hortense. Anna is Herman's sister and she should be next door at 22858 in 1924. 

Real Estate Development

Below, a photo of Poplar Beach Drive with Shore Line Interurban Railway "Pagoda" rain shelters and railway tracks in foreground.

The photo album caption identifies the "Jake Marshall house and chicken coop" on Gordon Switch street, visible at right. The house and the garage building still stand. The long chicken coop building existed until at least 1945 (according to a Sanborn map below). 

Gordon Switch is platted as the Grosse Pointe Beach Subdivision. Sales of lots in the Grosse Pointe Beach sub by Jacob M Marshall were recorded in 1924 and 1926. 

The cement fence posts seen to left and right of the Interurban shelters still stand today. At the lake end of the street can be seen 22858 - the only new home at that time on Poplar Beach. The image below was made well before the 1930 census recorded that seven homes existed. The Interurban rail line ran along Jefferson from 1898 until rail service was ended in 1927. More Interurban information at Wikipedia >

Jefferson certainly looks like a dirt road in the image above. The railway tracks appear to be in working condition so the image is from before 1927 when the trains stopped running. The line existed in 1902 according to the map here. An article from MacombNow magazine that references the Shore Line Interurban states that the lines were gone by 1930.

Above: Another view of 22858 Poplar Beach with Schweim Cottage visible next door. The home is identified as Anna Schweim's in the photo album caption. 

There is a Macomb County record from March 10, 1925 that shows a sale of lot 15 (22858) to Margaret Jeffers. Unfortunately, 22858 is not listed in the 1930 census, so whether Jeffers ever lived there is unknown. In 1940, census records state that Elmer and Alda Whaley live at 22858.

Above: The sign on 22858 says "For Sale." and "H. Schweim Hickory 439 W." The man on the left with the child pulling on his lip is identified as Herman Schweim in the photo album caption. Whether Jeffers purchased an exiting home at 22858 in 1925 (see lot sales above) or built and then sold this one is unknown. Judging from the curtains in the windows this home was occupied. It is listed as Anna Schweim's home in other photo album captions.

Above: The curbing in the foreground is the corner of Mary Street and Poplar Beach with 22858 and Schweim Cottage in background. 

The flag with 46 stars was correct until 1912 when New Mexico and Arizona became states. The car on the left with the three-part rear window is likely a 1917 Model T.

The photo was taken before 1933 since the Sanborn map (shown below) has the outline of the current home at 22864, not Schweim Cottage.

Mary Street is now the driveway shared by 22847 and 22859. A 1998 Macomb County court order (document 19980821799) cedes Mary street from the other Poplar Beach property owners, plus the city of St. Clair Shores, Macomb County and the Michigan Department of Transportation to the adjacent property owners.

Water Main Payments in 1927

City records reveal a "Special Assessment for Installation of Water Main" for Poplar Beach. Only two houses in the subdivision were listed - the owners of the two lots that had frontage on Jefferson Avenue - Herman Scheim, Lot 1, 28130 Jefferson, with 74.65 feet of frontage, and R. T. Lakey, lot 27, 28126 Jefferson, with 87.3 feet of frontage.

Schweim paid his assessment on August 13, 1927; Lakey paid on January 9, 1928. (Thank you to St. Clair Shores librarian Heidi Christein for the water main information.)

When the water main was installed is uncertain, as the assessment could have been paid before or after the work was complete.

Interestingly, Roland T. Lakey will be the husband of Herman's daughter Hortense in August of 1935. Herman Schweim sells lot 27 and part of lot 26 to Lakey in June of 1940. 

1930 Census

The 1930 census lists 7 households on Poplar Beach.

  • 22828: John P Ryan (age 38), wife Mildred (Herman Schweim's daughter) (36), daughter Elaine M. (8), and son Jack E (13). (John P. Ryan purchased the adjacent lot #20 to the east in 1937. He also acquired lot #1 in 1937 - the northwest corner of Jefferson and Poplar Beach)
  • 22837: Anna Schweim (age 63)
  • 22838: Alvin T. Huston and wife Elizabeth
  • 22859: Thomas A. Cosgrove and wife Mary H.
  • 22863: Albert Krimmel and wife Lena
  • 22864: Herman Schweim (age 67) and daughter Hortense (age 34)
  • 22869: Adolph Schadt and wife Mary

Above: an image of the 1930 census enumeration district 50-23, sheet 2B.

Below: A June, 1933 Sanborn Fire Insurance Company map of St. Clair Shores from the Library of Congress shows Poplar Beach Drive containing 11 houses, plus the current pump house and the bath house at the top of the boat ramp. The Turners Sommerheim Gesellschaft property is shown to the north.

Above: (1933) Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Saint Clair Shores, Macomb County, Michigan. Sanborn Map Company, Jun. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn04181_001/.

1940 Census

The 1940 census lists some new arrivals on Poplar Beach, plus some changes within households. John and Mildred Ryan have moved to a new home at the NE corner of Jefferson and Poplar Beach so their address is now on Jefferson.

  • 22828: Arthur Meacham, wife Aida, son Phillip
  • 22837: Lester Stanley, wife Ida, daughter Carol, son David
  • 22838: Charles Waldner, wife Dehlia, daughter Mary Lou, son William. Delia Waldner was appointed Librarian of the St. Clair Shores Public library on June 19, 1942. (Thank you to St. Clair Shores librarian Heidi Christein for the librarian information.) William - aged 11 in 1940 - will buy 22864 from Hortense (Herman Schweim's daughter) and Roland Lakey in 1955.
  • 22845: William Woods
  • 22848: Russel Higgie and wife Lucille. Higgie purchased lot 18 from Anna Schweim on 08/19/1939.(Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds Liber 00387, Page 0399). Today, lot 18 contains the garage for 22848. The Higgies sell lots 17 and 18 to Herman and Irene Smigielski on 07/18/1946 (Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds Document 19460018259 Liber 00650, Page 0420 and 0421).
  • 22858: Elmer Whaley and wife Alda
  • 22859: Allan (?) Montrose and wife Vivian
  • 22861: Kenneth Hall, wife Bonnie, daughter Jane (22861? 22863 is today's address and the one shown on the map below from 1945)
  • 22864: Roland Lakey, wife Hortense (Herman Schwiem's daughter), and Herman Schweim (now 77 years of age)
  • 22869: Clara Schadt and lodger Margaret Passaly
  • 28126 Jefferson: Margaret Roberts, her parents John and Anna Hale, plus sister Eva Znamrowski and Gliford Znamrowski
  • 28130 Jefferson: Jon (John P.) Ryan, wife Mildred, son Jack (John J.) and daughter Elaine


Above: 1945 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Saint Clair Shores, Macomb County, Michigan. Sanborn Map Company, Jun - Jul 1945. [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn04181_002/. This is image 8 in the sequence of 9. Note the Turners have sold to the VFW Club.

1950 Census

Census records are made public every 72 years. The 1950 census was released on April 2, 2022. The Poplar Beach listings in Saint Clair Shores are in Enumeration Districts 50-88 sheets 15, 76, 77 and 79, plus 50-89 sheets 9 and 74. The following is reported:

  • 22825: John J. Ryan, wife Jean, son Jack, son Michael, son Patrick. John J (aka Jack), is John P and Mildred's son. There is no home at 22825 in the 1945 map above. Jack built the home in 1947.
  • 22828: Vacant (seasonal)
  • 22837: Thorwald Falke and wife Agnes along with Clarence and Rosalie Platt
  • 22838: Delia Waldner
  • 22847: Rene Demers, son Leo, son Gilbert (Leo lived in and raised a family in 22847 until his death in 2020. His devotion to Poplar Beach and his faith is memorialized with a statue of St. Francis in Poplar Beach Park.)
  • 22848: Vacant (seasonal)
  • 22858: William Hargraves, wife Esther, son Donald, son Charles, daughter Teresa
  • 22859: Mattie Smith, sister Clara Lord, sister Maymie Bird, sister Livia Grimes
  • 22864: Roland Lakey and wife Hortense
  • 22869: Clara Schadt and Margaret Pascaly
  • 28126 Jefferson: Margaret Roberts and mother Anna Hall
  • 28130 Jefferson: John P. Ryan, wife Mildred, daughter Elaine

22834 New in 1953

Hortense Schweim Lakey and husband Roland T Lakey sell 22864 and build a new house at 22824 Poplar Beach. Records show their residence as 22824 in 1953.

22837 and the future 22833 Poplar Beach

The 1950 census shows Thorwald and Agnes Falke living at 22837. It also shows Clarence and Rosalie Platt also living at 22837. It is known that the Falke family had boarders on the second floor of 22837.

Thorwald's death certificate of June 4, 1960 lists his address as 22837 Poplar Beach. On November 6, 1960, Agnes Falke, Glen Falke and his wife Eleanor take out a mortgage from The First State Bank of East Detroit, concerning Poplar Beach lots 8 and 9. Another deed, recorded December 20, 1960 between Agnes, Glen and Eleanor Falke and Highland Construction Company concerning Poplar Beach lots 6 and 7, to "secure payment for the building of a house on said lots, house to cost $14,000." The current house at 22833 Poplar Beach is on lots 6 and 7.