Theodore Kraker Papers

Theodore Mark "Ted" Kraker was born April 7, 1920, in Wahpeton, North Dakota, to Mark and Grace Jurgens Kraker. The family moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1925. Theodore attended St. Mary's Catholic School and the Central High School, where he graduated in 1938. In 1942, he received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota (UND). He then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served as an air traffic controller in Clovis, New Mexico, during World War II. When the war ended, Theodore returned to UND to study industrial arts education. He received a teacher's certificate in 1947. That same year, he opened his own business, Kraker's Kraft and Kabinet Kurios, in Grand Forks. The business closed a few years later. In 1948, Kraker began employment as a postal clerk in the Grand Forks Post Office, where he worked until his retirement in 1976. Kraker was actively involved in his union, the National Federation of Post Office Clerks, and in the Grand Forks Philatelic Society. He died August 26, 1995 and is buried in Cavalry Cemetery in Grand Forks. Mark Kraker, father of Ted, served in World War I and worked at the Great Northern Railroad Company. Many relatives of Mark are mentioned in the materials including: his father, Mathias Kraker, mother, Mary Mischke Kraker, brothers, Henry and Math J. Kraker, sister, Sophia Kraker, niece, Bernice Kraker, and uncle, Frank Mischke. Grace Jurgens Kraker was the daughter of Theodore Jurgens and Josephine Formaneck Jurgens. Grace grew up in Wahpeton and later moved to Grand Forks with her husband and son. She was involved in many organizations, including the Women's Catholic Order of Forester, Lincoln Park Bridge Club, Catholic Daughters of America, St. Mary's Altar Society, and the Thursday Music Club. Theodore Jurgens and Josephine Formaneck Jurgens lived most of their lives in Wahpeton, settling there in the early 1880s. Theodore Jurgens opened a saloon which operated from 1886 to 1890, when it was shut down by North Dakota's prohibition. He then opened a clothing store in Wahpeton with his brother-in-law, Albert Formaneck Jr. The store remained in business from 1891 to 1902. Other people mentioned in the collection include: Theodore Jurgens brother and sister-in-law, Louis and Tina Jurgens, Josephine Formaneck Jurgens brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Anna Formaneck, Josephine's nephew and Frank and Anna's son, Henry Formaneck, Josephine's brother, Fred Formaneck, Albert Formaneck Jr.'s wife, Mary Schild Formaneck, Josephine's sister and brother-in-law, Rosa Formaneck Chezik and Joseph Chezik, Josephine's nephew and Rosa and Joseph's son, Leo Chezik, Josephine's brother-in-law, Albert Chezik, Josephine's sister, Anna Formaneck Chezik, and Josephine's niece and Albert and Anna Chezik's daughter, Vena Chezik.

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