Klever family papers

Collection – Multiple Containers

Identifier: MS-1281

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Klever family papers document the activities of the Klever family and their family-owned business, Klever Jewelry, located in Bowling Green, Ohio, from 1887-2004. The papers include deeds; school papers; a significant number of photos documenting the family, the family business, and downtown Bowling Green, Ohio from circa 1939-2004; and a large scrapbook outlining the family’s involvement with the DeMolay from 1922-1959.

Dates

Creation: 1887-2004

Extent

1.75 Cubic Feet (2 legal archive boxes, 1 flat box)

Content Description

The Klever Family papers give an insight into the Klever family’s personal history within northwest Ohio, local Bowling Green businesses, and the growth of a three-generation family-owned business active from 1918–2012. The photos of the Klever family, Klever business, and downtown Bowling Green from the period of 1936 to 2004, as well as material relating to the family business provides a view of of the business’s operations within Bowling Green, Ohio. Additional material in the family papers provides a look into the Bowling Green branch of the DeMolay from 1922-1959, including the various trips the order took, as well as community events they hosted.

Biographical / Historical

Alex Klever (1862-1945) and his wife Rosa (1861-1926) opened a jewelry store in downtown Bowling Green in 1918. They had relocated their business to Bowling Green from Findlay and renamed their store from “Von Kanel Jewelers” (Von Kanel being Rosa’s maiden name) to “Klever’s.” In 1963 the Klevers moved their business again, this time to 123 North Main Street. The business was later taken over by Alex and Rosa’s son Roy Klever (1905-1985) and his wife Alice (1909-1964). While active in cultivating and promoting the family business, Roy Klever was also very involved with the Bowling Green chapter of the DeMolay, a Masonic sect for young men ages 12 to 21. Roy Klever had become involved in the family business as a teenager and stayed active in the store until his death in 1985, at which point the business turned over to the third-generation owner Jon Klever (1940-) and his wife Mary (1945-2016) after Jon returned from the Peace Corps. The business moved a final time to 1039 Haskins Road in 2001 before Jon retired and closed the store in 2012.

The family papers also document the lives of Alice Klever’s aunt and uncle, Issac Stinebaugh (1863-1954) and Ada Stinebaugh (1878-1972), mainly focusing on her graduation from Bowling Green High School in 1900 and his time as a university student at Ohio State University in the late 1880s-1890s.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in three series, two of which have been further arranged into subseries. The Personal papers) focus on the family’s personal life such as their involvement with the DeMolay, high school and university graduations, and personal legal documents. The second series (Business-related records) focuses on the family’s business as well as advertisements for other Ohio businesses. The final series, Photos, includes photos of the Klever family, the Klever jewelry business, and downtown Bowling Green. The majority of the photos within the collection overlap all three categories and could not be easily separated, which is why they have been kept together.

Separated Materials

Two yearbooks were removed and separately cataloged due to their good condition and rarity in the CAC. However, due to their deteriorating condition and other duplicates already existing within the CAC, two other yearbooks were removed. A scrapbook with newspaper clippings of national headlines from circa 1930-1950 was also removed due to deteriorating condition.