Royal Oak Couple Copes with Home’s Tragic Past
(Lewis , Oct. 18, 2015)
Homes often have unknown histories, and uncovering the past of one Royal Oak colonial has taken teacher Anne-Marie Yerks on a journey of curiosity, sadness, and eventually peace.
Yerks wrote about her experience in a recent post on the House Beautiful website.
“The day after we closed the deal on the 96-year-old Dutch colonial in the hip downtown of Royal Oak, MI, our new next-door neighbor alerted my husband to an interesting fact: “A woman just died there,” he said. My husband asked for more detail, but the neighbor didn’t know anything else, just that the young woman who used to live in our house was now dead. Verification soon came in the mailbox, where we received a water bill with “DECEASED,” stamped across her name. More “DECEASED” mail arrived thereafter,” Yerks wrote.
The story not only elicits empathy, but it’s been making others wonder what secrets might be in the spaces where they live.  There are ways for homeowners and home-seekers to find information.  Local historical societies can often be helpful, and a good real estate agent may be able to help.  Also doing web searches for specific addresses can give useful information.
Read about the tragedy that befell the previous owner, and how Yerks and her sweetie went about making the house their home at http://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a4544/my-house-has-a-tragic-secret/.