(2017)
Anton Van Dereck Haunstrup (1902-1943).
Anton Van Dereck Haunstrup, a metalsmith, jeweler, painter, and pianist, first started coming to town from Chicago, where he had been born. In the late ’20s, he happened to catch sight of Patricia Murphy (d 1997) in Provincetown as she alighted from the Boston train. He offered to carry her bags from the depot. They were married in 1932, one of the deepest troughs of the Great Depression. Patricia moved to Chicago. Anton’s father, Holger Haunstrup, had lost his house-building business but he looked upon the imminent arrival of a grandson as a hopeful sign. “Maybe this baby will save us,” he said. “We need a Napoleon to put things in order.” In 1932, the young Napoleon — “Napi” for short — was born at Cook County Hospital. The Van Derecks spent summers in Provincetown until 1943, when Anton died in New York City, having turned his metal craftsmanship to the war effort by designing a pump nozzle for extinguishing incendiary bombs.
¶ Last updated on 18 November 2017.
Provincetown’s Historic Cemeteries and Memorials, Key N-64, Page 17.