The "Smith" Problem

I've completely given up on the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks, but I will keep using this blog as a way of writing about the family history and as a problem solving tool.

I've previously written about Joseph Schmidt here, and his mother Vilma, here.  I've been trying to find more information about the family so that maybe I can track them back to Hungary.

I've been driving myself crazy and feel like I'm running in circles trying to find information on the Schmidts/ Smiths. Instead of a narrative, I'm going to list out the information I have. Maybe I'll find a hole or clue that I missed, or maybe I'll find a direction to start looking. 

I'll start with Joseph Schmidt.

His Death Certificate (1) states:

• Name: Joseph G. Smith
• Birthdate: January 21, 1892
• Birthplace: Austria
• Death Date: January 10, 1955
• Father's Name: Unknown
• Mother's Name: Unknown
• Informant: Hospital Records
• Burial: Saint Lucas Cemetery

His Obituary (2) in the Chicago Tribune states: Joseph G. Smith, Jan. 10, of 9621 Dobson avenue, beloved husband of Florence Genotte Smith, loving father of Florence Muth, Rose Donnelly, and the late Harry. Funeral Thursday, 10 a.m., at chapel, Jeffery boulevard at 77th street. Interment St. Lucas' cemetery. South Shore 8-8822

His WWII Draft Registration Card (3) indicates the following information

• Name: Joseph George Smith
• Birth Date: 21 Jan 1892
• Birthplace: Austria-Hungary
• Residence: Chicago, IL
• Name and Address of Person who will always know your address: Margaret Buck Lillian Barna

His original Certificate of Naturalization (4), which still is in family possession, contains the following information:

• Name: Joseph George Smith
• Address: 15315 Lexington Ave, Harvey, IL
• Subject of Hungary
• Naturalization date: 23 March 1922
• Naturalization place: Circuit Court of Cook County
• Age: 30
• Height: 5 ft 5-1/2 inches
• Name Changed by order of court from Joseph Schmidt

This same information is found on the Naturalization Record Index (5).

 His Petition for Naturalization (6) contains the following information:

• Name: Joseph Schmidt
• Address: 15315 Lexington Ave, Harvey, IL
• Birthdate: 22 Jan 1892
• Birthplace: Pankota, Austria
• Emigrated from: Bremen Germany in May 1907
• Arrival: New York, NY on 11 May 1907
• Ship: Graf Waldersee
• Declaration of Intent made: 26 March 1917 in Chicago, IL.
• Wife: Florence, born 20 July 1898 in Chicago
• Children: Florence born 2 May 1918, and Rose 26 Sept 1920

His Marriage License (7) to Florence Genotte contains the following information:

• Name: Joseph G. Smith
• Age: 25
• Birth year: abt 1891
• Marriage Date: 25 Nov 1916
• Marriage Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois
• Spouse Name: Florence Genotte
• Spouce Age: 17

The Passenger List for the Graf Waldersee (8), arriving in New York on 11 May 1907 lists the following people in Joseph's family:

Vilma Schmidt, age 33; Josef Schmidt, age 15; Vilma Schmidt, age 11(this would put Vilma's birth year around 1896/1897)

• Nationality: Hungary
• Race or People: German
• Last Residence: Pankota
• Final Destination: Philadelphia
• Whether going to join a relative or friend: and if so, what relative or friend, and his name and complete address: br.i.l (brother-in-law?): Johann Feher, Philadelphia, Pa, N. Amerikan St 8
• Place of Birth: Pankota (for all 3)

The 1910 Census (9) shows that Vilma Schmidt (the mother) married again and had another daughter.  The following information is on the 1910 census:

• Furez, Joseph, Head, Age 26, Marriage 1; Married 1 years, Birthplace: Hungary, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's birthplace: Hungary, Immigration year: 1904, Naturalized, Speaks English, 
• Furez, Wilhelmina, Wife, Age 33, Marriage 2; Married 1 years, 3 Children born, 3 children still alive. Birthplace: Hungary Germany, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Germany, Mother's Birthplace: Hungary, Germany. Immigration year: 1907, Speaks English
• Furez, Margaret, daughter, Age 4/12, Single. Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace: Hungary
• Schmidt, John, stepson, Age: 17, Single, Birthplace: Hungary, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace: Hungary, Immigration year: 1908, Alien, Speaks English
• Schmidt, Wilhelmina, stepdaughter, Age: 15, Single, Birthplace: Hungary, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace: Hungary, Immigration year: 1907, Speaks English

The Philadelphia Pennsylvania Marriage Index (10) has the following information about Vilma Schmidt's marriage. (I am waiting for a copy of the actual license).

• Name: Wilhelmina Schmidt
• Spouse: Joseph Furesz
• Marriage Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
• Marriage Year: 1910
• Marriage License number: 249305

I have only been able to find Joseph Smith and his wife and children in the 1920 census (11) in Chicago. I have not found his mother nor his sister anywhere. Interestingly here's the information for Joseph and his family:

• Schmidt, Joseph, Head, Age 26, Year Immigrated; 1896, Naturalized: yes, Birthplace: Hungary, Native Langauge: Magyar, Birthplace of Father: Hungary, Language of Father: German, Birthplace of Mother: Germany, Language of Mother, German
• Schmidt, Florence, Wife, Age 26, Birthplace: Illinois, Birthplace of father: Illinois, Birthplace of Mother: Illinois.
• Schmidt, Florence, daughter, Age 1 6/12, Birthplace: Illinois, Birthplace of Father, Hungary, Birthplace of mother: Illinois

In the 1930 Census, I found Joseph Smith and family, AND Vilma (his mother) and Margaret (his half-sister) living in Chicago. 

The entry for Joseph's family (12) states:

• Smith, Joseph, Head, Age: 38, Married, Age at Marriage: 25, Birthplace, Hungary, Father's Birthplace, Hungary, Mother's Birthplace: Hungary, Language: German, Immigration year: 1905, Naturalized: yes, 
• Smith, Florence, Wife, Age: 30, Married, Age at Marriage: 17, Birthplace: Illinois, Father's Birthplace, Illinois, Mother's Birthplace: Illinois
• Smith, Florence, daughter, Age 11, Single, Birthplace: Illinois, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace, Illinois
• Smith, Rose, daughter, Age 9, Single, Birthplace: Illinois, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace, Illinois
• Smith, Harry, son, Age: 6, Single, Birthplace: Illinois, Father's Birthplace: Hungary, Mother's Birthplace, Illinois

The entry for Vilma and Margaret (13) states:

• Furez, Wilma, head, Age: 56, Widowed, Birthplace: Germany, Father's Birthplace: Germany, Mother's Birthplace: Germany, Language: German, Immigration year: 1910, Naturalized, 
• Furez, Margaret, daughter, Age: 19, Single, Birthplace: Pennsylvania, Father's Birthplace: Germany, Mother's Birthplace, Germany

In 1940, Margaret got married. Her Marriage information (14):

• Name: Margaret Furez
• Marriage Date: 28 Aug 1940
• Spouse: Fred Mark
• Location: Cook County, IL
• License: 1651772

The 1940 Census has Wilma living on her own, and shows Joseph's family.

The entry for Wilma (15) states:

• Furez, Wilma, head, Age, 66, Widowed, Birthplace: Austria Hungary, Naturalized Citizen

The entry for Joseph's family (16) states:

• Smith, Joseph E, Head, Age: 48, Birthplace: Hungary, Naturalized Citizen
• Smith, Florence A, wife, Age: 40, Birthplace: Illinois
• Smith, Rose M, daughter, Age: 19, Birthplace: Illinois
• Smith, Harry C, son, Age: 16, Birthplace: Illinois

Here is what I do NOT know:

I do NOT know when Wilma Furez died. I have not found any death information for her. No certificates, no obituaries, nothing!

I do NOT know what happened to Wilhelmina Schmidt (the sister).  I have recently been searching through Philadelphia Marriages, and found 3 Wilhelminas.  I'm not certain that any of them are actually her.  I don't have any death information for her either.

I do NOT know when Joseph Furez died.

I do NOT know the whereabouts of Wilma Furez and Margaret between 1910 and 1930.

I do NOT know who this Johann Feher is who is the person that the Schmidt's were supposedly going to live with in Philadelphia.

I do NOT know Wilma Furez's actual birthday NOR any information about her first husband.

I do NOT know anything about Joseph prior to his arrival in New York on the Graf Waldersee other than that he was born in Pankota.

Any suggestions or help that you can give would be awesome. I really have no idea where to look next.


(1) Cook County, Illinois, death certificate no. 50-697 (1955), Joseph G. Smith; Cook County Clerk's Office, Chicago. Cit. Date: 30 Dec 2014.

(2) Obituary 1 -- no title. (1955, Jan 11). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/178826471?accountid=58010 

(3) Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration), for The State of Illinois; State Headquarters: Illinois; Microfilm Series: M2097; Microfilm Roll: 273

(4) Certificate of Naturalization Joseph George Smith, No 1478784, Circuit Court of Cook County, IL, March 23, 1922, Contained in Family Documents

(5) National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northen District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840 - 1950 (M1285); Microfilm Serial: 1285: Microfilm Roll: 162 Ancestry.com U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791 - 1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project) [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010

(6) Petition for Naturalization, Petition number 37757, January 25, 1921 Circuit Court of Cook County.

(7)  “Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871–1920.” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2010. Illinois Department of Public Health records. "Marriage Records, 1871–present." Division of Vital Records, Springfield, Illinois.

(8) Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. Year: 1907; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0890; Line: 2; Page Number: 32 Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. 

(9)  Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Year: 1910; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 13, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1390; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0181; FHL microfilm: 1375403

(10) Ancestry.com. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Marriage Index, 1885-1951 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

(11)  Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1920; Census Place: Bloom, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T625_358; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 592

(12) Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Flossmoor, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 414; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 2332; Image: 483.0; FHL microfilm: 2340149

(13) Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 422; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0199; Image: 949.0; FHL microfilm: 2340157

(14) Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

(15) Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_932; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 103-344

(16) Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: T627_931; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 103-338

Will the Real Charles Follet Please Stand Up?

As you've most likely noticed, I dropped the ball majorly with the 52 Ancestors thing.  I did get a few done, but life intervened.

While I'm no longer doing the 52 Ancestors challenge, I will keep blogging about genealogy periodically. Perhaps someone reading will see something or notice something that will help me break through some brick walls.

One such "Brick Wall" is a man named Charles Follett.  I've got a fairly well documented life for Charles once he's in the US, but where he came from is the mystery.  Here is what I know:

Charles was born in / around 1859 in either England or Ireland. 

According to a Chicago Voter's Registration list from October 25, 1892, Charles had lived at his place of residence in the city (2031 Prairie Ave, Chicago) for 1/2 a year, the state for 10 years, and the country for 10 years.  This places his arrival in the US around 1882.

Interestingly, Charles declared on the voters registration form that he was a citizen, but he didn't ACTUALLY officially become naturalized until four days later on October 29, 1892 in the Cook County Criminal Courts.

His naturalization records are incomplete as the County and Federal Court archives in Chicago only have his Declaration of Intent and his Final Oath paperwork.  The petition document (which would have arrival dates, family names, etc.) no longer exists according to the archives.

Another interesting quirk in the dates shows that he filed his Declaration of Intent to become a citizen on the 13th of October, 1890. This date is also the same day as his marriage to Norah Sullivan.

I'm not going to focus on Charles's children, as those dates are detailed on Norah's biography linked to above.

Charles died in 1898 of acute pneumonia. His death certificate states that his occupation was a Coachman and that he had been in the US for 16 years. (Again, putting his arrival in the U.S. around 1882.)

I have not been able to find any passenger lists or immigration documents for Charles.

Picture from Flickr of 1898 Chicago

The tl;dr (too long; didn't read) of the above is this:

Charles Follett - born 1859 in England or Ireland
no immigration information.
Came to the US approximately 1882.
Married: 13 Oct 1890 (Chicago)
Registered to Vote: 25 Oct 1892 (Chicago)
Naturalized: 29 Oct 1892 (Chicago)
Occupation: Coachman (Chicago)
Died: 1 Nov 1898 (Chicago)

I thought that I might try and "go around" the sticky wicket of his immigration and try and find Charles in the UK prior to 1882.  So I spent several days searching the UK census records from 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891 for all of the Charles Folletts that I could find.  Why these dates?

Since Charles was born in approximately 1859, the 1861 census would be the first one where he would appear.  The 1871 census would put him at about 11 years old, and the 1881 census would be the last one where he would appear in England or Ireland seeing as how he moved to the U.S. in 1882.  So why search the 1891 census?  So I could trace all the Charles Folletts and rule out the ones who are still in England or Ireland in 1891.

Click here to see my chart (on Google Docs)

The blank "holes" in the chart are where I couldn't find individuals in the census records.  From this, I'm about 90% certain that Charles Follett number 1 in the chart is my guy. His father was a coachman and he worked as a groom. He was born in the right year, and disappeared from the census records at the right time.  His mother's name was Sarah and my Charles named his first daughter Sarah.

My problem is, that I can't connect him to the Charles Follett in the US. I just don't have the immigration documents to "prove" well enough in my mind that this is the right guy. I don't want to "waste" the time researching him further and then find out down the road that he's not the right guy.  My husband (the non-genealogist who doesn't have an interest in doing family history work) seems to think I should claim him as mine, but I'm just not sure.  What do you all think?

Charles Follett is my Great-Great Grandfather on my mother's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks # 21 - Julia Ana Schroeder

This is #21 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

I'm way behind in this challenge, but I'm still continuing on! 


Juliana Schroeder was born 131 years before I was, on August 15, 1848 in Hanover, Germany.  When she was 17 years old, she immigrated to the United States at the tail end of the Civil War, and at some point, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, which had a large German immigrant population.

Sometime between 1865 and 1870, she met and married George Bernard Knoppe, but the actual date hasn't yet been found. Unfortunately, the City records for this time period were lost in a fire.  I know that they were Catholic as they were buried in a Catholic cemetery, but the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has closed its archives and has no plans to re-open them for genealogy research any time soon. So I cannot check their records for any marriages or birth records.

Julia had 11 children total, with only 8 surviving until the 1900 census.  Her first child, Henry A Knoppe, was born in 1870. At the time, Julia, George and Henry were living at 12 Noble Court, Cincinnati, an address which no longer exists. Anna Marie Knoppe was born in 1871.

There was a three year break before Julia's third child, Louis (Ludwig), was born in 1874. Unfortunately, Louis would die at the age of 10 in 1884. By 1874, the Knoppe family had moved to 179 Barr street, Cincinnati.

Son George Bernard Knoppe Jr., was born in 1876 and the family was in a new home at 20 Wilstach Street, Cincinnati (another street that no longer exists). Daughter, Ella Knoppe, was born in 1878. At this time, I can only assume that Ella was a twin as there is another baby who is listed as being born and dying on the same day in 1878. This child was unnamed.

After Ella, another daughter, Mary J. was born in 1880.  Mary was born at 20 Wilstach street, but shortly after her birth, the family moved to a house on "Washington Avenue, north of Warsaw."

The Price Hill Streetcar Incline
Photo 1906
picture from Shorpy

Another set of twins, Benjamin and Bernard were born in 1882. After the twins, the family moved to the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Price Hill was an up-and-coming, middle class neighborhood, and news-paper real estate records show George and Julia purchasing "a small vacant lot" there.  Charles Louis Knoppe was born in 1884 at their new home, 3645 Laclede Ave.

All this time, Julia's husband George had been progressing in his job. George worked for the Cincinnati police department and had been promoted to Lieutenant.  A family set-back occurred when there was a "shake-up" in the Cincinnati Police Force.  According to the Greater Cincinnati Police Historical Society Museum, "During 1886, there was a great upheaval in the Cincinnati Police Department. Literally, on one day, the entire police department was fired; all 400 of them. On the next day, the City hired 300 to replace them. Some were from the 'old' department and some were not. In any case, there is a clear gap in our records with regard to those who were not. And, clearly, Lieutenant Knoppe was not."

George switched professions and became a carpenter. He was apparently able to earn enough to stay in the home on Laclede, as the family lived there until 1903.

Four years after Charles was born, Julia and George's last son, Edward Thomas Knoppe was born in 1888.

The family lived a comfortable middle class existence. When he was old enough, son Henry joined George at the Carpentry business and other children got jobs as they grew up. Some becoming carpenters, others becoming bartenders. The girls worked as receptionists, stenographers, or hair-dressers.

In 1893, tragedy struck with Julia's husband dying suddenly at the age of 48. In 1900, Julia is working as a laundress, and all the other children are working except for young Edward who is "at School."

In 1897, Julia made the newspapers (the Cincinnati Enquirer) in a not-so-usual way. Here is a transcription of the article:

Cincinnati Enquirer, October 8, 1897

CYST TUMOR Of Unusual Dimensions Removed From the Head of Mrs. Knoppe.

One of the largest cyst tumors of the scalp of which there is any record was removed from the head of Mrs. Julia Knoppe of 3645 Laclede avenue, Price Hill, on Wednesday afternoon. The operation was performed by Dr. G. W. Moor, assisted by Dr. Perry Jacobe. The indications are that the work will result successfully. The tumor had been growing for years, because Mrs. Knoppe would not undergo a surgical operation. At last, when the growth attained the size of a large cocoanut, thereby preventing her from making her appearance in public, she decided to have it removed. It grew at the top of the forehead in the center.

I can only assume that she was stubborn about going to the doctor, much like several of her descendants whom I know very well.  I have not found any medical history records about this.

In 1903, Julia sold the house at 3645 Laclede Ave, and moved around the corner to 1025 Sturm Street. They were there for a year before moving around the next corner to 3703 St. Lawrence Avenue.  Julia lived at 3703 St. Lawrence avenue until her death in 1915.  She is buried in Old St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery.

Julia is my great-great grandmother on my father's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #20 - Anna Slezinska

This is #20 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

I'm way behind in this challenge, but I'm still continuing on!

Anna Slezinska was born in Putzig, West Prussia (now Puck, Poland) on the 18th of June, 1853.  I do not know her birth parents' names.

She married Anton Rossman in 1879 and shortly there after, her first daughter, Juliana Rossman, was born.

Anna Slezinska Rossman

Shortly after Juliana's birth, Anton and Anna made a decision to move  their new family to the United States. They boarded the Cumberland, in Hamburg, Germany and headed for Leith (now just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. From Leith, they traveled to Glasgow, Scotland where they boarded the Circassia for New York.  They left Hamburg, Germany on the 19th of March, 1880, and arrived in New York on the 12 of April, 1880.

 The family then proceeded to Chicago where more children were born to Anna and Anton: Marciana (Maggie) in 1882, Rose in 1885, Frank in 1887, Pauline (Polly) in 1889, Sarafine (Sarah) in 1892, and possibly Elizabeth or Hedwigis in 1894.  I haven't yet been able to completely verify Elizabeth and Hedwigis yet.

Anton, Anna, and family were active in St. Joseph's Catholic Parish in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. In the church records, there are two other Slezinski's; August and Juliana. I suspect that these people are siblings of Anna, however as of yet, I have not found definitive proof.  Anna was the godmother for August's daughter Rosalia, and August was the godfather of one of Anna's grandsons. (Remember this drawing I did trying to figure out relationships earlier?)

As with most married women with children at the time, Anna is described in census records as being "At home."  Anton and Anna owned their building, 4814 Marshfield Ave, but rented out parts of it to between 2 and 4 families at a time.  I don't know how many rooms they kept for themselves, but the building itself in modern times appears to be a 2 flat.


Anna died on the 27th of October, 1919.

Anna is my 3rd great-grandmother on my father's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #19 - Juliana Rossmann

This is #19 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

I'm way behind in this challenge, but I'm still continuing on! 

Juliana Rossmann was born on the 14th of May, 1879 in Putzig, Westpruessen, Prussia - now called Puck, Poland.  She was the first child of Anton Rossmann and Anna Slezinski. When Juliana was not even one year old, the new family decided to move to the United States. They boarded the Cumberland, in Hamburg, Germany and headed for Leith (now just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. From Leith, they traveled to Glasgow, Scotland where they boarded the Circassia for New York.  They left Hamburg, Germany on the 19th of March, 1880, and arrived in New York on the 12 of April, 1880.

Once Juliana's family settled in Chicago, she wound up with six more siblings. The family lived at 4812 S. Marshfield Ave. in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. This neighborhood was populated by successive generations of immigrants and was located down-wind of the Union Stockyards and meat-packing plants.

Possible photo of Juliana Rossmann
ca. 1915 - 1920 (ish)
This photo is included in an old family
photo album in a section of photos
of Juliana's grown children on vacation.
As it is not labeled, I cannot be sure that
it really is her, but I'm about 90% certain.

In 1897, when Juliana was eighteen, she married John J. Bettcher in St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Chicago. 11 months later, Juliana and John's first child, Agnes, was born in December 1897. Their second child, Anthony, was born early in 1899, and a third child, Helen, was born in 1900.

By this time, Juliana and John were living just a block away from where her parents lived - still in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, but at 4921 S. Marshfield. Census records show that it wasn't just John and Juliana in the home, her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Bettcher was living there too. In fact, Elizabeth owned the home and on the census records, John and Juliana were renting from her.

The next time we see Juliana and John in any records is the 1910 census. By this time, four more children joined the family: Anna in 1901, Rose in 1904, Polly in 1906, and Albert in 1908. The census indicates that Juliana had a total of 9 children, with 7 still living. Unfortunately, Albert had a twin brother, Adam, who was stillborn and John Bettcher was born in 1902 and died 4 months later in 1903.

Five years later, in 1915, Juliana's husband, John, was found dead in an alley. He had slipped, fallen, and frozen to death on a cold day in February.  Juliana kept on, though. Her oldest children were working in the stockyards or in other factories.

By 1920, Juliana owned 4921 Marshfield outright. In addition to 6 of her children and herself, Juliana had a sister-in-law, a neice, and two borders all living with her on the first floor of the home. She rented out the second floor to two more families.

On the 22nd of February, 1929, Juliana Rossmann Bettcher passed away at the age of 50. She is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL.

Juliana is my great-great-grandmother on my father's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #18 - The Memory in a Scent

This is #18 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

My last living uncle recently passed away. Our family is in the middle of planning a memorial luncheon for him and I've been tasked with going through scans of old family albums to find pictures to display at the memorial.  As a result, each night I find myself eye to eye with people I loved deeply who are no longer here with us. My grandfathers. My grandmother. My uncles. My aunts. All in stages of their lives that I never knew.

I've started dreaming about these relatives and memories of them are fresh in my mind. My grandfather's hugs and the scratchy feel of the slip-cover on his favorite chair. My aunt letting her crazy dog out the back-door and us racing to get in the front door before he could run around the house and jump on us. An uncle making us "pull the finger." Memories have been floating around me constantly, brushing against my cheek and catching me unawares for weeks now.

Today, while tidying up my dresser and putting those miscellaneous small things away which always accumulate on surfaces, I found a small dusty bottle of perfume in the back of one of the drawers.

Recognizing the bottle, I smiled, untwisted the cap, and sniffed. My body's reaction to the perfume was visceral. A flood of tears came to my eyes and my stomach tied in knots as I remembered. Grandma Rose always wore Emeraude.

That perfume bottle smelled like her hugs. It smelled like the memory of barreling down a twisty, winding road in rural Connecticut, laughing like crazies, at least 25 miles over the speed-limit, in

Grandma Rose and me

search of the funny dips in the road that caused your stomach to jump a little... those incredible things she called "tickle-bellies." It smelled like leaning over her shoulder as she cross-stitched and watching her needle go in and out of the fabric while she talked to my mom about whatever. It smelled like that moment returning home from school to find her little car in our driveway and to know that she was waiting inside. 

I wasn't prepared for the flood of memories and the immediate sense of grief that I had from smelling that perfume. After standing there a moment and basking in the memories, I breathed deeply, twisted the cap back on, and gently placed the little bottle back into the recesses of my dresser.

I love you Grandma Rose, and I miss you. I'll never forget you. Not that I could. Your bottle of Emeraude won't let me.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #17 - John Hoffman

This is #17 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

*Note - I got behind in my ancestors and so may be publishing more than one a week as I attempt to catch up.

John Hoffman was born on the 23rd of April, 1864 in Newport Kentucky. The first son of Louis Hoffman and Susie Seibert, John was born when his mother was approximately 19 years old and his father was 36 years old. He had at least 7 verified siblings and possibly a few others whom I have not quite yet verified.

St. Stephen's Catholic Church
Newport, Kentucky

In 1880, when John was 15, he was marked in the census as being a "Laborer" along with his 13 year old brother Absolam. It is unknown where they worked, as their father was a farmer.  They could have been laborers on their own farm or hired out to other places.

On September 6, 1887, John married Elizabeth (Emma) Sticklin (Stoecklin) in Campbell County, Kentucky. According to their Marriage License, they were married by a Roman Catholic priest named Jos Menschuann (sp?). I have so far been unable to find which church they were married in.

In 1888, John and Emma's first daughter, Regina was born on June 7th. In 1890, a second daughter was added to their family. Marie (May) was born in Newport, Kentucky on the 27th of May. Both girls were baptized in St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Newport, Kentucky.

In 1891, 3 year old Regina died from diphtheria.


In 1900, John, Emma and May moved from Newport to Cold Springs, Kentucky where John was working as a farmer.

Their daughter May married George Bernard Knoppe on the 26th of January, 1909.

By 1910, Emma and John had returned to Newport where John found work in a Brewery.

Sometime prior to 1910, the Hoffman's had adopted a boy named Louis Butts. My grandmother started to compile a genealogy many years ago and her notes from family stories state:

"John Hoffman had friends named Butts. Butts had a son named Lou. The Butts died of flu during WWI and son Lou was put in St. Josephs Orphanage. John and Elizabeth Hoffman adopted Lou. Lou took the name of Hoffman."

While my grandmother's notes indicate that Lou joined the family after the flu epidemic and WWI, he was living with John and Emma in 1910 and is listed as "son."

John Hoffman with one of his
grandsons in 1926 at Coney Island.
This is the only picture we have of him.

In 1920, John and Emma were living at 229 7th street in Newport, Kentucky. Their daughter, May, and her husband George were living with them.  John was listed as a store-keeper in a saloon that he owned. His prior experience in a Brewery apparently helping him.

The family business was apparently successful enough that John, Emma, May, her husband George and John's first grandson were able to take a trip to Coney Island, New York in 1926.

In 1929, Emma passed away on the 10th of June, after 42 years of marriage.

John continued to live with his daughter May and her family though he apparently did not continue as a saloon-keeper. In the 1930 census, his employment is listed as "General Contractor."

John passed away on the 21st of December, 1936 at the age of 72.  At the time of his death, the family was living at 3428 DeCoursey, in Newport, Kentucky where the family was running a cafe / soda-shop at that address.  He is buried with his wife and other family members in St. Stephen's Cemetery, in Ft. Thomas, Kentucky. 


John Hoffman is my 2nd great-grandfather on my father's side.
 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: # 15 and 16 - Daniel Donnelly

This is #15-16 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

I really should have pre-written a post for last week as when I returned from Russia I was in no state to write a genealogy post. So I'm combining weeks 15 and 16 into one post.

I've chosen to focus on another mystery person; Daniel Donnelly, the husband of Anne O'Neill. Most of what I know about him came from the research I did into her. I actually have to work backwards in his life to try and guess-timate his dates.

I know that Anne O'Neill Donnelly was widowed by the 1901 census and that she lived in County Tyrone, Ireland near to the town of Pomeroy. So Daniel had to have died prior to 1901. Their youngest child, that I know of, was born in 1885, so Daniel had to have been alive at least until 1884. This means that I have death years narrowed to between 1885 and 1901.

I know that Anne O'Neill had indicated on a census record that she had been married for 39 years before he died.  Even if he died early in 1901, that puts the date of their marriage to prior to 1862.  Anne would have been 19 in 1862. Typically the grooms are a little older than the brides but with Anne at 19, the youngest I would expect Daniel to be would be around 18 - (born around 1844) but he could be anywhere up to the age of 30 (born around 1832).

So what do I know about Daniel?  He was a farmer - I know that from my great-grandfather Edward Donnelly's birth certificate. He was born sometime between 1832 and 1844. He married Anne O'Neill sometime around 1862, and he died sometime between 1885 and 1901. 

I know that Edward Donnelly was Catholic. It would be safe to assume that his parents were Catholic as well.  Unfortunately, the Catholic church's records for the parish near Sluggan
are only available in Ireland. I would either have to go there or hire someone to search the records for me.  Until then, I've at least got approximate dates for in case the opportunity arises for me to travel to Ireland.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #14 - Polycarpus Stocklin

This is #14 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

*NOTE* I am out of the country this weekend. This post was written and scheduled to post in advance.

Temptation!

When I was first on Ancestry, I became quickly seduced and addicted to those little fluttering green leaves. You know the ones.


I was a novice genealogist. I quickly got addicted to the high of adding more names to my tree! So I started to click and add and click and add and click and add....without independent verification.

I am now going through the process of independently verifying everything in my tree, which brings us to Polycarpus Stocklin.


According to those seductive, addicting, fluttering green leaves, Polycarpus Stocklin was born in 1651 in Basel, Switzerland and he died in 1728 in Basel Switzerland.

No, I have not independently verified him yet.  I'm still doing the verification on ancestors living in the late 1800s / early 1900s! 

So why write about Polycarpus? Take a look at the following list.

Johann Georg Stocklin (b. 1827) was the son of Johann Heinrich Stocklin.

Johann Heinrich Stocklin (b. about 1795) was the son of Johann Heinrich Stocklin

Johann Heinrich Stocklin (b. 1762) was the son of Heinrich Stocklin

Heinrich Stocklin (b. 1731) was the son of Hans Heinrich Stocklin

Hans Heinrich Stocklin (b. 1689) was the son of Polycarpus Stocklin

Polycarpus Stocklin (b. 1651) was the son of Hans Jacob Stocklin

Hans Jacob Stocklin (b. 1626) was the son of Jacob Stocklin

Jacob Stocklin (b. 1595) was the son of Jacob Stocklin

Jacob Stocklin (b. 1568) was the son of Peter August Stocklin

Peter August Stocklin (b. 1525) was the last fluttering green leaf I clicked before I came to my senses and thought "How do I know for SURE these guys are my ancestors?"

Look at this list of strong family names.  Jacob. Hans. Heinrich. Good, solid, Christian names. Names that could conceivably be passed down to children today.

Where in the hell did they come up with a name like Polycarpus?

My aunt, a nurse with a background in Latin, told me that Polycarpus means something like "many bodies."  Google Translate (yes, Google Translate will do Latin!) says it means "many wrists."  Someone else said it means "big body."  

Regardless.  Where did the name Polycarpus come from?

THAT's why I chose to write about him.

Maybe someday soon, I'll be able to follow that line and gather all the paperwork and independently verify that the fluttering green leaves were right. I really hope I can. Who wouldn't want an ancestor with the name of Polycarpus sitting in their tree! I can also only imagine what a man with that name could possibly be like! Was he constantly teased? Was it a nickname and not his given name?

What's the strangest name you've come across in your genealogy work?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #13 - Mapping Relationships

This is #13 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

*NOTE: I am actually out of the country right now. This post was written in advanced and pre-scheduled which is why it isn't about a specific ancestor.

I am in the process of trying to verify a certain familial relationship between my 3rd great-grandmother Anna Slezinska (Wife of Anton Rossman) and a man named August Slezinska in the hopes that it will lead me back to Prussia and to Anna's parents. August and Anna both lived in Chicago and at one point attended the same church.

I was able to go through the church records for St. Joseph's Parish on Familysearch.org as they have the records available online. As they are not indexed, what I did was go through the records one by one from a few years before Anton and Anna moved to the US through the time of Anton's death in 1934. I looked at baptismal records specifically and examined both the parents' names as well as the names of the god parents.  I then drew a chart and drew lines to show me relationships through the church. 

Relationship Chart.  Red lines = godparents / god-children
dotted lines = descendents not verified

It really looks like a mess of spaghetti. While it still doesn't prove that August and Anna Slezinska were siblings, it shows me that there was SOME relationship there. Anna was the godmother to August's daughter, while August was godparent to one of Anna's grandsons.  It also shows just how tightly knit the whole extended family was. 

This exercise is also more proof that you can't stick with your direct lines, you sometimes HAVE to investigate siblings, cousins, and even farther out along the branches if you want to get any farther back.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #12 - Anton Rossman

This is #12 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014

Anton Rossman was born on the 25th of September, 1850 in Putzig, Prussia - known now as Puck, Poland.  As with many of my ancestors who emigrated to the United States, I do not know much about Anton's life in Prussia.

The Circassia

Sometime prior to 1880, Anton Rossman met  Anna Slezinska. They were married in 1878- 1879. Their first child, Julianna Maria Rossman was born on the 14th of May, 1879 in or around Putzig.

At that time, Anton and Anna made a decision to move  their new family to the United States. They boarded the Cumberland, in Hamburg, Germany and headed for Leith (now just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. From Leith, they traveled to Glasgow, Scotland where they boarded the Circassia for New York.  They left Hamburg, Germany on the 19th of March, 1880, and arrived in New York on the 12 of April, 1880.

Shortly after arriving in New York, the Rossman family moved to Chicago. Six more children followed Juliana very quickly.  Marciana (Maggie), born 1882; Rose Josephine, born 1885; Frank, born 1887;  Apollonia (Polly), born 1889; Sarafine, born 1892; and possibly Elzbieta and Hedwigis, both born in 1894, though I have not been able to verify the last two.

While the 1890 census was destroyed by a fire in the 1920s, and I cannot rely on that for information about the family, it is evident that Anton Rossman was active in his community, and in particular, his church. 

Anton and family attended the Catholic parish of St. Joseph's in Chicago. In 1895 a very strongly worded letter was published in the Dziennik Chicagoski - a Polish Language Newspaper.  The Newberry Library has a translation of the article available in their Foreign Language Press Survey collection. There was apparently a horrible scandal surrounding the priest of St. Joseph's at the time, the Reverand M. Pyplatz, and Anton was part of a group of men who were made "an addition to the board of trustees" to take inventory of the parish's financial status and investigate the charges that were brought up against the priest. They found nothing untoward. It is well worth reading the entirety of the letter, but I'm only going to include the first and last paragraphs here:

 Dear Editor: Perhaps hell itself has poured out its ire during the past few days so that the respectable name of our pastor and all peace-loving parishioners have been defiled by the surreptitious stories that have been conveyed to the reading public through the medium of the local American press. This campaign of lies has been going on for some time....

...The more dastardly lies have been exposed and presented for the general public to judge. Let the opinion of the honest sons of Poland pass its judgement. The sowers of these lies have brought infamy to our parish, rent many brotherly hearts, and they should be despised by every Pole and adjudged by the justice of God.

Other Polish papers are requested to reprint this article.

[Signed]:
Andrew Ciudaj, Anthony Rus, Andrew Skonieczaj, Joseph
Jankowski, Joseph Rusch, John Wiza, Michael Andrzejewski,
Anthony Rossman and Stanislaus Goniakowski.

In 1900, Anton and family were living at 4812 Marshfield Avenue in Chicago's notorious Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood. Still at home were Maggie (age 18), Rose (age 15), Frank (age 13), Polly (age 11) and Sarafina (age 8). Anna was staying at home with the two youngest, but Anton, Maggie, Rose and Frank were all working in the Stockyards.  Anton as a general laborer, Maggie and Rose as Meat Trimmers, and Frank as a Butcher. If you want to know a little more about their work at the yards check out this link from the Chicago History Museum. Their daughter, Juliana had married and moved out in 1897 and was living a few blocks away.

By 1910, Anton and Anna and family had moved to 4814 Marshfield Ave in Chicago. Anton would remain at this address for the rest of his life as they owned their home instead of simply renting. All the residents of the home, from Rose down to Sarafina were working at the Stockyards or in packing houses. Rose was a Trimmer, Frank a Laborer, Polly was a "can-wrapper" and Sarah was a "sausage packer."

Anton Rossman
ca. 1915

In 1913, tragedy struck the Rossman family. Shortly prior, Anton's daughter Maggie, her husband, Anthony, and their 4 children moved back in with Anton. Maggie then died on the 29 of April, 1913 of Tuberculosis. Maggie's husband, Anthony Krause died on the 9th of September, 1913 (cause of death unknown), and Anton's grandson Henry Krause died in November that same year of Pneumonia. These three deaths left Maggie's infant son, John, and two older children (Joseph, age 8, and Rose, age 6) orphans.

Six years later, on the 24th of October, 1919, Anton's beloved wife, Ana, died at age 66.

Anton wasn't lonely though. The 1920 census showed that Anton had a full house. His daughter Polly's family (husband John Miotke, and children, Gertrude and Floryan) were living with him. Also in residence was his daughter Rose, her husband Frank Paluch, and their daughter Evalyn. Anton was also caring for Joseph and John Krause. (I am not sure where Rose Krause went at this time.) His son Frank was living a few doors down. Juliana and her family were a block away.

Anton's Obituary
Published in a Polish
Language Newspaper

At the age of 69, Anton was still working at the stock yards, though other members of his family appeared to have found employment in other sectors, with box-makers, woodworkers, and general laborers listed on the Census.

In 1929, Anton's daughter, Juliana passed away. 

In 1930, it appears that Anton transferred ownership of 4814 Marshfield to his daughter Rose and her husband as they are listed as the owners of the property and Anton, at age 78, is a "Lodger." The Miotke's and Joseph Krause had moved out, though John was still living with Anton.

At the age of 83, Anton passed away on the 28th of April, 1934. He died in his home, 4814 So. Marshfield Ave. He was buried in Resurrection Cemetery, in Justice, IL. 

As evidenced by the census records, Anton Rossman was a dedicated family man. He was a man of faith and active in his church.

Anton Rossman is my 3rd Great-grandfather on my father's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #11 - Edward Donnelly

or: How many tries does it take for an Irish Bartender to get his American Citizenship?

In Chicago, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day by dying
a river green. Since Chicago was where Edward chose
to move, I thought it a fitting picture.

 This is #11 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

The timing couldn't be better. My family is preparing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and our Irish heritage this week. Why not spend some time with an Irish ancestor?

Edward Michael Donnelly was born on the 27th of April, 1882 just outside the town of Pomeroy, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His birth certificate specifically says Sluggan, which isn't a town, but a road. (Click here for a street-view) His mother was Ann O'Neill (profiled here) and his father was Daniel Donnelly.

The Cymric

In 1903, at the age of 21, Edward immigrated from Ireland to the United States. He traveled on the ship Cymric and landed in New York on August 24, 1903. On the ship's passenger list, Edward's occupation is listed as "Student."  He is also supposedly traveling to Chicago to visit his "Cousin Michael Montague: 360 S. Clarke St., Chicago."  Who is Michael Montague? 

Fast forward 7 years, and Edward is living as a lodger at the
home of a family named Schneider at 729 E. 40th street, in Chicago. At the time of the 1910 census, Edward was listed as being a bartender. Unfortunately, he had been "out of work" for 8 weeks. What does an out of work bartender do?

Edward and Mae's Marriage License

In 1914, Edward married Mae Hazel Follett (profiled here). They were married on the 31st of January, 1914 at the Church of the Holy Angels in Chicago, just a block from where Edward was living. For those interested, the church is still at 615 E. Oakwood Blvd, Chicago, IL. (Google Streetview here - though the building looks decidedly newer.) 

Edward and Mae quickly started building their family with their sons Edward, Gordon and Francis being born before the 1920 census.  By 1920, Edward and family were living at 7843 Constance Avenue on the city's south side.  Edward was the proprietor of a "Buffet." However family stories say that Edward was still practicing the craft of Bar-tending, just with a more Prohibition friendly job description.

Edward made his first attempt at Naturalization, filing petition # 43255 on October 14, 1920 in the Circuit Court of Illinois. In with some old family papers we found a transcript of the proceedings. His occupation in October of 1920 was listed as "Shoe Dealer."  His petition was denied.

ORDER OF COURT DENYING PETITION

 Upon consideration of the petition of Edward Michael Donnelly and the motion of Mackay for the United States in Open Court January 21, 1921 it appearing that he violated the law as to selling liquors.

 -H. Sterling Pomeroy

Judge

Edward took his petition to the Illinois Superior Court of Cook County. It was denied for the same reason: He could not "prove good moral character."

In 1925, Edward and Mae had a daughter, Dorothy, and by 1930 were living at 7948 Oglesby Avenue in Chicago.  According to the census, Edward had apparently given up the trade of Buffet Proprietor / Bartender and had moved on to a much more respectable job as a Real Estate Broker - a job which apparently didn't last very long.

Edward Michael Donnelly
October 1937
Picture from his Certificate of Citizenship

In 1936, Edward's wife, Mae, filed for citizenship. According to her documentation, the family was living at 7822 Constance Ave. Though a natural born citizen, by a quirk in the law, she lost her U.S. Citizenship upon marrying Edward. Her petition was granted. 

The next year, Edward tried again for his citizenship. His petition, dated February 3, 1937, states that he's Irish and a bartender. It lists his wife and four children, indicates when he immigrated, and also details his previous applications and failures. "I was unable to prove good moral character."


On October 6, 1937, the Irish Bartender, who had previously been denied citizenship because he was plying the trade that came naturally to him, was finally granted citizenship. His citizenship certificate remained in the family's possession, obviously a very important piece of paper to him. 

In 1937, the family was living at 7924 S. Escanaba Ave, in Chicago, but by the 1940 census, they had moved to 8035 Bennett Ave, Chicago. Edward was working as a Bartender in a Tavern. By this time, are we surprised?

Edward died on the 31st of October, 1951 of a sudden Coronary Occlusion. At the time of his death, he was still working as a bartender. Edward was buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth, IL.  .

Edward Michael Donnelly was my great-grandfather on my mother's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #10 - Nora Sullivan

This is #10 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

Nora Sullivan (or O'Sullivan depending on the documents) was born around 1867 in Ireland somewhere.  Her father's name was Daniel Sullivan and her mother's name was Julia Connor, according to the information provided by her daughter on Nora's death certificate.

At some point in her life, Nora traveled to the United States, eventually landing in Chicago, IL before marrying Charles Follett (profiled here).  They were married on the 13th of November, 1890 at St. Malachy's church in Chicago. Theirs was a mixed marriage. One was Catholic, the other wasn't. As of this time, I don't know who was which though I can harbor a guess. The paperwork and information that we currently have hints that Charles was from England where most likely he was Anglican / Church of England.  Nora, from Ireland, has a much stronger chance of being Catholic.

Charles and Nora lived at 2301 Prairie Ave, in Chicago for many years. Their two oldest daughters, Sarah Ellen and Mae Hazel were born there in 1891 and 1893 respectively.

UK Incoming Passenger List

UK Outgoing Passenger List

Interestingly, their third daughter, Catherine (Kitty) was born in Ireland in October of 1897. For a long time, I was unable to reconcile that. However, I think I may have found some evidence for this. Nora and two children are listed on a UK Incoming passenger list arriving in Southampton, England on the 27th of May, 1897. Later, there is a Nora Follett with three children (two children, one infant) on a UK Outward Passenger list leaving Queenstown, Ireland for New York on the 27th of March 1898.  The only hesitation is that both times, one of the children is listed as either being "John" or "Jacob."  However, the other names, and ages, match up.

I wish that I had birth information other than a Census record for Catherine. Knowing where she was born would help me locate Nora's family in Ireland. 

8 months after Nora and the children returned from Ireland, Charles Follett died, leaving Nora to raise three girls alone. As far as I have been able to tell, Nora and Charles had no family in Chicago.  I am unable to tell how Nora provided for her family until some of the later census records.

In 1910, Nora is not working. Her daughter Sarah is a stenographer in a law-office, and Mae is a hair-dresser.  They are living at 3100 E. 31st street in the South Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. A 1913 Chicago directory has Nora and family living at 3732 Cottage Grove Ave in the Bronzeville neighborhood.  By 1920, Nora is living as a servant in the home of a man named James Esson in Wilmette, IL.

Nora died on the 18th of August, 1921 at the home of her daughter, Catherine.  Her job with the Esson's having not apparently lasted very long as Nora's occupation is listed as being a "housewife."  She was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

My husband and I made a trip there to find her grave. Her gravestone had sunk below the level of the ground and we had to pull away a thick mat of grass in order to find it.


Nora is a 2nd great grandmother on my mother's side.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #8 - Vilma what? Feher? Schmidt? Furez?

This is #8 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

Graf Waldersee Hamburg Passenger List

 Vilma? Wilma? Wilhelmina?

She went by a few names in her life, but we don't know her birth name, or the name she died with.

Whoever she was, she was the father of Josef Schmidt (profiled here) and was born in approximately 1874 in Pankota, Austrio-Hungary.

The earliest record that we have of her is a passenger list.  Thirty-three year old Vilma was traveling from Hamburg to New York with her two children; Josef, aged 15, and Vilma, aged 11.  Departing on the 27th of April 1907, they were third class passengers and their ethnicity was listed as "Hungarian."

The Schmidt family arrived in New York two weeks later on the 11th of May, 1907. The New York Passenger list includes much more detail. She was listed as being married and her "calling or occupation" was listed as "wife."  She was able to read and write, and her final destination was Philadelphia. She already had the ticket to the final destination and her ticket was paid for by her "brother-in-law."  She had $8.00 to her name. Her brother-in-law is listed as "Johann Feher, Philadelphia PA., N Amerikaan St 8." She was in good health, not crippled, 5 feet, 1 inch tall, fair complexion, fair hair, brown eyes, and no "Marks of Identification". Her birthplace is listed as Pankota. I have not been able to locate this Johann Feher and have no idea whether he was married to her sister, or if he was related to her husband.

The Graf Waldersee

My grandmother, who was Vilma's grand-daughter, wrote to me once that:

"Any time I would ask my grandmother about my grandfather, she would mutter something in Hungarian and then spit." 

Needless to say, we don't have any information about her husband.

Vilma and her children did make it to Philadelphia, PA.  Sometime in 1910, prior to the census (so before April) Vilma married a man named Joseph Furesz. On the marriage index, her name is listed as "Wilhelmina." I have not obtained the marriage license yet so I do not know the exact date. According to the 1910 census taken in April, he was seven years younger than Wilhelmina. Listed with the newlywed Joseph and Wilhelmina is their 4 month old daughter, Margaret H. The census indicates that this was Wilhelmina's 2nd marriage and that by this time, she spoke English as well as German.

The next time that Vilma / Wilhelmina shows up is in the 1930 census - with the name "Wilma". She had moved to Chicago and was living with her 19 year old daughter, Margaret at 5724 Drexel Avenue. By 1930, Wilma was widowed. The 1930 census shows that she had naturalized, but I have never even found an index card for her, much less any other documents. She was working as a cook in a Steel Plant's restaurant and just so happened to have one of the Steel Plant's Foremen (and wife) rooming with her. She owned a Radio.

The last time Vilma / Wilhelmina / Wilma shows up in any documents, it is the 1940 census when she was 66 years old.  She was living at 6315 Harper Ave, in Chicago. She was living alone and still working as a cook in the Steel Mills making $1025 that year.  She had a 6th grade education.

We don't know when she died or where she was buried. I have not been able to find her death records anywhere in Illinois or even back in Pennsylvania. I have searched under Vilma Furez, Vilma Schmidt, Vilma Feher, Wilhelmina Furez, Wilhelmina Schmidt, Wilhelmina Feher, Wilma Furez, Wilma Schmidt, and Wilma Feher. (The Feher last name is based off the "brother-in-law" mentioned earlier.)

Vilma, Wilma, Wilhelmina is my 2nd great-grandmother on my mother's side.






  

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #7 Charles Follett

This is #7 in a Genealogy Blog Challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow over on her blog "No Story Too Small." The challenge is to write 52 blog posts on 52 ancestors throughout 2014.

 Charles Follett is one of the ancestors of whom I have been trying to learn more about for years. He is one of my "brick walls."  Many of the typical tools that are used for genealogy just don't work very well. I don't think I have a lot of information about him, and I certainly don't know where he came from.

Photocopy of Grandma Rose's genealogy notes.

The first record I have of Charles, comes from some family group records that my grandmother filled out many years ago. In it, she indicates that Charles was Mae's father, that he was buried in Oakwoods Cemetery. She included a note that Charles Follett died on 11/1/1933 and was buried on 11/3/1933, however this note is followed by a question mark. This note stymied my research for years as it turned out to be a false lead - and a lesson in being willing to let go of what "I already know."

This false lead made me doubt Charles's devotion to his family as he wasn't present in the 1900, 1910, 1920, or 1930 censuses at all! Did I have an absentee father on my hands? In those census records, the "father's nationality" for Charles's daughters is listed as either "Ireland" or "England" depending on the year. The 1890 Census was destroyed in a fire in the National Archives in 1921, so they aren't available to search, and my Charles does not show up in the 1880 census (there are some other Charles Folletts - one born in Aurora IL and one born in Iowa, but I traced them through the census records to their own families in other places - ruling them out).

Naturalization Index Card for Charles Follett

My next step was to look for Naturalization documents. The index did have a card for him, and the address lined up with an address I had for Nora Sullivan, his wife, from the early 1900s. While the card did lend some intriguing information - he went to the Criminal Courts to be naturalized - it did not provide the date of arrival like several other cards that I've found.  However, since he was naturalized, there should be 3 documents connected to this naturalization: his Declaration of Intent to naturalize, his Petition for Naturalization, and then the official Naturalization Oath.

Seeing as how I live in the Chicago area, I took the opportunity about 4 years ago to go in person to the Circuit Court Archives in Chicago, located in Daley plaza. I handed over my copy of the index card and the lady disappeared into the back. The results? I now have his Declaration of Intent and his Final Oath. His Petition is missing. The gal said that it was fairly common as people did not have to go to the same courts to file all three papers and that sometimes they never filed a petition. (I'm not so sure of the accuracy of that statement). As of yet, I have not found his petition.

Charles Follett's Declaration of Intent

 Why is this a problem?

The Declaration of Intent, is simply that, and people did not have to live in the United States for any set amount of time in order to declare their intent to become citizens. It states "I Charles Follett do solemnly declare on oath... that it is BONA FIDE my intention to become a citizen..."  It is then signed by Charles (though in this case, the signature looks suspiciously like the clerk's handwriting), dated and signed by the clerk of the court. Charles made his declaration on the 13th of October, 1890 in the Cook County Courts.

Charles Follett's Final Naturalization Oath
note: Charles's signature at the bottom right

The actual Naturalization document doesn't provide much more information. In this case, Charles had to bring someone who knew him and who could swear that he was a man of "good moral character." The person he brought along was John Orr. Who this man was, I'm not sure. A friend? A co-worker? A neighbor? Charles was naturalized on the 29th of October, 1892 in the Criminal Court of Cook County.


What does a petition have that's different? Most petitions included parents names, dates of entry into the United States, what ship they took, any children's names, wife's names, what city / country they were born in, birth date, etc.

So while this doesn't give me any concrete information, it does tell me that he immigrated to the U.S. at least 5 years prior to when he took his final oath - or prior to 1887.

Charles and Nora's Marriage License

I then decided to search for Charles and Nora's marriage information. I not only found a copy of their marriage license on familysearch.org (now no longer available due to an agreement between familysearch.org and Cook County), but the information on the marriage license led me to some other interesting tidbits of information. Charles and Nora were married on the 13th of October, 1890 the same day that Charles filed his Declaration of Intent! I guess that saved a trip to the courthouse. Charles was also 29 years old at the time of his marriage.  That gives me an approximate birth year of 1861.


The person who performed their marriage was from St. Malachy's church in Chicago. Familysearch.org has a lot of church records scanned in and available online for Chicago Catholic Churches, so I thought I'd go there to see if there were any other records about Nora or Charles...maybe other possible relatives listed as witnesses or such. While the names of witnesses don't look familiar - I'm not aware of any Rourke's or Corbt in the family - there is an interesting note on the side of the entry. "Disp. Mixtae Relig. ob." Meaning: One person was Catholic, one was not.

Now that I had an approximate year of birth, my next move was to check passenger lists, Ellis Island, and Castle Garden for Charles's immigration.

CastleGarden has a Charles Follett arriving in 1877 as an infant. 13 year old children could not declare for Naturalization until they were 18, and my Charles was born 16 years earlier.

Ellis Island only has records AFTER 1892. (Castle Garden was where immigrants were processed prior to Ellis Island opening.)

Ancestry.com has quite a selection of passenger lists, so going through them was time consuming.  First, I knew he came from the U.K. (England or Ireland). Secondly, he had to have arrived prior to 1887, and third, his birth was around 1861. Only one C. Follett matches those three requirements.  However, his ethnicity is listed as "American." I've put that record into a "shoebox" so I can revisit it if necessary. I don't know if it's him or not.

Interestingly, I found a Chicago Voter Registration List from 1892. Charles had registered to vote on October 25, 1892. (4 days before he actually was Naturalized). Coincidentally, this was the week before a major election. I think there was a big voter registration push at that time. I would need to research the context, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was something or someone controversial on the ballot.

1892 Voter Registration List. Charles Follett highlighted

This voter registration paper has some interesting information on it. His naturalization information is listed as "Date not known, court not known." (Of course it's not known... he hadn't actually naturalized yet!) However, according the rolls, Charles, living at 2031 Prairie Ave, had lived in the precinct for 1.5 years, in the County for 10 years, and the State for 10 years. His place of Nativity is listed as "England." This means that he immigrated at the latest 1882! This still didn't help me find anything in passenger lists though.


From there, I revisited the records that I have for his children. Charles and Nora had three daughters.  Sarah, Mae, and Catherine. Sarah was born on July 5th, 1891. She was born at home (2031 Prairie Ave. Chicago)  On her birth return, Charles is listed as "American," he is 31 years old (making his birth year 1860) and his occupation is a "coachman." On this return, their last name is spelled Follet.

Mae, the middle child, (profiled here) was born on the 25th of January, 1893. She was also born at home (2031 Prairie Ave., Chicago). On her birth return, Charles is listed as "Irish," is 33 years old, and is still working as a Coachman." This time, their last name is spelled Follett.

Catherine (or Kitty) is unique. She was actually born in Ireland on the 1st of October, 1897!  Apparently, Charles's wife, Nora, and children had gone back to Ireland for a visit, leaving Charles behind. I wonder if Nora knew she was pregnant when she started her travels.

Charles Follett's Death information

The last document I found was an Undertaker's Report of Death for Charles. He died at 3007 So. Canal Street on the 1st of November 1898.  I'm confident that this is my Charles due to the close proximity to their address on Praire, his occupation is listed as Coachman, and it indicates that his burial was at Oakwood Cemetery (which matches my grandmother's original information). He was 39 when he died, making his birth year approx 1859. He was also listed as having been born in England.

When Charles died, he left behind his wife Nora and three young children, the oldest, Sarah, was only 7 years old, and the youngest was still an infant.

I followed up on the date from my grandmother's information and yes, there was a Charles Follett who died on that date. However his birth year was all wrong, his naturalization wasn't there and things just didn't mesh.

I went out to Oak Woods Cemetery - located at 1035 E 67th Street, Chicago, with my husband a few years ago. Charles Follett is buried in section 02, one of the oldest sections. There is no headstone for him or really for anyone in that section.

Regardless, a man that I "know nothing about" still has a lot of information about him. I still hope that I will find that key that will help me learn about where he came from before he got to America. Who were his parents? Where did he grow up? Why did he come to the US? 

I've started trying to find Charles in England or Ireland, which is difficult without concrete information about where he was born or when he immigrated. A census search of the 1881 Census in England and Northern Ireland brings back about 4 potential Charles Folletts. A couple I have ruled out as being far too old or too young. (+/- 10 years is a bit much). However there are two that are possibilities. One is a young man working as a groom at an estate, and another is an orphan. I'm leaning towards the groom as it wouldn't be that big of a jump from groom (working on horses) to coachman (driving coaches and working on horses). Who knows what I'll find?

Charles Follett is my great-great-grandfather on my mother's side.