William C. Eggert, Pilot and Ship Captain Galveston and Brazos River

The importance of collaborating with other genealogists researching your ancestors cannot be overemphasized.  You will find that you have many distant cousins that share your interest in family history.  Don't be afraid to contact people that connect with you and ask them for information.

Recently I have entered into a very successful collaboration with a group of cousins who are researching the Eggert family that hails from Steimke, Saxony, Germany.  My thanks to Kathi Appelt, Ellen Dinges and other members of the family who have helped me compile the following information.

One particularly interesting member of the Eggert Family is Captain William C. Eggert AKA Christian William Eggert who was a pilot and a ship's captain in Galveston and on the Brazos River in Texas.  The obituary of Captain Eggert gives us an overview of his life.

Captain Eggert's early life is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.  The obituary states that he was "born in Germany in December 1841 and was brought to this country when he was but 6 months old." It is more likely that he arrived in this country in 1847 when he was five or six years old.  The 1900 census states that he immigrated in 1845 and the 1910 census states that he arrived in 1846.  We believe that his actual arrival was on the Brig Helen and Elise in Galveston on 7 December 1847. There were two families named Eggert that sailed on that ship as shown in the following image:

This record is from an online database at Ancestry.com. The original data was from Ethel Hander Geue. A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1847-1861. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982. Ms. Geue transcribed data from passenger lists into her book.

In the family of Jac. and Soph. Eggert you see there is a five year old boy named Wm. presumably an abbreviation for William or Wilhelm.  We believe that this is Captain Eggert.  Jac. could be an abbreviation for Jacob.  Some genealogists have his name as Joachim.  Soph. is presumably an abbreviation for Sophia.

Several transcriptions have been made of the passenger list of the Brig Helen and Elise but I particularly like the one that was done at the following website:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kohl/Helen&elise18471207.html

When Judie Cale Nelson made this transcription back in 2000, her reading of the passenger list led her to assume that all of the passengers were going to Texas.  Ms. Nelson paid particular attention to the names of the villages that were listed as the place of origin for these immigrants.  This is very rare to find the names of the hometowns on a passenger list. The transcription by Ms. Nelson is very helpful because it provides geographic context for the location of the villages of this group of German immigrants.

The two Eggert families on the passenger list came from Brome and Steimke.  According to Ms. Nelson, the villages of Brome, Steimke, Parsau, Apenburg, Ahnebeck, Jübar and Germenau are all near each other and located NE of Braunschweig also known as Brunswick.  These places are also close to a place named Wolfsburg which you may recognize as the location of the Volkswagen headquarters and the largest car plant in the world.  There is another village named Steimke NW of Brome.

The names on this passenger list bear further scrutiny as they become part of the FAN club [Friends, associates, neighbors] for the Eggert family.

The mention of Confederate service in the obituary is supported by the following two citations:

(Clayton Library), Under Three Flags, Register of Veterans of All Wars, 1839-1889, pg. 48, #315. copyright 1996, George Washington Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, c/o Mrs. Rose Mary Fritz, 5001 Casa Grande, Dickinson, TX 77539-7504.

C.W. Eggert, Pilot
Born Dec. 4, 1841 Prussia
Residence: Galveston, Texas
Came to Texas 1846
Service: Confederate, Gen. Bates Marine Dept., Brazos River

The Houston Post, Sunday, December 30, 1962, by Gayle McNutt, page 9, Section I, "Battle of Galveston."
"...Magruder decided to move up the attack to the night of Dec. 31. Still it was to come as no surprise to the Union forces.
Sharpshooters were needed to man the cotton-clad Confederate steamboats and Magruder issued a call for volunteers that was answered by members of Sibley's and Green's Regiments, who were promptly dubbed "horse marines."
Col Tom Green led the sharpshooters, who volunteered with the understanding that it was a mission from which they were not likely to return..."
(NOTE in Margin: "Mom's Uncle Capt: C.W. EGGERT was in this battle on cotton laden gunboat. He was very young at time. After a few years, became pilot, and was for many years a captain.") 

The following chronology from the Galveston City Directories for Eggert from 1866-1912 shows that Captain Eggert first appears in Galveston in 1874.  This would mean that he resided in Galveston for 37 years until his death in 1911. The obituary states that he resided in Galveston for forty years.

1866 Galveston City Directory

No listing for Captain Eggert in 1866.

1868 Galveston City Directory

No listing for Captain Eggert in 1868.

1870 Galveston City Directory

No listing for Captain Eggert in 1870.

1872 Galveston City Directory

No listing for Captain Eggert in 1872.

1874 Galveston City Directory

1874 Shows the first listing for William Eggert as a pilot residing on Avenue K between 26th and 27th Street.

1877 Galveston City Directory

Again he is listed in 1877.

1880 Galveston City Directory

For some unknown reason he was not listed in 1880.

1882 Galveston City Directory

He shows up again in the directory for 1882 at the same address where he was found in 1874 and 1877.

1886 Galveston City Directory

He arrives at his 30th street address in 1886.

1890 Galveston City Directory

He shows up again on 30th street in 1890.  The 1890 Tax List of Galveston Precinct No. 1 shows that C.W. Eggert owned Lot 7, Block 150 valued at $1300. Based on Galveston Appraisal District records that description is consistent with an address of 1007 30th street.  There is a current property listing in Appraisal District records for 1011 30th street which is described as Lot 8 of Block 150.  Lot 7 appears to have been merged into a commercial property on the corner of Broadway and 30th Street. The house of Captain Eggert was apparently razed for a fast food restaurant which is now serving as a title loan business.

SOURCE: "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-13738-34687-41?cc=1827575 : 22 May 2014), Galveston county, Precinct no. 1 > 1890 > image 103 of 386; State Archives, Austin.

1893 Galveston City Directory

There were two pages of Eggerts in 1893.

1893 Galveston City Directory

But William Eggert, the captain and pilot did not appear.

1895 Galveston City Directory

In 1895, Captain Eggert resided at 1007 30th Street and as you will see he continued to reside there for the rest of his life.

1901 Galveston City Directory

In 1901 he is listed as the pilot of the tug "Hygeia."

1905 Galveston City Directory

In 1905 he is the captain of the tug "Hygeia."

1911 Galveston City Directory

1911 he is again listed as a tug captain.

1912 Galveston City Directory

The information on the death certificate for William C. Eggert was provided by a Mr. J. Singer of 2126 Strand in Galveston.  Captain Eggert died on November 30, 1911 and was buried in the Old City Cemetery.  The doctor that attended Captain Eggert in his last hours was Dr. Brooks Stafford.  Mr. Singer gave the first name as William E. rather William C.  He also stated that he was born December 4, 1841 in Germany and that he was a "Sea Captain."  The length of his residence in Galveston was 40 years.

The church burial record provides some other interesting information on Captain Eggert:

This record gives his birthplace as what appears to be Letzinger, Saxony.  His address matches with the city directory.  It is also noted that he had no direct issue.  There is a place called Letzlingen in Saxony which is in the vicinity of Steimke and Brome.  Letzlingen is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since January 1, 2011, it is part of the town Gardelegen per Wikipedia.  Here is a map of the route from Steimke to Gardelegen.

When you page back using the filmstrip view on Ancestry.com, you can view the title page for the burial record which is conveniently written in both English and German:

These were the burial records of the First Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Galveston, Texas which are now available on Ancestry.com in a database entitled U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940.

To trace the story back further, we will need to consult some of the German parish records in this part of Saxony.  Parish register transcripts of baptisms, marriages and deaths for Steimke, Sachsen, Preußen, Germany for the period 1823-1860 are available on Family Search microfilm number 1190638.  This parish also includes Brome, Cunrau, Germenau, Fahrstedt, Bökevitz, Nettgau, and Wendisch Brome.

Another lead for further research comes from the following article from the Galveston Daily News:

Captain Eggert filed an intervention in the case of Walker, Fowler & Co. vs. the steamer Brazos, suit for debt.  C.W. Eggert filed for the sum of $1198 alleged to be due him for services as a pilot. Perhaps if a court case file can be located, it will describe the nature of his services in greater detail.

SOURCE: The Galveston Daily News. (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 92, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 27, 1887, newspaper, July 27, 1887;
(https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth467806/m1/8/: accessed October 15, 2016), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; .

In summary, it is always helpful to collaborate with others in your genealogical pursuits.

Finding Records of Female Ancestors

My grandmother, Elaine Coffman Mayne and my mother, Jill Mayne 1937 Reno, Nevada
When copying old photographs be sure to include the studio name in your digital copy.
Paffrath Studio was located in Reno, Nevada.  Gram Elaine was residing in Reno in 1937 when she filed for divorce from her first husband, True Mayne.  Jill was born in November 1935 and the divorce was granted in October 1937.

March is Women's History Month  which makes it an appropriate time to focus our genealogy research efforts on our female ancestors.  Finding records for women can often be a challenge.  The names of American women change throughout their lives.  American women are found in genealogical records under their maiden names and their married names.  Genealogical search engines need to be tweaked when we are searching for women.

This is an earlier photo of "Gram Elaine" with her first daughter, Joan Vivian Mayne.
Judging by Joan's age in this photo it was probably taken about 1932 in San Francisco.

When using the search engine at Ancestry.com, we find that women that have been married more than once are a particular challenge.  My maternal grandmother, Elaine Blanche Coffman Mayne Kelly DeGuire Thomas is a case in point.  "Gram Elaine" was married four times over the course of her 99 years on the planet.  For 54 years [1937 to 1991] she was known as Elaine Kelly. For eighteen years, she was known as Elaine Coffman, her maiden name [1910-1928].  For eleven years she was known as Elaine Thomas [1999-2010].  For nine years she was known as Elaine Mayne [1928-1937]. For three years she was known as Elaine DeGuire 1994-1997].

Trying to search all of these names at once overwhelms the search engine at Ancestry.com. As can be seen from the following search, many extraneous records are included in the results when searching for all her surnames at once:

Click on the "Edit Search" link to limit the search.

I recommend that Ancestry.com users edit the search to include only one surname at a time.  For example, let's try changing the surname to Elaine Kelly and delete the rest of the names.  Since she was known as Elaine Kelly for the majority of her life, this will yield better search results.  It is also helpful to choose only the databases which are most likely to include women under their married names such as the U.S. City Directories database.  The following example shows several records for Elaine Kelly in the Sacramento City Directory:

Search results for "Elaine Kelly" in the City Directory database

The U.S. Public Records Database is an excellent source for searching your late 20th century females.  Here is a record for Gram Elaine when she was known as Elaine Thomas in the Public Records Database as shown below:

20th century females can be found in the U.S. Public Records Index

Jumping back two generations to Gram Elaine's paternal grandmother, Harriett Anne Ketcham Coffman 1853-1938, we can see another example of choosing the right database to search.  After performing a search for Harriett we see that one of the suggested databases is California Voter Registrations.  Given that Harriett resided in California from 1880 to 1938, we can find her in the California Voter records under her married name as shown below:

Harriett Ketcham Coffman was found in the California Voter Registration database
in the 1920s and 1930s in Oakland, California. The list at the top of this image shows
some of the records that I have already attached to her profile. Adding voter registrations
and city directories will help to fill in the blanks in her timeline between census years.

I have many more tips on how to find female ancestors in my presentation entitled: How to Become an Ancestry.com Power User.  Please contact me if you need assistance using Ancestry.com or if you would like me to review and edit your family tree on Ancestry.com.

Playing Clue Game with Genealogical Documents

The year end holidays present a perfect opportunity to entertain ourselves with games and puzzles. One of my favorite games is Clue: The Classic Detective Game.  The object of the game is to solve a murder mystery by finding clues about the identity of the murderer, where the crime took place, and which weapon was used. Each player assumes the role of one of the six suspects, and attempts to deduce the correct answer by strategically moving around a game board representing the rooms of a mansion and collecting clues about the circumstances of the murder from the other players.  When you have collected sufficient clues you can announce that it was Professor Plum, in the Hall, with the revolver!

Genealogists are detectives that collect clues from historic documents.  Many of those clues will lead to other documents that help us to deduce the facts about our ancestors.  Who were they?  How did they arm themselves to make a living?  Where did they live, work and socialize?  The clues to answer these questions are found in genealogical and historical documents.  Names, occupations, dates and places are clues that help us identify the most likely suspects of our family history.

Some people get excited about receiving holiday cards in the mail.  I get excited when I receive an envelope with a vital record for an ancestor.  On December 15, I mailed a check for $5.00 to the State of Louisiana, Secretary of State for the Death Certificate of Price Bishop 1890-1955.  On December 17 a staff researcher at the Vital Record office found the death certificate and put it in the mail to me on the same day.  I was really excited about how quick and inexpensive it was to order a death certificate from Louisiana.

The death certificate for Price Bishop contained some amazing clues about his identity and his last days in New Orleans.  These clues lead me to other documents and images which help to illustrate his life.  Let's use this death certificate as an example of how to analyze clues in historic documents.

Death Certificate of Price Bishop 1890-1955

Box 7 on the death certificate contains the date of birth of the deceased: April 17, 1890.  This date matched the date of birth that I had from his World War I draft card so I knew I had the right man.

World War I Draft Card of Price Watson Bishop born April 17, 1890 in Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas.

However there is a slight discrepancy between the two documents.  The death certificate states that Mr. Bishop was born in Dallas, Texas.  The draft card states that he was born in Cleburne, Texas. These two cities are only sixty miles apart.  Mr. Bishop was residing in Dallas in 1918.  Usually the draft card would be considered a more reliable source since the information is a first hand account from the man himself. The informant on the death certificate would be considered a secondary source relying on his memory in a stressful time after the death of a friend or loved one or perhaps the informant knew very little about the person.  To further emphasize this point, the informant did not know the names and places of birth of the parents of Mr. Bishop.

Price Bishop was residing for four months prior to his death at a hospital or institution at  4000 Dumaine Street in New Orleans.  The physician attended Price Bishop from 7 February 1955 to the date of his death which is a four month period.

You can discover a lot more than your ancestor's name and address in city directories.  The clue from the death certificate was that there was a hospital or an institution located at 4000 Dumaine Street in New Orleans.  Instead of using a general search, it is best to search directly within the City Directory database.  The image below shows the City Directory search page which can be accessed from the card catalog at Ancestry.com.

Access the City Directory search page from the card catalog at Ancestry.com to conduct a keyword search.

I used the address "4000 Dumaine" as a keyword search and limited it to the year 1954 which was one year before the death occurred.  Several names came up as matches for this address.

As I scrolled down the list of names at 4000 Dumaine, I found nine people were residing at that address.  I also found a curious name: "Patients Accepted Bedridden."  Clicking on the link led me to a directory listing for the Elysian Convalescent Home as follows:

ELYSIAN CONVALESCENT HOME
  OWNER: MRS ELSIE O'CONNOR
  FOR CONVALESCENT PATIENTS AND AGED PEOPLE
  BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS ACCEPTED
  24 HOUR CARE BY LICENSED NURSES
  4000 DUMAINE
  TELEPHONE GALVEZ 3420
  (See opposite page)

On the opposite page was this advertisement in the City Directory:

Advertisement in the 1954 New Orleans City Directory for the Elysian Convalescent Home at 4000 Dumaine Street.

A search of Google Maps for the address of 4000 Dumaine led to this map and a street image:

4000 Dumaine was located very close to the New Orleans City Park.

This building was certainly large enough to serve as a ten-bed nursing home in 1955.

The death certificate also showed that his burial place is listed as Grand View Cemetery in La Porte, Texas.  His body was removed to the cemetery on the same day that he died: 11 June 1955.   Grand View Cemetery is located very near the borders of La Porte, Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas which are all part of the Houston Metropolitan area.  I found a current listing for the cemetery as follows:

Grand View Memorial Park/Bethany Cemetery
Website http://www.dignitymemorial.com/grand-view-funeral-home/en-us/index.page
Address: 8501 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505
Phone:(281) 479-6076

Unfortunately, the cemetery has been unable to find his burial record to determine the location of his burial.  Apparently, this cemetery files their burial records under the name of the owner of the cemetery lots.  We tried looking under all of the names associated with the four daughters of Price Bishop but the cemetery staff could not find his burial record.  There is no record for him on FindaGrave.com either.  Some clues lead to more questions: why was Price Watson transported from New Orleans to the Houston area for burial?  He did have family in the Houston area but none of them are buried in this cemetery.

All of these clues from the death certificate provide useful information about the circumstances of the death and burial of Price Bishop.  The advertisement from the City Directory gives some reassurance that Mr. Bishop received good care.  Hopefully, the cemetery will be able to find precisely where he is buried.  More mysteries need to be solved as to why and where he was buried in Grand View Memorial Park.

If you would like to learn more about genealogical research techniques, please contact me.

Labor Day- Occupational Research

Labor Day is a good time to reflect on the occupations of our ancestors.  My great grandfather, Antonino Cimino, was a contadino or peasant farm laborer in Sicily.  He immigrated to Omaha, Nebraska in 1906 and the 1910 census shows that he worked as a laborer for the railroad.
.  
Antonino moved his family to Sioux City, Iowa about 1912.  On his 1918 World War I draft card, his occupation was written as:  Laborer, C.M. St. P. at 22nd St. Yards, Sioux City, Iowa.  The abbreviation stands for Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad also known as the "Milwaukee Road".  The 1920 census states that "Tony" was working in the Round House at the rail yard.  Today the yard has been turned into a museum known as the Milwaukee Yard.  A visit to this museum is on my bucket list!  In the meantime, we all can take a mini tour of the Railroad Shops here.

My grandfather, Richard Cimino, worked in a packing house in Sioux City, according to the 1930 census.  By 1947, he had moved to Sacramento, California.  I was able to trace his work history through the Sacramento city directories:

• 1947 casing worker, Andrew DeWied Casing Company.
• 1949 his occupation changed to "driver" no company name listed.
• 1952 laborer with State Division of Highways
• 1953 stockman with State Division of Highways
• 1956 clerk State Dept of Public Works
• 1958-1975 storekeeper State Division of Highways
• 1977 retired

My father, Richard J. Cimino, worked while going to school  at a service station and also baled hay.   After high school, he worked as an Electrician Apprentice for 18 months but did not like that there were periods of unemployment in the construction industry.  From 1956 to 1986,  he was employed by Pacific Telephone as a supply man, installer, repairman and desk man on the test board. While in Woodland in the 1950's, he worked the graveyard shift supplying the trucks for the next day.  There was a tomato field next to his building. He would pick ripe tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt for a delicious snack.  

In Sacramento, he worked at 24th & S Streets, as a supply man and later as an installer.  He enjoyed going to the homes of customers when he was a telephone installer, especially the older homes.   Sometimes he would offer to buy their unwanted trash that became his treasure.  On one occasion, I remember that Dad took us to an old house that he had serviced so we could dig antique bottles in the backyard. Dad has always had a passion for antiques and collectibles.  

My father drove a truck similar to this one while employed with Pacific Bell in Sacramento and Santa Rosa.
When I worked for the phone company in the summers of 1973 &1974, I drove a Ford Econoline at Lake Tahoe.

When I was in college, Dad was able to get me a summer job with the phone company.  He transferred to Santa Rosa and he says that was the best thing that ever happened to him.  He loved the weather and the people of Sonoma County.  After retirement from the phone company, he was employed as a school bus driver for the Windsor School District.  He was fully retired by 1996.  His retirement business has been buying and selling collectible toy cars.  He had a camper van that he used to travel to toy shows inscribed with "Cimino's Machines in Miniature."

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UPCOMING EVENT:

One of my clients is interested in documenting her ancestor's occupational experience as a cowboy on the Chisolm Trail.  The 1867 Settlement in Texas City is already well documented as a "Freedom Village" founded by ex-slaves who were cowboys on the Butler Ranch in Galveston County.  All are welcome to join the 5th Annual historical street festival in celebration of the 1867 Settlement Historical District. The event will include a parade, a trail ride and a new historical exhibit.  See the flyer below for more information.

WHEN: September 26, 2015 @ 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
WHERE: 1867 Settlement Historical District & Bell House Museum
106 South Bell Drive
Texas City, TX 77591
COST: Free
CONTACT: Cynthia at 409-770-3085 or Frankie at 409-599-1967

I Found the Church but Where Are the Records?

When researching the origins of a German immigrant ancestor, you must find the church records for his or her family as these are the records that will most likely contain their place of origin.

I am attempting to find the origins of the Prasse family from the west side of Cleveland in the church records of the German United Evangelical Protestant Church.

West Side United Church of Christ
3800 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, Ohio
Formerly known as the German United Evangelical Protestant Church

I have been able to find that there is still a church building located on Bridge Street.  The current occupant of the building is the West Side United Church of Christ.  I have made some inquiries with the Western Reserve Historical Society to see if they have the church records.  In particular, I requested information on the marriage of Augusta Prasse and Frederick Zluhan.  Augusta was born in Saxony, Germany and came to the United States around 1862.  Hopefully her marriage record will reveal the place of origin of the Prasse Family.

The name of the minister who performed the Zluhan/Prasse marriage was found in the civil marriage record.  Searching for the minister in the city directory led to the following listings for the church.

The Reverend William Angelberger served the German United Evangelical Protest Church from 1880-1894.

There are several other records related to the Prasse family which should show up in the church records.  Dr. Roger Minert has stated that church records reveal the place of origin of German immigrants over 60% of the time.  I have prepared a combined timeline and research log for the Prasse family to help me identify the records to search.  I recommend this approach to you and hope you will use this timeline as an example for your family research.

Prasse Family Timeline

Gustave Carl A. Prasse was born on January 12, 1826, near Leipzig, Germany. He married Christina Anna Sisser in 1845 in Sachsen, Germany. They had nine children in 13 years. He died on July 22, 1912, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, having lived a long life of 86 years, and was buried at Monroe Street Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

1826- Gustave Carl A. Prasse was born on January 12, 1826, in Leipzig, Germany.  His death certificate says 12th of January 1826. 1900 census says January 1828. 1870 and 1910 censuses support the 1826 birth year. 1870 & 1880 censuses support Saxony (Sachsen) as a birthplace. Family trees contain the Leipzig locality but no source has been cited.   No record of his birth has been found.

1845- Approximate date of marriage to Christiana Sisser in Sachsen, Germany.  No marriage record has been found.  Two Bible Records Index Entries were found at Western Reserve Historical Society as follows:

Name:                  PRASSE, Christianne Eliz. Schuetze; Volume 10, Page 122, 123

Name:                  PRASSE, Gottlieb Emil; Volume 9, Page 42, 43 

Both Records were requested via email on 3 April 2015:

Western Reserve Historical Society

10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Ph: (216) 721-5722 Email: info@wrhs.org

1852- Augusta Prasse was born between 1849 (per 1870 census) and Jul 1852 (per 1900) in Sachsen, Germany No record of her birth has been found.

1856- Gustave Prasse immigrated in 1856 (per 1900 census).  This conflicts with the date of birth for son Herman in Germany.  However 1870 census says Herman was born in Ohio about 1858.  Neither Gustave, Christianna, Augusta or Herman have been found on a passenger list.

1858- Herman Prasse was born in Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany per oral tradition of the family.  Some of the records state he was born in Ohio.  No record of his birth has yet been found.

1862- This is the year of immigration found in the 1910 census for Gustave Carl A. Prasse,

1867- The other Gustave Prasse naturalized in 1867.  Naturalization ID#: 29198; Name: Prasse Gustav; Name of Volume: DOA; Vol 2; Page 8; Germany; Date of Arrival: 6/1855 Date of Naturalization: 8/22/1867    Requested from Cuyahoga County Archives  4 April 2015.  

              

1868- A man named Gustave Prasse appears to be living on Union Street in Cleveland per tax list however there were two men named Gustave Prasse living in Cleveland.

1869- City Directory shows Gustave working as a laborer and residing at 241 Birch, Cleveland.  The family residence listed in the Cleveland city directory, through 1901, was 241 Birch St.  This street is on Cleveland's west side near West 50th St. and the Nickel Plate Railroad tracks.

1870- Gustave Prasse was 44 years old and lived in Cleveland Ward 11, Cuyahoga, Ohio.  The place of birth for Gustave is listed as Saxony on the 1870 census.

1872- Herman Prasse died in Cleveland at age 14. He was buried at Monroe Street Cemetery. The burial service may have been conducted by a church.  The church book may contain his place of birth.

1872- Naturalization ID#: 29199; Name:  Prasse Gustav Name of Volume: NB Vol 7; Page 105; Country: Germany; Date of Naturalization: 10/23/1872 Requested from Cuyahoga County Archives  4 April 2015.

1872- Augusta Prasse marries John Schweitzer on 6 August 1872.  The marriage was performed by Rev. Philip Stempel at the United Evangelical Protestant Church – Founded in 1853 at Kentucky St. (now 38th Street) near Bridge.  Known as Stempel’s Church after Rev. Philip Stempel.   He served from 1871-1874.

1873- This is the approximate date of birth for Charles Schwietzer son of John Schweitzer and Augusta Prasse.  He later adopted the name of his step-father, Fred Zluhan. The death certificate of Charles Zluhan aka Sluhan says he was born 5 July 1873 in Cleveland.

          

1880- Gustave Prasse, age 52 is residing at 239 Birch with wife, Christina, 56; daughter, Augusta, 29; son, Charles 19; son, Manuel, 17; son Emile, 14 and grandson, Charles, 7. Gustave is working as a laborer; Charles, laboring; Manuel, shipping clerk and Emile, laboring.  The grandson, Charles is most likely the son of Augusta Prasse and John Schweitzer even though he adopts the Zluhan surname after 1880.

1880 Fred Zluhan and Augusta Prasse are married by Rev. William Angelberger, pastor of the United German Evangelical Protestant Church.  Angelberger was a successor to Stempel.  The church book may contain her place of birth.  Sent email on 3 April 2015 to Western Reserve Historical Society requesting copy of the marriage record.

1884- Fred Zluhan in Cleveland City Directory employed as locksmith at 151 Champlain and residing at 237 Birch next door to Gustave Prasse.

1900- Four of the nine children born to Christiana Prasse are still alive.  The four would be Augusta, Charles, Frederick and Emil.

1912-  Gustave Prasse died on July 22, 1912, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, having lived a long life of 86 years, and was buried at Monroe Street Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a Prasse descendant out there that has the information that I need tucked away in closet.  If you can help me to locate Prasse descendants, please use the contact form in the right hand column.

"Uncle Jim that went to Hawaii"

My grand uncle Ernie Coffman sent me an email on March 16 as follows:

Nick, in all of your family tree items, do you have any idea when your Great Uncle Jim Hughes was living on Oahu? I know he and his wife were there when Pearl Harbor was bombed in ‘41, but not sure how far back they go. By the way that might be Great-Great Uncle. I can’t keep up with all the titles.

Ernie

I never knew that I had a relative that lived on Oahu during the bombing of Pearl Harbor!!!

Google Street View of residence address of James Edward Hughes

My curiosity was piqued to see what I could learn about this man.  I went to his profile in my family tree on Ancestry.com to see what information it contained.  I looked first at the relationship field. How was "Uncle Jim" actually related to me.  He was the brother-in-law of my great grand aunt, Viola Coffman Hughes.  My mom called her "Aunt Volie".  Viola Hughes was the matriarch of a large extended family composed of Coffman and Hughes descendants.  She and her husband, David Hughes resided in Oakland, California at 742 46th Street for over forty years.

Viola Nevada Coffman 1871-1966
and her husband David Hughes 1868-1952
Viola was the matriarch of an extended family of Hughes and Coffman descendants.

My great grandfather, Ernest Coffman, Sr. (Viola's brother) was married twice, first to Mae Moss in 1907 and then to Millie Loveless in 1931. My great grandmother, Mae Moss Coffman  and Ernie's mom, Millie were both working mothers.  Aunt Volie provided child care for my mom's Aunt Vivian and fifteen years later for half-brother Ernie.  So my Uncle Ernie essentially grew up in the Hughes residence on 46th Street and regarded the Hughes brothers as his uncles.

Ernest Ellsworth Coffman 1879-1934
My uncle Ernie Coffman was only two years old when his father died.

When James Edward Hughes was born on September 28, 1885, in Oakland, California, his father, David Hughes, was 40 and his mother, Jane Lloyd, was 43. He had five brothers. He died on February 28, 1957, in Alameda County, California, at the age of 71.

In the 1910 census Jim Hughes is found residing with his parents David and Jane Hughes and brothers, Humphrey and Evan in Oakland, California. Evan and Jim were both listed as salesman, hardware and Humphrey was listed as salesman, coffee.

Here is one of the search results for "James e Hughes" honolulu at Newspapers.com

The earliest record that I have of Jim Hughes in Honolulu is as follows from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Saturday 8 Feb 1913:

James E. Hughes who has for the last year and a half acted as the Hawaiian representative of the Pacific Hardware and Steel Company, San Francisco, has recently joined the staff of Catton, Neill and Company as manager of its supply department.

In the 1915 Honolulu, Hawaii, City Directory, James E. Hughes is residing at 1227 Matlock Avenue.  His occupation is salesman.

On his 1918 World War I draft card he is married to Esta E. Hughes and residing at 1418 Kewalo, Honolulu, Hawaii.  His occupation is salesman for the Honolulu Iron Works Company.

The California Passenger List collection at Ancestry.com tells us that James Hughes traveled on the S.S. Maui and left Honolulu, Hawaii, for San Francisco, California, arriving on June 22, 1920.  It appears that he may have been in California for several weeks.  He appears again on a passenger
list departing San Francisco on the S.S. Matsonia on August 11, 1920 and arriving at the Port of Honolulu on August 17, 1920.

The following listings are from the Honolulu City Directories.

Residence Year: 1921
Street address: 1418 Kewalo
Occupation: Clerk, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1923
Street address: 1565 Pensacola apt 18
Occupation: Salesman, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1924
Street address: 2682 Oahu av
Occupation: Salesman, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1925
Street address: 2682 Oahu av
Occupation: Asst Sales Mngr, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1927
Street address: 2732 Oahu av
Occupation: Asst Sales Mgr, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1928
Street address: 2720 Ferdinand av
Occupation: Asst Sales Mgr, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1931
Street address: 2722 Ferdinand av
Occupation: Asst Sales Mgr, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1932
Street address: 2722 Ferdinand av
Occupation: Sales Mgr, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1933
Street address: 2722 Ferdinand av
Occupation: Mgr Merchandise Dept, Honolulu Iron Works

The listings between 1933 and 1947 were the same. Uncle Jim continued to reside at the same address and had the same occupation.  There is nothing in the City Directories to indicate that life changed at all during World War II. However, I would have to surmise that the work at the Honolulu Iron Works must have been profoundly affected by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  I am sure that Uncle Jim was doing his part to support the war effort.

Residence Year: 1947
Street address: 2722 Ferdinand av
Occupation: Mgr Merchandise Dept, Honolulu Iron Works

Residence Year: 1949
Street address: 2722 Ferdinand av
No occupation listed

Since no occupation is listed here, it would lead me to believe that Uncle Jim had retired by 1949 at the age of 64.

Residence Year: 1950
No directory available

Residence Year: 1951
Jim Hughes is not listed in the Honolulu directory

We know that Jim Hughes returned to Oakland, California and he died there in 1957.  Since he is no longer listed in the Honolulu City Directories this is probably when he relocated to Oakland.  There is a listing in the 1955 Oakland Telephone Directory for Jas E Hughes at 37 TrafalgrPl KEllog 3-4559.  There is a Trafalgar Place in the Oakland Hills in the vicinity of Park Boulevard and Highway 13 so this may have been where he was residing in 1955.

The Maui News Tuesday, October 10, 1922
This article was found when searching "Honolulu Iron Works" on Newspapers.com

From R.L. Polk & Co.'s City Directory of Honolulu, Hawaii. 1956
Ancestry.com image 69 of 255

This image  of the Honolulu Iron Works was from the Honolulu City Directory as found on Ancestry.com.  The business advertisements can make great illustrations for your family history.  You can see that the Honolulu Iron Works was a large industrial complex in the midst of an island paradise.  Hopefully this little tale of James Edward Hughes can be instructive as an example of the kinds of records that can be found on Ancestry.com for your ancestors.  They don't always appear with the little shaking leaves as the commercials would lead you to believe.  When you find these records, they will help you to piece together your "Ancestor Puzzles."