Beiersdorf

Germans to America

/ M. J. McKinley / 1 Comment

When I first got interested in the family history, I didn’t have much information about my Maternal ancestors. For the most part, all I had to start with were some names and dates for my Great-Great Grandparents. We knew that some of them came from Germany and some from Croatia. That was about it. This was well before many databases had been made available on the internet.

I can’t remember exactly how, but I found the name of a collection of books, Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at US Ports 1850-1897, edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby, and located it at a library a couple of hours away. My Mom & I took a trip there and looked at the books. Immediately we found the name of one of the families and the name of the ship they sailed to America on. It was fun to see our ancestors’ names in print! Since then I’ve found a few more tidbits on this family in the U.S.A.

According to the Germans to America reference, the Beiersdorf family, August, “Justine” and their sons, Friedrich, August, Wilhelm and Gustav arrived in the United States October 22, 1889. They came over on the ship, Taormina. They came from Prussia. Now, I had information that August’s wife was named Augusta & not Justine, but I figured it was still the correct family.

Since the original find of the family in the index, I found the passenger list for the Taormina in the New York Passenger list collection of Ancestry.com. It indicates the family’s destination as Wisconsin. They actually settled in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The Hamburg passenger list collection indicated that the family was from Woltersburg, Pommern. August was 30 years old when he arrived in America, his wife was 26, son Friedrich was 6, son August was 4, son Wilhelm was 2 and son Gustav was only 9 months old. As for the name “Justine,” I can’t really explain it, but my assumption is that it was a shortened form of Augustine or Augusta. There was another “Justine” on the same page of the list.

I searched for the ship, Taormina, and on the website Norwayheritage.com, found out that it was a single funnel ship with 3 masts & a single propeller. It carried 600 3rd class passengers. It docked in New York on October 22, 1889 at 8:00 a.m. It took about 17 days to cross the ocean. The immigrants were possibly processed at the Castle Garden Immigration Depot. (Ellis Island did not become the Immigration gateway until 1892.)

I met August’s Granddaughter, Gertrude Schwalbe (1916-2008), in the early 2000’s. She was the daughter of August C. She shared some of what her father had told her about the trip to the U.S.:

“They travelled in Steerage class down below, providing their own bedding, cooking kettles & food, sharing a spot in which to prepare their meals with other immigrants. The air was heavy with the smell of cabbage & potatoes & I’m sure the smell of so many unwashed bodies didn’t help it any. Once a day they were allowed up on deck for exercise and fresh air. Dad remembers his Father taking him up on deck and holding his hand as they walked. Suddenly a gust of wind blew off my Dad’s new cap & carried it out into the Atlantic! That was Dad’s most vivid memory of his trip to the U.S.A.” So I guess passage on the Taormina was definitely a “no frills” trip.

She said a relative helped pay for their passage. They took the train to Sheboygan and stayed in a “house at the side of the Sheboygan River known by the men of Sheboygan as the Green house, a sporting, you guessed it, whore house!” August got a job with the Reiss Coal Company and shoveled coal by hand from the hold of a Coal Boat. After he got his first pay check, the family moved to a house on Indiana Avenue. They lived in Sheboygan the rest of their lives. They were members of Immanuel Lutheran Church. As far as I know, August and Augusta did not become U.S. Citizens, but their sons did.

Augusta was actually August’s second wife. His first wife died after the first 3 sons were born. He then married her sister, Augusta. (I still have some research to do to verify the name of the first wife & if she truly was the sister of Augusta.) August and Augusta had 7 more children: Gustav, the little baby on the trip, died in 1890; Marie (1890-1973); Albert (1892-1977); Herman (1895-1983); Otto (1896, stillborn); Ewald (1898-1971); Frieda (1900-1974). August died in 1903 at the age of 44, Augusta lived 52 more years and died at the age of 87 in 1955. They are buried in Lutheran Cemetery in Sheboygan.

This is a photo of the family after August’s death. My Great-Grandfather is Herman, the young boy on the right.

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Beiersdorf family

Back row: Fred, August C, Marie, William, Albert

Front row: Ewald, Frieda, Augusta, Herman

© MJM 2017

A Lutheran Gal Marries a Catholic Guy

/ M. J. McKinley / 1 Comment

My Maternal Grandparents were John Aloysius Chvarack, (1916-1967) and Lucille Marie Beiersdorf (1920-2011). They were both raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

John was a part of a family of Croatian immigrants. His Father, Steve (1872-1938) came to the US first, then his wife, Mary (1876-1960) and their first 3 children came about 10 years later. Steve was part of the establishment of St. Cyril & Methodius Church in Sheboygan in 1911. John had 2 brothers & 2 sisters and they were raised in the Catholic faith. John was born August 3, 1916 and was baptized at St. Cyril & Methodius August 13, 1916. He attended St. Cyril & Methodius school & graduated from Sheboygan High School in 1934.

Lucille was the only child of Herman (1895-1983) & Amanda (1894-1973) Beiersdorf. Her ancestors were German immigrants. Herman’s parents, August (1858-1903) & Augusta (1868-1955) came to the US in 1889 with 4 of their 10 children. Amanda’s parents, Otto (1869-1954) & Emilie (1867-1940) Steinhaus, came to the US in the mid 1880’s and married in Milwaukee in 1890. Lucille was born in Port Washington, WI on August 23, 1920 & was baptized there on September 5, 1920. The family moved back to Sheboygan & Lucille was raised in Bethlehem Lutheran church. She graduated from Sheboygan High School in 1938.

They attended the same high school but 4 years apart. John’s yearbook caption gives his nickname as “Johnny” and indicates he was on the Commercial Course of study. “It takes tall men to be seen” is the phrase under his name. The caption continues with: “John is quite a shy, tall boy who overcame his shyness when he joined the Glee Club. He seems to have unusual strength, and there are many who admire his skating and swimming abilities.”

Lucille’s caption is shorter: “Louie” is her nickname, her favorite subject is typing, hobby is sewing, and ambition is to be a stenographer.

I interviewed Grandma in 2008 and asked her about Grandpa. She called him “Johnny” but it sounded more like “Junny” when she said it. They met when some friends introduced them and she invited him to a party at her house. She was 14 and he was 18. Lucille’s cousin, Gertrude Beiersdorf was in Johnny’s class so maybe she had a part in introducing them. Grandma said he was so shy that he stayed off to the side and didn’t interact much with the group initially. After he got to know someone, he was more interactive. They started going together after that & were together while Lucille was in high school. They went to dances at the Eagle auditorium & had a group of 4-6 couples that would go out together, get together to play cards or go on picnics.

They got married Wednesday, June 26, 1940 in Sheboygan. Now, I just figured that they got married in the church that Grandma grew up in, Bethlehem Lutheran Church. But when I found the wedding announcement from the Sheboygan Press, I noticed that they got married in the parsonage of the church and not in the church. The announcement said she wore a white net over satin princess style gown. Orange blossoms held her veil in place and her bouquet was of “Euratium lilies, bouvardia and white sweet-peas.” Her attendant, John’s sister, Anna, wore an aqua taffeta gown with “shirred basque waist and empire skirt.” Her bouquet was of American Beauty roses. Lucille’s cousin, Francis Beiersdorf, was the best man.

chvweddinggroup

But I didn’t understand why they got married in the parsonage. I asked Grandma about it. She said it was because she was Lutheran and Grandpa was Catholic. She said his Mother would not attend the wedding and would not permit him to get married in the church. Looking at the pictures, though, seems like she missed out not being able to walk down the aisle of the church in that beautiful dress. Lucille’s parents hosted a supper and reception at their house after the wedding.

John later took classes and joined the Lutheran church. The couple continued on at Bethlehem while they lived in Sheboygan. After John joined the Army and made a career of it, they continued to find Lutheran churches to attend and raised their 2 daughters in the faith.

Johnny died in California in 1967. Lucille had one daughter still at home. My Mother was already married and had a family of her own. Lucille stayed in California for the rest of her life.

© MJM 2016

 

Labor Day, Factory Workers in the Family

/ M. J. McKinley / 4 Comments

While most of the early ancestors on Dad’s side of the family were primarily hard-working farmers, those on Mom’s side of the family were factory workers.

They immigrated from Germany and Croatia and settled in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Sheboygan was a factory town on the shore of Lake Michigan.

So for Labor Day, I figured I would recognize these workers in the family.

First, going back in time: Mom’s parents were Lucille Beiersdorf (1920-2011) & John Chvarack (1916-1967 ). Lucille’s parents were Amanda Steinhaus (1894-1973) & Herman Beiersdorf (1895-1983). John’s parents were Mary Siprak (1876-1960) & Steve Chvarack (1872-1938).

US Census records from 1900 have my great-great grandfather, August Beiersdorf, working as a Coal Handler; his 18 year old son, Fred, was a Band Sawyer; and his 15 year old son, August, was a Factory Hand.

By 1910, August, Sr. had died. His son, Fred still worked as a Sawyer in a Chair Factory, August worked as a Cabinet Maker in a Furniture Factory, son William, 23, was a House Painter, son Albert, 17, worked in a Chair Factory, son Herman (my G-grandfather) at 16 years old was working as a Wood Turner in a Chair Factory.

Based on US Census Records in 1900 &1910, Otto Steinhaus, my great-great grandfather, worked in a chair factory. In 1910, his sons, Walter, 19 & Willie, 14, also worked in a chair factory. His daughters, Martha, 16 & Amanda, 14, (my G-grandmother) worked at sewing in a glove shop.

1n 1910, 1920 and 1930, Steve Chvarack shows up working in a chair factory. He died in 1938. In 1920, his son, Joseph, age 22, was working in a chair factory, & son, George, 20, worked as a shoemaker in a shoe factory.

Seems like it wasn’t until my Grandparent’s generation, the “Greatest Generation”, that children stayed in school at least through High School.

Great Grandpa Herman Beiersdorf retired from Armour Leather Company after 25 years in 1958, but as mentioned earlier, he started working at age 16.

Grandpa John Chvarack worked at a Tannery in 1940. Later, he made a career in the Army

I asked Grandma, Lucille, why she chose to go to Sheboygan Business College. She said she didn’t want to go to college and got a job at a factory where they knit stockings. Said she learned how to “hold your stocking here and go this way and that way and make perfect stitches.” She said she lasted 10 days & then enrolled in the business college. The business education came in handy later when she had to support herself after John’s death.

So there we have a few of the early jobs my maternal ancestors had. Many of them stayed with those factory jobs through their entire lives. Hard to imagine the working conditions in the early 1900’s.

©MJM 2016