World War I veteran, Louis Frank Reiss

Louis Frank Reiss (usually known as Frank), was born in October 19, 1894. He lived in the Williamsburgh section of Brooklyn. Frank registered for the draft on June 5, 1917. He was examined and adjudged qualified for military service on February 13, 1918. Frank was called into service that year as a member of  the  4th Infantry Division, 39th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Brigade.

As evidenced by the Victory Ribbon he received after the Armistice, Frank was present at the battles of Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. He also spent some time in the Defensive Sector. Reportedly, he was a messenger.

ObverseReverse

His unit was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with gilt star for the Aisne-Marne campaign.

From the early 20th century coinage found in Frank's private box after he died,  he was apparently in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany during his time in Europe. There was also a matchbox cover with a picture of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany and the words Kolner Dom under the picture.

Here are some photos from his album. Unfortunately, he did not indicate the names of his fellow soldiers, except for one labeled as "Allie W." I hope that someone reading this posting might have information about the men who served with Frank.

"This is our happy home we are sitting on."

Frank Reiss

"Allie W"

Unknown person, reading unit newsletter

Photo dated 1919

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Mystery # 19: Why did Francis and Flora, residents of Cleveland, Ohio go to Michigan to get married?

One of the many mysteries related to Francis A. Reed, MD is that, soon after graduating from medical school in 1890, he married a woman named Flora M. Pierce. Francis and Flora were identified in the marriage document as residents of Cleveland, Ohio (where Francis had attended medical school). The marriage took place in Detroit, Michigan. The witnesses to the marriage were Charles E. and Cora B. Fuller, also living in Cleveland. I initially surmised that Cora might be Flora's sister, but found no possible matches in census records. A marriage record indicates that Cora's maiden name was Garrett. The 1900 Census shows that Charles and Cora took in boarders - perhaps that's how Francis and Flora met.  But, why did Francis and Flora go to Detroit to get married? Were there no relatives of the bride and/or groom in or around Cleveland?

In the marriage record, Flora's father is listed as Albert Pierce but the box for mother's name says "unknown." Methinks - how can a mother be unknown? She gave birth to the child. Isn't it more likely that there would be an unknown father? Why no official birth record?

I searched available records for an Albert Pierce in Ohio. I found a Civil War veteran named Albert Pearce (aka Pierce) as a resident in the disabled volunteers' home in Dayton, Ohio. He was admitted to that facility in October of 1871 and died in December of that year. His birth location is listed as Henry County, Ohio.

The 1850 census records show an Albert Pearce, age 3, as the youngest of six children of Maria Pearce (widow) in Napoleon, Henry County, Ohio. The family group, reduced by the absence of the older children, was still living at that location in 1860.

I found several girls named Flora born in the same time frame, but none could be linked to the Flora I was looking for. There is a Flora M. with a John and Mary Pierce of Concord, Miami, Ohio in the 1870 census. The name of the head of household was different but it was possible that the girl could be living with relatives of her father. She was the right age, being 2 at the time. However, Ohio death records indicate that Flora M. died on 16 August 1876. There were no other girls named Flora listed in the Ohio Births and Christenings who were of the right age with the right father.There is a Flora, age 3, living with Albert's oldest brother, Josiah,  in Indiana in the 1870 census. However, her birth record indicates that she is the natural daughter of that couple. Another Flora Pierce with a similar birthdate was found with a Francis and Eliza Pierce in Millgrove, Indiana, identified as a niece - an interesting possibililty. In the 1880 census, she is living with a different family. Later records indicate that she married a James Graves and lived until 1956, dying in Florida.

Next, I concentrated on Albert's closest siblings. Brother Edward, who was 7 years older than Albert, married and moved to Breckenridge, Missouri. His other brother, Lewis,  age 6, two years older than Albert, was in La Salle Township, Michigan in the 1880 census. I looked up LaSalle on google maps and found that there is now a direct route from Cleveland through LaSalle to Detroit. Could that be the reason the couple went to Michigan to get married? Maybe Flora's uncle Lewis had no way of getting to Cleveland to attend a ceremony. That would have been a 256 mile round-trip journey for him. Although Lewis is not listed as an official witnesses at the marriage, the wedding party could have reasonably stopped there to pick him up. I wonder what type of transportation they used in 1890? Horse and wagon? Train? It's 175 miles from Cleveland to Detroit - quite a distance in those days.

Since I was unable to find any birth record for Flora M.and never found her anywhere in the 1870 or 1880 census, this mystery may never be solved. We do know that Flora M. Pierce Reed gave birth to one child, Calvin Albert, who lived only one year, and that Flora also died before 1900. Dr. Reed was enumerated as a widower in the 1900 census.

Do I have the right Albert Pierce (Pearce)? Only time will tell.

Sources:
"Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N36L-6X1 : accessed 28 Jul 2014), Francis A. Reed and Flora M. Pierce, 26 Aug 1890; citing Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, v 4 p 522 rn 6708, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2342489.
"Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDC2-DMG : accessed 28 Jul 2014), Charles E. Fuller and Cora B. Garrett, 23 Dec 1876; citing Lorain, Ohio, reference 2:3JNRVFL; FHL microfilm 0378293.
Ancestry.com. U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.
Original data: Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The National Cemetery Administration;  Dayton National Cemetery, Burial Ledger, c. 1800-1993.
Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Napoleon, Henry, Ohio; Roll: M432_693; Page: 6B; Image: 539.
Year: 1860; Census Place: Napoleon, Henry,Ohio; Roll: M653_985; Page: 342; Image: 204; Family History Library Film: 803985.
Year: 1870; Census Place: Concord, Miami,Ohio; Roll: M593_1244; Page: 323B; Image: 202; Family History Library Film: 552743.
Year: 1870; Census Place: Washington, Hendricks, Indiana; Roll: M593_322; Page: 518B; Image: 514; Family History Library Film: 545821.
Year: 1870; Census Place: Millgrove, Steuben, Indiana; Roll: M593_359; Page: 108B; Image: 222; Family History Library Film: 545858.
Year: 1880; Census Place: Columbia, Martin, Indiana; Roll: 298; Family History Film: 1254298; Page: 304D; Enumeration District: 151; Image: 0211.
Ancestry.com. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Cleveland Ward 21, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: 1255; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0097; FHL microfilm: 1241255.
Ancestry.com. Web: North Dakota, Find A Grave Index, 1850-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi: accessed 18 January 2013.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cleveland,+OH/La+Salle,+MI/Detroit,+MI/@41.8284951,-83.1501634,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m20!4m19!1m5!1m1!1s0x8830ef2ee3686b2d:0xed04cb55f7621842!2m2!1d-81.6943605!2d41.49932!1m5!1m1!1s0x883b7b0281daec3d:0xfcd450f278fbdff2!2m2!1d-83.4750241!2d41.863368!1m5!1m1!1s0x8824ca0110cb1d75:0x5776864e35b9c4d2!2m2!1d-83.0457538!2d42.331427!3e0

Mystery #18: Will the real Phillip Babb please stand up!

Phillip Babb is one of my early ancestors in the New World. He emigrated from England before 1652. In that year, he was made a freeman in Massachusetts. (Massachusetts Applications of Freemen, 1630-91) 

It is reported that he later moved to York, Maine. (Maine Pioneers, 1623-60)

He then settled on the island Appledore, Isles of Shoals, located at the border between Maine and New Hampshire. My ancestor Sampson was apparently born there in 1668.

A problem arises when most of the researchers of this family decided that the Phillip Babb, son of Phillip and Mary, baptized in Stepney on 6 April 1634 was the Phillip that emigrated to the Colonies.
(London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Dunstan and All Saints, Register of baptisms, Sep 1608 - Jan 1637/8, P93/DUN, Item 256.) 

This in itself should have raised some concern. That Phillip would have been 18 years old in 1652. Freedom was not granted until a man was at least 21 years old.

The other, more serious problem with choosing this individual is that Phillip, the son of Phillip and Mary, died and was buried on 15 November 1640. (London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Dunstan and All Saints, Register of burials, Jun 1622 - Nov 1644, P93/DUN, Item 277.)

So, where did our Phillip Babb come from? Who were his parents? Hopefully, further research will locate a baptismal record for this "mystery man.".

Mystery # 17: Three fathers, two mothers and two birth years?

During the past year, I have been researching a person of interest named Dr. Francis Albert Reed. According to two marriage records and a biography, Francis was born in Hartford, Connecticut on March 28,1863 (or 1867), son of Calvin Reed and Mary (or Katherine) Ward. A third marriage record indicated birth in New York State with his father being Joseph Reed (mother Mary Ward).

Francis does not appear in any census record until 1900, when he was living and practicing medicine in Burton, Geauga, Ohio, near Cleveland. That census shows March 1863 as his birthdate and Connecticut as his birthplace (ancestry.com).

In the book, "History of Lake County" Dr. Reed is identified as born March 28, 1867, son of Albert E. and Mary A. Reed. His father is identified as a prominent physician in Hartford, Connecticut who bought property on the St. John's River, about 20 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida and built a "show place" winter estate there. Nothing has been found about such an estate. And, no such Dr. Reed could be found in census records in Connecticut or in Florida. The closest option was a John Reade, physician/clairvoyant in Hartford in the 1860 census (ancestry.com). According to the biography, Dr. Reed attended Leavenworth Institute and Hahnemann College. (Leavenworth Institute is located about 220 miles from Hartford, in Wolcott, New York near Lake Ontario.) His name was not found at two websites about that school. As for Hahnemann College, he is not listed as a graduate. Dr. Reed did indeed graduate from Cleveland Medical College in 1890 and was admitted to the Ohio Medical Society in that year.

So, where was Francis between 1863 and 1890? He is not enumerated in Connecticut or in New York State in 1870 or 1880 census records. One family story is that his father died and his mother remarried and that he left the home because he did not get along with his stepfather. But, who was his father? Was it Joseph, Calvin or Albert? It is likely that his mother's name was Mary, since three of the four documents agree there.

To be continued.

Louis Thomser of Goetzenbruck and Brooklyn

Louis Thumser was born in Goetzenbruck, Moselle on January 3, 1842, son of Jean and Marguerite Burgun Thumser. Jean was a miller in this glassmaking part of France. Jean's grandfather, Jean-Thomas, was a miller in Bohemia. Jean-Thomas and wife Anne-Marie Schneider, migrated to Werenfels, Bavaria, where Jean-Thomas became the town miller. Two sons were born there, Antoine and Willibald. In adulthood, both of the sons continued on to Moselle. Antoine settled in Siersthal and Willibald in Soucht.

In the glassmaking regions, you had to be a member of the family of a glassmaker enployed by that same company, to go into the business. Louis wanted very much to follow his godfather, Louis Reitz, into that profession. In order to do that, Louis had to leave Goetzenbruck and travel to New York. He traveled with an aunt and cousins. He arrived in New York in 1854 and moved in with his godfather who was already here and employed in a glass factory in Brooklyn. The family lived in the company tenement at 98 Meserole Street. Louis became an apprentice at the factory and, by 1860, he was a glass blower.

The Civil War cut short that career. He enlisted in the 68th New York Volunteers on 16 August 1861. The unit was also called the Cameron Rifles and the 2nd German Rifle Regiment. He rose through the ranks from private to lieutenant. He was injured in 1865 and later received a pension. By 1870, he was again working at the glass factory but now as a packer. He married a young woman named Appolonia Koferl, whose family also lived 1t 98 Meserole Street. The couple had two daughters and one son. The son died in infancy. Appolonia died in 1879, leaving Louis with two small daughters. He subsequently married Magdalena Zimmer and they had two children, a boy and a girl. He was still employed at the glass factory in 1880.

By the 1890s Louis Thomser was the president of the Ellsworth Social Circle. He and his family were then living on Scholes Street in Brooklyn. In a city directory, his occupation was listed as porter.

Louis died 4 September 1911.

The Reiss Story

Johann Everhard Reis was born around 1771 at an unknown location. Sometime before 1798, he arrived in Kreis Olpe, Westfalen, Prussia and became the tailor to the Duke of Ahausen. He met and married Anna Elisabeth Freithoff and settled into a converted bakery located behind the local church in Heggen bei Attendorn. During their time there, ten children were born, eight of whom survived into adulthood.

Johann Joseph Freithoff, the brother of Anna Elisabeth, was a noted copper engraver. He died around 1819 without issue and willed all his assets to his sister. With that money, Johann Everhard and Anna Elisabeth bought the Listernohl estate, which encompassed 36 acres. The main house on the property was u-shaped. One wing contained the living quarters. The opposite wing housed the local church. The middle section was for the livestock. The last two Reis children were born in Listernohl.

In 1836, one of the Reis siblings, Johann Bernhard Reis, emigrated to the United States. He is described as half-disabled (and therefore ineligible for military service). He was a druggist by trade. No American records have been found for him and it is believed that he may have returned to his homeland.

Franz Xaver Reis was born 17 December 1814 in Heggen. In his youth, he went to Koblenz to apprentice as a jeweler/watchmaker. During his time there, he met Elisabeth Ducro, daughter of Wendel and Elisabeth Glaad Ducro. Franz and Elisabeth were married 27 September 1838 in Heggen and settled in the neighboring town of Olpe where he started his jewelry business. Their son, Emmerich Josef was born in 1841. On 18 March 1846, Franz Xaver submitted a petition to emigrate to the United States with his wife and son.

During March 1846, Elisabeth Reis, a widow for about 20 years, sold most of the Listernohl estate, reserving a small lot for herself. It is believed that she used those funds to finance the transatlantic voyage. For an extended period of time, shipping records were not found. However, Franz (now known as Francis) was in Doggett's New York City Directory for 1849-50. Since Francis Reiss does not appear in earlier directories, it is not known where he was from 1846-1849. In 2005, an inquiry to a church in downtown Manhattan provided information about the baptism of a Reiss child named Adolphus in 1849.

A few years ago, a fellow researcher solved the mystery of the Reiss family entry into America. What a surprise! It was not just Franz, Elisabeth and Emmerich who entered the US. On that same ship, the Diadem, we find 13 people in the family unit, including Franz' mother, two younger brothers and their families, and a sister - all with anglicized names. They sailed from London in cabin class and arrived in New York City in August 1846. It can be surmised that the family group left Prussia by boat, going down the Rhine River to Rotterdam and then by ferry to England. They apparently stayed in London for a while before sailing. A story can be visualized: Anna Elisabeth telling the customs officials that the family was going to London for a vacation before Franz and his wife and son sailed to America.

Francis was a Lieutenant in the Cavalry during the Civil War, as a member of the troop protecting the Capitol and White House in Washington, DC. After the war, Captain Reiss commanded a National Guard unit.

There is still much to be learned about the early years of the Reiss family in the US and the history of the rest of the family.

Mystery #16: Winche's Children

On May 17, 1842 Winche Beagle, wife of John Beagle, submitted pension papers based on her late husband's service in the Revolutionary War. In that document Winche stated that she had given birth to ten children of which seven were still alive.

Eight of her children have been definitively identified through records: William, Moses, Mary, Catherina, Phebe, Sarah, Jemima and Samuel. It is probable that the two others, unnamed, died in infancy. Records have produced specific birth dates for all eight children. Marriage dates are known for all except Mary, Phebe and Sarah. However, death dates are known for only three of the children: Moses, Jemima and Samuel - and all of those deaths took place after 1842. Therefore, it is not yet known which of the eight surviving children had died before Winche. It is also unknown whether Mary, Phebe or Sarah every married and had families.

I hope that further research will provide the necessary data.