The Gross Family and Grandpa Gross, AKA Martin, Aloysius, Oliver, Aloise, M.A., O.M., Ulysses, Lew..Who is this Guy?? And Where is He??

Martin Aloysius Gross 1849-Abt. 1907
My Great Great Grandfather

Since my last 2 Paternal side posts covered Josephine Cushman Pattison and her husband Henry Pattison, I decided to stick to the couples theme and discuss Matilda Schultz Gross's husband-Grandpa Gross, Martin Aloysius Gross.

Martin was born in Gondolsheim, Canton Rufach, Alsace, to Martin Gross (1815-1853) and his wife Anne Marie Bissler (1812-1880) in May 1849.  They were ethnic Germans living in Alsace-which has variously been French and German. 

Grandma Mac had this labeled "Grandma and Grandpa Gross"; I believe this is correct, but one Generation earlier than everyone thinks. I think this is Anne Marie Bissler and Martin Gross Sr. 

Grandpa Gross, Martin Aloysius-Let's call him Oliver to avoid confusion with his Dad-was about 3 years old when they immigrated to the US from Alsace. They sailed on the George Hurlburt with Martin's younger brother Dominic, Dominic's wife and sons Dominic Jr and Joseph, also another man that we are assuming was another younger Brother, named Louis.  They sailed out of LeHavre, France and arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 1, 1893

Martin Gross with his son, Martin Aloysius (Oliver)This would be about 1851

Passenger list-the Grosses are listed toward the bottom

Martin is the child listed last by the name of "Aloise" which I believe is the French spelling of Aloysius but is also the Feminine style of the name, with the "e" on the end.  His name just gets murkier as we go along, Folks!!

Martin Gross Sr. and Anne Marie Bissler Gross shortly before his death.

Oliver's father died very shortly after arrival in the US.  From the photo above, he appears to have had either TB or Cancer, some sort of wasting disease.  It is very possible that he died in New Orleans as I recently learned that George Stroehle, the man Anne Marie married after Martin's death, was in New Orleans.  Martin may have been too ill to travel further on to LeClaire like Dominic did and may have died in New Orleans where Anne Marie met George, also a widower.  Although they married in Rock Island, IL

Anne Marie remarried on 30 September of 1853 with George Stroehle in Rock Island County, IL




George Stroehle was born in Tyrol, Austria, in 1838, his parents being George and Agatha Weeger Stroehle. He immigrated to the United States soon after the death of his wife, Catherine Berchtold, locating first in New Orleans, and later in St. Louis. He went to California during the gold fever in 1849.  He removed to Rock Island, Illinois., where he married Anne Marie Bissler in 1863, the widow of Martin Gross and he died in 1865. There were eight children in his family, six of whom were living and immigrated with him.

I do not know where Anne Marie and Oliver lived in the 6 months between their arrival in New Orleans and Martin's death  and her second marriage to Mr. Stroehle.  I do know that Martin's brother Dominic, his wife and sons settled in LeClaire, IA where there already was another brother Joseph. I have found no record of Anne Marie and Oliver in LeClaire 

The story of how these 2 branches of the Gross Family reunited is really pretty neat.  Neither Dominic's nor Martin's Descendants  knew that the other side existed.  I did not know until I found the Passenger List that Brother Dominic existed.  Then when I discovered that they were in LeClaire, 30 miles Upriver in LeClaire!  We found each other by a strange and poignant set of coincidences...

It was 2008 and my siblings and I had decided to have a Family Reunion because our Mother was going to undergo Surgery that was a big, big deal for  anyone-and Mom was 80.  In getting ready for the Reunion, I was going through some of the old Photos (Tubs and tubs) that we had inherited from Grandma McKenrick, our Mother's Mother.  There was a huge pile of old Tintypes-all unidentified.  I had no clue who any of them were.  Many were children and they did seem to be Siblings.  There was one little girl in a Polka dot dress,   holding a Straw hat with a big pink ribbon that really intrigued me.  She looked so sweet, I really wanted to know more about her.  She was one of the group that I thought may be Siblings.  

Some weeks later, after the Reunion, I was on ancestry searching around-did a search on the name Gross in this general area and came up with this photo of a little girl in a polka dot dress and Straw hat.  It said "Mary Gross , LeClaire, Ia"  It was my little girl and she was a Gross!!!  I contacted the ancestry.com member who had posted the photo.  She did not know that her Grandfather Dominic had a brother and family in Rock Island.  She contacted more cousins-we started a website-thru ancestry and since defunct through no fault of ours-where we could share all of our information.  We had a great time doing this and learned so much about the other branch of the Gross Family and our mutual ancestors.  One cousin had visited the Homeland of Alsace and Loraine and had the family documented back to the 1600's through old Church records, written in French and Latin.    

It turns out that little Mary Ann Gross, the Girl in the polka dot dress had died young, at about 18.  She is buried alone in the St Mary Church Cemetery in Long Grove IA.  The rest of her family, parents and siblings later moved on to Western Ia and have a huge number of  descendants there near Omaha.   We felt that Mary wanted to get the two branches of the family together and through her picture, that is exactly what happened!  I met in LeClaire IA with two of the cousins-we had a lovely chat and lunch before they had to leave.  We now have all the Tintypes identified-the children were Siblings.  Dominic Sr and Marie had 8 children total.  We know the history of the descendants of Joseph Gross, the other brother who immigrated earlier and who stayed in LeClaire.  The old High School there is named after his Son The Albert J. Gross School.  Sadly, we have never been able to discover anything about Louis who was on  the ship with the others.  Our plan is to someday, collaborate with all the genealogically minded Gross descendants and write a History of the family-I would dedicate it, of course, to The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress

So, back to Oliver...I found him on the 1860 Census quite by accident.  I had no luck searching the Census for Martin Gross in Rock Island.  I had found him on the 1880 and 1900.  But I could not locate him on the 1860 nor the 1870.  Finally I just did a search on the name Gross in Rock Island County and there he was...not Martin Gross or Aloysius Gross, but Oliver Gross?  I knew it was him because I had previously identified Mary Stroehle living with Martin and Matilda on the1880 Census (she was erroneously listed as Martin's Mother-in-law, but I knew that was incorrect as I knew Matilda's mother's name).  Here was Oliver Gross in the household of George and Mary G., listed as "by 1st Husband"  for his relationship to the Head of Household.  There were several Stroehle children also living there.  I was, at 1st very puzzled by the name "Oliver"-the man's name was "Martin Aloysius"!  However-if one says the Aloysius with a German accent-it comes out pretty close to Alovisius-Alover-Oliver!!  AND it explained the name of one of his granddaughters "Olivette"!!   And explains the "Mr. and Mrs. O.M. Gross" on their daughter's Wedding Announcement!

Oliver Gross

George Stroehle died in 1865, so he and Anne Marie were only married a couple of years.  I cannot find any of the Stroehles on the 1870 Census-nor can I find Martin and his new Bride Matilda O. Schultz.  They married in June of 1870

They are on the 1880 Census and this is when Martins Mother Mary Stroehle was living with them and their children.  The 1890 Census is not available and by 1900, she was dead.  I have not been able to find her burial place but did find her 2nd husband's and some of the Stroehle children.  His 1st wife died in Germany so perhaps Mary (Anne Marie) is buried with him.  I believe he is in Chippianock   so there may be records.  Next time I am there, I will have to ask.  Most likely, though,  she is buried at Calvary but the records there are sketchy for certain periods.   

in 1882, Martin became a Naturalized US Citizen-he had to foreswear any allegiance to William I, Emperor of Germany, as at that time Alsace was in the possession of the German Empire. 

As a teen, Martin had gone to a German School in Rock Island where he became a Tinsmith-this evolved into working with Sheet metal and doing Plumbing and Heating.  He owned a  Business with a Mr. Branigan called appropriately Gross and Branigan.  They dealt in Stoves and Home Goods. 

Martin A. Gross Tinner-this may have been used for Advertisement purposes?

In 1900 a huge devastating Storm hit Galveston, Texas; there was much loss of life and property.  Essentially, the entire town needed to be rebuilt. It was about this time that Martin started a Business that took him to Texas-specifically Houston, which was the nearest large city to Galveston Island.  I found Oliver (Martin) in Houston City Directories for 1902-1903 and 1903-1904.  He is listed in the 1st as a Cornicemaker and in the 2nd as a Tinner.  I am assuming he went to Texas to help rebuild Galveston-boarding in Houston.  This is conjecture, but fits the place and time. 

Going back to Martin's name for a moment-I have also found him in City Directories-actually I found his wife, Matilda, listed as the widow of Lew Gross and of Ulysses Gross.  These nicknames would have come from his middle name Aloysius.  His daughter, Great Grandma Caroline Mary Agnes (Carrie and Lena)Gross Schieberl and her daughter, Grandma Mildred Elsie Veronica Schieberl McKenrick also seemed to have a thing about their names!!  (Guess I do too, come to think about it!!)

I have no death record for Oliver.  I have 2 photos that were probably taken in 1907 and 1908.  On the 1910 Census, Matilda is listed as a Widow.   

I believe the Train is a Photographer's Studio Prop.  The Democratic National Convention was held in Denver in 1908 and the Rock Island Lines did provide transportation to the Convention.  William Jennings Bryant was the Democratic Candidate.  He lost the election to William Howard Taft, the Republican. You can read more about the 1908 and the 2008 DNCs here.  http://presidentialconventions.com/denver.html The 3 men pictured are Charlie Schultz, brother of Oliver's wife, Oliver Gross and Al Mordhorst, husband of Oliver's daughter's Sister-in-law. 

I am still searching for a final resting place for Oliver-it is possible he was buried with his Mother, Anne Marie Bissler Gross Stroehle, but I can't find her either.  Perhaps he died in Texas??  Perhaps he and Matilda were estranged and this is why they were not buried together??  So many questions  And no answers!!  I do walk local Cemeteries calling Oliver's name-thinking maybe he will stick up his hand and wave to me to let me know where he is-but so far No such luck!!  Maybe I need to enlist the help of the Girl in the Polka dot dress!!

Josephine Cushman and the Cushman Family

Cushman Family Monument in Plymouth

Josephine Cushman Pattison

My last Paternal Family Post was about Josephine's husband Henry Pattison, so we are rounding out the Family here.  As I touched on some key events of Josephine's life while talking about Henry, I am going to also flesh out the history of her Family.  Josephine was a Ninth Generation Direct descendant of Robert Cushman, the Agent for the Separatists. (Pilgrims). (Robert 1, Thomas 2, Thomas 3, Robert 4, Joshua 5, Paul 6, Clark 7, Ira 8, Josephine 9)  Now we will take them backwards, starting with Josephine and ending at the Mayflower with Robert.

Josephine (9) was born in Ft Gaines Georgia to Ira Harvey Cushman and Mary McCorkle (see previous Post re: Mary), on 22 Dec 1832.  Her Father was a Judge, Justice of the Peace who rode a Circuit in Early County GA.  She was the 2nd child, eldest Daughter.  Josephine married Henry Pattison, 30 years of age, when she was 15.  They had 3 children in the South and at the outbreak of the Civil War, the Family was forced to flee North.  They had 10 maybe 11 more children while residing in Mercer County Il. (There were 2 boys born in 1878-1979, Austin S and Rensselaer Stanley.-I don't know if they were twins or the same child, Austin a nickname etc.  If they were two separate  children, Rensselaer Stanley survived-there is no record of Austin after the 1880 Census)   Nine of their thirteen or fourteen children  survived to adulthood.  My Great Grandmother Kate (Katherine Louisa) was the 4th born, the third daughter.   Her older brother Ashton Hargrave, born a year before her birth,  died as an infant.

Eight of the Adult Children of henry and Josephine Pattison.  Olivia died in 1887.  This Photo may have been taken when the Sibling were together for the death of their father in 1893

A Gathering of the Pattison Clan after the Turn of the Century.  My Grandfather Wright is the Farthest Left little Boy on step.  He was born in 1898

Josephine's Father,  Ira Harvey Cushman (8) (1799-1849)was born and raised in Barnet, Vermont.  He and his older brother Ralph left New England, traveled to the South where they read Law and eventually became lawyers, then Judges.  Ralph settled in Avoyelles Parrish, Louisiana, He was the Judge who actually freed Solomon Northup of Twelve Years a Slave fame.
 http://vincentsimmons.iippi.org/tag/judge-ralph-cushman  

Judge Ralph Cushman, brother of Ira Harvey Cushman There is no extant Image of Ira that I have found.  

 Ira settled in Ft. Gaines, Georgia, married Mary McCorkle (1811-1895) and later moved to Geneva Alabama where he died in January of 1849.

Ira was a well respected man within his Community and circle.  In his book , A Historical and biographical genealogy of the Cushmans: the descendants of Robert Cushman, the Puritan, from the year 1617 to 1855   Henry Wyles Cushman  stated:
"He always maintained the character of a gentleman and an honest man, whatever might have been his failings. He was noted in the circuit where he practiced law, for his wit and repartee. Many of his remarks have become proverbial in that region. He was an active, engergetic (sic) business man, of an impetuous temperament and somewhat disposed to ideal schemes, which did not always prove to be of the most enduring and productive character.
Such men are usually valuable to the public; but not so much so to themselves. Without them our country would have prospered much less than it has. They are, therefore, to be ranked among the useful members of the community."

Ira Harvey was one of thirteen children of Clark Cushman (7) (1769-1851) and Catherine "Caty" Grout (1774-) of Charlestown, Sullivan County, New Hampshire.  Caty's father Elijah Grout (1732-1807), was a Commissary in the Revolutionary War and we could join DAR and SAR under him if I had not already joined under Joshua Wright.  Elijah parents were John Grout (1704-1770) and Joanna Boynton (1712-1779)  The Boynton Line is the Line that is documented back to 1067. They most likely came from Normandy with William the Conqueror when he conquered England in 1066 and were granted land by William for their Service to him.  

Tombstones of Clark and Caty Grout Cushman, Passumpsic Cemetery, 

Clark Cushman was a Farmer and Innkeeper in Barnet, VT.  He is buried in the Passumpsic Cemetery.  According to   History of Barnet, Vermont, from the outbreak of the French and Indian war to present time; with genealogical records of many families, by Frederic Palmer Wells,Clark made the bricks used to build  his home and other buildings in Barnet.  He was the son of Paul Cushman (6) (1741-1808) and Anna Parker(1747-1822), of Charlestown, Sullivan New Hampshire.  The Parkers came to the Colony of Massachusetts around 1640, just 20 years after the Separatists.  (Pilgrims).  Most likely, they were Puritans, certainly they were Calvinists.  Anna Parker's mother was Anne Morse(1681-1707), whose family gave birth in 1791 to Samuel of Morse Code  fame.

Puritans of New England, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Marriage record Paul and Anna Parker Cushman 14 Oct 1776

According to Henry Wyles Cushman, Paul was a blacksmith.  Also states that during the Indian Wars, he traveled to Canada with an Expeditionary force to bring Captives back to the Colonies.  He and Anna had ten children surviving to Adulthood.

The parents of Paul Cushman were Joshua Cushman (5) (1708-1764) and Mary Soule (1711-1750).  Mary was the great great Granddaughter of George Soule (1601-1679), a Mayflower Passenger and Signer of the Mayflower Compact.  Although the Cushman family ancestors did not arrive on the Mayflower-the 1st ship, they were and we are descended from 8 Men, Women or Children who were passengers.  Furthermore, Mary Soule was the Great Granddaughter of John Soule (1632-1707)and Ester Delano (1640-1735), thus connecting us to the Delano Family and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Headstone of Joshua Cushman in Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury, Mass.  It reads "Here lies Mr. Joshua Cushman who died March 25, 1764."

The parents of Joshua were Robert Cushman (4) (1664-1757) and Persis Lewis(1671-1744).  Robert Cushman lived to be 92, marrying for the second time at 80.  His parents were (Thomas Cushman  (3)(1637-1726) and Ruth Howland (1637-1726).  By the Marriage of Thomas and Ruth, we are directly descended from The Howland and Tilley  Mayflower Lines.  Her Father was John Howland (1593-1672), a Mayflower Passenger who married  Elizabeth Tilley (1607-1686) also a Mayflower Passenger.   Elizabeth was accompanied on the Ship by her parents, John Tilley (1571-1621) and Joan Hurst Tilley (1568-1621).  They both died in the 1st difficult winter after arrival.

This shows the loss of life during the 1st year in New England

Thomas was fined a fee of 5 pounds prior to their marriage for having carnal relations with Ruth before marriage but after Contract.  This was not unusual in that day and age and did not seem to tarnish either Party's reputation.

Thomas was the son of Elder Thomas Cushman (2) (1608-1691) who arrived with his Father, Robert, on the Fortune in 1621-the 2nd Ship and Mary Allerton (1616-1699) who as a child was a Mayflower Passenger.  Her parents, Isaac Allerton (1683-1658) and Mary Norris Allerton (1581-1621) were also Passengers.  Mary died the 1st winter when 45 of the 102 Passengers died.

a Plaque on the Cushman Monument

 Elder Thomas was the Ruling Elder of the First Church in Plymouth.  His Widow,  Mary Allerton Cushman was the last Surviving Mayflower Passenger when she died in 1699-79 years after the Mayflower Landing.

The parents of Thomas Cushman were Robert (1) (1577-1625) and Sarah Reder Cushman (1585-1616) of Canterbury, Kent England.  In about 1611, the Cushmans, Robert and Sarah and three sons, including Thomas emigrated from England to Leiden, Holland with other like-minded men and their families.  He had been in trouble on and off during the early years of the Century because of his religious beliefs. He was arrested and charged with distributing "libels"  pamphlets that were contrary to the beliefs of the Church of England.  He spent the night in prison for this.  In a later incident he was accused of having been tainted by a man charged with having "false erroneous and devilish opinions” contrary to the Church of England and “repugnant to the word of God.”  

In Holland, the Separatists, so called because of their desire to separate from the official Church of England, tried to live a normal life among the tolerant Dutch. They established their own Congregation in Leiden where they could practice in their own description of "Godliness". Robert Cushman worked as a Wool Comber in the Dutch Wool Trade.  They eventually feared however, that their children would lose their Englishness, their religion and become more Dutch-basically they feared assimilation.  It was decided to set sail for the New World. In 1617, Cushman along with John Carver, was elected to act as their Agent in dealings to prepare for the voyage.  A patent was obtained from the Virginia Company and the two men set about purchasing supplies.  In 1619, the year before the Voyage began, Robert Cushman wrote a treatise called "The Cry of a Stone" which, in contrast to the traditional views of the intolerance of the Separatists, "sheds new light on how tolerant the moderate Mayflower Pilgrims were compared to other radical and strict Separatist movements."  http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/Robert-Cushman-Pens-THE-CRY-OF-A-STONE-20160517

Robert Cushman, his effigy in Canturbury, England

Robert, who had lost his wife and two of his three children in 1616, did not sail on the Mayflower.  In August, he and his surviving son Thomas were aboard her companion ship The Speedwell when the later ship began floundering.  She was determined to be not seaworthy and several weeks were wasted attempting repairs and trying to decide what to do.  Finally the Speedwell was abandoned and her passengers had the choice of halting their journey, for which many had sacrificed everything they owned  and possible taking the next ship or crowding on to the already overcrowded Mayflower to continue their journey. The weeks of sitting in Port, trying to effect repairs had depleted much of their store and rations.  The stress and tension of all of this weighed on Robert Cushman and he experienced Chest pain and pressure.  He wrote  "a bundle of lead as it were, crushing my heart." ,that he felt he would die from the tremendous pressure in his chest.  Because of these health issues, Robert and his son opted to abandon the journey and the Mayflower sailed without them.   They were however on the next ship which sailed the following year.  The following is a story of the arrival of the Fortune at Plymouth Bay.  

 The Pilgrims at Plymouth colony were afraid. An Indian had just reported a white sail off Cape Cod. Was this a French raider from Canada? Miles Standish armed the men and they prepared to meet any assault. Great was their relief when the ship turned out to be the Fortune, an English vessel bringing more colonists. While many of the newcomers were not Pilgrims, one of the men who disembarked from the boat had been a leader in Leyden, the Dutch city where the Puritans previously lived in exile. This was the deacon, Robert Cushman.

Robert had come to straighten out affairs in the colony. The men who had put up the money to finance the settlement were angry that the ship Mayflower had been kept so long by the Pilgrims--and then sent home empty. The colonists might well have loaded it with timber at least! The company wanted a return on their investments. And they wanted some amended articles signed, too.

At Plymouth, settlers were sick of the company policy of share-and-share-alike. Some demanded that the land be parceled as in private chunks. Robert warned them strongly against this kind of talk, and said their backers were in no mood to be trifled with. If the colonists hoped for future supplies, they must agree to company terms.

Oddly enough for such a religious group, there was no ordained minister among their number. Robert Cushman, a deacon, was the nearest thing. To settle the jealousies and animosities among the settlers, he preached a sermon on this day, December 9, 1621. This was the first recorded sermon on American soil and the first printed there.

It was titled, "A Sermon Preached at Plimmoth in New England, December 9, 1621 in an Assemblie of his Majesties faithful Subjects, there inhabiting. Wherein is shewed the danger of selfe love, and the sweetnesse of true Friendship. Together with a Preface, shewing the state of the Country, and Condition of the Savages."

Robert quoted Paul's words to the quarreling Corinthians as an example for the disgruntled settlers. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth (1 Corinthians 10:24). "The occasion of these words of the Apostle Paul, was because of the abuses which were in the Church of Corinth. Which abuses arose chiefly through swelling pride, self-love and conceitedness.."

"...it is lawful sometimes for men to gather wealth, and grow rich, even as there was a time for Joseph to store up corn, but a godly and sincere Christian will see when this time is, and will not hoard up when he seeth others of his brethren and associates to want, but then is a time, if he have anything to fetch out and disperse it.."

"...you must seek still the wealth of one another.." he reminded them and pointed out that it was in their self interest to do so, for, "Even as we deal with others, ourselves and others shall be dealt withal.. for it is the merciful that shall obtain mercy.."

The settlers listened to Robert. Not only did they sign the despised articles, but they filled the Fortune with wood and furs. Robert sailed for England. Unfortunately, the ship was seized by French privateers, who stripped it of everything of value. Robert was freed, but the colony would not pay for itself for a while yet.
  http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwbooks/article/Robert-Cushman-Pens-THE-CRY-OF-A-STONE-20160517

Cushman served as agent of the New Plymouth Colony and representative of the colony in England with a new patent holding  company of Merchant Adventurers of London.  He died in London, apparently of the plague in the spring of 1625. The place and date of his death and burial, also in Kent, are unknown but he and his Descendants are memorialized with the Cushman Monument, shown above.

My Pattison Family at a Reunion in 1950.  I am the little girl in the lower right corner

Grandma Gross

The Philip Schultz Family

Today, I want to write about my Mother's Great Grandmother-Grandma Gross, born Matilda Ottilie Schultz.  She is in our Direct Maternal Line...her Maternal Grandmother, Hannah Dickmeier is our most distant known direct Maternal Line ancestor.  That is the DNA that is passed Mother to children, then passed on by the daughters.  My Direct maternal line is My Grand Daughters 1, My Daughter 2, Me 3, Mom Barbara Carolyn McKenrick 4, Grandmother Mildred Elsie Veronica Schieberl 5, Great Grandmother Caroline Mary Agnes Gross 6, Great Great Grandmother Matilda Ottilie Schultz 7, Great Great Great Grandmother Caroline Dickmeier 8, Great Great Great Great Grandmother Hannah Dickmeier (I think her Maiden name was Weitzel but have no proof) 9.

Matilda Ottilie Schultz Gross, her Daughter Caroline (Carrie/Lena) Gross Schieberl, her Grand Daughter Mildred E.V. Schieberl McKenrick and her Great Grand Daughter, my Mother's older sister Patricia Imogene McKenrick

Matilda was born on 25 May 1848-just 100 years before I was born.  Her parents were both German immigrants.  Her Mother Caroline (German pronouniation Carolena) Dickmeier was born in Hanover, Germany in 1830..."in a village near Hamburg."; she and her parents, Conrad and Hannah Dickmeier  (early on it was spelled Dickmeyer)  and siblings immigrated in 1840.   Her Father, Philip Schultz  was born in Minfeldt, Bavaria, Germany.  He immigrated with his Mother, Ottilie, Sister Ottilie and Brother, Johan Wendell but I am not sure of the date.  I cannot find a Death record for Philip's Father Anton, although I have his Baptism record, his Marriage and the Baptisms of his children.  I do not know if  Anton died in Germany and the Widow came to the States with her children or if the Family immigrated and he died here.   I cannot find them on a passenger list.   Philip and Caroline Dickmeier  married on 15 Feb 1848.  Therefore I assume he arrived at least 9 months before their daughter's birth in May.  They were married at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cincinnati that Caroline's Father Conrad Dickmeier helped found.  Phillip however, was Roman Catholic.  I do not know what religion their children were raised in, but Grandma Gross (their eldest daughter) married Catholic German-Alsatian Immigrant Martin Gross and raised all of her children Catholic. The 1st time we meet Matilda Ottilie Schultz is as a 2 year old on the 1850 Census for Cincinnati Ohio.  There are 3 Ottilie Schultzes in the household as Philip's Mother, sister and daughter are all living there.

The Mother and Grandmother of Matilda Ottilie, Caroline Dickmeier (Dickmeyer)  Schultz and Hannah (Hanne in German) Possible Weitzel Dickmeier.  These ladies are my Great Great Great Grandmother and Great Great Great Great Grandmother-this is as far as I have our Maternal Line.  (I think Matilda looked amazingly like her Grandmother Hannah)

 On the next Census 1860,  they are in Davenport, Scott Co, Iowa.  Philip is a Barber.  2 more children have been added to the family-Emma is 4 years old and John is 4 months, our Matilda is 11 years.  Emma's birthplace is listed as Ohio, John's is Iowa so the family must have moved to Davenport between 1856 and 1860.  I do not know where in Davenport they were living at the time of the 1860 Census, but the family Homestead was later listed as 214 East 2nd St-right smack in the  middle of what is today Downtown Davenport.  They had about an acre of land...Philip's Barber Shop , where several sons eventually joined him was at the home address.  The Schultz family eventually had 7 children-Matilda, Emma, John, Carrie, Philip, Charles and Joseph-although there were several years between Matilda, the eldest and Emma, the next born so there may have been lost babies.  Those children who did not marry lived in the family home  until they died.  The home and  land was inherited by Matilda after her sister's death in 1917 but I do not know what she did with it.  (Need to do a Title Search, I guess!)

A crackly Tintype of Martin and Matilda Schultz Gross-Probably their Wedding Photo

Members of the Schultz family at the family home t 214 E 2nd St Davenport, IA.  Great great great Grandmother Caroline Dickmeier Schultz is seated at left.  I cannot identify any of the others.

Matilda is not on the 1870 Census with her family.  She and husband Martin Aloysius Gross (subject of the next Maternal Post) married in Scott County, Iowa on 7 June 1870.  Martin, a German- Alsation immigrant,  was a Tinsmith by Trade; he eventually went into Sheet metal and Cornice work and had his own company.  Matilda and Oliver (one of many names Martin used) also had 7 children:  Joseph. George, Emma, Caroline (Lena/Carrie, my Great Grandmother), Louis, Philip and Matilda.

Matilda's (Grandma Gross's) Father Philip Schultz died at age 66 in 1890; his wife Caroline Dickmeier Schultz 4 years later.  Their youngest son Joseph (Josie)  died  in 1899, in  his late twenties of Tuberculosis.  He also was a Barber and died apparently at work at a Rock Island Hotel.  Tuberculosis is a very contagious disease that would spread rampantly among family members living in close proximity  4 more of the Schultz children would die of TB-Emma in 1903, Carrie in 1917 and John and Philip on the same day in 1904.  I think the only thing that saved Grandma was her early marriage which got her out of the Household.  The only other sibling to survive young adulthood was Charley who did not marry until 1903 so I guess his immune system was stronger than that of his siblings.  Of the 7 kids, only Grandma, John and Charley married and had children.  Philip married but was divorced after a very short time.  Emma, Carrie and Josie never married.

Death notice of Philip Schults and brother John Schultz on the same day in 1904

A page from my Great Grandmother's Autograph Book, from her Uncle Josie, who died in his 20's from Consumption

I heard a lot about Grandma Gross when I was a child.  She lived to be 94 years old, dying in 1942.  She lived next door to my Mom, who was a teenager.  Grandma lived with her daughter Lena (Carrie, Caroline) Gross Schieberl and her Son-in-law Emil Schieberl  and the Schieberl's daughter Mildred Schieberl McKenrick and family lived next door.  Mom actually was the one who, at 14, found Grandma when she passed away.

L-R G.G.Grandma Gross, G.G. Grandma Huber (their daughter and son Lena Gross and Emil Schieberl married) and  Emma Gross  Ehmke

Matilda at about 50

For some reason, Grandma Gross was a great source of comedic material for my Dad.  The ribbing would start with her name-according to Dad it was Matilda Otilda.  (Apparently we thought that was really her name, because my Mom's cousin had it that way on her family Tree)  I have since discovered her middle name was Ottilie (pronounced Ottilia) which has the variants of Odile in French, Odelia, Delia.  I actually like the name-it was a very popular German name.  Anyway-Dad would go from the name to the fact that apparently Grandma Gross saw or said she saw Abraham Lincoln walking down 20th St in Rock Island, IL.  Now, Lincoln died in 1865-he was here in the area during the Black Hawk War from April to July 1832.  Grandma was born in 1848.  He reportedly was here in 1856 as the Lawyer of the "Effie Afton Steamboat hits Bridge Case".  The Trial itself took place in Chicago but the story goes that Lincoln came to Rock Island to investigate.

According to Hell Gate of the Mississippi: The Effie Afton Trial and Abraham Lincoln's Role in It by Michael A. Ross University of Maryland                             (http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1361&context=annals-of-iowa)

    Lincoln, the story goes, was the only lawyer with the good sense to actually visit the Rock Island Bridge to assess the danger it posed. Armed with that knowledge and his own experiences on Mississippi flatboats, he was able to argue convincingly that pilot error and mechanical failure, not the bridge, doomed the Effie Afton. Riney debunks those accounts by casting doubt on the evidence others have used to prove that Lincoln visited the Rock Island Bridge before the trial. Most of that evidence, he finds, was generated well after the trial by the railroad company, which wanted to be tied to Lincoln lore. Riney also reminds readers that Lincoln’s arguments failed to win the case. Despite the pro-railroad predispositions of most of the jurors, some were not convinced. The trial ended in a hung jury. It was not until separate litigation launched against the bridge by steamboat men in Iowa reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1862 that the Rock Island Bridge’s future was secured. By then, Lincoln was president...

So, the jury is out on whether Lincoln was here in 1856.  Matilda Schultz (Grandma Gross) would have been 8 years old.

In 1858, Lincoln, a Republican was running for US Senator from Illinois, held 7 famous debates in 1858 with his Incumbent opponent Democrat Stephen Douglas but the closest the Debates came to Rock Island was Galesburg, Il some 50 miles away.

I cannot verify that Lincoln was in Rock Island during the Presidential Campaign of 1859.   The Republican National Convention was held in Chicago but that is rather far from 20th St in Rock Island...so I guess it was possible that Matilda as a young preteen MAY have seen Abraham Lincoln in Rock Island, Illinois between 1856 and 1960.  Remember too that she lived in Davenport, Ia  across the Mississippi.  People were not as mobile back then-there was no car to hop into for a quick drive to the Illinois side of the River-there also were no bridges.  It would have involved a horse ride to the ferry, then another horse ride or a long walk to get to 20th St.  Logistics suggest it may not have happened!

One story about Matilda and her family that did turn out to be true was the story Mom remembered hearing as a child about Grandma Gross's little brother being run over by a beer truck.  I found this story in The Daily Argus dated January 11, 1877.  Philip survived his ordeal.

The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, January 11, 1877, Image 4

Image provided by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

Matilda's husband Martin apparently died sometime between 1905 and 1908.  I do not know where he is buried. When his wife dies almost 40 years later, she was buried in Davenport's Fairmont Cemetery with her parents and siblings.  It was like her kids forgot where they buried Dad!?  The records are very good at Fairmont-Martin is not there.  I have him in a 1905 City Directory in Houston Texas.  Did he die there?  I know his business took him to Texas-I think it may have started in the aftermath of the 1900 Great Galveston Storm and the rebuilding efforts there.  I have him on the 1900 Census with Matilda in Rock Island and on 1910, she is a widow.  I have Oliver and Matilda sitting on the front porch of the new home of son Joseph J.  The 1st time Joseph and his wife are listed living at the address of the new house was in a 1908 City Directory, so Oliver (Martin) was alive then but gone by 1910.  Matilda lived until 1942; for awhile she lived alone, then with various of her children.  Her youngest Child, Matilda (Tillie) died young, leaving a small son, Raymond Carlson.  Grandma raised him for several years until Tillie's husband remarried.  She lived for many years with her Daughter Lena and husband Emil Schieberl  This was on the corner of 30th St and 15th Ave in Rock island,, across from what is today the Ace Hardware Store.

Oliver and Matilda with son Joe about 1908 at 3215 10th Ave Rock Island, IL

Matilda's stone at Schultz Family Plot Fairmont Cemetery Davenport, IA

Page from the Funeral Book of Grandma Gross

Descendants attending Funeral...the daughter of George N. Gross, Olivet Gross, listed above  married Lee Mohr-thus our connection to Lee's Bar and Liquor Store.