Heinrich Kempen & Annie Dertinger: The great-great grandparents (Fanning side)

My great-great grandfather Heinrich "Henry" Kempen was born in Germany on July 25, 1869. He was the third child of Gerdes & Vendalina and immigrated with the family to the US on December 5, 1882 at the age of 13 years old on the ship Neckar, which set sail from Bremen.

He first appears in written records on the naturalization card I located online that states he became a citizen of the US on October 20, 1892 as granted by the Common Please Court of NY County.  I have also found another mention on a passenger manifest for a Heinrich Kempen in 1895 arriving in NY which lists him as a laborer. Possible that Heinrich returned to Germany for a bit.

On April 19, 1896 Henry married my great great grandmother Anne Dertinger (1876-?) in Manhattan. They both appear in the 1900 census with the rest of the Kempen family at 1669 Third Ave, NYC. Like I mentioned in a previous blog post, the 1890 census was lost to fire in Washington DC. Henry is listed as a conductor for the NYC surface railway and Henry & Annie already had their first of four children, Henry, on May 6, 1897. The next year they had a daughter Helen (1898-?), then in 1898 Catherine (1899-?) and finally Edna (1906-1993).

Annie Dertinger was born in 1876 to Leo Dertinger (1844-1880) and Catherine "Kate" Lyons (1843-?). Kate, and her sisters Gussie (1871-?) and Mary Catherine (1881-?), were born in Ireland to Patrick & Catherine Lyons. I have been unable to locate any reliable info on them. Actually, the census info is conflicting on Kate's birthday, as well. One says 1841 & another says 1843. Immigration dates conflict also, with 1855 & 1862. By 1880, Kate was a widow. According to the 1880 mortality schedule, Leo, whose occupation was noted as a "driver", drowned at the "foot of Jay St".

 

Mortality Schedule listing Leo Dertinger

If my research is correct... and I have been in contact with a few German genealogists who believe I am, Leo Dertinger was born in Reicholzheim, Germany, to Antan Georg Dertinger (1812-1877) & Elisabeth Maria Muhlig (1803-1848). Antan's family has been tracked back by other genealogists all the way to 1613 (Worlfgang Amend) and Elisabeth's to the late 1600's (Hans Adam Muhlig). Our lineage includes family names such as Kern, Brandenstein, Schind, Spaier, Hafner, Kuhn, Matzer, Winker, Wurz, and Neidermaier. The families are just about all from Reicholzheim and one researcher mentioned that Tobias Amend (1642-1719), my 10X-great grandfather, was a mayor and/or bishop.

 

Reicholzheim, Wertheim, Germany

Getting back to Henry & Annie Kempen, the 1910 census has them still at 1669 Third Ave. Also, at this building were Henry's brother Folkert & his family and Annie's mother, Catherine Lyons Dertinger, who lived with Annie's sister Mary Catherine (1881-?) and her husband, Charles Gaukel (1875-1942). Henry's occupation is listed as an "oiler" at a brewery.

The January 1920 census shows the family moved next door to 1667 Third Ave and lists Henry's occupation still at the brewery. Anne was working as a "janitoress". And we discover that by the 1930 census most of the family had moved to 28-17 23 Street in Astoria, Queens. Henry's occupation had changed, as well, to hotel engineer. We will have to wait for the 1940 census to be released to see who survived into the next decade. I would imagine that there is a family cemetery plot or at least, most of the Kempens were buried at the same cemetery. If anyone knows where please let me know. I would love to visit & document the dates & locations.

Annie's sister, Mary Catherine, who seems to have gone by Catherine, was married to Charles Gaukel and they had  2 children. Charles & Catherine were married on December 4, 1898 in Manhattan. According to the 1905-1920 censuses, they resided at various building on the 1300 block of Fifth Ave (near 112 St) which is now the Taft Public Housing Complex. Charles was a butcher by trade. By 1930 they had moved to 1669 Grand Ave, Bronx and Charles died September 20, 1942. His funeral was at St Nicholas Tolentine church.

The only thing I found about their daughter, Helen b. 1903 (my first cousin three times removed), was that in 1930 she was a secretary at a hosiery shop in the Bronx. She most likely married & without her new name I hit a dead end. Their son, Charles L. (1905-1985) was a mechanic at a radio shop in 1930 and later married Cecelia M. Redmond (1905-1986). At some point they moved to Florence, Kentucky, where they both died within a year of each other.

As I noted above, Henry and Annie had four children and I will discuss their lives in the next Kempen post.

The Fincks continued...

Alderman Frederick Finck & his wife, Marie Antoinette, had seven children. The middle child was Emily (1864-1924). I have found Emily listed in the 1880 census residing with her family at 196 Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. On November 16, 1887 she married Richard William Elliott (1858-?). This branch of the family has been one of the most interesting to research. There is a lot of history here and some confusion, so pay attention! *wink wink*

Richard Elliott comes from a well-to-do family from Detroit, Michigan. There is a cemetery there that is full of their family. Richard's father, Robert. T. Elliott (1795 -1864), came to Detroit as one of the area's first formally educated architects. He was a Major in the US Army (Michigan 16th Infantry Regiment) & a Civil War hero who died in battle in 1864 at Topoptomy Creek, VA. Robert had a brother, William, who was a US Army Captain who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Another of Robert's brothers, Walter Hackett Elliott (1842-1928), also served during the Civil War with the Fifth Ohio Voluteers. He was a promising attorney in Cincinatti when he followed a calling into the priesthood.  He became a well known Paulist missionary and was a faculty member of Catholic University in Washington DC.
(http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mcnamarasblog/2011/05/father-walter-elliott-c-s-p-1842-1928-union-army-veteran.html)

If I have this all correct.... Robert Elliott also had a daughter, Elizabeth Ann (1828-1916), Richard's older sister by many years. She married into another prominent Detroit family when she married James Edwin Eagle. The Eagle's have a long family history dating back into pre-Revolutionary War time. James & Elizabeth had a daughter, Margaret Alice (1864-1948). That name might sound familiar since she was the wife of Henry Ulrich Finck (married 5 years after Emily & Richard's wedding), who I wrote about in the previous Finck family post. Can we assume that they met at the wedding?

Emily and Richard's wedding was noted in several society pages of the day. It took place at St Augustine's Chapel at East Houston St & 2 Avenue and was officiated by Rev. Arthur Kimber. Best man was Harry Eagle and George & Henry Finck were ushers. Reception was held at the Finck residence on Eldridge St.

Richard was a very successful real estate broker. He & Emily resided on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, including West End Ave, until Emily died. They had 2 daughters, Marie Antoinette (1889-1984) and Emily Maude (1893- ?). Marie, high society debutante, married William Greville Birkett (1880-1963) of Derbyshire, England in 1933 at 43 years old. Marie was a graduate of the Convent of the Sacred Heart & Institute of Musical Art. The family owned an estate called Gray Rocks in Clinton, CT., where she apparently met William, who is listed as a "motor engineer" on his WW1 registration card. He died in Clinton, CT in 1963. She passed away in 1984 in Huntington Station, NY. Possibly living with her niece.

Emily Maude is also a high society girl listed in several newspapers when she has a "surprise marriage" to Joseph Bradford Carr (1893-1915) of Troy, NY, in December 1913. Carr also comes from a prominent family. His grandfather, Joseph Bradford Carr (1828-1895), was a Major General in the US Army & served during the Civil War. He later became the Secretary of State of NY. Married at the Methodist Episcopal Church in North Troy, they lived in upstate NY. They later had a reception at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan. In July 1914, their daughter Natalie Elliott Carr (1914-1999) was born. Unfortunately, the next year Joseph died at the young age of 22, two months before Natalie's first birthday.

Joseph Bradford Carr

Emily and Natalie moved back to NYC and lived with Emily's parents till at least 1930, as listed on the census at 64 East 86 St. In 1933, Natalie makes headlines in the national news as a student at Vassar College. She vanished from the school for a week until she notified her family that she had entered a convent in Canada. She stayed at the convent for about a year before returning to Vassar, where she graduated. In 1936, she married Walter Burke Coll (1906-1981) but was divorced a few years later. Walter died in 1981 in Clinton, Ct. (Remember Gray Rocks?) Natalie remarried to Theodore Roosevelt Hoisington (1912-1997) of Rye, NY.

I am still researching this fascinating branch and making new family connections, but this is what I have discovered and believe to be true so far... Natalie & Walter Coll had four children: Joseph, Richard, I. Ashely, and Marjorie. Richard was a doctor who passed away in 2003 who was married to Joan Hannigan Coll Ph. D.,  a professor at Seton Hall University. Ashley is a talented artist & illustrator whose work can be seen here: http://www.ashleycoll.com . And Marjorie was married to orthopedic surgeon Michael Prepon, who passed away in 1993 at 49 years old. Marjorie & Michael had 4 children. You may have seen my third cousin Laura Prepon on television as Donna on "That 70's Show" and the modern day hit "Orange is the New Black". Who knew?

 

Laura Prepon

Natalie & Theodore also had a son, Samuel Hoisington, who is also an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Hawthorne, NY... still waiting to hear from him!

Kempen Kids Part 2 (Fanning side)

The second oldest son of Gerdes Kempen & Vedeline Viemeyer is Bernhard Herman Kempen, born December 4, 1866 in Germany. He traveled with his family and arrived on December 5, 1882 in NYC. In 1891, he married Mary Fredericka Rittel (1872-1947) and they resided at 231 East 89 St until they moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn before 1900. Bernhard was a butcher by trade and he and the family lived at 1437 Flatbush Avenue at Farrugut Rd from the late 1800's until he died on December 28, 1915.

Bernhard & Mary had three children:

• Pauline Louise Kempen (1891-1968)
• Alma Kempen (1896-1925)
• Bernhard Herman Kempen Jr. (1898-1981)

Daughter Pauline married William Frederick Seifert (1880 - 1944) on October 30, 1912. William was born in Erbach, Germany & was naturalized as a citizen in 1904. He was a grocer at 812 Grand Ave. in Brooklyn at the time but later is listed as a buyer at a supply company on Flatbush Avenue by 1918, according to his WW1 draft registration card. Pauline was a telephone operator. The 1920 census shows them living at 731 East 26 St, Brooklyn (around the corner from the previous address) and then residing at 2814 Newkirk Ave by 1944 when he had to register for the WW2 draft. Pauline's mother apparently resided with them, too. Pauline & William had a daughter Marie A. Seifert (1915-?)

Daughter Alma is listed in the 1900, 1910, and 1920 census as living with her mother. I have found a death record for her stating she died at 28 years of age. She was not listed in the 1920 census as being employed, so I wonder if she was ill for an extended period of time. She died July 28, 1925.

Son Bernhard Jr. is listed in the 1920 census as a clerk at an insurance agency. On June 2, 1929, he married Florence M. Schenk (1901-2002) in the Bronx. I cannot locate a 1930 census for either of them though, so I do not know if they had any children. In the spring, the 1940 census will be released & may shed more light on their situation. However, Bernhard & Florence did relocate to the Bronx and if my research is correct Florence died at 101 years old & lived at 2181 Starling Ave, Bronx, NY.

Next on the children's list of Kempen kids is Heinrich "Henry" Kempen & I will save our branch of the tree for the next Fanning side post.

The next child that was listed on the ship's manifest coming from Germany was Felix (b.1972-?). Unfortunately, Felix is not listed on any other documents that I have found. So, I must presume he had died prior to 1900. (Most of the 1890 census was destroyed by a fire in Washington DC).

The fifth child of Gerdes & Vendaline is Gerhard George Kempen (1875-?). Listed as a laborer on the 1910 census & residing at 101 W. 104 st in Manhattan. Then residing with the rest of the Kempen clan at 1669 Third Ave by 1918 when he registered for the WW1 draft. Apparently, Gerhard had some problems though. He is listed on the 1920 & 1930 census as a "prisoner" and "patient" at the Central Islip State Mental Hospital. This hospital was opened in 1889 with only 49 male patients who were admitted in 1889 for "O&O" (Occupation and Oxygen) and "R&R" (Rest and Relaxation) at a working farm. Patients cleared the land, constructed buildings, made the furniture and mattresses, sewed their clothing, grew crops and raised dairy cattle, pigs and chickens. It is now an abandoned structure but did house thousands of patients at one point. I have not found a record of Gerhard's death.