Ottillie Jaeger

Ottillie Jaeger was born On October 31, 1878 in Alsace Lorraine." Ottilie is a female given name stemming from the medieval German boy's name Otto and meaning "riches", "wealth" or "prosperity". It has never become very popular in modern culture and has remained very low on popularity rankings only reaching its peak in 1880 when it reached almost 600th position in the US. Ottilie is a much more common first name in German-speaking countries."

 She came to America with my Grandmother, Gertrude Grossholtz and arrived on October 14, 1895 aboard the ship Le Gerciogne. By 1910 she was living at 464 Amterdam Avenue in Manhattan with her future husband, Frederick Christian Solz who was 40 years old and was born in Germany around 1870. He had immigrated from Germany in 1881.

At that time Frederick was listed as working in a delicatessen. Ottilie married Frederick Solz on June 13, 1916 in Manhattan. In 1925 Ottilie returned to France probably to visit family. She sailed back to America on the Suffren leaving from Le Havre, France. She was 46 at the time and her husband Frederick traveled with her.

Ottilie and Frederick continued to live in Brooklyn and they ran a boarding house in the 1930's and 40's. At one point my grandmother's relative George Grossholtz lived in Ottilie and Frederick's boarding house and was listed as a nephew in the 1920 Census he immigrated to America in 1911 when he was 16 years old and was born in 1894 on August 10th, according to George's World War II Draft Registration Cards in 1942. George was born in Neuhausel, Alsace, Germany and immigrated to America from Antwerp, Belgium leaving Belgium on October 15, 1910 and arrive on the Vaderland on October 15, 1910.  On September 8, 1921 he petitioned for Naturalization. At this time he was married to wife Grace who was born on February 16, 1901 in Munich, Germany. The couple had two children, Grace Josephine born April 20, 1921 and George Joseph born July 23, 1922. In 1921 they lived at 1692 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.  He died in August 1971 at age of 77 and his last place of residence was Suffolk County, New York.

My mother was named after Ottilie when she was born. Her Godmother was Ottilie Solz a wonderful women who remained friends with the family until her death. When my sister, Barbara Ann Koferl was born my mother asked her godmother, Ottilie to be the godmother.

They returned a number of times to France to visit relatives, Ottilie had a brother, Joseph Jaeger who owned a farm in Neuhaeusel at 47 Neuhaeusel 67, France. When Frederick died Ottillie returned home to France to live on her brother's farm for the rest of her days. Her last know resident in the states was 234 Berkeley Place, Brooklyn. She died at the age of 87 on July 2, 1966. She is interred at the cemetery in Neuhaeusel.