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.

Eva Jaeger Buchert

Eva Jaeger was born on June 12, 1879 in Neuhaeusel the same town where my Grandmother was born. Along the way she met my Grandmother and they became friends. Around the age of 17 they were ready for an adventure and left their homeland for America. Why they both left their homeland at the same time is unknown. Perhaps they were looking for a new start in life.  A chance to better their lives. They arrived on a Monday, October 14, 1895.  The stormy weather made the trip difficult for the girls.

Previously Alsatian came for many reasons;  “In 1815-16 Alsatians who wanted to emigrate had already had a path mapped out for them for over a century. This path led to an Eden of abundance and liberty which contrasted notably with the economic and psychological conditions in Alsace after the Napoleonic wars. It was not going to be easy because even if conditions were favorable across the ocean they first had to overcome enormous difficulties, maybe even face death. “https://amct.pagesperso-orange.fr/migrants_eg.htm

“The Franco-Prussian War, which started in July 1870, saw France defeated in May 1871 by the Kingdom of Prussia and other German states. The end of the war led to the unification of Germany. Otto von Bismarck annexed Alsace and northern Lorraine to the new German Empire in 1871. France ceded more than 90% of Alsace and one-fourth of Lorraine, as stipulated in the treaty of Frankfurt. Unlike other members states of the German federation, which had governments of their own, the new Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine was under the sole authority of the Kaiser, administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin. Between 100,000 and 130,000 Alsatians (of a total population of about a million and a half) chose to remain French citizens and leave 

Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen, many of them resettling in French Algeria as Pieds-Noirs. Only in 1911 was Alsace-Lorraine granted some measure of autonomy, which was manifested also in a flag and an anthem (Elsässisches Fahnenlied). In 1913, however, the Saverne Affair (French: Incident de Saverne) showed the limits of this new tolerance of the Alsatian identity.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace

Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen, many of them resettling in French Algeria as Pieds-Noirs. Only in 1911 was Alsace-Lorraine granted some measure of autonomy, which was manifested also in a flag and an anthem (Elsässisches Fahnenlied). In 1913, however, the Saverne Affair (French: Incident de Saverne) showed the limits of this new tolerance of the Alsatian identity.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace

“The Treaty of Frankfurt gave the residents of the region until October 1, 1872, to choose between emigrating to France or remaining in the region and having their nationality legally changed to German. About 161,000 people, or around 10.4% of the Alsace-Lorraine population, opted for French citizenship (the so-called Optanden); but, only about 50,000 actually emigrated, while the rest acquired German citizenship.[6] The sentiment of attachment to France stayed strong at least during the first 16 years of the annexation. During the Reichstag elections, the 15 deputies of 1874, 1881, 1884 (but one) and 1887 were called protester deputies (fr: députés protestataires) because they expressed to the Reichstag their opposition to the annexation by means of the 1874 motion in the French language: « May it please the Reichstag to decide that the populations of Alsace-Lorraine that were annexed, without having been consulted, to the German Reich by the treaty of Frankfurt have to come out particularly about this annexation. »[7] The Saverne Affair (usually known in English-language accounts as the Zabern Affair), in which abusive and oppressive behavior by the military towards the population of the town of Saverne led to protests not just in Alsace but in other regions, put a severe strain on the relationship between the people of Alsace-Lorraine and the rest of the German Empire.

Under the German Empire of 1871–1918, the annexed territory constituted the Reichsland or Imperial Territory of Elsaß-Lothringen (German for Alsace-Lorraine). The area was administered directly from Berlin, but was granted limited autonomy in 1911. This included its constitution and state assembly, its own flag, and the Elsässisches Fahnenlied ("Alsatian Flag Song") as its anthem.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace-Lorraine

It is not know if they were being met by anyone or if they had to make their own way finding a place to live as well as a job. The next record located is their marriage license. Eva was married to Gottfried Charles Buchert on May 14, 1898. In 1900 the family lived at 1702 2nd Avenue a part of the Yorkville Neighborhood. By 1910 Federal Census they were married twelve years and had two daughters Dora and Elsie. At that time they were living on 306 91st Street in Manhattan. Gottfried or Charlie for which he was known by his family and friends a was an upholsterer. The apartment building was in the Yorkville  neighborhood located in the upper east side. The building that is there today was built in 1925.

“For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Yorkville was a middle- to working-class neighborhood, inhabited by many people of Czech, Slovak, Irish, Polish, German, Hungarian, and Lebanese descent. The area was a mostly German enclave, though.[12] The neighborhood became more affluent.[13]

From 1880, Yorkville became a destination for German-born immigrants. However, by the 1900s, many German residents moved to Yorkville and other neighborhoods from "Kleindeutschland" (Little Germany) on the Lower East Side after the General Slocum disaster on June 15, 1904. The ship caught fire in the East River just off the shores of Yorkville, leading family members to move closer to the site of the incident.[14] Most of the passengers on the ship were German.[15][16] In addition, the general trend towards moving to the suburbs reduced the German population in Manhattan; by 1930, most German New Yorkers lived in Queens.

On 86th Street, in the central portion of Yorkville, there were many German shops, restaurants and bakeries. Yorkville became the melting pot of populations arriving from various regions of the Prussian-dominated German Empire and its colonies, where many cultures spoke German. In the 1930s, the neighborhood was the home base of Fritz Julius Kuhn's German American Bund, the most notorious pro-Nazi group in 1930s United States, which led to spontaneous protests by other residents.[17] Yorkville was a haven for refugees from fascist Germany in the 1940s, and from refugees from communist regimes in the 1950s and 1960s. The neighborhood is the site of the annual Steuben Parade, a large German-American celebration.[18]”

Property Research in New York City: A Case Study Part 2

In April I started to tell you about my search for a property record that would tell me why my Aunt who was pictured in a photograph from the 1920’s was standing in-front of a property for sale sign. Was it the future sight of my Grandfather’s second bakery or was it property that her husband was interested in purchasing.

I must admit that I know very little about the geography or layout of the city. Mainly because I have lived and worked on Long Island most of my life. This has made my research more difficult then for other genealogist and why I often refer to some resources that I will mention throughout this article to provide a guide for my research.  

The New York City Municipal Archives is a great place to do research. In 2016 they published an authorized guide to the Archives. Although a little old it is still useful and is currently available electronically for purchase from the New York Genealogical and Biological Society. If you are doing a lot of research in New York City this resource is strongly recommended. Chapters 7 thru 9 cover property records.

Prior to 1966, New York City records are in several places an in different formats. Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens records are in the city register office in the borough that the property is located. Brooklyn records are in Queens City Register Office. They are on microfilm. Staten Island records are in the Richmond County Clerk Office.

Property cards existed between 1930 thru 1970. They were designed to assist the Department of Finance with property tax assessments. They give ownership, building classification and assessed valuation. Unfortunately This resource is not going to help me in my search because Property Cards were started in 1930. I am looking for resources covering the 1920-23 period.

The next resource are Business records. License and filings are held by the issuing agency. Older records are held at the state or county archives. In NYC the older records between 1818 - 1938 are held at Division of Old Records, New York County Clerk’s Office and can be reached at 646-386-5395. This seems like the next place to do research for my Grandfather’s bakeries.  Of course the business records are arranged by owner. Therefore I will check under my Grandfather’s name as well as my aunt’s husband’s name, John J. Clark. When I contacted the Division of Old Record, I was given an email address to contact the person by email, Jvannost@ nycourts.gov and I waiting for a response.

I know most property record searches are done using deeds. In NYC from 1966 to present there is an electronic database ACRIS, Automated City Register Information System. https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/taxes/acris.page of course when we refer to NYC we are covering Manhattan, queens, Brooklyn and Bronx.one can search by lot and lot or by owner. This database would not help me in my research but is useful to know about.

Another resource is the Family Search database which has indexed New York State deeds and indexes up until 1880’s. There are a number of resources available on Family Search that include land records from the United States. The New York Land Records 1630-1975 database is an index that can be searched by property owner’s name, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/New_York_Land_and_Property. When I searched this database, I my grandfather or aunt’s husband name did not appear.

Other resources to try include land auction catalogs, real estate tax records, newspapers, census records and Department of Buildings Records. Resources such as Assessed Valuation Real Estate Ledges. Again these resource is located in the Municipal Archives. If your not to familiar with the neighborhood as I am searching for neighborhood histories might give you a better background for doing research. I found some Google books that can provide backgrounds on neighborhood histories.

Other Resources:

The New York Public Library has a number of helpful Research guides that are online to help with your research. Visit the following hyperlink. https://libguides.nypl.org/househistory

New York Municipal Archives Blog:

https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2022/1/7/department-of-buildings-manhattan-block-and-lot-collection-1866-1977

https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2021/4/30/building-history-part-2

 

You can also contact the Division of Land Records using their electronic form.  https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/about/contact-by-email/contact-recording-documents-general.page

I have used this electronic form and I am awaiting their reply.

Bronx County Office: 3030 3rd Ave, 2nd floor Bronx, NY 10455
Kings County Office: 210 Joralemon Street, 2nd floor Brooklyn NY 11201
New York County Office: 66 John Street, 13th floor New York, NY 10038
Queens County Office: 144-06 94th Avenue, Jamaica, Queens 11435

Property deeds for Staten Island are kept at the Office of the Richmond County Clerk.

Although I have not been successful as to finding out who own that particular property around the 1920’s. I know that there might be an answer coming soon in my email. I certainly feel that I have learned a lot about how to do property research in New York City.

 

Map Resources

Base Map of New York City showing street names

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/about/publications/maps/nyc-base-map.pdf

Map Collection Brooklyn City

https://mapcollections.brooklynhistory.org/

Another resource for the history of New York City and it’s neighborhoods can be found below.

The New York City Municipal Archives is a great place to do research. In 2016 they published an authorized guide to the Archives. Although a little old it is still useful and is currently available electronically for purchase from the New York Genealogical and Biological Society. If you are doing a lot of research in New York City this resource is strongly recommended. Chapters 7 thru 9 cover property records.

Prior to 1966, New York City records are in several places an in different formats. Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens records are in the city register office in the borough that the property is located. Brooklyn records are in Queens City Register Office. They are on microfilm. Staten Island records are in the Richmond County Clerk Office.

Property cards existed between 1930 thru 1970. They were designed to assist the Department of Finance with property tax assessments. They give ownership, building classification and assessed valuation. Unfortunately This resource is not going to help me in my search because Property Cards were started in 1930. I am looking for resources covering the 1920-23 period.

The next resource are Business records. License and filings are held by the issuing agency. Older records are held at the state or county archives. In NYC the older records between 1818 - 1938 are held at Division of Old Records, New York County Clerk’s Office and can be reached at 646-386-5395. This seems like the next place to do research for my Grandfather’s bakeries.  Of course the business records are arranged by owner. Therefore I will check under my Grandfather’s name as well as my aunt’s husband’s name, John J. Clark. When I contacted the Division of Old Record, I was given an email address to contact the person by email, Jvannost@ nycourts.gov and I waiting for a response.

I know most property record searches are done using deeds. In NYC from 1966 to present there is an electronic database ACRIS, Automated City Register Information System. https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/taxes/acris.page of course when we refer to NYC we are covering Manhattan, queens, Brooklyn and Bronx.one can search by lot and lot or by owner. This database would not help me in my research but is useful to know about.

Another resource is the Family Search database which has indexed New York State deeds and indexes up until 1880’s. There are a number of resources available on Family Search that include land records from the United States. The New York Land Records 1630-1975 database is an index that can be searched by property owner’s name, https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/New_York_Land_and_Property. When I searched this database, I my grandfather or aunt’s husband name did not appear.

Other resources to try include land auction catalogs, real estate tax records, newspapers, census records and Department of Buildings Records. Resources such as Assessed Valuation Real Estate Ledges. Again these resource is located in the Municipal Archives. If your not to familiar with the neighborhood as I am searching for neighborhood histories might give you a better background for doing research. I found some Google books that can provide backgrounds on neighborhood histories.

Other Resources:

The New York Public Library has a number of helpful Research guides that are online to help with your research. Visit the following hyperlink. https://libguides.nypl.org/househistory

New York Municipal Archives Blog:

https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2022/1/7/department-of-buildings-manhattan-block-and-lot-collection-1866-1977

https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2021/4/30/building-history-part-2

 

You can also contact the Division of Land Records using their electronic form.  https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/about/contact-by-email/contact-recording-documents-general.page

I have used this electronic form and I am awaiting their reply.

Bronx County Office: 3030 3rd Ave, 2nd floor Bronx, NY 10455
Kings County Office: 210 Joralemon Street, 2nd floor Brooklyn NY 11201
New York County Office: 66 John Street, 13th floor New York, NY 10038
Queens County Office: 144-06 94th Avenue, Jamaica, Queens 11435

Property deeds for Staten Island are kept at the Office of the Richmond County Clerk.

Although I have not been successful as to finding out who own that particular property around the 1920’s. I know that there might be an answer coming soon in my email. I certainly feel that I have learned a lot about how to do property research in New York City.

 

Map Resources

Base Map of New York City showing street names

https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/about/publications/maps/nyc-base-map.pdf

Map Collection Brooklyn City

https://mapcollections.brooklynhistory.org/

Another resource for the history of New York City and it’s neighborhoods can be found below.

Property Research in New York City: A Case Study Part 1

  To me one of the most interesting parts of doing genealogy research is  the human interest stories we find behind the facts. After Bill Cole’s presentation in January, I started going through some photographs of my mother’s family. I remember looking through them before and wondering why my Aunt Gertrude would have a photograph taken in front of a property for sale sign. I do know that my Aunt was born in 1902 and died in 1923. Looking at this photograph I would guess that the picture was taken between 1920 to 1923. 

Looking closer at the sign I noted that the sign listed the realtor,  ended up searching the Internet to see if I could fine information on the realtor, Herman Ringe and this revealed part of a story. Ringe was known to the community as a very civic minded person. The  Internet revealed a wonderful article about Herman Ringe by the Newtown Historical Society website ( https://www.newtownhistorical.org/maspeth-history/the-legacy-of-herman-ringe ) Mr. Ringe was very active in his community were he was raised. The area was known as Metropolitan because it was between Fresh Pond Road and Flushing Avenue on both sides of Metropolitan Avenue. Besides growing up in this area his family owned a General Store in the community on the same street as his Real Estate Office.

Herman Ringe first worked in the Queens Tax Office as a clerk and later as secretary to chief clerk to the highway department. In his obituary he was praised as a business man as well as a civic leader. Although this and other articles pointed to the importance of the realtor and the area, it still did not answer my original question as to why my Aunt had her photographed in front of this sign.

Therefore I decided to continued my investigation by trying to find out who owned the property around the time of the photograph. One  of the thoughts that I had was who would have taken the photograph. Was it my Grandfather, Gottlieb Ohnmacht who owned two bakeries at the time. That thought lead me to do a property search to determine who had purchased the property as listed on the sign. I tried both New York City Public Library and Library of Congress Digital Map collections. The Sanborn maps were designed to be large scale maps that showed insurance agencies the fire hazards related to where the buildings were located. They often depicted the structure showing size and shape of buildings and surrounding property and streets. Sanborn designed maps for over twelve thousand cities in United States, Canada and Mexico.

Sanborn Fire maps are good resources when doing property searches. They usually have street indexes which lead to plate numbers. Knowing that the photograph was probably taken between 1920 -23. I found a map that showed the specific area.  The Atlas 137A of Queens V. 3, 1914 Plate No. 57 [Map bounded by Metropolitan Ave., Fresh Pond Rd., Grove, Prospect Ave.] showed a wagon shed and other structures. One can also see the paper road, Vincent Street designated with dashes as it meets Metropolitan Ave.

Unfortunately I haven’t located a more recent Sanborn Map depicting this area around the early 1920’s. In my next part I will discuss other resources that I checked to locate the name of the property owner around this time.

Photograph of map taken from:

Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library. (1884 - 1936). Queens V. 3, Plate No. 57 [Map bounded by Metropolitan Ave., Fresh Pond Rd., Grove, Prospect Ave.] Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/90df2048-fd72-05a8-e040-e00a18065fd4