The River Running
"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Anna Maria Ehrhardt, Ludwig Barth and Heinrich Oberholz
Anna Maria Ehrhardt and Ludwig Barth
On 28 Nov 1921 Anna Oberholz, the daughter of Charlotta Schoen and "John Ehrhardt," died in Manhattan. Her death record states that she was 56 years old at the time of death, thus born in or around 1865. However, I believe her to be the same Anna Oberholz who immigrated from Freinsheim in 1908 at the age of 50 (i.e. born in 1858) as well the as the Anna Oberholz listed at born in 1859 when she was enumerated in Manhattan in 1910 and the Anna Barth listed as born in 1859, enumerated in Manhattan in 1920. This makes it very likely that she was the Anna Maria Ehrhardt christened in Freinsheim 08 Aug 1858, the daughter of Charlotta Schön and Johannes III Ehrhardt.
Here's the story as far as I can piece it out. Anna Maria Ehrhardt married Ludwig Barth in Freinsheim in or before 1880. This may or may not have been the Ludwig Barth christened in Freinsheim 09 Mar 1851, the son of Johann Georg Barth and Anna Maria Schaefer. The couple had at least four children:
Ludwig died some time between 1886 (the year of Philip's conception) and 1894 (the year Anna Maria remarried). If he was the son of Anna Maria Schaefer - we don't know this for sure - then his death occurred not too long before 05 Apr 1894. This was the date that a notice appeared in the Port Chester Journal, posted by the widow of Anna Maria's brother Ludwig Schaefer, officially notifying the beneficiaries of Ludwig Schaefer's will of the probate hearing on 07 May 1894. Although the beneficiaries included several of Ludwig Schaefer's other siblings, Anna Maria Schaefer was not mentioned. Instead, the notice listed several of her children: Jacob Barth, Philip Barth, Anna [Barth] Schneider and "Louis" Barth. Either Anna Maria Schaefer was deceased or she'd been bypassed in the will in favour of her children (for example, to avoid her husband gaining control of the bequest).
The point here is that there were obvious lines of communication between Freinsheim and Port Chester. Hermine Schaefer, Ludwig's widow, knew his sisters' and niece's last names after marriage and the names of Anna Maria Schaefer's children. If Ludwig Barth's death had occurred long before April 1894, Hermine would presumably have known about it.
Anna Maria Ehrhardt and Heinrich Oberholz
After Ludwig's death, Anna Maria remarried Heinrich Oberholz. According to the 1910 US Census, the marriage took place in or about 1894. Heinrich was christened in Freinsheim 27 Nov 1846, the son of Johannes Oberholz and Susanna Daut. (His immigration, 1910 census and death records all give his birth year as 1847, and his death record gives his father's name as Johannes.) He may be the Heinrich Oberholz who had been previously married to Magdalena Metzger, with whom he had three children born 1872-1875: Daniel, Heinrich and Anna. Heinrich and Anna Maria had a daughter named Katharina born in or about 1896.
In 1897 Johann Ludwig immigrated to the States, arriving in NYC 13 Sep 1897 aboard the SS Obdam out of Rotterdam. His contact in the States was "Joh. Ehrhard," who lived at the corner of First Avenue and 92nd Street in Manhattan. (I wasn't able to identify Mr Ehrhard at this address in the 1900 census.) In or about 1904 he married a German immigrant named Caroline Blume. By 1905 they were living at 332 Beachwood Avenue in New Rochelle with their one-year-old daughter Emma. John was working as a baker.
Back in Freinsheim Johannes' sister Charlotta had married Jacob Sohn in or before 1905. They had a son named Friedrich.
1908: Emigration to the States
On 27 Nov 1908 the combined Oberholz-Barth family arrived in NYC aboard the SS Grosser Kurfürst out of Bremen: Heinrich Oberholz, 61; Anna Oberholz, 50; Katharina Oberholz, 14; Friedrich with a semi-legible last name, possibly Barth, 3; Elise Barth, 23; and Philipp Barth, 22. All of them were born in Freinsheim. Heinrich and Philipp were described as farmers. The family left behind Heinrich Oberholz in "Napolbrach", Prussia. Possibly this refers to Heinrich born in Freinsheim 13 Mar 1873 to Magdalena Metzger and Heinrich Oberholz. On the 1908 passenger manifest, the younger Heinrich was described as Heinrich and Anna's son, Katharina and Friedrich's brother and Elise and Philipp's step-brother. The family was going to meet "Jean" Barth, who lived at 47 Railroad Avenue in New Rochelle. "Jean" was described as Heinrich and Anna's son and everyone else's brother.
The passenger manifest is the last piece of information I have on Katharina Oberholz. She simply vanishes after this.
The 1910 US Census found most of the family at 1034 First Avenue in Manhattan (between East 56th and 57th Streets). Heinrich and Anna Oberholz reported that they had been married 16 years. Anna said she'd had seven children, five of whom were still living. (I know of only five, four from her first marriage, one from her second. My best guess for the two deceased children would be Charlotta Barth Sohn - Friedrich's mother - and Katharina Oberholz.) Heinrich also reported that he had his "own income." Elisabetha/Elise Barth, now Elizabeth, was working as a dressmaker. Young Friedrich, now Fritz Sohn, was described as the Oberholz's grandson. The family also had a boarder, three-month-old Carrie Katz.
Philip Barth was not enumerated with the rest of family. It's likely that he had struck out on his own.
Heinrich died 28 Jan 1912. He's buried in St Michael's Cemetery. After his death, there were some changes in the family. Elizabeth married Julius Thiele in Manhattan 15 Apr 1912, while Philip married Clara Straub in Manhattan 14 May 1913.
I haven't been able to find an entry for Anna in the 1915 New York State Census. However, in the 1920 US Census she was enumerated under the name Anna Barth, living at 428 East 81st Street in Manhattan with Julius and Elizabeth Thiele, their children and Fritz Sohn.
Anna died in Manhattan 28 Nov 1921. The death record gives her last name as Oberholz. It doesn't mention where she was buried.