The River Running
"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Annie C and Adam Sohn
It's funny how sometimes things pop up. I was digging through the records of the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gardenville, Baltimore County, Maryland. I was looking for information related to Catharina Sohn and Heinrich Weilbrenner, who emigrated from Freinsheim to Baltimore in 1857 with their four sons.
Imagine my surprise when I tripped over a death record for Adam Sohn, born 8 November in "Freundsheim," Rheinpfalz, Baiern. He died 01 Aug 1880 in Baltimore County and was buried 08 Aug 1880. No year of birth or age at death was given in the death record, but with a bit more research, I was able to establish that Adam had been born in 1831. He was in fact Catharina's brother, the son of Sibilla Retzer and Johannes Sohn born 08 Nov 1831 and christened 09 Nov 1831.
By 1856 Adam had either emigrated to Maryland and gotten married or vice versa. His wife's name was Annie or Anna C. Most of what I know about her comes from her obituary published 03 Jun 1914 in Der Deutsche Correspondent. Since she died at the age of 82 years, 6 months and 15 days, this means that most of what I know is based on what her children knew. Based on this age and her date of death, she was almost exactly the same age as Adam, having been born 14 Nov 1831. According to her obituary, she was born in "Frankenheim," Rheinpfalz, Bayern. Is this an attempt at Freinsheim? At Frankenthal? Unfortunately, her obituary doesn't supply her last name at birth. Perhaps no one remembered what it had been.
Annie's obituary in 1914 says that she lived in Baltimore for 50 years, 25 in Gardenville on the farm with her husband and then 25 in Highlandtown. This agrees with the 1900 US Census, which says that she immigrated in 1854 and was married for 25 years. However, the 1910 US Census says she immigrated in 1845.
Certainly by 1870 Annie and Adam had settled in Baltimore County, where they raised their children:
Adam was a farmer or "gardener," a term used to describe most of the male adult population of District 12 of Baltimore County on the 1880 US Census. It seems to have meant a market gardener rather than someone who makes living tending other people's lawns and flower gardens. His and Annie's two oldest sons, Peter and John, were described as working as wagoners in 1880, although Peter may have been enumerated twice. One record has him living with his family in District 12 and working as a wagoner, while another had him living in District 3, where he was a labourer on a farm.
As I mentioned above, Adam died 01 Aug 1880.
Peter married Barbara Elinora Hoerl in 1880-1881. They had ten children. Peter died 07 Oct 1918 and Barbara, 15 Dec 1935. Both are buried in the Oak Lawn Cemetery in Baltimore along with four of their sons and one of their daughters-in-law.
Emma married Charles F Herman Fiske in 1881-1882. They had six children of whom five survived childhood. Emma died 12 Jun 1930 and Charles, 12 Apr 1938. Both are buried in the Oak Lawn Cemetery in Baltimore.
Kate or Katharina married Charles F W Rau in or about 1888. They had six children, although only three survived childhood and one of these may have died as a young man. Both Katharina and Charles died in the 1920s.
John married a German immigrant named Dora in or about 1889. They had three children, although only one survived childhood. John died in the 1920s.
George married Mary E Carr in or before 1890.
William married Mary Hettchen 26 Jun 1892 at her parents' residence. The witnesses were William's sister Louise and his future brother-in-law John Frank. Mary and William had ten children, of whom four survived childhood. William died in 1948, Mary in 1959.
Louisa and Carrie both married in or about 1898. Louisa married John C Frank. Their son John William was born 14 Aug 1898.
Carrie married Philip Christian Volke.
As of 1900, Annie was living at 1136 North Highland Avenue in Baltimore with her widowed son George, George's four children, her daughter Carrie, Carrie's husband Philip Volke and their two-year-old daughter, who was named after Annie. Others of Annie's children lived nearby: Emma, Charles and their sons lived at 1114. William, Mary and their children lived at 1110.
By 1910, the household had moved to 302 South Highland Avenue. Besides Annie, it now included Carrie, Philip, their three children and George's oldest son, George Jr. (George Sr had remarried in 1905, his second wife being Sophia Wilhelmina Kern.)
Annie died at 302 South Highland Avenue on 29 May 1914.
By 12 Sep 1918 Louisa, her husband and son had moved into the house at 302 South Highland Avenue. They were still living there when Louisa died 17 Jun 1920. John C Frank died sometime in 1941, survived by his son John William, a daughter-in-law and three granddaughters. Both Louisa and John are buried in the Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Carrie and Philip had two daughters and a son. Philip died 24 Mar 1946 and Carrie, 04 Jul 1963. She was survived by all three of her children, six grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.