Mary Hettchen and William Henry Sohn

"Immigrants: we get the job done" -- Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

Mary Hettchen and William Henry Sohn married 26 Jun 1892 at the residence of the bride's parents. The witnesses were William's sister Louise and his future brother-in-law John Frank. Mary's parents were Kate and Frank Hettchen, both from Hesse. Mary herself had been born in Maryland in May 1873. William was the son of Annie C and Adam Sohn born in Maryland October 1869.

As far as I can tell from the census records, Mary and William had ten children, six of whom died young:

As of 1900, Mary, William and their two oldest surviving children were living at 1110 North Highland Avenue. Other members of William's family lived at 1136 and 1114. William was working as a day labourer.

By 1910 the family had moved to York Road outside of Baltimore City. The judge by the names of the other roads in the enumeration district, they were living in Towson. William was working as a fireman at a hospital.

The 1920 US Census found Mary, William, Lula and Harriet living on Woodbine Avenue in Towson. William - whom according to th 1940 US Census had a grade 2 education - was working as an electrical engineer in a hospital, while Lula was working as a stenographer in a lawyer's office. Kathryn, Douglas and their 16-month-old son John Douglas were enumerated twice, once as living next door to Kathryn's parents and once as living with Douglas' parents.

I'm not sure where Harriet was in 1930 - she wasn't enumerated as living with her parents, but her future husband Chester E Brookhart was enumerated as being single and living with his parents. Mary, William and Lula were living at 319 Burke Avenue in Towson. William was still working an electrical engineer at the hospital, while Lula was working as a secretary for the government.

By 1940 Mary and William were alone at 319 Burke Avenue. William was described as working as an engineer for a private institution. AS I mentioned above, the 1940 US Census reported that he had finished grade 2 in school, while Mary had finished grade 8.

I was unable to find Lula in the 1940 US Census, but she and her husband James Joseph Tennant sailed from NYC 24 Jan 1941 for a 2 1/2 month cruise.

William died in 1948, Mary in 1959. A brief obituary was posted for Mary in the Baltimore Sun 15 Jul 1959, but the OCR quality didn't allow me to make out her date of death. Both she and William are buried in the Parkwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in Baltimore.

When Conrad married Harriet K Burns in or about 1914, he literally married the girl next door.

Sometime in the 1850s, Esther and Henry Burns moved from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, to Snyder County in the same state. By 1861 their son Jacob had married Catharine Kantz, the daughter of Catharine Erdley and Philip Kantz. Catharine and Jacob raised their seven children in Union Township, Snyder County. Two of the children died in the 1880s, leaving Lillie Keturah, Berta B, Ellsworth Lot, Annie or Anna L ("Florence" in the 1870 US Census) and Emma Doris. Jacob also died at about this time, in 1883. 1890 brought two marriages: Ellsworth married Catherine Bickhart 25 Mar 1890, while Berta married Marion Archer Miller 22 Jun 1890. At the time, Ellsworth, Berta and Archer were all living in Selin's Grove (now Selinsgrove), 11 km up the Susquehanna River from Union Township, while Catherine Bickhart was living in Smith's Grove (now Kreamer), 9 km west of Selin's Grove. Seven years later, in 1897, Catharine Kantz Burns died as well.

By 1900, Catherine and Ellsworth Burns were living in Penn Township, 4 km west of Selin's Grove, with their two daughters, Harriet K born November 1890 or 1891 and Helen Ruth born 16 Feb 1893. Ellsworth's sister Doris was living next door to them, working as an "insurance lady." Berta and Archie Miller were living in Selin's Grove with his adopted mother, Sarah Miller.

Keturah and Annie, however, had moved to Baltimore County, Maryland, where both of them were living and working at the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Towson. Keturah was working as a housemaid, Annie as a children's nurse. By 1910, Keturah had become a seamstress at the hospital, a position she was to hold for at least the next two decades. Annie - "Anna L" - had gone to work as a live-in housekeeper for Edna and William Rush Duncton Jr, Dunton being one of the doctors at the Sheppard Pratt (and also one of the founders of the American Occupational Therapy Association.)

The reports from Baltimore back to Snyder County must have been good. The 1910 US Census found Doris, Catherine, Ellsworth, Harriet and Helen Ruth all in Baltimore County. Doris was working as a nurse for a private family, apparently the family she was living with on Joppa Road. Catherine, Ellsworth, Harriet and Helen Ruth were living on York Road in Baltimore County - next door to Mary and William Sohn. Harriet married Conrad Franklin Sohn approximately four years later.

Harriet and Conrad had two sons. William Burns was born 03 Sep 1916. Conrad Franklin Jr was born 15 Apr 1921.

As of 05 Jun 1917, Harriet, Conrad and William were living in Towson. Conrad was working as a train dispatcher for the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. By 1920, the family had moved to Unit C4 at 5308 York Road. This was south of Towson, in the portion of Baltimore County that Baltimore City had annexed in 1918. Conrad was working as a repeater attendant in a telegraph office. Living with the three younger people was Harriet's paternal aunt (Emma) Doris Burns, last seen in Snyder County in 1900. She was working as a nurse in a private home.

One of the reasons that Doris may have been living with Harriet and Conrad was that Catherine and Ellsworth's home at 5616 Pratt Avenue was full, what with Helen Ruth, Helen Ruth's first husband Stephen Alben Douglas and Catherine's three nieces, the daughters of her younger sister Cora M Bickhart and Amaziah Ellsworth Alexander. Meanwhile, Bertha and Archie Miller had also arrived in Baltimore. They were living and working with Bertha's sister Anna in the Dunton household, where Anna was the housekeeper, Berta was the cook and Archie handled odd jobs.

In 1924 William Rush Dunton left the Sheppard Pratt to become medical director at Harlem Lodge, a sanitorium for the mentally ill in Catonsville. As part of the move, he and Edna down-sized their household. By 1930, Anna, Berta and Archie had moved in with Harriet, Conrad and their sons at 505 West Allegheny Avenue in Towson. Conrad was working as an automobile salesman. He was, in fact, the only one in the family with a paid job. Doris, still working as a nurse, was boarding with another family in Baltimore City.

I lost track of Berta and Archie Miller after 1930. At some time between 1930 and 1935, Doris moved back in with Harriet and Conrad. So did her sister Keturah - remember her? The hospital seamstress? All three of Harriet Burns Sohn's bachelor aunts were now living with her and Conrad and their sons at 505 West Allegheny. Conrad was still working as an automoble salesman. His and Harriet's older son William was working as a checker of census schedules.

WWII arrived. William enlisted in the US Army 15 Jan 1941. Conrad Sr registered for the draft in 1942, giving his address as 507 rather than 505 Allegheny Avenue, his employer as Industrial Supply Corp and his contact as Harriet.

Nine months after William enlisted, "Sergeant W. Burns Sohn" served as best man in his brother's wedding. Conrad Jr married Mildred Merle "Betty" Cathell in Baltimore on 18 or 25 Oct 1941. (The issue of the Cumberland MD Times published Sunday, 26 Oct 1941, referred to the wedding date as "late Saturday.") Betty was the daughter of May Mabel Gaines and Charles Cathell born 13 May 1920 in Reno District, Preston County, West Virginia.

William himself married twice. His first marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage, to Dorothy Elizabeth Rehberger, took place in Wilmington, Delaware, 11 Aug 1948. Dorothy was the daugher of Helen "Lena" Martin and Dr George Edmond Rehberger. She was born 22 Jul 1914 in Ymir, British Columbia, during what appears to have been a temporary stay by her American parents. She and her younger brother were raised in the States.

William was active in the USAFR and reached the rank of colonel. He died in August 1974. His obituary was published in the Baltimore Sun 27 Agu 1974, but the OCR quality is too poor for me to make out his date of death.

Conrad Sr died four months after his older son on 26 Dec 1974. His wife, Harriet K Burns Sohn, died 22 Dec 1977. Both are buried in the Parkwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in Baltimore.

William's wife Dorothy Elizabeth Rehberger Sohn died 04 May 2003. Her obituary mentions a nephew, the son of her younger brother, but no children.

Conrad Jr died 12 Jan 2011 and Betty, 31 Mar 2013. They were survived by their son Charles, his two children Deborah and Erik and four great- grandchildren. They're buried in the Parkwood Cemetery and Mausoleum.

Harriet's parents, Catherine Bickhart and Ellsworth Lot Burns, are also buried in Parkwood. Ellsworth died 27 Jan 1945 and Catherine, sometime in 1951. However, I don't know what happened to the three bachelor aunts. I do have one possible sighting. Doris E Burns, born in Pennsylvania, arrived in NYC 12 Sep 1955 as a cabin class passenger aboard the SS Independence, which had sailed from Genoa, Italy, 04 Sep 1955. If this was "our" Doris, she would have been almost 84 years old.

Kathryn married Douglas Wigner in the latter part of 1917. Douglas was still single as of 05 Jun 1917, but their first child was born 01 Sep 1918. Douglas was the son of Charlotte and John M Wigner born in Maryland 10 May 1892.

Kathryn and Douglas had two children, John Douglas born 01 Sep 1918 and Albert Donald born 11 Oct 1920.

Kathryn, Douglas and young John Douglas were enumerated twice in the 1920 US Census, once as living next door to Kathryn's parents on Woodbine Road in Towson and once as living with Douglas' parents on Montrose Avenue in Garrison, 23 km southeast of Towson. Both sets of records agreed that Douglas was working as a house carpenter.

By 1930, the family had moved to Debaugh Avenue in Towson. Douglas was still working in the same trade.

Douglas died 07 Aug 1837 at the age of 45. As of 1940, Kathryn and her two sons were living at 613 Debaugh Avenue, the same house they'd lived in, in 1935 and probably in 1930 as well. Kathryn was working as a laundress for a private school. John Douglas was working in sheet metal, and Albert Donald was operating a drill press for Black & Decker.

John Douglas married Bernice Josephine Mather in Baltimore 02 May 1942. Bernice, born in Baltimore in or about 1921, was the daughter of Rose and Warner Mather. She and John Douglas had two children before they divorced in Lancaster County, Virginia, 24 Aug 1954. One of the two children was John Douglas Jr, born in or around 1944. He married Brenda Jean Bussells in Weems, Lancaster County, Virgina 19 Jun 1965. Brenda Jean was born in Sedalia, Missouri, in or around 1946, the daughter of Ianthia Ashburn and Chatham P Busselles.

Kathryn had remarried by August 1959, her second husband being James L Hoffman. I know this because on 16 Aug 1959, the Baltimore Sun published an announcement of the marriage of "Mrs. John W. Moore, of Towson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William V. Betts, of Woodbury, N.J., to Mr. A. Donald Wigner, son of Mrs. James L. Hoffman."

"Mrs. John W. Moore" was Betty Betts Moore, born 19 May 1919 in Wilmington, Delaware. Her parents were Bessie Cannon and William Viney Betts. She had a son from her first marriage, John C Moore, to whom Albert Donald became a devoted stepfather.

Kathryn A Sohn Wigner Hoffman died 25 Dec 1978. At the time she was living in Lake Park, Florida. This makes me wonder if her second husband was the James L Hoffmann born 12 Jun 1894 who died 11 years later in Lake Park 31 Dec 1989. At the time of Kathryn's death, her sister Lula Sohn Tennant was also living in Lake Park. Her other sister, Harriet Sohn Brookhart, was living in Towson, as was her son John Douglas. Albert Donald was living nearby in Timonium, MD. She was also survived by two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

John Douglas Wigner died 25 Aug 1985. His second wife, Nina A Wigner born 23 Nov 1922, died nine months later on 17 May 1986. Both are buried at the Prospect Hill Park Cemetery in Towson.

Albert Donald Wigner died 12 Sep 1999. Betty Betts Moore Wigner died 03 Jun 2011.

Lula married James Joseph Tennant by January 1941. I can't find either of them in the 1940 US Census, but they arrived in NYC 10 Mar 1941 aboard the SS Argentina, which had sailed from New York 24 Jan 1941. Honeymoon cruise?

James Joseph was the son of Irish immigrants Margaret and Joseph Tennant born 15 Oct 1889 in Powderly, Kentucky. The family had moved to Linton, Green County, Indiana, by 1910. James Joseph was living there as of 26 May 1918 when he enlisted as a private in the US Army. I'm fairly sure that he's the James Tenant born in Kentucky in "1892" to Irish parents who was boarding in Dundalk, Baltimore County, and working as a house carpenter in 1930.

On the passenger manifest of the SS Argentina, Lula and James Joseph gave their address as 3500 Parkside Drive, Baltimore, but as I said, I couldn't find them in the 1940 US Census. By 1942 they were living at 721 Hillen Road in Towson.

Lula and James Joseph had a son, also named James. James Joseph died 29 Sep 1966. At the time he and Lula were living in Lake Park, Palm Beach County, Florida. According to his obituary in the Palm Beach Post, he was survived by his son, who was living in Fort Lauderdale. Lula died in Lake Park 31 Dec 1987. Her obituary in the Palm Beach Post doesn't mention her son.

Harriet married Chester E Brookhart sometimes between 1930 and 1935. Chester was the son of Lida L and James William Brookhart born in Maryland 20 Jan 1911. I can't find Harriet in the 1930 US Census, but I can definitely find Chester, who was enumerated as being single and living with his parents.

As of 1935, the family was living in Baltimore. By 1940, they were living at 6322 Sherwood Road in Towson. Chester Sr was working as a labourer for a tunnel construction company.

Chester Sr died in June 1976. He was living in Parkville, Maryland, at the time. Harriet died 29 Feb 2000. Both are buried in the Good Will Cemetery in Rutledge, Harford County, Maryland.

Chester Jr married Elizabeth N Bange, the daughter of Bernice Hanson and Harry Nathan Bange born in Maryland 12 May 1934. He died 26 Aug 2004, survived by his wife, a son, a daughter, four grandchildren and his two siblings, Mary Lida and James W.

Mary Lida died 10 Jun 2013. She was survived by her sister-in-law Elizabeth N and her brother James W.

Home

Comments and Questions

In memory of Janet A Werner, 1931-2015