Finding information and/or additional ancestors for Chicago Schultz/Wetzel/Hahn ancestors. Any help would be appreciated (German, American)
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My paternal great grandfather's name was Louis C. Schultz. I do not know what the "C" stood for, for certain...possibly "Carl", as his death record states a father's name of "Carl Schultz". The same record states Louis' mother's name was a "Caroline Schultz". I do not know her maiden name. Louis was born possibly in Chicago. Somewhere in Illinois, for certain. One record for Louis said "United States" for father's place of birth, and "Germany" for mother's. Beyond that, I don't know a thing else about Carl or Caroline.
Louis would go on to marry my great grandmother, Ermie Wetzel. She always seemed to go by Ermie and records have her as the same, even though it sounds like it should be a nickname for Ermine or Eunice or something. Ermie had a brother Herbert, an attorney, and I Think their mother's maiden name was "Hahn". This family and I think the Schultz' were originally from the south side of the city. I suspect a "hidden" Jewish lineage from one or more branch...none had jobs that 'typical' working class ethnic Germans took then, settled in the formerly more Jewish southside, and "Schultz" and "Hahn" can very often be Jewish. I found one or more Catholic-related peice of memoribilia in an old chest for Ermie. It is quite possible one part of that lineage was Catholic...and in addition, Jewish converts to Catholicism during that range of time were not very uncommon. Ashkenazi-style talents (skill in mathmatics, language finnesse despite no known ancestors attending higher education) run in the family on that side as well. Do not take that latter-most point for any kind of racism...just some Potential peices of internal evidence.
I am not looking to find any of this out for the novelty of it- I am simply seeking the truth and hoping to find a bit more about my father's side of the family, for both of our sakes. I am not sure how I could repay anyone who would excert any kind of energy aiding me by utilizing their resources, other than give my thanks. Ancestry.com was not very helpful in my case.
I am an amateur by far, but have you tried simply googling names, birthdates and locations, i.e. Smith + 1912 + Chicago? I found a bit of surprising info doing just that. Found a family member featured in a local town history story/website. Found she was married to a guy I never had heard of, lived in a known historical house which is now being restored. Pretty cool for "regular" people!!!! And from that info was able to glean more on Ancestry!!!
My paternal great grandfather's name was Louis C. Schultz. I do not know what the "C" stood for, for certain...possibly "Carl", as his death record states a father's name of "Carl Schultz". The same record states Louis' mother's name was a "Caroline Schultz". I do not know her maiden name. Louis was born possibly in Chicago. Somewhere in Illinois, for certain. One record for Louis said "United States" for father's place of birth, and "Germany" for mother's. Beyond that, I don't know a thing else about Carl or Caroline.
Louis would go on to marry my great grandmother, Ermie Wetzel. She always seemed to go by Ermie and records have her as the same, even though it sounds like it should be a nickname for Ermine or Eunice or something. Ermie had a brother Herbert, an attorney, and I Think their mother's maiden name was "Hahn". This family and I think the Schultz' were originally from the south side of the city. I suspect a "hidden" Jewish lineage from one or more branch...none had jobs that 'typical' working class ethnic Germans took then, settled in the formerly more Jewish southside, and "Schultz" and "Hahn" can very often be Jewish. I found one or more Catholic-related peice of memoribilia in an old chest for Ermie. It is quite possible one part of that lineage was Catholic...and in addition, Jewish converts to Catholicism during that range of time were not very uncommon. Ashkenazi-style talents (skill in mathmatics, language finnesse despite no known ancestors attending higher education) run in the family on that side as well. Do not take that latter-most point for any kind of racism...just some Potential peices of internal evidence.
I am not looking to find any of this out for the novelty of it- I am simply seeking the truth and hoping to find a bit more about my father's side of the family, for both of our sakes. I am not sure how I could repay anyone who would excert any kind of energy aiding me by utilizing their resources, other than give my thanks. Ancestry.com was not very helpful in my case.
Chicago dc for Louis C. SCHULTZ May 28, 1937, born 1871, parents Carl & Caroline, wife Eunice.
1930 census index - Chicago
head Louis C SchultzM59Illinois wife Ermie SchultzF41Illinois son Howard W Schultz M21Illinois
1920 census index - Chicago
self Lewis SchultzM48yIllinois wife Irenie SchultzF31yIllinois son Howard Schultz M11yIllinois
You should look at the original documents for more info & also because there are often errors in the transcribed indices. Find as many original documents as you can, i.e. vital records, census, naturalizations, etc. Work backwards generation by generation.
Thank you both for the advice and the research. I have come across Some of that information in the past on freeware Ancestry and family search, but don't really have the funds to burn on a paid account on Ancestry. I will be sure to utilize the othe resources you have linked to, Dali, and appreciate the care you took in responding. I realised I have neglected to put down birth dates, but you appear to have found the correct individuals (Louis was indeed born in 1871, died in 1937), and that they had a son, my grandfather, Howard.
Thank you both for the advice and the research. I have come across Some of that information in the past on freeware Ancestry and family search, but don't really have the funds to burn on a paid account on Ancestry. I will be sure to utilize the othe resources you have linked to, Dali, and appreciate the care you took in responding. I realised I have neglected to put down birth dates, but you appear to have found the correct individuals (Louis was indeed born in 1871, died in 1937), and that they had a son, my grandfather, Howard.
Thanks again.
Ancestry is available for free on many public library computers, no need to pay for a subscription.
Here are some odds & ends. It looks like Ermie might have been short for Hermine. If she was named after her mother.
In 1920 & 1930 Louis & Ermie's occupations were owner & instructor for dancing academy. (Englewood Dancing Academy)
In 1910 Louis was a butcher. They were living in Chicago household of Ermie's mother & stepfather...Gotfried Scaar a machinist. Her brother Herbert Wetzel also a machinist lived there. Louise & Ermie had been married for 4 years and had 2 year old son Howard.
Ermie's mother- (she married twice)
Illinois death record
Hermina Scaar/Hermina Hahn
died 7 Aug 1936 Chicago, buried Oakwood
born 12 October 1852 Lauenberg, Germany
death age 83, married
Father- Moritz Hahn born Germany
Mother- Hermine Stock born Germany
Husband- Gottfried Scaar
——-----—-----------
Cook County Marriages
Hermine Hahn 28 born Chicago
Ernst Wetzel 24 born Chicago
Married 21 June 1884 Chicago
----
Welhelmine Wetzel 35
Gottfred Scaar 30
Married 21 December 1896 Chicago
-----
Census
1900 Chicago
Gottfred Scaar 31 Germany
Hermine 42 born Germany both parents born Germany, mother of 4 with 2 alive.
Hubert Wetzel 15 stepson
Irma Wetzel 12 stepdaug
George Hahn 14 nephew
---
In 1910 as mentioned previously
In 1920 Chicago as couple
In 1930 Chicago, Hermine 70&"Godfrey" 59, she immigrated looks like 1900, (he 1893 or 1895.)
-----
Birth record for Ermie's brother
Cook County
Herbert Wetzel 15 Jan 1885
Father Ernst Wetzel
Mother Hermine Hahn
Historyfan, you have helped me with some of those tidbits, indeed. I did not know prior to your post that Hermine married twice, after my g g grandfather. All of this rekindles my old suspicions of at least partial Jewish ancestry on my father's side, as I alluded to earlier. Moritz Hahn? Moritz was/is extremely popular among German Jews, as was the surname Hahn. Add to the fact they fit the pattern of migrations to a major American city in the mid-latter 19th century, the peak of German Jewish migrations to the United States? Kind of rocking my world right now, to basically 'discover' a mixed race heritage of some degree...(although, I do acknowledge that even full blooded Ashkenazi Jews are by No means a pure representation of the ancient Hebrew peoples).
The real head scratcher will be going further back on the Schultz side. Thanks Dali, for the mention of library's often coming equipt with Ancestry accounts. Maybe I'll go to my local library one of these days and use it.
-Jonathan
P.S: When I get better at this art of geneology, I am in debt to you all in regards to any help you might require in your own lines.
Have you read the newspaper articles about Prof LC Shultz and wife Ermie's dance academy? They are charming. At that time Englewood was a thriving place.
I will "process of elimination" on all the Louis C Shultz born about same time that lived in area. There are quite a few. I am not certain the death cert with wife Eunice is correct Louis C. Once that is determined then the burial may shed light on religious following. Most of Schultz families found so far appear to be Lutheran.
Moritz and Hahn are both names used extensively in Germany, some may be Jewish, many were not. To ascertain your ancestry you'll need to find lots of original records, i.e. vital records (birth, marriage, death), find old tombstones, etc.
Genealogy is not a quick hobby, and I would suggest not making assumptions from the way a name may sound to you.
There is quite a bit on-line these days. When I started doing genealogy almost 20 years ago it meant spending hours at the archives trolling through reels of microfilm.
Choose one ancestor's line & follow it back generation by generation, looking at as many original records as you can. Don't assume the info in an index is correct, there are always transcription errors.
If your family was from Germany than you should find lots of records, unlike some other countries that did not keep good records. www.familysearch.org has digitized many worldwide records, take a look.
I may have come across a bit wrong earlier. Did not mean to suggest I was basing a whole "idea" off of how one individual's name "sounded"...I suppose you could say it's one of those things where "someone said something about maybe being partially group X" or what have you, and I have been getting curious recently about finding "it"- whether it's confirming or denying. Such comes after a point of gathering much more evidence and making a more objective judgement.
I know little about my dad's dad's dad's side regardless, and look forward to bringing back into the family consciousness the knowledge of it, or more of it anyway. It would be neat at some point to pinpoint an exact where in the German-speaking world they came from.
Thanks again, all.
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