Ancestor Sketch – Erdman Max Hopfe

52 Ancestors – Week 2018-28
Hopfe-Bauer Project
By Don Taylor

Hopfe-Bauer 2018 – Ancestor #04

List of Grandparents

• Grandfather: Erdman Max Hopfe
• 1^st Great-grandfather: Franz Hopfe

Erdman Max Hopfe (1887-1926)

Immigrant Ancestor

Max[i] Hopfe was born in Rudolstade, Germany to Franz and Hedwig (Hohl) Hopfe on 26 April 1887. Rudolstadt is a town in the German district (Kreis) of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt in the state of Thuringia, Germany. Today, Rudolstade has a population of about 22,000.

Childhood

Nothing is known of Max’s childhood. He has a younger brother, whose name was either Casper or Oscar (or maybe he had two brothers), but nothing is known about any other siblings. When Max was 19 years-old, he emigrated to the United States arriving in New York in 1906.

Max established himself in New York working as a butcher and in 1912 he was living at 227 89^th in Brooklyn. The building he lived in at that time is long gone. A new building replaced his building in 1960.[ii]

Marriage

On 18 May 1911, Max and Henriette Wilhiminea Futterer acquired a marriage license and married the same day. (License Number 13285 & Marriage Certificate Number 11538)

Children of Max & Henriette Hopfe

Adulthood

In 1915, New York held a state census. Max, Henrietta and their first child, Walter, were living at 314 Central Ave. Living with them was Max’s brother, Oscar. Again, the building they lived in no longer exists and was replaced sometime in the 1960s.

Tenements at Park Avenue and 107th Street, New York City, circa 1900 (Via Wikipedia)

In 1917, Max registered for the draft. His draft registration is one of the few documents which provides his first name. His physical description is provided as tall, slender, with blue eyes and black hair. Max is working as a grocer and still lives on Central Ave.

By 1920, Max and Henrietta moved to 79 Ave A. It appears that Ave A was renamed to Albemarle and is now the location of Public School 230 – Doris L Cohan Elementary.

Travel

In April 1923, Max received a passport and in May 1923 went to Europe to “visit relatives in Germany and Switzerland.” He initially indicated he would be in Europe for six months, but it doesn’t appear that he returned until August 1924.

Ort & Company, Inc

In November 1924, Max established Ort & Company, Inc., a provision business with partners, Ernest Wolff and Christian Mack. The business was at 217 Wyckoff Ave. It was an excellent corner location. The building that Ort & Company were in is gone; today the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council occupies that location in a building that was built in 1931.

Death & Beyond

Max Hopfe died on 2 October 1926. He was buried at the Lutheran Cemetery, in lot 20217 (Map 4) today the cemetery is known as the Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery and is located in Middle Village, Queens County, New York.

Max’s wife Henriette was named the executrix to Max’s estate. His estate was appraised for $31,611 (Gross) and $28,255 (Net), which included $14,000 as a 1/3 interest in the business property at 217 Wyckoff Ave. (Ort & Company, Inc.).

Future Actions:

• Contact Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery and get internment location information.
• Visit a Family History Center and get a copy of the Death Certificate for Max Hopfe, Certificate Number 19938. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95V-HVD8
• Search further for records of the Hopfe family in Thuringia, Germany. See: How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Thuringia, Germany.

Sources

1. New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924, Family Search, S.S. Hansa – 1 Sep 1924 – Max Hopfe. Accessed 10 November 2016. https://familysearch.org/ark:/ 61903/1:1:JNCW-74M.
2. United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Family Search, Erdman Max Hopfe . Accessed: 13 November 2016. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXY2-G1Q.
3. 1920 Census, Family Search, Max Hopfed (Hopfe) – Manhattan, New York, New York. Accessed: 13 November 2016. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJYR-FXW.
4. New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949, Family Search, Max Hopfe -. Accessed: 13 November 2016 . https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W5B-LXR.
5. 1915 New York State Census, Ancestry.Com, Max Hope – ED 18, Brooklyn, Kings, New York.
6. U.S. City Directories, 1922-1995, New York City – 1912 – Page 719 – Hopfe. Via Ancestry.Com. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/2469/records/1213920519/.
7. United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925, Family Search, Max Hopfe – 268521. Accessed: 13 November 2016 . https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Y-89J5.
8. 1925-11-21, Page 19 – Column 1, New Corporations. Via Newspapers.com., Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York (Newspapers.com).
9. 1927-10-11, Page 24 – Appraisals – Hopfe, Max. Via Newspapers.Com. https://Newspapers.com., Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York (Newspapers.com).
10. 1New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940, Family Search, Max Hopfe – Hennriette Futterer. Accessed 13 November 2016 . https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2438-7FL.
11. New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866-1937, Ancestry.Com, Max Hopfe & Henriette Futterer – 18 May 1911 – No Image. Ancestry.com. https://search.ancestry.com/ collections/9105/records/2152469/.
12. United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925, Family Search, Max Hopfe – 268521. Accessed: 13 November 2016 . https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Y-89J5.
13. New York, New York, Marriage License Indexes, 1907-1995, Ancestry.Com, Marriage License – Max Hopfe & Henriette Futtnerer. New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; License Number: 13285. https://search.ancestry.com/collections/61406/records/8874500/.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

Endnotes

[i] Only a couple records ever mention his first name of Erdman. Most records only indicate him by Max, which is the name he was known by. I have never found a record which suggests Max is short for Maxwell, Maxamilion or any other “Max” name. I use Max Hopfe throughout this sketch.

[ii] Internet: Zillow – https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/227-E-89th-St-Brooklyn-NY-11236/30766300_zpid/