Researching Ferdinand Lenz

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Don Taylor

Durand Project
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.In researching my (half) Aunt Barbara’s maternal line, I came to her great-grandfather Ferdinand J. Lenz.  I found that trying to sort her Ferdinand Lenz from the others was very difficult. There were three Ferdinand Lenz’s in the 1890s in Chicago. I believe one of them even married a Lena in 1869, so separating the Ferdinands is difficult. I decided to try to differentiate Barbara’s great-grandfather through his immigration and naturalization information.

What I think I know about Ferdinand Lenz:

The 1880 Census indicates Ferdinand and Lena lived in Effingham, Lucas County, Illinois.

The 1900 Census is very helpful. It indicates that Ferdinand was born in March of 1850 and that he and Lena have been married for 30 years. It also indicates he came to the United States in 1862, 38 years before and he had naturalized.

The 1910 Census indicates he came to the US in 1867 and was naturalized. Finally, Ferdinand’s death record indicates he was born on 12 Mar 1850 in Stargard, Germany.

Ferdinand Lenz

  • Born: 12 March 1850 in Germany
  • Immigrated: Between 1862 and 1867.
  • Naturalized: Before 1900.

I have not been successful finding Ferdinand in the 1870 Census.

Family Search

I searched Migration and Naturalization records for Ferdinand Lenz born about 1850 and who immigrated between 1862 and 1867.

Several candidates were eliminated for various reasons. There ended up with two potential candidates.

A Ferdinand Lenz naturalized on 17 Oct 1868, at the Supreme Court of New York County. This Ferdinand lived at 199 East 4th Street and was formerly Prussian.[i] After the Austro-Prussian War, much of what would later be called Germany was part of Prussia. So, this Ferdinand Lenz is a possible candidate. I should confirm that the Ferdinand Lenz who naturalized 17 Oct 1868, at the Supreme Court of New York County is or is not mine.

Next, there was a Ferdinand Lente who was born in Germany and naturalized on 10 May 1892 in the Circuit Court, Cook Co., Ill. Certificate No R-35 P-279 should show for certain. Unfortunately, this record is not available online, yet, and is available only at the Family History Library.  It is film:

Naturalizations, v. 34-35 1892
Film Number: 1024202
DGS Number: 7781542
Page Number: 279 (and associated)

Germans to America indicated three potential candidates, but all were eliminated from my consideration for various reasons.

Ancestry

A search of the records at Ancestry.Com only found the same records I found at Family Search. So, basically, I am at an impasse (brick wall). I have not been successful finding Ferdinand Lenz’s immigration or naturalization records for certain.

I have two tasks.

  1. Determine the best way to find a copy of a Naturalization Record from 1868 at the Supreme Court of New York County. Once determined, attempt to receive a copy of the record.
  2. Add to my “Tasks for the Family History Library” a task to review FHC Film 1024202, Page 279 for the record.

In the meantime, Ferdinand’s death record indicated his father was William Lenz. Next time I work on the Durand Project, I’ll attempt to do a surname study of Lenz in the Chicago area before 1900. Hopefully, I will be able to determine the siblings of Ferdinand and learn more about his parents.

ENDNOTES

[i] New York Naturalization Index (Soundex), 1792-1906,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTW-322L : 15 March 2018), Ferdinand Lenz, 1868; citing , New York, New York, United States, Index to Naturalization Petitions filed in Federal, state and local court in New York, 1792-1906, NARA microfilm publication M1674 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 150; FHL microfilm 1,420,416.

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ThruLines – Part 5 – Samuel Vaden Scott & Amanda Jane Haley

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Don Taylor

ThruLines Thursday
Roberts, Scott
DNA

In Part 5 of my ThruLinestm analysis, I’m looking closely at matches with my 2nd great-grandfather, Samuel Vaden Scott.

UPDATE 25 Jul 2019

Note: A look at Samuel Vaden Scot’s wife, Amanda Jane Haley, show no additional individuals with shared DNA.

Original Post

I was surprised that ThruLines only had one match as a descendant of Samuel Vaden Scott. Samuel had nine children, four with Amanda Jane Haley and five with Lavina Allmend. So, I would have thought there might be more matches. Anyway, Samuel and Amanda had four girls, Clara, Clora, Florence, and Laura. Clora was my great-grandmother and Clara was my match’s great-grandmother, making us 3rd cousins.

DNA Painter’s Shared cM Project 3.0 tool v4 indicates that 3rd cousins should share between 0 and 217cM of DNA with an average being 74cM. The ThruLines match (I’ll call RC) and I share 63cM over 4 segments. So, the proposed relationship fits the amount of DNA shared.

My records for Samuel match RC’s records in birth, marriage, and death.

My records for Clora’s sister Clara included the same birth and marriage data. Although I did not have a death record for Clara, I feel confident that the relationship is correct.

According to RC, Clara had eight children. In my records, I had the names of four of Clara’s children and my four were in agreement with R.C.’s. Then, I noticed that two of Clara’s eight children were born before Clara. R.C. doesn’t maintain her test or tree, so I messaged R.C.’s test manager and tree owner about the error. I also asked R.C.’s test manager about possible photos or other documents regarding Clara, her siblings, her parents or other ancestors that he or R.C. might have that are not online.

If you are a descendant of Samuel Vaden Scott (1863-1931), please consider testing with Ancestry DNA; it is an excellent genealogical resource and can help you broaden your tree too. I’d love to learn how we are related.

All of my ThruLines posts are listed under the ThruLines Thursday category.

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Donna & “Chin Chin” – La Crosse Theatre (La Crosse, WI) – 10 February 1920

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Don Taylor

Donna Montran and “Chin Chin” played the La Crosse Theatre in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, on 10 February 1920

 Vaudeville
Chin Chin

Thanks to my “Donna in the News” alert last January, I learned then that Donna, and the cast of “Chin Chin,” played the La Crosse Theater in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on February 10, 1920. Now, I’ve finally had a chance to further look at that theater and show. Besides those original articles from the 4th, 5th, and 8th, I was able to find additional articles from the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 10th, and 11th.

“Chin Chin” Schedule –

Feb 1-7, 1920 – Minneapolis, MN – Metropolitan Opera House
Feb 8-9, 1920 – Unknown (possible break?)
Feb 10, 1920 – La Crosse, WI – La Crosse Theatre
Feb 11, 1920 – Chippewa Falls, WI – Rex Theatre
Feb 12, 1920 – Eau Claire, WI – Grand Theatre

Advertising

For a one-night show, the advertising for “Chin Chin” was spectacular. Every day there was something in the newspaper from eight days before the show until the day after the show. Promotion for the show began with a notice on February 3rd, that an Eau Claire boy was one of the show leads.  Along with it was a standard “To the General Public” notice from the theater’s manager, F. L. Koppelberger.[i]

Eau Claire Boy in “Chin Chin”

Include ad The music of Ivan Caryll, which serves to illustrate the story of “Chin Chin,” which comes to the La Crosse theater on February 10th, and in which Walter Wills and Roy Binder, an Eau Claire boy, demonstrate their wonderful powers of drollery and skill in dancing. Ethyl Lawrence, as “Violet Bond” the American girls, is a charming little actress, and always succeeds in winning the good graces of the audience. Her rendition of the duet, “Love Moon,” with the aid of George Usher as “Aladdin,” is one of the particular bright spots of the show.

The following day, a photo of the “Pekin Girls” graced the paper[ii] along with a short article and the same announcement from the manager as on the day before.

The remaining advertisements are pretty standard.

Reviews

Rarely is there a review for a show that has played and moved on to another city. However, the La Cross Tribune ran a modest review the day after the show. Although they didn’t mention Donna, they did mention that “those singing the leading parts last night had pleasing voices and encores were numerous.”[iii]

Theater

The La Crosse Theatre opened in 1900,[iv] but its history goes back to the 1860s when there was an opera house at the location. The Sanborn Fire Maps indicate it was an Opera House in 1891, but it appears to have had a very different footprint than the theater had in the 1920s. The early 1900s form for the theater was short lived. The theater was closed in 1927 and a new building, the Hoeschler Building was opened in 1930.

The James Cahn Theater Guide 1922 supplement indicated that the La Crosse theater had a seating capacity of 1,100 all on the ground floor. The stage was 68 feet wide, 36 feet deep, and 32 feet high.

La Crosse Theater – La Cross, WI.
Photo via Cinema Treasures uploaded by Ken Roe.

ENDNOTES

[i] The La Crosse Tribune · Tue, Feb 3, 1920 · Page 4 – Via Newspapers.com.[ii] The La Crosse Tribune · Wed, Feb 4, 1920 · Page 10 – Via Newspapers.com
[iii] The La Crosse Tribune · Wed, Feb 11, 1920 · Page 5
[iv] Cinema Treasures, La Crosse Theatre, La Crosse, WIS https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/57410

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Donna Darling Collection – Part 49

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Don Taylor

La Crosse, Great Falls, & Baby Russell

Treasure Chest Thursday
By Don Taylor

For this week’s Treasure Chest Tuesday, I’m looking at page “DSCN1452” from the Donna Darling Collection, which consists of two newspaper clippings and one photograph.

Donna Darling Revue at the Majestic Theater.

The first clipping is an ad for

VAUDEVILLE
A Dazzling Dance Fantasy.
“THE DONNA DARLING REVUE”
in 5—Scenes—5
With Donna Darling, Sammy Clark and three stars.
In a super song and dance revue with a dash of comedy.

Luckily, Donna wrote on the upper left corner, “La Cross | Dec 4-5.” From Newspaper Archive, I had previously learned that Donna had played at the Majestic Theater in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, on December 4 & 5, 1926.

The second clipping is a bit more problematic. It has a nice photo of Donna and says:

Donna began doing the “Donna Darling Review” with Sammy in April 1926, so the show must have taken place after then. The problem is that the two of them played:

  • The Grand Theater in Great Falls, Montana on Nov 26-27, 1926.
  • The Grand Theater in Macon, Georgia, on March 14-18, 1927.
  • The Grand Theater in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 1-3, 1927.
  • Plus, I have many open dates that she could have played at a “Grand Theater.”

For the clipping in question, other acts on the bill include:

  • Princess Winona.
  • Zehn and Dreis in “Dementus Americanos Habitat North America.”
  • Billy Curtis and Lou Lawrence in “Is That the Custom.”
  • Morell and Elynor (roller skating)
  • The Reginald Denny picture “Rolling Home.”
  • Luckily this bill was short-lived, only about two months. At every showing there was a different picture show. On November 26 & 27, the bill of these vaudeville acts played at the Grand Theater in Great Falls Montana along with the picture “Rolling Home.”  I am confident that this clipping comes from this date and place.

Donna & Russell ca. 1929.

Finally, there is a new photograph of Donna with Russell. Russell appears, to me, to be about two years old. Russell was born in 1927, so I’m fairly sure that the photo come from 1929 or so. This is a case where I wish I knew how to fix photos with Photoshop. I’d love to pluck out the white and have a nicer photo.

Can anyone help?

 

 

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Vigo County Public Library

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Don Taylor

Some time ago, I was researching ancestors who lived in Vigo County, Indiana. While researching, I found the Public Library there had some excellent genealogical resources. I added their website, https://www.vigo.lib.in.us to my bookmarks and promised myself that I’d return.

Of particular interest to me was that their website has marriage records from 1818 through 1958. They also have a database of obituaries from 1900 to present and an obituary lookup service.

When I research, I usually focus on an ancestor and see what records I can find for that ancestor. In this case, I thought I would work backward from my usual process.  I took the Vigo County Public Library site and their databases, then searched to find various individuals I had in my tree who lived there.

Using Family Tree Maker 2017, I went to the Places tab, then selected Vigo County, Indiana. I immediately saw that my tree had 34 individuals associated with that place.  Most were Roberts and Lister but had several Volkers from two of my grand-daughters’ maternal line.

The Vigo County Marriage Record Database has five searchable fields of which you can use one, two, or three at a time. The process was speedy and easy to use. I was able to discover three new marriage records, and one of them was the marriage of Stewart Volkers and Irene Garver, two of my granddaughters’, 2nd great-grandparents on their mother’s side. A great find.

Next, I used a similar process for the obituaries. The “Wabash Valley Obituary Index: 1900 to Present” includes four fields to search with. I used the minimum I could to see if a record existed. For example, when I searched for “Volkers,” I found 28 records. The first names were presented alphabetically, so it was easy to see how many of my known Volkers were there. On more common names, like “Hart” I added the first name to see if any of my known Harts were in their obituaries. Both of my known Harts were there.  I found many obituaries in the Index that were of interest. At this point, I could have ordered all of them through the library for $5.00 per obituary, but I thought it might be more prudent for me to see what might be available with the newspaper and obituary sources I have access to, first. Having the obituary name and year of death makes searching those other sources quick and easy.

Discover you family history through historical newspapers at Newspapers.comNewspapers.Com has several Terre Haute (Vigo County) newspapers from 1900 to 1973. Six of the obituaries of interest were available on Newspapers.Com.

Of particular interest to me is the obituary of Stewart Volkers, the great-grandfather of two of my granddaughters. Altogether, I was able to add 39 new relatives to my tree, thanks to the Vigo County Public Library. That makes for a good day of genealogy.

My foray into the Vigo County Public Library online resources reminded me of the importance to check out the genealogy resources available online at local libraries and local historical societies for places your ancestors lived. They often have a wealth of resources available.

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