Genealogy Is An Adventure

Tag: Jersey City

  • Katherine “Kate” Bleser Hoefling 1833-1920

    Katherine Bleser also know as Kate was my brother in law’s 2nd Great Grandmother. She was born in March of 1833 in Prussia. We don’t know her maiden name. The first time we met Kate was in the 1870’s federal census in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Kate and my brother in law’s 2nd Great Grandfather, William Bleser owned a grocery store and they had four children. One child was born after 1870.

    All of their children were born in Pennsylvania, most likely in Honesdale.

    • 1. William born August 1859, died 21 March 1925 in Jersey City. He was married to Anna Egan. They had 2 children.
    • 2. Jacob born 1862, died 18 October 1876.
    • 3. Josef born September 1866, died 26 December 1933 Irvington, New Jersey. He was married to Augusta.
    • 4. Catherine E., my brother in law’s Great Grandmother, born 6 Oct 1868, died 30 March 1963 in Jersey City, New Jersey. She was married to Adam Joseph Dittmar Junior. They had 10 children. A picture taken on their 50th anniversary.
    • 5. Catherine born 1873. She was married to Bernard William Vanderminde. They had 2 children.

    Kate’s husband died 31 December 1872 in Honesdale.

    In 1873 Kate applied for a saloon license

    Source: Wayne County Herald

    Honesdale, Pennsylvania • Thu, May 8, 1873Page 3

    By August 1874 Kate was already married to her second husband, as seen in a newspaper notice about her first husband’s estate.

    In 1878 Kate’s daughter Annie Hoefling is born. In 1880 Kate, her husband Adam Hoefling and her son William got into trouble with the law. They did not have a liquor license.

    In 1893 her daughter, Catharine E. Dittmar travelled from Jersey City, New Jersey for a visit and Kate also was selling the grocery store.

    I wonder how long it would have taken her daughter to travel to Honesdale in 1893?

    In 1900, Kate, her husband Adam Hoefling, her widowed daughter, Catherine Bleser Kelleher, her daughter Annie Hoefling and her grandson Edward Kelleher lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. Kate immigrated in 1860 and her husband in 1870 from Prussia.

    In 1910 Kate and Adam lived by themselves. Kate’s immigration year is now 1856 in stead of 1860.

    In the 1915 New Jersey State Census Kate was a widow and lived together with a daughter and a grandson.

    Kate died in April 1920 according to Find A Grave.

    I still have so many questions about Kate. When was her exact birthday, where was she born in Prussia, what was her maiden name, when did she immigrate and who were her parents? I couldn’t find obituaries for her and her husbands. May be in the future I will be able to answer some of these questions.

  • Adamus Josephus Dittmar 1833-1912

    Adamus Joseph Dittmar was my brother in law’s third Grandfather. Adamus is the Latin form of Adam. Adam was born 25 October 1833 in Buttlar, Germany and died 25 November 1912 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents were the farmer, Johanni Adamus Dittmar and Sophia Ezel.

    Adam was the youngest of ten children. Coming from a very tiny village, he probably had no chance of getting a good job besides being a farmer. The oldest son would have inherited the farm. Adam travelled to Bremen, where he boarded the Ammerland to sail to New York. The ship arrived 9 November 1850.

    Adam is on the Ammerland’s manifest as seen above and the arrival is also mentioned in his passport application from 1893.

    Adam stayed in New York City for a little while. He married his wife, Elisabeth Kircher, 5 July 1855. As seen below, Elisabeth was born 9 April 1932 in Buttlar, Germany. Most likely Adam and Elisabeth had met already in their home village.

    OkIn this country Adam was known as A J Dittmar. I found him on a New Jersey tax list in 1864. Is occupation is builder.

    Adam and Elisabeth had together 14 children born from 1856-1877. All of them were born in New Jersey. One of them, Adam J Dittmar Junior was my brother in law’s second Grandfather. 80th

    A J Dittmar was a prominent citizen in Jersey City, New Jersey as you can see from his obituary.

    The Jersey Journal

    Jersey City, New Jersey • Mon, Nov 25, 1912,Page 1

    A J Dittmar had a very busy and successful life.

    My brother in law recently flew to Germany and visited a brewery with the Dittmar name.

    The brewery is only 27, 6 km or 17.14 miles away from Buttlar. It’s very possible that the original owner were somehow related to A J Dittmar.

    Owning a brewery must be in the Dittmar genes. If you are ever in the Seattle area, you can visit Airways Brewing owned by my brother and sister in law Alex and Dione Dittmar.