52 Ancestors: Family Legend

This week’s blog prompt is Family Legend.  When I first learned of this prompt, several legends came to mind.  However, after spending some time researching them I am really no farther along than I was when I first started trying to prove (or disprove) these two legends in my husband’s tree.

First – Dave Crockett.  Early on my husband heard that somehow he was related on his mother’s side to Davy Crockett.  And, of course, I’ve heard that for many, many years but have yet to prove it. 

Davy Crockett, photo courtesy of Wikepedia

Years ago I put together a basic family tree for Davy Crockett on Ancestry, hoping that I could somehow link that tree to my husband’s tree and find the connection.  Unfortunately, that never happened – and it still hasn’t.  There are several men in “our” tree with the middle name of Crockett so that makes me suspect that, indeed, it somehow links back to “the” Davy Crockett but I can’t be sure.

My best guess is that somehow it links back to his 2x great grandmother, Mildred Elizabeth Ballard (1842-1902).  She married James Mace (1831-1905) in about 1856.  They had many children, one of which was my husband’s great grandmother, Mildred Elizabeth Mace.  Another was David Crockett Mace (1865-1933).  While Mildred Elizabeth (Ballard) Mace could be the missing link, she also just might have admired Davy Crockett and gave her son the same name.  Or, maybe her mother’s name was Crockett?  I’m about 99% sure that her mother’s name was Elizabeth and Davy Crockett had a daughter named Elizabeth, but the dates don’t seem to add up.

So I’m at a stalemate for now and will pledge to keep going.

Second – Johann Strauss.  Family legend says that on his father’s side he is related to Johann Strauss (1804-1849), the famous composer.  Again, I’m no farther along proving it than I was when I woke up this morning.

Johann Strauss, photo courtesy of Wikipedia

My husband’s great grandmother’s name was Anna Strauss, so the connection could make sense.  Her father was Jacob Strauss, born 1822, so maybe that’s the connection.  I’m fairly certain that Jacob’s father was Johann Jacob Strauss but I have no record of the year of his birth or death.  So was that the connection?  From what I know, “our” Strausses were born in Baden, Germany while “the” Johann Strauss was born in Leopoldstadt (now Vienna) so somehow I’d have to connect back to that.  I don’t have much experience researching in Europe so I need to add this to my list. 

So I have another pledge to make – find the connection to Johann Strauss.

Okay, I have one family legend in my own family, but it is very distant and no way to ever prove.  Our next door neighbor growing up was Mary K.  We lived next door for many years and were friends all through our school years, even going with each other on family vacations.  Legend had it that Mary was the 6th cousin of Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens), the beloved author. 

Remember back in the day when you would prick your finger and exchange your blood with a friend in order to become blood sisters or brothers?  Yes, I know we wouldn’t dream of doing that today but those were much different times.  One day Mary and I got brave, pricked our fingers, and exchanged our blood.  So that would make me the 6th blood cousin of Mark Twain!

Mark Twain, photo courtesy of Wikepedia

So those are my family legends.  None of them proven…..but none of them disproven, either.

52 Ancestors: Youngest

This week’s blog prompt is Youngest.  I had quite a few youngest siblings to choose from but since I didn’t know much about my great grandmother’s youngest brother, Colman Schwartz, and he was such a cutie, I decided to focus on him.

Written on back of photo:

From Colman Schwartz

Age 5 years, 4 months

to

Uncle Meyer A. Steen

Feb 6th, 1890

Colman Schwartz, the youngest child of Rebecca (Steen) and Louis Schwartz, was born in Santa Cruz 21 Sep 1884.  Not only was he the youngest living child, he was also the last (of eight) children born to the couple, only four of whom lived into adulthood.

Colman’s father, Louis Schwartz, died when Colman was not quite 9 years old.  It seems that his mother, Rebecca, traveled to Oakland and lived there for many years.

Colman Schwartz, 1896, age 12

From the Santa Cruz Evening Sentinel, 15 Jun 1897, page 3.



I know that Colman graduated from high school in Oakland, probably in about 1902.   From the Santa Cruz Evening Sentinel (26 Apr 1902, page 1) it appears that he did, in fact, attend Oakland High School, although I was unable to find his name in the list of attendees.



I also learned from The Santa Cruz Sentinel, 15 Dec 1907 page 10, that Colman was a monologist.  What?  That was a new term for me so once again, Google to the rescue.  From Wikipedia: “A monologist is a solo artist who recites or gives dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry, or work of literature.”  Interesting.  Sounds like he might have been a crowd favorite.



Colman graduated (I believe in 1911) from Hastings Law School, University of California, San Francisco.  He went on to practice law in Oakland and San Francisco until his death.

I first wrote about Colman when I found my grandmother’s (and Colman’s niece) scrapbook back in 2012.  Colman was married to Selma Lavenson on 25 Apr 1914 in Sacramento.  You can read about the wedding from the eyes of my grandmother who was just 18 years old at the time HERE. 

Colman and Selma had three children:  Colman born 26 May 1915 in Sacramento; Flora Jean born 31 Jan 1917 in Alameda; and Milton Lewis born 20 Jan 1920 in Alameda.  

From various San Francisco and Oakland City Directories, I learned that Colman spent some time working at the Kohl Building, a building that is a San Francisco landmark (#161) located at 400 Montgomery Street.  He was associated with Grover O’Connor and the firm was known as O’Connor & Schwartz.  He and Selma lived at 301 Perkins in Oakland.

Colman’s life was cut short when he died 25 Sep 1920, just 4 days after his 36th birthday.

San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Sep 1920, Page 2

What I found interesting was an obituary printed in the Santa Cruz Evening News on page 9, 28 Sep 1920.  Looks like the newspaper made a HUGE error in reporting that Milton had died when, in fact, it was his brother, Colman.  I wonder how many people were stunned the next time they saw Milton walking down the street.

Colman is buried in Home of Eternity Cemetery, Oakland, alongside his parents and young brother, Marks, who died before he was born.



It was a rough couple of years for the Schwartz family as Rebecca died in 1918, brother Joseph in 1919, and Colman in 1920.  Selma never remarried and lived until 1979.

52 Ancestors: Oldest

This week’s blog prompt is Oldest.  I decided to focus on Gustave George Gunzendorfer, the oldest brother/sibling of my great grandfather, Abraham Gunzendorfer.  Also, Gustave George was the first in the Gunzendorfer family to be born in the United States.

Gustave George Gunzendorfer, Jones Lotz Photographer, date unknown

Gustave was born 26 Sep 1864 in Monterey.  I know that his father, Ferdinand, arrived in New York on 11 Aug 1854, was settled in Monterey by 1860, and in 1863 was married to Fannie Goldstein.  So 12 to 18 months after they were married, they had started their family.

1870 and 1880 found the family in Gilroy, California.  Based on the ages of the four boys in this photo, I suspect this was their home in Gilroy.

Jacob, Adolph, Gustave, Abraham Gunzendorfer

Of course we have no record of the family in 1890 - once again, I want to curse over that darned census.  In 1900, Gustave was living at 772 Haight Street in San Francisco with his wife Minnie (Dauterman), brother-in-law William Dauterman, and nephew Randolph Stout.  They were renting the home and it states that Gustave and Minnie had been married for 13 years.  But no record of that marriage has been found.  Gustave was an attorney and had been admitted into practice in California on 10 Jun 1886 after attending Hastings.  His bar # was 3292.

In 1900, Gustave and his brothers, as well as brother Jacob’s father-in-law Julius Steinberger, formed a new corporation, Transpacific Commercial Company.

San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Aug 1900, page 18

In 1910, Gustave and Minnie were living on El Monte Avenue in Fremont.  The census shows Gustave was not a veteran and that he owned the farm.  FARM?  It looks like most of the residences in the area were listed as farms although I doubt that Gustave would come home from working as a successful attorney and then spending time on the farm.  Would he?

In 1920, Gustave and Minnie were lodgers at a residence at 745 Pine Street, San Francisco.  Now that’s interesting. 

Interesting because while Gustave and Minnie were together in 1923 and living at 2045 Hyde in San Francisco, things seemed to have changed by 1924.

The San Bernardino County Sun, Fri, Feb 1, 1924, page 2

He owed her money?  I’m almost certain that this was about the time the two divorced because by 1925, Gustave was now going by his middle name of George and was practicing law in Reno, Nevada.

Reno City Directory, 1925, page 41

My hunch is that the divorce was ‘messy’ as somewhere along the line Minnie returned to using her maiden name of Dauterman, which I doubt was a common thing to do 100 years ago.  Did Gustave escape California and somewhat ‘change’ his identify from Gustave to George?

On 15 Aug 1927, George married Katherine Lord Shuster Flesh, who had previously been married to Joel Flesh.  How did they meet?  Had Katherine moved to Reno and George represented her in a divorce or death of her husband.

Uh-oh.

Beaver County News, 7 Sep 1928, page 5

In 1930, George and Katherine were living at 543 Marsh Avenue in Reno.  They stated they rented the home for $75 and had a radio.  It looks like they remained at that address until George’s death on 21 Aug 1939 in Reno.

Nevada State Journal, 25 Aug 1939, page 12

What I find very interesting is that the obituary refers to a host of ‘friends’ but does not mention family.  And when reviewing the list of Pallbearers and Honorary pallbearers, there’s not a Gunzendorfer to be found.  With three brothers, two of whom were still living at the time, you’d think there would at least be one Gunzendorfer listed.  Maybe he had become estranged from his family?

I wrote about finding George’s grave in Reno as one of my top 10 genealogical finds in 2012 HERE.

And just a few months later, I found myself in Reno and was able to pay my respects to George and Katherine.

Katherine died in Pennsylvania 23 Apr 1957 and her remains were brought back to Reno to rest in peace with George.

Minnie Dauterman died 29 Aug 1946 in San Mateo.  After a thorough search by the San Francisco Public Library (a GREAT resource for obituaries for deaths occurring in/near San Francisco), no obituary or burial site was found.

I hope one day to find more details about the mysterious last years of Gustave George Gunzendorfer’s life.