Immigration Waiting Facility, Baltimore c. 1880. From http://marylandarchivist.blogspot.com/2012/12/immigration-to-and-through-baltimore.html
Karl Louis Wackes (1862-1921)
Karl was the first of the family to emigrate to America. His father died five months before Karl's birth. His older half-brother, Freiderich Christian, died when Karl was two years old. His mother, Maria Theresa, died in 1880 when he was eighteen. Other than his older brother, Ferdinand Oswald, there was really no-one and nothing to keep him in Suhl. Thus, his departure for America in 1884 at the age of twenty-two.
Confirmation Certificate for Karl Louis, 1877, Suhl
While she was alive, his mother, Marie Theresa, evidently had a spiritual influence on Karl. As a recent widow she presented her infant son Karl for baptism at St. Marien's Church, and again, when most boys at the age of fifteen were either already working, or if not, busy at play, she made certain that he attend confirmation classes at the church. He was confirmed at age fifteen.
Karl’s Certificate of Confirmation indicates the following:
• He was born in Suhl on October 15, 1862.
• He was baptized November 9, 1862 in the Hauptkirche (Marienkirche) in Suhl.
• He was confirmed in the same church in Suhl, March 25, 1877 at the age of 15.
Karl meets Emilie Auguste Graf
Karl’s Certificate of Confirmation indicates the following:
• He was born in Suhl on October 15, 1862.
• He was baptized November 9, 1862 in the Hauptkirche (Marienkirche) in Suhl.
• He was confirmed in the same church in Suhl, March 25, 1877 at the age of 15.
Karl meets Emilie Auguste Graf
We do not know where Karl Wackes and Auguste Graf first met.
Their daughter, Rose, reported to her daughter, Florence Hipple, that the Graf family lived in the Black Forest area of SW Germany and that most of the family worked in the Krupp gun factory. If so, they moved from Eisleben (NW Germany) to the Essen area (SW Germany) sometime after Auguste’s birth and baptism. (Source: Florence Hipple (deceased) in account told to Ken Wackes in 1985).
Thus, Karl most likely moved to Essen about 1880 seeking employment and there met Auguste.
Notice that the certificate verifying Auguste's birth and baptism dates was issued in 1884 from St. Annen's Church in Eisleben, either because it was necessary for immigration or for marriage.
Rose also started that her mother and father were married in Baltimore shortly after landing, and that Auguste from that time forward changed her name to "Marie," not wanting the same forenames of her mother, Emilie Augusta Hartmann. Why "Marie"? Perhaps because that was the name of Karl's mother, Marie Theresa Hassler.
Their daughter, Rose, reported to her daughter, Florence Hipple, that the Graf family lived in the Black Forest area of SW Germany and that most of the family worked in the Krupp gun factory. If so, they moved from Eisleben (NW Germany) to the Essen area (SW Germany) sometime after Auguste’s birth and baptism. (Source: Florence Hipple (deceased) in account told to Ken Wackes in 1985).
Thus, Karl most likely moved to Essen about 1880 seeking employment and there met Auguste.
Notice that the certificate verifying Auguste's birth and baptism dates was issued in 1884 from St. Annen's Church in Eisleben, either because it was necessary for immigration or for marriage.
Rose also started that her mother and father were married in Baltimore shortly after landing, and that Auguste from that time forward changed her name to "Marie," not wanting the same forenames of her mother, Emilie Augusta Hartmann. Why "Marie"? Perhaps because that was the name of Karl's mother, Marie Theresa Hassler.
What caused them to emigrate?
Charles and Auguste with infant Emma, Charles II, and Freda, Philadelphia 1890
Did they have relatives who had emigrated earlier? There were other Wackes and Graf individuals in both New York and Baltimore prior to 1884. No links have yet been discovered. And why did Adolph Graf purchase Auguste's ticket to sail on the 'Salier" and not her father, Louis?
And why did they choose Baltimore and not New York? And why settle for crowded city life and not the Midwest as so many other Germans had done?
In 1867, the B&O railroad signed an agreement with the North German Lloyd Steamship Line, allowing passengers to purchase a single ticket that would carry them across the Atlantic and then west by train. The first steamer, the Baltimore, arrived in 1868, carrying passengers and German manufactured goods. It returned to Europe with Maryland tobacco and lumber.
Subsequently the North German Lloyd Steamship Line regularly brought German immigrants from Bremen to Baltimore, where, by 1890, the German population had grown to 41,930 out of the total population of 365,863. By 1900 there were 30 German-language churches. By 1914 Germans comprised 20% of Baltimore's population, and many public schools offered German-English curricula.
Even the minutes of city council minutes were printed in both English and German. (Wikipedia, "History of Germans in Baltimore," at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ History_of_the_ Germans_in_Baltimore)
This perhaps a reason Karl and Auguste decided by 1890 to relate their young family to Philadelphia. Baltimore was too German! Karl discarded his German forename for "Charles," Emilie Auguste adopted the forename "Marie," and the children learned little German. America was their chosen homeland and they were "Americans"!
And why did they choose Baltimore and not New York? And why settle for crowded city life and not the Midwest as so many other Germans had done?
In 1867, the B&O railroad signed an agreement with the North German Lloyd Steamship Line, allowing passengers to purchase a single ticket that would carry them across the Atlantic and then west by train. The first steamer, the Baltimore, arrived in 1868, carrying passengers and German manufactured goods. It returned to Europe with Maryland tobacco and lumber.
Subsequently the North German Lloyd Steamship Line regularly brought German immigrants from Bremen to Baltimore, where, by 1890, the German population had grown to 41,930 out of the total population of 365,863. By 1900 there were 30 German-language churches. By 1914 Germans comprised 20% of Baltimore's population, and many public schools offered German-English curricula.
Even the minutes of city council minutes were printed in both English and German. (Wikipedia, "History of Germans in Baltimore," at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ History_of_the_ Germans_in_Baltimore)
This perhaps a reason Karl and Auguste decided by 1890 to relate their young family to Philadelphia. Baltimore was too German! Karl discarded his German forename for "Charles," Emilie Auguste adopted the forename "Marie," and the children learned little German. America was their chosen homeland and they were "Americans"!
Years 1884-1903: Baltimore to Philadelphia
Freda Wackes, age 19
The Freda Question:
Why Karl (now "Charles") and Emilie Auguste (now "Marie") emigrated to America takes on more than a rhetorical nature when evaluating the birth date of their first child, Freda, born in May 1885. They purchased their tickets for the "Salier" in August 1884 (copies of which I have). Auguste traveled to Baltimore on the same ship as Karl, according to their daughter Freda’s account, as passed on to her daughter Elsie. This is validated by the the North German Lloyd Steamship Line's list of passengers, listing both "Carl Wacker (misspelling), age 22" and "Auguste Graf, age 21" disembarking at Locust Point, Baltimore from the “Salier” on November 5, 1884.
(See "Baltimore Passengers List," 1820-1964: http://interactive.ancestry.com/ 8679/mdm255_39-0434/1061902?backurl=http:// person.ancestry. com/tree/83896650/person/30491341065/facts#?imageId=mdm255_39-0434)
If they married immediately and if Auguste conceived immediately, Freda would have been born in Auguste's seventh month of pregnancy. Or, was Auguste pregnant before she embarked from Bremen? We already have noted the report from their daughter Rose that they married in Baltimore. If it was a normal nine-month pregnancy, Auguste would have conceived two months prior to sailing (and prior to her marriage to Karl) and her pregnancy would have been evident prior to her departure. A conception in late August or early September 1884 lines up perfectly with Freda’s birth in May 1885 in the ninth month of Auguste's pregnancy. Charles, Jr. was born in March 1887.
Why Karl (now "Charles") and Emilie Auguste (now "Marie") emigrated to America takes on more than a rhetorical nature when evaluating the birth date of their first child, Freda, born in May 1885. They purchased their tickets for the "Salier" in August 1884 (copies of which I have). Auguste traveled to Baltimore on the same ship as Karl, according to their daughter Freda’s account, as passed on to her daughter Elsie. This is validated by the the North German Lloyd Steamship Line's list of passengers, listing both "Carl Wacker (misspelling), age 22" and "Auguste Graf, age 21" disembarking at Locust Point, Baltimore from the “Salier” on November 5, 1884.
(See "Baltimore Passengers List," 1820-1964: http://interactive.ancestry.com/ 8679/mdm255_39-0434/1061902?backurl=http:// person.ancestry. com/tree/83896650/person/30491341065/facts#?imageId=mdm255_39-0434)
If they married immediately and if Auguste conceived immediately, Freda would have been born in Auguste's seventh month of pregnancy. Or, was Auguste pregnant before she embarked from Bremen? We already have noted the report from their daughter Rose that they married in Baltimore. If it was a normal nine-month pregnancy, Auguste would have conceived two months prior to sailing (and prior to her marriage to Karl) and her pregnancy would have been evident prior to her departure. A conception in late August or early September 1884 lines up perfectly with Freda’s birth in May 1885 in the ninth month of Auguste's pregnancy. Charles, Jr. was born in March 1887.
Charlie Wackes, age 18
It was reported by his daughter, Rose, and she to her daughter, Florence Hipple, that Karl did not like the city of Baltimore nor the living or housing conditions. Baltimore was not where they wanted to raise their children and years later related to their children that they did not like the atmosphere in Baltimore.
There was a large German community in Baltimore and in that community there were others with the surname Wackes. Robert Wackes, four years younger than Charles, emigrated to Baltimore in 1883, a year before Charles. He and his wife, Minnie, lived in Sparrows Point Town, Baltimore. Hugo, age 21, a nephew of Robert, is listed also in the 1900 Census.
However, Baltimore memories would linger on in several ways. Freda and Charlie were both born in Baltimore and from the photos on this page one can see how handsome they were! Charles and Marie evidently acquired the Baltimore twang as they learned to speak English, and passed it on to at least Charlie. He washed his hands, he would say, in the "zink," and watched the smoke go up the "chlmly ."
Karl moved his family to 432 Dufor Street in Philadelphia in 1890. The first year his name appears in the Philadelphia registry is 1893. Later he bought the row house next door and combined both houses into one. This is confirmed by his address in the 1903 city directory listed as 432-442 Dufor Street. Karl's children attended the John H. Packard School.
There was a large German community in Baltimore and in that community there were others with the surname Wackes. Robert Wackes, four years younger than Charles, emigrated to Baltimore in 1883, a year before Charles. He and his wife, Minnie, lived in Sparrows Point Town, Baltimore. Hugo, age 21, a nephew of Robert, is listed also in the 1900 Census.
However, Baltimore memories would linger on in several ways. Freda and Charlie were both born in Baltimore and from the photos on this page one can see how handsome they were! Charles and Marie evidently acquired the Baltimore twang as they learned to speak English, and passed it on to at least Charlie. He washed his hands, he would say, in the "zink," and watched the smoke go up the "chlmly ."
Karl moved his family to 432 Dufor Street in Philadelphia in 1890. The first year his name appears in the Philadelphia registry is 1893. Later he bought the row house next door and combined both houses into one. This is confirmed by his address in the 1903 city directory listed as 432-442 Dufor Street. Karl's children attended the John H. Packard School.
Karl's vocational changes
We do not know what his vocation was in Baltimore 1884-1889. But In the 1900 U.S. census Karl's vocation Philadelphia is listed as "metal worker," which may mean that while a youth in Suhl he worked in the primary industry of either gun making or metal working. That may account for how he met Marie. Her family reportedly worked at the Krupp gun factory in Essen. Karl may have moved to Essen to seek employment with Krupp. And Bremen, from where they booked passage on the "Salier," is just to the north of Essen.
From 1903 through 1906 Karl’s occupation is listed in the Philadelphia directory as “spinner”.
In 1906 the purchase of a property at Cambridge and 28th Streets SW corner was noted in the Philadelphia Inquirer May 17, 1906. Charles purchased the property from Fredrick E. Urechert on May 14, 1906 for $4,000. The property size was 148’ x 85.7 1/8. The three-story building of about 38,184 square feet (see below) housed the dairy store as well as an entrance and living space on the first floor, and the upper floors entirely for family. This was twenty-two years after his arrival in America. That was a sizable building and sizable price! Using the Consumer Price Index for 1906 and 2016, the price paid by Karl was about $110,00.00. To build a comparable building today at $25 per sq ft would be well in excess of $500,000.00. The Ford Model N sold for $500..00 in 1906.
In 1909 the directory lists his occupation as “Milk” and his address as 2800 Cambridge Street.
In 1909 Charles, Jr. is also listed in the directory, and both father and son are listed in a third line of the registry as, “Charles L. Wackes and Son, Milk.” Charles, Jr. (Charlie) in 1907 had married Annie Ahrens, the daughter of one of his customers. A separate residence is not listed for Charlie and Annie until 1910.
(Run cursor over images below for captions.)
From 1903 through 1906 Karl’s occupation is listed in the Philadelphia directory as “spinner”.
In 1906 the purchase of a property at Cambridge and 28th Streets SW corner was noted in the Philadelphia Inquirer May 17, 1906. Charles purchased the property from Fredrick E. Urechert on May 14, 1906 for $4,000. The property size was 148’ x 85.7 1/8. The three-story building of about 38,184 square feet (see below) housed the dairy store as well as an entrance and living space on the first floor, and the upper floors entirely for family. This was twenty-two years after his arrival in America. That was a sizable building and sizable price! Using the Consumer Price Index for 1906 and 2016, the price paid by Karl was about $110,00.00. To build a comparable building today at $25 per sq ft would be well in excess of $500,000.00. The Ford Model N sold for $500..00 in 1906.
In 1909 the directory lists his occupation as “Milk” and his address as 2800 Cambridge Street.
In 1909 Charles, Jr. is also listed in the directory, and both father and son are listed in a third line of the registry as, “Charles L. Wackes and Son, Milk.” Charles, Jr. (Charlie) in 1907 had married Annie Ahrens, the daughter of one of his customers. A separate residence is not listed for Charlie and Annie until 1910.
(Run cursor over images below for captions.)
The 1910 directory lists Charles, Jr.’s address as 3010 N. 4th Street. The listings for father and son remain the same as in 1910 until the 1913 directory when the listing changes. Charles, Jr. is now listed as “Driver” and his address is 1738 N. Hollywood Street. In 1914 Charles, Jr.’s address changes to 1743 N. Hollywood Street. In the 1915 directory Charles, Jr.’s name is not listed again until the 1919 and 1920 directories, when it reappears and reads, “Charles L. Wackes, 2800 Cambridge Street; Charles L. Wackes, Jr., Milk, 2724 Master Street.” By this time all of the six children of Charles, Jr. and Annie Wackes (nee Ahrens) were born. The youngest, Paul George, was born in 1918.
In 1921 Charles, Sr. disappears from the registry and is replaced by his wife, “Augusta, Widow of Charles: 2800 Cambridge Street.” Charles, Jr. is listed as “Foreman, 2842 Master Street.” A new name appears: Gustave, Charles’ younger brother. He is listed as “Driver” and his residence is the same as his mother, Auguste.
In the 1923 listing is found: Chas. L. Jr., Foreman, 2842 Cambridge Street; Gustave, Milk, 1327 N. Marston Street; Marie (Widow of Gustave), 2626 N. Wendel Street. Does this mean that Marie sold the store at 2800 and Charles, Jr. moved to 2842? Or did he use 2842 for horses and wagons?
In 1921 Charles, Sr. disappears from the registry and is replaced by his wife, “Augusta, Widow of Charles: 2800 Cambridge Street.” Charles, Jr. is listed as “Foreman, 2842 Master Street.” A new name appears: Gustave, Charles’ younger brother. He is listed as “Driver” and his residence is the same as his mother, Auguste.
In the 1923 listing is found: Chas. L. Jr., Foreman, 2842 Cambridge Street; Gustave, Milk, 1327 N. Marston Street; Marie (Widow of Gustave), 2626 N. Wendel Street. Does this mean that Marie sold the store at 2800 and Charles, Jr. moved to 2842? Or did he use 2842 for horses and wagons?