Thursday, June 30, 2016

Lenora Flach

Could be Ida, Clementine and Lenora Flach





Lenora Flach was born on 5 March 1858 to Frederick Flach and Cattherine Halte in St Louis, Missouri. Both of Lenora's parents are listed as having been born in Germany. She married John Louis Botticher and they had one daughter, Lenora Helen Botticher. Lenora Botticher was born on 29 May 188 in St Louis. John's parents were George H L Botticher and Alvina Koenig.

In 1880, she is living with her sister Ida and her brother-in-law Gustav Orth.

Lenora Helen Flach was a teacher before she married John Botticher.   She taught third grade at Laclede Elementary School from 1880-1885 (maybe longer) (Source: Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Public Schools)
See photo and a bit of school history here


John Botticher was the son of George Louis and Alvina Koenig Botticher. No record of their marriage has been found, but the 1900 census states that they have been married 14 years.  The same census also said that Lenora had two children, but only one was living.

The 1910 census says that they both grew up speaking German at home (listed as Mother tongue).  They live at 3906 Russell Ave.

 Lenora Helen Flach Botticher died on November 1, 1913. She was buried in New St Marcus Cemetery on November 4th.



John is living at 4044A Flad Ave and working as an inspector for the street department.  His daughter is living with him and working as a teacher.

John Louis Botticher died on July 9, 1916.  John Botticher is buried in New St Marcus Cemetery.

Monday, June 13, 2016

The Flach Family during and after the Civil War*

St Louis 1872 Photo credit: See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Link



In 1860, Catherine (age 41)was living in Ward 1 of St Louis with her children: Wilhelm (William), Adelheid (Adeline), Fred, Ida, Mathilda, Clemete (Clementine), Georg (George), Laura and Lenora. She is living next door to Adam Halter who is 34.

Laura Flach (Lenora Flach's twin sister) died on February 9, 1861

In 1865, the family lives at 226 S Seventh Street.

In 1870, she is living in Ward 4 of St Louis with William, Magdalene, Clementine and Helen. She is listed as having $5,000 in real estate and $400 in personal property. She lives next door to her daughter Ida and Ida's husband Gustav Orth. Orth is listed as a retail grocer.

Catherine Halter Flach was living at 810 6th Street when she died on November 8, 1872. She is buried in Gatewood Gardens Cemetery in St Louis.

Probate for her estate was opened on November 27, 1872. Her probate record is more than 100 pages longs and includes six lots that she owned that bordered Pontiac Street and California Ave. I think it is safe to say that Catherine was a very capable business woman. After the death of her husband, she might have been expected to take in boarders to make ends meet, but there is no evidence that she ever did this. She purchased the property on California Avenue in 1864.

Lots that Catherine Halter Flach owned

Signatures from estate files



Children:
• William (1840-1872)
• Adeline E. (1841-1924) marries William Hall Teaby on September 6, 1866 in St Louis. They later move to California.
• Frederick B (1844-1882) marries Sarah Russell on April 27, 1870 in Madison County, Missouri.
• Ida (1846-1936) marries Gustave Orth on November 23, 1865 in St Louis.
• Charles (1848-1855), no additonal information
• Matilda Magdelina (1852-1927) marries James Madison Cummings. No marriage record found, but the couple moved to California.
• Clemetine (1852-1926) Marries Frank R. Meyer on November 21, 1877 in St Louis.
• George (1855-1932) He never marries, He works as a foreman in a lead mill. His sister-in-law, Sarah Russell Flach and her daughter live with with him after her husband, Frederick Flach, died.
• Lenora Helen (1858-1913) twin to Laura, Marries John Louis Botticher
• Laura Flach (1858-1861) twin to Lenora, died on February 9, 1861




Wednesday, June 1, 2016

St Louis in the CIvil War

View of Saint Louis (Source: Library of Congress)



"The Convention (Missouri State Convention 1861) was fully informed how matters stood in St Louis for on the 20th of March Isidore Bush stated on behalf of the thousands of German citizens whom I have the honor to represent that should a conflict be inevitable your German fellow citizens will stand by the Government and by the Union." (Source: The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861: An Historical Sketch, Robert Julius Rombauer, p 172)


Arsenal at St Louis  Link

Camp Jackson  Link

The secessionist element was in the majority in practically all parts of the interior of the State. St Louis was an exception. This determined the then Governor Claiborne F Jackson, a sympathizer with the slave owners, to strike a blow to capture St Louis, as this would put him in possession of the St Louis arsenal. The first step of the secessionists in this direction was the erection of Camp Jackson.
Camp Jackson
This plan was frustrated through the vigilance of General Nathaniel Lyon who had but recently been transferred from Fort Riley to St Louis, in command of the small garrison holding the arsenal. The officers in command of the first four regiments on the side of the Union were among the members of the St Louis Turn Union, located at Tenth street between Market and Walnut streets. Four companies of Turners had assembled early in the night at the St Louis arsenal and placed themselves at the disposition of General Lyon. A constant stream of German volunteers added to the regiments and were provided with arms by the commander. There were approximately 800 men, of whom nine tenths were of direct German descent. This was the situation on May 10, 1861. A council of war was held by General Lyon Blair Sigel and the others and General Lyon decided to anticipate the rebels by striking a blow before the opposition was ready to act.

The volunteers were assigned to their posts during the night. By 10 o'clock the next morning, Camp Jackson was surrounded and General Lyon demanded its surrender. Seeing no way out, all the hate and rage of the rebels turned against the loyal Germans. As they were being marched to the arsenal, as prisoners street riots broke out at many places along the line, and the Germans were assailed on every hand with cries of dirty Dutch and other insulting names. (Source: Issues and Events, Volume 8, Vital Issue Company, 1918, p. 312)

By Unknown - Link, Public Domain, Link


This eventually led to gunfire. Exactly what provoked the shooting remains unclear, but the most common explanation is that a drunkard stumbled into the path of the marching soldiers, and fired a pistol into their ranks, fatally wounding Captain Constantin Blandowski of the 3rd Missouri Volunteer Infantry.(Source: The Role of German Immigrants in Civil War Missouri, Link) The Volunteers, in reaction, fired over the heads of the crowd, and then into the crowd. Some 28 civilians were killed, including women and children; more than 75 were wounded.(Source: Jefferson Barracks, Sandie Grassino and Art Schuermann, (2011), p.33)

Naturally St Louis was thrown into a great deal of excitement by the events of the day. The Missouri Republican in its issue of the next day (May,11) gave full account of what had happened the day before. Regarding the excitement that prevailed during evening it said, "It is almost impossible to describe the intense exhibition of feeling which was manifested last evening the city. All the most frequented streets and avenues were thronged with citizens in the highest state of excitement and loud huzzas and occasional shots were heard in various localities. There was very little congregating on the street corners. Everybody was on the move and banished from their thoughts. Crowds of men rushed through the principal bearing banners and devices suited to their fancies and by turns cheering or groaning. Some armed and others were not armed, and all seemed to be at work." A charge was made on a gun store, HE Dimick, on Main Street, the door was broken and the crowd secured fifteen or twenty guns before sufficient number of police could be collected to arrest proceedings. Chief McDonough marched down about twenty policemen armed with muskets and in dispersing the mob, and protecting the from further molestation. Squads of armed were stationed at several of the most public corners the offices of the Missouri Democrat and the Anzeiger Westetts were placed under guard for protection. 

Public Domain, Link

 
As the evening wore on quiet was restored and the 2 streets became cleared of people. Order prevailed during the next day until early in the evening, when another street skirmish occurred between a regiment of Home Guards made up largely of Germans and a band of Southern sympathizers. The Home Guards were attacked while on their way from the arsenal where they had been armed. Six men were killed in the fray four of whom belonged to the Home Guards, and several innocent passersby were wounded. The incident served to stir anew the passions of the people and to deepen the gulf between the two factions. The climax was reached on Sunday the second day 3 after the capture of the camp. Terrible fear came upon the people, especially the Southern sympathizers. Many felt that the Germans were going to overrun the city and put to death all the Southerners. Early that morning some of the prominent citizens of St Louis went to General Harney, who had returned the day before, and implored him to protect the city against the attack which they thought the Germans were planning to make. General Harney assured them that there was no danger, but to quiet their fears he sent out detachments of soldiers from the arsenal to those parts of the city that were thought to be the most exposed to attack, and he had posted a proclamation declaring there was no ground for fear and appealing to the people to be calm. These acts of Harney however had exactly the opposite effect from what he intended, instead of quieting the people, they excited them still more, instead of allaying, they intensified their alarm. By early afternoon a great host of people were fleeing terror stricken and in great haste from the city. Carriages and wagons filled with trunks valises hastily made bundles and frightened men, women, and children were flying along the streets toward every point of the compass. Some scared souls unable to obtain a vehicle of any kind were walking or running with breathless haste, carrying all sorts of bundles in their hands, under their arms, or on their shoulders. All these were fleeing from imaginary danger. But the fancied conflagration and slaughter which they believed themselves to be escaping were to them awful realities, enacted with all their attendant horrors over and over again within their minds. Some of the panic stricken people fled into the country and found shelter in the villages and farmhouses. Many crossed the river in ferries and sought refuge in Illinois notwithstanding the fact that it was a strong Union state. Others took passage in steamboats and went either up or down the river. Those who did not flee from the city barricaded themselves in their homes and awaited the coming of the enemy with guns loaded. The dreaded calamity however did not come and in a day or two the refugees began to come back to their homes and places of business. (Source:A History of Missouri, Eugene Morrow Violette,p 346-348)


Civil courts remained open in St. Louis throughout the Civil War, but martial law trumped civil law from August, 1861 (Link) until General John Pope rescinded it in March, 1865. (Source: Cities in American Political History, edited by Richard Dilworth, SAGE Publications, Sep 13, 2011, p. 231) Also see Civil War fortifications in St Louis. Link