Wilhelm Heddendorf and His Four Children

Finally, the exciting revision to the "Bemusing Case of the William Henry Heddendorfs" post, this time focusing entirely upon the Heddendorfs and their growth in America.   The (#) at the end of sentences refer to the source number listed at the end.

The ship Goethe upon which
Wilhelm Heddendorf traveled to America.

Our story begins with the arrival of Wilhelm Hinrich Diedrich Heddendorf to the shores of Manhattan's Castle Garden on the sixth of July 1863 (5, 11).  The voyage for this lone 19 year old farmer might have taken six or as little as two weeks to cross the Atlantic in the ship Goethe.  Prior to his arrival, Wilhelm was last living in his native residence of Hanover, Germany and intended to make America his new home (5).  His exact date of birth and religion are unknown.

No other passengers with the Heddendorf surname are listed on this crossing.  The only other Heddendorf to enter the United States through the immigration port of Castle Garden before Wilhelm's arrival was a 19 year Bernhard Heddendorf in 1852, making him 11 years Wilhelm's senior (5).  More research is needed to determine if Bernard is a relative but what we do know is that Bernhard was a old joiner - a type of carpenter who fits joints - when he arrived on the thirteenth of September 1852.  A record search for Bernard Heddendorf born in ~1833 has produced little results beyond his arrival to the States.

Original posting here

Unbeknownst to Wilhelm, he arrived a week before the Civil War Draft Riots which resulted in "five days of mayhem and bloodshed" starting on the morning of 13 July 1863 (6, p. 279).  There is more to the draft riots than I have room to report here but this excerpt on The New York City Draft Riots of 1863 provides a clear account reminding one of the less aggressive protests for the Vietnam War and draft just over a century later.

The beginning of 1863 also saw the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation and turn over of military servicemen's 2 year contract.  As such, new recruits were being sought for the 15th Infantry Division of the New York Volunteers that autumn.  How soon after Wilhelm's arrival to the States before joining the New York Volunteers is not known, although an interesting point brought up in the excerpt was the for-hire substitutes by rich men who did not wish to serve (17).  Did Wilhelm volunteer or did he substitute for someone with money?  Who knows.  Another reasonable option to enlist was for citizenship: "an 1862 law allowed foreign-born, honorably-discharged veterans of the U.S. Army to apply for citizenship without filing the declaration of intention; the residency requirement was set at one year" (4, p. 406).  Since there are no records indicating Wilhelm's intent to natural, citizenship through enlistment seems the most likely motive for service.  It is not clear what action, if any, Wilhelm saw during the Civil War nor if it was at this point that Wilhelm "Americanized" his name to William.  For the purposes of this post, we will continue to use his German name so as to be less confusing to keep track of family.

Soon after the war, Wilhelm set up residence and liquor business/saloon at 43 West Broadway (3, 28, 29), where he was to reside for the majority of his life and which is only a 15 minute walk (0.7 miles) from the infamous Five Points!  Within this location Wilhelm's life expands, beginning with the birth of his first son William Henry Heddendorf on 21st of August 1873 (38).  It is believed that William's mother is Anna Blohm as Wilhelm did not marry Anna until six months after William's birth on the 24th of February 1874 (7, 11).  Wilhelm was approximately 30 and Anna was 25 years old at the time.  It is through their marriage in which we learn the names of Wilhelm's parents: Wilhelm Heddendorf (big surprise there) and Louise Barthans (11).  (See the guide below.)  There would be three more children born to Wilhelm and Anna: Maria Auguste, born 03 Jan 1875 (10); Henry Blum, born 20 Jan 1878 (37); George Walter, born May 1880 (29).

The Wilhelm Heddendorf Family Tree

Other interesting points of note in Wilhelm's life:

1. 1875 - Listed on the registered distillers and licensed rectifiers (3).
2. 1877 - May have committed grand larceny with Claus Williams, judgement unknown (21).
3. 1880 - Expanded business to restaurant (28, 29).
4. 1882 - Won the Plattduetsche Festival walking match.  All nine male participants were noted as weighing "over two hundred pounds, and there was little fleetness to be looked for in such a party.  They went to work in earnest, however, and there was a vast deal of puffing and blowing among the big men..." (16).
5. Becomes a member of Schuetzen Corp., a rifle shooting club that started in 1857 in NY and is still current today in NJ and NY (12, 17).
6. Joins Munn Lodge F. & A. M. No. 190, a masonic lodge which included composer Irving Berlin and is now Lodge No. 203 (17).
7. Two of his children had red hair, Maria and Henry, the latter of whom is described as being tall and with blue eyes in his World War I draft registration card (37).
8. Wilhelm's first born, William Henry, was most likely blonde haired and blue eyed although by age 45, William is listed as being tall, having grey eyes and dark brown hair in his World War I draft registration card (38).
9. It is not known what his youngest child, George Walter, looked like.
10. The children received an eighth grade education (36).

Wilhelm and Anna's children continue to live with and support their parents until the children marry, particularly the eldest boys William and Henry (13, 30, 31).  William in particular appears to have thrown all of this energy into running and expanding his parents' business (1, 28) , including owning: 

• Property - approximately four, 3 and 4 story tenement buildings with store fronts in the 1400 Park Ave and East 104th corner of Manhattan, circa 1910 (22, 23, 28); 
• Livery and stable business from 1902 until 1912, which provided the third largest service to the NYC police (28);
• Casket maker and undertaker business for about 9 years from 1905-1912 (15, 27, 28).

According to family reports, there may have been even more businesses or "referrals" to other professionals along the Tammany lines, as William is said to always have a business card at the ready no matter the problem.  As William expands the variety of businesses he operates, his younger brother Henry tries his hand at the liquor business with little success (13).

Example of tenement buildings with store fronts
on Hester St., Lower East Side, 1901.
Original image: wirednewyork.com

Sadly William's father Wilhelm did not live long enough to fully enjoy all of the fruits of his son's labors - he passed away on 14 March 1895, aged 51 (17).  It is uncertain how long the family resided in their new home before Wilhelm's death but at some point between 1880 and 1895, the Heddendorfs oscillated residence between the area of East 104th and Park Ave, near the northeast corner of Central Park (13, 29, 30).  It is a six vastly different miles from their starting point at 98 W Broadway!  Perhaps it was Wilhelm's early death coupled with the burgeoning new business prospects that the caused the Heddendorf family to take on boarders in 1900 in their uptown location (30).  Whatever the case, it is better than being a boarder.

Park Ave looking south from 84th Street about 1912, 970 Park Avenue is just past the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. Museum of The City of New York.
Imaged referenced by The New York TImes.

In the ten years following Wilhelm's death, Anna would see the marriage of two of their children, birth of two grandsons and death of one of the children.  Daughter Maria (or Mary) took on the profession of piano teacher before marrying at the age of 25 in 1902 to Christian Gottlieb Loffler/Lofflier/or Loeffler (30).  A son Eugene (b. 1908) may have been adopted from Christian's family, as Eugene is barely acknowledged as a Heddendorf in his uncle's William's (eventual) will (25, 26).  Anna's son George Walter, or Walter as he was often listed as, was probably married the year before his sister's marriage (1901) to May Bisch and quickly had two sons, William Henry (b. 1901) and Henry Walter (b. 1903) (32).  Sadly, Walter dies at the age of 25 on 22 October 1905 in Liberty, New York; how Walter died or why he was in Liberty - as his permanent residence and occupation as a bookkeeper were always listed as being in Manhattan - remains a mystery (18).

Almost a decade after the death of Wilhelm's youngest son, Walter's wife May passes in 1913; she was only 38 at the time with cause of death being unknown (19).  Their two sons William and Henry were only aged 12 and 10, respectively, when their parents passed.  Records show that the sons went to live with their aunt Maria and her son Eugene (34).  The year before May's death, 1912, Henry marries Henrietta G. Hahner; no children were produced as a result of this union (8, 33, 36).  Death again visits the Heddendorf family on 02 June 1915, this time taking the mother Anna in the 67th year of her life (20).  It would take another ten years before William married in 1925 (age 52) to widow Victoria Danjunas Isler, producing two daughters, Edith (b. 1926) and Victoria (b. 1928), with a step daughter, Jane Isler (b. 1908) (35).

Perhaps it was the lack of interest by certain members of Anna Blohm's grandchildren or mayhaps it was the fact of being the namesake but it would appear that William's nephew, William Henry, eventually took over the some responsibility, if not the profession, of owning and operating a bar (14).  It should not come as a surprise that William's liquor businesses started to fail at the start of Prohibition with debts being called in, and by the early 1930s, William's marriage of less than ten years also crumbles (24).  William passes in 1937, leaving an estate worth more than $8,000 personal and $32,000 in real estate, which is entirely left to his surviving family members (25, 26).  Despite his sister Maria being left as the executor of William's will, their brother Henry fights the grandsons over the monetary distributions, eventually taking over as executor when Maria followed her brother William H. eleven years later, passing on 08 February 1948 (2, 25, 26).

The nephews William Henry and Henry Walter both move to Florida after World War II, where William H. continued the bar owner profession and had two sons of his own William Henry (Jr.) and Richard with his wife Josephine Flately (9).  It is believed that Junior also took on the bar owner profession when the time came.  Wilhelm's granddaughters Edith and Victoria are known to have married though only Edith had children (three daughters).  Their cousins Eugene Loeffler and Henry Heddendorf may not have married or had any children.

End Note: Wilhelm Heddendorf and his family descendants have a family burial plot in Woodlawn Cemetary, Brooklyn, NY.  The majority of Wilhelm's children are believed to buried there and just as soon as I win the lottery, I will have the extra funds to confirm this with the cemetery.  Cost for copying interment records are $53 per deceased individual and $10 for each additional individual, possible total cost: $143!

There are also more sources than listed here but these are the majority from which I based the family of Wilhelm Heddendorf and his descendants through two generations.  If you find anything in error, please let me know; you can comment below or shoot me an email.

Sources

1. The American Bottler, Vol. 26, p. 33; William Henry Heddendorf.
2. Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, 278 A.D. 559 (1951), 30 Jan 1951, In the Matter of the Accounting of Eugene Loeffler, as Administrator of The Estate of Mary A. Loeffler, Deceased, Appellant. Henry B. Heddendorf, Respondent; Original Report
3. Bonfort's Wine & Liquor Trade Directory for the United States, 1875, p. 405; Wilhelm Heddendorf.
4. Croom, Emily Anne. The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook. Betterway Books, Chicago. 2003. p. 406.
5. CastleGarden.org ; search criteria: last name Heddendorf, first name leave blank.
6. Harris, Leslie. "The New York City Draft Riots of 1863", excerpt from In the Shadow of Salvery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 2003. p. 279-283.
7. Index to New York City Marriages, 1866-1937. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.  Wilhelm Heddendorf and Anna Blohm, certificate # 1392, Manhattan country, 24 Feb 1874.
8. Index to New York City Marriages, 1866-1937. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.  Henry Blum Heddendorf and Henrietta Hahner, certificate # 8413, Kings country, 14 August 1912.
9. Index to New York City Marriages, 1866-1937. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.  William Henry Heddendorf and Josephine Flately, certificate # 1392, Bronx country, 14 June 1922.
10. New York, Births and Christenings, 1640-1962, Maria Augusta Heddendorf, 03 Jan 1875; citing Manhattan, New York, New York, USA, reference ; FHL microfilm 1322085.
11. New York, Marriages, 1686-1980, index, Wilhelm Hinrich Diedrich Heddendorf and Anna Blohon, 24 Feb 1874; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1561974.
12. New York Schuetzen Corp.
13. New York, State Census 1905, Manhattan, A.D. 32, E.D. 16, New York, New York; citing p. 58, line 12-14; for Anna Blohm Heddendorf, William Heddendorf, Henry Heddendorf in household of Bernard Conron.
14. New York, State Census 1925, New York, A.D. 06, E.D. 19, Bronx, New York, United States; p. 89, line 30, New York State Archives, Albany; for Wiliam H Heddendorf.
15. New York, State Census 1925, New York, A.D. 01, E.D. 43, Bronx, New York, United States; p. 35, line 26, New York State Archives, Albany; for Henry B Heddendorf, Henriette Hahner Heddendorf.
16. New York Herald, 18 August 1882, p. 4, col. 6, "The Plattduetsche Festival".
17. New York Herald, 17 March 1895, No. 21391, page 1; Obituary, William "Wilhelm" Heddendorf.
18. New York Herald, 25 October 1905, No. 25265, page 1; Obituary, Walter Heddendorf.
19. New York Herald, 04 October 1913, No. 28197, page 1; Obituary, May Bisch Heddendorf.
20. New York Herald, 04 June 1915, No. 28775, page 1; Obituary, Anna Blohm Heddendorf.
21. The New York Times, 21 Feb 1877, p. 8, col. 2; for Wilhelm Heddendorf.
22. The New York Times, 27 May 1906, In The Real Estate Field, William Heddendorf.
23. The New York Times, 07 October 1910, In The Real Estate Field, William Heddendorf.
24. The New York Times, 21 May 1922, Find Morris Canal Bootleg Waterway, William Heddendorf.
25. The New York Times, 21 May 1937, Wills for Probate, Bronx County, Letters of Administration, William Heddendorf.
26. The New York Times, 02 June 1937; Wills for Probate, William Heddendorf.
27. Real Estate Record & Builder's Guide, Vol. 8, No. 173, 02 July 1871, p. 2; for William Henry Heddendorf casket company.
28. Trow's New York City Directory circa 1877, 1880, 1893, 1902, 1904-1912, 1917, 1922.
29. United States Federal Census, Year: 1880; Census Place: New York City, New York, New York; Roll: 867; Family History Film: 1254867; Page: 257B; Enumeration District: 015; Image: 0226.
30. United States Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: T623_1121; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 901.  For Anna Blohm Heddendorf, William Henry Heddendorf, Henry Heddendorf, Maria Heddendorf, Henry Blum Heddendorf, Walter Heddendorf.
31. United States Federal Census, Year: 1910; Census Place: Manhattan Ward 12, New York, New York; Roll: T624_1019; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0467; FHL microfilm: 1375032. For Anna Blohm Heddendorf, William Henry Heddendorf, Henry Blum Heddendorf.
32. United States Census, Year 1910, Bronx Assembly District 35, New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1598, sheet 11A, family 222, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375015. For May Bisch Heddendorf, William Henry Heddendorf, Henry Walter Heddendorf.
33. United States Federal Census, Year: 1920; Census Place: Bronx Assembly District 2, Bronx, New York; Roll: T625_1133; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 145; Image: 259. For Henry Blum Heddendorf, Henrietta Hanher Heddendorf.
34. United States Census, Year 1920, Bronx Assembly District 6, Bronx, New York, United States; citing sheet 8A, family 159, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1821138. For Mary Heddendorf Loeffler, William Henry Heddendorf, Henry Walter Heddendorf.
35. United States Federal Census, Year: 1930; Census Place: Babylon, Suffolk, New York; Roll: 1649; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0016; Image: 978.0; FHL microfilm: 2341383. For William Henry Heddendorf, Victoria Danjunas Isler, Victoria Heddendorf, Edith Heddendorf.
36. United States Federal Census, Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Bronx, New York; Roll: T627_2462; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 3-109. For Henry Blum Heddendorf, Henrietta Hanher Heddendorf.
37. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration Location: Bronx County, New York, Roll: 1754129, Draft Board: 19, record for Henry B. Heddendorf.
38. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration Location: Bronx County, New York, Roll: 1754130, Draft Board: 20, record for William Henry Heddendorf.