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Husband: Philipp Nikolaus Karl Bremser | |||
Born: | 9 Sep 1838[839] [840] [841] | at: | Heidenrod-Grebenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Married: | 24 Jan 1864 | at: | Altenberg bei Grebenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Germany |
Died: | 17 Apr 1900[842] | at: | Egenroth, Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Father: | Johann Adam Bremser | ||
Mother: | Catharine Elisabethe Bach | ||
Notes: | [843] | ||
Wife: Marie Jacobine Weidenmueller | |||
Born: | 1841[8815] | at: | Bornich, St. Goarshausen, Hessen-Nassau, Germany |
Died: | 23 Nov 1886 | at: | Heidenrod-Grebenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Father: | Johann Daniel Weidenmueller | ||
Mother: | Anna Katharina Maus | ||
Children | |||
Name: | Philipp Gottlieb Elias Bremser [142] [135] [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141] [143] [144] | ||
Born: | 22 Sep 1864[135] [136] [137] | at: | Heidenrod-Grebenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Married: | at: | ||
Died: | 19 Jan 1948[138] [139] | at: | Norwalk, Huron, Ohio, United States |
Spouses: | Katherine Philopena Klein | ||
Name: | Adam Wilhelm Jacob Bremser [849] | ||
Born: | 2 Feb 1867 | at: | Gabenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Married: | at: | ||
Died: | 23 Jul 1929 | at: | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA |
Spouses: | Johanna Trachler | ||
Name: | Johann Georg Karl Eduard Bremser [846] [844] | ||
Born: | 20 Aug 1869[844] | at: | Heidenrod-Grebenroth, Hessen-Nassau, Preußen, Germany |
Died: | at: | ||
Spouses: | |||
Name: | Philip Nikolaus Karl Bremser II | ||
Born: | 26 May 1872 | at: | Grebenroth, Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, Hesse, Germany |
Married: | at: | ||
Died: | 1921 | at: | |
Spouses: | Emma Verna Hay | ||
Name: | Anna Katharine Margarethe Elisabethe Bremser [847] [848] | ||
Born: | 10 Jan 1875 | at: | |
Died: | [847] | at: | Germany |
Spouses: |
/--Johann Justus Brömser /--Johann Adam Bremser | \--Anna Margarethe Maria Schmidt /--Johann Adam Bremser | | /-- | \-- | \-- |--Philipp Nikolaus Karl Bremser | /-- | /-- | | \-- \--Catharine Elisabethe Bach | /-- \-- \--
/-- /-- | \-- /--Johann Daniel Weidenmueller | | /-- | \-- | \-- |--Marie Jacobine Weidenmueller | /-- | /-- | | \-- \--Anna Katharina Maus | /-- \-- \--
[843] Heinrich Gottlieb Bremser had a brother named Phillip Bremser (the mason). This Phillip Bremser was actually Phillip II. I know this because my father-in-law is Phillip Bremser IV and he recalls his father, Phillip III speaking of his father who was a mason in Norwalk, Ohio. More than a coincidence I bet. I suppose the only thing I can offer is the name of Heinrich's father, that being Phillip Bremser the first. Dale Norwood, NC 10/22/99 In Philipp Gottleib Bremser's marriage record, his father is noted to be a "linenweaver." Philipp Bremser is "buried on the grave yard of the church on the Altenberg. When you enter the grave yard through the iron door, there is left hand the grave of Philipp Bremser in the first row. An old iron cross with a sign of china displays the words: Hier in diesem Rosengarten - Here in this rose garden Thue ich meine Familie erwarten. - Am I waiting for my family. Kinder gehet nicht vorbei, - Children donīt pass by, Denkt dass ich Euer Vater sei. - Think that I am your father. There was a consolidation of villages about 1970. All small villages were connected to become larger villages. For example Heidenrod is an artificial name and a collection of 15 villages, of which Egenroth and Grebenroth are some.
[142] The ancestral home of the Bremser family is [the castle] Brömserburg. "From the early 10th to the early 19th centuries it was the property of the archbishops of Mainz. They converted the old fortress into a residence in the 12th century. Originally, it was right on the banks of the Rhine, surrounded by water. Its more than two-meter-thick walls withstood all offensives. Only the southeastern portion destroyed by the Duke Of Longvville. A mine path to the keep bears witness to its invincibility. After being secularirzed in 1803, the castle had several owners until the town of Ruesdeheim purchased it in 1941. Today, it is the home of the vast collections that comprise the Rheingau wine museum. Historic wine presses form several centures are displayed in the garden." "On Oberstrasse, there is a row of beautiful old mansions from various periods, including the Frankensteiner Hof, Ritter'scher Hof and Bassenheimer Hof. Howwever, the Broemserhof, constructed from 1542 onward, is doubtlessly the most beautiful of all the noble manors on this street. This former residence of Ruedesheriim's ancient Boremser dynasty has an impressive Gothic chapel and an ancestral hall with splendid frescoes. Today, the Broemserhof houses a museum." Also in Ruedesheim is St. Jakobus Church. The "Catholic parish church on market square. The church dates form the 14th century and is said to have been built by the knight and Crusader Johann Broemser. The half moon and star on the weather vane atop the chruch tower are a reminder of the days of the Crusades, The church was almost completely destroyed in 1944 during WWII, but was rebuilt of quarried brick typical of the Rhine area. Of special note are the medieval tombsones with effigies of Ruedesheim's nobility, situated in the northern aisle, as well as the Gothic tyjmpanium above the western portal." -- Ruedesheim web site Henry was always known to his descendants as Heinrich Gottleib Bremser, or Henry Bremser. However, the birth record for his daughter Elizabeth Margarete Bremser gives his name as Philipp Gottleib Elias Bremser, as does his own birth record. He may have adopted Heinrich to differentiate himself from his other brother, also named Philip. ---------------------- The text of the wedding banns (wedding announcement): No. 12 (1888) (- the number was mentioned in the church record) Hahnstaetten, at May 19, 1888 In front of the signing registry officer showed up for the purpose of marriage: 1. The farmer Philipp Gottlieb Elias Bremser, known by person, evangelic religion, born at September 22, 1864 in Grebenroth, living in Hahnstaetten, son of the linenweaver Philipp Nikolaus Karl Bremser and his dead wife Marie Jacobine born Weidenmueller, living in Grebenroth 2. Katharine Philippine Klein, known by person, evangelic religion, born at March 11, 1863 in Burgschwalbach, living in Burgschwalbach, daughter of the stonecutter Johann Jacob Klein and his dead wife Katharine Wilhelmine born Seel, living in Burgschwalbach. Witnesses of his banns (wedding announcement) were: 3. the cabinet-maker Philipp Wilhelm Busch, known by person, 21 years old, living in Burgschwalbach, 4. the tailor Philipp Friedrich Debusmann, known by person, 26 years old, living in Hähnstaetten. ---------------------- Thus it appears that sometime between his wedding and his arrival in the United States four years later he adopted Heinrich (or Henry) as his name. Henry arrived in the United States via Ellis Island on 12 May 1892 on board the Spree. According to his daughter, Minnie, "the voyage took 30 days and the ocean was very rough and the boat rocked and most everyone was sick. They were told that the food in the steerage class was not good and to take a supply of food with them, she told of taking hard boiled eggs and they were so sick the couldn't eat them and gave them to the helpers on the boat." The Spree was built for North German Lloyd, German flag, in 1890. She ran the Bremerhaven-New York and Mediterranean-New York service. She was renamed Kaiserin Maria Theresia in 1899 and ran the Mediterranean-New York service. In 1904 she was transferred to the Russian Navy and renamed the Ural. She was put into the auxiliary naval cruiser service and sunk off Japan in 1905. The Family Prospers After Elizabeth was born, Henry and Phillipina later had four more children: Lena, born in 1891; Edna, was born in 1893 and died at age 4; Wilhelmina "Minnie", born in 1896, who later married her first cousin, Curt Klein; and an unnamed son who died at childbirth in 1901. He was buried over Edna in the family plot in Norwalk. Henry Bremser and his family joined the local German-speaking Lutheran congregation at St. Paul's German Lutheran Church. In about 1923, the number of German-speaking immigrants had seriously declined. The church could not afford to remain independent. It joined with the English-speaking congregation, and all services were conducted in English. In a warm welcome to the united church, the children were taught to sing a traditional German Christmas carol. My then 12-year old mother (Annabeth Beasley) was one of the children who sang for her grandparents in December, 1938. A new church building was raised in 1924. Several years later, during the depths of the Great Depression, Henry paid for a bell to be installed in the empty bell tower. The Brothers Form Bremser Coal and Supply Co. Henry Bremser had three brothers: Phillip, Karl, and Wilhelm. A baby sister apparently died in infancy. Karl followed his brothers Henry and Phillip to the United States on April 12, 1910. Two of Henry's brothers, Phillip and Wilhelm, came to Norwalk from Germany. Philip worked in the masonry business and Wilhelm helped make cement blocks. Henry Bremser started making cement blocks in the basement of their home at 53 E. Elm St., Norwalk, Ohio."He made these mostly in the evenings after working as a mason all day, and Gramma Bremser had to put up with the cement dust filtering all around," according to her granddaughter, Jane Beasley. This small start led to the beginning of the Bremser Coal and Supply Co. on Woodlawn Ave. In 1909, the current operator of the Bell Coal Company learned that natural gas would soon be piped into Norwalk. He interrupted Henry's walk home one day past his plant and offered to sell him the coal company. Henry, while also aware of the possibile availability of natural gas in Norwalk, nonetheless said yes. Nearly the entire purchase was funded from savings Bina had secreted away. Another Klein brother, Karl, was brought over later on. He did not fare as well, and returned to Germany within a few years of his arrival. He lived for some time and had a family, but apparently was never very successful. Minnie Bremser Klein, in a letter from 1922 after a visit to Burgschwabach, said he was still struggling. ------------------------- A Carol for Henry Bremser By 1924, the old St. Paul's German Lutheran Church on the northside of Norwalk had experienced a significant decline in German speaking members. It was finally shuttered and the remaining 12 members joined St. Peter's. Marilyn Field, daughter of the pastor at the time, Carl Wannemacher, remembers welcoming the new members with a rendition of "Oh Tannenbaum." She writes: "We used to have a choir made up of seventh and eighth grade girls directed by Mrs. Augusta Kohlmeyer. The year that Mr. (Henry) Bremser and the other members of the German Lutheran Church joined our church Dad thought it would be nice if we girls would sing "Oh Tannenbaum" in German. (That is, "0h Christmas Tree".) "He thought it would make Mr. Bremser and the other German members who joined feel more at home. We learned all four verses and I still love to sing it today in German, although I only remember the first verse and need help on the others. Dad told Mr. Bremser to be sure and come to the Christmas program and Mr. Bremser was very pleased." (My then 12-year-old mother, Annabeth Beasley, was one of the children who learned to sing O Tannenbaum that year. The carol remained a cherished favorite her entire life, and she always recalled the tears in her grandpa's eyes as she sang in her best German.) A Tower Without a BelI... Until Henry Bremser Came Along In the late winter of 1924, the congregation of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norwalk, Ohio, wavered between building plans it could afford and a church design it really wanted. Like a wide-eyed Christmas shopper with a credit card, it ordered the church it wanted, and prayed it could pay for it. The question was whether to build a church for $25,000 without a bell tower or spend $31,000 for a building with a bell tower. The congregation couldn't resist the drawing with the bell tower and the vote was unanimous. A Monroeville contractor, Henry Schneider, thought the estimate by architect Granville Scott - with or without a bell tower - was too low. And he was right. Nevertheless, the tower became part of the new St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, even though there were no plans for a bell to go in it. The bell came later in 1936, during the depth of the Great Depression. Henry Bremser, who owned a coal yard in Norwalk, persuaded the vestry to create a fund for a bell. He had come from Germany where all churches had bells, and he thought St. Peter should have one. The vestry agreed but vowed there would be no bell until it had money to pay for one. Bremser apparently overcame this problem by writing a personal check for most of the cost. The 966-pound bell was cast of copper and tin by a St. Louis company. A hole was cut in the ceiling above a stairway, and the bell was hoisted into place with a rope and pulley. Senior deacons Merrill White and Elmer Christel were placed in charge of ringing the bell on Sunday mornings. Occasionally a deacon would pull too hard on the rope and the bell would flip over the top and become stuck upside down. The custodian, Walter Schlegelmilch, would climb through a trapdoor in the ceiling of the balcony to reach the bell and flip it back. The bell was left behind when St. Peter sold the church to the Salvation Army in 1974. A free-standing bell tower was erected at the new church on Benedict Avenue in 1978, again at the persistence of a German immigrant, Ulrich Mangold. It was designed by a son, Ernest Mangold. The price was $17,677. Three years later, the congregation removed the bell from its old church and re-hung it in the tower in front of the church where Norwalk Lutherans worship today. The old bell that Henry Bremser bought no longer is rung, but there is a device inside to toll it during The Lord's Prayer. The sound of ringing church bells you hear at St. Peter is from a tape player connected to speakers in the tower. The three bells you see in the tower are mostly for show. But one of them has more than esthetic value. It's linked forever to the congregation's past. From "One Hundred Years of Amazing Grace, History of a Lutheran Congregation, 1901-2001." St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, 243 Benedict Ave., Norwalk, OH 44857 p48 ------------------------- Apparently life was not easy at times for the children, who lived in the new America but experienced the old-world ways of their father. Elizabeth apprenticed herself at age 12 or 13 in Norwalk, Ohio to a milliner (women's hat maker) for no pay. After a short time, less than a year, she left her family in Norwalk and moved to Columbus, Ohio. The two ladies who ran the millinery shop in Norwalk got her a job in a shop in Columbus and a place to stay in a Quaker boarding house. Lizzie Moves to Chicago Lizzie discovered that the milliner trade was seasonal and the next Christmas she got a job as a saleswoman. She found she liked that work more. The next winter, when hat season ended, she went with a friend to Chicago and got a temporary job at Marshall Fields, the largest retailer and most exclusive department store in the city. She outsold all the other employees and was given a full-time job. Several years later she met Johnson Tucker Beasley, who was selling stationary at the time. They dated and were engaged two months later. Lizzie wrote home in January 1913, "I am going to be married Friday night at 8:30 and shall be at home to see you some time Sat. depends on trains and John is going to find out tomorrow and I shall let you know later. Now don't say I am foolish as my husband to be and myself are in our right minds. His name is John Beasley... [We] became engaged last Sunday and [I] shall be Mrs. Beasley by next Sunday." Henry and Philippina Bremser (center) and their family. Back row, L-R Minnie Bremser (Klien), Lena Bremser (Miller), Elizabeth Bremser (Beasley), and Jake Miller; (middle row, L-R) Curt Klein, Thelma Miller, Leland Miller, Gramma Bremser, Grampa Bremser, Jane Beasley, and Marie Miller; (front row, L-R) Annabeth Beasley, Bob Klein, Mary Siefert, and Majorie Miller. Elizabeth and Johnson Beasley faced unbearable challenges during their marriage. Their first child, Robert, was born 11 months after they married and died four days later. Three years later they had twin girls, Ruth and Jane. Only two years later, Ruth died in the 1919 worldwide flu pandemic. In 1920, Betty was born. The doctors said she had a congenital heart defect, and she would die young. Betty lived longer than expected, until she was four-and-a-half. The stress on the marriage was great; Johnson moved back to Chicago and they later divorced. The Daughters Grow Up Annabeth and Jane were raised by their mother. Elizabeth Bremser worked various jobs and moved several times between Norwalk, Kansas City, Detroit and Decatur. Unable to pay the mortgage on the house in Kansas City, she moved out and rented it. She worked as a governess within a children's home for a while. Elizabeth later found a job watching another family's children and was able to get a room in the house for her and Annabeth. For a period of time they stayed in Norwalk with her parents. Jane was off to college by around 1935, which Grampa Bremser, at Gramma Minnie's suggestion, helped with. Henry operated the coal company jointly with his mason and contracting business until his retirement in 1923. When Henry retired, the company was split between two sons-in-laws Jake Miller and Curt Klein. Elizabeth, by this time seperated or divorced from her husband Johnson, was told she would her share of the business when Henry and Minnie died. Instead, Minnie persuaded Henry to pay off the two mortgages on Elizabeth's home in Kansas City. This enabled Elizabeth and Annabeth to return to Kansas City and live there. Jane, making almost $750 a month at age 18 as a teacher, bought her mother and sister a new stove. Curt assumed control of the coal company and ran it from 1924 until his retirement in 1955. The cement company went on to pour much of the concrete when the interstate highway system was built through the area. When the Depression hit, Johnson Beasley lost his well-paying job selling seats for a manufacturer. For a time, he managed the Bismarck Hotel in Chicago. Johnson remained in Chicago, largely estranged from his daughters, and died there in 1950 at age 64. Elizabeth stayed in Ohio and moved to Sandusky. After a heart attack, she entered a convalescent facility, where she died in 1952. Her daughter Jane had no children. Annabeth, my mother, married Hal Phelps and had two boys, myself (Brian) and my brother (Bud). Bud died in August, 2000. Jane passed away less than two weeks later. Annabeth died in her sleep within six months of her son and her sister, at age 73. Obituary Henry Bremser, 84, whose name has been associated with the coal and building supply business here for more than a half-century, died at 5 a.m. this morning at his home 57 E. Elm following a lengthy illness. Mr. Bremser, who founded the Bresmer Coal & Supply company here, was born Sept. 22, 1864, in Nassau, Germany, and emigrated to this country with his wife and family in 1892 and made his home in Norwalk since. A mason by trade, Mr. Bremser later entered the contracting business and is attributed to being the first man in Huron county to engage in cement block manufacturing. In 1909 he purchased the Bell Coal company which he operated jointly with his mason and contracting business until his retirement in 1923. He was a life-time member of the Lutheran church and for the past 17 years was a member of the Norwalk St. Peter Lutheran church. Surviving are his wife, Phillipena Klein Bremser, to whom he was married May 27, 1888, three daughters, Mrs. E.M. Beasley, Kansas City, Mo., Mrs J.D. Miller and Mrs. Curt Klein, both of this city, eight grandchildren and six greatgranddhildren; a brother, Carl, of Germany. He was preceded in death by a daughter who died in infancy. Friends will be received at the residence Tuesday where services will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday followed by rites at 2:30 from St. Peter's church. The Rev. Carl Wannemacher will be the officiating minister. Burial will be in Woodland with the Orebaugh funeral service in charge of arrangements. --Norwalk "Reflector-Herald" January 19, 1948
[846] Karl arrived in the United States on the USS President Lincoln via Ellis Island on April 12, 1910 when he was 40 years old. He joined his brothers in Norwalk in the masonry business. According to family members, he was not very productive as a mason and he returned to Germany within a few years. According to Henry's obituary, Karl outlived Henry.
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