If Only I Could Ask Her… But Which Grandmother to Ask??

Who Owned the China?

When my father passed away in the summer of 2008, he left a list directing who should receive what. I use the word "list" instead of "will" because I truly don't know for sure he had an actual will. There weren't a lot of family heirlooms other than photographs to mark the lives of his parents and grandparents - his mother's lamp, a chair, some china... are a few of the items I recall.

Along with some items that belonged to my father, I received a pair of gold plates and a partial tea set which, reportedly, belonged to my great-grandmother. On Dad’s list, he denoted that the items belonged to his grandmother. No name. That’s a problem. Which grandmother?? Henrietta Ostermann, his father’s mother? Or was it his beloved maternal grandmother, Estelle Byk? I have no idea.

The "partial" tea set

Porcelain Maker's mark
on back of tray

Beautifully gilded plate

Porcelain Maker's mark
on back of plate

As I am trying to record the provenance of “Our Stuff”, it would be helpful to know. My opportunity to speak with either of my paternal great-grandmothers is long-gone. Henrietta passed away in 1956 and Estelle in 1948. How could I determine who had owned the pieces which now sit on my dining room buffet?

Since all the items were produced in Europe maybe I could determine which grandmother’s family might have brought them to America.

The tea set (with its chipped spout and without the sugar bowl) was made by the Stara Role (Altrohlau) pottery works, originally established in 1810 by Benedict Haßlacher in the areas of Prague, Vienna, and Pest.^[1] The china mark on the bottom of tray places the time of manufacture somewhere between 1909 -1922. By then, the firm had been bought by C.M. Hutschenreuther and since then the MZ Altrolau mark was used.

Barnett "Barney" SAMUEL
1882-1953

Henrietta OSTERMANN
1883-1956

Henrietta, also known as “Hattie” was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1883. Hattie’s husband, Barnett Samuel was born in Jamaica, New York in 1882. His family has been in the United States since 1859. (By the way, it’s Barney’s fault I even do genealogy! Dad told me he was “Barney the Red,” born in Ireland. Looooooong story, short answer: NOPE!)

So, clearly, that family didn’t bring the tea set to America from Europe. Hattie and Barney married in 1904 – too early to have received the tea set as a wedding gift.

Harry George KESNER
1875-1950

Estelle BYK
1885- 1948

How about Estelle and her husband, Harry George Kesner? Both Brooklyn born; Harry in 1875 or 1879 and Estelle in 1885. They married in 1906. Again, this family couldn’t have brought the set from Europe since it was made after 1909. Their 1906 marriage was too early to have received the tea set as a wedding gift.

So – that was a bust. Maybe someone went on a trip and brought the set back? Or it was a gift? Or whoever owned it purchased it at a shop? Maybe I will never know. But at least we know it was either Hattie or Estelle. I guess that’s something.

Turning to the beautiful plates, created by the porcelain factory Heinrich & Co. in Bavaria (Germany). The photos don’t do them justice. The gold encrusted rims are beautifully designed with a lacy pattern. I only have two plates, which makes me wonder if there was originally an entire set.

The china mark dates these plates as probably being made around 1901. Again, too late for any of my great-grandmothers’ families to have brought them from Europe. However, it is possible that the plates could have been purchased as part of a bridal trousseau or received as a wedding gift. But for which couple?

Both pairs of my great-grandparents married a few years after these plates were made so I can’t say definitively, but I do have an “educated” guess. Let’s look at their financial status to see if that helps narrow things down.

Click on the family tree to enlarge.

Samuel-Ostermann

The Samuels were “good people” as my husband would say. However, they lived a frugal life. Barney’s father, John Samuel was the son of cigar maker Aaron Samuel who emigrated to the United States in 1859. There wasn’t a lot of money. In fact, I found a notice in a London newspaper from 1854 in which Aaron was seeking relief from his debts. John worked as an elevator man and as a newspaper clerk. At the time of his marriage, Barney was also working as a newspaper clerk. My guess is this family didn’t have the money for fancy china.

Henrietta was a first-generation American. Her father, Eduoard Ostermann arrived in the United States from Germany in 1870. Her mother, Hanshon (Hannah) Goldschmidt was also born in Germany. Eduoard and Hanshon married in 1878, in Brooklyn, New York. So, it seems, too early for them to have been the owners of the china. Eduard worked as a “provisions dealer” – first as a butcher, then as a fish dealer. Probably a comfortable life, but did he make enough money to buy fancy china?

Byk – Kesner

Estelle’s family was a little more affluent than Barney’s. Her father, Moritz (Morris) Byk, emigrated from Germany in the mid-1800s and became a wealthy real estate dealer in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Paulina Falke, also emigrated from Germany in the mid-1800s. While they couldn’t have brought the china to America, they certainly had the means to purchase fancy china, especially as a wedding gift for their daughter.

Harry George Kesner was the son of George Ralph Kesner and Jessie Davis. Born in Pennsylvania in 1856, George made a good living as an insurance adjuster. His wife, Jessie was the daughter of Jacob Davis, a jewelry dealer from Poland.

As further evidence of their financial well-being, there was a story run in the New York and American Journal about Harry losing a pin worth $600 on the day he and Estelle were to be married. In today’s dollars, that’s equivalent to $16,740.[2]

My Conclusion

After researching the porcelain factories and my great-grandmothers’ histories and financial statuses, I have decided the china belonged to Estelle Byk. In addition to the “intel”, I gathered, I also know that my father had a very special bond with his maternal grandmother. So much so, that he ran away at age three to go visit her! I only wish I could go back in time and ask her myself!

The “Take-Away”

As I record the stories about “Our Stuff” this year, I am reminded about the importance of doing so. If Dad had simply written “Two plates that belonged to my grandmother, Estelle,” I could have spent the last several hours very differently! You don’t have to write a book or a long blog post. Just a simple phrase will do the trick. Just remember to be specific when labeling. You might know who “Grandpa's neighbor” or “ Mom’s best friend” is but will your descendants?

More About the Porcelain Factories

MZ Altrohlau[3]

The Stara Role (Altrohlau) pottery works were established in 1810 by Benedict Haßlacher. It was then bought by Augustin Novotny in 1824. Under his management employment rose to 100 workers. He also established three warehouses in Prague, Vienna, and Pest. In 1836 Novotny started manufacturing porcelain. The factory production was constantly rising. In 1870 it employed 800 workers. 

The MZ Austria marks were used by this porcelain factory since it was bought on auction by  Moritz Zdekauer Bank. The company exported products to North and South Americas and the Dutch colonies.

In 1909 the firm was bought by C.M. Hutschenreuther and since then the  MZ Altrolau mark has been used. The Altrohlau Porcelain Factories operated until 1945 when it was nationalized.  The company still operates in the Czech Republic under the name Starorolsky Porcelan Moritz Zdekauer in the town Stara Role near Karlovy Vary.

Heinrich& Co.[4]

The manufacturer, Franz Heinrich first worked as a porcelain painter. In 1896 he built a melting pot in the parental house in Selb. Initially, he bought whiteware from local porcelain factories. From 1901 he produced porcelain himself.

Under his leadership, the Porzellanfabrik Heinrich Selb developed into one of the most important manufacturers in Germany. During the heyday, almost half of the German porcelain production came from the Hutschenreuther, Rosenthal, and Heinrich factories. Around 1930 his company had 500 employees, at the beginning of the 1970s over 800.

After the Second World War, Henry was the first porcelain producer in West Germany to resume production and sold his company to the English Slater Walker Group. In 1974 the English Bowater Group took over the company. In 1976 the Heinrich Porzellan GmbH was integrated into the Villeroy & Boch-Firmenverband.[5]

~This is the 4th post for Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. This year, I am focusing on telling the story of “Our Stuff.”~

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[1] http://www.theoldstuff.com/en/porcelain-marks/category/161-mz-austria-marks

[2] http://www.in2013dollars.com/1906-dollars-in-2018?amount=600

[3] http://www.theoldstuff.com/en/porcelain-marks/category/161-mz-austria-marks

[4] http://www.porcelainzone.com/en/factories/heinrich-co

[5] http://www.porcelainzone.com/en/factories/heinrich-co

Tombstone Tuesday - Family History Month

The closest thing to a family plot I have found is in Sharon Gardens, the Jewish section of the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. Buried together there are both my paternal grandparents, my aunt, and my great-aunt and uncle.

My paternal grandfather

My paternal grandmother

Constance was my grandmother's sister. Her husband was Emanuel Victor Margand.
The story of their deaths is told in an earlier blog post:(https://whoweareandhowwegotthisway.blogspot.com/2013/10/constance-connie-kesner.html#more)

Jessica Jean Samuel Gray, my Dad's sister and the daughter of Edgar and Hortense is also buried in this plot. She passed away at the age of 78 on March 26, 2014. I really need to return to this cemetery and take a photo of her stone.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #7 - "Grandmother's Love" - Estelle Byk Kesner

Estelle Byk Kesner

The theme for Week 7 was “Love.” Admittedly, I’m a tad bit behind. Blame that on the Genealogy Do-Over. Oh, and the IRS. I wanted to get our taxes filed in case the Anthem Hackers stole our identity. Looks like we’re safe!! (But this is serious business. Close friends of ours did, indeed, have their info stolen in the Anthem hacking. So I’m not just paranoid.)

My post this week is more about relationships than about genealogical data. A few years ago, my father, Alan Samuel, wrote a few short stories which I put together in a slim volume for family. One story, “Grandmother’s Love” describes the special relationship he had with his maternal grandmother, Estelle Byk Kesner. I've written about Estelle before but am taking this opportunity to further explore the family relationship.

Article in family scrapbook
created by Estelle Byk Kesner

 He writes,

The little newspaper article in the family scrapbook shows that the story of me running away when I was three years old is true. I had an argument with my mother, and I stomped out of the house with the announcement “I’m going to see Nanny.” The notion of the toddler resentfully seeking support from his grandmother is unusual only that in going to see Nanny, I would have to travel from Jamaica, New York, to Brooklyn, a journey of about an hour on the Long Island Railroad.

I have some recollections of that trip, although it may be that what I remember are aspects of the story told to me in later years. I see myself sitting next to the window, the man to my right asking where my grandmother lived.

“In Brooklyn,” I said.

Alan - 3 years old - 1935

The vagueness of the address may be the reason for what happened next, according to the newspaper article. I was taken off the train at the next stop and my father was called from work to pick me up.

That’s the story. The events of the story. What lies behind it is as important, it seems to me, showing something about my relationship with my grandmother that has been clear to me much more in later life.  I obviously had no doubts about the reception I would receive from my grandmother. Complete acceptance and support. Here was a three-year-old who had someone he could count on without question. That is a relationship that I and my sister could count on as children, and that gave us a sense of solid acceptance not only as children then but as people all through life.[1]

Alan continued his story, detailing the special relationship. He was the first grandson and more importantly the first boy born in his grandmother’s family. (Estelle had two daughters, Constance and my grandmother, Hortense.) They spent summers at the Kesner farm and enjoyed many family events at his grandparents’ apartment house on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

Alan was 16 years old when his beloved grandmother passed away on October 23, 1948.

His life was not without difficulties, many brought about by his own decisions.  He writes about that as well,

It has taken years for me to reconstruct the intimacy that [my sister] and I shared as children, a lesson in relationship that influences decisions I make in later life. I have seen similar circumstances affect the lives of some of my older children. All of this, however, goes back, I believe, to the relationship that my grandmother’s impact on our lives established. It is an impact I would liked to have had on my own grandchildren’s lives, and the failure of the possibility of doing so is one of my greatest regrets.[2]

I read that and immediately thought about the importance of my own grandmothers (Hortense Byk Kesner and Rose Spiegel Lichtenthal) in my life, including my step-father’s mother Vera Stella Falcone and our “adopted” grandmother, Alice Kilsheimer. Then I thought about the incredible influence my mother, Doris Lichtenthal Falcone, had on our children.

As I begin my own “grandmother journey” I hope I will kindle the same feeling – being loved unconditionally – in our grandchildren.

Note - I have searched numerous websites (especially Fulton History and the Brooklyn Newstand)
 trying to locate the source of the clipping shown above. If any reader would like to take on that challenge, I shall be eternally grateful. Week # 5 of the Genealogy Do-over had us working on citing sources and it's driving me crazy that I don't have this information. Maybe it's time for a train ride to NYC? 

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[1] Samuel, Alan E. Stories from My Life. Comp. Deborah Holman. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Print. A collection of short stories published for private use.

[2] Ibid. 

52 Ancestors - #13 - Family Loss - Jessica Samuel Gray

Alan and Jessica Samuel
Probably 1935 or 1936

Today was a sad day. My Aunt Jessica was laid to rest after nearly 79 years on this earth. But this post is not really about her - it's about maintaining family connections. Jessica was my father's sister. After many years of being estranged, she and my father rekindled their relationship a year or so before he passed away in 2008.

At his mother's service today, my cousin Lowell reminded us of the importance of family. It seems the smaller our family becomes, the more we work to stay connected. Our respective parents would be happy to see that their re-connection has extended to my generation and hopefully beyond.

52 Ancestors - #11 Redux - A Genealogical Goose Chase

Sheldon Leonard
Famous writer, actor and producer

Dad- you did it again!! Yet another one of your stories has sent me on a wild goose chase. This time, it might have been embarrassing. Last week I posted #11 in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. I didn't have a lot of time, so I chose someone I knew almost nothing about: the famous actor/writer/producer Sheldon Leonard.

My father, Alan Edouard Samuel
Born July 24, 1932
This picture was taken in 1954 during Dad's Navy service.

52 Ancestors - #9 - Hortense Kesner Samuel - My Nana

My paternal grandmother, Hortense Kesner was the first daughter of Harry George Kesner and Estelle Byk. She was born in New York on February 22, 1907. Her sister, Constance, was born in 1911. 

The date on the back of this photo says " Feb. 22, 1907" which was Hortense's birthdate.
It's tough to date this but I would say she's anywhere from 5- 10 months old here.

Estelle Byk - My paternal great-grandmother

Nanny and Alan (my dad)
February 24, 1933

Estelle Byk was my father’s beloved grandmother. He loved her so much that, when he was just three years old he boarded a train in Long Island and headed for Nanny’s house in Brooklyn!

Later in life, he wrote a wonderful tribute to her titled “A Grandmother’s Love.” My sister, Elizabeth, is the main recipient of our father’s love of his grandmother. She has two middle names, “Rose” after our maternal grandmother and “Byk” in honor of Estelle.

George Ralph Kesner

Geo. Ralph Kesner

George Ralph Kesner was born on November 16, 1856. He was my 2nd great-grandfather on my father's side.

Information gathered by my father indicated that George was born in Leeds, England. I could find no proof of that. Nor could I find any emigration or naturalization information that might confirm he was an immigrant. I searched for years, to no avail, for his parents’ names hoping that might determine his birthplace.

Finally, two weeks ago, I stumbled upon a newspaper article about George’s business dealings. The article was quite lengthy and detailed complaints about George Ralph Kesner’s insurance adjustment business. I will write more about that story and how it helped me break through a "brick wall" in a future post.

Hattie Kesner

Today would have been Hattie Kesner's 135th birthday. Hattie was born on September 4, 1878 in New York. She would become the oldest of six children born to George Ralph Kesner and Jessie Davis. The Kesner's second child, a son named Harry George, would eventually marry Estelle Byk becoming my paternal great-grandparents. That makes Hattie my "great grandaunt."