Genealogical Research and Cemetery Work Findings

Lately my genealogical research and my gravestone restoration work at the Evangelical Protestant Cemetery have become intertwined fully. For years I knew that one set of my great great great grandparents, Joseph Albert and Maria Ittinger, were married in the German Evangelical Protestant Church on Alexander and Broad Streets on 07 February 1857. A photo from the church marriage register is below; left and right pages, entry number 442. Note the spelling variation of the bride's surname- Oedinger.

What I did not remember though until recently was who Joseph and Maria's witnesses to their marriage were... Gottfried Saenger and Anton Ittinger. Gottfried was the son of Gottfried Saenger and Margaretha Ittinger. Both from the village of Tolnaishof in Baden. Margaretha is definitely a relative but I am not yet able to pinpoint the exact connection even with positive DNA results from descendants of Gottfried and Margaretha. Anton Ittinger was an older brother to Maria. Joseph Albert and the Ittinger siblings were also from the village of Tolnaishof.

When we first started the cemetery rehab; we began at the overgrown section near the driveway closest to Route 85. This area had a lot of sumac trees that were growing into the cemetery and obscuring many gravestones. One gravestone in particular was severely leaning forward due to settling and root growth. Below is a photo of the gravestone after the area was cleared of the sumac trees.

Below is a photo of the gravestone which was rehabbed this past Summer. The photo taken in early December. Please notice the name. Gottfried Sanger. Yes, he is the same man who was a witnesses to the marriage of my great great great grandparents; and also a distant cousin. This was discovered about three weeks ago.

As my research continues, I found myself at the Albany Hall of Records going through the funeral books of the John M. Foll funeral home, which was located on South Pearl Street. The Foll funeral home waked numerous relatives of mine and also other German South Enders. As I was going through the books I came across the page below. The funeral expense record for Caroline Sanger. Gottfried's wife. Note, the record names Gottfried as Gottlieb.

It became very apparent while reading through the pages of the funeral books that I had rehabbed numerous gravestones of people who were buried by Foll and I was looking at their funeral expenses a hundred years plus later. Very interesting!

Leibenstadt - Tollnaishof to Albany

One of my great grandmothers was an Albert, Mary Albert; daughter of John Albert & Sophia Albert from Second Avenue in Albany's South End. Years ago my grandfather, Joseph Albert Koreman, mentioned to me that there were a lot of Alberts in the South End and they were all related. He could not explain the connections at the time. Years pass and now I am tracing all of the South End Albert families and tying them together.

With the help of other researchers who also happen to be cousins this mass of Albert surnames is coming together. The family originates in the province of Baden in a farming community known as Tollnayshof/Tollnaishof/Dollishof just outside of Leibenstadt. Most of this information comes from Wikipedia. However I have a book in PDF form written in Deutsch on the history of the town. The translated title is The Dollishof: History of a Dissolved Village by August Haeffner, Schoeckingen, 1970. It is mandatory that I translate this book.

Leibenstadt Flag

The farming village was actually a colony of a manor estate that was established by the Hungarian noble Franz von Tolnay in 1703. By the mid 19th century the community grew to approximately 250 residents. The area was relatively small therefore agriculture was limited to the personal needs of the residents who mainly subsided by peddling and begging.

In 1830, Tolnayshof had 24 citizens plus their relatives. The first population count was in 1832 and the village had 166 inhabitants. Due to the area's poverty it was decided not to continue the settlement of Tolnayshof. By 1847 the area had about 250 residents. Finally in 1850 the Baden state decided upon forced immigration to America. By 1852, the population fell to 155. All of those inhabitants homes were demolished. After this first successful immigration campaign, the further depopulation of the village was slow. In 1865, 117 people still lived in the remaining 16 houses.

By 1880 the Baden state acquired the remaining buildings and demolished them. Only the village well and the cemetery remained. The cemetery deteriorated and was later leveled also. Today a memorial stone and fountain are reminiscent of the former settlement.

The following maps of Tollnaishof come to me courtesy of cousin, Joseph Jennings.

Other surnames from the town of Tollnaishof that immigrated to the United States and resided in Albany's South End include: Herbinger, Hoffmann, Ittinger,  Maier, Salg, Schwind, and Wolpert.

Tombstone Tuesday : Johann Remigius (Michael) Albert

Ah, it is eight days since my shoulder operation. My bicep tendon in shoulder was torn and revamped. The rotator cuff tendon was partially torn and repaired. The lambrum which holds your shoulder in place was damaged and tightened. The reason this is being mentioned is because I am right handed. It was my right shoulder that was repaired. Now I find it very difficult to manage with one "left" arm. Typing up until now was literally impossible. I managed to rig myself and arm so that I can type; but not for long. Therefore unless posts are already scheduled to go live, articles may be scarce for a bit. We will see.

The second to last gravestone that I repaired before my operation was that of Johann Remigius (Michael) Albert and that of his wife Theresa Maier Albert. The stone had tipped over due to the base being unlevel and an offending shrub obscuring the stone. Below shows the shrub removed but the base is un-level.

Next the base was leveled. The stone was hoisted upright to be cleaned, two new pins installed, and fresh lithomex mortar layed underneath the stone and around the joint where the stone meets the base. No comment on the shoe.

The final product is below. Over the Winter the D2 should do its work and the stone will be brighter come this Spring.

Until the Spring comes, my gravestone restoration projects are finished. Injuries, Winter, snow, cold, and ice will make sure that I now take up my genealogy research for a while.

Military Monday : Joseph Albert

This week's ancestral biography is on Joseph Albert, one of my great great great grandfathers. Joseph was born to Margaretha Reber (born 01 November 1815) and Andreas Albert (21 February 1807 - 08 April 1850) on 25 December 1836 in Tolnayshof (Leibenstadt), Baden. Margaretha and Andreas were married on 18 November 1834 in Tolnayshof.

Parish Register of Joseph Albert's baptism

Translation of Joseph's baptism record
courtesy Joseph Jennings

Siblings of Joseph, all born in Tolnayshof, include:

• Johann Solomon Albert, born 08 February 1840
• Franz Joseph Albert, born 21 March 1844
• Elisabetha Albert, born 27 December 1846
• Katharina Albert, born 01 September 1850

The village of Tolnayshof does not exist today. The vast majority of its residents were extremely poor and considered a burden on the Baden government. Therefore from 1850 through 1880 the state of Baden forced the immigration of its residents until the village ceased to exist in 1880. All buildings were then demolished and the village disappeared.

It appears that a large number of Tolnayshof residents settled in Albany. Some of those families included the Alberts, Eddingers, Herbingers, Hoffmans, and Rebers. All of which are ancestors of mine. 

It appears that after Andreas Albert died his wife Margaretha remarried Joseph Salg. The family immigrated to New York arriving on 29 October 1853 aboard the ship Sir Robert Peel. Below is a scan of part of the passenger list listing the family under the name Salg.

Passenger List, Sir Robert Peel
29 October 1853

Joseph married Maria Ittinger (07 March 1838 - 06 April 1900), another former resident of Tolnayshof on 07 February 1857 at the Evangelical Protestant Church in Albany on Clinton and Alexander Streets. Joseph and Maria had the following children:

• John (1855-1899) married Sophia Albert
• Joseph (1859-1899) married Eva Wink
• Russell (1862-1899) married Mary Ann Ryan
• Mary (1866- ?)
• Julia (1869-1946) married Edwin Theodore Waite
• Jacob (1870- ?) married Julia
• Louisa (1872-1944) married Charles W. Craft
• William (1874-1944) married Mary L. Hortick
• Henry (1876- ?)
• Thomas Joseph (1878-1943) married Elizabeth Karius
• Charles (1882-1962) married Bertha Konkosky
• George William (1885-1957) married Catherine Theresa Vogel

Below are the left and right pages from the marriage register of the Evangelical Protestant church listing Joseph and Maria's marriage.

On 19 October 1857 Joseph applied for his Declaration of Intent to become a United States citizen and on 15 October 1860 Joseph became a citizen. Joseph was both a farmer and moulder. The family resided on Second Avenue for many years.

Joseph Albert naturalization record
15 October 1860

Shortly after becoming a United States citizen the Civil War broke out and Joseph enlisted into the 7th Heavy Artillery of the New York State Volunteers 07 August 1862. He was joined by many other Albany South End Germans. The unit was led by Colonel George Krank; also from Albany. Krank Street in Albany was named after his family.

Joseph saw heavy fighting and was captured at the Battle of Petersburg on 22 June 1864. He was confined at Richmond, Virginia and later at Andersonville, Georgia. On 25 May 1865 Joseph mustered out of the Army at an Albany hospital. Some of the documents from Joseph's pension files indicate that he was severely injured by being hit with grapeshot; which was usually fired out of cannons.

Below are various scans from Joseph's pension files.

Letter describing grapeshot wound

Enlistment Paper

Joseph and Maria are both buried in Our Lady Help of Christians cemetery in Glenmont.

Joseph & Maria Albert gravestone
at Our Lady Help of Christians cemetery
Glenmont, New York

John & Sophia Albert

On a day off from work, I am going through my paper files. The task is to get them organized, digitally scanned, and stored in archival albums. After collecting family papers and notes since 1980, I have amassed a large collection which desparately needs my attention. There are numerous papers in my folders that I was not aware that I had. Such as a receipt for the purchase of the plot where my great great grandparents, John and Sophia Albert are buried in Our Lady Help of Christians cemetery in Glenmont, New York. A scan is below.

Plot deed

The receipt is dated 23 November 1909. The day before Sophia Albert was buried there. It was purchased by two of her children John M. Albert and Julia Albert for $35. According to the plot card, (scan is below) the lot held twelve graves.

Plot card

Many years later on 6 June 1929, John and Julia Albert paid another $100 for perpetual care for the lot of their parents.

Perpetual care receipt

A photo of their lot is below.

Albert Headstone

John Albert (1855-1899) married Sophia Albert (1858-1909) on 13 Sept 1874 at Our Lady Help of Christians church on Second Avenue. Both were children of German immigrants from Baden. As far as I can determine, the two were not related. John was a moulder working for Ransom Stove Company, in Albany.

John & Sophia Albert

The family resided for many years at 55 Second Avenue, opposite and below their beloved church, Our Lady Help of Christians.

55 Second Avenue, 2015

Children of John and Sophia were:

• John Michael Albert (1876-1956) married Sarah Elizabeth Baker (1884-1955)
• Michael Alfred Albert (1877-1934)
• Joseph Clarance Albert (1879-1936)

Joseph Clarance Albert

• Julia Agnes Albert (1881-1969)

Julia Agnes Albert

• Harry Alvin Albert (1883-1950)
• Mary Margaret Albert (1886-1963) married Joseph William Koreman (1886-1979)

Mary Margaret Albert