My great grandfather, Joseph A. WEINBERGER, was born about 1874 in Austria. He arrived in the United States sometime between 1886-1890 and joined his older brother, "Adolph H. WEINBERGER," (born about 1870 in Austria) who arrived between 1881-1887. At the time of his birth, Austria had recently (1867) united with Hungary and was known as "Austria-Hungary" or "Austro-Hungary." Usually he was listed as Austrian, but sometimes as Hungarian.
The earliest U. S. record I have found of Joseph is the 1891 City Directory for Omaha, Nebraska, where he was working for his brother: "J. A. WEINBERGER, clerk A. H. WEINBERGER." For several years he worked for Adolph as agent and collector. Joseph and Adolph were "artists" and proprietors of the Omaha Art Studio, but they lived in Council Bluffs.
On 12 Mar 1897, Joseph married Jennie Emily BELL in Council Bluffs. Jennie was 5 days shy of being 16, and her grandmother gave her consent to the marriage, signing "Mrs Jane Richardson" as "Mother by adoption." When her father found out she had married, he threatened to disown her if she remained with Joseph. (I have not yet found evidence of a divorce or annulment.)
Joseph may not have known it, but Jennie was already four months pregnant when they married. On 1 Aug 1897, Jennie gave birth to a son, Irvin Earl. Jennie spelled his name "WINEBERG." Family 'tradition' says she changed the spelling to keep Joseph from finding his son. In 1898, Jennie married George Emory HOUCK, who raised Irvin as his own, along with 8 half-brothers and sisters. In 1910, he was even listed as "Irvin HOUCK."
Soon after this, Joseph and his brother moved to Lincoln, Nebraska (where Adolph married Lida SHAMP about 1900). Joseph lived with Adolph, Lida, and their daughter Maude. In 1905 they were living in Leavenworth, Kansas (merchants); in 1910 they were in Ray County, Missouri (farmers). By 1916, they had returned to Lincoln where Adolph became a real estate agent. In 1918 Joseph married Lillian M. STUART and the two of them moved to Independence, Kansas, where, in 1920, Joseph was an "automobile machinist." By 1930, Lillian had died and Joseph was a grocery merchant, again living in Lincoln with Adolph and Lida.
I hope you don't mind that I get very seasick....
ReplyDeleteI'll just let you swab the deck, that way you'll be near the railing... just in case.
ReplyDeleteNice looking ship ya got here, Matey!
ReplyDeletei believe my g grandfather could be their brother. He is Adolph Abraham Weinberger born in falkus hungary 1873-4 . He was a tailor in St. Louis missouri. My Dna is on ancestry if interested in finding more of your tree.
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