In
Loving Memory of Our Mom
Rev 15, Jan 19 , 2011
The
History of Our Mother’s Ancestor’s
The
1844-1944 History of Homewood’s
Kress,
Hauck, Crowe, Messer & O’Donnell Families
By
Hugh Owen O’Donnell and Martha O’Donnell Arnold
Introduction
The purpose of this memorial is to tell the very interesting story of our mother, Margaret Kress and her mother Anna Kress. The project also attempts to tell the complex history of the Hauck, Crowe, Kress, Messer and O’Donnell extended families living in Homewood section of Pittsburgh (zip code15208) between the years of 1844 to 1944. The way these families interacted with one another is a story of a late 19th century, early 20th century American extended family, unlike any family in this modern day of easy travel and rapid communication.
In the weeks following our mother's death, we set out in search of her roots, roots that would bear the beauty of her life's story, roots that would inform our own. We set out in search of ancestry, of genealogy, of heritage, of relationships. We set out in search of truth. Uncovered was the extraordinary, 93-year journey of a woman whose astonishing childhood inspired a deeply ingrained strength, whose life became passionately devoted to faith and family and whose extraordinary legacy may now be fully known.
One of the most
extraordinary facts about our mother’s life is that our grandmother, Anna Kress,
never formally acknowledged Margaret Kress as her daughter until very late in Anna's life. It is our intention to highlight in this research
our understanding of why our grandmother would wait 60 some years to reveal to her
daughter that she was indeed her Mother.
Although we
always assumed that our grandma was our mother's mother we never called her grandma. We called her Gangie as did our Mom. However, in the last years of our
grandmother’s life she did acknowledge, for the first time, in a birthday card to
Margaret, that she was her mother. She did so
by signing the card “ Love Mother.”
Anna died a few years later in 1979. Our mom saved the card, tucking it away in her silver
box of valuable papers.
In the paragraphs ahead, we will try to explain why
the birthday card with its signature of "Love Mother" was such a poignant event
for both these women in the context of the complex historical details of their lives.
Let us begin our
memorial by giving thanks to all our ancestors. We
are here today because of their history, the sweet, the sour, and the bitter of it. May we be guided in its telling.
Our journey into the past began January 2006 when we traveled the once tree lined neighborhood that encompassed Apple, Lincoln, Homewood and Larimer Avenues; Hermitage, Idlewild, Pineridge and Collier Streets. We got a feel, a flavor for the people who walked and talked on those streets; lived in those houses, one room arrangements, third floor spaces; shared those churches, alley ways, school steps, classrooms, blackboards and corner stores. We imagined the joyous bonds formed and the hearts broken, the stories and secrets shared, the holidays and traditions that bind and separate us as individuals and as families.
This neighborhood tells a story and if the trees and the sidewalks and the blue sky above could speak… well, we might have spent our time hanging out with them. We have instead history from research, documentation, census, word of mouth memories, and our own sensibilities that provide a glimpse into these families and a hint of why our mother was as dynamic and devoted to faith and family as she proved to be in her 93 years.
We will tell our story using a year-by-year timeline of significant events in the life of our mother and our mother’s mother, Anna Mariam Kress. The time line will start in 1844 with the birth of Anna Kress’s parents in the Hessen region of Germany and cover the next 100 years. The timeline will focus on the relationship of Anna Kress with her two sisters, Mary (Kress) Hauck and Catherine (Kress) Crowe, as it relates to the life of our mother.
The timeline will also include significant events in the life of Maurice John O’Donnell, our father, and his ancestors, as they might relate to our story, beginning with the immigration from Ireland of our father’s grandparents, Bridget (Campbell) and Neil O’Donnell.
1.
In 1844, our maternal great
grandfather, William Kress, is born in the small rural German town of Neuhof, Hessen,
located 40 miles NE of present day Frankfurt, Germany.
William is the son of John Kress and Eva Kelm. We believe William immigrates
to Pittsburgh around 1865.
Internet
Picture of 2006 Neuhof, Germany
Collage of Photos taken July 2006 Neuhof, Germany
2.
In 1845, our maternal great
grandmother, Augusta Kress, is born in Dorfborn Germany. Augusta is the mother of
our grandma, Anna Mariam Kress. Dorfborn is located one mile north of Neuhof.
Augusta Kress is the daughter of Petrus Kress and Agnes Jahn. Interestingly,
Augusta’s maiden name, Kress, was the same as the man she married. We suspect
Augusta and her future husband, William Kress, immigrated to Pittsburgh at the same time.
Picture of entire Kress Family in 1905
3. The immigration of our mother and father’s ancestors to America starts just after 1850.
4. The first immigrant is John Jacob, our maternal grandmother's future in-law, who came from Hessen Germany to Pittsburgh around 1850. John Jacob (born 1832) and his wife, Margaret Jacob (born 1828), came to Western Pennsylvania from Darmstadt, Germany. Darmstadt is located 10 miles south of Frankfurt. The Jacob family worked a farm near Jeannette PA and had at least 7 American born children.
5. Sometime around 1850-1860, a Frederick Hauck, another future in-law of our maternal grandmother, immigrates to Pittsburgh from Hessen, Germany. Frederick Hauck was born in 1841 and had lived in Hauenstein, Germany, located about 50 miles south of Frankfurt. After Frederick Hauck arrived in Pittsburgh, he marries John Jacob’s oldest daughter, Mary Jacob (born 1855).
Frederick Hauck 1841 -1919 1892 Photo
6. Interestingly, Frederick and Mary Jacob Hauck’s grandson, Carl Hauck Sr, will later marry our dad’s sister, Grace O’Donnell Hauck, connecting these German families through both our mom and our dad's sister. The Jacob, Hauck, and Kress 1850 German ancestors will soon meet and intermarry with 1860 Irish immigrants named O’Donnell setting the stage for both our mother and father's German Irish ancestral story.
7. On June 5, 1861, the ship “South Shore” arrives in New York carrying immigrants from Ireland. The poor immigrants Neil and Bridget (Campbell) O’Donnell climb off the boat from County Mayo Ireland with their two infant sons Michael and Owen O’Donnell. They settle in Cleveland, Ohio with many other 1840-1860 Irish immigrants from the same region of west County Mayo. The western part of county Mayo is centered on Clew Bay and the major areas of Newport, Westport and Achill Island. Later in our story, Neil and Bridget O’Donnell’s grandson, Maurice John O’Donnell, will become our father after marriage to Augusta and William Kress’ granddaughter, Margaret Kress.
Neil and Bridget O'Donnell 1874 Photo
Neil and Bridget O'Donnell Family Tree
Satellite Photo Neil ODonnell's Clew Bay Homestead
Panorama Photo of Currane Homestead in Ireland
Detailed history of our Co Mayo O'Donnell Ancestors
8. On Jan 10, 1866, a Margaret Long, our mother's future paternal grandmother, is born in Kilderry, Londonderry, Ireland, located just east of County Donegal where the great “Fighting Prince of Donegal,” Red Hugh O’Donnell, once lived in his grandfather's 15th century castle. Margaret Long was born to Henry Long and Elizabeth Murray. We believe this is the same Margaret Long that later married Robert R Messer, who also immigrated to Pittsburgh, setting the stage for the very interesting story of just who was our mother’s father.
9. On Oct 31, 1866, a Robert Robson Messer, our
mother's future paternal grandfather, was born in Hawick, Roxburgh, Scotland located 20
miles SE of. Edinburgh. Robert was the son of Henry Messer and Janet Wemyss.
Henry and Janet were married June 7, 1866. Henry Messer was born Aug 3, 1847 to
Henry Messer and Betsy Robson, all from the same part of Scotland as Robert.
Margaret Long and Robert R. Messer would later give birth to the man who was named on our
mom’s 1912 birth certificate, our maternal grandfather, John Messer.
Picture of Margaret and Robert Messer
10. On Aug 6, 1867, Augusta and William Kress, our
grandmother Anna's parents, are married in Allegheny City’s St. Mary’s Catholic
Church. Allegheny City is located on what is now Pittsburgh’s north side.
Allegheny City became part of Pittsburgh in 1907. Their first home was at 17 Long
Alley. This alley is now called Lovitt Street and is located between Madison and
Chestnut streets on Pittsburgh’s north side near the H J Heinz plant but about three
blocks toward Allegheny General Hospital.
Picture of Lovitt Street in 2006
11. The Kress' have several infant deaths.
On Sep 28, 1868, Augusta and William Kress’ first child, John, is born. Another child is born Oct 29, 1870. On April
20, 1872, the twins, William and Mary Caroline, are born. Apparently, none of these
4 children survived beyond infancy. A fifth child, Fred (Ferdinand) is born Aug 14,
1873 at 43 Long Alley (zip 15212) and baptized in St Mary’s on Aug 18, 1873.
Fred’s godparents are Ferdinand Hohmann and his wife, Maria Margaretha.
Fred survived as the Kress’ oldest son.
12. The 1870 census shows many Kress’s living in Pittsburgh. We suspect the reason Augusta and William immigrated to Pittsburgh from the Hessen region of Germany was to join relatives already living here in Pittsburgh. The following people were listed in the 1870 census as possible Hessen born relatives of William and Augusta Kress.
o Franz Kress (b 1818) stone mason
o Nicholas Kress (b 1822), blacksmith
o Leopold Kress (1842), Lawrenceville tavern owner
o George Kress (1838), teamster
o Andrew Kress (b 1832), butcher
o Blasius Kress (b 1843), plasterer, and
o Rinehart Kress (b 1833), blacksmith.
13. The 1870 Census shows all the above Pittsburgh Kress immigrants were born in the same part of Germany (Hessen) as William and Augusta Kress. We believe William had at least two brothers, Blasius (born 1843) and Fabian (born 1841). Blasius Kress seems to have been the more established of the two having perhaps immigrated before William or Fabian. Fabian never married and lived with William and Augusta at several times during their life in Pittsburgh.
14. We believe the 1870 Kress’ knew the Pittsburgh German families named Hauck and Jacob. We know that William Kress, John Jacob and Frederick Hauck were all from Hessen, Germany. The Hessen region was centered on the large city of Frankfurt, Germany. All of these German immigrants most likely knew each other in Pittsburgh because people from the same area of their mother country usually socialized together here in the US. Additionally, all of these German immigrants were strong Roman Catholics as was traditional of Germans from Bavaria/Hessen part of Germany.
15. On August 15, 1874, Frederick Hauck and Mary
Jacob, age 19, are married in Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, PA
(zip 15208.) Around this same time, Frederick Hauck started a shoe store business at
407 Larimer Avenue located only two blocks from Sts Peter and Paul Church.
Diocese of Pittsburgh Records on Fred and Mary Hauck Family
16. In 1874, Sts Peter/Paul church was the only
Roman Catholic Church in Pittsburgh’s east end, Homewood, district. Later,
three additional RC churches, Holy Rosary (1893), Corpus Christi (1902) and St Walburga
(1928) RC churches are built in this predominately Irish and German neighborhood.
The Irish people attended Holy Rosary and Corpus Christi parish. The German people
attended Sts Peter/ Paul and St Walburga.
17. In 1875, Frederick Hauck‘s oldest child, John A. Hauck, is born. John A. Hauck later married William and Augusta Kress’ oldest daughter, Mary Kress, in what we suspect was an arranged marriage.
18. In 1875, William and Augusta Kress move to
Butcher’s Run (north side) where their daughter Mary Kress, is born on Aug 23,
1875. William’s brother, Blasius, is the sponsor at Mary’s baptism in St
Mary’s Catholic Church located on Pittsburgh’s north side.
19.
In June, 1876, John Maurice O’Donnell, our dad's father, is born to Bridget Campbell and
Neil O’Donnell in Cleveland Ohio. John is their
second child named "John." Their first John was born in 1865 but died as a
young child.
Picture of John M.O'Donnell age ~35
20. On Aug 21, 1882, Catherine Duffy, our dad's
mother, is born to James Duffy and Catherine Gibbons in Sheeaun townland, Islandeady
parish, Co Mayo, Ireland, located 2 miles east of Westport and 5 miles south of Newport,
near the banks of Clew Bay. Catherine immigrates to Cleveland, marries John Maurice
O’Donnell in Cleveland, and becomes our dad’s mother. Catherine Duffy
immigrated to Cleveland between 1901 and 1911. Her sister Mary Ellen (May) was the
first to immigrate a few years before Catherine. Catherine Duffy lived several
blocks ( Detroit Ave in Cleveland’s west side ) from John Maurice O’Donnell
before their marriage on May 20, 1908.
21. On Sep 27, 1877, Leonard Kress was born to William and Augusta. We do not know much about Leonard Kress or his brother Frederick, as it relates to our mom and grandma's story. Fred and Leonard apparently had no interest in being part of the family stone business.
22. Stone cutting was important to the Kress family. In 1877, Blasius Kress, William’s brother, is found working in a stone quarry. A Magdalene Kress, widow of a George Kress, is living at 53 Spring Garden Ave, located about 2 blocks from Long’s Alley on the north side. William Kress is found working in a quarry as well. We suspect the Kress family either had relatives here who were in the stone business or they came from Germany with stone quarry experience.
23. On Feb 25, 1880 Joseph Kress, our grandma Anna's dear brother, was born. We know Joe Kress later inherited William Kress’ stone quarry business and he lived with our mother and our grandmother during the early years of our mom’s life at 6910 Apple Ave. Joe Kress remained single until the age of 44 and lived with our mom and Anna for 12 years.
24. In 1880, William Kress' family moves to the
Lawrenceville-Morningside section of Pittsburgh’s east end. William and Augusta
Kress now had only 4 living children: Fred, Mary, Leonard, and Joe. Their first four
children had died.
Map of 5 Kress Homes 1870-1940
25. In 1881 Margaret Long immigrates to the USA. Margaret will later become our mother’s paternal grandmother. We even suspect she may be the reason our mother was named Margaret.
26. Between 1883 and 1886, two more Kress children died as infants. The children were named Blasius, born Apr 1, 1882 and Fabian, born May 13, 1883.
27. In 1883, William Kress is shown living near 54th St and Butler, in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. A Leopold Kress is a tavern person/owner at Butler and 37th street nearby. William is shown working as stone quarry laborer.
28.
In 1885, Frederick Hauck, father
of John A. Hauck, is shown working or owning a shoe store at 407 Larimer Ave. A
Wilhelm Kress is shown living at 54th street and Butler. Our great grandfather,
William Kress, sometimes is listed on various records with the first name Wilhelm,
Wilhemus, Wilhelmo, Gulielmum, Gulielmo, Guililemo, or Guillelmo Kress.
29. On May 1, 1886, Catherine Kress, our mom’s
dear Aunt Katie and Anna's dear sister, was born. She was baptized in St
Augustine’s Lawrenceville RC Church on May 9, 1886, with sponsors Clemens and Maria
Melania Kress. Clemens was probably a very
close relative of the Kress’ because he is shown living with William and Augusta in
1889. Catherine Kress was a very supportive sister to our grandmother, Anna Kress,
her entire life. Catherine Kress would later marry the son of Thomas Crowe.
Tom Crowe was an Irish immigrant who started a grocery store business at 539 Homewood
Avenue. The marriage would be the first to commingle the German and Irish families.
Picture of Catherine Kress age 6
30. Thomas Crowe (born 1852) emigrated from Ireland in 1886. He was naturalized a citizen in 1892. He married an American born wife named Mary Agnes Hanlon who was born in Pittsburgh in 1870. Thomas Crowe's son, John, would later marry Catherine Kress. The Crowe family and their Irish neighbors, the O’Donnell’s, become significant people in the life of our German grandmother, Anna Kress, and the life of our mother, Margaret Mary Kress O’Donnell. The Crowe family was to become close friends to our dad, Maurice J. O’Donnell, even before the German Kress’ and Irish Crowe’s intermarried.
31.
In 1887, the William Kress family
moves to McCandless and Butler Street, not far from 54th Street.
William’s brother, Blasius, is now a plasterer and no longer a quarryman. Blasius remains living on the north side at 46
Raymond Ave even though his brother William has moved across the Allegheny River to
Lawrenceville and still works in a quarry. Surprisingly, Blasius’ house at 46
Raymond Ave still stands today. The house is located on the east side of the Parkway
North (I-579), one house among a narrow row of about a dozen houses, up the side of a
steep hill, just to the right of the Gerst St over walk that crosses I-579, about ¼ mile
south of St. Boniface church.
Picture of renamed 46 Raymond Street
32. On August 29, 1888, our maternal grandmother,
Anna Mariam Kress, is born. She is baptized in St Augustine’s (Lawrenceville)
Church on Sep 9 1888. Anna’s godparents are Joe and Anna Becker who had
emigrated from Germany. Anna Kress was the last-born Kress child.
Picture of Anna Mariam Kress age 4
33.
In 1888, Robert R. Messer, our
mom’s paternal grandfather, emigrates from Scotland to the USA to marry a Margaret
Long. Robert Messer worked as a slate roofer in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh
all his life. One can imagine that the
remaining slate roofs in the area today might very well be his handy work.
34. On Sep 29, 1890, the father of our mother is
born. He is John Messer, the son of Robert and Margaret (Long) Messer. John
Messer is born and baptized at Sacred Heart RC Church. Significantly, John’s father
was non-Catholic. Margaret (Long) Messer was Catholic.
Diocese of Pittsburgh Records on Messer Family
35.
In 1891, William Kress is living
at Haights Alley near Stanton Ave. Haights Alley is a now defunct road that used to
run parallel with Serpentine Street that goes up the hill from Butler Street past the
Pittsburgh Zoo. The area where the road existed is now part of the Zoo’s parking
area. Haights Alley, or Haights Run as it was
sometimes called, was located in the Morningside section of Pittsburgh, halfway between
the Lawrenceville and Lincoln Ave sections of Pittsburgh.
36. Soon the Kress family and Hauck family meet. In 1891, a John Kress is shown in the Pittsburgh directory living on Lincoln and Lemington Ave, near the shoe store run by Fred Hauck. This John Kress might have been the source of how William Kress and Frederick Hauck came to know each other in Pittsburgh’s Homewood area. A John Kress will later appear living with William Kress.
37. In 1892-1893, a Frank C. Kress is living with Blasius Kress at 46 Raymond Ave. A Clement, Fabian, Thomas C, and John J. Kress are all shown living with William Kress at Haights Run and Dunn Streets near Morningside’s Stanton Ave area. We suspect these Kress’ were close relatives of Blasius and William Kress. They may have recently emigrated from Germany.
38. In the 1896 Pittsburgh Directory, William Kress is living at Haights Run and is still working in a stone quarry. A Paul Kress is listed as a stone contractor at 298 East Street on the North Side. We wonder if this Paul Kress was a relative and the source of the Kress connection to the stone and quarry business?
39. In 1897, William Kress is shown living at Haights Run. He is listed living with his brother Fabian Kress. Both William and Fabian are listed in the Pittsburgh directory as quarrymen. A John Kress, painter, is now listed living with Blasius Kress at 46 Raymond Ave.
40. In 1897, John A. Hauck (now age 22) is shown working with his father, Frederick Hauck, at the shoe store at 407 Larimer Ave in the Pittsburgh Homewood-Lincoln Ave district. A Thomas Crowe is shown living at 3420 Ligonier Street in the Lawrenceville section of the city. Shortly after this a Thomas Crowe family will be found on Bennett Street in Homewood.
41. In 1898, four Hauck sons; Frederick Jr., John A., Lewis, and Joseph W. are shown either living/working at 407 Larimer Ave with their father Frederick Hauck’s shoe business. Joseph W Kress is shown working as a tinner or sheet metal worker. Lewis and John A. Hauck are working as clerks in the shoe store.
42. Around the turn of the century, the Kress
family and Hauck family seem to be achieving wealth. In 1898, William and Augusta
Kress are doing well financially and make their first of several real estate
purchases. Interestingly, their first real estate purchase is located near the
corner of Apple Avenue and Lincoln Ave in the Homewood section of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Real Estate Records are listed by Volume and Page number at the County Recorder
of Deeds Office. On March 14, 1898, V1326Page44, George Jenkins sold 5 lots, the lots that
now are still found at addresses 6902, 6904, 6906, 6908 and 6910 Apple Avenue, zip 15208.
William Kress paid $4,200 for this 2 story row of 5 house units which will later
house our mom during the first 6 years of her life.
43. On August 28, 1900, Frederick Hauck’s
oldest son, John A. Hauck, marries William Kress’s oldest daughter, Mary Kress.
The wedding is held in the Hauck’s St Peter and Paul’s Church. The
Kress’ may have transferred to this parish by now since the church is as close to
Morningside as is St Augustine Church.
Picture Collage of John A and Mary Hauck
44.
The 1900 Pittsburgh City Directory
shows William Kress working and/or living at two addresses: one address is Apple/Lincoln
Avenue; the second address is Sandy Creek, PA. The first address is at or near the
property they purchased in 1898 on Apple Ave. The dual address makes us
believe William Kress was either working or starting a stone supply store at the corner of
Lincoln Ave and Apple Avenue while at the same time working
in a stone quarry located on Verona Road near Sandy Creek Road in what was then called
Penn Township.
Map of Lincoln Ave to Sandy Creek Stone Quarry
45. In 1900, William Kress is now clearly working
as owner of a Penn Township stone quarry. The stone quarry, now abandoned, exists
today located near the intersection of Verona Rd and Nadine Rd (also called Lincoln Rd, an
extension of Lincoln Ave) in Pittsburgh’s Penn Hills section. As we have
already mentioned, this stone quarry probably had an associated building supplies outlet
store located at the corner of Apple and Lincoln Avenues.
Picture of Joe Kress in Stone
Quarry 1905
Photos of Stone Quarry 2006 & 1905
46. Between the years 1890-1906, Augusta and
William Kress made additional real estate purchases. The most significant purchase
after the Apple Ave purchase was the stone quarry. On November 28, 1899, William
Kress purchases a 15-acre stone quarry from a C Fenton Harvey for $5,200. The stone
quarry had been previously bought from a Wm. McKnight, a prominent 1895 Verona Road major
landowner, on February 24, 1899 for only $3500 (V1050Page429.)
47. On Feb 24, 1904, Augusta Kress bought
(V1305Page291) property described as lot 28, Pittsburgh City Plan Book Vol 9, page 132.
The property was located on Ella Street, Lawrenceville and cost 3500$.
48. In Sep, 1904, William Kress purchased
(V1358Page43) property described as Lot #19, Pittsburgh City Woolslayer Plan of Lots, Plan
Book Volume 5, Page 238.
49. On Dec 3, 1904, Neil O’Donnell, our
dad’s grandfather, died at 138 Gordon Ave (now W 65th ) in Cleveland,
Ohio. His death marks the first death of a family patriarch or matriarch stemming from the
1850-1890 immigrations.
50. In Aug 1906, Augusta Kress purchases
(V1464Page437) property costing $1600 and described as lots 362 and 363 on what is now
Witherspoon Ave, near Butler Street in Morningside.
Map of Haights Run Witherspoon St
51. A 1905 picture of the William and Augusta Kress
family was taken at their new Penn Township home on Verona Rd. We believe the home
was located next to Sandy Creek between the creek and the south side of Verona Road.
The house was located between the intersection of what are now Sandy Creek Road and Verona
Road and the stone quarry. We suspect the exact location of the Kress family home
sat on property now containing a newer house having the address 4618 Verona Rd, 15147.
Picture of Kress
Family 1905 at Verona Rd Home Quarry
52. The
stone quarry had a building that was used to form and cut stone taken from the
quarry. A part of this building still stands today housing the ACE junkyard of 4550
Verona Rd, 15147.
Picture of Quarry Stone Building
in 1907
Picture of Quarry Stone Building in
2005
Directions to Hauck/Kessr Quarry
53. On April 27, 1907, William Kress, family
Patriarch, dies from peritonitis. He appears to have contracted appendicitis on
April 17, 1907. He made a simple two paragraph Will on April 23, leaving $4000 worth
of goods and $8000 worth of property to his “dear wife” Augusta. Over the
next two years all the property owned by William and Augusta Kress will be transferred for
1$ by Augusta Kress to her children.
54. On Sep 25, 1907, in Sts Peter Paul Church, John
M. Crowe, the oldest son of an Irish born Homewood Grocer, Thomas Crowe, is married to
Catherine Kress.
55. On May 20, 1908, John Maurice O’Donnell,
our paternal grandfather, married Catherine Duffy in Cleveland, Ohio. The marriage
was to be short lived, as John Maurice O’Donnell died 6 years later leaving behind
our 5-year-old dad and 3-year-old aunt, Grace O’Donnell. We believe John died from respiratory
complications following a fire he fought as a Cleveland fireman.
Picture
of Dad, Aunt Grace, Mother and
Father ~1913
56. On Nov 21, 1908, Augusta Kress transferred
the Apple Ave lots to John M. Crowe and his wife, Catherine Kress Crowe, who, up until
this time, had lived on Fluery Way.
57. In 1908, Augusta Kress transfers the stone
quarry property to her son, Joseph Kress, for $1. The transfer is not made to the
two older brothers of Joseph, Fred and Leonard. Joseph
Kress becomes an active member of the Verona Businessman's Association between 1907-1910.
Picture of Joe Kress with Verona
Businessmen
58. On July 4, 1909, Maurice John O’Donnell,
our dad, is born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 4621 Tillman Street, near Cleveland’s west
side Flats. Our Dad's sister, Grace C. O'Donnell (later Hauck), was born in
Cleveland Nov 23, 1910. For more details of my Dad's Story see
59. The1910 Census lists Augusta Kress, now age 65,
as head of household and living at 6910 Apple Ave. She is head of household to the
following people in the same house:
Joe Kress (28) son
Anna Kress (21) daughter
Fabian Kress (69) brother or brother in law
60. In 1910, the house at 6910 Apple Ave had a
spectacular view of the surrounding Lincoln Ave-Homewood neighborhood, being a
geographical high point. Interestingly, our mom remembers the Klu Klux Klan burning
crosses on the hill above and behind the Apple Ave home.
It was indeed a home with a view: a view of a community, which would become the
stage for the story of our Mom’s next 30+ years of
life.
61. On October 31, 1912, Margaret Kress (later
O’Donnell), our mother, is born in the Apple Ave home where her mother, Anna,
Anna‘s brother Joseph Kress, and Anna‘s mother, all live together.
Picture of Margaret Kress age 4
62. Margaret’s birth certificate records her
mother as Anna Kress. Her father is listed as John Messer. We always knew our mother’s mom
was Anna Kress but we were never told about her father. It was as if he never
existed. We knew our mom’s last name
would normally be something other than Kress because that had been our grandma’s
maiden name.
63. On Nov 6, 1912, Margaret
Kress is baptized in St Peter and Paul’s church. Significant to our story,
Margaret’s godmother was Mary Kress Hauck, Anna Kress’ older sister by 13 years. Anna Kress was 24 years old. The
father’s name on the baptismal certificate matched the birth certificate. The
father was a John Messer.
64. As we searched to locate
our grandfather, John Messer, we noticed in the 1910 census a John Messer lived at 1217
Montezuma Street. Interestingly, this house
is located only two blocks from Anna Kress’ 6910 Apple Ave home. John Messer is
now age 20. Anna Kress is age 22 in
1910. John is shown living with his parents, Robert and Margaret Messer. John
is the oldest of 8 Messer children. The other Messer children were: Jeannette (b
1891), Robert Jr. (b 1893), George (b 1895), Charles (b 1898), Margaret (b 1904), Howard
(b 1906), and Edward (b 1909). The oldest son, John Messer, is listed working with
his father as a roofer.
Picture
of 4 Messer Sons including John Messer
65. Let us now put aside more details on who our
mother’s father was and why we were never told he was John Messer. We will come back to John Messer at several places
later in our story.
66. During the first six years of our mom’s
life, 1912-1918, she lives with Anna and Anna’s 68-year-old mother, Augusta, at 6910
Apple Ave. Anna does not publicly claim our mom as her daughter. Our mom
remembers being told Anna was her guardian.
67. John
Messer is never openly mentioned in the Kress or Hauck families. Without checking our mom’s birth certificate
or baptismal certificate, no one would ever know John Messer was our grandfather. The Kress and Messer family history, as it
relates to the father of our mother, went underground until 2003.
68. Soon after 1912, on June 28, 1915,
Joseph Kress suddenly transfers the ownership of the stone quarry to his brother-in-law,
John A Hauck, for one dollar. John Hauck seems to have become the new operator/owner
of the Kress stone quarry business. Perhaps this is understandable in that John A
Hauck had business experience from working with his father, Frederick Hauck, as shoe
storeowner.
69.
But, this may also be understandable if the unmarried Joe Kress was the father of
two children during this time period. In 1913, a baby girl, Vera, was born to
the widow of a Philip Babilon. The birth
certificate lists Joseph Kress as father. Vera's mother is Annie Babilon.
Before Philip Babilon died in 1910, Annie Babilon had 4 children with Philip.
70. In
late 1915, Annie Babilon had another child with Joe Kress, named Russel Babilon.
Both Russel and Vera were given up for adoption in late 1915. Vera Babilon's name
later was changed to Gertrude after adoption. Russel became Russel Roach, the father
of Linda Spanos.
71.
We recently met Linda Spanos. In
discussions Linda has had with Annie Babilon’s daughter, Gertrude (Vera), she was
told Joe Kress’ two sisters opposed Annie and Joe being married. The two sisters would have been Catherine Kress
Crowe and Mary Kress Hauck.
72. In
any case, the Pittsburgh City Directory shows Joe Kress remained single and continued to
live in the Apple Avenue home with his aged mother, Augusta, his younger sister, Anna, and
our fatherless mother, Margaret.
73. After
1915, Joe Kress no longer was involved in the family stone quarry business. Was the
family business taken away from Joe Kress? Why
did the business pass to Joe’s sister, Mary Kress Hauck? After leaving or being separated from the stone
quarry business, Joe Kress becomes a machinist.
74.
The scandals surrounding our mom's birth and the affairs of Joe Kress seemed to
have created a huge PR problem for the Kress and Hauck families. If the scandals surfaced, not only would the
stone business be affected, but the Hauck shoe business could have suffered as well. With the patriarch William Kress dead, John
A. Hauck’s wife, our mom’s godmother, seems to have gained a large input into
what happened in both the Hauck and Kress families.
Augusta Kress could barely sign her real estate papers and had transferred all her
wealth to her children right after her husband died in 1907. Augusta, we feel
certain, was not in charge. Once Joe Kress
dropped out, or was removed from the picture, Mary Kress Hauck seemed to hold the reigns.
75. We are left wondering if
Anna’s guardianship story, promulgated in 1912, was dictated by Mary Kress Hauck. We do not think that Anna would disown her own
daughter unless pressured to do so for the sake of family prosperity.
Picture of Margaret Kress age
4
76. We can only imagine how
the guardianship story impacted the life of Anna Kress.
We think that Gangie had developed a special relationship to Margaret Long Messer. Our mom would have been Margaret &
Robert’s first grandchild and first granddaughter.
Perhaps the only voice Anna could give to the situation was to name her daughter
Margaret. Up until now, no one in the
Kress family had been named Margaret.
77. In 1914, the
Messer family moves from Montezuma Street to Runette Street located on the other side of
Lincoln Ave from Apple Ave. In fact, we note the Messer family has now moved 4 times
in the last fifteen years, all places within 8 blocks of each other.
78. In
1914, we see Margaret Messer is Catholic and attends the Irish RC parish church, Corpus
Christi, located four blocks from Montezuma and Apple Streets. We know the
Kress’ attend the German Catholic Church, Sts Peter and Paul, located 10 blocks from
Apple Ave. We know Margaret Messer’s husband, Robert Messer, is
non-Catholic. The non-Catholic father would have been strike one against any
consideration of marriage by the Kress’ toward the John Messer family. The Messer family was financially poor compared to
the wealthy stone quarry and shoe storeowners - strike two. Finally, John Messer was
Irish/Scotch, not German - strike three.
79. John Messer went on to
marry another woman. On February 1,
1915, John Messer, our mother's dad, is married to a Sara (Sadie) Richards in a civil
ceremony by Justice of the Peace, Joseph McGee. John (Jack) and Sadie Messer have no
children. John Messer becomes an itinerant factory worker and sets up an
office/workshop on Bennett Street where he builds a few of his inventions.
80.
John Messer’s nephew, Wayne Messer, remembers tinkering in the inventor John
Messer’s workshop, along with Wayne’s father, George Messer. Wayne told us that one of John Messer’s more
significant inventions was the “Messer Jacket” for coal burning furnaces. Wayne said his father, George Messer, financed
many of John’s inventions with money from George’s thriving Homewood numbers
business.
John Messer died on March 9, 1958. He
is buried with his wife Sadie in Spring Grove Cemetery, East Liverpool Ohio.
In 1960, Sadie Messer retired after a 40-year career with Sears & Roebuck.
Sadie died October 7, 1975 in East Liverpool Ohio.
81. On
September 23, 1914, John Maurice O’Donnell, our paternal grandfather, dies in
Cleveland Ohio at the age of 38. He was a member of Cleveland's Firefighter Engine
Company No 4. His family of 4 lived at 4621 Tillman Ave near W 29th Street on
Cleveland's west side. Shortly after John M dies, our paternal grandma,
Catherine Duffy O’Donnell, moves from Cleveland to Pittsburgh with her two small red
haired children, our dad, Maurice John O’Donnell and our Aunt, Grace
O’Donnell. We believe Catherine Duffy O’Donnell moves to Pittsburgh after
marriage to Anthony D. Limpert.
82. Before 1919, Anthony D Limpert had been married to
a Julia Slack. We find a record of their
marriage in Pittsburgh on Oct 17, 1894. Julia
dies in 1919. The 1910 Census shows Anthony, Julia, and two children, Linwood A
Limpert ( 1895-1975) and Marie living at 7227 Idewild St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15208. After 1921, Catherine Duffy and Anthony
Limpert lived at 7318 Idewild St, one block from Anthony's former residence. The
details of Anthony Limpert's former life before he married Catherine Duffy ODonnell were
not known until 2010. It seems sharing of family history was not something
encouraged on the O’Donnell side of the family either.
Picture of My Dad and Aunt Grace in 1916
83. In
1918, Augusta Kress, the family matriarch dies. We find Gangie, our mom, and Uncle
Joe Kress now leaving Augusta's Apple Ave home and moving in with Aunt Katie and Uncle
John Crowe at 7311 Hermitage St, located only 4 blocks from Apple Avenue.
84. On
May 30, 1920, our mom, Margaret Kress, receives her first Holy Communion in Holy Rosary
Church, a day she will later describe as the happiest day of her life.
Fifteen years later, Margaret would marry Catherine Duffy O’Donnell Limpert's son,
Maurice John O’Donnell.
85. The 1920 Census shows
Aunt Katie and Uncle John Crowe had 6 children by then; John M Jr. (b 1904), Tom (born
1911), Catherine (b 1913), Vincent (b 1915), Lorretta (b 1917), and Charles (b 1919).
Picture Various Crowe Family members ~ 1930
86. The 1920 Crowe family,
despite an already overcrowded house, find it within their hearts to make room for 3 more
family members (mom, Anna, and Joe) at their 7311 Hermitage Street home. The house was 2 blocks from Idewild St. Our mom liked living with the Crowe’s. She was fond of Aunt Katie and Aunt Katie seemed
fond of her. Margaret had a close
playmate in her cousin Catherine Crowe who was the same age. Catherine Crowe Peters
would later become our mom’s maid of honor at Margaret’s marriage to Maurice J.
O’Donnell in 1937. Catherine Crowe would
also be the maid of honor for Grace O'Donnell's marriage to Carl Hauck, in 1931.
Picture of Catherine Crowe and Margaret Kress ~ 1933
Photo
of John M. Crowe 7311 Hermitage Street home
87. On April 16, 1922, Frederick’s widow, Mary
Jacob Hauck dies. She is buried in Mt. Carmel cemetery with her husband. The cemetery plot is adjacent to the Kress
cemetery plot and the graves of Augusta and William Kress.
Interestingly, the cemetery is located half way between the Hauck shoe store near
Lincoln Ave and the Kress/Hauck stone quarry on Verona Road.
Photos
Hauck/Kress/Crowe Tombstones in Mt. Carmel Cemetery
88.
The years 1920-1923, living on
Hermitage Street, were good years, according to our mom’s 2003 memory. Margaret remembers the Crowe family vacations to
Ligonier and stays at their Ligonier cottages. She
remembers her Uncle John bringing a ‘night cap’ to her and cousin Catherine
before their going to sleep on many nights. She
wondered if Aunt Katie was getting one as well.
Picture of Aunt Katie and Uncle John Crowe
89.
By 1924 the situation in the Crowe
household was changing for reasons our mother chose not to describe further. Suffice to say, Gangie instinctively knew it was
time to move and they did. Joe Kress was no longer living with Anna and
Margaret. The three had lived together since Margaret's birth in 1912. Joe Kress married Adella Conrad May 6, 1924.
90. Margaret
and Anna now begin to live with Anna’s sister and our mother's godmother, Mary Kress
Hauck. Around 1924, our mom and Gangie are found living with Aunt Mary and Uncle
John A. Hauck at 424 Lincoln Ave. Aunt Mary and Uncle John had 3 children living at
home in 1924; Marie (b 1903), Carl W. (b 1908) and Larry (b 1913). The Hauck's had another son, John F Hauck (born
1902), but he lived on his own in 1924. Mom and Gangie lived on the third floor. Our
mom remembers not feeling at all comfortable with these new living arrangements.
91. In 1924, our
mom is 12 years of age. At this age she still did not know who her father and mother
were. Margaret remembers feeling very
uncomfortable answering questions at school about her living arrangements and family
background. Our mom was reluctant to make
close friends at school because she knew she was different… not having a mom or
dad...just a ‘guardian’. She remembers feeling that people were having a
good laugh over her background. She had two
good friends, however, in classmates Irene Neff and Catherine Hauck (a distant relative.)
92. For the first time since Margaret was born, she is told Anna is her mother. During the 1924-1925-time period, our mom is seeing Father Andrew J. Pauley (1896-1972), assistant pastor of Sts Peter and Paul Church, for confession on a weekly basis. He was regarded as an important figure in our mother’s life. He is friend, confidant and confessor. As she would put it “he was like a father to me." What happens next is a remarkable story about the Catholic sacrament of confession and perhaps the key to the “why Anna did not tell Margaret she was her mother.”
Picture of Father
Pauley ~1925-29
93. Following
one weekly confession, our mother remembers (in 2003) Father Pauley inviting her to the
rectory to talk. To her shock and surprise,
Father Pauley tells Margaret that Anna Kress is in fact her mother and that John Messer is
her father. Father Pauley goes on to explain
that the Messer family offered marriage but that the Kress family refused. Without
our mom revealing these 2 secrets to us in 2003, secrets she had held inside her since she
was 12 years old, we could never begin to comprehend the relationship between Anna and
Margaret.
94. Our mom
never divulges these 2 secrets to anyone, choosing not to confront Gangie (her guardian
now revealed as her mother) with the information shared by Father Pauley. The
secrets would remain silent, inside the hearts of these two women, until the ‘Love
Mother’ birthday card five decades later.
We can only
speculate why Father Pauley saw fit to reveal these secrets to mom at this time. Not knowing one’s mother and father during
adolescence affects not only your self-image but also your interaction with others. Remember mom is reluctant to make friends and
she’s feeling like people are making fun of her. Father Pauley, knowing mom as
well as he did, was sensitive to this.
95. We can only wonder
if Gangie is having the same concerns and shares them with Father Pauley. Anna,
most likely sworn to secrecy at the birthing of Margaret, sees Father Pauley as a vehicle
with which the ‘secret’ can be revealed to her daughter, under the sanctity and
confidentiality of the confessional.
We will never know for sure but we can marvel
at what possibly occurred and imagine the significance and impact this had on our
mother’s life. Perhaps this was the only way Anna could get around her vow of
secrecy.
Remarkably, it was a vow Anna would
later free herself of in a birthday card signed ‘Love
Mother’ given to her daughter Margaret a few years before Anna’s death in 1979.
96. In
1926, our mom began to draw and sketch at school.
One of her very first drawings was of Jesus as a young boy. She seemed to
bloom now that she had an identity and expressed herself through her love of art. She began to play the piano as well.
Sister Julietta was one of her first art teachers.
Drawing of Jesus by Margaret ~ 1925-26
97. Over the next 80 years
our mother would become a prolific artist with oil and watercolor paintings (religious and
landscapes primarily) that will shine on our living room walls for another century. In the later years of our mom's life, she enjoyed
painting with Marie (Hauck) Brown, a friend from her childhood at 424 Lincoln Avenue. As will be explained later, our mom lived
with Marie between 1924 and Marie’s marriage to Red Brown in 1931.
98. Marie and our mother would paint pictures together
in mom's retirement years until Marie Hauck Brown died in 1988. In 1970, Marie and
Margaret traveled to the Southwest together, gathering ideas for the many western scenes
our mother painted in the 1970 and 1980's. We can imagine, as they painted, sharing
stories about there common relative, Mary Kress Hauck, who was Marie's mom and Anna's
sister. Remember Marie's brother was Carl Hauck, the husband of Grace O’Donnell
Hauck, and our mom's brother- in- law. Perhaps the retirement years with Marie Hauck
Brown softened the path for our mom to share the secrets of her past with us in 2003. We will reveal more about Marie (Hauck) Brown when
we get to 1931.
Picture of
Marie Brown and Margaret O'Donnell on 1970 Painting Trip to Arizona
Picture
of Margaret and Marie in 1929 on Lincoln Ave
99. Somewhere
around 1926, our mom remembers being hospitalized with scarlet fever and diphtheria. She
was quarantined for 1 month and remembers Father Pauley and her doctor, Dr. Charles Hauck
M.D. being the only persons permitted to visit.
Charles Hauck was John A Hauck’s brother and lived across the street from
mom’s new 424 Lincoln Ave address.
100. While living at 424 Lincoln Ave, our mother enjoys
the friendship of Rosemary Hauck, daughter of Dr. Charles and Genevieve Hauck, living at
427 Lincoln Ave. Another 1924-1932 close
friend of our mother was Helen Hauck, daughter of Uncle Joe Hauck, another John A Hauck
brother. Helen lived next door at 426 Lincoln Ave.
Helen grew up and became a nurse. Later
in life our mother receives her LPN. We think
Dr. Charles Hauck’s wife, Genevieve, a nurse, whom Margaret enjoyed and admired,
served as role model. As life would have it,
our mom relied on those nursing skills in 1978-79 to lovingly and meticulously care for
Gangie in her final dying months at their 1304 Macon Avenue home.
Picture of 427 Lincoln Ave House
101. On
April 25,1927, Margaret was Confirmed in Sts Peter & Paul Church, choosing the name
Cecilia, patron Saint of Music. On June 21, 1929, Margaret graduated from Sts Peter
and Paul High School.
102. Mom’s
aspiration after her 1929 graduation from High School was to become a nun. Our mom
remembers that Gangie could not bare the thought of separation from her and would
tearfully plead on many occasions for Margaret to reconsider. Mom finally
acquiesced and found employment as a clerk at Frank & Seders, a department store
across from Kaufmanns in downtown. For the
remainder of their lives, Margaret and Anna live in the same house... as our father
insisted.
103. The
years 1928-1929 were very good years for the John A. Hauck quarry business. Our dad,
now age 20, is working as an apprentice sign painter with Harvey Ringer, but he has time
to help at the stone quarry along with his neighbor buddies, John and Tommy Crowe.
The quarry provided so many jobs to the community that a trolley line extension was built
from Frankstown Rd to the Verona stone quarry. In
1928, the Hauck quarry business donated all the stone to build a new German Catholic
Church further east on Lincoln Avenue named St Walburga’s. German immigration
between 1925 and 1930 in Pittsburgh was so large that a German-speaking priest was brought
over from Bavaria to minister at St Walburga’s and the many German-speaking
immigrants flowing into the Lincoln Ave area and the surrounding East Pittsburgh
farms. Times are very good indeed.
Picture of
St Walburga's Hauck Quarry Stone Church
Picture of Our Dad and Crowe Boys in Quarry ~ 1928
104. A
few years later, between 1930-1933, the depression starts to hit. Hard times are
coming to Pittsburgh’s economy like it would the entire country. The demand for
stone dropped as building stopped. The Germans of Pittsburgh had survived the hard
ridicule of the World War I liberty cabbage years only to get hit by depression in the
thirties and the rising scandal of Adolph Hitler.
105. In
1930 the Hauck and Kress families were still quite wealthy compared with the majority of
other German immigrants. In December 1929, Margaret Kress receives her Comptometer
Certificate.
106. On
June 25, 1930, Carl William Hauck married our dad’s sister, Grace C. O’Donnell
becoming our Uncle Carl. It was another Irish
German marriage. Carl Hauck is no longer living at 424 Lincoln Ave but he was still
working as a stonecutter for his father, John A Hauck. In 1932, Grace and Carl Hauck
are shown living with our dad and Grace’s mother, Catherine Duffy O’Donnell
Limpert, at 7318 Idewild Street. Once the stone quarry business declined, Carl
became a machinist in Homestead PA.
Photos of 7311 Idewild Street Home 1933/2005
Our Uncle Carl W
Hauck passed away on Sept 13, 1967 in San Diego, CA. Our Dad's sister, Grace C
Hauck, passed away May 14, 2006, in Sacramento, CA. Both are buried
together in Holy Cross Cemetery in San
Diego CA.
Pictures of Grace and Carl Hauck Family
Picture of Grace and Carl Hauck Tombstone
Our Dad's sister, our Aunt Grace C. Hauck, and her Husband , Carl W Hauck, moved to California after 1964. In future years, our Aunt Grace had three children. Her oldest son, Carl Hauck Jr, died in 2009. His wife Betty Jane Schnieder Hauck still resides in San Diego, CA. Betty and Carl have four children, Greg Hauck, David Hauck, Monica Hauck Hamiel, and Pauline Hauck Camp.
Our Aunt Grace's second child was Patricia. She married Kenny McClain. They have 5 children, Chris, Patrick, Kevin, Grace McClain Hanks, and Sean McClain. Patricia (Pat) died in Oregon Jun 2, 2000, after a long illness. Our Aunt Grace's third child is Rita Hauck Hosford. Rita and her husband David Hosford have two children, Tristan and Tara. The following composite family photo from 2002 to 2010 shows the extended Hauck, Hamiel, Camp, McClain, Hanks, and Hosford families. They all live on the west coast but mostly in Sacramento, CA.
Picture of Grace and Carl Hauck's Extented Families in 2002-2010
107. On January 21, 1931, Marie Hauck marries Red Brown, a protestant. Mary Kress Hauck forbids her daughter to marry the Brown protestant. Marie marries him anyway. After that, Marie was exiled from the Mary Kress Hauck family. Marie went on to have 10 children with Red Brown; one of them is Sister Elizabeth Brown, of St Joseph’s convent in Baden PA.
108.
Sister Elizabeth shared with us the sad story of how her mom was frozen out of her
mother’s family. She tells us the
story of how she would visit her dad’s sister, Aunt Lucinda, who lived on Meadow
Street near Lincoln Ave. Across the street on
the porch was her grandma, Mary Kress Hauck. She
remembers not being able to visit with her grandma, nor could she even wave as she played
on Aunt Lucinda’s porch. Her Grandma was
dying. She was so close yet so far away.
Sister Elizabeth says her family was never again involved with her
mother’s parents or even Marie’s brothers, including Marie’s brother, Carl. Carl was married to our Dad's sister, our aunt
Grace O’Donnell. However, Sister
remembers always visiting her Aunt Annie, Margaret, and the Maurice O’Donnell family. The Browns were always welcome at the
O’Donnell house, but not elsewhere in the Hauck family. Very sad. Apparently, preserving the Hauck family image as
outstanding Catholics was more important to Mary Kress Hauck with her business holdings
than a relationship with her only daughter, who had married a non-Catholic. We now begin to suspect, even more so than before, that it was Mary Kress Hauck who most likely
barred her sister Anna from marrying into the non-Catholic Messer family in 1912.
109. The
following story from our dad's side of the family again details how secrecy was not only a
problem for the Haucks, it was also a problem for the O’Donnells. Our father lived at 7318 Idewild Street from 1921
until his marriage to our mom in 1937. Our dad's sister, Grace, lived at that same
address with her husband, Carl Hauck, from their marriage in 1930 until 1952.
It was only in 2010 that we discover Anthony D Limpert being previously married to a Julia
Slack Limpert. We never knew or met Julia Slack’s 2 children, now adults,
Linwood and Marie Limpert, even though they lived one block down on the same Idewild
Street as did their step- mother, our dad, and the Carl Hauck family. We were not able to reconnect or find these
lost in-laws.
Records
show on Aug 19, 1921, Anthony D Limpert married Catherine Duffy O’Donnell in St
Patrick's Catholic Church in Cleveland Ohio. As already mentioned, Anthony had been
previously married to Julia Slack from 1894 to 1919. We do not know when Anthony
moved his second wife from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. However Catherine Duffy
O’Donnell and her 2 children from marriage with John Maurice O’Donnell must
have left Cleveland to live in Pittsburgh shortly after 1921.
Marriage License 1921 of Limpert/ODonnell
Picture of
Limperts, Haucks and O'Donnells ~ 1939
Picture of Limperts, Haucks and O'Donnells ~ 1940
110. By
1932, Larry Hauck, son of Mary Kress Hauck and John A Hauck, and our mom are both about 20
years old and living in the same house at 424 Lincoln Ave. Similar to what
happened at the Crowe house in 1923, living conditions in the Hauck home for our mom are
not what they should be. As we mentioned earlier, Mom and Gangie never felt at ease
living with Anna's sister, Mary Kress Hauck and family. A sudden tragedy in 1933
struck the John A Hauck household, causing our mom and Gangie to move away from 424
Lincoln Ave.
111. On
July 4, 1933, John A Hauck has a major cerebral stoke. He is dead by July 8,
1933. The stone/quarry business had not been going well in these depression
years. John A. Hauck had recently mortgaged the 424 Lincoln Ave home to keep the
quarry going. After John A Hauck died, the bank foreclosed on both the house
property at 424 Lincoln Avenue and the Verona Road stone quarry property. On October
5, 1933, Mary T. Kress Hauck signs over the entire Hauck estate to the bank for one
dollar. See property Transfer Document V2492P484 below.
Mary
Kress Hauck died in 1948. Sadly, but not surprisingly, both Mary and John A Hauck
are buried in unmarked graves next to her sister, Anna Kress, in the Mount Carmel Cemetery
Kress family plot. Sister Elizabeth remembers her grandma had Alzheimer’s
disease and would not have recognized her granddaughter even if she could have waved to
her across the street in the years 1945-1948.
Also
shown in the below photo is Mary's sons, Larry and Carl W, along with Anna Kress and our
mom’s family. Not shown in any Hauck family photos from 1930 on, is Marie
(Hauck) Brown or any of her family. Fortunately,
we have many photos of Marie Brown during their close friendship with our mom and Anna,
apart from the Hauck family that lasted until Marie died in 1988.
Picture of Mary Kress Hauck ~ 1940
112. In 1934, our mom and Gangie are still both
working and are now living with friends of Mary Kress Hauck. They move into the second
floor home of the Adam and Elizabeth Stock family at 7141 Hermitage Street.
Picture of
Stock Family ~ 1934
Picture of
7141 Hermitage 2006
113. The depression years were not good years for
any of our relatives in Pittsburgh. On May 17, 1934, Margaret Messer died of
cancer. On December 3, 1934, Robert Messer tragically died of food poisoning.
His daughter Jeannette, living next to John Messer at 1202 and she at 1204 N. Murtland
Ave, brought Thanksgiving Day pumpkin pie to their father living at nearby 6826 Lyric
Street. Robert died several days later from complications of food poisoning believed
caused by the pumpkin pie. However in 1934, judging by the size of the main Robert
Messer family homestead, they were no longer poor.
Picture
of Lyric St and N. Murtland Street Messer homes
Map
of Lyric Ave relative to Westinghouse High School and Apple Ave
Satellite
Photo of Lyric/Apple Ave neighborhood
114. In 1935-1936, the Pittsburgh City Directory
shows the following data.
Ÿ Anna
Kress, a seamstress at David Geier Cleaner’s, Upland Street.
Ÿ Larry
Hauck, laborer, Fairmont Creamery, living at 1632 Lincoln Ave.
Ÿ Carl
(Grace) Hauck living at 7318 Idewild St
Ÿ Our
Mom and Gangie living at 7141 Hermitage St
Ÿ A
Joe (Anna) Limpert living across from Stock’s at 7142 Hermitage
Ÿ Marie
Hauck living with her uncle, Joe Hauck, at 426 Lincoln Ave.
Ÿ Helen
Hauck, Joe’s daughter, a nurse living at 426 Lincoln Ave.
Ÿ Joe
(Martha) Hauck, working in sheet metal, living at 426 Lincoln Ave.
Ÿ Helen
Limpert, stenographer, living at 7142 Hemitage St.
Ÿ Claud
Limpert living at 7230 Idewild St.
Ÿ Anthony
D (Catherine) Limbert, machinist, living at 7318 Idewild St.
Ÿ Adam
(Elizabeth) Stock, sheet metal, living at 7141 Hermitage St.
Ÿ Adam
J Stock Jr, Mgr Kroger’s, living at 7141 Hermtage St.
Ÿ John
M Crowe, sheet metal, living at 7242 Bennett St.
Ÿ Thomas
(Nina) Crowe, sheet metal, living at 7151 Race St.
115. On June 29, 1937, Margaret Mary Kress is married to Maurice John O’Donnell…our mom and dad.
A nice article about my Dad, Red ODonnell, The Sign Painter, appeared in Dec 4, 2011 Pittsburgh Post Gazette
