The Kroll Family at Elm Cote

(c) 2020 by Kroll Family Historian Frederick Walton

The Kroll Family Home- Elm Cote

In the previous post we explored the name of the house. Now that we know what to call it, let’s investigate the family that lived and farmed there for nearly half a century.

detail of 1930s Orange county map labels W. R. Conklin as owner of Elm Cote House

A 1930s Road & Property Ownership Map of Orange County New York omits the name “Elm Cote” but, like the 1903 map, reflects ownership of a house at that location  by W. R. Conklin.  Although there is no question that this is the location of the house lived in by the Kroll family, it would seem to contradict the post card in my Grandmothers handwriting that states:

 “Elm Cote in Chester was Owned by Grandpa Kroll”. 

To unravel this mystery I looked at newspapers, immigration lists and census records for clues as to when the Krolls arrived at Elm Cote and did they actually own it? [1]

undated Post Card in my Grandmothers handwriting stating that her father owned Elm Cote

On September 24, 1943 The Middletown Times Herald Newspaper published an article entitled “Krolls of Chester mark  50th Wedding Anniversary” in which are described their origins in Chester, presumably based on their own recollections to the reporter [2]:

“Brief periods of unemployment as a railroad fireman, steelworker and Carpenter convinced Julius Kroll who emigrated to America from Germany in 1890 that in order to provide for his large and growing family there was but one answer–take to the soil and become a farmer.

So it happened that in 1902 the Kroll family came to this community [Chester,  N. Y.] and settled as farmers. They were successful. They raise their crops and their children. Eleven of them.”

Part of 1943 newspaper Clipping

Julius and his growing family returned from an extended “visit” to his birth country, Germany [3],  on April 17, 1902. The “Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York” [4] shows the Kroll family's destination to be Chester, N. Y. Julius brother-in-law, Heinrich (Henry) Herzke, was living in Chester, earning a living as a “Farm Laborer” and is listed as the person in the passenger list column entitled “(16) wether going to join a relative, and if so, what relative, their name and address”.

Julius arrived with his wife,  seven young children, and $100 (roughly $3,000 in 2020 dollars) to re-start his American dream.. The youngest daughter, Margaret, was less than a year old and the oldest daughter, Anna, barely seven.

One has only to look at a map of Germany to see the arduous journey it must have been for two young parents to manage seven very young  children and all their worldly belongings traveling  400  miles across Germany just to reach the ship in Hamburg, not to mention a long ocean voyage to America. [5]

1910 Railway map of northern Germany showing rail routes from Posen to Hamburg

According to the Hamburg Passenger Lists for this voyage, Julius and his family sailed from Hamburg aboard the S.S. Pennsylvania on April 5, 1902. [6]

S.S. Pennsylvania [7]

He listed their previous residence (Bisheriger Wohnort) as [Murowana-]Goslin  in the State or Province (Im Staate resp. in der Provinz) of Prussia. Today this town is within Polish borders. Murowana Goślina lies about 12 mi north of the major city of Poznań (Posen) for which this region is named. Berlin, Germany lies about 190 miles due west and Warsaw, Poland is about 200 miles due East. [8]

Portion of Map of Posen, showing location of Murowana-Goslin

Like the majority of the ship’s passengers, the Kroll family had third class accommodations (Zwischendeck) often known as “steerage”. This was the least expensive way to travel, and for a large family, perhaps the only way. It would have cost the family hundreds of dollars more to move up to second class accommodations, money they probably couldn’t spare. There was nothing luxurious or comfortable about traveling this way.  [9]

Why did they Come to America?

Although there no one is left to ask, I can’t imagine any family would suddenly uproot themselves from their established home of many years and make a dramatic move without some prior planning. Not to a new city and certainly not to a new country, especially when your family consists of seven children all under the age of seven and the youngest a babe in arms.

I can find nothing of signifigance that would prompt a family to leave Germany in 1902, No major political pressure, no depression or economic upheavals, in fact this is really a period of low immigration from Germany. When you look at their station in life, they are free laborers in a serf/peasant economy. They had the freedom to leave, but not the security of work opportunities or property ownership, even though their freedom was only slightly above slave labor. Their chances of owning their own farm were probably beyond their ability. So America offered them and their children the chance to prosper and possibly to someday own a farm of their own.

The 1943 newspaper interview describes their decision, presumably in their own words:

 “In 1902 they decided to return to America, which had already become the husband’s adapted home through naturalization, to take up farming.”

Why return to America? In his own words “to become a farmer” and provide for his family. Couldn’t he do this in his native Germany? Probably not.

I suspect that, through letters, the Kroll’s had made their intentions known to relatives in America that they were ready to return. Whatever their reason, they must have been willing to take a huge risk to start a  better life in America. I have not found any specific cause to compel them to leave, but we know they had a  specific place to come to… Chester, New York in 1902.

Why Chester, New York? 

Julius had a brother and sister in Illinois. Ottilie had a brother in Illinois too. Why not return to the place they formerly lived and worked and attended church and had relatives and were married and started their own family? These are all good reasons to pick a place to live.

What was it that tipped the scales to make them choose Chester over the more familiar Blue Island, Illinois?

If you turn the page on the “Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York” to one beyond the page listing the Kroll family (list 15), we find, that in addition to the Krolls, The S. S. Pennsylvania carried (list 16) Ottillie’s Mother, 2 brothers and 2 sisters... on the exact same ship! [10] However,  their final destination was NOT Chester, it was Blue Island, Illinois! They all knew their final destination BEFORE they left Germany. So again, what was it that tipped the scales to make Julius Kroll choose Chester over the more familiar Blue Island, Illinois?

This can be interpreted that Ottilie’s brother Heinrich, already living in Chester, probably helped them make arrangements to lease a farm. I can’t find sufficient documentation to show it was the Pine Hills farm in Chester or that their new home was initially Elm Cote. However It would be impractical and a huge imposition for a large family to expect to just “drop in” on a relative for an extended visit. Furthermore, what are the chances they would find accommodations for a large family, and an anticipated agricultural opportunity for Julius in a small rural village in the middle of nowhere, New York? It would be more likely that the details were worked out ahead of time and their accommodations waiting for their arrival.

A 1938 Newspaper article [11] describing a surprise 45th Anniversary party at their home reported that

“...they have lived in Chester for the last Thirty Six Years” 

This calculates to 1902.

The 1943 Golden Anniversary article say they came to Chester in 1902.

 Chester…1902…very consistent! So they either lived someplace else in Chester when they first arrived or they simply moved into “Elm Cote” in 1902 by a pre-arranged agreement. Unfortunately, with no one to ask and little documentation, this minor detail may remain a mystery.

Living in Chester, New York

Reviewing census returns is one of the few ways to find documentation about a families composition and whereabouts at a given time. This is especially true for rural areas where city directories and other types of listings simply don’t exist.

Unfortunately, the 1905 New York State Census for Orange county is missing so there is no official census document available to identify the Kroll family or their residence between their arrival in 1902 and 1910.

There is a small clue in the 1904 NYS Birth index for my Grandmother, Lydia Kroll. Her birthplace is listed as Chester...which we sort of already know, but this again adds to the consistency.

Early Postcard view of Elm Cote, the Kroll Family Farm house.

The 1910 Federal Census [12] lists the Krolls in the township of Blooming Grove near Craigsville on the “State road to Chester”. Julius is a 45 year old farm hand, living in a house, that he rents, with his wife and ten children. His next door neighbor is 51year old William Roe Conklin, who owns a farm and lists himself as an employer. We know from the 1903 map, that he owns Elm Cote too. Family oral history from my Mother identifies the Conklin’s, specifically Bill Conklin, as the Kroll’s neighboring farm. The next farm listed in the census is the the Roe Farm.

 Keep this in mind- Chester…Kroll, Conklin, Roe… Craigsville. When you look at the map after leaving Chester you first come to the Kroll farm, then the Conklin farm next door then the Roe orchard next to the Conklin Farm before arriving at Craigsville. This order was described to me by my Mother, and is consistent on all census records from 1910 to 1940, the last census currently available.

Location of neighboring farms consistant on all censuses from 1910 to 1940

In 1910 Julius kroll is NOT the owner of the house he lives in. He declares himself a renter, and is not required to complete a separate farm schedule, which would be required if he had his own farm. What this implies, to me, is that Julius may be renting his families home and working for the owner, William Roe Conklin, as listed on the 1903 map. As a farm hand for Conklin, he may have been learning the trade of farming in America as sort of an apprentice.

The following table summarizes the available Census information pertaining to the ownership of the property where the Krolls reside. Reviewing it, a pattern starts to emerge that tells me the story of an immigrant building up his skills and limited finances until he can finally achieve the American dream to own his own farm.

Census summary of ownership of Kroll Farm compiled by Rick Walton

The 1915 New York State Census [13] shows 50 year old Julius Kroll listed as a Farm Laborer and a “wage earner” (vs. an employer or working on his “own account”). His next door neighbor is still William R. Conklin (56) a Farmer who owns his own farm. I’m guessing Julius may work for him. As a wage earner, he is working for somebody.

The 1920 Federal Census [14] lists the  now 55 year old Julius as a dairy farmer who is  still renting his home. He is still a wage earner, but has submitted a separate farm schedule from his neighbor. Maybe this indicates he is straddling both worlds, still earning a wage working for another farmer, but starting his own dairy farm, perhaps on a small scale.

His next door neighbor is still 61 year old William Roe Conklin, who owns his  own farm and lists himself as self employed. He submitted his own separate farm schedule.

The 1925 Census [15] lists Julius as a farmer (vs. a farm worker) and specifies his wages come from working on his “ own account”. Perhaps this is just semantics or maybe we can interpret this to mean that Julius has “completed” his apprenticeship, owns his own dairy herd  and is leasing the farm now.

The 1930 Federal Census [16] lists the 65 year old Julius as a dairy farmer who is renting his home (monthly rental $25.00) and lists himself as “working on his own account”. He also completed a separate farm schedule which would provide specific information about the type and value of his farm. This would be a fantastic resource, but unfortunately these records have been destroyed. To me this is a pretty clear indication that Julius, while perhaps still leasing the property, is an established farmer in his own right.

 His next door neighbor is still 71year old William Roe Conklin, who owns his home but answers No to the question Farm and None to occupation. He has filed no farm schedule.  According to his obituary, Conklin purchased and ran the Grange feed store, which he ran until his death. He died in 1933 and is buried in the nearby Greycourt Cemetery.

His obituary stated: "Mr. Conklin manifested a keen interest in the young people of the community" [17]

Could this have included a young German immigrant searching for his American dream?

The 1940 Federal Census [18]  lists the 75 year old Julius as a farmer who owns his farm and his home. The value of his home is $12,000. (Note: The median price of a house in N. Y. in 1940 was $4,389 , so perhaps this is the value of all his real estate on his farm? [19]) He has again filed a farm schedule which is unavailable. He lived in the same house in 1935. It is not clear when he bought the farm, but Family oral history is that an agreement was made upon the purchase that it would be sold back to the Conklins when Julius either retired or passed away. Could William Roe Conklin's death in 1933 been the event that spurred the Conklin Family to sell the farm?

His next door neighbor is William R. Conklin, 43. This is the son of the deceased William Roe Conklin. He lists himself as the proprietor of a Feed and farm supply business. He has not submitted a farm schedule, so although he is living on the family farm, he is not farming it himself. The 1940 census asks “Does this household live on a farm? Yes or No”. He answers “Yes” which may indicate he is leasing the farmland to be worked by someone else. He owns the house and places the value at $4.00. It is also interesting to note that their household includes a live in maid, something neither his father nor his neighbors had.

Contemporary view of Conklin Farm house from Google maps

The family listed as living between Julius and Conklin is Conrad Kroll, his wife and 5 children. This is Julius and Ottilie’s youngest son.They rent the home ($8 per month) and he lists his occupation as a farmer, but has not submitted a separate farm schedule, suggesting he works for someone else. We know from several sources that  he helped his father on the farm during this time period and lived in a house behind Elm Cote and in between the Kroll and Conklin farm.

Contemporary view of Elm Cote from Google Maps. Conrad Kroll's house is peaking out from the trees behind Elm Cote. The Conklin house is to the right out of this view.

Julius is still hard at work in late September of 1943 when he celebrated his 50th Wedding Anniversary with his family surrounding him in the large Ball room of Elm Cote. The newspaper article describing the event mentions his daily occupation [20]:

“Mr. Kroll is still an active farmer [age 78]. Daily, morning and night, he joins his son, Conrad, in the barns to do his bit of the milking and during the day assumes those tasks that his strength will allow.”

A little over six months later his strength finally gave out. He collapsed with a stroke, from which he never recovered.

Julius and Ottilie surrounded by family on their 50th weddding anniversary
in their homes large "Ballroom" (Colorized by MyHeritage)
Click here for the story behind this photo

My mother recalled the day it happened,

“My Father {Erwin Packhiser] had just gotten home from a day of fishing. He came in the house with a string of freshly caught fish only to learn that his father-in-law had just suffered a stroke. The family was bundled into the car, fish and all, for the long drive out to the Kroll Farm. 

Sportsman Erwin Packhiser with a fresh catch of fish Circa 1943 (colorized by MyHeritage)

 

Grandpa Kroll was never himself after that and died about six weeks later, but that night I remember Grandma Kroll sitting in the kitchen slowly eating a cooked fish dinner and staring off into space in a daze.”

Shortly after his Stroke occurred, daughter Johanna, a nurse, arrived to take charge. Julius was placed in a hospital bed that was set up in the first floor ball room, the site of their anniversary celebration half a year earlier.  Mom recalled visiting as a child, and having to tip-toe around to make sure Grandpa wasn’t disturbed, but he never recovered.

Julius died at Elm Cote on May 28, 1944.  So...My grandmothers post card was, in fact, correct.

“Elm Cote in Chester was Owned by Grandpa Kroll”.

Post Script

After the death of Julius, The farm was sold back to the Conklin family who still own it today.

On Saturday, March 31, 1945 an auction was held to sell off the farm equipment [21]. Ottilie moved into a house across the street from her daughter Lydia. The house was in the name of herself and her three single daughters, Johanna, Margaret and Elsie.

Julius is buried in the Wallkill Rural Cemetery alongside him are his wife and several children.

Notes

1- 1930 Road & Property Ownership Map of Orange County New York in collection of Chester historical Society, Chester, New York. Accessed online 04/2020 New York Heritage digital collections- https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/chs/id/225/rec/1

2- Middletown Time Herald, September 24, 1943 “Krolls of Chester Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary”; Copy in authors collection.

3- His homeland was actually Przependowo, a Gut (Estate) near the city of Murowana-Goslin in the province of Posen in the kingdom of  Prussia, considered  part of the German empire  by her German citizens.

4- Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls. NAI: 300346. Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Year: 1902; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0268; Line: 18; Page Number: 39

5- Source: "Northern Germany as far as the Bavarian and Austrian Frontiers; Handbook for Travellers" by Karl Baedeker. Fifteenth Revised Edition. Leipzig, Karl Baedeker; New York, Charles Scribner's Sons 1910 accessed 4/2020 at https://www.gifex.com/images/0X0/2009-09-18-8593/Railway_Map_of_Germany_1910.jpg

6- Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934; Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Volume: 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 130; Seite: 774

7-photo of S. S. Pennsylvania from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Pennsylvania_(1896)

8- Map and description of Posen from Meyers Gazeteer-the most important of all German gazetteers. The goal of the Meyer’s compilers was to list every place name in the German Empire (1871-1918). https://www.meyersgaz.org/help/help.html; additional mileage estimates from Google maps.

9- The S. S. Pennsylvania had accommodations for 162-1st, 197-2nd and 2,382-3rd class passengers. http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsP-Q.shtml

10- Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls. NAI: 300346. Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives at Washington, D.C.;Year: 1902; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0268; Line: 6; Page Number: 38

11- Middletown Time Herald, September 24, 1938, Page 6, “Krolls Celebrate 45th Anniversary”.

12- 1910 United States Federal Census Census; Place: Blooming Grove, Orange, New York; Roll: T624_1059; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 1375072

13- New York, State Census, 1915; New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 02; Assembly District: 01; City: Washingtonville; County: Orange; Page: 06

14- 1920 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Blooming Grove, Orange, New York; Roll: T625_1251; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 87; Image: 575

15- New York, State Census, 1925; New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 02; Assembly District: 01; City: Blooming Grove; County: Orange; Page: 3

16 1930 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Blooming Grove, Orange, New York; Roll: 1632; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0002; Image: 36.0; FHL microfilm: 2341366

17  Conklin Obituary; Middletown Times Herald; MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK; Monday, December 18, 1933; page 6.; grave memorial photo source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199286228/william-roe-conklin

18- 1940 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Blooming Grove, Orange, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02708; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 36-2

19- Historical Census of Housing Tables; Home Values 1940; https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/census/historic/values.html

20- Middletown Time Herald, September 24, 1943 “Krolls of Chester Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary”; Copy in authors collection.

21- Middletown Time Herald, 1March 28 & 29., 1945; Classified section- Auction of Kroll Farm

What’s in a name? Elm Cote or Pine Hill?

(c) 2020 by Kroll Family Historian Frederick Walton

My Great-Grandparents, German immigrants named Ottilie and Julius Kroll, owned a farm with a large house on a rural road[1] between Chester and Blooming Grove. With eleven children, a large house was necessary.

This was the house my grandmother, Lydia, grew up in. She told us stories and showed me pictures of her childhood home. This is the house my Mother visited throughout her childhood, creating her own stories and memories. This was a house that was less than 10 miles from my childhood home, yet, sadly, I never visited and have virtually NO memories of it.

The Kroll family farmhouse in Chester, New York where my Grandmother grew up, from a photo in her collection

 Recently, while analyzing some old photographs, I  came across some conflicting information. Some of the older photos are labeled “Elm Cote” while others are labeled “Pine Hill”.

Which name is correct, I wondered?

Former Kroll farmhouse Circa 1999 (photo by Bob Terry) 

A contemporary view of a very dilapidated, overgrown  house, taken by Bob Terry probably 20 years ago and shared with me, shows a blue and yellow New York State Historic Marker at the edge of the driveway.

New York State Historic Sign dedicated in 1992

According to this marker, the historic name is ”Pine Hill Farm”.  But what exactly is being named?


The inscription reads:

“Pine Hill Farm

Hector St. John De Crevecoeur, 

1735-1813. 

Settled here 1769 and here wrote 

"Letters From an American Farmer”

 (London 1782)”

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur was a young French soldier and mapmaker who came from Canada after the French Seven years war. He traveled widely, but had his heart set on settling down and becoming a farmer. In 1769, already a naturalized citizen of the province of New York who had anglicized his name to “Hector St. John”, he bought 120 acres of rich farm land near the already historic Grey Court Inn and christened it Pine Hill Farm.

Hector St. John- Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur
creator of "Pine Hill Farm"

He first built a cabin, then a house, got married, to the daughter of a successful N. Y. Merchant, and had three children. He became an industrious and enthusiastic agronomist lovingly transforming his property into a productive farm.  A well educated man, he was sought out by friends and neighbors for both his agricultural knowledge as well as the culture his presence lent to any affair.

Being an astute observer of his surroundings he began recording his observations, which would later be published in England.

As the winds of war flared up the valleys of Orange county, Hector St. John took little interest, and as he was not an active participant, his neighbors looked at him as a traitor. He was banished from his home by neighbors who thought him a Loyalist and then Jailed by the British in New York, thinking him a rebel spy. Reduced to poverty, he returned to his native France. In his absence, his farm was destroyed, his wife died and his children were scattered.

in 1781 he published a series of essays under the title of "Letters From an American Farmer” which became a success and were widely read throughout Europe. De Crevecoeur is also credited with introducing alfalfa, lima beans and other innovations to American agriculture on his Pine Hill farm.

He returned to N. Y. as a French Consul, but sold his Orange county property and went home to France in 1790, never to return to America. [2]

Longer biographies may be found on the web, but they agree that while De Crevecoeur was exiled from his Orange county farm in the 1780’s, Indians raided and burned down Pine Hill leaving his wife dead and his children under the care of neighbors. [3]

I therefore interpret this to mean that the Kroll Farm house was NOT the house occupied by Hector St. John De Crevecoeur and his family.  (Which one might assume from the historic sign in front of the existing house.) The Pine Hill Farm more properly denotes the 120 acre property De Crevecoeur bought, transformed to a idyllic rural farm  and raised his family on in the 1770’s before the Revolution uprooted him.

My Mother recalled that when she was a child there used to be a historical marker that said “Site of Indian Massacre”. The dirt floor basement, used as a summer kitchen had uneven mounds and she was told that it was because that is where they buried the Indians. This story was probably meant to scare the children and keep them out of the basement. Whenever I heard this story though, I always thought that it would do just the opposite for me and my brothers. We would have been in there with shovels to see what treasures we could find! [4]

In fact, based on the historical information I reviewed, if this was the site of an Indian massacre, it wasn’t Indians who were massacred, so there are probably no bodies buried in the basement, at least not Indians.

Elm Cote

Early Post Card of Elm Cote in Chester, New York where my Grandmother grew up, from her collection

Both my Mother, Jeanne Walton, and her sister, Dee Terry, recall their mother, Lydia Kroll Packhiser always calling her parents farm “Elm Cote”. A recently discovered, undated postcard featuring Elm Cote, in her handwriting says:

“Elm Cote in Chester [Orange county, N. Y.] was Owned by Grandpa Kroll [her father] where we grew up. An old historical residence.

Lydia Kroll Packhiser”

Back of above Elm Cote Postcard with description in her handwriting

A “Cote” is an early British term for a small cottage or small shelter for sheep or birds. Neither of these describes the massive house that goes by that name. Perhaps this name  dates back to the earliest colonial inhabitants of the property.

The home was surrounded by stately Elm trees as seen in the early photographs. Although missing from contemporary views, these long gone Elms clearly are responsible, in part, for the home’s Moniker.

A different Post Card view of Elm Cote from a Postcard in the collection of the Chester Historical Society.

Family oral history would indicate this house had colonial origins, certainly predating its early 20th century occupation by the Kroll family. In fact, current real estate and tax records indicate the house was built in 1800. [5]

I though I might discover some additional information from early maps.

Section of 1779 Map of Orange county from thre Library of Congress

The earliest map I found, dated 1779, mentions neither Pine Grove Farm,  Elm Cote or any family place name, but it does show some houses on the road between Chester and Blooming Grove in about the location of the Kroll Farm. Known as “the Kings Road” this was  a well traveled route during the colonial period. [6]

The Greycourt Inn was a welcome stopping point for travelers on this road and was located barely 300 yards from Pine Hill. Also known as the Cromline House, after the builder Daniel Cromline, the Greycourt Inn was the main public building between New Windsor and New Jersey prior to 1765 when the Yelverton Inn was opened in Chester. Today the name Greycourt describes this entire region on modern maps. [7]

I found 6 other maps from various source dating between 1829 and 1930. Most had an indication of a house in the approximate location of the Kroll farm, some had property owners names attached, but one stood out. In 1903 The house, owned by William Roe Conklin, was labeled “Elm Cote”. [8]

Section of 1903 Atlas showing house labled "Elm Cote"

That would lead me to believe Elm Cote may be the more correct house name, for the current buildinh, but Pine Hill Farm may still be a reliable designation to signify the overall property at this location.

While descendants of the Kroll family may prefer “Elm Cote”, today the property is owned by the Conklin Family who run a Farm Market called Pine Hill Farm. [9]

Whats in a Name? Elm Cote or Pine Hill Farm? It turns out both are correct, depending on when and what you are referring to.


Notes 

1 Currently New York State route 94 between Chester and Craigsville.

2 1992 Pine Hill Farm marker dedication brochure, Chester Historical Society & Historical Marker Database- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=22065&Result=1 (Note: No Marker found for “Elm Cote” “indian Massacre” or “ Richcreek Farm”

3 Indian Raid mentioned in his Biography: https://liternet.bg/ebook/amerikanska/bio/ j_de_crevecoeur.htm (“The Sun is but a Morning Star”) I was unable to find any other sources mentioning and Indian Raid. Considering the Actions Taken by Patriots in Boston, during the Boston Teas PArty, The “Indians” may well have been disguised neighbors.

4 To date I have been unable to find any “Indian Massacre” markers or mentions in local newspapers.

5 Municipality of Blooming Grove Tax records for tax ID 43-1-21.1 SWIS Record 332089 (The former Kroll house as indicated by Location and included contempory photos of the house) reviewed April 2020 at: http://propertydata.orangecountygov.com/propdetail.aspx? swis=332089&printkey=04300000010211000000

6 Library of Congress, 1779 Map of Orange and Rockland counties area of New York; https:// www.loc.gov/item/gm71002215/

7 Celebrated Taverns of Historic Interest, Orange County, New York. NY Genealogy; https:// newyorkgenealogy.org/orange/celebratedtaverns.htm

8 reviewed maps of orange county from 1829, 1851, 1875, 1897, 1902, 1930 focusing on the road between Chester and Craigsville where the Kroll Farm was located.

9 The current address is 3298 Rte 94, Chester, N. Y. 10918; The current parcel number is 43-1-21.1 in Blooming Grove; Tax Information: http://propertydata.orangecountygov.com/ propdetail.aspx?swis=332089&printkey=04300000010211000000

Map information may be found at:

old maps online- https://www.oldmapsonline.org

New York Public Library Maps- http://maps.nypl.org/warper/o

My dear son in law

(c) Frederick Walton, Family historian

UPDATE 4/27/2020: When I talked to my Mom today she mentioned that she was actually born at home and not at the hospital I I had originally assumed and wrote about in theis article. I updated this below.

6/18/2018: My sisters are helping my Mom go through her stuff after a recent move and they have been funneling me some of the family history in the form of letters, photos and newspaper clippings. The letter below  is one of the treasures I would like to share with you:

Ottilie on her farm in warmer weather

Ottilie Kroll woke up to a cold house on Thursday, February 9, 1933. A west wind blew in an overnight cold front that rapidly dropped the temperature from a balmy mid 50's to below zero with swirls of sparkling white snow covering the landscape. A typical day on her farm in Chester had begun. The light snow would not keep anyone from their chores. The morning fires needed to be started and the cows milked while she presided over the huge iron stove cooking the men a hot breakfast. [1]

The Kroll Farm in Chester New York on a snowy Day

Across the continent, in Hollywood, California, the weather was warming up to a chilly but comfortable 57 degree high, with no snow, a lot nicer than the deep freeze covering most of the rest of the United States.

Ottilie's daughter, Lydia, was at home about to give birth to her first child. Lydia and her husband Erwin had crossed the continent the previous year, driving from New York to Los Angeles where they had hoped to ignite his dream career as a singer and actor in Hollywood. This trip was no small task in the depression era America of 1932, long before any interstate highways existed. Many times their travels took them through rutted cowpaths, over steep mountains, fording rivers and crossing the dessert. That they arrived safely is a testament to their determination.

Suddenly Lydia realized that her baby was ready to be born. With no time to get to the hospital, her husband, Erwin, and future brother -in-law, Enrico Caruso,Jr., rolled up their sleeves and delivered the child themselves. Later, they took mother and baby to the hospital, but since she wasn't born there, they couldn't go into the maternity section and had to reside in a regular hospital room.  

Lydia and Baby Jeanne

It is doughtful that Ottilie knew of the impending  arrival of her grandchild on this cold morning, but news soon wisked its way across the country via Western Union telegraph lines that clicked out the message up and down the far away East coast.

Otillie expressed her thoughts in the following note mailed to the new parents in California. My cousin Vivian translated it as follows:

My dear son in law,We are sending you the best wishes to the birth of your little girl. When you return you will have to hang the baby carriage on to the car, so that everyone will think the best of you, but we are very happy that Lydia and the baby are healthy. And now take good care of the both of them.Greetings from your beloved mother in lawThe 5 dollars are for the baby                                                  Ottilie

(Comments in Blue pen from Lydia)

Her German is old fashioned style German/Prussian and the spelling and punctuation are not entirely correct, but the sentiment is clear, Otillie is a proud grandmother.

In case you're wondering, $5.00 is 1933 is equal to nearly $100 today. That would help with lots of diapers and baby formula! And the Baby Carriage... I'm not sure if they hung it on the car, but shortly after Jeanne was born, they packed all their belongings into (and on the driving board) of their trusty automobile and headed back to Middletown, N. Y. where he took over his family dry cleaning business and settled down with his new family.

Notes:

1 The weather was reported in the Middletown Newspaper

Kroll Golden Anniversary

The Story behind the Picture

(C) 2018 Frederick Walton

September 23, 1943 at the Kroll Farm in Chester, N. Y. 

On Thursday evening, September 23, 1943, members of the Kroll family gathered at the family farm house in Chester, N.Y., to celebrate the golden anniversary of Julius Kroll and his wife of 50 years, Ottilie [née Herzke]. We know the date and who was present by the photograph (above) and the information written on the back (below), allowing me to label the attendees. I got my copy of this photo from my Aunt Dee who was present at the dinner as a little girl (bottom left foreground), but I  am aware that several other copies exist amongst other family members. 

A related picture is this happy couple sitting together while their family celebrates nearby. Fifty years of wedded bliss! We know it is the same night because of the clothes they are wearing. 

Ottilie and Julius Kroll on their 50th Wedding Anniversary

Historical documents, family oral history, and these photos tell us a lot about this celebration. 

Ottilie Herzke and Julius Kroll where married in Blue Island, Illinois on September 23,1893 at the First Evangelical Lutheran church, sometime called the “German Lutheran Church”. (see “The Union of Ottilie Herzke and Julius Kroll” for more info)

Between 1894 and 1919, the Kroll’s spent their first 25 years making babies! One of those babies was my grandmother, Lydia, and part of the reason why I’m here! She had ten siblings, lets meet them all:

1. Daughter Anne Helena was born on June 25, 1894, in Illinois. She married William Clyde Rion and lived in Tennessee. They had one son, William Clyde Rion, Jr. Anne Died in 1981.  She was unable to attend the Anniversary Party.
2. Son Alfred J was born on July 18, 1895, in Illinois. He Married Forence Case. They had 5 Children. Alfred died in 1974. They attended the anniversary party with 3 of their children.
3. Daughter Johanna T was born on July 10, 1896. I knew her as “Nonnie Jo”. She never married and devoted her life as a caregiver. She lived between Florida and Squirrel Island Maine. She died in 1983 and is buried next to her parents. She was unable to attend the Anniversary Party. 
4. Son Arthur Paul was born on July 14, 1898, in Germany. He married Grace E. Heller and they had one son. They lived in Tuxedo, Orange County, New York and he retired to Pennsylvania where he died in 1963 and is buried. He attended the Anniversary Party with his wife.
5. Son Eric Charles was born on July 30, 1899, in Germany. He lived near Chester. He Never married. Eventually he moved to Tennesee and lived near sister Anne Rion. He died in 1986.  He attended the anniversary party.
6. Son Henry Julius was born on November 14, 1900, in Germany. He married Harriet Terwilliger who was known as Hattie. They had 4 children. They live in Blooming Grove, New York. They attended the anniversary party with 3 of their children. He died in 1967.
7. Daughter Margaret was born on February 17, 1902, in Germany. She never Married. Family Oral history identifies her as quite a daredevil. As a young adult she went sky-diving and her parachute failed causing her traumatic injuries resulting in her residence at the Middletown State Homeopathic Hospital (a Psychiatric hospital) in Middletown, New York. I knew Aunt Margaret when I was a child and remember her as a smiling, shy, kind soul who barely said a word. She would often visit her sister, aunt Elsie, who lived a couple of blocks away from the hospital. She did not attend her parents anniversary party. She died in 1978 and is buried with her Parents.
8. Daughter Elsie A. was born on February 20, 1903, in Chester, New York. She never married and had a successful career as a legal secretary, working in Middletown, New York City and Goshen. She attended the anniversary party.  She later lived with her Widowed mother and died in 1990.  
9. Daughter Lydia Hedwig Kroll was born on September 6, 1904, in Blooming Grove, New York. She Married Erwin Packhiser and had two Daughters. The family attended the anniversary party. Lydia Lived in Middletown, New York and died in 1995
10. Son Conrad A. was born on July 8, 1909, in New York. He called his wife, Gladys (Garman), "Gay" and they had five children. The family attended the anniversary party. He worked on the family Farm with his father. He died in 2003.
11. Daughter Dorothea K. was born on October 28, 1919, in New York. She married William Fisher and lived in Ashland , Pa. She was unable to attend the Anniversary party. She died in Ashland in 2004 and is buried there.

Are one of these siblings your ancestor? If you have additional information or photos you'd like to share, please let me know.

A newly discovered 1943 newspaper clipping from the Middletown Times Herald, found by my sisters while cleaning out my mothers house after their recent move, has revealed some new and important facts about this party and our German ancestry. I had already known or concluded some of the information, but some of it is new and revolutionary!

We know that some of the children were born in the United States (3 in Illinois and 4 in New York) and four were born in Germany. We know they went to Germany around 1897 and returned in 1902 because we have some of the immigration records. But now this fact is confirmed by yet another source, the newspaper article!

The article also gives us detailed information about Julius, that official records have not specified…his work history. My mom told me that her grandfather could do anything…Make furniture, repair shoes or broken dolls, invent tools to help on the farm, and keep the house and barns in good repair. Apparently this wasn’t just hollow pride from a granddaughter. Just look at his resume: Steel worker with Illinois Steel company, Railroad firemen for Northern Pacific Railroad, Carpenter and farmer. In fact, in 1943, at age 78 he “is still an active farmer. Daily, morning and night, he joins his son Conrad, in the barns, to do his bit of the milking and during the day assumes those tasks that his strength will allow.”

Julius Kroll on his Farm in Chester with his wife and her 3 sisters (Circa 1930s)

I had guessed that Ottilie and Julius probably knew each other from the old country, because they married only 4 months after she arrived in May 1893. But now I know for sure, because the newspaper article says so! It describes that she met  and fell in love with Julius in her native Germany and “Three years after he had come to his adopted home to make good he sent for his prospective bride”.This also confirms that Julius arrived around 1890, as stated in various U.S.Federal Census forms, although I have been unable to locate his specific passenger immigration information.

Julius and Otillie, young and in love!

We know the very interesting story of how two brothers, Frederick and Julius Kroll, married two sisters. Older brother Frederick married older sister Anna Marie Herzke and Julius married Ottilie Herzke. What has been somewhat elusive are whether or not there are other Kroll siblings. Although the article doesn’t mention Frederick, who died in 1927, It mentions two sisters, one in Germany “from whom he has not heard from in a long time” and one in Flint, Michigan. Unfortunately the sister from Germany remains unnamed.

Guess who contacted me last year from Flint, Michigan? The descendant of Julius Kroll’s sister! Our DNA matches and we are cousins. She contacted me through ancestry.com DNA. Julius sisters name was Anna Louise Kroll (1877-1960). She Married Reinholt Draheim…but thats another story!

I sure wish a cousin descended from the sister in Germany would contact me, There a lot of questions they could help me answer.

Ottilie Herzke had nine siblings, but only those four still living are mentioned in the article.

The photo not only shows the family, but it gives us a rare look inside the Kroll home. They must have has a massive dining room to accommodate over two dozen guests at a sit down dinner. The room was, in fact, a ball room, according to my mother and occupies most of the front first floor on the right of the photo of the family house below.

Kroll family farm, Chester, N.Y. 

One has to conclude that the reporter talked to the couple, or maybe their children, since Ottilie and Julius were older and spoke broken english with heavy German accents, but the information is clearly either first or second hand and can be considered reliable.

What an interesting article, about a milestone for my great-grandparents. Even more remarkable is that I was able to review this photo with my mom and aunt who were there! 

This article answered questions they had both long forgotten and helps us move forward to document the Herzke/Kroll family tree.

One mystery is the German phrase written on the back of the photo. Who wrote it? My Grandmother? and what does it say? Can anyone translate?  

The Union of Ottilie Herzke and Julius Kroll

(C) 2018 Frederick Walton

My grandmother, whom we called "Ami" (thats Ah-Me, not Amy), was born Lydia Hedwig Kroll. She was the ninth of eleven children of Ottilie and Julius Kroll, German Immigrant dairy farmers from Chester, N.Y.

She was a teller of tales and one I remember well was the story of her parents. Her father came to America from Germany to be with his brother. When he arrived in Blue Island, Illinios, he was introduced to his brothers wife's sister, Ottilie Herzke. Presumably they fell in love, courted, got married and started a family.

Ami had several siblings that were born in Germany...in between siblings born in Illinois and Chester, N.Y.  In fact, she implied that her parents traveled back and forth to Germany having children, willy- nilly, in both America and Germany.

I recently had my DNA tested through AncestryDNA. It confirmed I was about half German, as I expected. What surprised me is the number of my German-American Cousins that "found" me because our DNA and family trees matched. Now that is amazing!

Using my newly discovered sources, I began to more fully explore my Herzke-Kroll genes and will share what I have found.

The Marriage of Ottilie and Julius

I have been unable to pin down exactly when Julius Kroll arrived in America.  Several U. S. Federal Census records indicate 1890. Did he tell the census taker this or did his wife or one of his children? Did they have an exact correct date or were they rounding off to "around" the time he arrived. Until I find reliable immigration records, we may never know.

I do have a reliable immigration record for Ottilie Herzke, She arrrived in America in May 1893 aboard the German registered ship "Darmstadt" from Breman.

Who knows how Ottilie and Julius actually met, probably from attending the same church...they may have even known each other from the old country. What we do know are the following facts:

• Ottilie Herzke (1873-1955) is the sister of Anna Marie Kroll nee Herzke (1860-1940)
• Anna Marie Kroll nee Herzke is married to Frederick Kroll (1862-1927)
• Frederick Kroll is the brother of Julius Kroll (1865-1944)
• Anna and Frederick Kroll immigrated from Przepandowo, Prussia in April 1891
• Ottilie Herzke immigrated from Przepandowo, Prussia in May 1893

Whatever brought them together, carried them to the alter of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Blue Isle, Illinois on Saturday, September 23, 1893. The First Evangelical Lutheran Church, founded by German immigrants in 1861, has occupied the site since 1863. The original building, which is still intact, was added to on the north in the mid-twentieth century, and to the south a parochial school was constructed. But the Old Postcard below shows the building as it would have appeared to the young German immigrants in 1893.

My newly discovered cousin Donna, a descendant of Anna and Frederick Kroll, shared my Great Grandparents Marriage License with me:

Recently Donna and I were talking on the phone and comparing notes when I manually searched the First Evangelical Lutheran Chuch of Blue Island's membership books and found the actual church register for their marriage. 

The young couple celebrated the happy occasion in Photographs, I scanned this from an original in my aunt Dee's collection. She is the Granddaughter of the bride and groom.:

Donna sent me her copy, which is a slightly different pose, but its clearly the same people, same clothes, same photographer, but hers and mine have been seperated by half a continent for over a century until we reunited them this week!  

Judging by the clothing and the cost of a photographer, we can well imagine that their wedding included a reception. imagine the good german food...and frothy mugs of bier!

Maybe they even splurged on a honeymoon, but I have not found a record of any of these things so far...but I will continue to look.

Tracing the Herzke Connection

My aunt Dee Dee called me right before Christmas excited to tell me about a cousin she reconnected with.  She described how close they were when she was a kid and was amazed to hear from him after all these years. He had a bunch of family that photos she was anxious to share with me. The icing on the cake is that he is not only my cousin, but he is my neighbor, living less than an hour away.

I am not sure if we had ever met when I was growing up and his family name hadn't come up while researching the genealogy of the Packhisers and Krolls. Several other relaives names came up during my conversation with Dee, including Judy Carr and Erwin Reich, who where friends and relatives of my grandparents, Erwin and Lydia Packhiser, but they were not known to me.

I was trying to understand where they fit in to the family genealogy and decided to touch base with my mother Jeanne. Mom not only recognized the names, she had already seen the photos. Both her and Dad remembered our newly found cousin, who they called "Corky".  He is the younger brother of Barbara Sivertsen...finally a name I recognized. I remembered going to her house in the 1960's when my mom would visit, but I didn't realize she was a cousin...

It all seems to lead back to my Great Grandmother Ottilie J. Kroll.

Say Ottilie 

before we go any further let's decide how to pronounce Ottilie. The common American pronounciation is OTT-TIL-LEE.

Grandma Kroll was a German immigrant and the German pronounciation would more commonly be:
Ah-Teal-ya

Start with what we already know

Let me list what I already know about "Grandma Kroll" that is... Ottille Herzke Kroll.

I know she lived in a house at 112 Monhagen Ave, Middletown, New York.

When I was a kid growing up, in the 1960's this had become the home of her daughter Elsie, whom we called "Heshie". I spent alot of time at this house mowing grass, picking weeds and trimming bushes. My Grandmother, Lydia, whom we called Ami (Ahm-Mi), lived across the street at 115 Monhagen Avenue. I knew from family lore that Ami's Mother lived here when after her father passed away.

112 Monhagen Avenue, home of Ottilie J. Kroll

In addition, my Mom had told me stories of the Kroll farm in Chester, N. Y.  Rich with stories of horseback riding, and playing in the barns. A favorite story was the time when they were young kids and were playing in the hayloft, a forbidden place to be, and Mom accidently fell through the hay chute landing at her grandfathers feet as he was milking the cows, unharmed but with a lot of explaining to do.

Kroll Grave site in Wallkill Cemetery, Middletown, N. Y. (Photo (C) 2014  by Frederick Walton)

Ottilie J. Kroll Grave site in Wallkill Cemetery, Middletown, N. Y. (Photo (C) 2014  by Frederick Walton)

I knew she was buried at the Wallkill cemetery and during a 2014 visit to Middletown, I spent an afternoon locating, cleaning and photographing her Grave. Beside finding her final resting place, I have documented her birth date (1873) and her Death Date (1955).

I also knew (Family Lore) that she was a German immigrant, so her birth place was Germany.

1953 Birth Certificate for my Grandmother Lydia Kroll

 Somewhere along the way, I obtained a copy of my Grandmothers birth Certificate.  This confirms that Ottilie was born in Germany, as was her husband. We learn that the J in her middle name is for Juliana. and it confirms her birthdate of 1873. This also confirms the location of their farm in 1904...Blooming Grove. As a bonus, on the rear of the 1953 reissued birth certificate is Ottilie's signature! Confirming once and for all the proper spelling of her name. O-t-t-i-l-i-e

Happy Birthday Cousin Eddie

(C) 2016 by Frederick E. Walton

When February 29th rolls around it is, for most of us, perhaps a novelty. Chances are it may not even register if someone doesn't remind you. But Leap years are special.

A year is actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 47 seconds. Since this would be impossible to calculate with,  we consider a "normal year" to have 365 days. But that extra time we knock off for convenience keeps building up until every four years we need to add an extra day to resynchronize the calendar. Unless... The year is divisible by 100 (for example 1900) which means that we skip it, again to resent the calendar.

So what happens if you are born on February 29, a leap day? Then this is truly a special occasion.

Meet my 1st cousin 2x removed- Edward Mealwitz Jr. He is my Grandfather's 1st cousin, the son of my great-grandmother's brother.

Boston Post  (Boston, Massachusetts) 13 Jan 1904, Wed • Page 6

Edward was born on February 29, 1896 to German immigrants Edward and Bertha Mealwitz. They "americanized" their name from the original German spelling of Muhlwitz. Edward is one of those lucky few people to have been born on LEAP DAY.

Normally his birthday, that is , the first time there is a February 29th, would be 4 years later, but in 1900, Leap year is skipped because of the formula. It is a year divisible by 100. So the first Birthday he could actually celebrate on his birthday, February 29, was in 1904. (when he was 8 years old)

Edward married Lillian in 1920, the same year he celebrated his 5th birthday!

Edward and Lillian enjoyed visiting my Grandparents at their Yankee Lake House. My Grandfather's sister Helen is seated and Lillian is sitting on the chair's arm. This photo is from the 1940's.  It looks like Edward has a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and has only recently celebrated his 10th Birthday!

Edward died in 1974 before celebrating his 19th Birthday. He was 78. Happy Birthday Cousin!

Here are the Birthdays he did Celebrate:

1904

1908

1912

1916

1920

1924

1928

1932

1936

1940

1944

1948

1952

1956

1960

1964

1968

1972