Büchner: My German
Ancestry
This Blog Posting is a brief summary of my nineteenth and
twentieth century German ancestors and their first-generation American children. The book, My German
Ancestry, Büchner Family of Schmidmühlen and their Descendants was
self-published through Lulu.com in April 2022. It provides further details of my
great grandparents Alois (Louis) Büchner and Thekla Söllner, and their
ancestors, and the town in which they lived, Schmidmühlen. The book also
provides additional details on the lives of their four surviving children,
including my grandfather, Andrew Joseph Buchner, the father of my mother Helen
Buchner Birmingham.
The 1942 Death Certificate of my mother’s father, Andrew
Joseph Buchner, provided the names of his parents: Louis Buchner and Tecla, both of Germany. The ship manifest record
for my mother’s grandmother, Thekla (Söllner) Buchner, provided her place of
birth as Schmidmühlen. Louis and Thekla married in 1885, and immigrated to
America in 1887, initially settling in Boston. A few years later they would
move to Pittsburgh. The surviving children of Louis and Thekla would make their
homes in western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia.
In 2017, I obtained baptismal and
marriage records for my great grandparents from the Bischöfliches Zentralarchiv, the Catholic Diocese office in
Regensburg, Germany. Over the next couple years I would obtain the records of
earlier generations of my Buchner Family.
My great grandfather, Alois (Louis) Buchner (1861-1940) was baptized on February 28, 1861 at Saint Ägidius Catholic Church in Schmidmühlen. He was the 7th child of Aloys Büchner and Marie Magdalena Meier.
My great grandmother, Thekla Söllner (1867-1904) was
baptized on October 6, 1867, at Saint Ägidius. She was the daughter of Johann
Georg Söllner, a Shopkeeper, and Barbara, also of Schmidmühlen.
Louis Büchner and Thekla Söllner were married at Saint Ägidius Church on
May 5, 1885. Their first child, Ludwig, was born on April 11, 1886. He was baptized
the following day at Saint Ägidius Church by a Father Zistler.
Alois would Americanized
his name to Louis after immigrating
to America. I will now refer to my great grandfather as Louis Buchner.
The parents of Alois (Louis) Buchner are Aloys Büchner
(1815-1892) of Schmidmühlen and Marie Magdalena Meier (1818-1892) of Schwandorf.
They are my second great grandparents. Aloys and Marie Magdalena would both die
on the same day in 1892. Their deaths were reported to the civil authorities by
their son, Bader Michael Büchner.
The Baderhaus,
pictured above, is where four generations of Büchner families had lived in
Schmidmühlen.
Aloys Büchner was the son of Johann Büchner and Anna
Maria Pöll. Marie Magdalena Meier was the daughter of Johann Meier
and Margaretha Winter. They are my third great grandparents.
Aloys Büchner and Maria Magdalena Meier (my
second great grandparents) were married on February 16, 1847 in Schwandorf. The
witnesses were Johann Meier, the father of the bride, and Franz Xavier Klob, a
Sexton in Schwandorf. After being married, Aloys and Maria Magdalena first
resided in Schwandorf, about 16 miles east of Schmidmühlen. Their first four
children were born in Schwandorf.
·
Anna Maria Büchner, born January 27, 1848
·
Johann Baptist Büchner, born July 13,
1849
·
Maria Theresia Büchner, born March 20,
1851
·
Barbara Büchner born November 18, 1852
Their fifth child, Joseph Büchner, was born in
Schmidmühlen on March 10, 1856 at 1 am. The Godfather, Joseph Meier, was likely
the brother of Joseph’s mother, Maria Magdalena Meier.
On March 3, 1858 a stillborn child was born to Maria
Magdalena and Aloys. An emergency baptism was performed by the midwife, named Natter. A cross symbol on the record
indicates the child was stillborn or died shortly after birth. No name was
given.
The sixth child of Aloys and Maria Magdalena was Michael
Büchner, born in Schmidmühlen on April 18, 1859 at 12 noon. Michael is the
great grandfather of Theo Büchner with whom I now correspond regularly. The
Godfather of Michael was also named Michael Büchner, a Saddler in
Burglengendfeld. It is not yet known how the Godfather, Michael Büchner, is
related to the family of Aloys and Maria Magdalena Büchner. He is likely the
brother of Aloys Büchner.
My great grandfather, Alois (Louis)
Buchner (1861-1940), was the 7th child of Aloys Büchner and Marie
Magdalena Meier.
The eighth and final child born to Aloys and Maria Magdalena Büchner was Maria Magdalena Büchner, named after her mother. She was born December 21, 1863 at 10 am. Her Godmother was Anna Meier, likely the sister of the baby’s mother.
Maria Magdalena Büchner (1863-1944) immigrated to America in 1885. On February 28, 1886, 22 year-old Maria Magdalena Buchner and 26 year-old John Neuner, also of Germany, would marry in Boston. The service was performed by Reverend Francis Z. Nopper. John and Maria Magdalena would first live at 27 Vinton Street in South Boston.
Marie Magdalena and John Neuner would later establish
residence at 18 Grimes Street in South Boston. Their children would eventually
live in Boston, Massachusetts and in Portland, Maine. I have DNA Matches with
several of their grandchildren.
Louis Buchner and Thekla
Söllner Make a Home in America
My great grandfather Louis Büchner, first traveled from
Bremen to New York aboard the ship SAALE,
arriving in New York on March 26, 1887. Louis would establish residence
at 251 East 8th Street in Boston, a short walk from where his sister and her
husband lived. Louis Buchner quickly found employment in Boston as a
Harnessmaker, working at 74 Mercer Street, a short walk from their residence on
East 8th Street.
In June of 1887, Louis Buchner and his brother-in-law John
Neuner would travel back to Germany. A few weeks later they would return to New
York aboard the ship ETHIOPIA, having
departed Europe from Glasgow and Moville (Ireland). They arrived in New York on
July 12, 1887. This was 18 days before Louis’ wife Thekla and their son Ludwig
would arrive at New York.
I assume Louis and John had returned to Germany to gather
additional materials, perhaps in support of their work as a Harnessmaker and a
Wood Carver. And likely to bring materials that Thekla would be unable to
manage as she was seven-months pregnant, and traveling with her young son
Ludwig.
On July 30, 1887, four-months after Louis’ initial arrival in Boston, Thekla Büchner and their fifteen-month old son Ludwig arrived in New York aboard the ship ELBE.
After being processed at the Castle Garden Immigration Center in New York, Thekla and her young son Ludwig would likely join with Louis. The family would travel to their new residence in Boston that Louis had already established. Both train and steamboat service between New York and Boston was available.
Thekla was seven-months pregnant with their second child when
she arrived in Boston. Daughter Magdalena was born in Boston on August 30,
1887, one month after her mother’s arrival.
On September 10, 1887, just
six-weeks after arriving in America, Louis and Thekla’s 18-month old son Ludwig
died. His cause of death was recorded as Cholera Infantum, a disease of infants
in the late 19th century prevailing in
summer and characterized by vomiting, uncontrollable diarrhea and collapse.
Ludwig is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, Mattapan in Suffolk County,
Massachusetts.
Three children were born to Thekla and Louis while living in
Boston; daughter Magdalena was born one month after Thekla’s arrival in 1887, son
John Lawrence in 1888, and son Michael in 1889. The Massachusetts birth record
for Michael shows the family lived at 263 East 8th Street in Boston in 1889. Around
1891, Alois and Thekla and their three young children, Magdalena, John Lawrence
and Michael would leave Boston and move to Pittsburgh where they would continue
to grow their family. Their motivation for moving to Pittsburgh is not known.
With its easily navigable waterways and an abundance of
natural resources, Pittsburgh was becoming an industrial hub for coal mining
and steel production for a growing nation. This attracted many German and Irish
immigrants to western Pennsylvania. The Louis Buchner family likely traveled
from Boston to Pittsburgh by train.
The Buchner’s first address in
Pittsburgh was 67 Wyoming Street in the Mount Washington neighborhood of
Pittsburgh. Alois would find work as a Saddler, a trade he had learned
from his father.
From this location one could see the orange glow of the steel
mills in Homestead. In July of that year, 1891, an industrial lockout and
strike between steelworkers and private security agents took place at the
Andrew Carnegie owned steel plant in Homestead, seven miles southeast of
downtown Pittsburgh.
The first child of Louis and Thekla
born in Pittsburgh was Joseph Michael, born on September 26, 1891. Their next
child was my mother’s father, Andrew Joseph, born on March 16, 1894. Three more
children were born to Louis and Thekla in Pittsburgh between 1896 and 1901,
Annie (1896-1896), Charles (1898-1903) and Bessie (1901-1969).
Of their nine children, only four, three sons and a daughter,
would live beyond ten years of age. Brothers John and Andrew and their sister
Bessie would eventually make their homes in the Pittsburgh area. Their brother
Joseph would raise his family in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
Louis Buchner Becomes a US Citizen
In 1893, Louis Buchner filed his Declaration of Intention to
obtain U.S. citizenship while renouncing his allegiance to the Kingdom of
Bavaria. The document was filed on April 17, 1893 in Pittsburgh with the
Prothonotary of the Court, Allegheny County, About three years later, Louis
submitted his Petition for Citizenship at the Western District Court of
Pennsylvania. Louis became a naturalized U.S. citizen on January 18, 1896. His
record of citizenship was signed by Louis Buchner, 19 Boggs Avenue.
Death of Thekla Büchner
On January 11, 1904 Thekla Söllner Büchner died. The primary
cause of her death was uremic convulsions, complicated by pregnancy – her 12th.
Thekla was being treated for two days when her death occurred. The physician
who signed her Death Record was Dr. McCormick of 50 Shiloh Street. The family
address at the time of Thekla’s death was 1021 Brownsville Avenue in Mount
Oliver.
Thekla is buried in West Liberty Cemetery in Beechview on
January 13, 1904. She is buried along with daughter Annie, and sons Michael and
Charles.
My sister Kathy and I have visited West Liberty Cemetery several times searching for a burial record, or a stone, to find our great-grandmother’s burial location. Unfortunately this private cemetery has not maintained their records well.
Shortly after Thekla’s death, Louis Buchner would remarry.
By 1906 it appears that Louis’ three sons were living on
their own in Pittsburgh. Sons Andrew and John lived at the Pittsburgh News Boys Home at the corner of Locust and Stevenson
streets (on the Duquesne bluff). It appears they entered the News Boys Home
around 1905-06, shortly after their mother died. I believe son Joseph also
lived at the News Boys Home until 1909.
In 1909, Joseph was living in Clarksburg, West Virginia and
working as a Clerk for the Pike News Company and rooming at Deison House.
Joseph would eventually marry and raise his family in Clarksburg.
John and Andrew would graduate from the News Boys Home in May
of 1912. Daughter Bessie would live with her father and step-mother for at
least eight years after her mother’s death in 1904. Bess began living with her
brother Andrew and his wife Nellie after they married in 1913.
The 1920 US Census Record shows that on January 3, 1920 Louis
and Hazel Viola Ritter and two children were living in Jenkins, Letcher County,
Kentucky. Jenkins was a “Company Town”
and everyone living there worked for the Consolidated Coal Company. Housing and
subsistence were provided and workers were paid $5 per day.
While living in Jenkins, Kentucky, Louis periodically
contributed “a day’s wage” to help
the Old-Time Newsies and Orphan Fund
through the Pittsburgh Press newspaper. The
news article below is from the Pittsburgh Press, dated December 11, 1928, under
the heading “Old Time Newsies Aid Orphans”.
Special Delivery Letter from Louis Buchner
Recall that Louis’ two sons, my grandfather Andrew and his
older brother John, lived at the Old News Boys Home in Pittsburgh for homeless
boys from about 1906 until their graduation in 1912. Son Joseph also likely
lived there for a couple years. I now understand Louis’ motivation, and his
contributions to the Old-Time Newsies and
Orphan Fund.
Death of Louis Buchner
On November 14, 1940 at age 79, Louis (Alois) Buchner died at
Passavant Hospital in Pittsburgh. He had been living at 1332 Vickroy Street,
just off Fifth Avenue at the time. My grandfather Andrew signed his father’s
Death Certificate, and apparently had arranged for his burial at Oakland
Cemetery. Subsequently, the burials in this cemetery were moved to Mount Royal
Cemetery, Oakland Section, in Glenshaw, Allegheny County.
My mother never mentioned her grandfather. I don’t think she
ever met him.
Louis’ primary cause of death was Pneumonia with secondary
cause being a Cerebral Hemorrhage. An article from the Pittsburgh Press, dated
Friday November 15, 1940, "Grief
over Loss of His Dog Blamed for Man's Death" tells the human-side
story of what caused my great-grandfather's death. The news article is
summarized below.
On one of his recent strolls along Fifth Avenue, his faithful 10-year
old white poodle "Fritzie" was killed beneath the wheels of an auto
as they crossed Fifth Avenue. "Louy" later told a friend how much he
missed Fritzie and how lonely he was without her. When Louis failed to appear
for his usual stroll along Fifth Avenue one evening his friends became
concerned. They found him in his room "crumpled in a heap near the blanket
where Fritzie had always slept". They rushed him to Passavant Hospital
where he died later that night.
Children of Louis and Thekla Büchner
The four children of Louis and Thekla that survived childhood
were sons John, Joseph and Andrew, and daughter Bessie. Andrew Joseph Buchner
is my grandfather, the father of my mother, Helen Buchner Birmingham.
After their mother’s death, and their father remarried,
brothers John and Andrew lived at the big
building on the hill known as the News
Boys’ Home. This was located on the corner of Locust and Stevenson Streets
on the Duquesne Bluff. The boys coming to the home were often homeless and
ranged in age from 5 to 18.
News Boys Home
Every boy is obliged to work and pay his board in proportion to what he earns. The boys start working by selling newspapers on Pittsburgh street corners. Rather than call the Home an institution, they would prefer you call it a club, or better still a home. The structure is thoroughly modern with a fine gymnasium, inviting dining rooms, well lighted halls and reading rooms, school rooms, attractive dormitories and baths accommodating hundreds every day. Around him are thrown Christian influences, thought and watchful care, and if he slips or falls back, there is help to start him aright again, and he generally succeeds in the end. An employment bureau furnishes work for many boys. The school at the Newsboys’ Home goes back to the good old principles of the three R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic… they have a good library at hand… and often develop a thirst for learning...hold regular recitations in algebra from professors at Carnegie Institute of Technology…classes in plaster cast making and many have developed an aptitude for sculpturing skills…the Home operates a large printing shop, doing a great amount of work for various business firms. Those boys who care for it are educated in the printing trade and find excellent paying positions open to those when they leave.
My grandfather, Andrew, and his older brother John were both
members of the May, 1912 graduating class. Based on the newspaper article
below, Where the Alumni Go, John was
an Engineer, and Andrew a Printer in 1913, the year after graduating.
Where the Alumni Go
Both John and Andrew would work in these capacities
throughout their adult life. Their brother Joseph also worked in the News
business in Clarksburg, West Virginia. All three Buchner brother likely received
their industrial training at the Pittsburgh News Boys Home.
Old News Boy Home in Pittsburgh
John
Lawrence Buchner (1888-1960)
The second son born to Louis and Thekla was John Lawrence
Buchner, born on March 20, 1888 in Boston. The Buchner family lived at 251 East
Eight Street at the time of John's birth. In 1891 the Buchner family left
Boston and moved to Pittsburgh.
John was sixteen years old when his mother Thekla died in
1904. Sometime afterwards John and his brother Andrew would live and learn at
the Old News Boys Home. After graduating, John and Andrew were living together
at 1313 Locust Street. This address was a couple houses
from the Old News Boys Home. The residence on Locust Street may have been
connected with the Old News Boys Home.
In 1917 John was working as an engineer at the B&O
Railroad Terminal in Pittsburgh. The B&O facility lined the north side of
the Monongahela River, extending from Smithfield Street, along Second Avenue
for over a mile. This job likely resulted from the training he received at the
Old Newsboy Home. John was married, and living nearby at 4634 Sylvan Avenue in
the Hazelwood section of the city.
The three sons of Louis and Thekla Buchner would register for
the World War I draft in 1917. Only John was called to serve. John Lawrence
Buchner entered the U.S. Army on October 6, 1917. He would be assigned to the
80th Division, 314th Machine Gun Battalion Company B. The 314th Machine Gun
Battalion that Cpl. John Buchner served in saw Combat Service in multiple
offensives while in France, including the Picardy Sector, St. Mihiel, and
Meuse-Argonne. John’s cousin, Louis J. Miller, the son of Louis and Sarah
Miller (Mom’s maternal grandparents) also served in the Meuse Argonne campaign.
Shortly after the war, in 1921, John Buchner and Edith Kent
Drummond of Montreal, Quebec, Canada married. By 1930 they had made their home
at 3306 Francisco Street in the Sheraden neighborhood of Pittsburgh, just off West
Carson Street. "Uncle John and Aunt
Edie" would live at this address until their passing. John then worked
as an Engineer for Meadow Gold Dairies.
I remember our family visiting Uncle John and Aunt Eddie at
their home in Sheraden. This would have been in the mid-1950s. My fondest
memory is Aunt Edie would always squeeze my cheek and say how cute I was! And she always had a big dish of candy for us
kids when we visited. I remember Aunt Edie being short, and sort of plump. I
think Uncle John was also short. He drove a very nice car, I believe it was a
Mercury.
John Lawrence Buchner died on March 26, 1960 and is buried in
the Veteran's section of Hollywood Cemetery, 3500 Clearfield Street in
Pittsburgh. John was 72 years old at the time of his death.
Joseph Michael Büchner (1891- 1977)
The fourth son of Louis and Thekla was
Joseph Michael Buchner, born on September 26, 1891 in Pittsburgh. Around 1909,
when he was eighteen years old, Joseph left Pittsburgh and moved to Clarksburg,
West Virginia. There, he worked for the Pike News Company. Clarksburg is where Joseph
would marry and raise a family.
Joseph Buchner and Elsie Jordan married on April 23, 1916 in
Harrison County, West Virginia. In 1917 Joseph and Elsie were living at 534
Main Street in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. Joseph was employed
as an Assistant Pressman for the Clarksburg Telegraph Company. Joseph
registered for the World War I draft on June 5, 1917. He was described as of
medium height and build, with blue eyes and brown hair. His Draft Registration Record
described his condition as "one eye
gone".
Joseph and Elsie Buchner
I remember my mother talking about an uncle in West Virginia
but I don’t believe they ever met. The above picture of Joseph and his wife
Elsie may have been given to Mom by her Aunt Bess, Joseph’s sister.
A son, John Paul, was born on November 19, 1925 in
Clarksburg. In June 1944, nineteen year old John Paul Buchner joined the Marine
Corp. In January 1945 he was deployed in the Pacific region as part of the 2nd
Battalion, 23rd Marines of the Fourth Marine Division. The April 1945 Muster
Records show John Paul Buchner assigned to Casual Company Number One, Marine
Detachment U.S. Naval Hospital Oakland, California. This suggests that John was
injured while deployed in the Pacific region and transported back to the Naval
Hospital in Oakland, California. Based on the unit, and the date of his injury,
it appears that John Paul Buchner served, and was injured in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
John Paul Buchner and Naomi Mae McIntire, also of Clarksburg,
would marry in 1946. John Paul worked as an Accountant, and he and his wife
Naomi lived in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and later in Washington D.C.
Mom’s cousin, John Paul Buchner, died in 2000 at the age of
74 in Stephens City, Frederick County Virginia. John Paul Buchner is buried at
the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, West Virginia.
Joseph Michael Buchner, the fourth son of Louis and Thekla,
died at the age of 85 on March 4, 1977 in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Joseph is
buried at the Elkview Masonic Cemetery in Harrison County.
Obituary Joseph M. Buchner 1977
Elisabeth
"Bessie" Rita Buchner (1901 – 1969)
The only surviving daughter of Louis and Thekla was Elisabeth
(Bessie) Rita Buchner. She was born August 6, 1901 in Pittsburgh, likely at 35
Boggs Avenue in Mount Washington. Her mother, Thekla, died when Bessie was two
years old.
To Mom and us kids, she was always Aunt Bess. Young Bessie lived with her father and step-mother after
they married in 1905. Later, she would live with her brother Andrew and his
wife Nellie after they married in 1913.
In 1920 Bessie was still living with Andrew and Nellie, and
their children Sara Blanche, my Mom Helen, and their son Andy. The family lived
at 44 Cowan Street, and later at 237 Lelia Street, both in Mount Washington.
Bess would live with her brother’s family until she and Walter Black married in
1926. My mother had pleasant memories of Aunt Bess living with her family when
she was a child.
In “Mom’s Story” she recalled
My Dad’s sister Aunt Betty (Bess) was single
and lived with us. We had no electric or inside plumbing, but we did have an
outhouse. Aunt Betty worked at Bell Telephone Company and coaxed my dad to have
electric installed and lent him the money. She married soon after…."
Mom used to tell us how she loved Aunt Bess, and after Bess
got married in 1926 she would go stay with her on summer vacations. Mom would
have been 8 years old in 1926 when Aunt Bess married.
Mom's Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt (1960s)
Walter Lincoln Black was born
October 20, 1898 to Lowry and Mary Black. After Lowry Black's death, his mother
Mary married George Lauderbaugh. In 1920 Walter lived with his parents, Mary
and George Lauderbaugh at 2 Lelia Street, which is a 5 minute walk from where
Bess was living at her brother’s house at 237 Lelia Street. Bessie and Walter
Black were married on May 16, 1926. Around 1928 they would move to a farm in
Fredonia, Mercer County.
My sisters and I have nice memories of our family visiting
"Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt"
on their farm in Fredonia. Our first visit was in the late 1950's, probably
1957 or 1958. They had a farmhouse with a large barn at the bottom of the hill
and a few milk cows. At that time their son Walter, and daughter's Mary,
Louise, and Elva were all married and no longer living in the house.
To get to the farm in the 1950's, before Interstate 79 was
built, we would take Route 19 North from Pittsburgh, through Zelienople and
Mercer. Just past Mercer we would take a side road for a few miles, then a dirt
road that would take us to the farm. It would take about 2 hours to get there.
On each trip we would make a stop at Islay's (Ice Cream store) in Zelienople
for a dish of ice cream. And, we always bought a carton of ice cream to take
with us to the farm because Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt loved ice cream but didn’t
have electric refrigeration to keep it. So first thing after arriving, we would
enjoy the ice cream.
The farm house did not have indoor plumbing, at least not on
our first trip, so we all learned about Outhouses.
It was located off the back porch, maybe 20 feet from the house. As I recall it
had multiple seats. Mom used to comment on how dark it was there at night. No
street lights! The only light was from the moon and stars.
We were definitely city
folks!
There was a stone quarry on the property and one day we all
walked back to see it with Uncle Walt. Their daughter Mary, and her husband Bob
Taylor built their house in Wexford with stone from the quarry.
Back Porch at Aunt Bess’ Farm abt. 1958
The above picture was taken during one of our visits. It’s on
the back porch just outside the kitchen. Mary Taylor, Aunt Bess’ daughter, is
on the left. Carol, Mom, Danny (me), Dad, Unknown girl, and my sister Kathy.
The two little girls in front are Mary Taylor’s daughter Patty, and my youngest
sister Mary Lou (right).
We visited Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt probably four times in
the late 1950s, early 60s. It was always an adventurous trip for us kids. We
always looked forward to Islay’s Ice Cream on the way, enjoying life on the
farm for a few days, and especially Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt’s hospitality.
Mary Black Taylor and Louise Black Anthony with Aunt
Blanche
The above photograph is Aunt Bess’ daughters, Mary Taylor and
Louise Anthony, during a visit with their cousin Sara Blanche Buchner (Sister
Bernard Mary) at Saint Gabriel's Monastery in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania in
1995. Aunt Blanche was celebrating her 50th Anniversary of professing vows to a
life of prayer and service. Mom and Dad, her brother Andy and his wife Myrtle,
and cousins Mary Taylor and Louise Anthony all attended the celebration with
Aunt Blanche.
Aunt Bess died of a heart condition on July 9, 1969 at
Greenville Hospital, Mercer County. She was a member of the St. Mark's United
Church of Christ, New Hamburg, and its Women's Guild. She was a member and
noble grand of Lady Lowango Rebekah Lodge, New Hamburg, and belonged to the
Countryside Garden Club. Uncle Walter Lincoln Black died in November 1978 at
the age of 80 in Mercer County Pennsylvania. Aunt Bess and Uncle Walt are
buried at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Wexford.
After Aunt Bess’ death, Mom and Aunt Bess' daughters, Mary
and Louise, would became close friends.
Andrew Joseph
Buchner (1894-1942)
My grandfather, Andrew Joseph Buchner, was the sixth child of
Louis and Thekla Buchner, born March 16, 1894 in Pittsburgh. At the time of his
birth the family lived on Kramer Way in Mount Washington. When Andrew was 10
years old his mother died. The following year his father remarried.
After their father remarried, Andrew and his older brother
John would live, and learn, at the Old
News Boys Home on Stevenson Street on the Duquesne Bluff, a home for
orphans. Here, Andrew would start by selling newspapers on Pittsburgh Street
corners. He then attended classes where he learned the printing trade. My
grandfather graduated in May 1912 as a printer. He would work in this
profession throughout his adult life.
My Grandfather Andrew Joseph Buchner
About a year after graduating from the Home, Andrew and
Nellie Miller would marry and begin raising a family. They had three children,
Sara Blanche born in 1914, my mother Helen Marie in 1918, and son Andrew in
1919. The family attended Saint Justin’s Church in Mount Washington where
Andrew was active in committee work including the Athletic Association and the
Holy Name Society.
In 1917 Andrew registered for the World War I draft but he
was not called. Andrew began working for the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph in the
1920's and he would spend most of his working career at the newspaper. He
worked as a printer and as a typesetter. In 1928 he was Chairman of the
Pittsburgh Typographical Union, No. 7.
Mom’s mother, Nellie Miller Buchner, died at the young age of
33, on Friday, January 15, 1929 after an extended illness. The funeral viewing
was held in their home at 237 Lelia Street in Mount Washington. A Requiem Mass
was held at Saint Justin’s Church. The family would continue to live at 237
Lelia Street through 1934. Mom was 11 years old at the time of her mother’s
death.
My Mom remembered having “two
wonderful parents who had a great marriage”. After Nellie’s death, Andrew
took over as a single parent to the three kids… “He was very good to all of them, but very strict”.
Around 1935
Andrew Buchner was remarried to Mary ("Mame") Dixon, also of Mount
Washington. Mary's home at 16 Haberman Avenue became the Buchner family
residence. My grandfather continued to be employed at the Pittsburgh Sun
Telegraph Newspaper.
My mother and her
brother Andy continued to live with their father and step-mother at the
Haberman Avenue house for several years, along with Patrick Dixon, Mame's older
brother. Mom graduated from Saint Justin's High School in 1936. Her brother
Andy graduated from Saint Justin's in 1939.
The above pictures are my great grandfather Louis Buchner, my
grandfather Andrew J. Buchner Sr., my uncle Andrew Buchner Jr. and my mother
Helen Marie Buchner Birmingham.
In 1942, at age 48, Andrew registered for the World War II
draft. He was still employed by the Pittsburgh Publishing Company and worked at
the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph Newspaper. Based on the draft registration data my
grandfather was 5'-10" in height and weighed 180 pounds. He had blue eyes,
brown hair and a ruddy complexion.
Death of My Grandfather Andrew Joseph Buchner
Shortly after he registered for the
draft, my grandfather, Andrew Joseph Buchner, died on June 14, 1942. Based on
his Death Certificate he died of Septicemia, a bacterial infection that spreads
into the bloodstream. The underlying cause was recorded as Strep Viridians.
This is described in the medical literature (1942) as associated with a wound
or a cast. Andrew was being treated for this condition by Dr. Connolly at 229
Grandview Avenue for two month prior to his death.
Obituary Andrew Joseph Buchner 1942
Andrew’s daughter Blanche was unable to come home from the convent
to attend her father's funeral. Mom later expressed sadness that her sister was
unable to be at home for the funeral. Andrew J. Buchner is buried at Calvary
Cemetery along with his second wife, Mary Dixon Buchner. The single stone at
their gravesite reads McPEAK / DIXON.
Just five months after her father’s death, on November 14,
1942, Mom and Dad would marry at Saint Justin’s Church. Dad was home for a
weekend leave, before shipping out to California, then overseas to the Pacific
Theatre of war. Mom said her Dad really
liked Dan and she was disappointed
that he would not get to see them married. The picture below is Mom and Dad
on their Wedding Day, November 14, 1942, just outside Saint Justin’s Church.
Afterward
Judy and I travelled to Germany in 2018 and spend a weekend
in Schmidmühlen, the town where my Büchner ancestry lived. We stopped by the local
Registry Office (Markt Schmidmühlen) and were told of a Johann Büchner who
runs the local hair Salon (Friseur), named Salon
Büchner. We stopped by and briefly met with Johann. We were also given the
contact information for Theo Büchner, the next of kin for Karl and Elsa Büchner, whose gravestone we saw at the local cemetery. After our trip I was fortunate
to make contact with Theo Büchner. We began communicating and would learn that
we are 3rd cousins, both descended from Aloys Büchner (1815-1892) of
Schmidmühlen and Marie Magdalena Meier (1818-1892) of Schwandorf. They are the
parents of my great grandfather, Alois (Louis) Büchner, and Theo’s great
grandfather, Michael Büchner. Alois and Michael Büchner were brothers. Theo and
I continue to correspond regularly.
Today, I share an Ancestry DNA Match with a number of the
grandchildren of Alois and Thekla Büchner, as well as grandchildren of his
sister Marie Magdalena Büchner Neuner. This has helped me trace my mother’s
Büchner family back several generations to their home in Schmidmühlen, Bavaria,
Germany.
-------------------------------------
Extracted
from my book published by LULU.com in April 2022
My
German Ancestry: Büchner Family of Schmidmühlen
and their Descendants
By Daniel Patrick Birmingham
http://dpbmemories.blogspot.com
Email:
dpbirming57@gmail.com
Canton, Ohio, USA
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