B. Holley

Robert — Dorothy L. Riess. Dorothy (daughter of Edwin Charles Riess and Dorothy Roevekamp) was born 17 Dec 1917, Missouri, United States; died 6 Jun 2000, Missouri, United States. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Occupation: Mehlville, St. Louis, Missouri, United States; Mrs. Holley taught in the Mehlville School District for 20 years. (obit)

Other Events:

• Occupation: 1955, Missouri, United States; Letter Carrier, US Postal Service

Edwin married Dorothy Roevekamp Before 1930. Dorothy (daughter of Frederick Roevekamp and Louise Wideman) was born 16 Feb 1890, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States; died 28 Dec 1953, 8575 Drury Lane, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Address: 1867, 922 N 11th, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; Philadelphia city directory, 1867. Occupation: engraver. William R (machinist) and William W. (chemist) at same address.
• Occupation: 1891, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States; Jeweler (1891 city directory) Address 905 Penrose
• Occupation: 1900, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States; Engraver (General) - according to census
• Occupation: 1904, 214 Ferry Street, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States; "Glass" (STL city directory 1904)
• Address: 1905, 214 Ferry Street, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States

Otto married Karoline Bertha Emilie Oehns 1881. Karoline (daughter of Karl Julius Ludwig Oehns and Charlotte Caroline Leinert) was born 10 Oct 1858, Deutschland; died 24 May 1936, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States; was buried 27 May 1936, Friedens Cemetery, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States. [Group Sheet]

Other Events:

• Emigration: 1859, Prussia; Auswanderungsakten Brandenburg, Preußen
• Immigration: 1859, United States; Source: 1900 US Census, 1910 US Census. 1920 Census states immigrated 1858, naturalised 1863
• Also Known As: 1917; Bertha Owens - alternate spelling of name (from son William's death cert, of which Bertha was informant)
• Address: 1936, 4420 Anderson Ave, St. Louis, City, Missouri, United States

Notes:

Bertha Riess alternately used the names "Carlina Riess" and "Bertha Riess".

1900 Census: Riess, Otto W; CARLINA B. (b. Oct 1858); sons William, Fred, Edwin, Elroy; neighbour Newsham.

1910 Census: Riess, BERTHA, age 51 sons William, Edward, Elroy; neighbour Newsham.

1917 death certificate of William: father Otto W. Riess (PA), mother BERTHA OWENS [sic] (Germany); signed Mrs. Bertha Riess.

1920 Census: Riess, BERTHA C age 61; son Elroy.

1936 death certificate of BERTHA Riess; father Fredrick Ohens, mother unknown, informant Elroy L Riess.

1955 death certificate of Edwin: father William Otto Riess, mother BERTHA OHEN [sic].

It is highly likely that these consecutive census entries are tracking the same person, and that she favoured the name Carlina B., at first, but later Bertha C., each time using the initial of her other forename. In her later life she was known primarily as Bertha.

The anglicized name "Owens" may have been used by Bertha herself in 1917 due to anti-German sentiment.


Parents of Bertha Ohens Riess:

1936 death certificate of Bertha Riess states:
father Fredrick Ohens, Germany
mother unknown,
informant Elroy L Riess.

Bertha herself was born in Germany - the census records and death certificate agree. She arrived in the United States before the birth of her oldest son William in Pennsylvania in June 1883 (ref, 1900 US Census).

A search of Prussian emigration records reveals an extremely close match:

Year 1859
Karoline Emilie Bertha Oehns
Origin Zinna - Destination Amerika
Birth 8 Okt 1858 - Age 1

The birthdate of this "Karoline E. Bertha Oehns" is only two days from that on the death certificate of "[Carlina] Bertha Ohens" (see previous note about the name Carlina, and how she used it interchangeably with Bertha, favouring the latter).

"Carlina" may have been how her name was transcribed by an American bureaucrat, hearing "Karolina". "Acht Oktober" may have become 10 October, through a similar error.

Searching the same Auswanderungsakten Brandenburg, Preußen records for "Oehns" in 1859, we find what appears to be a single family coming from the town of Zinna:

Karl Julius Ludwig Oehns, b. 1823
Charlotte Caroline Leinert Oehns, b. 1829
Karoline Wilhelmine Emilie Oehns, b. 1856
Karoline Emilie Bertha Oehns, b. 8 Okt 1858

There are no other Oehns from Zinna in that emigration record in that year.

Despite the name Frederick Oehns on the death certificate, then, I believe these to be more likely candidates for Bertha's parents, and am listing them as such. Note also that Elroy was unaware of his grandmother's name - either forename or surname - thus indicating that he was very unfamiliar with his own mother's origins.

All of this is dependent on the assumptions that Carlina Bertha Oehns, born 10 Oct 1858, and Karoline Emilie Bertha Oehns, b. 8 Okt 1858, are one and the same person, and that she was - at the age of about one year - traveling with her parents and sister.

Frederick — Louise Wideman. Louise was born Bef 1870. [Group Sheet]