Our Goeller Ancestors

We now turn to our ancestors, Johann Dietrich Goeller and Anna Maria Eichhorn-Goeller.  We know from Holy Cross Church (110 E. West St., Baltimore, MD) that they were from Pettstadt, Germany.

From immigration records, we know they departed the port of Bremen, Germany at an unknown date and arrived in the port of Baltimore on the S.S. Hanover on September 26, 1874. The passenger list detailed Johann Goeller age 48, his wife Anna Marie Goeller age 42 and their children: Magdalena age 15, Margaret age 8, Michael John age 7, Barbara age 6, Heinrich age 4 and John Dietrich Jr. age 3.

 

Johann was a shoemaker by trade. They settled in the Canton area of South Baltimore. In the 1879 Baltimore city directory, his address is listed as Dillon St. near Third Ave. with the occupation shoemaker. The 1880 census finds them in Canton. Following the subsequent city directories, Johann is found at Aliceanna-near Clinton St. in 1879-1881. In 1886, the family then appeared at 1703 Hanover St., Baltimore, MD. This is the address where we would find them in all future census records.

 

Johann Dietrich Goeller continued to appear in the city directory at the Hanover St. address through 1894. He then disappears in the following years. Johann died on December 3, 1893. I am sure the 1894 directory was published before his death and that is why he still appears in the 1894 city directory.

 

Both Johann Dietrich Goeller Sr. and his wife Anna Marie Eichhorn-Goeller are interred together in Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn Park, MD, Section A. Anna Marie’s lot number was listed as no. 262 in the Holy Cross Church records.

 

Something Troubling in the Records

As of this writing, I contend that they are both in Section A and that the marker for Johann in Holy Cross Cemetery has the wrong year. It states 1873, but the church and city directory records indicate it was 1893. They didn’t arrive here in Baltimore until 1874. The marker was either created or recreated when Anna Maria died in 1905. We do have verification from family members that this is the correct burial site for them. As of this writing, it still remains to be investigated with Holy Cross Cemetery.

 

For this reason, many who study genealogy have them interred in Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery. This is wrong. Another John and Marie Goeller were living in the city of Baltimore concurrently with our Johann and Anna Marie Goeller. They were of similar ages and lived on Washington St. also in the Canton area.

 

There is a deteriorating marker-monument in Most Holy Redeemer cemetery that Find-A-Grave indicates the name “Marie Goeller” and notes “Same stone as Johann and Eva Goeller”. This would be the Washington St. Goellers. Eva was the daughter of these Goellers. Further, Find-A-Grace indicates that Eva was the brother of Adam Goeller. Baltimore City directories and census records also indicate another sibling named Constantine. Adam and Constantine were also the sons of the Washington St. Goellers. There were no ancestors or descendants with the given name Eva, Adam or Constantine in our recent Goeller ancestors.

 

Moreover, many other fellow genealogists list the maiden name of our Anna Maria Goeller as “Pfeiffer”. This is also incorrect. I believe “Pfeiffer” was the maiden name of the Washington St. Marie Goeller, but cannot be sure. UPDATE: I recently located the baptismal records for Constantine and Eva Goeller in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church records. Their mother’s maiden name is clearly written “Maria Pfeiffer”. The obituary for Maria Goeller interred in Most Holy Redeemer included a note: “Poughkeepsie and New York Papers please copy”. Our Goeller ancestors came from Germany to the port of Baltimore and were never in New York. Our Anna Maria Goeller’s maiden name was “Eichhorn”. We know this from the marriage records of Michael John Goeller (Johann’s son) and Anna Regina Michler-Goeller in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church records. The Church is located at 600 S. Conkling St., Baltimore, MD. The church records are available online through the Maryland State Archives-Special Collections.

 

Birth and Death Dates of Our Goeller Ancestors

Johann Dietrich Goeller Sr. Jan. 3, 1832-Dec. 3, 1893

Anna Maria Eichhorn-Goeller Feb. 12, 1830-Aug. 12, 1905

Magdalena Goeller abt. 1859-Unknown

Margaret Goeller-Walters Feb. 1864-Jan. 14, 1921

Michael John Goeller Mar. 9, 1866-May 1, 1914

Barbara Goeller-Heintz abt. 1867-Nov. 30, 1897

Heinrich (Henry) Goeller abt. 1870-Dec. 8, 1899

John Dietrich Goeller Jr. Nov. 1871-Feb. 11, 1943

 

Margaret, Michael John, Barbara and John Dietrich Jr. all went on to marry and have children. I sought after Heinrich (Henry) for many years. Many fellow genealogist have him as married with children running a grocery store in Baltimore. This is also incorrect. The Henry Goeller that they link our Henry to was born in 1859. Our Henry was born in 1870. I searched for years until I finally found him in the Holy Cross Church records. Sadly, our Henry died December 8, 1889 at the age of 20. Cause of death appears to have been tuberculosis. 

 

 

Magdalena Goeller-1st born: Regretfully to date, I have never found any record of what became of the oldest child, Magdalena. One of the Goeller family elders who was a grandchild of Johann Goeller and Anna Maria Eichhorn conveyed that one of group/family that came over from Germany with them was with child. An unwed woman with child was something not to be disclosed or discussed in those days. It is possible that the woman was Magdalena. If they arrived in September 1874 and Magdalena was expecting, she would have given birth sometime not long after that. I searched what I believe were the area church records for a birth or death or even a marriage that could link to Magdalena, but I found nothing.

 

It is also possible that when  the story about the pregnant woman that “came over with them”  was passed down, it had been confused with another woman. That woman would be Barbara Michler-Hornung. She was Anna Regina Michler-Goeller’s sister and immigrated here with Anna Regina in 1884. At the time Barbara arrived, she was unwed with an 11 month old infant. This too was something not to be discussed and was looked upon with shame. There is a complete story about Barbara Hornung that you can access via a link at the bottom of this page.

 

Margaret Goeller-2nd born: known as Maggie, was born February 1864 and died January 14, 1921 married Max Walter in 1883. Max only ever appeared in the U.S. Federal 1880 census. Because there isn’t an 1890 census to consult, I looked for him in 1900 only to find he was now gone and Margaret was now once again at the 1703 Hanover Street address. Obituaries were not always published and many of those that were did not survive in to modern day times unless a family member had saved them. Therefore, Max’s death eluded me for many years, but I finally found it in Holy Cross Church Records. Max died in 1894 at the age of 37. His cause of death was listed as bronchitis-consumption. Consumption was a disease, also known as tuberculosis (TB), is a bacterial infection that typically affects the lungs. This left Margaret a widow at 30 years if age. They had five children:

Frank Walter (1885-1951)

Barbara M. Walter (1886-1949)

Mary Walter (1887-1918)

Michael Frederick Walter (1890-1926)

Regina Walter (1894-)

 

Michael John Goeller-3rd born: was born March 9, 1866 and died May 1, 1914. He married Anna Regina Michler on February 9, 1886 in Scared Heart of Jesus Church, 600 Conklin St., Baltimore, MD. They had 9 children together:

 

Barbara Goeller (December 4, 1886-February 2, 1954)

Anna Marie Goeller (February 13, 1888-September 23, 1889)-Cholera

Catherine Barbara Goeller (February 15, 1890-January 6, 1892)-Pneumonia

Margaret Barbara Goeller (June 17, 1892-April 26, 1951)

Magdalena Gertrude Goeller (September 14, 1895-October 20, 1968)

John Dietrich Goeller (February 14, 1899-January 21, 1973)

Mary Ann Goeller (October 25, 1902-January 10, 1993)

Anna Helen Goeller (October 22, 1905-August 20, 1995)

 

Their last child was born somewhere between 1900-1910. The census records for those decades inquired of number of children born/number of children living. In 1900, they were listed as 8 children born/6 children living/ In 1910, they were listed as 9 children born/6 living. St. Clement’s Roman Catholic Church was built and erected in 1891. Michael John and Anna Regina had moved from the Hanover St. address to Lansdowne somewhere in the mid to late 1890’s. During 1900-1910, they would have been attending the St. Clement’s Parish. Unfortunately, it appears that there are no church records due to a fire in the rectory in 1918. As we move forward, other information may avail itself.

 

UPDATE: I recently discovered that the baptismal records for St. Clement’s from 1891-1916 are available on microfilm through the Maryland State Archives because St. Clement’s began as a mission parish under St. Jerome’s Church 775 Hamburg Street, Baltimore, Md. As of this writing, those records are still to be fully researched. What I did find in some of those records that were not destroyed by the fire were the baptismal records for Anne, their youngest child born in October 1905 and Mary, their next to youngest, who was born in October 1902 . There was an interesting notation on the baptismal record for Anne that simply said “nine infants”. This would me that the missing child was likely born between October 1903 and October 1904. That one small notation in the record narrowed the search from ten years (1900-1910) to one year (October 1903-October 1904. Still that record may never be found, but we know that a child was born to them in that time period.

 

Michael was from Pettstadt, Germany and Anna Regina was from Adelsberg, Germany. Michael arrived with his parents and family September 26, 1874. Anna Regina arrived here with her sister, Barbara and an 11 month old child named Auguste Michler May 15, 1884. Anna Regina was 19 years old and her sister, Barbara was 27. Michael and Anna Regina met as immigrants here in Baltimore somewhere in 1884 or 1885. As it happens, their home towns in Germany were not that far apart. Their is an approximate distance of 54.5 miles as the crow flies between Pettstadt and Adelsberg, Germany. Given travel in those days, it’s still unlikely they would have met in Germany. There is an interesting story about her sister, Barbara that I will go into later.

 

 

Barbara Goeller-4th born: was born about 1867 and died December 1, 1897. Her story is surrounded by speculation and sadness. She married William Heintz (1863-May 6, 1947), sometimes spelled Hintz, Hinz, Hines or Hintze. They had what appears to be 4 children together:

John Heinz ( June 16, 1886-June 5, 1971)

Joseph D. Heintz (September 7, 1887-August 23, 1924)

Margaret Heinz (December 25, 1891-December 25, 1984)

Mary Regina Heintz (January 18-1895-August 9, 1974).

 

In a Baltimore Sun newspaper article published on June 14, 1897, Barbara’s husband, William Heintz states “I will not be responsible for any debts contracted by my wife, Barbara Heintz, as she has left me without just cause.”

 

Barbara’s death certificate dated December 1, 1897 appears to state cause of death as aortic pleurisy with a length of illness as one year.  It also states that she died at the 1703 Hanover St. address. Whatever the cause of Barbara and William’s separation, it’s clear that she was ill at the time.

 

The 1900 census finds the two oldest, John and Joseph Heintz at St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys at the ages of 13 and 12 respectively. William and the two youngest children, Margaret and Mary are living at 220 First St., Baltimore, Md with another Heintz family. It would seem likely they are relatives, but William and the two girls are listed as boarders.

 

On May 27, 1903, William remarried. His second wife’s name was Mary Ewalt-Taylor. She was 10 years younger than William. The marriage register indicates they were both from Canton, Md and they were both divorced. The 1910 census finds William living with his second wife, Mary and her two children who were 14 and 17 years of age and with his own daughter, Mary Heintz who was now 16 years old.

 

As a widower in March of 1924, William married a third time to a 57 year old widow, Martha Waldman.

 

John Heintz, the oldest appears to have married at least once. I could find no positive record of children. Sadly, Joseph Heintz died suddenly in Milton, PA at the age of 37. It is said he was engaged at the time. Around 1921, Margaret married her first husband, Thomas Young and they had three children together. All were boys. The oldest child died at the age of 15. Somewhere between 1930-1940, Margaret remarried to a Howard Quigley.

 

Mary Regina, the youngest child of William and Barbara Heintz, married Cornelius Martin and they had one child together, Margaret.

 

Heinrich (Henry) Goeller-5th born: As mentioned Died of apparent tuberculosis December 8, 1889 at the age of 20.

 

John Dietrich Goeller Jr.-6th born: was the youngest. He married Madeline Lieb. They raised five children together at the Hanover St. address; William, Helen, Margaret, Gertrude and John. Margaret and John do not appear to have married. William married Emma Dvorak. They had two children together, Emma and William John. Helen Married Henry Wooton. They had two children together, Henry Jr. and Gilbert. Gertrude married George Dvorak who was the younger brother of Emma Dvorak. They had two children together, George Jr. and Clare.

 

There are many descendants from this line; but in terms of following the Goeller name, we go back to William John Goeller-grandchild of our John Dietrich Goeller Jr. William John Goeller married Frances R. Carr about 1955. They had three children together, Michael J., Thomas M. and Dona Marie. Dona does not appear to have married. Michael J. married Laura Aikens. They had two children together, Elizabeth and Megan. Thomas’ second wife is Angela Rodriguez.  Thomas had two children with his first wife, Mathew T. and Patrick J. Goeller. Stemming from our original ancestors, John Dietrich Goeller Sr. and Anna Marie Eichhorn who arrived in the port of Baltimore from Germany in 1874, These are the last of our Goeller line with the Goeller name as of this writing.