E.G.'s Wives
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E.G.'s Wives

The Wives of Ernest George Alberque, Sr.

Margaret Agnes McNally

Margaret Agnes McNally was E.G.'s first wife.  They had four children: Cecilia, George, Rose, and Paul. 

Family history recounts that Margaret McNally's father (or brother), William McNally, was a fireman for the city of New York and was killed in the line of duty fighting a fire in Brooklyn on May 5, 1903.  He was a ladderman in Ladder Co. No. 3 in Manhattan. Its current headquarters is 108 E. 13th Street but at the time of his death it was located at 340 E.14th Street. The fire in which he was killed occurred on May 5, 1903  at 257 1st Ave. The closest fire call (alarm) box was 22-364. (Is it still there?) Whatever the case, McNally had evidently climbed up his ladder to rescue someone and was caught in a backdraft (a blast or virtual explosion of superheated air). The local New York newspapers of the time  carried an account of the fire in the next day's edition. If a family member today or interested party works in Manhattan or is visiting that section of Manhattan, they might want to visit the site of the fire, the firehouse where a plaque is on the wall in his honor or perhaps just find the local Irish pub and have a "wee drop of the pure" in his memory. 

(NOTE: newspaper accounts state his age as 23 and that he died with his mother nearby.  This would likely indicate that he was Margaret's brother, not father.  This does not agree with oral family tradition, however.  Further research is needed to obtain a death certificate which may clear up the issue.  Also, the NYFD Report for the year 1903 shows a William McNally, Fireman fourth grade, Hook and Ladder 3, who joined the NYFD Feb 3, 1903, and who died from burns received in a fire May 5, 1903.  The newspaper said that he was an ex-sailor from the original battleship Iowa.) 

For more on the story of William McNally and his connection to Sept. 11, 2001 disaster at the World Trade Center, see  "Firemen and Other Volunteers", Firemen and Other  

Margaret McNally's mother's maiden name was also McNally--a McNally that married a McNally.

Sometime after Paul was born, in 1904 most likely, Margaret was diagnosed with tuberculosis.  When her condition worsened, E.G. decided to move her to Lancaster, California because he hoped the climate would help her.  At some point, Margaret's sister, known as Aunt Nellie, went  to California to help care for the children.  It is also believed that E.G.'s sister Gabrielle went to California.  She had lived with E.G. and Margaret in New York City (1900 Census shows Gabrielle as a member of the household) before her marriage to Patrick Hartnett (date TBD).  Cecilia ( E.G. and Margaret's oldest child) shared her recollections of California, with her daughter, Cissy.  She remembered her father's job there as a butcher, both her aunts, Nellie and Gabrielle, being there, the central Christmas tree in the town square where they got their presents (December 1904?), and then seeing her mother being taken off the train in a wheelchair after returning to New York. Margaret died shortly after in New York in February, 1905.

Aunt Nellie (whose last name escapes memory) had a daughter (Kathleen Murphy) and grandchildren living in Toms River, NJ.  

There is currently no other traces of Margaret and her family.

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Antoinette Anna Grossjung

Antoinette Anna Grossjung was E.G.'s second wife.  They had four children: Lester, Howard, Edward, and Mary.  In addition, they took in Ernest Patrick (E.G.'s nephew, "Ernie") and Sybilla (Antoinette's niece, "Bella") to live with them, as well as E.G.'s four children by his first marriage, Cecilia, Ernest George, Rose, and Paul..

Antoinette was the 6th and last child of William and Sibilla Kraemer Grossjung. One records says there were 7 births but we think that may have included a miscarriage or simply been a recording error because we can find no trace of any more children either in Germany or in the United States.  

Also, Antoinette referred to her mother as "Anna" even though records clearly record her name as Sibilla. (In fact, the birth certificate for her daughter Anna Maria says that her name was Sibilla Elisabeth Kremer.)  We have come to understand that the custom apparently was to give the child 3 or so names, honoring parents and grandparents, but addressing the child by perhaps the 2nd or 3rd name. (That is the case with E.G.'s father, too.  All records indicate his name was "Ernest" but when we traced his birth back to the village of Dangeau in France, we discovered he was named Jacques Ernest.)  

 Sibilla/Anna died at the age of 66, a few months after E.G. and Antoinette were married, and was buried in Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City, NJ on August 30, 1906. (Her name was misspelled on the cemetery record as Siblia Grossjung.) William died on Feb. 22, 1908 in Ridgefield Park around the age of 76.  He had lived with the Alberque's for two years. He is buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery, Hackensack, NJ.

This is a picture of Antoinette Anna Grossjung's parents, William (Wilhelm Franz) and Anna, taken around 1869 in Germany.  Anna was 28 and William was 37.

Antoinette Alberque's birth and death dates: Antoinette Anna Grossjung, born Feb. 29, 1884 (a leap year) and died April 27, 1968. Her mother, Anna Grossjung (actual maiden name was Sibilla Kraemer or Kremer, probably Sibilla Elisabeth Anna but was apparently called Anna), was born in Nov,1840 in Essen-on-Rhine (C/Krefeld) and died  in 1906. Anna's mother (a Castellan-meaning from Spain most likely, but at the time part of Napoleon's empire??) was born in 1811 and was a Lady in Waiting in the French Court and her mother was born in 1776.  We do not know any more at this time about who these women were. Antoinette's father, William (Wilhelm Franz Joseph?) Grossjung, was born May 1834 in the same town and died in 1908 in Ridgefield Park

Wilhelm Grossjung's Ancestors in Europe

Although census, immigration, and Mormon genealogy sites tell us very little about the ancestors of Wilhelm, we do have two clues that are intriguing.  

When Wilhelm and Sibilla immigrated they brought with them two family treasures: A 'pickelhaube' helmet that the soldiers in the Imperial (Prussian) Army wore in the Franco-Prussian War and the "Medaille de Ste. Helene".  This medal was issued by Napoleon III in 1857 to honor soldiers that served under Napoleon I from 1792-1815. The soldier had to be alive in 1857 to receive the medal.  This particular medal was issued to "Guillaume Frederic Grossjung (Prusse)".  Many years ago Mary, daughter of Antoinette, attached a note to the back of it saying that Wilhelm/William/Guillaume Frederic/Frederick was the great great uncle of her  mother and was born in 1776.

Now, we do not know the connection between our Wilhelm Grossjung who immigrated in 1870, his great uncle who served under Napoleon, and whatever Grossjung wore the helmet while serving in the Franco Prussian War.  

Regarding the medal, the question, "Why did a great great nephew end up with the medal?"  suggests some possible answers that might shed light on the Grossjung family's ancestors.

Let's follow these suppositions:
Antoinette's father (Wilhelm), born 1834, had brothers (the Mormon site shows Grossjung males--Heinrich, Hermann, etc.) having children in the 1860's  in the vicinity of the town of K/Crefeld.

The father of these brothers (and grandfather of Antoinette) would likely be born 1800, +/- 5 years?

His father (great grandfather of Antoinette) would likely be born 1770, +/-10 years?

That means that the brother of her great grandfather, i.e., her great great uncle, could have certainly been born around 1776, verifying the note left by Antoinette's daughter, Mary.

He would have been 16 when he became a soldier for Napoleon in 1792.
 
He left the army in 1815-Napoleon's Waterloo (around 39 years old).

He lived at least another 42 years until 1857, when he would have been around 80+ years old, because he had to be alive in 1857 to receive the medal, per orders of Napoleon III. 

Now, back to the question: Why did the medal, as well as the name 'Wilhelm/Guillaume' come down through a brother to a nephew? Answer: maybe because 'Guillaume Frederic', as a soldier for 20+ years never married and had no direct heirs? That means that likely his brother or his oldest nephew (if his brother(s) were deceased) took the medal when Wilhelm/Guillaume died. 

Let's assume his oldest living nephew received the medal since a brother would have been pretty old by then, too.

In order to end up with Antoinette's father, this nephew was likely Antoinette's grandfather, who had to be living around 1857 but dead by 1870 because his son (Antoinette's father) took the medal with him when he went to America in 1870.

Of course, all of this is theory, perhaps even fiction. Someday, hopefully, we will have data to solve the mystery. 

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And that still leaves the mystery of where did the 'pickelhaube' helmet come from?  We have been able to date the pickelhaube to probably 1891 from the website Kaiser's Bunker, which shows the changes to the helmet over the years.  

The only memory from Mary, granddaughter of Wilhelm and Sibilla, is that 'someone brought it.'  Presumably to her mother, Antoinette, the youngest child of Wilhelm and Sibilla.  We do not know who or when, however.

It will be interesting to someday find out which Grossjungs found in the German Imperial Army in this time frame and perhaps identify the owner of the helmet. 

This brings up one more question, however: Who brought the helmet to the US?

The Grossjungs in America

The Grossjungs emigrated to the United States in 1870, arriving on Nov. 8 of that year, with three children: William, Anna Maria, and Joseph.  They came from the town of K/Crefeld (alternate spellings-German/American) near Essen, in the Rhineland of Prussia. At that time, this part of modern Germany was annexed by the French (Napoleon) and considered part of Alsace-Lorraine. This political geography would help to explain why an uncle fought with Napoleon and why Sibilla/Anna's mother/grandmother was said to be a lady in waiting in the French Court. Records show a Herman Grossjung and a Heinrick Grossjung with wives and children being born around the same time in the town of Krefeld. Apparently, this must have been the 'cradle of the family'.  

The only 1880 census record of a Grossjung is for a "Jos. and Ana Grossjung" in NY but does not list any children. Their ages as listed are slightly off, as well, so one is tempted to ignore the record.  However, given that they originally spoken German, and who knows how well the census taker could understand them, it is possible that this record is actually William and Sibilla.  Remembering that William's full name was Wilhelm Franz Joseph and Sibilla's was likely Sibilla Elisabeth Anna, it is possible to accept this record as valid, and ascribe errors to language and education issues of both the Grossjungs and the census taker, who perhaps only recorded the last of the names of each. But the question arises, "Where are the children?"  On the other hand, it is also possible that perhaps this man, Joseph, was a brother of Wilhelm Franz and immigrated around the same time.  Since children were frequently named after parents and grandparents and have some of the names the same, one could envision brothers Joseph and Wilhelm both coming to the United States.  The identity of "Jos. and Ana"  will likely remain a mystery until or if ever original immigration records are found. 

In the US, Wilhelm/William and Sibilla/Anna Grossjung had three more children: Charles, Anna, and Antoinette. They lived in the Bronx for many years where Wilhelm, a weaver by trade, worked in the silk district of NYC, and then they lived in Paterson, NJ, for probably 5 or 6 years, with the older children working in the silk mill with their father. By 1870, Paterson was producing over 50% of all the silk in the United States and many silk mills were still thriving in the Passaic County area of NJ at the time in the 1880's. There would have been plenty of work for all.

 

 

The photo at the left is a close up of the 6 people on the right, above. From left to right: Joe, Grandpa William, perhaps daughter Mary, perhaps son William, and perhaps son Charles, or vice versa. The family resemblance suggests this, as well as markings on three of the people in the original photo. (We've inserted a known photo of either William or Charles for comparison. The resemblance is striking.) 

If this is the family then it may have been taken outside the silk mill in Paterson because that is the timeframe when they were all still living and working near each other. Alternatively, the two young women seated in front of the Grossjung men may actually be their sisters, Anna and Antoinette.  (Antoinette went to work when she was about 13.) If this is the case then it was taken at a factory in New York sometime around the late 1890's or early 1900's after the family moved back to the New York. (See below.) Furthermore, if this is the case and we know that Antoinette met EG Alberque, her future husband and part owner of the factory, at the factory, it may actually be a photo, not only of the Grossjung family, but of Charavay and Bodwin silk works on Worth St. in Manhattan.  

The man in the background with the hat is unknown although there is a striking resemblance to E.G.'s father, Jacques Ernest. 

 

Wilhelm/William became a naturalized US citizen in Paterson in 1884.  Then at some point between 1885 and 1887 the Grossjung family moved back to NY, to Brooklyn,  where Antoinette lived with her parents, sister Anna and brother Joseph. William Grossjung is listed in the Brooklyn Directory in 1887 and in the NY Directories as a weaver from 1892-1902 so we know he was there at least in those years. Directory editions after 1902 were not available.

It is said that the family was quite poor and Antoinette had to leave her German grammar school (she learned her alphabet in German) at the 7th grade level to go to work. In fact, she was working in the ribbon department of EG's silk factory in NY, when in December of 1905 within months of EG's wife, Margaret's, death, EG approached Antoinette, asking for help in buying Christmas presents for his four young children. He then took her to dinner. Her parents were said to be quite worried because she got home late.  They married the following year and lived in Hudson County, NJ, either West Hoboken or Union Hill. (Now combined into Union City.). 

At the same time, the elder Grossjungs moved to West Hoboken and/or Union Hill, as shown by this photo postmarked October 3, 1906 from West Hoboken. Most likely, the elder Grossjungs moved to West Hoboken when EG and Antoinette were married in June 1906 because we have Sibilla buried in Jersey City less than 3 months after the wedding (see adjacent photo of her unmarked grave in Holy Name Cemetery) and we have this postmark from William/Wilhelm dated in October of that same year.  The extended family continued to live in the area for another year, although probably moving to "Union Hill" as EG and Antoinette's first son, Lester, was born in Union City in May, 1907.  (Wilhelm Sr. told Antoinette to name the child 'Lester', meaning 'last' in German, since there were already 4 children in the household. Little did he know that there would be still 3 more children to come!) However, the entire family soon moved to Ridgefield Park where William/Wilhelm died in Feb. 1908 and where their second son, Howard was born in August 1908.  

The Children of Wilhelm and Sibilla

The children of William/Wilhelm, Sr., and Sibilla/Anna were: 

William F J (presumably Franz Joseph), born May 15, 1865, in K/Crefeld, Germany.  Naturalized Oct. 22, 1892. He gave his address as 44846 2nd St., New York, and occupation as teacher. Sometime between 1900 and 1902 he returned to Paterson where he married a widow, Emilie Schwarz, who had two young children: Anna and Lydia. Their third child, Clara, was born in 1903.  Emilie worked in the silk mill, as did William, who died 5 April 1929, in Paterson, NJ.

Anna Maria, aka Mary, born 1866 in K/Crefeld, Germany, with the following data found on the Mormon's Family Search website: "22 MAY 1866 Krefeld, Rheinland, Preussen". We have no later record of Mary other than an entry in the 1885 Paterson City Directory (see below) and a suspicion that she is the woman in the photo with her father, and three brothers, William,  Joseph and Charles. 

Joseph, born Sept. 1868 in K/Crefeld Germany, naturalized in 1899 and died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage 29 Sept. 1930 in New Jersey. Although the family originally settled in NY (presumably near the silk district), from 1880 to 1885 we believe he lived in Paterson, NJ, with his family. (See Paterson City directory records below.)  By 1900, he had moved back to NY with his mother, father, and sisters Anna and Antoinette and worked as a laborer. By 1910, however, he had returned to Paterson and was a boarder in the home of  Herman Krins, who had a daughter, "Kitty". 

Maria Catharina/ Katherine Krins (Katie, Kitty) had arrived from Germany in 1907 with her girlfriend, after a broken engagement and with a broken heart. Her older brother had died in 1900 at the age of 23, and her mother had died some time between 1900 and 1907.  Kitty/Katie's father, Herman Krins (a widower) and his son Hubert came over in 1908 to join Katie. Herman was a weaver in the silk mill. Hubert was homesick and returned to Germany. Joe Grossjung became a boarder in the home sometime between 1908 and 1910. He was a bartender by trade.

Joe and Katie were married in August 1910 in St. Boniface Church, Paterson, and they eventually moved to Haledon, where Joe's older brother, William, was living. Joe and Kitty/Katie had three children: Herman Joseph Grossjung born June 1911 and died Jan 1912; Catherine Marie Grossjung (aka Katherine, Kathryn, Kay)  born 3 Jan 1913 and died 15 March 2004; and Helen Grossjung, born 16 Nov 1918 and died in 2007. See adjacent family photo.

Interestingly, although he at one point was a watchman for a silk mill, it does not look like Joseph ever worked directly in the silk mill, as many of other family members did.  

Herman Krins remained in the household until his death in 1934. 

Here are two more family photos. The first is Kay (youngest daughter of Joe and Katie) and Fred Wass on their 50th Anniversary.  The second is of Kay when she was a little girl in the yard with her father, Joe Grossjung.. 

 

Charles, born November 1873 in New York (NOTE: 1920 Census says he was born in New Jersey which we believe is incorrect) and died in 1927 in New York at the age of 54.  In the 1900 Census, Charlie J. Grosyoung is listed as a boarder in a home in Salisbury, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County. He works as a ribbon weaver in the silk industry. However, the 1910 Bronx, NY Census says that he had been married for 15 years to Elizabeth Georgi (Lizzie, born about 1876, daughter of Emil and Odelia Georgi (of Swiss descent) from the Bronx, died Oct. 8, 1921--see below.) and had 7 children. Charles must have left the family for some short period of time to find work in a silk mill in Pennsylvania 10 years before.

The two oldest children of Charles and Lizzie, Charles and Sybilla, were given up to an orphanage sometime before 1910 because the family was poor and couldn't afford them. (In the 1910 census, both Sybilla and Charles (sometimes recorded as "Carl") are listed in the household of their parents but they are also shown in the 'adopted' homes of their aunt/uncles.) However, they had 5 more children living with them at the time: Adelaide/Adele (born around 1899), William (born Aug. 9, 1901, died Oct. 22 1992 at the age of 91),  Joseph (born 19 April 1904, died March 1986 in South Richmond Hill, NY), Frederick (born 19 Oct., 1906, died 18 Feb, 1998 at the age of  91 in Daytona Beach or Port Orange, Volusia County, Florida; married Muriel, born 6 May 1914, died 7 May 2005, assumption is they married in NY since Muriel's SSN was issued there), and Antoinette, born Feb. 13, 1910, married Harold Schaeffer, and died in Winter Park, Florida. 

The 1910 census is also interesting in that it lists Charles' occupation as silk worker. We know, however, that he was very active in the union movement, even standing on boxes on street corners talking about organizing for shorter work hours.  He became a member of the union, was involved in the strikes and was eventually blacklisted from working in the mills. Ironically, his youngest sister, Antoinette, had married an owner of two NJ silk mills.

Eventually, Sybilla/Bella was 'adopted' (term used loosely--probably no legal adoption) by E.G. (silk mill owner) and Antoinette Alberque, and later married George Zimmer and moved to Vermont.  An interesting side story about George and Bella Zimmer (see photo at left) in Vermont (thanks to Mike Zimmer, their grandson): Norman Rockwell lived nearby and used both George and Bella as models in his paintings. He especially liked to use George. Here is one of the sketches that Rockwell gave as a gift to his friends, George and Bella.  The final version of 'Income Taxes' on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post did not include Bella but had the date of April 15 circled!. 





Bella's brother Charles Joseph, who was 'adopted' (term used loosely--probably no legal adoption) by Aunt Mary (Lizzie's sister) and Uncle Phil Klopy, and lived in Queens, NY,  married Martha Washington Narr and lived in Miami. He and Martha are shown at left here, with their son Charles/Chuck and daughter Marion Francis. Charles Joseph died May 13, 1973 at the age of 75.

The third child, Adel/Adelaide, was living with her Aunt Lucy Georgi and uncles William and Harry Georgi in the Bronx near her Uncle Edward Georgi and Aunt Cora in1920 (misspelled as Grossgung in the 1920 census) so apparently Charles and Lizzy were still giving away their older children at that time. 

From a note that was received from someone in Atlanta:  "My great-aunt Loretta Toepfer married William Grossjung (the fifth child) probably around 1925. Loretta was born in New York in 1904. They had one child who's name is William Jr.   William Jr. had 3 children, Diane, Mark and Eric. These children may have been with a spouse of whom I've not been told as this section of the chart shows a Jane Mirabella as William Jr's spouse with no children."  


By 1930, the three youngest children, sons Joseph, Frederick and daughter Antoinette, were living together in Queens. (Their mother Lizzie had died Oct. 8, 1921. She was 46 yrs old. She entered the Fordham Hospital on Sept. 21st 1921 with peritonitis due to a pelvic abscess. She was operated on and died Oct 8th from cardio respiratory failure. She lived at 1721 Victor St. Bronx NY when she died. It is strange that a John Grossjung employed the undertaker for burial. Where was Charles? Did Charles have a brother John? Answers TBD.)  Their father Charles had remarried to a woman named Jessie.    Frederick later married Muriel and moved to Florida, as well. (See above.) The photo at left  includes, left to right: Frederick, Charles, Joseph, Antoinette, and William. Not shown: Adele and Sybilla. At right is Joseph with his new wife, Anna Stacia, on their wedding day. 

 

Anna, b. May 9,1876; d. July 3, 1922: married Joseph Koenig and lived at 22 Teaneck Rd., Ridgefield Park, NJ. They had 10 children. Anna died of TB. (Joseph Koenig was the son of Adam Adalbert and Margaretha Koenig.  Adam was a grocer in the Bronx.  Both Adam and Margaretha were born in Bavaria.) Joseph was born July 31, 1869 and died February 28, 1947.

 Their 10 children were:

    Adelbert Sylvester("Bert"), b. Dec. 25, 1902; d. Oct. 29, 1967; married Honora

    Sybilla Margaret Adelaide ("Billie"), b. Dec. 31. 1903; d. Sept. 22, 1988 married Robert Wm. Bouse 

    Frances Anna Marie ("Frannie"), b. Oct. 10, 1905; d. Feb. 15, 1988, m. Rbt. E. W. Carr

    Antoinette Charlotte Marie (?), b. June 21, 1907; d. Nov. 1992, married Lester Judd Charlock.

    Cecilia Adelbertha, b. May 30, 1909, m. John Jos. (Jack) Hickey; Frank Elliot (Teddy) Freese

    Pauline Viola married Martin Albert Duffy

    Ernest, b. Jan 23, 1912; buried Feb 25, 1916

    Joseph, Jr. b. July 26, 1918 m. Margaret Jane Nash

    Theresa Amelia, married Robert Schramm

    Walter Kenneth, b. May 16, 1920; buried March 22, 1923

Antoinette Anna, (Toni) born Feb. 29, 1884 in Paterson, NJ. Died April 20, 1968. Married E.G. Alberque and had four children of her own as well 4 children from E.G.'s first wife.  

Chronology Summary

The following chronology is our best guess as to where they lived and when:
1870 arrival in NYC from Germany (Wm Sr, Sibilla, Wm Jr, Mary, Joe).
First American residence assumed to be NYC.
1874 Birth of Charles in NYC.
1876 Birth of Anna in NYC.
1879-1885 Paterson NJ (see directories, below).
1884 Birth of Antoinette in Paterson, NJ.
1887 Brooklyn Directory, "Grossfung Wm, silkweaver, h 382 Wallabout" (note misspelled name).
1892 Naturalization of Wm. Jr., Oct. 22, Superior Court, NY County.
1892-1902 NYC Directory entries for William Grossjung, weaver, E. 148th St, and 620 Courtlandt Ave, Bronx
1900 Bronx, NYC-- census (Wm & Sibilla; Joe, Anna, Antoinette).
1906 EG Alberque marries Antoinette and move to "Union Hill"
1906 West Hoboken - Wilhelm and Sibilla live there. August death of Sibilla.
1908 Ridgefield Park -living with daughter Antoinette and EG Alberque, February death of Wm Sr.
1910 Sons William and Joe in Paterson, NJ; son Charles in Bronx, NY; daughters Anna and Antoinette in Ridgefield  Park, NJ. Daughter Anna Maria/Mary whereabouts unknown.

The following entries can be found in Paterson City directories, 1879-1885:
1879-1880   Grossjung, William, weaver, 24 Cross
1880-1881   Grossjung, William, weaver, 9 Green
1881-1882   Grossjung, William, weaver, 7 Peach
1883-1884   Grosyung,  William, weaver, 621 Main
1884-1885   Grossyung,   Joseph, clerk, h 621 Main
                     Grossyung,   Mary, silkworker, h 621 Main
                     Grossyung,   William, weaver, H 621 Main

Note the variations in the spelling of the last name. Also, this is the last reference we have found anywhere for Mary.

Antoinette enjoyed sports, e.g., tennis, bowling, etc, as an observer as well as a participant.  For a number of years she even donated prizes for local bowling tournaments.  Later in life, she became a great fan of professional wrestling!

There are many Grossjungs listed in various directories and white pages today.  We have received word from Mark Adelburt Koenig, grandson of Anna and Joseph Koenig and son of Joseph Koenig, Jr. We have also heard from the great granddaughter of Anna and Joseph Koenig and granddaughter of Sybilla Koenig's Bouse and daughter of Ann Marie Bouse, Carolyn. Recently, the Wass branch of the family (Linda and Ron) joined us in researching the Grossjung tree. Finally, the Walbert branch, descendants from Charles, are researching their branch and helped us find a badly misspelled Grossjung as "Groschen" on an old census record.

[To date, we have found the following misspellings for the name Grossjung:  Grossyung, Grossgung, Grossging, Grossfung, and Groschen. ]

2010 UPDATE!!
One day this summer there was an Ancestry.com message from an Anne Schafer inquiring about the Grossjung/Groschen records. After exchanging a few emails we found out that Anne was the daughter of Joseph, who was the granddaughter of Charles and Lizzie.  Anne was able to provide a lot of valuable information about that branch of the family.  Thank you, Anne!

Turns out that Anne lives in Florida and coincidentally she and hubby, Chris, would be visiting Tarpon Springs the following week!  Small world.  15 minutes from the house!!  We had a delightful morning together visiting with each other, along with learning more about the story of the Grossjungs in America, together with the history of the Greek sponge diving industry of Tarpon Springs. Here's Kathy, Anne and Chris, just minutes after we had met for the very first time.