The Tetzlaffs - Tetlow - in Philadelphia

Leon John Tetlow was born as Leo Joh(a)n Tetzlaff on a street which is now part of Independence Park in Philadelphia. On the birth registration made out by the doctor who attended Leo's birth, the doctor lists the father as Louis Tetzlaff so unless the doctor is mistaken, Roman's first name known to Anna was Louis (Ludwig in German). My mother says her father said Roman was born 4 October 1845. There is a Ludwig Albert Tetzlaff with his christening 5 October 1844 in Zechendorf, Pommern, Preussen (Prussia). The name Tetzlaff has its Uhrsprung in OberLausitz, so far as I know and some Tetzlaffs went east to work guarding the borders of Prussia. Some of the Tetzlaffs in Pruessen are listed as Kosaken- horsemen and fighters. Most of the records are burned in Hamburg so I doubt I will ever find proof that Roman was not BORN in Hamburg as he claimed, but perhaps in Zechendorf.

Roman's 2nd wife Anna Schockert arrived in Philadelphia about 1870 maybe from Schleiden on the border to Belgium but inside Germany. It is in the Eifel hills of the Rheinland- Westphalen-

Schleiden, Germany
Tourism

Schleiden, in the Northern Eifel, has two old churches and a castle which was once the seat of the Counts of Schleiden.

It has a record of an Anna Catharina Schockert born 6 August 1852 and this would fit her 1880 census data where she lists her age as 28.

In the 1900 census, Anna gives her birthday as August and the 1880 census she says she is 28. I had a hard time finding her. Her husband gave the wrong birth month and year for her on her death certificate- he was probably thinking about his first wife. When they registered to marry in Philadelphia, they both gave themselves as younger than they were. But on her 1900 census she gives her birth month. And in her 1880 census she gives her real age of 28 where she is a seamstress in Philadelphia. I am publishing this in case other people have the same name in the Philadelphia area and are lost. She may have come alone though. She came about 1870 just before the outbreak of the 1871 Prussian War in that area. http://www.rootsweb.com/~deunrhwf/

Husband MICHEL JOSEPH SCHOCKERT
Wife MARIA CATHARINA SCHUER

Children The first 7 girls were named Maria as well as the 8th girl. Only my grandmother had a different name and she went by it.

1. MARIA CATHARINA SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 18 MAY 1841 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
2. MARIA CLARA SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 12 MAR 1844 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen married 25 OCT 1867 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen PETER WILHELM GROSS

3. MARIA AGNES SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 06 SEP 1845 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
4. MARIA ELISABETH SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 17 OCT 1846 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
5. MARIA ANNA SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 19 JUN 1848 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
6. MARIA FRANCISCA SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 18 JUL 1849 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
7. MARIA LOUISE SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 22 MAY 1851 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
8. PAULUS Male Birth: 21 SEP 1854 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen
9. ANNA CATHARINA SCHOCKERT - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth: 06 AUG 1852 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER

not sure about these 2

10. MARIA ROSA International Genealogical Index Gender: Female Birth: 11 MAY 1858 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen11. JOSEPHINA Schocker - International Genealogical Index
Gender: Female Birth Feb 12 1861 Christening: 13 FEB 1861 Schleiden, , Rheinland, Preussen

When she marries for the first time in her life to Roman at the late age of 38 she begins to lie about her age, as mpst women would want to do. Roman Tetzlaff came in both 1883 and 84 as well as 1886, once on the ship Hammonia.

Roman married unknown and had Robert and then he married Anna after his first wife's death. He lied about his age on the marriage license. Known children are:

TETLOW, ROBERT 183-05-1474 born PA 18 Jan 1886 died Feb 1964 PA

TETLOW, IDA 159-10-8656 born PA 21 Aug 1891 died Mar 1983 PA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19121

TETLOW, LEON 547-46-0100 born PA 4 May 1897 died Dec 1979 CA San Diego California 92115

My mother said:

Anna Schochert was said to be born in America. But maybe not. That's
what the Phila. records show. I think she was well-educated (for her
day) and tutored my father at home - for he skipped the 3rd and 5th
grades. He said that he was still at the head of his classes though he
had skipped 3rd and 5th. Therefore, perhaps his mother was still
tutoring him at home.
So, just maybe Anna was born & educated on the Belgium border in the
educational" city where she lived. Then came to America. She was a
seamstress by profession - which was a common 'career' back then.
Dresses had to be hand-made back then. She lived with a family in
Phila. at that time which indicates that her parents were not likely in
Phila. or she'd have lived with them.

I'd be sure, really, that Anna sailed with a
friend or two - one could have been Roman's first wife -- since he
married Anna only 4 months after his wife died...seems to me he already
knew Anna. Anna would not have sailed alone - not in those days.

About Roman:

Roman Tetzlaff had sailed on the Salier in 1882 to America. He supposedly had 8 sisters or more and was an only son, supposedly. He was from Harburg beiHamburg. he was in the 1871 Prussian war. he was born 1845. He was a cabinet maker for the Pullmann Co. in Philadelphia. His first wife is unknown and died prob. in childirth. He has a son Robert Tetlow listed in St Vincent's Orph. Phil. in Tacony, as Robert Tetzlow born in Germany, although he claims he was born in Philadelphia 1886. Roman then married Annie Schockert in 1890 and had Margaret Ida Z. Tetzlaff who never married, known as Ida Tetlow.

Residence : 1900 Philadelphia City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Household Members: Name Age Roman Tetclaff 49 Annie Tetclaff 39 Ida Tetclaff 8 Leo Tetclaff 3

The ship Hammonia on which he arrived to Philadelphia from Hamburg

built by J & G Thomson Clydebank,
Yard No 188 

---

Last Name: VERSAILLES (1889)
Launched: Wednesday, 13/09/1882
Built: 1882
Ship Type: Passenger Cargo Vessel
Tonnage: 4336 grt
Length: 373.7 feet
Breadth: 45.3 feet
Owner History:
1882 Hamburg-Amerika Line, Hamburg 
1889 Cie. Generale Transatlantique, Saint Nazaire
Status: Scrapped - 6/1914
Remarks: Broken up at Genoa, sold 6/1914 

S.S. Hammonia III

Built for the Hamburg American Line by J & G Thomson, launched 13 SEP 1882. 3,969 tons, 373 x 45 feet, straight bow, 2 funnels, 3 masts, steel construction, screw propulsion, service speed 15 knots. Accommodation for 150 1st class, 100 2nd class, and 700 3rd class passengers. Maiden voyage 28 FEB 1883, Hamburg-Havre-New York. Last voyage 11 NOV 1889, Hamburg-Southampton-New York. Sold in 1889 and renaned Versailles. Scrapped in 1914. Roman Tetzlaf arrived 1886 on this ship.

Leo Tetzlaff died as Leon Tetlow in Cal.. Roman left for Germany on a ship in 1932-33 to live with a nephew and to receive his war pension from Hitler. Roman died shortly thereafter somewhere in Germany.

His grandchild says;

My grandfater, Ludwig Albert Roman, returned
to Germany in about 1932-33. He was 87-88 when he sailed
- alone. My father took him to the departation port - don't know if it
was Phila. or N. Y. - think Phila. My father went back into the Army in
about May 1933 -- his father had already sailed back to Germany. So I
believe he sailed in late 1932 - possibly early 1933. However, I
vaguely remember my father looking for mail from his father - it never
came. So I guess he sailed late 1932 when my father was at home & not
yet back in active Army service. I read more recently that the German
government would not allow Germans to write to Americans during those
years. Yep. Tis so. That's why my father never heard again from his
father -- but my father didn't know about it, you see - no one did.
Don't know if my grandfather was permitted to receive mail from America,
either. Possibly not. This info is in black & white on record. But
wasn't known at that time. My father never heard of his father's
death, either, Absoluetly nothing. Well, Germans didn't know that this
was going on. They know it now.

Anyway, he sailed to Germany in 1932 but possibly early 1933. I
remember that it was nice weather when my grandfather came to our house
for a couple of days (for a weekend, I guess) - then Daddy took him to
his ship. It was not winter-time -- so maybe early Fall of 1932. He'd
have been 87 years old (born in Oct. 1845). Daddy never dreamed he'd
never hear from him again. Nor did Ludwig Albert Roman.

So - do correct the date of his sailing to 1932 - but possibly early
1933.

He was a pleasant looking person - quiet - soft-spoken - wore black
suits with snow-white shirts & I happen to think a bow tie. Not a big
person. I vividly remember him descending our big oak staircase one day
-- he was so straight - kind of slow-motion (for he was elderly) -
holding the banister. I was at the foot of the staircase.

When Leon was 12 his mother Anna Schockert got lung sickness and his father Roman sent him to work with a friend who had a bakery. Up until that point he had been in a private school and had skipped 2 grades. When he forced to attend the public school by his father Roman Louis (Ludwig) Tetzlaff, they made him go back to the grade which other students Leon's age were attending. This was of course very boring for our brilliant grandfather whose mother had been brought up in a town known for its excellence of education in Schleiden, Germany. So Anna stayed awhile on Parkside Ave where Roman rented an apartment which was much better than the crowded 2 bedroom row house in South Philadelphia at 1812 South Second Street. Finally she died in a TB hospital. Leon received a postcard announcement of her death from his father. His siter had also been forced out of the house when her mother got sick. They had lived in a little tiny 2 bedroom row house in Philadelphia with his wife, 2 children and 2 Chinese laundrymen. No bathroom. It was there that his wife caught TB because there was poor health care and crowded conditions in Philadlephia at that. After school Leon was made to carry huge bags of flour from the basement up to the bakery. Still this was better than his half brother had fared when Roman's first wife had died. His half brother Robert had been shipped off to Tacony Orphanage for Catholics and there he stayed till being released when his father came to pick him up to start an apprenticeship. Finally Ida Margaret and half brother Robert ended up living together.

1910:	Philadelphia Ward 24, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 24 April 1910
Household Members:	Name Age Robert J Tetlow 24 head Anna M Tetlow 18 wife Ida Z Tetlow 18 sister

Robert married and had 2 girls and when she died he also took his children to Tacony Orphanage. Ida lived her life alone until she died in smoke inhalation in her sleep at age 80 or 90.

At some point Leon left for NY and somehow got in the Army after training.

1935 at the ICC Camp after hunting Turkey

he had a close contact Millicent

Before the crash Leon worked with a stock broker in his firm. And as a CPA. During the depression he was forced into driving a Taxi to support his growing family. Finally he was hired to run an Army Camp in the mountains of Pennsylvania.