SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Edward Martin Horst (1882-1916)

 

Death Notice - Edward Martin Horst
from Birmingham Age-Herald, Nov. 5, 1916

       "The remains of Edward M. Horst, who died at Asheville, N.C., Thursday afternoon, were received Saturday morning by Lige Loy. Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at St. Paul's Catholic Church at 3 p.m. and internment will be in Elmwood Cemetery. The deceased is survived by his mother, Mrs. C. F. Horst, Sr., two brothers, C. F. Horst, Jr., and O. L. Horst, and two sisters, Mrs. H. C. Flemming, and Miss Odalie Horst.
     The following will act as pallbearers: W. W. Thomas, M. R. Mullane, P. H. Anderson, D. F. Achor, C. C. Flemming, Jr., and Stanley Atkins." [from Birmingham Age-Herald, November 5, 1916]

Pearl and Ed Horst
Birmingham, AL (ca. 1896)

Edward Martin Horst was born May 5, 1882, in Mobile, Alabama. His parents, my great-great-grandparents, were Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) and Odalie Felice Fortier (1857-1920). He was their second child of five - older brother Charles Frederick (1880-1964); Pearl Alphonsine (1884-1961), my great-grandmother; Omer Leo (1887-1945); and Odalie "Dolly" Marie (1896-1990). The family - he, his parents, and brother Charles - moved to Cincinnati soon after he was born, for his father's health. Here his sister Pearl and brother Omer were born. Soon the family moved back to Alabama, this time to the city of Birmingham, not yet 25 years old. Father Charles' younger brother Edward (1858-1901) had already relocated here and bought a local bar - the Palace Royale.  Charles came to Birmingham to help him run it.

When Ed was 18, the 1900 U.S. Census listed his occupation as "General Plumbing". The city directory listed him in 1905 as a "Steamfitter" at the Alabama Supply Company; in 1909 the directory listed him as a "Helper" at Monarch Plumbing, Steam Heating and Supply Company. As a steamfitter he would be responsible for installing, maintaining and/or repairing pipes and piping systems for ventilation or heating systems. He remained in this profession throughout his life. He never married.

Around 1914, when Ed was about thirty-two, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, a contagious pulmonary disease that was often fatal. It was one of the leading causes of death in the early twentieth century. An estimated 110,000 Americans died each year in the early 1900's from TB.



North Carolina Death Certificate
[click to enlarge]

Because tuberculosis was thought of as a death sentence, those infected were isolated from society and sent off to sanatoriums - hospitals designed to care specifically for tuberculosis sufferers. Before antibiotic treatments existed, a regiment of rest and good nutrition offered the best chances that a sufferer's immune system would "wall off" pockets of the TB infection and be cured.



Tuberculosis, known as consumption in the 19th century because it seemed to consume the patient's body, is evidenced by chronic cough, blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats and weight loss. In January 1915 Edward was sent to Asheville, North Carolina, to the St. Joseph Sanatorium run by the Sisters of Mercy. Asheville, the county seat of Buncombe County, is situated in western North Carolina.

Ed stayed at St. Joseph's for 1 year and 10 months, according to his North Carolina Death Certificate. He died on November 2nd of 1916 at 1:15 in the afternoon. The official cause of death was "Hemorrhage from lung"; the secondary cause was listed as "Tuberculosis of lungs".  The death certificate stated he had suffered from TB for "about 3 years".  He was just 34 and a half when he died.

The following day, Friday, Ed's body was put on the train and taken to Birmingham. It arrived the next morning, Saturday, and he was buried Sunday, November 5th after services were held at St. Paul's Catholic Church. He is buried at Elmwood Cemetery next to his mother and father.


Headstone - Elmwood Cemetery
Birmingham, Alabama

Asheville as a Health Retreat
[taken in part from the National Park Service 'National Register of Historic Places' website]
"As far back as 1795 records show that the Asheville area was regarded as a place to come heal oneself of ills. The climate was regarded to be optimal--the components (temperature, barometric pressure, etc.) were actually measured by physicians who wanted to determine the best place for patients to recuperate. A long line of physicians came to Asheville, some to convalesce themselves, and ended up staying, building practices and promoting Asheville as a health retreat. From the late 1880s to the 1930s Asheville rose in prominence as a curative place for tuberculosis. 

Biltmore House postcard
[click to enlarge]

One of Asheville's greatest promoters was Dr. S. Westray Battle who came to Asheville in 1885 and turned out to be, perhaps, the most influential doctor to come to the area. Through his connections and reputation, many wealthy individuals and families came and ended up staying in Asheville. Among them was George Vanderbilt, who accompanied his ailing mother. While in Asheville, Vanderbilt fell in love with the area and returned to build his now famed Biltmore Estates. Edwin W. Grove also came to Asheville as one of Battle's patients and stayed on to build Grove Park Inn.

Grove Park Inn postcard
[click to enlarge]

In 1900, there was only one sanitarium available, the Winyah, with 60 beds. The rest of the patients that came to Asheville stayed in boarding houses that had open air sleeping porches, thought to be necessary for recovery. Between 1900 and 1910, the number of sanitaria and boarding houses greatly increased. These sanitaria and boarding houses were usually on the outskirts of town, but as Asheville grew, they came to be within the city limits.

By 1930, Asheville bragged 20 tuberculosis specialists and 25 sanitaria with a total of 900 beds. But with the rise of state care and the depressed economy, the market for the private sanitaria had dwindled. During the 1930s and 1940s the sanitaria and boarding houses for tuberculosis patients closed with just a few remaining into the 1950s. As antibiotic treatment was introduced in the late 1950s, sanitariums were rarely needed.

Asheville is still a health center where people come for specialized treatment. Mission-St. Joseph's Hospital and the many specialists located nearby have made Asheville the prime medical center for Western North Carolina."

Sisters of Mercy and St. Joseph Sanatorium

St. Joseph Sanatorium
Asheville, North Carolina (ca. 1920s)

The Sisters of Mercy was founded in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley in 1831. Unlike other orders of religious women, McAuley didn't want her community to be cloistered; she wanted her order to work among the poor. Members of her order came to America in 1841 to continue the mission. The Sisters of Mercy arrived in Asheville in the mid-1800s, at the request of the local Bishop, to establish a boarding school. With poor enrollment the school building became the site of a hospital to serve tuberculosis patients, at the urging of the Sisters. In November 1900 the Sisters of Mercy opened St. Joseph Sanatorium.
 Over the years the Sisters had to relocate the hospital to meet the needs of the growing number of patients coming into Asheville. From 1900-1905 the hospital was located at 40 French Broad Avenue. The facility had 18 beds. From 1906-1909 the hospital was moved to a larger home on Starnes Avenue, a building with many open porches - a characteristic common among facilities serving tuberculosis patients. In 1909 the hospital moved to a twenty-two acre parcel located on Biltmore Avenue. There were objections from neighbors who thought the sanatorium would lower property values and they obtained a court injunction to keep them from operating. The judge ruled in favor of the Sisters, stating that the benefit to the community far outweighed the fear of contagion.


St. Joseph Sanatorium postcard
[click to enlarge]

 The Biltmore Avenue location underwent changes. The building was able to house 20 patients in the main house and more in the two out-buildings which were used as patients prepared for discharge. The facility expanded twice more before 1938. These additions increased the size of the building to now accommodate 95 patients, and added an administrative wing.

In 2000 the Sisters of Mercy sold the hospital to Memorial Mission Hospital, forming Mission Hospital Systems. Both hospitals had been run by women during a time when that was very rare. Doctors had been hired to work at the hospital but the mission was always to service the sick, the poor, those in need. That mission continues today.



 

SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Jacob H. Fermier (1881-1932)

The Birmingham News; Feb. 5, 1932

Fall Proves Fatal

Jacob Fermier, Prominent in Mobile Carnival, Succumbs to Injuries

"Jacob H. Fermier, 45, engaged in the real estate business and prominent in the Infant Mystic, a Mardi gras carnival society, died at a hospital Thursday from injuries received in a fall down an elevator shaft Thursday night. Fermier was engaged in the work of sending out tickets to the annual ball of the society and went to the rear of the building and in the darkness stumbled into the elevator shaft which had been left open." [The Birmingham News; February 5, 1932]



Mobile Register, Feb. 5, 1932

Jacob Fermier Dies from Fall in Building Here

Mobile Real Estate Firm Employee Fatally Injured in Plunge Down Shaft

"Jacob H. Fermier, about 45 years of age, an employe (sic) of Hermann & Hynde real estate firm, died at City hospital early this morning from head injuries received when he fell one floor down an elevator shaft of a building on Exchange alley, located off Water, between St. Michael and St. Francis streets, used as headquarters for the Infant Mystics. The accident occurred about 7 o'clock Thursday night.
     Mr. Fermier, with three other members of the ticket committee of the society, was preparing tickets for their Mardi Gras dance Monday night. He left his duties to retire to the rear part of the headquarters.
     Other members of the committee, alerted when Mr. Fermier did not return within a reasonable time, began an investigation. Their attention was attracted by groans, and further investigation revealed Mr. Fermier lying on the concrete floor below at the foot of the shaft.
     He was taken to the hospital, where he died within a few hours." [Mobile Register; February 5, 1932]

Mobile Register, Feb. 6, 1932

Rites for Mr. Fermier

Mobilian Killed in Fall Thursday Night to be Buried Today

     "Funeral services for Jacob H. Fermier, lifelong resident of Mobile who died early yesterday morning from injuries in a fall down an elevator shaft in the Infant Mystic headquarters on Exchange alley, will be held at 9 o'clock this morning at Roche mortuary and at 9:30 o'clock at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with mass. Internment will be in Magnolia cemetery.
     Mr. Fermier is survived by a sister, Mrs. B.J. Echenrode, (sic) of Emmitsburg, Md, an aunt, Mrs. R.A. Sands, of Mobile, an uncle, Victor Fermier, of Texas, and other relatives." [Mobile Register, February 6, 1932]


Jacob Henry Fermier was born August 11, 1881, in Mobile, Alabama. His parents were Jacob Fermier (1852-1889), a plumber and gas-fitter, originally from Bavaria, and Anna Berg (1851-1907). Anna, my great-great-great aunt, was the daughter of Tobias Berg (1819-1853) and Apollonia Weinschenk (1829-1908), both immigrants from Germany. Apollonia is my 3x-great-grandmother. [Tobias was her first husband with whom she had four children, including Anna; her second husband was Martin Horst (1830-1878), my 3x-great-grandfather, with whom she had 8 children including my great-great-grandfather Charles F. Horst.]

J. Fermier (ca. 1905)
from Erik Overby collection
University of South Alabama Collection

Young Jacob, known as 'Jack', was the oldest of the two children of Jacob and Anna. His younger sister, Annie, was born October 13, 1887. Jack and Annie lost their father when they were very young - Jack was just 8 years old, Annie was not yet two. To help support the family their mother opened her home to boarders, housing men, as many as 7-8 at their home at 209 Conti Street. Anna died in 1907 after suffering a stroke. [Annie J. Fermier, Jack's younger sister, married Bernard Eckenrode, a professor at Spring Hill College, in 1914 and moved with him to Emmitsburg, Maryland. Here they had one daughter, Anna Eckenrode (1918-2002). In 1937 Annie died at her home in Maryland; she was just 49 at the time of her death.]

Jack never married. He was employed with Hermann & Hynde Real Estate in Mobile. He also was involved in the Infant Mystics. The Infant Mystics is the second oldest of the numerous mystic societies that celebrate Mardi Gras each year in Mobile (much like krewes in New Orleans). The Infant Mystics dates back to 1868, at which time they held their parade on Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday) night. They have since changed the date of their parade to Mundi Gras (fat Monday).


Original emblem of Infant Mystics

Membership in the mystic societies is secret. Each year during Carnival Season, the mystic societies parade in costumes on their individual floats through downtown Mobile, tossing small gifts to spectators along the parade route. Each society also holds its own masquerade ball each year. These balls are almost always by invitation only, and attendees must abide by the strict dress code - usually elegant evening gowns for ladies and white-tie and tails for men. The ball usually continues the theme of the year, which is also depicted on their floats.


Jack was buried with his mother and father at Magnolia Cemetery in Mobile. It's interesting to note that the newspaper gives his age as 45. He was actually 50 years old at the time of his death.

Grave of Fermier Family
Magnolia Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama

WEDNESDAY'S WEDDING - Horst - Dilworth Wedding, June 1904

On June 29, 1904, Eliza Loy Dilworth married Charles Frederick Horst in Birmingham, Alabama. She was 19. He was 23. Here is their story.

Eliza Loy Dilworth

Eliza was born February 18, 1885, in Jamestown, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of coal mine owner John Edmond Dilworth (1858-1930) and his wife Mary Eliza Loy (1862-1933). John was born in New Jersey; Mary was born in New York City, New York. They had settled first in Damascus, Pennsylvania, where they started their family of four children. The family had relocated to Alabama by the turn of the century.

Charles was born in Mobile, Alabama, on November 15, 1880. He was the oldest son of five children born to my great-great-grandparents Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) and Odalie Felice Fortier (1857-1920). Charles was the older brother of my great-grandmother Pearl Alphonsine  Horst Flemming (1884-1961). Charles and Odalie had first moved from Mobile to Cincinnati, Ohio, for health reasons, and lived with his paternal aunt's family for a while. The family then settled for good in Birmingham.

By the late 1880's Birmingham was the primary site of coal mining in the state of Alabama. Walker County, located northwest of Birmingham, was second. This may have been where Eliza and Charles first met. The 1900 U.S. Census shows that Charles was living in a boarding house in the mining town of Corona in Walker County, working as a stenographer for a coal mining company. The same census shows that Eliza was also living in Corona with her parents and three siblings; her father listed his occupation as "Superintendent - Coal".


Wedding Photo of Eliza Dilworth
June 1904

This wedding picture (left) was one of several family photos that my father had, that were left by Grider Horst (1908-1995), their daughter and oldest of their two children. I searched the local papers for a write-up that would describe their wedding but found nothing. Most personal or social events, even most obituaries, weren't published in our city's newspapers in 1904, but there were some. Unfortunately, in the case of the Horst-Dilworth wedding I could find none.

Charles and Eliza settled in Birmingham, living first in the Highlands section of town, along with her brother John Fulton Dilworth (1888-1942) at 2930 Pawnee Avenue. Later they moved to the Hollywood section of Homewood, a suburb outside of the city, on the English side of Poinciana Drive. Charles continued working in coal sales, first with Grider Coal Sales Company (after which he named his daughter) and later owned his own company, C. F. Horst & Company, where he was quite successful. He and Eliza had two children - Frances Grider (b. Dec. 23, 1908) and Charles Frederick Jr. (b. Nov. 10, 1911). The Horsts were lifelong members of Highland Methodist Church.

Charles and Eliza Horst - Still in Love (ca. 1935)
At Home on Their Front Porch Swing - Pawnee Avenue

Charles retired in 1945 and he and his wife, along with daughter Grider, moved to Tampa, Florida. After 56-years of marriage, Eliza passed away on September 17, 1960. She had been visiting her son and his wife in Birmingham when she died. She was 75 years old. Eliza was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.


Day after Eliza's Funeral
September 18, 1960 - Elmwood Cemetery

On September 2, 1964, Charles died at his home in Tampa. He was eighty-three. He was buried next to his beloved wife in Elmwood. Charles died at age 72, on April 29, 1984. His wife Kathryn Olsafski (b. December 30, 1917) died June 2, 1999, at the age of 81. Having returned to Birmingham after the death of her father, Grider passed away on April 1, 1995. She was eighty-six. No grandchildren were born. Charles, wife Kathryn, and his sister Grider are buried at Elmwood Cemetery, next to their parents.

SATURDAY'S STRUCTURE - Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, AL

The oldest section of Elmwood Cemetery
Birmingham, Alabama

Elmwood Cemetery is located on 412 acres on Martin Luther King Drive in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the resting place of over fifty members of the Flemming, Horst, and O'Donnell families, to name a few.

Originally established in 1900 as "Elm Leaf Cemetery", its name was changed in 1910 to Elmwood. It was developed by several groups of fraternal organizations in the city who saw a need for a second burial ground for the city's dead, beginning with 286 acres of property. It wasn't long before it eclipsed the city's first cemetery, Oak Hill, as the most popular cemetery in town.

It's not surprising that Elmwood Cemetery was a "whites-only" cemetery for much of the past century. Not until 1970 were blacks allowed to purchase burial plots to bury their loved ones here. [See story below]

Elmwood Cemetery, like most cemeteries across the country, has sections that are dedicated solely for Catholics, solely for Jews, and solely for Greeks, to name a few. There are also several large Mausoleums on the property.

Gravesite of Charles and Odalie Horst - Block 9, Elmwood Cemetery

The first relative buried at this Elmwood appears to be my great-great-grandfather Charles F. Horst (1856-1912), buried on August 31, 1912 - 100 years ago. Other members of the Horst family buried beside him include Charles' wife (my great-great-grandmother) Odalie Fortier (1857-1920), and two of their sons: Edward Horst (1882-1916), who never married, and Omer Horst (1887-1945). They are buried in Block 9 - part of the oldest section of the cemetery.

Charles & Odalie's oldest son Charles F. Horst (1880-1964) and his wife Eliza Dilworth (1885-1960) are buried nearby in Block 17. Buried with them are their daughter Grider Horst (1908-1995) and son Charles F. Horst, Jr.(1911-1994), along with his wife Kathryn Olsafski (1917-1999).

Final Resting Place of Harry & Pearl Flemming
Block 4, Elmwood Cemetery

Charles & Odalie Horst's oldest daughter Pearl Horst (1884-1961) and her husband Harry Flemming (1878-1955) - my great-grandparents - are buried under a tree in Block 4.

Five of Harry & Pearl's 8 children are buried together in Block 29 along with their spouses and other family members, including:

• daughter Pearl (1907-1986) and her husband William Barriger (1904-1979);
• daughter Susie (1909-1989) and husband Huber O'Donnell (1905-1964), my grandparents;
• son Harry (1913-1972) and his wife Fredericka Perry (1913-1967);
• son Jack (1918-2008) and his wife Georgia Rice (1918-2005);
• daughter Ann (1923-2012), her husband Aubrey Pilkerton (1925-1999), and their son Aubrey Pilkerton, Jr. (1949-1998);
• granddaughter Mary Ann Selman (1944-2001).

Block 44 is the final resting place for Frank Selman (1920-2012), husband of Harry & Pearl's last surviving daughter. Also buried here are their daughter and son-in-law Kathie (1951-2011) and Alan Holmes (1936-2009). [Daughter Mary Ann is buried in Block 29 - see above]

Headstone for Elizabeth "Lizzie" McCaffrey Flemming
Block 7, Elmwood Cemetery

Buried in Block 7 are the first Flemmings to settle in Birmingham, another set of my great-great-grandparents, Charles Flemming (1854-1932) and Elizabeth McCaffrey (1858-1922). Four of their eleven children are buried along side them including:

• daughter Imo Thompson (1886-1919);
• daughter Lottie McMurray (1891-1937);
• son Thomas (1896-1919);
• (son Harry is buried in Block 29 - see above; son James is buried in Block __ - see below; daughter Sarah is buried in Block 32 - see below)

Also buried close-by in Block 7 is a sister of Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming. Agnes McCaffrey O'Brien (1879-1919), along with her husband Edward O'Brien (1867-1922)

Another child of Charles and Elizabeth Flemming, son James (1889-1932) is buried in Block 42. Buried beside him is his wife Elizabeth Cahalan (1891-1972). Also buried here are their children: daughter Elizabeth (1914-1982); son Charles (1915-1932); daughter Catherine (1911-1985) and her husband Fred Caver (1905-1975); and son Frank (1924-2003) and his wife Sally Sherrill (1928-2010);

Charles & Elizabeth Flemming's youngest daughter Sarah (1893-1963) and her husband James Thomas (1891-1954) are buried in Block 32. Buried along side them is their only child Delore (1917-1999), along with her husband James Roper (1914-1993).

Buried in Block 10 is Charlotte McCaffrey Morris (1875-1925). Lottie is another sister of my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming. Buried with her are her husband William Morris (1868-1955), their son William (1903-1924) and daughter Charlotte Rainey (1906-1996). Infant son Joseph (1904-1904) was buried in an unmarked grave in Block 4.

Buried in Block 24 are a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law of Huber & Susie Flemming O'Donnell. Celeste Rafalsky O'Donnell (1950-2008) is buried alongside her parents and brother. In the same block but at a different location is buried my father William A. Powell, Jr. (1929-2009).

Block 22 is the site of the burial place of Karl McCaffrey (1889-1950), nephew of Elizabeth McCaffrey Flemming, and his wife Tennie Williams (1899-1978).

Integrating Elmwood: "Terry vs. Elmwood Cemetery"

 Elmwood Cemetery, a whites-only cemetery since its beginning, has been open to all races due to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in 1969 - "Terry vs. Elmwood Cemetery". On July 3, 1969, a soldier named Bill Terry, Jr. was killed in Vietnam, dying from a fragment wound to his chest, sustained in combat near Xuan Loc. Because of his honorable Army record he was given the traditional military escort back to his home in Birmingham, where his body was taken to Elmwood Cemetery to begin the internment process. When Terry's widow and mother attempted to buy a burial plot for his remain, they were refused by the cemetery manager. The reason? Bill Terry was black. Since other funeral arrangements were already in place, his widow and mother purchased a plot at the traditionally black cemetery of Shadow Lawn Memorial Park.

About this time, another African-American - Belvin Stout - was denied purchase of a burial plot at Elmwood and joined Terry's widow and mother in filing suit in federal district court against the cemetery. In making their decision for the plaintiffs the court struck down all of the cemetery's rules and regulations regarding discrimination based on race. Following the ruling, along with local and national support, Bill Terry's body was exhumed and reburied at Elmwood Cemetery on January 3, 1970. Twelve hundred marchers followed his body from Our Lady of Fatima Church to the cemetery. His remains now rests at Elmwood - just as he asked his family to do in case anything happened to him, just before leaving for Vietnam. [from" Integrating the City of the Dead: The Integration of Cemeteries and the Evolution of Property Law, 1900-1969",  Alabama Law Review, May 23, 2005, pages 1153-1166]

FRIDAY'S FAMOUS - Omer Albert Fortier (1890-UNK), alias "Kid Doe"

New Orleans' "Kid Doe" - ever heard of him? If you were around the Big Easy in the early 1900's he was quite the "character", as one city newspaper described him. He was a notorious pickpocket, thief, and "one of the shrewdest crooks in the city", according to the police at the time. Omer Albert Fortier, alias "Kid Doe," is my 1st cousin, 3x removed. And since Friday's post topic is either 'Famous' or 'Forgotten', today's post will be more about my 'Infamous" relative, that I'm sure no one in the whole family has ever heard of before.

Omer Albert Fortier was born on January 10, 1890, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents were Omer Auguste Fortier (1855-1897) and Laura Octavia Eslava (1859-1910), she a native of Mobile, Alabama. [Omer Auguste was the 6th child and oldest son of my 3rd great grandparents Jacques Omer Fortier (1813-1867) and Augustine Melanie Laperle Degruey (1822-1872). He was the older brother of my great-great-grandmother Odalie Felice Fortier Horst (1857-1920).] Omer and Laura had six children - five girls and Omer, their 5th child, their only son. Omer's sisters were Pearl C. (1881-1911), Elodie Corrine (1883-1884), Elonie Leonia (1885-1949), Odille L. (1887-1956),  and Lucille (1893-1969).

Young Omer was born in a New Orleans very different from the one his father was born in before the Civil War. Omer's father was a clerk, according to numerous City Directories. He was also a businessman and at one point ran a gambling house at 100 Customhouse Street (now Iberville Street), in the city's "Red Light District".  It was here in April 1888, two years before his son was born, that Omer Auguste was shot in a dispute with his former 'partners'. He was only slightly wounded, sustaining a minor shoulder wound, and survived his injuries. But death was just a few years away for the elder Fortier - he died on April 13, 1897, at the age of 41. He left behind his wife Laura, 38, and five young children (daughter Elodie had died at the age of 1 in 1884). At the time of his death the surviving children ranged in age from their oldest Pearl, 16, to youngest Lucille, just 4 years old. Omer was 7 when his father died. [NOTE: Omer Auguste was just 12 years old when his own father, Jacques Omer, died.]

Life for Laura Fortier and her young family from this point on was no doubt very difficult, with the breadwinner of the family now gone. The 1900 U.S. Census reports that both Laura and daughter Pearl were worked as dressmakers. Ten years later the Census showed Laura still had all five children living at home with her - ages 28 to 17 - and that no one was employed. [It's interesting to note that Laura died in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama on May 22, 1910, even though she was listed as a resident of New Orleans in the 1910 Census, enumerated on May 25, 1910, three days after she died.]




from New Orleans Item;
Jan. 26, 1913; p.9

In 1917, when registering for the draft during WWI, Omer was 27 years old and was unemployed; he gave his profession, as his father had done, as 'clerk'. But it was several years before the draft when Omer's true profession was noted in the city's newspapers. In January 1913, at just 23 years of age, Omer was arrested by city police for working with an inmate - known pickpocket Edward Klein. It was discovered that Omer had arranged for a lawyer to bail Klein out of jail. A Times-Picayune newspaper article called Omer a 'Promoter', claiming he induced Klein and other criminals to come to New Orleans where he would help them in their crimes. In turn, "Kid Doe" would receive a portion of their take. For helping Klein, he was sentenced to a $20 fine and incarceration for 9 days.

December 1913 another news story reported that Omer Fortier was being arraigned in court. He had been arrested earlier in the day at the public funeral for a popular local politician, where he was working with a "gang" of pickpockets. He also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from Dallas, Texas, where he was wanted for larceny.

from New Orleans States, July 12, 1917; page 4

No doubt, Omer continued his criminal behavior in the months and years to come. Finally, in June 1917 "Kid Doe" was arrested for shoplifting 12 silk ties, and the next month was arrested again for stealing a $25 dress. These crimes were each reported in the New Orleans State newspaper. In August the paper reported that Omer had joined 19 other convicted criminals when they were taken to Baton Rouge State Penitentiary.



from New Orleans Item;
August 31, 1917

Upon entering the prison, a description of Omer was listed in the record as follows:

     27.   5'9".  139 pounds.  Sallow Complextion.  Dark Brown Hair.  Brown Eyes.  Round face.   No Lobe on right ear.  Eagle Tattoo, right forearm.   Red Scar, lower left leg above ankle.   Small Brown Splotches, left upper arm.  No. 6 1/2 shoe.
 

Omer had been sentenced to 1 year minimum, 2 years maximum. He arrived August 31, 1917. Prison records show he escaped on October 8, 1918. He also escaped on February 28, 1919. He was released from prison on August 31, 1919, having served his full sentence.

Where he went after he was discharged is unknown. His name doesn't appear in any Censuses in the future. He must not have lived long enough to have a Social Security Number to be able to document his death from these records. Did he get married? Have children? Did he leave America, or maybe just change his name to escape his past? There's so much more to Kid Doe's story. Maybe someone out there knows something.

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY'S PHOTOS - Flemming Family Reunion, early 80's

Last week my 1st cousin (once removed) George Flemming sent me some great photos that he had taken over 30 years ago at a family reunion of the descendants of Harry Flemming (1878-1955) & Pearl Horst Flemming (1884-1961), my great-grandparents. [That's right, I said THIRTY years ago.] The event was held at the lakeside cabin of Jack and Georgia Flemming, near Birmingham, Alabama.

Click on each picture to enlarge it to see everybody's 80's hair styles and those long-haired male family members. If you right-click on the pictures you can download it to your computer. I hope you'll enjoy this little trip down memory lane....

 The children of Harry & Pearl Flemming with Aunt Dolly

 [BOTTOM L-R: Margaret Flemming Selman (b. 1920), Odalie "Dolly" Horst Wittges (1896-1990), Susie Flemming O'Donnell (1909-1999); MIDDLE L-R: Pearl Flemming Barriger (1907-1986), Odalie "O'D" Flemming Daly (1911-1994), Ann Flemming Pilkerton (1923-2012); BACK: Jack Flemming (1918-2008). Aunt Dolly, 86 years old, the youngest sister of their mother Pearl, had travelled from her home in Colorado. O'D's family - her children and grandchildren - traveled from their homes in Louisiana to attend the family reunion.]

The children and in-laws of Harry & Pearl Flemming

[BOTTOM L-R: Susie F. O'Donnell, Frank Selman (1920-2012), Margaret F. Selman; MIDDLE L-R: Pearl F. Barriger, O'D F. Daly, Jack's wife Georgia Rice Flemming (1918-2005), Ann F. Pilkerton; BACK L-R: Aubrey Pilkerton (1925-1999), Jack Flemming]

The grandchildren of Harry & Pearl and their spouses

Think you can name them all? If so, please tell me! I can identify 21 out of 37 (I think).

The great-grandchildren of Harry & Pearl (and a few spouses)

 Most of these great-grandchildren now have children of their own. One or two are even grandfathers! The youngest baby would be 30 years old now, and the oldest would be in his mid-50's (you know who you are!)  How many of these young people can you name? I can identify 13 out of 32. I'd love to get someone from each of the Flemming children's families to email me with a list and diagram of who's who. FYI - I'm on the back row,2nd from right (brown hair, lots of eye makeup).

MONDAY'S MILITARY - Henry A. Horst, USNA Class of 1882, Part II

[This past weekend I was contacted by a docent at the United States Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland. He had read my post regarding Henry August Horst (1861-1922), the younger brother of my great-great-grandfather Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) - which had included pictures and information about Henry's education at the Naval Academy, from 1878-1882. He thanked me for post on Henry, and told me how he had used the biographical sketch on him to write his own sketch that he would be able to share with visitors at the museum. The man, Gregg Overbeck, was himself a graduate of the Academy in 1969 and enjoyed researching the many important, heroic, scandalous and infamous graduates throughout the school's history, which he could then share with visitors at the museum.



Class Ring of Henry A. Horst
on display at U.S.Naval Academy Museum
Annapolis, Maryland

He asked to send me his sketch of Henry, along with pictures of Henry's class ring that his son Martin Lyon Horst had donated to the museum in the 1960's while traveling through the area. The ring is on display, along with many others, at the museum but they had no story of the man whose ring it was. They now have his story.

A few of my facts were corrected in the biography, and the answer to the question of 'Why did Henry leave the Navy after graduation' was answered. I hope this will add to Henry's story. And isn't it nice that 90 years after his death he is still being talked about and his story is still being told?]


Henry A. Horst, Part II
On June 21, 1878, Henry August Horst entered the United States Naval Academy, after receiving a nomination from Alabama. Henry was the son of German immigrants Martin Horst (1830-1878) and Apollonia Weinschenk Horst (1829-1908), my great-great-great grandparents. Cadet Midshipman Horst graduated 23 of 37 cadet midshipmen on June 9, 1882.

Henry A. Horst
Cadet Midshipman - U.S. Naval Academy
Class of 1882

" Following the Civil War the United States Navy was in slow decline due to limited funds and fewer ships.  The Naval Officer Corps was swollen with officers, promotions were based on seniority and passed midshipmen (those who had graduated, spent two years at sea as required and passed their finally examination by the Academic Board) had to wait as long as eight years to receive an Ensign’s commission.  In order to create an opening for a new Ensign’s commission, a senior officer had to die or go on the retired list. 

 

On August 5, 1882, two months after Horst’s graduation, Congress passed a law that stipulated that the Navy could only commission that number of officers for which there were actual vacancies on a ship but not less than ten a year. The act required that those allowed to continue should be appointed in the order of merit, as determined by the Academic Board after examination at the conclusion of their six-year course.  Those who didn’t make the cut where given a certificate of graduation, an honorable discharge, and one year’s sea pay of about $950.  For Passed Cadet Midshipmen Horst’s class of 1882 that meant only 12 graduates could be taken into the Navy in 1884. The law also eliminated the distinction between cadet midshipmen and cadet engineers calling them naval cadets.

 

In 1884, Passed Naval Cadet Horst resigned from the Navy. He returned to Mobile, Alabama and took up employment as a bookkeeper and started a very successful civilian career." [from biographical sketch written by Gregg Overbeck, 2013]

 

 

The United States Naval Academy Museum
"Located in Preble Hall on the Academy grounds, The U.S. Naval Academy Museum holds large collections of unique and rare naval memorabilia. The Rogers Ship Models Collection consists of 108 models of the sailing ship era dating from 1650 to 1850; seventeen are scale models built for the use of the British Admiralty. The more than 5,000 naval prints in the Beverley R. Robinson Collection depict major naval battles and ships from the 16th century to the present. Most pieces are contemporary to their subjects and represent three centuries in the art of printmaking. The Malcolm Storer Navy Medals Collection of 1,210 commemorative coin-medals, dating from as early as 254 B.C., was gathered from more than thirty countries. The U.S. Navy Trophy Flag Collection of 600 historic American and captured flags features the "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag flown at the Battle of Lake Erie and banners that have been to the moon." [from www.history.navy.mil]

Check out their website at www.usna.edu/Museum/ or visit the museum Mon-Sat. 9:00-5:00, Sun. 11:00-5:00. Admission is FREE.

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - O'Donnell-Huber Wedding (1904)

St. Paul's Catholic Church
early postcard

One hundred-and-nine years ago this coming Monday, on February 11th, my great-grandparents were married at a small ceremony at St. Paul's Catholic Church (now Cathedral) in Birmingham, Alabama. They were married early on a Thursday morning with a few family and friends present. They would go on to make their home in Birmingham and have four children together - my grandfather John Huber (born May 6, 1905); Charles Patrick (born October 18, 1906); Edward Joseph Kennedy (born January 18, 1908); and Barbara Lena (born November 7, 1909).  But first came their wedding day.

John Martin O'Donnell was born November 7, 1865, in Jericho, Henry County, Kentucky to my great-great-grandparents Patrick O'Donnell (1823-1911) and Bridget Kennedy (1838-1883), both immigrants from Ireland. After earning an engineering degree at nearby Eminence College Johnny, as he was called, eventually began working for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. His name appears in the 1893 Louisville (Ky.) City Directory, where he was boarding at '1134 8th'.  His occupation is listed as a 'Leveler' with the City Engineers Department. [A leveler is part of a civil engineering survey team necessary in the preliminary work of building a railroad, roads, etc.]  Within the next few years his job at L&N RR would transfer him to Alabama. It was here that he met his future wife.

Mary Bertha Huber was born August 8, 1883, in Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky. Her parents were my great-great-grandparents Phillip Huber (1847-1901), an immigrant from Germany, and Barbara F. Brunett (1852-1896). Mayme, as she was known, worked as a school teacher in her hometown of Bowling Green. Later she moved with her father, brother and two sisters, to Alabama. She taught school in Calera, Shelby County, outside of Birmingham. It was here in Calera, according to family lore, that the two met while living in the same boarding house.

Johnny and Mayme were married on Thursday, February 11, 1904. He was 38 years old; she was 30. The story of their wedding appeared on page 6 of the Birmingham Age-Herald newspaper, on February 13th.

"O'DONNELL-HUBER
     At St. Paul's Church, on Thursday morning at 7:45, Miss Mayme B. Huber of this city, and Mr. J.M. O'Donnell were married. The Reverend Father O'Reilly officiating in his usual impressive manner.

     Miss Minnie Huber, sister of the bride, and Mr. Thomas Barret were the attendants. The bride was becomingly attired in a blue traveling suit with hat to match, and carried a white prayer book. The bridesmaid was also in blue. The wedding was a quiet one, only a few intimate friends being present. The bride is a sister of Mr. Charles T. Huber and is an attractive and brilliant young lady who has for several years been a successful teacher in the public schools of Alabama. The groom is a popular employe (sic) in the Louisville and Nashville civil engineering department.


from Birmingham Age-Herald, page 6
February 13, 1904

     Immediately after the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. O'Donnell left for New Orleans."
 

I wish there was a picture of the two on their wedding day - especially one of her. You can almost picture it, with the description in the newspaper article. Mayme, dressed in a "blue traveling suit", carrying a "white prayer book" standing next to her younger sister Philomena (1875-1937), better known as Minnie, who's also wearing blue. A few family and friends, who also got up early to be at the church by 7:45. And standing in front of the alter, the beloved parish priest in his vestments.

Johnny and Mayme O'Donnell were married only nine short years. Mayme died on March 30, 1913, in her home, after contracting tuberculosis. She was 39 years old. [Read more about John and Mayme in earlier blog posts for more information on their life.]

Happy Anniversary!

Statue of Father Patrick O'Reilly
by Guiseppe Morietti
In front of St. Vincent's Hospital
Birmingham, Alabama

[SIDEBAR - The following information on Father Patrick O'Reilly, the officiant at Johnny & Mayme's wedding, is worth noting. It is found in Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race and Religion in America, published in 2010, by Sharon Davies - the story of Father James Coyle and his murder. Father Coyle was Father O'Reilly's successor at St. Paul's Church.

"Confidence aside, some of the parishioners of St. Paul's probably thought Father Coyle, at age thirty-one, too young to handle the job Bishop Edward Allen of Mobile had sent him to do in Birmingham in 1904. The bishop had placed on the young priest's shoulders the inevitable task of replacing Father Patrick O'Reilly, the handsome and hugely popular former pastor of St. Paul's. Two months before, Father O'Reilly had suffered a grievous head injury while serving as Chaplain of the Alabama National Guard. During a routine review of the troops at the state fairgrounds, something had frightened his horse and it threw him. The summer-warmed ground was far from its hardest, but he landed badly, and the force of the impact cracked his skull. Horrified onlookers rushed the priest's broken body to St. Vincent's Hospital, which, ironically, O'Reilly had founded himself four years before. He had first proposed to build a hospital in Birmingham following one of the city's annual summer bouts with typhoid fever.... Following a particularly distressing episode of typhoid one summer, Father O'Reilly had sent a letter to the sisters of the Daughters of Charity at St. Vincent de Paul in Maryland asking that they come to Birmingham to run a hospital.... Shortly after the hospital opened its doors, Father O'Reilly announced he would build an orphanage as well, and his reputation in the city as a doer of good was cemented.

St. Vincent's Hospital about 1910
early postcard - Birmingham, Alabama
[CLICK TO ENLARGE FOR DETAILS]

     A squadron of doctors and nuns at St. Vincent's Hospital ministered tirelessly over their beloved founder, doing all they could to save him, as word spread among the city's Catholics that Father O'Reilly was hurt and in need of their prayers. Perhaps the chorus of supplications that answered that call slowed his exit; for he hovered between life and death for nearly a week. But finally on July 28, 1904, he died, at the age of forty-nine." (pages 29-30)]

SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Francois Gabriel Valcour Aime (1797-1867)

 This is the story of the death of Francois Gabriel Valcour Aime (1797-1867), my 2nd cousin, 5x removed. [See previous articles on Valcour Aime] The first part of the story was published in Dixie magazine on December 24, 1967, the 100th anniversary of the story.

"On any Christmas night in the middle of the 19th Century, two figures could be seen leaving the warmth of Valcour Aime's plantation and mounting horses. They were not setting out to visit friends and spread Christmas cheer, however.

Their destination was eight miles away - the red brick St. James Church, situated on the West bank of the Mississippi River across from the little town of Convent, about 75 miles upstream from New Orleans.

The men were Valcour Aime and his faithful Negro body servant. Valcour made the annual pilgrimage for a mournful cause. Each year on Christmas night Aime ordered a special commemorative Mass for his only son, who had died in New Orleans of yellow fever a few years earlier.

Every Christmas, Aime sat through the sad service alone and in silence, while his servant waited outside with their mounts. When the service concluded, Aime left without a word and returned, grief-stricken, to his plantation.

Since his son's death Aime had become a religious recluse. Few persons outside the family saw the wealthy planter of St. James Parish. The special Christmas Mass was his only regular appearance outside the plantation grounds. Although Aime was the man historian Alcee Fortier credited with being the first to refine sugar directly from sugar cane juice, and although he was brother-in-law of Andre Bienvenu Roman, a colorful Louisiana governor of the 1830's and 40's, he cared little for his fortune, his scientific achievements or the outside world after his son's death.

But he did pay tribute to the tiny St. James Church. Aime donated its 14 Stations of the Cross paintings, done in Italy, and also its massive silver candlesticks. Perhaps these items were also to honor his son's memory, for the young man's body had been laid to rest in the family tomb in the churchyard."

[The following article was first published in 1987, and was reprinted in December 2011 on www.ArcadiaParishToday.com]

 "Valcour and his faithful servant started their journey to the Saint James Catholic Church, located 10 miles up-river, to attend midnight mass just as they had done for decades. It was a cold, rainy Christmas Eve night, and the six foot three inch Valcour found it difficult to stay warm beneath his black hat and heavy top coat. As the buggy bounced along the River Road, his mind drifted back to the former days when the children were still young. He envisioned his four daughters sitting opposite him, his wife and only son in their large coach on this same occasion. The remaining glow of a bonfire on the levee caught his eye, and prompted deeper memories to the time when he was courting his beloved Josephine Roman.

Francois Gabriel (Valcour) Aime, pronounced “M”, was born in 1797 in St. Charles Parish into one of Louisiana’s oldest families. He was the fifth generation born here. His father died when he was two years old, and he, his brother Michel and mother moved to New Orleans to live with his wealthy grandfather, Michel Fortier II.

In 1818, Valcour and Michel received their inheritance consisting of a large plantation in St. Charles Parish, 250 slaves, and $100,000 in gold. Valcour sold his share of the plantation and bought several plantations in St. James parish including the one next to Jacques Roman. Jacques was the father of Josephine Roman, soon to be wife of Valcour Aime. One of her brothers, Andre Bienvenu Roman, was twice governor of Louisiana 1831-1835 and 1839-1843. Another brother, Jacques Telesphore Roman, built Oak Alley. On January 4, 1819, the handsome and astute Valcour married Josephine Roman, and then bought the Roman plantation from his widowed mother-in-law. However, he later sold to his brother-in-law, Jaques Telesphore Roman, a portion of the plantation that had this row of 28 live oaks.

Valcour kept a daily journal from 1820 to 1854 documenting temperature, farming techniques, as well as experiments with new varieties of cane and equipment. In 1795, Etienne de Bore’ introduced sugar cane to Louisiana, but it was the genius of Valcour Aime that perfected the refining process. He learned to harness steam power and designed and made this equipment by 1829. He traveled to Cuba and other countries to study the latest developments. Some of his experiments cost over $40,000 per year and their success earned him the title of “The father of white sugar.” VaIcour’s sugar was judged best in the world at the New York Exposition in 1853.

La Petit Versailles, St. James Parish, LA

By the 1830’s Valcour’s plantation had grown to 10,000 acres and he was reputed to be the world’s leading sugar producer and the richest man in Louisiana. He named his plantation, the St. James Refinery Plantation, and in 1833 he added a railroad to his estate. This railroad stretched from his steamboat dock through the fields and to the remote cypress swamp. He disliked waiting for steamboats since they never were on time, so he bought his own, and named it for his son Gabriel.

Valcour built two huge green-houses which contained rare plants, trees and shrubs from all over the world. Valcour’s plantation was so self-sufficient that he wagered $10,000 ($1 million by today’s standards) that he could produce from his plantation alone, a meal complete with wine, coffee and cigars that would surpass any. He won the bet.

He read all the industry related literature available and he employed only the most competent personnel to oversee each segment of his operation. However, the keys to Valcour’s success were his abilities to delegate responsibility, to document all orders and experiments and to follow-up on each.

Valcour and Josephine had five children; four girls and one boy. Edwige Aime born in 1819, married her cousin Florent Fortier. Josephine Aime born in 1821, married Alexis Ferry. Fellicite Emma Aime born in 1823 married her cousin Alexander Septime Fortier, brother of Florent. Felicie Aime, born in 1825, married her cousin Alfred Roman, son of Governor Roman. Francois Gabriel (Gabi) Aime was born in 1826 and never married.

The Aime’s spacious mansion had 22 columns on three sides and in the rear-center was a courtyard. This Creole family’s reputation was known extensively throughout the Mississippi Valley, not just for their wealth, but for their genuine hospitality. It was customary before each meal for the servants to check the wharf and River Road for travelers and invite them to eat.

Tragically, nothing remains of the mansion. It burned in 1920.  

In March 1842, Josephine’s desire to cover the marshy land in front of the house, spurred Valcour to begin construction of an English park. He used 120 slaves to dig the lake and rivulets that circled within the 20 acre park. In 1844, he hauled in 1,200 wagon loads of river sand and 1,400 wagon loads of manure to complete the construction phase. He then planted trees, flowers and plants never before seen on this continent.

Gravemarker

When completed, the English Park-Garden consisted of: a mountain that contained a brick lined “grotto” and a brick lined cave entrance used to store ice from up north, a Chinese pagoda on top of the mountain, a fort for the children to play in, several bridges and several small buildings. There were also exotic birds and animals such as kangaroos, deer, peacocks, ostriches, parrots and wild ducks that were on the lake and rivulets. A steam pump supplied the water and pressure for the cascading waterfalls and fountains throughout the garden. Valcour later hired a Japanese gardener to work with the Oriental plants and a French gardener. Joseph Muller to oversee the entire garden with thirty slaves.

This magnificent park and horticultural conglomeration was considered the finest in North America and dubbed La Petite Versailles

Recently, a concerned preservationist purchased the garden ruins, and secured it in an effort to stop the vandalism. Perhaps, one day this treasure will be restored.

Valcour was a very devout and kind person. He gave to the St. James Catholic Church and helped to build Jefferson College. When Jefferson College experienced financial difficulties and was on the verge of total collapse, Valcour rescued the complex by purchasing it. Later, he gave the entire college to the Jesuits. Today this facility, called Manresa, is a spiritual retreat home.

Valcour donated to the St. James Catholic Church priceless treasures such as two solid silver candle holders four feet tall, an organ, statues of the apostles and a communion rail. His most valuable gifts were the twelve paintings of the stations of the cross and the two large paintings which hang over the side altars. He commissioned a famous Italian artist to paint these. Today, tourists make a point of visiting this historic church just to see these fabulous paintings.

The educational requirements of the aristocratic Creoles of this era consisted of a college degree and concluded with a grand tour of Europe. Gabi graduated from Jefferson College in 1847, and started his “grand tour” with instruction from Valcour to visit sugar beet refineries and report their procedures. Gabi meant everything to Valcour; he adored his honest, articulate and brilliant young son. Like his father he kept a very descriptive daily journal of his trip that reads like a novel.

Gabi became Valcour’s ambassador to the world and he sent him to all parts of the globe. On returning home from a European trip, he stopped briefly in New Orleans on September 17, 1854, the height of the yellow fever season. He arrived at the plantation that evening not feeling well and asked to be excused from dinner. The next morning a servant found Gabi dead. He was only 28 years of age.

Valcour was devastated. He wrote the final entry in his journal, “Continue who would wish. My time is finished. He died on September 18. I kissed him at five o’clock and again the next day.” Then he sealed his journal with wax. Valcour gave his son-in-law, Florent Fortier, complete authority and he stepped away from the day to day operations of the business.

Valcour and Josephine could not fill the void of their beloved Gabi. Josephine died of a broken heart in 1856. In 1858, daughter Felicie died in Paris while on a trip with her husband.

Valcour Aime Family Tomb at St. James Catholic Church
[reinterred at St. Louis Cemetery #2]

Valcour, so affected by these events, spent most of his days and nights in the “grotto” on his knees praying and reading his Bible and Gabi’s journals. His self-imposed penance didn’t make him bitter but further humbled him. Valcour would date and write the comment, “A tear to you” on certain pages of Gabi’s journal as he read it day after day and year after year.

When Valcour and his servant arrived at the church for midnight mass, all his remaining children and grandchildren were there. His granddaughter sang a solo that night and this so pleased Valcour that he gave her a gold piece.

On the trip home, the rains came down in sheets and soaked Valcour. A “hawk” blew in that week (a strong arctic cold front), and the temperature plummeted to record lows. Valcour’s condition advanced to pneumonia, and on January 1, 1867, he died."

His obituary was published in the New Orleans Times and  Daily Picayune newspapers on January 3, 1867. It contained just one line. For a man who had reached the pinnacle of success - once the wealthiest man in the state, considered by some as the father of white sugar, host to innumerable people of power and wealth at his plantation known as "the small Versailles", a scientist, and renowned businessman - when he died his obituary contained only one line.

Notice of Death New Orleans Times, page 8; 3 Jan 1867

"On the 1st inst., on his estate, in the parish of St. James, VALCOUR AIME, aged 80 years, a native of Louisiana."