BERTSCH : KOWALSKI : SCHITTEK : SCHWITTAY : SPECKA : Genealogy Query


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Date Posted:

17-Sep-2005

Surname(s):

BERTSCH : KOWALSKI : SCHITTEK : SCHWITTAY : SPECKA

Query Text:

Gustav Bertsch, unknown of parents, was born in 1895 in probably Mingfen, Germany. In about 1913-1914, as assumed, he married Frieda (now-"Freda") Schwittay, daughter of Carl and Marie (Specka) Schwittay. She was born 5 July 1896 and was 1 of 14 children as assumed. Carl Schwittay was married twice, according to our knowledge and it is believed that Marie Specka was his second wife. The first wife, no name to my knowledge that we have. Gustav and Freda Schwittay Bertsch had Erich "Dutch" Bertsch, born 23 June 1915 in probably Mingfen or Buer-erle, Germany, he died in Wheeling, West Virginia December 18, 1974, he married Mary Ann Salva 28 September 1940 in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio, daughter of Phillip and Caroline Tesluk Salva, and granddaughter of Basil Salva and Tekla Yerzyk Salva Stemkowski, and Nicholas and Cathorina Bachwaj Tesluk, and step granddaughter of Anthony Stemkowski. Mary Ann Salva Bertsch was born in Shadyside, Belmont County, Ohio on August 15, 1920 and died in Marengo, Ohio on June 14, 2005. Gustav and Freda Schwittay Bertsch then had Otto Bertsch in 1917. I have a photograph of Gustav, Freda, Erich, and Otto. Gustav was on leave from World War I at the time. He served in the German Army during World War I and obviously had no choice since he lived in that country at that time. He died in 1918 in Germany and his body was never found. The next year, 1919, Otto died of the flu epidemic that came about after the war. This left Freda with Erich. That next year, 1920 or therabouts, in Germany, Freda Schwittay Bertsch remarried to Wilhelm "William" Schittek, son of Jacob and Augusta Kowalski Schittek. They had Helene Marie Martha Schittek on October 2, 1921 and Eitel "Elton" Frederick Schittek on October 16, 1923. William came on "The America" in 1923 and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on November 11, 1923. He departed from Bremen, Germany on October 31, 1923. His name on Ellis Island is listed as Wilhelm Schittek. Freda, Erich, Helene, and Eitel (now-"Elton") came on "The Veendam" in 1924 and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on November 1, 1924. They departed from Rotterdam, Holland on October 22, 1924. Their names on Ellis Island are listed as Frieda Schittek, Erich Bertsch Schittek (this is wrong--he was Erich Bertsch- never Schittek!), Helene Schittek, and Eitel Schittek. The nearest of kin when Wilhelm came over was Frieda Schittek, his wife, her address is listed as Buer-Erle, Wilhelmstr.28. William had an uncle over here already, his name is listed as Gustav Kowalsky. He was the brother of his mother, Augusta Kowalski Schittek. Gustav married Rose Berger. They changed their names from Kowalski to Hall. Gustav died in 1950 and Rose in 1956. The nearest of kin when Freda and the children came over was Maria Schwittay, this is Freda's mother, and the children's grandmother. Her address is listed as: Mingfen, Germany, CST. Preuszen. They resided in Neffs, Belmont County, Ohio on Willow Grove Road. William was a coal miner in the Willow Grove mines. Gertrude Schittek was the first born here, she was born December 7, 1926 and died October 10, 2001. Then came Irene Schittek on October 9, 1930. In 1939 they changed the name from Schittek to Schiller. On March 16, 1940, 72 miners in the Willow Grove mine died in the explosion that occurred, and William Schiller was one of them. Six days after the explosion, Freda gave birth to Darlene Schiller, she would never know her father. Darlene was born March 22, 1940 and her father was buried in the Union Cemetery, St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio on March 27, 1940. Darlene was the only one that never had to change her name from Schittek to Schiller, because it was changed the year before she was born. When William Schiller died in 1940, his mother, Augusta Kowalski Schiller was still living in Germany, but his father was deceased. Freda Schwittay Bertsch Schiller died in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio on November 13, 1956, and Darlene was still only 16 years old. The only names that any of us know of Freda's siblings are Anna Schwittay (married name: ?) she came over from Germany and the family visited her over there. The only other is Marie Schwittay, Born: February 6, 1903 in Germany, she came to this country in 1925 and married Carl William Meissner in New York. He was born on December 8, 1895. Marie or Tanta Marie, as we called her, meaning "Aunt Marie", died April 10, 1991. We went to visit her often. Tanta Marie was Carl's second wife. His first wife was Frieda Kowalski Meissner (1896-1922), and she was one of the daughters of Gustav and Rose Berger Kowalski (of which they changed the name to Hall). So this is where the intermarrying is. Carl and Frieda had one daughter Rosie Meissner (1919-1922). Frieda died in a house fire on Willow Grove Road on January 16, 1922. Rosie died on February 11, 1922, from burns received from the fire, when the mother picked her up in shock and set her clothes afire. Carl then married Marie Schwittay in New York and they had two sons, Edward A. Meissner (3 August 1927- 28 March 2001) and Erwin C. Meissner, who lives. When Carl died April 14, 1961, on his death certificate stated that his father was Adam Meissner and mother was Marie Unknown. Well, we heard that Marie never came over, but there is something weird here. The mother was not Marie, but Louise Gribowsky Meissner according to Carl and Freda Kowalsky Meissner's marriage record in Belmont County, Ohio in 1918. So Marie Unknown is a false statement on Carl's death certificate. Adam came over in 1904, and he died from the flu in 1918 and is buried in Neffs, Belmont County, Ohio, we can't find the stone yet if there is one. Well, in 1905, Louise, and her children came here, stated as Karl and Elfrieda, and the father and husband Adam was in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio at the time. In 1906-1907 Adam divorced Louisa Gribowsky Meissner, and the divorce record is in the St. Clairsville Courthouse in Belmont County, Ohio. She neglected the children and disappeared. She could not be found in Belmont County, and it was said that she returned to Germany. Adam, Carl, and Elfreda returned to Germany and returned again to America in 1911 arriving at Philadelphia. On the naturalization papers of Adam Meissner, he stated that his ex-wife resided in Germany to the best of his knowledge. On Adam's death certificate. of which he died on 25 April 1918 it stated that he was married and not widowed and his father was Jacob Meisnar and mother was Marie Unknown. When Adam came in 1904, he had an uncle here in this country but I can't make out the name yet, the last name does not look like Meissner, though. Also when Gustav Kowalsky came over it stated that he had an uncle here, the name looks like Johann Parth, but I haven't found anything yet. But if anyone can help with Gustav Bertsch or anything, that would be great. Helene Schiller married Clarence Denver Lamp (1921-1989). Elton Frederick Schiller married Valorie A. Gorz (1917-1997). Gertrude Schiller married Donald McMillen. Irene Schiller married Rudolph Paul Zych (1926-1999). Darlene Schiller married Donald R. Chambliss (1940-2001). She remarried to Robert Ray.