Notizen zu dieser Person
SSAN: 001-07-2046
According to the records I have, my father was born in Luttringhausen, Germany. It was common for mothers to return home to give birth, so I am uncertain if my dad's family lived in Luttringhause or Barmen before he came to America at the age of 4 with his mother, brother and sister to rejoin his father near Epsom, New Hampshire. When he was about 14, he had to leave school to help in the family's factory. He learned weaving and loom-fixing most likely from his uncle Robert who was the owner of Barmer Narrow Fabric Company.
Dad was a hard worker, up early and always worked Saturdays and sometimes on Sunday. His lifetime occupation was a "loom-fixer". He understood narrow fabric looms looms of German design that were used in the manufacture of woven garment labels. I recall machines he built that were used in the cutting, folding and packaging of these lables. He also designed and built working rototypes of a much improved loom, but since he did not have the required backing and resources, nothing came of this. In later years, foreign competition and other methods nearly eliminated the woven label industry in this country. Dad very much enjoyed to fish in the lakes of Maine and this was his main recreation. From 1964-1966 he worked in South Norwalk, CT. In 1966 we moved to Richmond, Virginia where he managed a small label factory in Walkerton.
Dad had two previous marriages, the first was to Adele and I believe they may lived near Canton, Ohio for about 5 years and I don't think there were any children. After this, he returned to live with his sister Emily and her husband in Swanzy, NH. This was around 1930. He later worked in Rhode Island, possibly Pawtucket. This may have been around 1936 and I think he worked for a well known thread manufacturer. His brother Emil and his father may have been in Rhode Island around this time also.
The second marriage to Anna may have taken place in Rhode Island. There were two children of this marriage, Robert and Emily. During this period he went to work for a man by the name of Blumback who had another factory in Tennessee.
He sent dad there for short time to help get the factory running. After that, dad worked in Blumback's factory at Marlborough, NH (Miniwawa is the factory name I recall). After Dad and Anna divorced around 1945, she lived in Keene for a time. Robert and his mother may have gone to California. It is not known what became of Emily. Robert could have been adopted and have a different last name now.
My mother and her father also worked at the same factory in Marlborough, and this was where Dad met her.
The only family of his that I recall as a child was his sister Augusta who lived with her daughter and son-in-law in Paxton, Massachussets.
Luttringhausen, Germany is located about 20 miles east of Dusseldorf.
JRZ 26-11-1994
Gunnar
Berchner
