Saturday, March 22, 2014

1880s Autograph Album of William Kurz of Quincy, Illinois, student at St. Francis Solanus College, now Quincy University


1880s autograph album of William Kurz of Quincy, Illinois, a student at St. Francis Solanus College, now Quincy University.


The album is apprxoximately 5-1/4" x 3-1/4" and contains of the sentiments of 39 of Williams's schoolmates, friends and relatives.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.


From online research, hopefully correct:   [corrections and additions welcome!]

William Kurz was born 19 July 1865 at Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, a town which is now called Jim Thorpe, the son of Joseph and Walburga (Weisenhorn) Kurz, who had immigrated from Baden, Germany.

Walburga's brother Abraham Weisenhorn and his wife Emma Johanna (Buscher) Weisenhorn signed pages in William's album on May 19, 1883.  They were living at Helena, Montana, where Abraham was the president of the Weisenhorn Carriage Company.  Whether they had traveled east or William had traveled west, I don't know.



On 24 October 1888 at Quincy, Illinois, William Kurz married Emma Regina Mast, daughter of Joseph Mast, Jr., and Anna Maria (Bross) Mast.  Emma was born about November 1866 at Quincy, Illinois.  Interestingly, there's a page in the album signed by an Emma.


While I don't know if the Emma who signed the page above was Emma Regina Mast, I do know that Emma's older sister Christina (Mast) Sonnet signed a page on November 6, 1889.  She was the wife of Frank Sonnet.


William and Emma Kurz lived at Quincy, Illinois, and had, I think, six children.  William was a machinist.  Emma died in 1919, and William in 1927.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

The 1880 Census of Quincy, Illinois, included many of the students boarding at St. Francis Solanus College, which was an enormous help in deciphering some of the handwriting.  The page below, signed in German at Quincy, Illinois, on June 3, 1883, is beyond my scope, so I hope I reader happens by and provides a translation.

A reader has provided the sentiment and notes that there's no name attached to it.
Roses and carnations
All flowers wilt
But like an evergreen
Shall your mothers love bloom. 
Quincy, July 3. 1883


Surnames in the album

?   [6]
Burckle
Buxman
Buxmann
Carmody
Corrigan   [2]
Davis
Delabar
DeSassus
Dick
Fedler
Geiger
Hickey
Hickox
Koenig   [3]
Kurz
Laffey
McGirr
Morris
Mueller
O'Neil
Reen
Roberts   [2]
Schnelten
Sonnet
Stolteben
Weisenhorn   [2]
Yegge

List of signers     [Note: Given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]

?
  • The signer didn't give a name but gave the address Fly Creek.
  • Eda, signed on June 22, 1880
  • Ida, signed in 1880
  • Emma; possibly Emma Regina Mast, who would become William's wife on 24 October 1888.
  • ?, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on June 3, 1883
  • Written by a friend at St. Francis Solanus College at Quincy, Illinois, on February 21, 1880
B
  • Otto Burckle of Iowa City, Iowa, signed on march 20, 1880 at St. Francis Solanus. He was born about 1864 in Iowa.
  • M. Buxman, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on June 6, 188 [The last digit ran off the edge of the page.] Perhaps Maggie Buxman.
  • Tillie Buxmann, signed on March 2, 1882
C
  • M. Carmody of Carrollton, Illinois, signed at St. Francis Solanus on March 18, 1880. Mike Carmody, born about 1863 in Illinois.
  • James B. Corrigan, signed on February 21, 1880. He was born about 1857 in Illinois.
  • F. Corrigan, signed at College on march 21, 1880; presumably Frank Corrigan, born about 1858 in Illinois.
  • A. H. Critz, signed at Richmond, Iowa, on February 24, 1880; presumably Albert Critz, brother of signer Charles H. Critz or their younger sister Annetta H. Critz, but she would have been a bit young for the handwriting.
  • C. H. Critz, signed at St. Francis College; presumably Charles H. Crits, born about 1864 in Iowa. Presumably a relative of signer A. H. Critz, who may have been Charles' brother Albert or sister Annetta H.
D
  • C. H. Davis, signed on February 28, 1880. He was Charles H. Davis, born about 1863 in Illinois.
  • J. Delabar, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on May 11, 1880
  • Joe DeSassus, signed at St. Francis College on February 21, 1880. He was born about 1860 in Missouri.
  • Tillie Dick, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on June 22, 1880
F
  • John H. Fedler. Born 10 November 1860 at St. Louis, Missouri, son of Frank J. and Maria Theresia (Hinken) Fedler. Graduated from St. Francis College in 1884; future clergyman
G
  • F. B. Geiger [possibly M.?]., signed February 29, 1880 at St. Francis Solanus College. I believe he was Frank Geiger, born in Iowa about 1866.
H
  • Edd Hickey, A.B., of Peoria, signed on February 25, 1880. Edward Hickey, born about 1865 in Illinois, and living in the household of his uncle Hugh Dunn at Peoria, Illinois, in the 1880 Census.
  • Walter Hickox of Springfield, Illinois, signed on March 8, 1880. He was born about 1865 in Illinois.
K
  • Lou Koenig, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on February 11, 1884.  Presumably Louise Koenig, sister of signers Rosa Koenig and Fannie Koenig.
  • Rosa Koenig, signed at Quincy, Illinois in 1884.  Sister of signers Lou [Louise] Koenig and Fannie Koenig.
  • Fannie Koenig, signed at Quincy, Illinois, on February 11, 1884;  sister of signers Rosa Koenig and Louise Koenig
  • William Kurz of Quincy, Illinois; owner of this autorgraph album kept while he was a student at St. Francis Solanus College at Quincy, Illinois
L
  • M. J. Laffey, signed at West Point, Illinois on February 29 [no year written]
M
  • John McGirr, signed on February 25, 1880. He was born about 1864 in Rhode Island
  • Lloyd D. Morris, signed at St. Francis Solanus College, on February 29, 1880. He was born about 1862 in Canada.
  • Aug. J. Mueller from or signed at Herman, Missouri; perhaps August J. Mueller. Herman, Missouri, is now Hermann, Missouri, unless there was an old settlement named Herman, different from Hermann.
O
  • John O'Neil of Perry, Illinois, on March 2, 1880. He was born about 1862 in Illinois.
R
  • A. C. Reen.  A. Clemens Reen, born about 1864 in Illinois.
  • Georgie Roberts, signed March 27, 1883 at Quincy, Illinois.
  • May Roberts, signed in 1883. G.P.B.P.
S
  • J. B. Schnelten, signed at St. Francis College on Feburary 27, 1880. Presumably J. Bernard Schnelten, born in Germany about 1851
  • Christina Sonnet, signed on November 6, 1889; presumably Christina (Mast) Sonnet, born 23 March 1854 at Quincy, Illinois, daughter of Joseph and Mary Ann (Bross) Mast, who were both born at Baden, Germany, and wife of Frank Sonnet. She was an older sister to Emma Regina Mast, who would become the wife of album owner William Kurz in 1888.
  • A. Stolteben of Dubuque, Iowa, signed at St. Francis College, on February 29, 1880. Anthony Stolteben, who was born about 1865 at Dubuque, Iowa.
W
  • A. Weisenhorn of Helena, Montana, signed on May 19, 1883; presumably the August Weisenhorn who was born in Baden, Germany on 29 January 1842 and who became president of the Weisenhorn Carriage Company at Helena, Montana. He was the husband of signer Emma Weisenhorn and the uncle of album owner William Kurz - he was the sister of William's mother Walburga (Weisenhor
  • Emma J. Weisenhorn, signed on May 19, 1883, at Helena, Montana Territory; wife of signer August Weisenhorn, and aunt of William Kurz by virtue of her marriage to August Weisenhorn, who was a brother to William's mother Walburga (Weisenhorn) Kurz.
Y
  • John V. Yegge. He was born about 1864 in Iowa.
Quincy, Illinois


Thanks for stopping by!

2 comments:

  1. The Mast family is related to me via marriage to my Bross family. Am so glad this book survives!

    ReplyDelete