52 Ancestor's Challenge - Week 17 - Martin Kutz - From Prussia to Chicago, IL

Martin Kutz is the furthest I can trace the Kutz line on my father's side of the family.  He is my 3rd great grandfather.  I haven't been terribly successful in tracing my German roots.  So this line is a work in progress.

According to family, he was born October 5, 1830 in Germany, and he married Anna Dräger.  The date and place of their marriage is unknown, however, their first child was born January 15, 1860 in Chicago, IL.  Anna was born 30 Jan 1833 in Germany, and died 26 Nov 1902 in Chicago, IL.

Ancestry.com has a passenger list for the ship Athena, arriving May 28, 1858 into New York, from Breman, Germany.  On one page, it shows a Martin Kutz, age 27.  Just nine lines below Martin is someone named Anna Dräger.  Not sure these are the same people, but could they have traveled together to the U.S.?  Did they meet onboard, or possibly know each other before leaving?  A copy of the manifest is shown below.

Ship Manifest for the Athena sailing from Bremen, Germany to New York, arriving May 28, 1858.
Found on the "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" on Ancestry.com (page 149 of 514).
Shows Martin Kutz age 27, and Anna Dräger age 22 just 9 rows below Martin. 

Martin had a sister named Gustina/Justine Kutz who married August Kienitz in 1849 in Germany.  I've been in touch with someone who descends from this line, and they say Gustina was the daughter of William Kutz, and was born September 23, 1832 in Steglitz, Brandenburg Province, Prussia.  I haven't been able to verify this though, or the fact that they were siblings.  So I'm not 100% sure.  However, Gustina and her family came to the U.S. in 1853, originally settling near Princeton, WI before settling in Faribault, MN.  Gustina died 12 Sep 1915 in Blue Earth, MN.

Martin Kutz and Anna Dräger had the following children:

• Wilhelmina Kutz (Minnie) - b. 15 Jan 1860 in Chicago, IL - married Fred Hagenmeister 11 Oct 1879 - Minnie died 10 Sep 1947
• John Martin Kutz - b. 18 Jun 1861 in Chicago, IL - married Ida Haase 10 May 1890 - John died 12 Nov 1933
• Mary Kutz - b. 13 Jan 1863 - died in 1869
• Emma Kutz - b. 25 Sep 1865 in Chicago, IL - never married - died 6 May 1941 in Chicago, IL
• Herman Kutz (Henry) - b. 1 Oct 1867 in Chicago, IL - never married - died 14 April 1923 in Chicago, IL
• Augusta Kutz (Gussie) - b. 10 August 1870 in Chicago, IL - never married - died 23 May 1923 in Chicago, IL
• Anna Kutz - b. May 1874 in Chicago, IL - never married - died 29 May 1943 in Chicago, IL

**The only census I can locate Martin on is the 1880 Federal census.  He is listed with Anna and their children on page 32 in Enumeration District 142, Chicago, Cook County, IL.  They are shown living at 144 Cornell Street.  It says Martin worked as a day laborer, he could not read or write, and he was born in Prussia.

He is listed on the "Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for U.S. District & Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950," found on page 47 of 3149 on Familysearch.org.  It shows he was born in Germany and became a Naturalized U.S. citizen on 4 Nov 1876.  I've attempted to obtain the paperwork on file, but haven't been able yet.  Because the paperwork is so old, I doubt there is much information on it to go off of anyway.

Martin died 3 Nov 1888 in Chicago, IL.  The death certificate indicates he was 58 years old, lived at 144 Cornell Street in the 16th ward, Cook County, IL.  The cause of death is listed as Pneumonia.

Death Certificate copy in my files for Martin Kutz ordered from Cook County, IL, and received July 2007

If you have any questions, or concerns, about the information in this post, please leave me a comment. I'd be happy to answer any questions, or share what information I have on the individuals listed above. Thanks for reading!!


**Upon further investigation, I was able to find Martin Kutz on the 1860 Federal census.  He was living in the 6th Ward of Chicago City, Cook County, IL, house number 1674 on page 202 of 404 on Ancestry.com.  He is listed as a laborer, age 30, from Baden.  His wife Anna is listed as 27, also from Baden, and their daughter "Mena," which I'm guessing is Minnie, is listed as 1 years old, and born in Illinois.

This post was part of the 52 Ancestor's Challenge brought by Amy Johnson Crow.