Early Life in Germany
Johann Deatrich Addicks was born May 31, 1840 in Germany (at the time, this area was known as Prussia). By October of 1862, Johann Addicks was a sailor. He is on the list of crew for the Johanne Marie, sailing from Bremen to New York. His permanent residence is listed of Brake, Germany.
Adventure in Baltimore
On July 3, 1869, Johann found himself at the port of Baltimore. However, this voyage was different from the rest. On this day, he decided to desert his ship and stay in Baltimore. Not exactly a legal thing to do. If he had been discovered, he would have faced punishment.
Below is an image from Bremen, German Desertions of Sailors, 1855-1874, from Ancestry.com. This is the record of Johann Diedrich Addicks' desertion. Even though the record is handwritten in German, it clearly says, "Addicks Diedrich... Brake" at the top and "1869 in Baltimore" at the bottom.
Why would he have deserted his post after so many years as a sailor? Had he come to love the United States as he sailed into the ports in New York and Baltimore? Were the conditions on this particular ship so horrible that he felt he had no other option but to abandon it?
We will probably never know what his reasons were. We do know that shortly after this, he married Catherine Brunkyn on February 6, 1870, only 7 months after his desertion. It would be romantic if he had deserted his ship because he had fallen in love with a local Baltimore girl, but there is no way of knowing how the two met, or when.
Life in Baltimore
Here is an image from the 1870 US Federal Census. Didrich Addicks is listed with his wife, Catherine. They are living in Baltimore, where he works as a laborer.
The family appears again in the 1880 US Federal Census. At this time, he is going by "John" instead of "Johann". He is now cashing in on his previous sailing experience by working as a sail maker. He and Catherine have had 3 children by this time; Johannah, Dora, and John.
Johann and Catherine Addicks had 7 children (according to the 1900 census, where Catherine is found). However, only 3 of these children were still living in 1900. The children of Johann and Catherine Addicks were:
Unknown Addicks (died before 1900)
James C. Addicks (died before 1900)
Johannah Frederka Caroline Addicks (1876 - 1938) married William John Martz
Dora Addicks (1878 - ?) married Frederick J. Martz (yes, these men were brothers)
John Addicks (1880 - 1881)
Jacob Christian Addicks (1883-1951) married Anna M. Beyer
Louisa Addicks (1892 - 1892)
Death of Johann Dietrich Addicks
Johann Dietrich Addicks died on December 28, 1898, in Baltimore, Maryland. Below is the death notice from the Baltimore Sun.
At the time of his death, Johann Dietrich Addicks was the night foreman in Canton. The following article appeared in the Baltimore Sun on December 31, 1898. He must have been a well liked and much respected man.
Hello, I am also researching the Addicks family in Baltimore. My GG grandfather was John Addicks born 1826. He was also known as Diedrich Addicks and worked as a Ship's Carpenter. His wife was named Dora. In my research, I have come across your grandfather in the Balto City directories with the same address as my grandfather in 1877-1880. I wonder if they were related some how.... Your research is fantastic! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment, Sandy! I wonder if these are all the same people. Dates can be quite a bit off from document to document, since a lot of it was self reported. I've only seen Johann (John) with Catherine. But, that doesn't mean his wife didn't have a nickname. My John Addicks named his daughter Dora. So, maybe she was named after your GG's wife?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to go back and look at my Addicks file and see what I can find.
Hi Kristy, I don't think they are the same people. My GG grandfather is listed in the 1870 Census as "Deichick Atricks" with his wife and 5 children. His wife and children arrived on the steamship Ohio July 31, 1869. My GG grandfather went by the name Deidrich then changed it to John on later documents such as the 1880 Census. My GG grandparents named their youngest son John D. so I thought he might have been named after John D. the sail maker... They could be half brothers.... those Germans tended to use the same names over and over.... It's interesting to try to sort all this out. Thanks, Sandy
ReplyDeleteKristy, It's also interesting that your G grandmother Johanna was a dressmaker just like my GG grandmother Dora! Johanna has the same name as my GG Grandfather's sister Johanna Blumenberg who traveled on the Ohio with Dora. What's your take on this??? Sandy
ReplyDeleteI have a large family Bible of J.W. Cassatt that was handed down to Cassat Martz, the son of Dr. George Jamison Martz and Bitha Martz. Cassat Martz was born in 1902 and died in 1989. There are a lot of old pictures in the Bible. I'm trying to find out if someone in the family wants this.
ReplyDeletePlease contact me at gwklink@gmail.com
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