The Twin Mystery

My mother knew that her great grandmother, Anna Marie Ott Spohr, had a twin sister.  My mom's mother, Beverly Frances Monk Spohr, had been told by Anna Marie Ott that Anna was a twin.  And we know that Anna Marie also had twin babies who were either stillborn or died in infancy.

When we found the old baptismal certificate of Anna Rosina Ott amongst family papers in the home of Beverly Monk & Carl Spohr Jr. in Harrisonville, Missouri, we assumed that Anna Rosina was Anna Marie's twin sister (because she had the same birth date that we had in our family records for Anna Marie).  We did not find any certificates for Anna Marie, but just assumed that it had been lost or had not survived.  

“N. Exh. 225, main office of the area: Karl, District: Putschirn, [Stamped 1888]

Baptism

Looking at the document from 1888 we find in the birth and baptism document for Putschirn book/volume VI page 68 certified, that

Anna Rosina Ott

The daughter of the couple Josef Ott, Miller and Carpenter: born in Kohling no. 68 old/6 new, son of Ignaz Ott living in Kohling no. 69 and Johanna born Meixner from Kohling, and Anna born Strunz born in Imligau no. 8 district Elbogen, married daughter of Anton Strunz living in Putschirn no. 15 and of Katharina born Mockl in Imligau.

on 10 August 1874 one thousand eight hundred and seventy four in Putschirn no. 15

born in the church of Zettlitz on 10 August from Constantine Winter, chaplain of the Catholic church baptized her. And the godmother Rosina Behm the wife of the worker [paid by the day] Franz Behm and the witness was Anna Warzberger proved midwife in Altrohlau.

Certificates of those and the signature of those that did this and next to it the seal of the priest.

Given by the priest of Zettlitz on 14 April 1890”

Source: Original document in the possession of Beverly Monk Spohr of Lee’s Summit, Missouri as of 2006.

When we started researching this family in the Bohemian records kept in the Czech Republic archives, and found family members in the matriky books (the Catholic birth/baptism, marriage, and death/burial record books), we were surprised to only find a birth/baptism record for Anna Rosina Ott, and no record or notes about a twin or about any other child in this family named Anna Maria Ott.  These records are generally very complete, and it would be especially unusual to have the record for one twin, but not to include the record for the other twin.  This made us start questioning: was there really not a twin?, was her name Anna Rosina at birth, even though every other record we have ever found for her calls her Anna Marie?, but why would she have told Grandma Bev that she was a twin if she wasn't? (Grandma had a very distinct memory of "Grandma Spohr," Anna Marie Ott Spohr, telling her she had a twin sister), or if there was a twin why would the birth/baptism record of only one of the twins be recorded in the books?

Birth record of Anna Rosina Ott:

"Born 10 August 1874, Baptized 10 August 1874, [name of pastor], name of child: Anna Rosina, Catholic, Female, Illegitimate,

Note in Latin: Legitimized per marriage of father, see Putschirn VII page 8.

Note in German: Josef Ott is well known and it is recorded that he is the father of the child.  Graslitz on 22 September 1874.  [signed by the pastor and witnesses,] Robert Ott witness, Alois Dörr witness.

Father: Josef Ott miller and carpenter (house builder) born in Kohling Number 69 old/8 new, legitimate son of the deceased Ignaz Ott cottager in Kohling Number 19 and Johanna born Meixner in Kohling Number 29.

Note: Josef Ott child's father.

Mother: Anna Strunz born in Imligau Number 8, Elbogen district, daughter of the deceased Anton Strunz, cottager and day laborer in Putschirn Number 15 and Katharina born Möckl of Imligau.

Witnesses: Rosina Behm housewife of Franz Böhm, day laborer in Putschirn."

Source: Photographs IMG_0511 through IMG_0522; IMG_0608 through IMG_0614.

Photographs of birth record in Putschirn Book VI, page 68, taken by Amy Lynn Spohr Chidester and Steven John Chidester on their trip to the Czech Republic in February 2008, (digital copies of these photographs in the possession of Stephanie Chidester Bradshaw).   

[These records can now be accessed online: Sedlec book 074, image 70 of 96].

We knew that Anna Marie Ott came to America with her family when she was a child.  And we found a 1900 US Federal Census record showing Anna Marie's mother, Maria Anna Strunz Ott.  Anna Strunz Ott was listed as a widow on that census, and since we had not found the death record of her husband, Josef Ott, in Bohemia, we were unsure whether Josef had died in Europe and the family had gone to America without him, or if he had made the journey with them and then passed away.  The other big clue was that the 1900 census stated that Anna [Strunz] Ott was the "mother of 5 children, 3 children living."  At that time we were aware of the following children in this family: 

1. Anna Marie,

2. her possible twin, Anna Rosina,

3. Franz Josef,

4. Josef (who died as an infant before the family came to the US), and 

5. Louis Christopher Ott (who was born in the US).  

1900 US Census:

“Line 49, Anna Ott, head of household, white, female born Apr 1845, age 55, widow, mother of 5 children, 3 children living, born in Germany, father born in Germany, mother born in Germany, year of immigration to the United States: 1883, number of years in the United States: 17, able to read, able to write, able to speak English, renting house.

Line 50, Louis Ott, son, white, male born June 1884, age 15, single, born in Ohio, father born in Germany, mother born in Germany, occupation: Jeweler, 0 months unemployed, able to read, able to write, able to speak English.”

Source: 1900 United States Federal Census, Cincinnati, Ward 11, Hamilton, Ohio, , roll T623 1276, page 11A, Enumeration District 86, dated 9 June 1900, street: Frintz Street, family no. 246, lines 49-50.

So we took that as a big clue in this twin mystery: If her mother had 5 children, and by 1900 we knew she only had 3 children living, and we knew that baby Josef had died, that meant that there was one more unaccounted for child who had to have died before the 1900 census.  It must be the missing twin, who must have died before 1900.  We went back and double checked and triple checked the birth/baptism records, and still found no twin.  We searched the death records, and found no twin.  And we searched to see if there may have been a separate section for the death records of stillborn children or illegitimate children (which we have occasionally encountered in other Bohemian towns), but did not find any other sections of records for the town where this family lived.  Without any further information at the time, we just left the twin mystery unsolved for several years.  

My mom later found a ship's passenger list for the family from when they traveled on the ship SS Weser from Bremen, Germany to Baltimore, USA and arrived on 10 June 1882.  At first we weren't totally sure that it was the right family (but many of the facts did match what we knew of our Ott family, and it certainly matched our Ott family better than any other passenger records we had been able to find).  

Passenger List:

"Josef Ott, age 36, male, carpenter, from Bohemia, going to Baltimore, Steerage. 

Anna Ott, age 37, female, Bohemia, Baltimore, Steerage. 

Auguste Ott, age 7, female, Bohemia, Baltimore, Steerage. 

Franz Ott, age 4, male, Bohemia, Baltimore, Steerage. 

Theresia Ott, age 10 months, female, Bohemia, Baltimore, Steerage.”

Source: Baltimore Passenger Lists 1820-1964, ancestry.com, 

M255 - Baltimore, 1882, roll number 35, website image 652 of 806, numbers 679-683:

Date of arrival: 10 June 1882.  Sworn to that the passengers boarded the vessel SS Weser at Bremen Germany.

(Surname written in ship list as “Ott,” but indexed on Ancestry.com as “Oss.”)

The names, ages, and occupation for Josef, Anna, & Franz all matched the information we had about the family.  But this was the first record indicating the possibility that the father Josef may have accompanied the family to America, and we hadn't found any other evidence of him coming to America yet, so we weren't sure about that.  And we know that Anna Marie would have been 7 years old at that time, so the age of this little girl is correct -- we don't know why they would have listed her name as Auguste, though, (except for the possibility that there may have been some confusion because Anna Marie was born in the month August).  And we had never heard of a baby Theresia.  We went back and searched the Bohemian records again, hoping to find the birth/baptism record of a baby Theresia, which would have proven that this passenger list was indeed the record of our Ott family, but found no birth record for her.  We searched in surrounding towns in Bohemia, and still no Theresia.  But, since the passenger list said she was only 10 months old, we did think it was possible that she was born somewhere in Bohemia or Germany -- they could have possibly lived temporarily in any number of locations between their Bohemian hometown and the port in Bremen anytime between January 1879 [the death date of their baby boy, Josef Ott, in Bohemia] and when they boarded the ship to go to America.  

Later my mom started searching for the family in the Cincinnati City Directories, where she found Anna [Strunz] Ott listed as a widow in several different yearly editions of the city directory.  And then she made a breakthrough when she found Josef Ott on the city directory.  He had come to America with the family!  We have continued to be unsuccessful in finding any kind of death or burial record for Josef Ott up to today, but because we made a chart and searched for Josef Ott each year, and later for the widow Anna Ott each year, we were able to narrow down the range for Josef's death date to between 1887 and 1889.  We found that Joseph was listed on the city directory as both Joseph Ott and Frank Ott in different years, so we assume that his birth name was likely Franz Josef Ott.  We found that Josef was a carpenter and a miller (both occupations that were also listed for him on his marriage record and on his childrens' birth records back in Bohemia) in Cincinnati between 1884 and 1887, we did not find him on the 1888 city directory, and on the 1889 directory "Anna Ott, widow of Frank" is listed living at 18 Hamer Street.  And in subsequent years Anna is always listed (some years she's listed as the widow of Frank, and other years as the widow of Joseph).  

1889 Cincinnati City Directory: 

“Ott, Anna wid. Frank. h. 18 Hamer”

Source: "US City Directories, 1822-1995", , Ancestry.com image 596 of 1060,  page 1016.

So that was a good clue for us, making us think that the passenger list may be for our Ott family.  But we still hadn't found any mention of baby Theresia Ott on any records other than that passenger list. . . . until yesterday!

My mom called me yesterday and we were talking about our Ott family, and while we were on the phone she was looking up some information online.  She was on a website for the University of Cincinnati, in a collection of 1881 to 1891 birth and death records.  And she found her: Theresa Ott, age 8 years, died 11-30-88, address 18 Hammer St., birthplace Germany, cause of death Pneumonia, Dr. J. F. Bailey, J. B. Habig, St. Mary’s Cemetery.  And she also found a second record for Teresia Ott on the Cincinatti Catholic Cemetery Society website, which just lists the funeral date (also on 30 Nov 1888), and says that she was buried in section 6 of St. Mary's Cemetery.  

Death Record:

“Pg 130, 1888, 382,

Ott- Theresa,

F W S [female, white, single],

[age & date at death] 8 yrs 11-30-88,

[home address] 18 Hammer St.,

[birth] Germany,

[cause of death] Pneumonia,

Dr. J. F. Bailey,

J. B. Habig,

St. Mary’s Cem."
Source: Collection: 1888-1891 Cincinnati Birth and Death Records, Title: Ott, Theresa (Death, 1888-11-30), Contributor: Cincinnati (Ohio). Health Dept., Identifier: 358173 (File Order Number), Original record filed in drawer labeled ‘OSER-OTTEN,’ Repository: University of Cincinnati, Archives and Rare Books Library.

Burial Record:

"TERESIA OTT

Cemetery: ST. MARY [701 East Ross Avenue]

Last Name: OTT

First Name: TERESIA

Gender: [blank]

Died: UNKNOWN

Funeral Date: NOV 30, 1888

Born: UNKNOWN

Age: [blank]

Section: 6

SUBSubsectionECTION: [blank]

Lot: [blank]

Grave: [blank]

Processed: [blank]

ID Col: 2000046864

Servno: 256333

Sertype: B

Pidno: 260831”

Source: Cincinnati Catholic Cemetery Society, search: Ott, Teresia,

Theresia was part of our Ott family!  Even though her death records didn't list any information about her parents, because of the 1889 Cincinnati City Directory we know that her family lived at 18 Hamer Street, which matches her address on her death record.  Theresia was part of the family, and she didn't just die as a little baby -- she lived until 8 years old.  Her younger brother, Louis Christopher, who was born in Ohio, would have been about 4 years old when his big sister Theresia passed away.  We were so glad to finally fill in the gaps and know that Theresia really was part of the family.  

Finding Theresia's death record validated the passenger list, and it also answered another question for us:  The 1900 census showed that Anna Strunz Ott was the mother of 5 children, 3 children living at that time.  Theresia was the second deceased child in the family, and she had passed away before 1900.  We still don't know why Anna Marie said she had a twin, or if there may have been some misunderstanding about what she said.  But there are no records that indicate she had a twin, and all of the children are accounted for.  

Maria Anna Strunz Ott with her sons, Franz Josef & Louis Christopher Ott 

Anne Rosina "Anna Marie" Ott Spohr

Amelia Spohr, William Schaeffer, Anna Marie Ott, & Ludwig Spohr:
Anna & Ludwig's wedding portrait

Anna Marie Ott Spohr & her mother, Maria Anna Stunz Ott

Anna Strunz Ott

Anna Rosina "Anna Marie" Ott Spohr (back row, 4th from left), and her brother Franz Josef "Frank" Ott (back row, 5th from left).

*And the next thing that this gets me wondering about: I've never seen a photo of Theresia (or any Ott family photos with an unidentified baby or little girl in them).  But we have a couple boxes of old photos from my Grandma Bev's & Grandpa Carl's house which contain many unidentified photographs.  I know several of those unidentified photos were taken in Cincinnati.  I wonder if any were of her?  And even if they are, I wonder if there's any way to ever find out if it is her? . . .