George and Pauline (Zeller) Krumbholz
GEORG ADAM1 KRUMBHOLZ was born at Schwarzenbach, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, on 6 September 1857, a son of GEORG BERNHARDT KRUMBHOLZ and his wife SUSAN CHRISTIANA POVERY.[1] He died at New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on 6 April 1936.[2] He married at New Bedford on 16 July 1885 PAULINE ZELLER.[3] She was born at Weissenstein, in the Kingdom of Württemberg on 24 December 1855, a daughter of THOMAS ZELLER and his wife JOSEPHINE NAGEL.[4] She died at New Bedford on 29 July 1939.[5]
There are two villages named Schwarzenbach in northeastern Bavaria. Schwarzenbach am der Saale is about 8 miles southwest of Hof, in the extreme northeast corner of Bavaria, about 90 miles northeast of Nuremberg. The other Schwarzenbach, about 62 mules further south, is about 70 miles east-northeast of Nuremberg. Both are small rural communities not far from the Czech border. Nothing in the records available in the United States indicates which Schwarzenbach was Georg's birthplace. However, Georg's father, Georg Bernhardt Krumbholz, was born at Neuenhammer,[6] an even smaller village about 37 miles east of the more southerly Schwarzenbach, which makes that the more likely location of Georg's birth.
Georg Krumbholz fathered a child in Germany before coming to America. The rest of the family did not know this until the period immediately after World War II. When their country was in ruins, Germans were encouraged to write to relatives in America for direct assistance. George's son received a letter, addressed to his late father, from a relative he did not know he had, a cousin surnamed Lang, requesting aid. George's son in America, with the help of his family, prepared a package of aid for his half-sister and her family in Germany. According to the story as passed on to the next generation, Mr. Lang was a professor and had been persecuted by the Nazis. When George B. visited Germany after his 50th wedding anniversary, he visited Mr. Lang's daughter and her second husband. Mr. Lang's son died on the Russian front. Mr. Lang helped George locate his half-sister.[7]
One family tradition claims that Georg was a comedian in Germany before coming to America. Another family tradition is that Georg spoke a low German dialect, unlike his wife's high German, which would indicate that he grew up in northern Germany.[8]
Pauline Zeller came from Stuttgart, according to family tradition. However her baptismal record indicates Weissenstein as her birth place, and on the 1920 census the census taker wrote "Weiserstein" for her birth place and her father's birth place before crossing it out and writing "Germany."[9] Weissenstein is a small rural community about 40 miles east of Stuttgart, in the municipality of Lauterstein.
According to Granddaughter Pauline, her grandmother, Pauline Zeller, was well educated in a convent, and spoke English, French and German and read Latin, and was engaged in domestic service before coming to America.[10]
Pauline Zeller came to America some time between 1878 and 1885, probably in 1878 or 1879. She carried in her prayer book a communion card that indicated she had received communion in Stuttgart in 1878.[11] He death record said that she had lived in the United States 45 years, but her obituary claimed she had lived in New Bedford for at least 60 years. If the latter record is correct, she would have arrived in New Bedford by 1879. Census records listed her year of immigration as 1865 (1900 census), 1883 (1910 census), 1887 (1920 census) and 1884 (1930 census).
Georg Adam Krumbholz left Germany from Hamburg on the S/S India, I. I. VanHoldt, master, and arrived at the port of New York, where the passenger list was submitted customs officials on 2 June 1884. He was listed as no. 195, Adam Krumholz, age 27, male, weaver, traveling from Bavaria to New York.[12]
Georg and Pauline were both living in New Bedford when they married in 1885. The record called them "Adam Krumphore," weaver, born at Germany to Berhhardt and Christiana, and "Paulina Cellar," born at Germany to Thomas and Josephine. They were married by James G. Brady of New Bedford, Catholic priest.[13]
The Krumbholz family lived in New Bedford most of their lives. However, according to his obituary they lived in Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island, for four years. Based on the birthplaces of their children, they probably moved to Pawtucket sometime between 1889 and 1891, and returned to New Bedford between 1895 and 1898. When George applied for citizenship in 1889 he resided at 55 Washburn Street, New Bedford.[14] The 1900 Census found the family at 8 Court Street, New Bedford;[15] the 1910 census, and all future records, reported the family at 363 Cedar Street, New Bedford.[16]
George A. Krumbholz was granted citizenship in the United States of America on 23 November 1889, at New Bedford, by the third district court of Bristol County. His application for citizenship clearly indicated his birth at Schwarzenbach on 6 September 1857, and his arrival at New York City on or about the first of June, 1884.[17]
These citizenship papers were stamped several times by the registrar of voters, indicating George's eligibility to vote. Evidently, in the days before women's suffrage, such papers were not considered necessary for women. On the back of the paper is a registry stamp, with the words "for wife Pauline" written in. After George's death, his widow Pauline evidently voted on the basis of his citizenship.
George and Pauline raised a family, worked in the cotton textile mills, and participated in the life of the small German community in the North End of New Bedford. For Pauline, always devoutly religious, this community life centered around Saint Boniface Roman Catholic Church. For George, in addition to work and family, life included the German Club and the Union Hall.[18]
Grandson Arnold Kuntz shared his memories of George and Pauline in a letter in 1985:[19]
She was a very religious woman. I shall never forget her or any of my relations.
Very thrifty old time German people. Very jolly. Both were weavers in New Bedford cotton mills. Their home was my family's second home. Our yards ran into each other. They lived on 363 Cedar Street and we lived on 48 Willow St. around the corner. Grandparents took care of my sisters and brother and myself while my parents worked in New York City.
Grandfather I think was President of German Men's Club then located on Adams St., New Bedford. They always had a Christmas party for members and their families. He used to play Santa Claus for the children who received a bag of fruit, candy and other things. Your Grandfather George K. supplied dance music for this event each year.
Grandfather did most of his house repairs and made his own Home Brew.
Grandmother was a good clean housekeeper and a good cook and baker--very religious. Was President of Rosary Society of St. Boniface Church. Also cooked all meats at home when church had what they called German Supper once a year. She did this in the summer time in July or August. She cooked maybe 20 or 30 fresh hams. Also kept house for priests of Sacred Heart Monastery of Fairhaven, Mass., when they went on vacation on Cape Cod. I think it used to be at Onset. Don't know if monastery is still there.
She was a very kind person and liked to play Pinochle with my parents most every evening.
They also had a daughter named Mary who died I think of pneumonia at age 18 in New Bedford, 363 Cedar St. She was an organist at St. Boniface Church. Buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. I used to go with Grandparents to cemetery to cut grass on grave.
Grandmother used to go shopping on Saturday P.M. down on Acushnet Ave. for groceries. My sisters went with her to carry groceries. I used to watch the beans in the coal stove for supper. Shopping used to take about 3 hours as they had to walk both ways--about 1½ miles each way.
According to the family record which Pauline kept on the inside of the front cover of her prayer book, they had a daughter, Margaret, born 10 May 1886.[20] There is no other record of this child, and no family members with whom I spoke were aware of her.
Their last child, Mary, died in 1915 at the age of seventeen. At that time George purchased the cemetery plot in which they would later be buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford.[21] Mary played the organ at Saint Boniface Church.[22]
The 1910 census reported the family when all of the children were still at home:[23]
| Line | Name | Related | Sex | Race | Age | MS | B | FB | MB | Occupation |
| 74. | Krumb, George A. | head | M | W | 53 | M1 | Germany | Germany | Germany | weaver, cotton mill |
| 75. | Krumb, Pauline | wife | F | W | 55 | M1 | Germany | Germany | Germany | none |
| 76. | Krumb, Emily M. | daughter | F | W | 22 | S | MA | Germany | Germany | singer, concert |
| 77. | Krumb, Annie P. | daughter | F | W | 20 | S | MA | Germany | Germany | winder, cotton mill |
| 78. | Krumb, Katherine L. | daughter | F | W | 18 | S | RI | Germany | Germany | winder, cotton mill |
| 79. | Krumb, George B. | son | M | W | 15 | S | RI | Germany | Germany | none |
| 80. | Krumb, Mary L. | daughter | F | W | 12 | S | MA | Germany | Germany | none |
The record also indicated that George had immigrated in 1884, Pauline in 1883, George had been naturalized, and he owned their own home, with a mortgage; George and Pauline had been married 25 years, and Pauline had given birth to six children, five of whom were still living.
The family changed rapidly in the following decade. Katey married in 1911, Emily in 1912, George in 1915, in the month following Mary's death, and Annie married about 1916-7. However, the married children remained close, all living in New Bedford, at least part of the time, and Emily's family was living with her parents at the time of the 1930 census.[24]
According to information gathered through phone conversations and fading memories in 1961, George had hazel eyes and brown hair, Pauline had blue eyes and black hair, and all five children, like their father, had hazel eyes and brown hair.[25]
George A. Krumbholz died in 1936, at home, aged 78 years, from coronary thrombosis; contributory causes: chronic arteriosclerosis and chronic myocarditis.[26] The following obituary appeared in the New Bedford Standart Times:[27]
Obituary:
George A. Krumbholz, 78, husband of Mrs. Pauline (Zeller) Krumbholz, died yesterday at his home, 363 Cedar Street, following a heart attack. Born in Schwarzenback, a/S. Bavaria, Germany, he came here in 1884 and with the exception of four years in Pawtucket, had resided in this city. He was a mill operative and a member of the German Club on Adams Street.
Besides his widow, he leaves three daughters, Mrs. Emily M. Kuntz, Buffalo, N.Y.; Mrs. Annie P. Protz, Mrs. Katherine L. Branchaud, a son, George B. Krumbholz, and 15 grandchildren in this city.
Pauline, who was living at the time with her daughter Katheryn at 8 Studley Street, New Bedford, died in 1939, at the age of 83, at Saint Luke's Hospital, New Bedford, from terminal broncho pneumonia; contributory cause: annular carcinoma of descending colon, having had surgery four days prior.[28] Her obituary appeared in the New Bedford Standart Times:[29]
Obituary:
Mrs. Pauline (Zeller) Krumbholz, 83, widow of George Krumbholz, died yesterday at St. Luke's Hospital, following an illness of one month. She was a native of Germany and had been resident in New Bedford for the last 60 years. A charter member of St. Boniface Church, Mrs. Krumbholz was an ardent worker in church affairs and was active in the functions of the Sacred Heart Society.
Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Kathleen Branchaud of 8 Studley Street, with whom she made her home, and Mrs. Emily Kuntz of Buffalo, N.Y., a son, George Krumbholz, of this city, 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.
Daughter Anna had died the previous year.
George and Pauline are buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford.[30]
George A. and Pauline Zeller Krumbholz had the following children:
1"Naturalization Records," National Archives at Boston, Waltham, Massachusetts., Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 9 September 2016), digital image, "Petition," ; George A. Krumbholz.
2Standard Certificate of Death, George A. Krumbholz, 6 April 1936, New Bedford, Massachusetts, issued by Commonwealth of Massachusetts, State Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, 1936, vol, 64, p. 121, no. 457, issued 12 April 1985; privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania
3Massachusetts Archives, "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 14 September 2017), vol. 361, p. 146, e. 307, New Bedford Marriages, 1885, Krumphore-Cellar.
4Baptismal Record, Pauline Zeller, 24 December 1855, Weissenstein, Württemberg, privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
5Standard Certificate of Death, Pauline Krumholz, 29 July 1939, New Bedford, Massachusetts, issued by Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Human Services, State Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, New Bedford no. 250, issued 9 September 1985; privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
6Standard Certificate of Death, George A. Krumbholz
7Charles A. Maxfield Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, interview by Charles A. Maxfield III, about 1984–5; notes, privately held by Charles A. Maxfield III, Lansdale, PA,
8Charles A. Maxfield Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield, interview, about 1984–5.
9Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, enumeration district (ED) 125, roll 685, p. 20A, household 481, George A. Krumbholz family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2015); NARA microfilm record group T625, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
10Charles A. Maxfield Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield, interview, about 1984–5.
11Communion Card, Stuttgart, 1878, found in Prayer Book of Pauline Zeller Krumbholz; privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania
12"Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897," Ancestry (ancestry.com; Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. : accessed 20 March 2018), digital image, Roll 477; Line: 12; List Number: 660.
13"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," vol. 361, p. 146, e. 307, New Bedford Marriages, 1885, Krumphore-Cellar.
14"Naturalization Records," Ancestry, "Petition,"
15Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population, New Bedford , Bristol County, Massachusetts, enumeration district (ED) 174, p. 16B, household 267, George Krumpholz family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2015); NARA microfilm record group T623.
16Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, enumeration district (ED) 190, roll 578, p. 15B, household 389, George Krumb family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2015); NARA group T624, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
17"Naturalization Records," Ancestry, "Petition,"
18Charles A. Maxfield Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield, interview, about 1984–5.
19Letter from Arnold G. Kuntz, to Charles A. Maxfield, 21 February 1985; held in by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
20Family Record, in Pauline Zeller Krumbholz Prayer Book, privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, PA.
21George A. Krumbholz, receipt for purchase of lot no. 586, section 5, Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 3 May 1915; privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
22Charles A. Maxfield Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield, interview, about 1984–5.
231910 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, ED 190, roll 578, p. 15B, household 389, George Krumb family.
24Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, enumeration district (ED) 100, p. 20A, household 336, George A. Krumbholt family; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 23 December 2015); NARA microfilm record group T626; Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
25Charles A. Maxfield Family Tree Hair and Eyes, 1961, privately held by Charles A. Maxfield; Family Tree indicating hair and eye color, prepared for a High School Biology Class.
26Standard Certificate of Death, George A. Krumbholz.
27"Deaths: George A. Krumbholz," obituary, New Bedford Standard Times, 17 April 1936, 2.
28Standard Certificate of Death, Pauline Krumholz.
29"Deaths: Mrs. Pauline Krumbholz," obituary, New Bedford Standard Times, 30 July 1939, 2,27.
30Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Massachusetts.
31"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," digital images, American Ancestors, vol. 475, p. 286, e. 377, New Bedford Births, 1898, Mary Krimholtz.
32"Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1911-1915," digital images, American Ancestors, Deaths v. 56, no. 128, Mary Lillian Krumbholz.
Krumbholz, Pauline Zeller. Prayer Book; Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, PA.
Kuntz, Arnold G. Letter. 21 February 1985, to Charles A. Maxfield. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
Massachusetts Archives. "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910." Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2017.
Massachusetts, Commonwealth of, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915. Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2018.
Maxfield, Charles A. Jr., and Pauline Krumbholz Maxfield. Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Interview by Charles A. Maxfield III, about 1984–5. notes. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield III, Lansdale, PA.
Maxfield, Charles A. Family Tree Hair and Eyes. 1961. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield,
Maxfield, Charles A., Genealogical Collection, Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
"Naturalization Records." Digital image. National Archives at Boston, Waltham, Massachusetts, Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2016.
New Bedford, Massachusetts. Standard Times.
Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Massachusetts.
United States Customs Service, "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897." Digital image. Ancestry. ancestry.com; Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C. : 2018.
United States Department of the Census. Twelth Census of the United States: 1900, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2015.
________. Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2015.
________. Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2015.
________. Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930, population. Digital images. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2015.