1910 U.S. Census for Charles Coelestin Mattmann

In 1910 Carl and his wife are living in Queens, Queens, New York. They are listed as having been married 47 years. Both his parents are listed as having been born in Switzerland, German speaking. He is listed as having immigrated in 1869 and as being
naturalized. His is also listed as a silk manufacturer in a silk mill. Renting a house.

1910 U.S. Census, Queens County, New York, population schedule, Queens Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) ed 1176, sheet 10A, p. 19, ln. 43, Dwelling 112, Family 192, Carl Matman; digital images, (http://www.ancestry.com : Viewed 4 December 2010); NARA Roll T624_1064.

1900 U.S. Census for Charles Coelestin Mattmann

In 1900 Charles and his wife are living in Queens, Queens, New York. They are listed as having been married 37 years. Both his parents are listed as being born in Germany. He is listed as having immigrated in 1866 and as being naturalized. Charles is also listed as a manufacturer of silk. He is renting a house.

1900 U.S. Census, Queens County, New York, population schedule, Queens Ward 1, enumeration district (ED) ed 619, sheet 32B, pg. 64, ln. 100, Dwelling 399, Family 680, Charles Mattmann; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : Viewed 4 December 2010); NARA Roll T623_ 1146.

1870 U.S. Census for Charles Coelestin Mattmann

In 1870 Charles and his wife are living in Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey. He is listed as a Keeper of Dry Goods. He has $0 Real Estate and $500 Personal Estate.

1870 U.S. Census, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, Hoboken Ward 2, p. 46, ln. 36, Dwelling 184, Family 322, Charles Mattman; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : Viewed 4 December 2010); NARA Roll M593_865.

1930 U.S. Census for Selma Elsa Seimer Mattmann

In 1930 Selma was living in Cliffside Park, Bergen, New Jersey. She is listed as renting a house for $58 a month. Her father was born in Germany, her mother was born in Wurttemberg.

1930 U.S. Census, Bergen County, New Jersey, population schedule, Cliffside Park, enumeration district (ED) 30, Image 7, sheet 4A, line 39, dwelling Apt 26, family 99, Selma Mattmann; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 September 2010); NARA Roll 1314.

1920 U.S. Census for Selma Elsa Seimer Mattmann

In 1920 Selma was living in Ridgefield, Bergen, New Jersey. She was listed as being widowed. Her father was born in Saxony, her mother was born in Wurttemberg.

1920 U.S. Census, Bergen County, New Jersey, population schedule, Ridgefield, enumeration district (ED) 96, Image 28, sheet 14B, line 87, dwelling 287, family 309, Selma Mattmann; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2010); NARA Roll T625_1018.

1910 U.S. Census for Selma Elsa Seimer Mattmann

In 1910 Selma was living in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey with her daughter Sylvia. She is listed as being widowed and married for 28 years. She is listed as having borne two children, two of which are still living. Both her parents were born in Germany.

1910 U.S. Census, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, North Bergen Ward 2, enumeration district (ED) 247, Image 9, sheet 5A, line 40, dwelling 84, family 93, Selma Mattmann; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2010); NARA Roll T624_893.

1900 U.S. Census for Robert Seimer's Family

In 1900 Robert and Selma were living in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. Both are listed as widowers. Both Robert's parents were born in Germany. Robert immigrated in 1848 and was naturalized. Selma is listed as having two children, two of which were living.

1900 U.S. Census, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, North Bergen, enumeration district (ED) 54, Image 24, sheet 12A, line 13, dwelling 212, family 238, Robert Seimer; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2010); NARA Roll T623_ 974.

1895 New Jersey State Census for Robert Seimer's Family

In the 1895 New Jersey State Census Robert was living in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. He has no wife listed.

Robert Seimer, 1895 State Census of New Jersey, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, North Bergen, page 50, line 3147, Dwelling 579, family 649; , New Jersey State Archives, Trenton, New Jersey.

1880 U.S. Census for Robert Seimer's Family

In 1880 Robert and Josephine were living in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. He is listed as working with Ornaments. Both his parents were born in Saxony. Both her parents were born in Wurrtemberg. Their surname is listed as Seumer.

1880 U.S. Census, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, North Bergen, enumeration district (ED) 58, Image 75, sheet 314C, line 45, dwelling 526, family 556, Robt Seumer; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2010); NARA Roll 785.

1870 U.S. Census for Robert Seimer's Family

In 1870 Robert and Josephine were living in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. He is listed as an Importer of Pearls. His Real Estate was $40,000. His Personal Estate was $1,500.

1870 U.S. Census, Hudson County, New Jersey, population schedule, North Bergen, Image 31, sheet 289A, line 24, dwelling 200, family 237, Robert Seimer; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 9 September 2010); NARA Roll M593_865.

Death of Theodore Joseph Mattmann

Theodore Joseph Mattmann died on January 9th, 1890 after a nine day battle with pneumonia. Although he was originally buried in another cemetery, Theodore was reinterred with his wife and in-laws on March 9th, 1940 in the Brookside Cemetery in Englewood, Bergen, New Jersey. His wife Selma Elsa Seimer had died just days before on March 6th, 1940 in Leonia, Bergen, New Jersey.

"Coachman's Aim Poor"

Although the day-to-day life of Theodore Joseph Mattmann is still somewhat of a mystery, his brother Charles Coelestin Mattmann left many clues that allow us to follow the trail of his life story. One of these is a newspaper article that appeared on the second page of the New-York Daily Tribune on Saturday, August 31, 1907. Entitled "Coachman's Aim Poor," the article relates an experience which was had by Charles' daughter Sophia M. and her son J. Warren Baldwin. For those of you who, for whatever reason, can't enlarge the attached article or who simply want to enjoy a new experience, the entirety of the article can be heard by clicking on the podcast link entitled "Coachman's Aim Poor" on the blog toolbar. The music that accompanies the podcast is "Frog Legs Rag" which was composed by James Scott and was published in 1906, just one year before the newspaper article appeared.

Offspring of Charles Mattmann and Sophia Schmid

Charles and Sophia had six children, three of which lived to adulthood. Their first child was Sophie M. who was born on the 17th of April, 1864 in Muri, Aargau, Swtizerland. On the 24th of October, 1885 Sophie M. married George Partridge Baldwin in the same church that her uncle Theodore had been married in just three years before. Sophie M. and George had two children together, one of which died in infancy. The pair divorced in 1903.

Charles and Sophia's second child was a son named Charles who was born around 1866 in Switzerland. This first son died in New York sometime before 1872.

Child number three was a daughter named Marie Josephine who was born on the 29th of December, 1868 in Manhattan, New York, New York. Marie Josephine married a man whose last name was Till. Further information on this Mr. Till has been slow in coming as has additional information for the couple.

The fourth child was a boy who was born on the 29th of November, 1870 in Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey. The boy's name is not listed on his birth record and no other mention is made of him in other family records. We can only assume he died in infancy or early childhood.

Child number five was a son named Charles C. who was born on the 19th of February, 1872 in Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey. On the 30th of January, 1894 Charles C. married Mary E. Daw. The couple had four children, all of which live to adulthood.

The sixth and last child was a son named Hans who lived only two years. Born sometime in 1875, Hans died on the 8th of May, 1877 in Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey.

Charles Coelestin Mattmann

Charles Coelestin Mattmann was born on the 26th of June 1842 in Hochdorf, Luzern, Switzerland. Charles was christened the next day in the Catholic Church of Hochdorf. It is interesting to note that although Charles' name is listed as Coelestin on the index of the church christenings, his name is listed as Zoelestin in the records themselves. I have yet to uncover Charles' marriage record to his wife Sophia Schmid but I feel that once that document is found I will have a better idea as to what Charles was actually called in Switzerland. Charles appears to be the only name that he was ever referred to in the United States although he consistently used the middle inital "C" in all records and documents.

Naturalization and Additional Family Members

Theodore became a naturalized citizen of the United States on May 15th, 1886 in the Superior Court of New York county. This naturalization document presented a fascinating piece of information. The witness listed on the record was a Charles C. Mattmann. As Mattmann was an uncommon name at this time period, I was led to believe that Theodore had family already living in New York when he arrived. I began a search for Charles C Mattmann. I found a naturalization record for Charles that was made just a few years before on August 7th, 1883 in the Common Pleas Court of New York county. Time and additional research would reveal that Theodore Joseph Mattmann and Charles C Mattmann were indeed relatives. In fact, they were the only two brothers of their family to be born in Hochdorf, Luzern, Switzerland after the family's move from Inwil. Additionally, they pursued the same trade and were both merchants whose main commerce was silk. All in all, this was an amazingly exciting find.

Selma Elsa Seimer

On January 24th, 1882 Theodore Joseph Mattmann married Selma Elsa Seimer in the Madison Street Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York, New York. Born on May 11th, 1863, Selma was the daughter of Robert Seimer, a german immigrant from Saxony, and Josephina Steinhauser, a german immigrant from Wurttemberg. Robert worked in the pearl and ornament industry and Josephina worked as a midwife and, according to city records, acted as the midwife at the birth of her own first child. Robert and Josephina lived in New York City from the time of their own marriage until sometime in 1866 when they moved to North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. This means that although Selma was born in New York, she was raised across the Hudson River in New Jersey. Theodore and Selma were married for only a few short years before Theodore suddenly died five days before what would have been their eight year anniversary. Their marriage produced two daughters, Sylvia (affectionately known as "Gagra" by family and friends) and Theodora Josephine (affectionately known as "Tante"). Selma herself was always known by the name "DoDo." Little is known about the relationship between Theodore and his wife Selma. However, we do know that after his death, Selma never remarried but remained a widow for fifty years. The remainder of her life was spent taking care of her father and two daughters.

Emigration and Immigration

Although Theodore was born in Switzerland, he obviously had little desire to remain there permanently. He became a Merchant by trade and his work took him many places. According to family sources, Theodore attended the University of Paris in Sorbonne sometime around 1861. Although we have no clear idea of how long his stay in Sorbonne was, we do know that after a time he traveled to Brazil. Theodore spent 16 years in Brazil. Little is known about his life there. However, he probably spent his time working as a Merchant in the silk industry which is the occupation he followed when he arrived in the United States. Theodore arrived in the U.S. on September 12th, 1877. He traveled aboard the ship "Adelaide" which was making its usual run from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore, Maryland. Listing his occupation as Merchant on the ship's passenger list, Theodore also declared his intention to become an inhabitant of New York, a place where he briefly stayed before finally making his home in New Jersey.

Theodore Joseph Mattmann

Theodore Joseph Mattmann was a man of many names and few helpful records. This is due to several different factors. Firstly, Theodore was an immigrant from Switzerland. This meant a constant barrage of name variations and changes. This was a common occurrence for all immigrants in the United States. Secondly, Theodore immigrated from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to the United States on September 12th, 1877 and died a mere thirteen years later in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey on January 9th, 1890. This left a very short period of time in which to create an extensive paper trail that would give researchers the help they needed when it came to pinpointing his home-town and parents. Finally, it sometimes seems (to myself anyway) as if Theodore himself was reluctant to offer any clarifying label that would assist his descendants in their hunt for him and his predecessors. Happily, after extensive research and collaboration from different branches of the family tree, the majority of the questions surrounding Theodore's life have been answered. In order to bring organization to a muddled life, I mean to put forth the known events of Theodore's story chronologically.

Theodore Joseph Mattmann was born to Candid Mattmann and Salomea Ineichen on May 3rd 1844 in Hochdorf, Luzern, Switzerland. Theodore was obviously a name he took upon himself later on in life because he was christened Joseph Mattmann on May 5th 1844. Hochdorf is a small town located in the Canton (or county) of Luzern, Switzerland. The family had moved to Hochdorf from the neighboring town of Inwil just a few years before and both Theodore and his older brother were born in the family's new home-town. Other children had been born prior to the family's move. Both Candid and Salomea had they themselves been born in Inwil and it was somewhat uncommon for two individuals born in the same town to suddenly move to a new, unfamiliar city. It is still a mystery as to what circumstances caused them to make this change in their family's life. We do know however, that Theodore was born in Hochdorf and probably spent his childhood there.

Calling All Cousins

According to family history, Theodore Joseph Mattmann, an immigrant from Switzerland, married Selma Elsa Seimer sometime in the in early 1880's. Between that time and the time of his death in 1890, the couple welcomed two daughters into their home located in North Bergen, Hudson, New Jersey. One of these daughters, Sylvia, is my husband's second-great-grandmother. While much detail is known by our family about Sylvia and her mother Selma Elsa, Theodore has always been somewhat of a mystery. He seemed to have left very little evidence of his existence during what appeared to be a very short period of time spent in the United States. After long hours of research and much consultation and conferencing with extended family members far wiser than myself, I have had the blessing and opportunity to discover many heretofore unknown details concerning Theodore's life here in the United States as well as his family hometown in Switzerland. It is my intention that this blog be used as a way for other cousins who are descendants of the Mattmann family to connect and share information about our common ancestors.