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.