Chasing the Elusive: Mathilda Radtke

Every so often I revisit branches of my tree I may not have covered well in the past, and my Radtke branch is one of them.  As it stands right now, it consists of just one person; my paternal grandmother's paternal grandmother Mathilda Pauline Radtke.

What I know about her consists of just a few facts, gleaned mostly from sources created after her death. What is elusive about her is her origin.

Mathilda was likely born with the German spelling Mathilde, in some part of Prussia.  Because I know I have some Polish ancestry thanks to DNA testing, my assumption has been that she likely is my Polish ancestress, as she could have been born in Danzig, in what is now Poland but was part of Prussia for awhile.  However, I really have no proof of where in Prussia she was born.

I do know that she went by the nickname of "Tillie" most of her life.

Mathilda immigrated to the United States via Bremen and New York City aboard the S. S. Donau, which arrived at New York City on 8 May 1876 and was listed on the ship's manifest as Mathilda Rathke.  She came with an 18 year old Katherine Rathke, who was likely related to her in some way.  Because they were two young women traveling, it is possible that someone else on the manifest was also related to her, though at present it is difficult to determine who.

Tillie has been lost on documents until the 1880 census enumeration, so it is not known when or how she arrived in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  She does appear on the 1880 census working as a servant in the household of Daniel and Sophie Gehlbach, who lived 292 Franklin Street in the Sixth Ward of Allegheny City.  Sophie was the slightly elder sister of Christian Adam Pfeiffer Jr., who Mathilda married just a few years later.  At present, it is presumed the couple met because of the Gehlbachs.

Tillie and Adam, as he was known, were wed likely in late 1884, but it is possible they were married in 1885 as well.  Adam was the eldest son and third child born to Christian Adam Pfeiffer Sr. and Wilhemine Karoline Wild.  He was born 28 May 1853 in Kleinsachsenheim, Neckarkreis, Baden-Württemberg but had immigrated at the age of seven to the United States with his family.

Adam worked in the iron and steel mills that made Pittsburgh famous, working mostly as a mill laborer and a puddler.  Tillie kept the house.  The couple lived in what is now the Shadeland neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh, but was then the Eleventh Ward of Allegheny City.  They first lived on Cliff Avenue, and then Shady Avenue before finally moving to Courtland Street, all in Allegheny City.

The couple had six children, but their two eldest children met with sad endings early on.  Their eldest, Mary, was born sometime in April 1885 and died 25 November 1885 from tabes mesenterica (tuberculosis caused by drinking tainted cow's milk).  Their second eldest was Christian Adam (the third) who was born August 1887 and died 28 January 1888 from convulsions.  Both children were buried at Union Dale Cemetery near Adam's parents.

The last four children fared better, and lived into their adult years. Adolph Reinhart (who went by his middle name his entire life) was born on 15 June 1888. Mathilda was born 4 January 1890.  John Frederick was born 4 June 1891.  The youngest son, Joseph, was born 22 September 1893.

Tillie's last known entry in a public record before her death was the 1910 Federal Census enumeration, where she was listed as the mother of six children, four of whom were living.  She had been married for 26 years, and had immigrated in 1876.  Her native tongue was German, as she is listed as having been from Germany (which technically was correct, given that Prussia had become part of a united Germany in 1871).

In November of that year, Tillie was stricken with cancer in her toe.  While treatable today, it was not as treatable in 1910, and by Christmas she had also come down with toxemia (blood poisoning) and on Christmas Day, 1910, she finally succumbed to her condition.

Her funeral was three days later, and was held at St. Thomas German Lutheran Church on Brighton Road.  A Rev. Dietrich presided as minister over her services.  She was then buried in Highwood Cemetery.

Not much is known about Mathilda aside from records, as the only link to her I had was my grandmother, who was born 11 years after Mathilda died.  She only had a few memories passed down from her family to give me.

Adam outlived his wife for 16 years, continuing to work as he was able and continuing to reside in their owned home on Courtland Street (the street was named Courtright Street in the aftermath of the annexation of Allegheny City to Pittsburgh in 1909 because apparently Pittsburgh already had a Courtland Street).  He died on 24 November 1926 from bronchial pneumonia, which was brought on by myocarditis and chronic bronchitis.  He was buried two days later after a funeral service held at his home, in which members of the Northside Lodge no. 75, Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers of America were invited along with family and friends.

Sources Used
"1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2016), Entry for Adam Peiffer and family, Year: 1900, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 11 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1357, Page: 22B, Enumeration District: 0089, and FHL microfilm: 1241357; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2016), Entry for Christian A. Pfeifer and family, Year: 1910, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 27 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1308, Page: 13A, Enumeration District: 0657, and FHL microfilm: 1375321; citing Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Christian Adam Peiffer entry, Registration of deaths in the city of Allegheny, 1876-1907, v. 3: Page 188, Allegheny County City County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Death Notices," death notice, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 26 November 1926, Page 44. Death notice for C. Adam Pfeiffer; online images, Google News (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 6 August 2016).

"Death Notices," death notice, The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 December 1910, page 14. Death Notice for Mathilda Pfeiffer; online images, Google News (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 13 August 2016). 

"Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898," database, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 August 2016), Entry for Christian Adam , 05 Jun 1853; FHL microfilm 1,184,623. (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NLMJ-FZ6).

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 9 August 2016), memorial page for C Adam Pfeiffer, Find A Grave Memorial # 62605678, citing Highwood Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by Sharon Deanne Kieffer, photograph by Rob and Debi Felten and Richard Boyer.

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 August 2016), memorial page for Mathilda P Ratdke Pfeiffer, Find A Grave Memorial # 62605777, citing Highwood Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by Sharon Deanne Kieffer, photograph by Rob and Debi Felten, also Richard Boyer.

John F. Pfeiffer and Elizabeth M. Bupp, (22 June 1921), Allegheny County Marriage Licenses: cn 6781; Department of Court Records, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania. Groom's parents listed as Christian and Mathilda Radke Pfeiffer. Father born in Germany and residing in Pittsburgh. Mother deceased.

Mary Pfeifer entry, Registration of deaths in the city of Allegheny, 1876-1907, V. 2: Page 181, Allegheny County City County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 August), Entry for Adam Pfeifer and family; Year: 1861; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 210; Line: 30; List Number: 376; Place of Origin: Württemberg. Port of Departure: Le Havre, France. Destination: United States of America.Port of Arrival: New York, New York. Ship Name: Zurich. The family is numbers 71-77.

"New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for Mathilde Rathke; Year: 1876; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 403; Line: 13; List Number: 374.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2016), Entry for Adam Pfeiffer; died 24 Nov 1926; Certificate Number: 109152; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for Mathilda Pfeiffer, died 25 Dec 1910, Certificate number 126335; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania Death Indices," online index, Pennsylvania Historical Museum Research Commission (http://www.phmc.pa.gov/Archives/Research-Online/Pages/Death-Indices.aspx : accessed 6 August 2016), "Pfeiffer, Christian A; ---- 101952; Pgh; Nov. 24."

"Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for Adam Pfeiffer; Probate date: 24 Nov 1926; Estate and Proceedings Indexes, 1788-1971; Author: Allegheny County (Pennsylvania). Register of Wills; Probate Place: Allegheny, Pennsylvania; citing Pennsylvania County District and Probate Courts.

"Pennsylvania, WWI Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 August 2016), Entry for John F Pfeiffer, application number 112525 filed 13 Feb 1934, North Side, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; citing World War I Veterans Service and Compensation File, 1934–1948. RG 19, Series 19.91. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg Pennsylvania; Parents listed as father Adam C. Pfeiffer (deceased) and mother Mathilda Pauline Radtke (deceased), on son John's application.

Pfeiffer, Richard. Christian Adam Pfeiffer 1853-1926, Typed Family Tree of Adam Pfeiffer Sr.; supplied by Pfeiffer, Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, 2002. Sent via mail to Kelley Wood-Davis in 2002.

"United States Germans to America Index, 1850-1897," database online, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for Adam Pfeifer, 04 May 1861; citing Germans to America Passenger Data file, 1850-1897, Ship Zurich, departed from Havre, arrived in New York, New York, New York, United States (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD78-DHG); Citing NARA NAID 566634. National Archives at College Park, Maryland.

"United States Germans to America Index, 1850-1897," database online, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for Mathilde Rathke, 08 May 1876; citing Germans to America Passenger Data file, 1850-1897, Ship Donau, departed from Bremen & Southampton, arrived in New York, New York, New York, United States (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD72-94C).

Various Pittsburgh area directories found on Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org).  Contact blogger for entries 

Wood, Elizabeth Pfeiffer. North Carolina, to Kelley Wood-Davis, email, 31 December 2011, "Re: Hi!,"; privately held by Wood-Davis, 2018. emails from grandmother to granddaughter regarding questions.  References to Mathilda Pfeiffer being long gone before Gram's birth.

"Württemberg, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1985," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 August 2016), Entry for Christian Adam Pfeiffer, Taufe (Baptism) 5 Jun 1853; Page 71; Custodian: Evangelische Kirche Kleinsachsenheim (OA. Vaihingen); citing Lutherische Kirchenbücher, 1500-1985. Various sources.