A tale of immigration - William Immanuel Walz and Grace Marian Ings

This is part 2 of a 5 part research blog.  Please read part 1 here.

Part 2 of this blog series concentrates on D's great grandparents. Her great-grandfather was difficult for me. While I could determine where in Germany he immigrated from, I was not familiar enough with the record sets which exist in Germany today to do further research.

Postcard of Ebingen, Germany. c1917.

William Immanuel Walz was born 22 March 1887 in Ebingen, Germany[ii] to Immanuel Walz and an unknown mother.[iii]  On 3 May 1910, at the age of 23, William arrived at the port of New York City from Bremen, Germany on board the SS Bremen under the name Wilhelm Walz.[iv] He entered the port of New York through immigration at Ellis Island.[v] The 1910 US Census taken that year in April, a month before his arrival.  His father Immanuel, who lived in Pforsheim, Germany, was listed as his closest relative at home.

On 21 November 1916 in Kings County, New York[vi] William married Grace Marian Ings.[vii]  They were 29 and 24 years old respectively at the time of their marriage.  Census records identified five children born to this couple, however only four were listed on his naturalization paperwork.  The oldest was Norman Walz, born about 1920 in New Jersey.[viii] Second was John Marshman Walz, born 20 Apr 1921 in Passaic Park, New Jersey and died 21 Jun 2004.[ix] Next was the client’s grandmother Grace Virginia Walz[2] born in 1922.[x]  William Walz was born in New Jersey about 1925 but only found on the 1930 US Federal Census and no other records appeared to exist for him.[xi]  Last was Elizabeth M. Walz, born about 1932 in New Jersey.[xii]

Photograph. The S.S. Bremen, North German Lloyde[i.e. Lloyd] Pier, Hoboken, N.J.

From his World War I draft registration card[xiii], recorded on 5 June 1917, we have a physical description of William.  He was listed as medium height, slender build, with blue eyes, and brown hair.  At the time of the draft William was employed as a clerk by Messer Manufacturing Company on 121 NW 7^th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[xiv] 

On the US Federal Census for 1920[xv] the couple lived in northern New Jersey. They and their eight-month-old son Norman resided on 48 Princeton Street at Clifton, Passaic County, New Jersey.  William and Grace were both listed as “alien”[3] on the census record.  He had not become a naturalized citizen yet and Grace, even though born in New York took her husband’s status.  In addition, the census showed he was a manager for a welding company.

Census. 1920. United States. Clifton, Passaic, New Jersey. Roll: T625_1062. Page: 8A. Enumeration District: 3. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

Sometime before the 1930 U.S. Census the family moved to Nutley, Essex County, New Jersey.[xvi] William was now a salesman for a welding company and they owned their home located at 79 Lakeside Drive.  The census also showed he submitted his “first papers” toward becoming a naturalized citizen.[4]  Their children Norman, John, Virginia, and William are listed.

Census. 1930. United States. Nutley, Essex, New Jersey. Roll: 1344. Page: 6B. Enumeration District: 0568. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

The last US Census released to the public was the 1940 US Federal Census which included information for 1935 as well.[5]  On the Census[xvii] they still lived in Nutley but now resided at 205 Passaic Avenue. The family also resided in Nutley on 1 April 1935.  William was employed as the Sexton[6] for a Church.  Their son John was working at an Instrument Company as a shop helper.  Education statistics were taken on the census and showed William, Grace, and Norman had completed two years of college.  Both John and Grace were in high school while Elizabeth had completed first grade.

Census. 1940. United States. Nutley, Essex, New Jersey. Roll: T627_2338. Page: 11B. Enumeration District: 7-285. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

William’s naturalization paperwork was filed on 16 March 1943 at the Newark, New Jersey District Court.[xviii] His paperwork listed his current address, which had not changed since 1940, and stated he was employed as a church custodian. In addition, it gave William’s date and place of birth, Grace’s date and place of birth (23 May 1892 at Brooklyn, New York), and last residence in Germany.  William’s children are also listed, sans William Jr.  That lack of information, plus his statement of 4 living children, further confirms his death prior to the date of naturalization.

Name	Birth Information	Residence 1943
Norman	15 May 1919, Nutley	Madison, NJ
John	20 April 1921, Nutley	Nutley, NJ
Grace	11 Aug 1922, Nutley	Newark, NJ
Elizabeth	[no birth date given] Nutley	Nutley, NJ

 

Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.  16 March 1943.  Collection: New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945. Image. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

Due to different privacy laws for each state public records were difficult to trace further into the 20^th century. City directories often help put people in a time and place when other records are difficult to obtain. In 1950 William and Grace were listed in the Belleville-Nutley City Directory.[xix]  They still resided on Passaic Avenue and showed William employed as a custodian at the Methodist Vincent Church.  Their children Elizabeth and John were both listed in the directory.  They were students and resided at the same address at their parents.

According to the Florida Death Index, Grace Marian (Ings) Walz died at the age of 79 on 6 December 1971 at Alachua, Florida.[xx]  I spoke with the client who confirmed that, according to her mother, William and Grace moved to a retirement area in Florida a few years before Grace’s death.  With Grace gone, William moved back to New Jersey to live with their son Norman.  William Immanuel Walz died on 8 January 1978 in Morristown, New Jersey.[xxi]  He was 91 years old.  Church records from the local Methodist Church show William was buried at Somerset Hills Cemetery in Barking Ridge, New Jersey.[xxii]

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[2] There is the only child still living. At the time of this report this person was 95 years old and in failing health. Hence the reason we could not ask then questions about the lineage directly.

[3] In the US at that point in time women took the legal status of their husbands. Even though Grace Marian was US born her husband was an alien.  Thus, she lost her citizenship.

[4] “First papers” was the initial step in the process of becoming a naturalized US citizen.  The process could take up to 10 years to complete at that time in US history.

[5] Due to the Great Depression, the government wanted to know how the population had moved around the country.  The 1940 census asks for the person’s residence in 1935 to determine migration patterns, mainly due to lack of employment, within the US.

[6] A custodian or church care taker.

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[ii] Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.  16 March 1943.  Collection: New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945. Image. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[iii] Passenger list for S.S. Bremen departing Bremen. WALZ, Wilhelm. 25 April 1910.  Collection: New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Image.  http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. Passenger Search. WALZ, Wilhelm. Passenger ID: 101335070425. Online index. https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ : accessed 10 June 2017.

[vi] Marriages index (CR) New York. Kings County. 21 November 1916. WALZ, William and INGS, Grace Marion. Certificate no. 14100. Abstract. http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[viii] Op. cit. Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.

[ix] Op. cit. Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.

Deaths index (CR) United States. Social Security Death Index. WALZ, John Marshman. Collection: U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Abstract of records. http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[x] Op. cit. Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.

[xi] Census. 1930. United States. Nutley, Essex, New Jersey. Roll: 1344. Page: 6B. Enumeration District: 0568. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

[xii] Op. cit. Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.

[xiii] World War I draft (United States). WALZ, William. Registration: Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Roll: 1877947. Draft Board: 2. Collection: U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Image.  http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[xiv] Ibid.

[xv] Census. 1920. United States. Clifton, Passaic, New Jersey. Roll: T625_1062. Page: 8A. Enumeration District: 3. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

[xvi] Census. 1930. United States. Nutley, Essex, New Jersey. Roll: 1344. Page: 6B. Enumeration District: 0568. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

[xvii] Census. 1940. United States. Nutley, Essex, New Jersey. Roll: T627_2338. Page: 11B. Enumeration District: 7-285. http://www.ancestry.com : accessed June 10.

[xviii] Op. cit. Naturalization Records (United States).  WALZ, William.

[xix] Directory. New Jersey. (1950) Nutley Directory – 1950. WALZ, William. p. 1113. Collection: US City Directories, 1822-1995. Image. http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[xx] Deaths index (CR) Florida. Alachua County. 6 December 1971. INGS, Grace Marion. Abstract. http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[xxi] Deaths index (PR) United States. United Methodist Church. Madison County, New Jersey. 8 January 1978. WALZ, William. Book Number: 2. Collection: New Jersey, United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970. Image. http://ancestry.com : accessed 10 June 2017.

[xxii] Ibid.