Friedrich Bernhard Kopf Sr. (1844 - abt. 1926)

Born Apr 1844 in Germany

Descendants

Died about 20 Feb 1926 at about age 81 in Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey

Problems/Questions Profile managers: David Kewley [send private message], Bruce Herreilers [send private message], and Katherine Sienkowski [send private message]

Biography

The immigration record shows "Fritz.Bernh. Kopf" immigrating on December 2, 1868 at New York City. He was 24, born in Germany in about 1844, and was a merchant. He sailed from Bremen aboard the ship Smidt. This immigration year matches the year of immigration given in the 1920 census.

The 1878 Jersey City directory shows Frederick as a grocer at 107-1/2 Green Street, and a butcher at 109 Green Street, living at 251 Grand Street, all in Jersey City.

The 1880 census shows Frederick (36) living at 107 Greet Street, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey with wife Wilhelmina (24), also born in Germany, and their children Wilhelmina (4), Annie (2), and an unnamed daughter (1mo). It says his occupation is retail grocer, and both his parents were born in Germany. It also shows four boarders living with them, all from Germany, and all clerks in the store. The handwritten word in the place for "Germany" looks like "Hanover" in all cases.

The 1885 census shows Frederick living in District 1 of Jersey City, with wife Wilhelmina and children Wilhelmina, Annie, Emelia, Williamm, and Frederick.

The 1889-90 Jersey City directory shows Frederick as a grocer at 105 Greene. This page also shows a Herman W. Kopf, the same name as Frederick's son born 1882 but much older, as a grocer at 355 Summit avenue -- is this Fredericks brother, possibly?

The 1900 census shows "Fredrick Kopfe" (born April 1844) living with wife "Christine" (May 1856) at 105 Green Street, Precinct 3, Ward 1 of Jersey City. Living with them are children Minnie (August 1876), Anna (August 1878), Emily (May 1880), William (March 1882), Fredrick (September 1883), John (November 1887), August (January 1890), and Charles (February 1892). Also living with them are brother Henry Kopfe (April 1836), his wife Dothinia (February 1843) and their daughter (or at least Frederick's niece, parents uncertain) Minnie (May 1885), all born in Germany. It says Frederick immigrated in 1867, "Christine" in 1874, and their three relatives in 1899, three months prior. It says Frederick is a storekeeper, Anna is a cashier, Emily a sales lady, William a bill clerk, son Frederick an office boy, and the younger three in school. The three recent immigrants could not speak English.

The 1926 article on his death tells us that he was a successful butcher with a shop at 105 Green Street for 40 years.

The 1905 immigration record shows Frederick and Wilhelmina, U.S. citizens, sailing to the U.S. from Cuxhaven, Germany aboard the ship Pennsylvania September 23 to October 5, 1905. Their names, perhaps written by a German crew member, are given as Friedrich and Wilhelmine, ages 60 and 50.

According to the corresponding Hamburg passenger list (data as indexed by Ancestry.com), they departed from Hamburg, not Cuxhaven, but ports along the route to New York included Cuxhaven, Dover, and Boulogne.

The 1910 census shows the family living at 291 Varick Street in Jersey City, an address that members of the family lived at for decades to come. The parents lived there then, as well as children Frederick B., John A, August, Wilhelmina, and widowed daughter Anna N. Herreilers. A servant also lived with them. Frederick and Wilhelmina had been married 35 years by this point, and Wilhelmina had borne ten children, of whom eight were living at that time. This record says that Frederick had immigrated in 1861 and was a naturalized citizen, and Wilhelmina had immigrated in 1871. Most family members at that address were not working at that time, while son Frederick was working as a dry goods salesman, and August was working as a laborer for an elevator manufacturer.

The 1915 census shows "Fredrich B. Kopf" living with wife "Whelima", as well as "Whelima C.", August E., as well as Anna M. Herreilers, Emilie J. Herreilers, "Fredick" W. Herreilers, and Arthur B. Herreilers. August, Anna, and Emilie are their children, while Frederick and Arthur are Emilie's children. Both husbands of Anna and Emilie had died by this time.

The 1920 census shows Frederick living in Ward 4 of Jersey City with wife Wilhelmina and daughter Wilhelmina. Also living with him are widowed daughters Anna M. and Emilie J. Herreilers (misindexed as "Herreiters"), grandsons Frederick W. and Arthur B. Herreilers, and brother-in-law Henry C. Oelerich. This census says that Frederick immigrated in 1868, and Wilhelmina in 1870, and both were naturalized in 1876. It appears none of them were working at the time.

Note: according to daughter Wilhelmine's birth record, his wife's name and middle initial is Wilhelmine M. According to son H. William's marriage and death records, his mother Wilhelmina's birth surname may have been "Oelrich" or "Oehlrich" or similar.

There may have been a son born to Frederick in 1881; the record below shows a boy born March 7, 1881 in Jersey City to "Fredk. Kopf", with both parents born in Germany -- this matches our family, but the boy has no trace later on, so may have died very young.

Frederick Bernhard Kopf Sr. died on August 20 1920 when he stepped into the path of a truck two blocks from home, and his skull was fractured.

Newspaper article on death

The following is the partial text of a newspaper article about FBK's death, taken from a scan of a newspaper clipping provided by Bruce Herreilers. The article recounts two deaths, but the clipping only includes the introductory text and the recounting of the death of FBK Sr.

"BOTH STEPPED DIRECTLY INTO PATH OF CARS

Drivers Are Held on Manslaughter Charges--One Fatality Occurred in Lower Jersey City, the Other at the Boulevard and Duncan Avenue.

Two aged men, one 81 years old and the other 70, were killed by automobiles in Jersey City yesterday afternoon and last night. One apparently stepped into the path of the death car from the curb and the other from in front of a car proceeding in the same direction.

Stepping from the curb at Montgomery and Brunswick streets, Jersey City, into the path of a large auto truck, Frederick C. [sic] Kopf, 81 years old, of 291 Varick street, Jersey City, was struck by the fender of the vehicle and hurled to the street a few minutes after 3 o'clock, yesterday afternoon, dying as the result of a fractured skull and internal injuries in the City Hospital two hours later.

Kopf for forty years owned a butcher shop at 105 Green street. He was one of the best known men in the Gammontown section. He has been retired for some time. He was very wealthy, owning considerable property in the lower section of the city.

He is survived by his widow, Wilhelmina, three daughters, Mrs. Amelia Herilers [sic], Mrs. Anna Herilers [sic] and Miss Minnie Kopf, and four sons, William and John of Detroit, Mich., Frederick of Plainfield, and August of Jersey City.

The auto truck is owned by Daniel Fitzhenry of 104 Oak street, Jersey City, and was operated by Edwin Moore, 25, of 310 Pavonia avenue, who is being held on a technical charge of manslaughter."

Sources

• 1868 immigration: "United States Germans to America Index, 1850-1897," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KDQZ-CB2 : accessed 16 March 2016), Fritz.Bernh. Kopf, 02 Dec 1868; citing Germans to America Passenger Data file, 1850-1897, Ship Smidt, departed from Bremen, arrived in New York, New York, New York, United States, NAID identifier 1746067, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
• 1878 Jersey City directory: "Gopsill's Jersey City and Hoboken Directory, For the Year Ending April 30th, 1878," directory book compiled by Isaac Costa, Ancestry.com (http://interactive.ancestry.com/2469/12378511/713490490?backurl=http://person.ancestry.com/tree/34100011/person/18585371995/facts/citation/63217556712/edit/record : accessed 18 April 2016); Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011..
• 1880 census: "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN8W-SLG : accessed 16 March 2016), Frederick B Kopf, Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district ED 1, sheet 34C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0782; FHL microfilm 1,254,782.
• 1881 birth of possible son: "New Jersey Births and Christenings, 1660-1980," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCL6-SN5 : accessed 16 March 2016), Kopf, 07 Mar 1881; citing Jersey City, Hudson, New Jersey, reference ; FHL microfilm 494,193.
• 1885 census: "New Jersey State Census, 1885," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6R55-3T2 : accessed 16 March 2016), Frederick Kopf in household of Frederick B Kopf, Jersey City, District 01, Hudson, New Jersey; citing p. 75, Department of State, Trenton; FHL microfilm 888,618.
• 1889-90 Jersey City directory: "Gopsill's Jersey City, Hoboken, West Hoboken, Union Hill and Weehawken Directory, 1889-90," directory book compiled by W. Andrew Boyd, online at Hathi Trust Digital Library (http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn4grf;view=1up;seq=301: accessed 18 April 2016), 1889, p. 319, digitized by Google.
• 1900 census: "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9JG-1H5 : accessed 17 March 2016), Fredrick Kopfe, Precinct 3 Jersey City Ward 1, Hudson, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 5A, family 65, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,975.
• 1905 immigration: "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFW1-XZL : accessed 16 March 2016), Friedrich Kopf, 05 Oct 1905; citing departure port Cuxhaven, arrival port NEW york, ship name Pennsylvania, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• 1905 immigration (original): http://www.ellisisland.org/search/shipManifest.asp?pID=102460020123
• 1905 Hamburg passenger list: "Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934," database, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com//cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1068&h=1500156&ssrc=pt&tid=34100011&pid=18585371995&usePUB=true : accessed 08 April 2016), Friedr. Kopf departing Hamburg; citing Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Microfilm No.: K_1791.
• 1910 census: "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKYN-J2R : accessed 18 April 2016), Frederick B Kopp, Jersey City Ward 4, Hudson, New Jersey, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 114, sheet 2B, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,374,903.
• 1915 census: "New Jersey State Census, 1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV9Q-LC22 : accessed 17 March 2016), Fredrich B Kopf, 1915.
• 1920 census: "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4RL-S6Z : accessed 17 March 2016), Frederick B Kopf, Jersey City Ward 4, Hudson, New Jersey, United States; citing sheet 10B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,044.
• 1926? death: Scan of newspaper clipping emailed by Bruce Herreilers to David Kewley on April 10, 2016: "Both Stepped Directly into Path of Cars," newspaper unknown, appears to be evening edition on February 21, probably 1926.