Frances Rose (Rosenzweig) Konrad (abt. 1875 - abt. 1956)

Born about 21 Jun 1875 in Elmira, Chemung, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died about 30 Apr 1956 at about age 80 in Denver, Colorado, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Frances Rose as Salome

1875 Frances Rose Rosenzweig was born in Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA possibly on 21 Jun 1875. She was the daughter of Leo Rosenzweig and Bertha Abelitzky. The source for Frances's birth month and day is her 1921 passport application.^[1] The year of her birth cannot be the year in the passport application because her brother Israel was born in Jun 1878, a date confirmed by his Ohio state birth record; therefore Frances's birth year has been entered as 1875, which makes her one year younger than her sister Josephine, as is indicated on the 1880 US census report below. (DSJ)

1880 By 1880 The Rosenzweig family was living in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA where Leo was making a living as a peddler. The household comprised:

• Leopold Rosenweiz Self Male 42 Poland
• Bertha Rosenweiz Wife Female 37 Poland
• Ida Rosenweiz (died 1920)^[2] Daughter Female 18 Sweden
• Marion Rosenweiz Daughter Female 16 Sweden
• Theresa Rosenweiz Daughter Female 14 Sweden
• Anna Rosenweiz Daughter Female 11 Sweden
• Frances Rosenweiz Daughter Female 5 New York, United States
• Josephine Rosenweiz Daughter Female 4 Pennsylvania, United States
• Isidor Rosenweiz Son Male 2 Pennsylvania, United States^[3]

1902 Frances applied for a US passport in July 1902 from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, but wished the passport to be sent to Louis Block in Denver, Colorado. She was 24 years old.^[4]

1908- 1912 Frances, now calling herself Frances Rose, was engaged by the Berlin Royal Opera from about 1908 to 1912. She made a recording singing Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana for the Odeon label in Berlin in 1909 and she sang Clytemnestra in the Berlin premiere of Richard Strauss' Elektra at the Royal Opera on February 15, 1909. She became noted for her roles in the operas of Richard Strauss and gave a series of concerts at Breslau and Magdeburg with the composer. Her program included the finale of Salome under the composer's baton and a group of his songs with Strauss at the piano. On October 19, 1909 she sang the title role in Carmen with Enrico Caruso as her Don José when the Kaiser, the Kaiserin and Crown Prince were present at the Kaiser's Royal Opera in Berlin. She married Theodore Konrad, a German from Cologne, March 16, 1910 in London, England, where she was singing in Elektra at Covent Garden, after which the newlyweds returned to Berlin. She was recruited by the Metropolitan Opera for the 1909-10 and the 1912-13 seasons, but she refused the offers because she wished to be with her husband in Europe. She was in the United States at the outbreak of World War I and could not return to Germany. When in 1915 she sang in the Chicago Grand Opera Company's production of Tannhäuser, it was stated that it was her American premiere.

1914 Frances returned to New York, New York, USA from Germany via the S.S. Berlin from Bremen, Germany on 13 Jul 1914. She returned as Frances Konrad, a 36-year-old opera singer and married woman. Her husband Theodor Konrad accompanied her. Their final destination was Denver, Colorado.^[5]

1920 Frances and Theodor lived in Manhattan at 52 West 76th Street, New York, New York, USA. Frances found work as a singer and Theodor took on vocal students. They appear on the 1920 US census thus:

• Theadore Conrad Head Male 44 Germany
• Francis Conrad Wife Female 39 New York^[6]

1921 Frances applied for a US passport in October of this year so that she could go to Germany to study singing and to apply for a passport to Holland, Switzerland, Belgium and the British Isles (this she wrote in a letter to the US Secretary of State attached to her application.) She was 43 years old, about 5 feet 6 1/2 inches tall with grey eyes and brown hair. She stated on the application that she had lived in Berlin, Germany from Sep 1903 to July 1914 and that she was recently widowed, her husband having died in New York City on 29 May 1921. She was living on West 67th Street in New York City and working as a singer.^[1]

1935-1940 Frances returned to Denver, Colorado and lived with her siblings at the family home, 1129 17th Avenue, Denver, Colorado, USA. She seems to have been unemployed.

• Dan Rosenzweig Head Male 50 Colorado
• Josie Rosenzweig Sister Female 58 Pennsylvania
• Sadie Rosenzweig Sister Female 55 Ohio
• Francis Konrad Sister Female 53 New York^[7]

1956 Frances R. Rosenzweig Konrad died 30 Apr 1856 and was laid to rest at Mount Nebo Memorial Park, Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA.^[8] By the time she died, there were few who remembered her greatness and the brief obituary in the Denver Post for Frances Konrad noted only that she was "a former opera singer" and "most of her life was spent in Vienna, Berlin and Paris.

Research Note

Much of the information about the career of Frances Rose was found on the website of OperaPronto, which no longer exists. (DSJ 31 Jan 2021)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Y-B8VM : 16 March 2018), Frances Konrad, 1921; citing Passport Application, New York, United States, source certificate #92749, Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925, 1763, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X821-Q4R : 15 August 2019), Leopold Rosenzwig in entry for Ida Landesman, 08 Feb 1920; citing Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, reference fn 9465; FHL microfilm 1,984,990.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ1T-5RD : 15 September 2017), Leopold Rosenweiz, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district ED 12, sheet 286D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,005.
4. ↑ "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJP-7W6X : 16 March 2018), Frances Rose, 1902; citing Passport Application, Ohio, United States, source certificate #60858, Passport Applications, 1795-1905., Roll 607, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
5. ↑ "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJQP-GQ7 : 16 August 2019), Frances Konrad, 1914.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJYG-KW6 : accessed 13 January 2020), Theadore Conrad, Rent, Manhattan Assembly District 7, New York, New York, United States; citing ED 559, sheet 9A, line 11, family 219, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1197; FHL microfilm 1,821,197.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRD5-FVM : 5 November 2019), Sadie Rosenzweig in household of Dan Rosenzweig, Tract 31, Denver, Election District R, Denver, Colorado, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 16-215, sheet 2A, line 5, family 31, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 490.
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #77051421