Wilhelm Fredrick Zilles (1908 - 1985)

Born 30 May 1908 in Germany

Biography

At least two of his siblings immigrated to the United States (Utah) before 1921.

In 1921, the Jacob Zilles family immigrated from Mannheim, Germany to the United States. They sailed aboard the SS Noordam, departing Rotterdam, Holland on 16 November 1921, and arrived in Ellis Island, NYC on 26 November 1921. The Zilles passengers were Jakob Zilles, 52, a locksmith; his wife Maria, 49; and their four children: Emma, 18, a seamstress; Robert, 15; Wilhelm, 13; and Olga, 10. All were born in Germany, and their last permanent address was Mannheim, Germany. Their contacts in the US were Jacob’s son, G. J. Zilles, of Hyrum, Utah; and Jacob’s son in law, Aaron Christiansen.^[1]

The ship the Zilles family sailed on, the SS Noordam, built in 1902, was the ship that in April 1912 “alerted the RMS Titanic to ice early into its ill-fated maiden voyage.” ^[2]

In 1930, the Zilles family lived on their farm in rural College, Cache, Utah, where there were no addresses nor road names. The household included Jacob Zilles, 61, who could not speak English; his wife of 25 years, Maria, 58, could not speak English; and their two sons, both farm laborers, Robert, 24; and William, 21. The sons could read, write and speak English. They all were born in Germany, and had immigrated together in 1921, and their immigration status was PA. Jacob owned the farm, and they also had a radio.^[3]

Wilhelm married Ida Mae Duce. They had at least four children. Wilhelm is buried in Deweyville Cemetery, Dewyville, Box Elder, Utah.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ New York Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924 (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6VY-R44)
2. ↑ Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Noordam_(1902))
3. ↑ 1930 US Census, College, Cache, Utah (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH67-DW7)
4. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #84649340