Five years ago, I posted “Migration to Brazil, or 19 Kirsch Children: Gottlieb Kirsch” and speculated that Gottlieb Kirsch migrated to Brazil. I was recently contacted by descendants of the Gottlieb Kirsch that died in Brazil in 1952. Through much research on their part, we were able to connect our records and establish that it is likely the same Gottlieb Kirsch referenced throughout these records.
The following is an excerpt from a document prepared by Simone Wolfe and Osni Vitor da Silva, great-grandchildren of Gottlieb Kirsch. The authors have graciously allowed the document to be linked for readers here. The records referenced in the aforementioned blog post indicate that Gottlieb served in the Russian Imperial Army from 1884. Information about him stops after this point, but the documents (and family stories) provided by Gottlieb’s descendants continue that story. They are included in the linked PDF.
My name is Simone Raquel Wolfe. I am the great-granddaughter of Gottlieb Kirsch, born in Florentynow, Poland on January 9, 1863, and I am writing to share what our family has discovered — original documents, confirmed dates, and a Brazilian lineage that stretches from Gottlieb’s arrival in Santa Catarina to five living generations today. I found the Kelm History Blog while investigating the origin of the Russian-language documents our family had preserved for generations. Your research on Gottlieb and the 19 Kirsch children was the key that unlocked everything. What had been a mystery became a story. My research collaborator is Osni Vitor da Silva, my cousin and fellow great- grandchild of Gottlieb. Together, and with your invaluable documents, we have been able to close the case that your 2020 blog post left open — confirming beyond reasonable doubt that the Gottlieb Kirsch who died in Jaraguá do Sul in 1952 is our Gottlieb.
I previously wrote about my great-grandmother’s half-sister, Pauline Kirsch, here. There is also a blog post about her son, Bill Schmidt (and half-brother, Wilhelm Schmidt), here.
While finalizing a list of my great-grandmother and her eighteen siblings (link for reference) for my Kirsch family history book, I found an obituary (unknown newspaper source) for Pauline shared by David Yakel to Ancestry. I typed it out below so that others searching may find it here.
Pauline Yackel
On March 27, 1968 at the Concordia Hospital, Pauline Yackel of 401 Andrews Street, aged 77 years. Remains will rest Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Cropo Funeral Chapel, Main at Luxton. Funeral Service Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Cropo Funeral Chapel. Pastor F. Grellmann officiating, Internment in Glen Eden Memorial Garden. Mrs. Yackel was born in Russia and lived in Canada for the past 55 years. She was a member of the German Seven Day Adventist Church. She leaves to mourn her passing three sons; Ted of Canmore, Alberta, Roy and Albert of Winnipeg. Two daughters; Mrs. Lena Drumheller of Neepawa, Manitoba and Violet at home. 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, two sisters; Mrs. E. Alder [Adler] of Vancouver and Mrs. W. Freese of Germany, a brother Mr. F. Kirsch of Germany.
To both my dismay and delight, the obituary left me with more questions and I had to put down my “finalized” list for now. I am always excited to find new information about those Kirsch siblings who remained in Europe. Pauline’s obituary is the second obituary I can recall that mentions those siblings. This 1924 obituary for Christian Kirsch mentions “two half-sisters in Poland.” Because that obituary did not mention Christian’s half-sisters, Pauline and Lydia Kirsch, by name, I assumed that this referred to them. I wondered if his family did not know they were both living in Canada in 1924.
I knew about “Mr. F. Kirsch of Germany”–likely Ferdinand Kirsch, unmarried, who went to Germany. According to Lydia’s descendants, Friedrich Kirsch went missing in the First World War. From the obituary, I now know that Ferdinand was still living in 1968 (age seventy-one). However, the mention of “Mrs. W. Freese” (possible variants Fries and Friese) is a mystery to me. Out of Pauline’s sisters, only three might have been living in 1968. Lydia is mentioned in the obituary. Her half-sister, Christina Kirsch, would have been ninety-nine years old if she was still living (date of death unknown). She was married to Fred Schwerderke. According to Lydia’s descendants, the youngest Kirsch sister, Olga Kirsch, was two years old when her mother, Auguste Reiter, died, and was adopted by the Pols family. She apparenty died before the Pols family immigrated to Canada. If she was living at the time of Pauline’s death, she would have been around sixty-three years old.
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