Friday, January 10, 2025

Betz Immigration

 

Anthony Betz – Caroline Betz Sinton’s great grandfather

17 May 1836 - 13 Jan1882

Anthony was born to Anton Betz and Regina Rohrman in Feilbingert, Germany.  German Lutheran records show that Anthony was baptized on 23 May 1836 in Feilbingert, Bayern, Germany.  When Anthony was 11 years old, he and 5 other family members emigrated from Germany to the US on the ship “St James” which departed London and arrived in New York City on 19 Jan 1848. Along with Anthony was his 7 year old sister Mary, his parents Anton, age 40, and Regina, age 35, and Anton’s parents Philip Hans, age 65 and Christiana, age 61. 

We don’t know how the family came to reside in Tamaqua, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, but  two years later according to the 1850 Census, they were shown living there with Anton listed as a laborer and all but Mary could read and write.  I assume that Anthony worked in the local coal mines based upon his future occupations.

On 4 June 1855 at age 22, Anthony had petitioned to become a naturalized citizen of the US.  In the 1860 census, Anthony is working as a miner and is married to Mary Jane Braun-Brown with a 4 month old child Isabella. They were living in the North Ward of Tamaqua. 

In 1865, Anthony shows up on a tax list with an income of $260.04 and a tax of $13.00 owed. 

By 1870, the census shows that Anthony has real estate valued at $600 and a personal estate of $200 and still a miner. By now the family has grown to include children, Mary age 10, John E(llsworth Sr) age 8, Jacob H age 6, George age 4 and Annie age 1. At this point tho, based upon his assets, Anthony may have been a superintendent of the mine where he worked.

Zion Lutheran Church records list Anthony and his wife a communicants on 20 May 1877.

In 1880, the census shows Anthony as a Coal Miner with wife Mary Jane, children, John 18, Jacob 16, George 14, Annie 10 and Christina age 7. The sons John, Jacob and George were all working in the coal mines. 

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church records show that on Jan 13, 1882, Anthony died at age 45 of an affliction of the stomach and was buried in Tamaqua 3 days later.

In a short biography of one Charles Newton Smith, Anthony is mentioned. Quoted from :

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/il/county/knox/1899_biographies_1.html
1899 Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois Knox County Biographies
These biographies were typed by Kathy Mills & Foxie Anderson Hagerty - please do not copy without giving them credit

“” Smith, Charles Newton; Engineer; Galesburg; born June 24, 1855, in Pennsylvania, where he was educated. His parents were Jeremiah and Catherine E. Miller Smith, of Pennsylvania, the latter of Reading; his grandfather, Jacob Smith, and his great-grandparents were also natives of Pennsylvania. He was married in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1878, to Isabella, daughter of Anthony Bets, of Germany, and Mary Jane Brown Betz, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Betz came to Tamaqua from Germany at the age of nine years. He was superintendent of a coal mine till his death at the age of forty-four years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have four children, Jerry, Laura Jane, Robert Henry, and Edward Newton. Mr. Smith's father was one of the first locomotive engineers in Pennsylvania, and followed the business stile he retired of old age. He now lives at Tamaqua, Pa. his wife died in 1895. At the age of fourteen, Mr. C. N Smith began to work in a rolling mill, and when eighteen years old, began as brakeman on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. After being conductor for two years he began as fireman on the same road, and after three years, became and extra engineer. He left during the Strike of 1887, but began running an engine on the C B & Q R. R. in March, 1888, which position he still holds. During his entire railroad service, Mr. Smith has lost but two weeks' time. By economy, he and his wife have built their home on East South street, Galesburg. Mr. Smith is a republican.””

 

This all we know of your immigrant ancestor, Anthony Betz. The reason for writing about him was the discovery of his naturalization intent records. The images of these were posted on Ancestry by another Betz descendent, Jacob Steinberg. In looking at how he was related to all of you, I also discovered that he also has the same Bachmann ancestors as you do, Johann Adam Bachman married to Christine Xylander, both of Germany. The Bachmann ancestors settled in the Hazleton area. Eventually Betz and Bachmann descendents married at least twice creating your line and Jacob Steinberg’s line. You and he are 5th Cousins. There is also DNA involved here. Both Jacob’s mother and grandfather are matches to Tom Sinton Sr and other of your relatives helping to cement this family connection.



Immigration



Naturalization records



1865 Tax List



Zion Evangelical Church, Tamaqua, Pa Death record






Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2025. All rights reserved
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Saturday, January 4, 2025

Loss and Peace

 We lost a son, brother, husband, dad, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend on Christmas Eve. It feels like there are not any words for this, but yet we have heard so many good words.  Words of comfort, but also of recognition and love.

Tom was my son.  Unfortunately, he became one of millions of people who must deal with a cancer diagnosis.  He fought this diagnosis for 5 long years.  The last year being the hardest.  Tom also lost some of himself that year. A shadow of the great person that we all knew and loved.  But he still fought until his body just couldn't keep on any longer.  I like to think that he died peacefully on his way home after a family gathering.  Even tho the ER worked to bring him back, God had mercy and helped  Tom down the road to what had been promised to him.  

Yes....Loss and Peace.

Going back to that Christmas Eve, Tom's entire family gathered at the hospital as word was shared that we had lost him.  There were lots of tears and hugs between his parents, his wife, his children, his sister, his niece and nephews, his brother in laws, his mother & father in law (who were all definately more than in laws to him). There were 15 of us there supporting each other and loving Tom.  

Yes....Loss and Peace.

We each had an opportunity to visit with Tom afterwards there in the ER.  Hold his hand, stroke his face, a kiss to the forehead.  Some last messages to him as he was leaving us.  I believe he knew we were all there. 

Yes....Loss and Peace.

But still disbelief and numbness that this could have happened.  Just like that, we would no longer hear his voice, hug him, ask his advice, tell him our latest goings on.  

It was hard to sleep that night.

Our family still gathered for our Christmas day.  Tom would have wanted us to.  We missed him but we needed to be together and we managed to laugh and have a good day.  The harder days yet to come. 

Yes....Loss and Peace.

Chapter 1 - The week after was filled with the necessary meetings to make funeral arrangements. His wife, myself , his sister and his mother in law all contributed to these decisions with all the love that we each have for him.  Guided by a funeral director who also was a friend of  Tom's and his family.  It was decided to have a day for receiving family and friends followed by a service the next day at Tom's church.  

Chapter 2 - We needed to be prepared for what was expected to be a large amount of visitors.  Why? Because Tom touched so many in his life.  He was active in his community, his children's activities, his church, he touched many lives beyond what we even knew. He served in all of these arenas. The day was a constant flow of people wanting to pay their respects.  We saw people who were from our past and relatives we could not see as often as we wanted.  People who needed to reach out as much as we needed them to.  I personally heard stories of Tom that I never knew because he just didn't share them. He was not one to boast, he was humble that way.  

It was hard to sleep that night.

Chapter 3 - New Years Eve day. The family gathered at the church and visited with Tom one last time before the service.  That was a hard one.  To think we could never see his smiling face again.  He had a great smile.  The service was filled with love.  HIs sister doing a reading from Tom's personal bible. His three children spoke with a maturity and emotion that made us smile and cry, they loved him so.  And his wife, she held us all to her in her sorrow but helped us to accept and understand with a love that only she could have for him.  

Chapter 4 - Two days after the service we held a family only service at Tom's graveside.   The minister said about this being a hard chapter today.  My reply was that yes with each one harder than the last. The funeral director jokingly said that Tom must have been playing a final joke on us. The weather. It could not have been a colder, snowier, windier day in January. Thank you Tom for the weather that created yet another humorous story. My van almost could not make it to the gravesite.  We had six guys pushing it to finally make it up a small slippery grade. Two of them sliding out of sight in the process.  Tom would have appreciated that one with a witty comment.  But we prevailed. The service was very nice. The minister ended by giving Tom's wife, his dad and I each a white rose with some wonderfully comforting personal words to each of us. Tom's sister's husband gave a very heartfelt moving eulogy saying that he would remember Tom like an oak tree and the acorns his legacy and the squirrels his humor.  

As we left Tom, we each laid a white rose next to his beautiful blue urn which will be buried on the slope of a gentle hill looking out over a beautiful view of rolling farmland.  He will like that.

Yes... Loss and Peace.

We love you Tom and will miss you.



Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2025. All rights reserved
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