Heinrich Landwehr's Life in New Orleans

Life in New Orleans

When he arrived in New Orleans on 1 December 1866, Heinrich Landwehr had the good fortune to have two siblings already living there: his older brother, Johann Hermann Landwehr, and his older sister, Catharina Maria Landwehr. Johann Hermann, who went by the name John H. Landwehr in America, was married and already had three children by the time Heinrich came to New Orleans. Catharina was married to Hinrich Wilhelm "Henry" Buck; they had no children.

Heinrich Landwehr, who soon came to be called "Henry" in New Orleans, joined his older brother and sister in the "uptown" part of the city. All of them were associated with what was then known as the German Lutheran Congregation of the City of Lafayette (known today as the Jackson Avenue Evangelical Congregation).

Today's Jackson Avenue Evangelical Congregation was formed in September 1845. Their first church, constructed in 1846, was located at the corner of Philip and Chippewa Streets.

The original church (right) and parish hall of the
German Evangelical Church and Congregation in Lafayette.

Original church of the Jackson Avenue Evangelical Congregation.

Perhaps it was at the German Lutheran Congregation of the City of Lafayette that Heinrich met Caroline Feige, who had arrived in New Orleans on 26 October 1868. Six months after Caroline had arrived, Heinrich and she were witnesses to the baptism of a child of Johann "John" Landwehr, Heinrich's brother.

Seven months later, on Saturday, 20 November 1869, they were married at the same church by the Rev. Ludwig P. Heintz.

To the left are the names of Heinrich and Caroline as they appeared in the marriage register. Caroline was correctly shown to be from Bentheim, but Heinrich was listed as being from Quackenbrück, which was a larger city close to his home in Lechterke.

Henry and Caroline have not been found in the 1870 census. At the time of the birth of their first child in 1871, they were living at No. 875 Tchoupitoulas Street, at the corner (downtown, lake corner) at Fourth Street in the city's Fourth District. This was an area of commercial buildings and tenements (known as the "Irish Channel"), located between the wealthy "Garden District" and the Mississippi River.

In the Robinson map to the right, No. 875 Tchoupitoulas Street is in the lower right corner of Block 24.

Detail from 1883 Robinson Map, Plate 11

Their first child was named Heinrich Wilhelm, later to be known like his father as "Henry" Landwehr. He was born on 15 July 1871, and was baptized in their house by the pastor of the German Lutheran Congregation on Sunday, 7 April 1872. The sponsors were Henry's sister Catharina and her husband, Henry Buck.

Caroline Feige Landwehr registered the birth of their first child and signed the form. This is the only known instance of her signature.

On 15 September 1873, the Landwehrs had their second child, Marie Henrietta. She was also baptized in their house by the pastor of the German Lutheran Congregation. This was on Sunday, 15 March 1874. Her sponsors were Henry's brother John and his wife, Maria.

Henry Landwehr registered the births of all of his other children and signed them either as Henry Landwehr or H. Landwehr. This is one of those signatures.

Some time after the birth of their second child, the Landwehrs moved to the "downtown" part of New Orleans. When Henry Landwehr registered the birth of their second child on 28 January 1874, he reported that they were living at No. 846 Love Street. (The name of Love Street was later changed to North Rampart Street.)

By the time of the birth of the Landwehrs' third child, they had moved to half of a double "shotgun" house at No. 108 Piety Street (between Rampart Street and St. Claude Avenue).

Detail from 1883 Robinson Map, Plate 20
Street names and No. 108 have been added.

No. 108 Piety Street later became 1004-1006 Piety. Several records indicate that they lived at No. 108½, which may be the half to the right.

Google Maps Street View, 2009

Detail from 1883 Robinson Map, Plate 20.

These are some of the family events that occurred during the Landwehrs' years at No. 108 Piety Street:
	6 October 1875 26 December 1877 23 October 1878 30 November 1879 1 June 1880 20 August 1883 10 July 1884 2 February 1886	Birth of Wilhelm Daniel Landwehr Birth of Katherine Marie Landwehr Death of Wilhelm Daniel Landwehr at age 3 Birth of Johann Heinrich "John" Landwehr Death of Katherine Marie Landwehr at age 2½ Birth of Anna Louise "Annie" Landwehr Death of Anna Louise "Annie" Landwehr at age 10½ months Birth of Anna Leonora Landwehr

The family was living at 108 Piety at the time of the 1880 federal census. The children then living were Henry, Mary, and John, who was mistakenly recorded as a female with the name "Jennie." Perhaps this should have been "Jonnie." Henry's occupation was listed as Laborer.

During the years that the Landwehrs lived on Piety Street, Henry was included several times in the city directories. He was listed as a "Laborer" and later as a "Pressman" (that is, someone who operated a cotton press). There were numerous cotton yards along nearby Press Street.

After their first two children, their next six children were all baptized at what is today's St. Paul Lutheran Church. All of those who survived were also confirmed there and likely attended the school associated with the church.

St. Paul Lutheran Church as it appeared from 1860-1889.

Some time in 1889, Henry and Caroline Landwehr moved their family to No. 50 Elmira Street (today's Gallier Street). Here, their last child, Adele Anna "Della" Landwehr, was born on 26 October 1889. While living here, Henry—now in his 50s—gave up the physically demanding job of cotton pressman and found a position as a night watchman at a brewery. The 1893 city directory shows him working at the Weckerling Branch of the New Orleans Brewing Association.

Some time in the early 1890s, Caroline Landwehr had this photograph taken at the studio of Eugene Simon on Hospital Street (today's Governor Nicholls Street).

The pin or piece of jewelry at her neck has the portrait of a man, presumably her husband, Henry Landwehr.

While the Landwehrs lived on Elmira Street, the two oldest children were married. On 20 April 1893, Marie Landwehr married John M. Neff, and on 24 January 1895, John Landwehr married John Neff's sister, Anna.

The Landwehr family continued to live at No. 50 Elmira Street until around 1896, when they moved to 823 Independence Street. They lived there until some time in 1898, when they moved to 927 Mazant Street.

The Landwehrs likely moved into this single "shotgun-style" house at 927 Mazant Street shortly after it was constructed.

Google Maps Street View, 2009

The Landwehrs were living at 927 Mazant Street at the time of the 1900 census. The census indicated that they owned their home. The children still living at home were John, Leonora, and Adele. Henry's occupation was listed as night watchman.

Detail from 1899 will of Heinrich Feige.

In January 1899, Caroline's father in Bentheim passed away. (Her mother had died 22 years earlier.) In his will, Heinrich Feige listed his seven children living at that time (translated from the original German):
         My Children:
   1. Elise, wife of Habich of Wietmarschen
   2. Heinrich, Court Clerk of Neuenhaus
   3. Marie, with me at home
     4. Caroline, wife of Landwehr of New Orleans in America
     5. Louise, wife of Kanert in Lüdenscheit
     6. Sophie, wife of florist Beckmann in Osnabrück
     7. Bernhard, presently of Münder at the Deister

Later in his will, Heinrich Feige wrote: “All my personal property shall be sold at auction to the highest bidder, and my daughter Caroline in America shall get her fair share.”

While living at 927 Mazant Street, the Landwehrs' son John was married to Leonore Sordelet on 2 November 1902.

Two years later, Henry Landwehr took ill and died on 21 November 1904. The cause of his death was given as "Bright's disease," known today as nephritis. He was 57 years, 10 months old.

Notice of his death was published in The Daily-Picayune of 22 November 1904 (page 8, column 5).

On the same day, a notice was also placed in the German-language newspaper, the Tägliche Deutsche Zeitung (22 Nov 1904, page 4, column 4) notifying fellow members of the Cotton Yardmen's Benevolent Association of Henry's passing.

Notce placed by the Cotton Yardmen's Benevolent Association.

Cotton Yardmen's Benevolent Ass'n.
————
Death Notice
New Orleans, 22. November 1904.

The Burial Committee of this Association is hereby called upon without further notice to attend the funeral of our deceased brother member Henry Landwehr, which will take place today, Tuesday, the 22nd of November in the afternoon at 3 o'clock from his late residence, No. 927 Magazine [Mazant] Street.
By order of
Fred Groß, President.
H. J. Hefton, Recording Secretary.
Hy. Clade, Chairman of the Burial Committee.

Henry Landwehr's remains were interred in St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery, but the exact location is not known.

A little over three years after Henry's death, on 19 March 1908, Leonora Landwehr married Friedrich Stegelmeyer. (After Friedrich's death, Leonora married Charles Luckow on 18 September 1919.)

After the death of her husband Henry Landwehr, Caroline and her unmarried children went to live with her son, Henry Landwehr, Jr. and his family. At the time of the 1910 census, they were all living at 1024 Mandeville Street.

On 27 April 1910, the youngest Landwehr daughter, Della, married Jacob Bauer. Later, Caroline Landwehr went to live with them at 1421 France Street.

At the time of the 1920 census, Caroline was living with her daughter Adele, her son-in-law Jacob Bauer, and their four children.

Caroline Feige Landwehr with the Bauer family.

On 23 November 1924, Caroline was photographed with the Bauer family at 1421 France Street. The Bauer children at that time were Elmore, Jacob Jr., and Adele.

Caroline Landwehr with eleven of her twelve great-grandchildren.

In about 1925, Caroline was photographed with eleven of her twelve great-grandchildren, who at the time were:
     Carl G. Landwehr, born 10 January 1925
     Wilbert L. Amerland, born 26 April 1918
     Harold P. Amerland, born 13 November 1920
     Evelyn M. Amerland, born 22 June 1925
     Elmer C. Doerries, born 15 January 1924
     Milton J. Hellmers, born 24 June 1916
     Leonard H. Hellmers, born 14 September 1917
     Earl H. Hellmers, born 28 May 1921
     Clifford N. Hellmers, born 11 December 1922
     Robert E. Hellmers, born 27 February 1925
     Clement Miller, born 24 September 1923
     Merlin L. Brasse, born 8 November 1921

On Friday, 13 January 1928, while living with the Bauer family, Caroline Feige Landwehr died. (The cause of her death was given as edema of the lungs.) Her remains were interred in Greenwood Cemetery in a tomb owned by the Bauer family, which has the inscription "BAUER/LANDWEHR."

Henry Landwehr and Caroline Feige had a fascinating life together. Both left their homes in what had been the Kingdom of Hannover, making their way on sailing ships to New Orleans on journeys that took many weeks. They likely met at their church and were married within about a year of their meeting. Henry started working as a laborer, but found steady work as a pressman, working side by side with his fellow cotton yardmen. Caroline was a homemaker, bearing eight children, five of whom survived into adulthood, with four marrying and raising families of their own. Both lived through the industrial revolution and saw the invention of the automobile, and Caroline died eight months after Charles Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Theirs were remarkable lives in remarkable times.

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