Divorce, Citizenship, Birth, and Death - 1914

John Koroschetz Date uncertain

John Koroschetz, my mom's father, received his Certificate of Naturalization on November 6, 1914 (below). John had divorced his Austrian wife, named as Carolina,  four months earlier. Yet this certificate still notes he has as wife, but with a different name, Charlotte: 


Name and residence of wife: Charlotte resides in Austria


...and reading this document is the first time I learn the names and ages of my maternal grandfather's first children, my mother's half siblings, and therefore, my half aunts and uncles.

Names, ages and places of residency of minor children: [in 1914] Charlotte, 16 yrs. John 14 yrs. Mary 9 yrs. Bertha 9 yrs twins) all reside with mother in Austria. 

All are certainly long dead, and even their children, my half first cousins, are probably dead, or very old.

Some questions arise out of this document:

1. Why is Charlotte/Carolina still listed as his wife, even though he finalized his divorce from her in July?  Is it because it would have been unseemly to list children without a wife?

2. Carolina or Charlotte? The fact that the eldest daughter is named Charlotte leads me to believe this is the correct name. Did the bureaucrats just write down any name starting with a "C" or perhaps they couldn't read John's handwriting? Is it possible John purposely gave two different names? That seems far-fetched as he wanted to become a citizen and wouldn't want to jeopardize that process, but who knows?

3,  Did Charlotte desert John and then run away with another man in Austria, perhaps to marry him? If she had deserted John Koroschetz in 1908, (before he left for America), as he claimed in the divorce decree, she was caring for a ten-year-old, eight-year-old, and twin three-year olds at that time. A woman with four young children at the turn of the twentieth century didn't have a great many options for making a living, especially with four children in tow. She would have needed a man to survive.


4.  Did Charlotte file for divorce in Austria, claiming John had deserted her? One day I hope to search out more information about these half-siblings of my mother, of whom she never spoke until very late in life and in whom she expressed no interest. Zero.

Birth-Fred Gartz, October 10, 1914

The Year 1914 turned out to be significant in other ways for my family. Just a month prior to Grandpa Koroschetz's naturalization, a baby was born who would eventually marry John's yet-to-be-born American daughter, my mother, Lillian. My Dad, Fred Gartz,  was born October 10, 1914. See Happy Birthday Dad and GGG Grandpa)  

But the joy of that birth was tempered by a death. By the time John became a naturalized citizen, World War I had been waging since the first official battle in July, 1914. My Dad's mother, Lisi's younger brother, Samuel Ebner, had been killed in The Battle of Galizia (see The Fallen, Part I) in August, 1914, at the age of twenty. It wouldn't be the last time in my family's history that the grief of death and the happiness of birth co-mingled.

Next week, John Koroschetz and Louise Woschkeruscha find each other and marry, almost two years after John's divorce.

"If I'm never happy again..." Giving Thanks redux

Lil turns 24 and parties with her Freddie, and several others. The next day after celebrating with her favorite girlfriends, she reflects on how lucky she is. (See Lil's baby picture on her birthday post at Happy Birthday, Mom. If you'd like to start at the beginning of Lil's diary postings about falling for Fred, go to Falling in Love 70 Years Ago.

Having just celebrated Thanksgiving, this seems like an appropriate post. Mom takes a good look at the wonderful people in her life and is grateful for her good fortune. I'm struck by how unusual it is today (or maybe always has been) for so many people, especially the young, to focus on the positive in their lives.

Sat., Oct. 18, 1941 

Got a card from Fred; a darling one from Carl yesterday. Went with Eleanor Stewart to Isabell’s to celebrate our mutual birthday together. Had two whiskey sours and a gentleman treated us to two more because were “obviously such right --five girls -- and we should stay that way.”

Then I had to dash home in the Essie [Lil's name for her car], grab a bite to eat and do shopping for my party tomorrow.

Got home at 6:00 pm, ate supper, got dressed, and wanted nothing quite so much as to have abour four or three hours to take a nap. I did squeeze 15 minutes in for that purpose.

Fred brought me a box of glazed fruits -- I’m so glad he was thoughtful as to remember me in this way.

As usual, I got as many roses as I am years old from good old Carl. [Carl Schodt was a young man madly in love with Mom. She dated him prior to meeting Fred, but always told him she liked him, but couldn't love him. He literally ate peanuts for lunch so he could buy Lil lovely gifts. Each time she said she couldn't accept the gift because she didn't love him, he responded, "If you don't take, it I'll throw it away."]

Went via street car to the Germania Club where Kenny and another gal, (Blondie [a model Ken was dating] couldn’t make it), Bill [Fred's older brother] and a girl,  and many others were there to make up the party. Had a lovely evening again, although not up to the kind we have when alone.

Around 3:00 AM Freddie and I got terribly sleepy so we went up to the balcony and slept, his arm around mine.

This time on the way home, no kissing; we had an audience and a very short goodnight kiss since there was a waiting gang in the car.

Ah, propriety! What an old-fashioned concept!

Lil, age 20 at The Bayer Company working for Chicago President,
Mr. Gibney. Spring, 1938. See diary comment below about her raise

Sunday, Oct 19, 1941

Had Gert, Myrtle Haling, Ruth, and Marge Johnson and Lucille Kaye as well as Ceil over to help celebrate my birthday. Had a most enjoyable day - one of the nicest birthdays I’ve had. Though I’d have to arrange to play some games, but the crowd was so congenial that conversation was definitely sufficient entertainment.

Gert gave me a recent picture of herself, a darling little traveling case, and brought a beautiful gardenia corsage with a dubonnet ribbonon it from her pop. [Gert's dad owned a florist shop.] Very thoughtful, I’ll say.

I thought tonight, if I am never happy again I really shouldn’t complain because I’ve had such a very full life already. Good friends, one excellent friend, Gert, of course, romances behind me, and now a young man I’ve been looking for all my days, wonderfully good parents, an excellent job, mein Liebchen, was willst Du noch mehr? [My Dear, what more do you want?]

How could I forget--on Wednesday Gibney [Lil's boss and president of The Bayer Company in Chicago] told me he had authorization from H.M. Manns, Pres, [maybe national president?] for an increase to $130 per month. Not bad, eh -- for a kid of 24, minus college? 

Also on Friday we learned that effective Nov. 1 we are to work 8:00 to 5:00 and no Saturday. Ah, life -- how wonderful! Couldn’t resist phoning Fred at his lab to tell him these two good pieces of news.

So here I am--Monday night, Oct. 20, and up to date on my diary. Took me an hour to write...but I think some day these notes will be worth the effort.

Boy! I'll say! I'm having so much fun reliving Mom and Dad's youth. Coming up... Trouble in Paradise. What happens when Fred puts off asking Lil for a date one too many times?

Please click below on the red word "comments" to add your thoughts. Thanks!

"Betcha" -- he won't call! (And...Happy Birthday, Mom!)

Lillian Koroschetz (Gartz) 1918 ~ 6 months

Before we learn more about my Mom's incipient romance with Fred Gartz, let's take a pause to say "Happy Birthday, Mom!" Lil would have turned ninety-four today. Here's her cute baby picture, and below her Waller High School Graduation photo.

Last week we learned that my mom, Lillian, was pondering in February, 1941, whether or not Fred Gartz, whom she'd met November 19, 1940, would call her. She clearly liked him from the start. Then nearly three months passed from her February, 1941 musings ("My biggest concern is whether Fred Gartz will phone to ask me for a date") to another chance meeting with Fred.

Lillian Koroschetz 1935 age 18

A bit of character background:  Esther Schultz, mentioned here in Lil's diary, was Dad's "buddy," not really a girlfriend, which explains her generous sharing of Fred at this dance. She became a life-long friend of the family. Here's Lil's next diary entry on the subject of "Fred Gartz."

Sunday a.m. 3:15 May 11, 1941 

Well of all things--I just returned from a dance...at the Moose Hall, 130 N. Dearborn, and by a curious coincidence this diary entry is again caused by meeting Fred Gartz again.

There’s no doubt about it; I’m in love with him after meeting him thrice. He was at the dance with his two brothers and some other friends, each with a girl friend. However, shortly after he saw me there (Fred) he asked me to dance, and we had quite a few numbers together. The first time I met him, (Nov. 19, 1940), I taught him the Polish hop and tonight I taught him the Rhumba. He catches on to all dances miraculously fast. We have so much fun together.

He’s really the first man I’ve met that I think I’d like to marry--intelligent, crazy, fun, and we have no end of things to talk about. In fact, when he first came to me this evening, we started to talk and had so much fun together and were so engrossed, we didn’t even start to dance immediately.

He apparently goes out with quite a number of girls, and this one, viz., Esther Schultz liked me very well and kept urging Fred to dance with me so that she could watch us. I sat at their table practically all evening and we all had a beer and sandwich together.

Hell, I have the worst luck, though. The previous time I met him we seemed to have such a wonderful time too -- and not a phone call from him.

So difficult as it might be, I might just as well put him out of my mind once and for all because he undoubtedly will not call me up and I’m just crazy about him! I’ll probably be a “business woman" all my life or else marry just "lukewarm-about,” who won’t go in for dancing, sports, and all the things I love. The luck of some women! Amen.   And now to forget Friedrich Gartz!!

What will have happened by June 1, 1942? With whom will I go out New Year's Eve, 1941? Only time will tell, but I'll "betcha" no more word from Fred. Betcha $5.00 to put in the bank by Sept. 1, 1942.

Just when will Fred get a clue and ask Lil out!  "Quite a thrill awaited me...."  Coming up!


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Happy Birthday, Dad...and G-G-G-Grandpa

Fred Gartz dob October 10, 1914

Fred Gartz, 1934

If you've ever taken a course in probability, you've undoubtedly learned to mathematically prove the Birthday Problem:  if you gather a relatively small number of people in a room, the likelihood that two will have the same birthday is much higher than seems possible without the "proof." (With just 23 random people in a room, there's a 50% probability that two of them will have the same birthday!) See the Wikipedia explanation of this phenomenon (if you care) at The Birthday Problem.

Birth Registration 10 October, 1769 for
Johannes Michael Görz

But what's the probability that my dad and his g-g-grandfather would have the same birthday? That's four men of direct lineage (dad, grandfather, great grandfather, g-g grandfather). We're not talking uncles or great aunts -- but directly back through his dad's side to the guy who started the Gartz (originally Görz) lineage in my grandfather's home town.

I won't do the math, but it seems to me a long shot -- sometimes called an amazing coincidence! So I'll just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO my G-G-G Grandpa, Johannes Michael Görz,  born  OCTOBER 10, 1769 (no photo obviously, but here's his birth registration from Gerstheim, Alsace, before his Dad up and took the whole family (little Johann was just eight months old on this 1,000 mile trek) to Hungary, now Romania.

See Unraveling the Michael Mystery for details on discovering of this 242-year-old document.

And Happy Birthday, Dad: October 10, 1914 (he'd be 97), born 145 years after Johannes Michael.