Alma Helen Wolff Traulsen

Subject: Alma Helen Wolff Traulsen

Occasion: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Photographer: Unknown

Alma Helen Wolff was born on November 23, 1865 in Schneidemuhl in the Province of Posen, Germany. Alma arrived in the United States on October 12, 1882.

Henning and Alma were the parents of my maternal Grandmother Lucy Albertine Helene Traulsen. They were wed on October 15, 1886 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Alma passed away on March 8, 1941 after battling cancer of the pancreas for about one year. She was buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but I do not know what cemetery.

This photograph was glued to a piece of wood that was carved and painted. There are many layers of varnish over the picture and frame. I remember this being called decoupage. Unfortunately, over the years the varnish gets cloudy, so the picture no longer is in sharp focus. The above is a photograph I took of the actual piece. There is no information or date on the back of the picture. There is a small sticker with Gimbels on it. I am assuming this was done at the department store in Milwaukee.

I know very little about my maternal Great Grandmother. If my Grandmother Lucy told stories about her mother, I just do not remember them. Any comments from other family members would of course, be greatly appreciated.

Portrait of Henning William Traulsen Sr.

Subject: Henning William Traulsen Sr.
Occasion: Unknown
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: Unknown
Artist: Unknown
Medium: Charcoal drawing
Photographer: Louis Forrai

Henning was born on December 23, 1860 in Karlberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He emigrated to the United States and arrived on May 5, 1885.

Henning and Alma were the parents of my maternal Grandmother Lucy Albertine Helene Traulsen. They were wed on October 15, 1886 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This is a photograph of a charcoal drawing done of my Maternal Great Grandfather. I carefully unframed the drawing, but there is no indication of the artist or date. My guess would be the late 1890's. The drawing measures 16 x 20 inches. It was framed in a hand carved ornate wood frame, that is very typical of the period. At this time large photographs were for the most part unheard of.  Therefore painting or drawing were done for larger portraits.

Originally, my Grandmother Lucy stated this drawing hung in the parlor of her Grandmother Alma's home.  The frame was dark wood. It was my Grandmother Lucy that changed the color of the frame to gold glitz. During my childhood, the drawing was stored in the attic. When my Grandmother Lucy moved from the house on Richard and Ring to the townhouse, my mother obtained the drawing. It hung in the hallway with other family photographs.

Henning passed away on November 2, 1906. The story of his death was relayed to me by my Cousin Caroline. She stated that Henning suffered from epilepsy. During this era, the disease was thought to be a social stigma. The disease worsen to the point where Henning could no longer work in the bakery. He did not want the world to know he had the disease. He took a hand gun and shot himself inside the stable at his residence. I can only imagine what a shock it was to the family.  

The Traulsen Bakery

Title: Arthur H. Traulsen Bakery
Pictured: Left to Right: Arthur Traulsen, Baker, Henning Traulsen, Jr.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date: Unknown
Photographer: Unknown

The address on the awning states 488, but I do not know what street the bakery was located on. I know this photograph was taken after 1906, the year Henning Traulsen Sr. died. Since Arthur was the oldest, the bakery was named after him.

If you look closely in the window on the right, you will see a woman behind the counter. I am positive that this is my Grandma Lucy. Leaving the bakery to the children was far from a harmonious event. I remember stories how my grandmother resented that control of the bakery was left in the hands of her older brother. She relayed how she was treated no better than an employee, and even when this photograph was taken, she was left inside to take care of the customers. The hired baker took more prominence then Lucy.

Women during this era did not get a fair shake, and having a dictator of a brother running your life was no bed of roses. Lucy was not paid for her services at the bakery. She had to clean the bakery, run errands and work behind the counter. That was woman's work. Arthur would not pay her, stating her payment was a roof over head and food to eat. No wonder she referred to him as the Kaiser!

Lucy with her 8th grade education did a very brave and unheard of thing. She read in the newspaper the need for secretaries in Chicago. She secretly saved pennies from making change at the bakery counter until she had enough for train fare to Chicago. Once she had the money, she packed the very few articles of clothing she had and off to Chicago she went. I guess you can call it turn of the century contract labor, but she agreed to work as a secretary for a company, in exchange for a stipend to attend secretary school. Once she graduated, she would work for the company and pay back a small portion of her paycheck until the tuition and stipend was paid in full. Once paid, her obligation to the company was over.

I don't know how long the school was, or the name of the company she worked for. I do remember her telling me she lived in a boarding house. Please remember, that her future husband George Waswo had relatives in Chicago. I surmise that living in Chicago gave her the freedom from her family to allow her to court. I also surmise, that is why in the 1910's, I have so many photographs of George and Lucy in Chicago. Lucy never had a close relationship with her brother Arthur, and she did not speak kindly of him. She did enjoy and always spoke with the most kind regard for his children, Arthur Jr., Dorinne and Caroline. Lucy was closest to her brother Henning Jr., and took good care of him until his death.

Lucy was a lady way ahead of her time. She bucked the tradition of the era and paved her own way and made a life for herself. I remember her as a strong, loving person, and 'a caution' definitely described her. Lord forgive you, if you were on her bad list! I can also say, my mother Norma, Lucy's daughter exhibited some of these strong characteristics as well. In future posts we will explore how Norma handled whatever was thrown at her during her life.

mamma and papa

Subject: Henning William Traulsen Sr. and Alma Helen Wolff
Occasion: Unknown
Date: Unknown
Photographer: Wollensak Studio, 500 National Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Henning was born on December 23, 1860 in Karlberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He emigrated to the United States and arrived on May 5, 1885.

Alma Helen Wolff was born on November 23, 1865 in Schniedermuhl Proving
Rosen, Germany (my spelling may be incorrect as I was reading it from a very old document). Alma arrived in the United States on October 12, 1882.

Henning and Alma were the parents of my maternal Grandmother Lucy Albertine Helene Traulsen. They were wed on October 15, 1886 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

On the back of the photograph is written mamma and papa, and it appears to be in my Grandmother's handwriting.

I take a break once again in the time line, to return to a photograph I recently found of my maternal, maternal, great, great grandparents. Unfortunately, I know very little about this photograph. I feel it was taken after 1886 the date of their wedding, as both appear older to me. The photograph is mounted on heavy cardboard.

Henning and Alma ran a bakery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The exact location is unknown to me. After Henning's death in 1906, the bakery was run by Arthur, Henning Jr. and my Grandmother Lucy. I do not remember any stories that revealed the demise of the bakery. Arthur passed away in 1960 and Henning Jr. in 1966.

Next week we will discover what life beheld the bakers, and my Grandmother Lucy's role.

You are cordially invited...

Subject: Lucy Traulsen, age 24, and George D. Waswo, age 31.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Occasion: Wedding Day
Date: August 18, 1915
Photographer: Unknown

The wedding day of Lucy and George! These are the only two pictures I have found to date from their wedding. I really do not know too much about their wedding. I don't remember my grandmother ever sharing stories about that special day.

I do remember stories about my grandparents courtship. My grandfather was a traveling salesman for the Fleishman Yeast Company. George got this job through his Uncle Fredrick Lueth, who at the time lived in Kansas City, MO. Lucy met George when he visited the family bakery in Milwaukee.

I remember my grandmother telling me, she liked George because he had a job, a car and $500 in the bank! I also remember a scrap book filled with postcards that George wrote her during his sales travels. He also brought back souvenirs from his trips. Many of them were silver spoons from the cities and states that he visited. While I have not been able to find the scrap book of postcards, I do have some of the silver spoons he brought back for Lucy. Spoons that she always treasured.

My grandmother moved next door to us in the late 1960's. At that time, she gave the spoons to my mother. My mother purchased a wooden rack, and displayed some of the spoons in this rack. The rack hung in a hallway near the kitchen. My grandmother was very practical, she gave the spoons to my mother so she would not have to keep them polished. Of course, as I got older, it became one of my jobs to polish the spoons. At the time I did not appreciate it, but now I treasure the spoons as my grandmother and mother did.

Please examine the photographs closely. I love the long white gloves Lucy is wearing. Also note the placement of the flower corsage. In the bottom photograph, I see a cross necklace Lucy is wearing. I do not remember this necklace. It may be packed in a box, as some items I hastily packed, or my mother did give some of the family jewelry to her daughter-in-law.

If you look at George, you also see the flower boutonniere. As in previous photographs, please note the watch fob on the left breast pocket. There was a button hole near the boutonniere, at one end of the fob was a button that was attached to his hole, the chain led down to a small pocket in the coat, where the pocket watch was kept. This was the style of the era, as you will also see this on the photograph of Lucy's brother Henning in a post from July 2010.

George Daniel Waswo

Subject: George D. Waswo
Age: 29
Location: Jefferson Park, Chicago, Illinois
Occasion: Unknown
Date: May 31, 1914
Photographer: Unknown

My plan was to post the wedding pictures of George Daniel Waswo and Lucy Traulsen in August; as August was the month of their marriage. However, while going through some boxes, I found additional photographs from this era of my grandfather and grandmother. My mother, Norma, gave me these photographs years ago. I forgot I had them. Near the middle of September the wedding photographs will be posted.

I know very little about this photograph other than the date and location. This was written on the back in my grandmother's handwriting. I am unsure whether he was dressed for work or to go out. The date is very close to Decoration Day, or Memorial Day as we now call it. Decoration Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. So perhaps George is dressed up to pay his respect towards the family members that passed on.

I love looking at these pictures of my grandparents in their youth. It amazes me to see the family resemblance between Grandma Lucy and my mother, Norma, and Grandpa George and my Uncle George, Norma's brother.

George Daniel Waswo with his mother's cat

Subject: George Daniel Waswo with his mother's cat.
Age: 29
Location: Jefferson Park, Chicago, Illinois
Occasion: Unknown
Date: May 31, 1914
Photographer: Unknown

My plan was to post the wedding pictures of George Daniel Waswo and Lucy Traulsen in August; as August was the month of their marriage. However, while going through some boxes, I found additional photographs from this era of my grandfather and grandmother. My mother, Norma, gave me these photographs years ago. I forgot I had them. In the following weeks I will post photographs of my grandparents from their courting days. Finally, near the end of September the wedding photographs will be posted.

I know very little about this photograph, but it is one of the very few I have of my grandfather in a casual setting. Most of the photographs are professional or of my grandfather in more formal attire.

It even further amazes me to find a picture of my grandfather with a cat. Per my mother, Norma, George did not approve of pets or animals whether they be inside or outside. Norma was always the animal lover and wanted to bring strays home, but her father George was always dead against it.

As an adult, Norma usually had a pet. Even when she lived in one of grandmother's apartments, she had a little dog. Grandmother didn't mind animals one bit, as long as she did not have to take care of them. During my childhood we had a number of pets, one dog and several cats. Norma never cared to have more than one at a time, but I can remember a furry companion through most of my childhood.

So, we have the mystery of this photograph. I will never know the full story behind it.