Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer (1815-1866) biography
Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer (1815-1866) Emigrated from Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834. He along with his children operated a series of liquor and cigar stores in Manhattan, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey. Their cigar business was Lindauer and Company Tobacconists which manufactured and sold cigars throughout Manhattan and Hudson County, New Jersey (b. 1815, Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, Bas Rhin, France - d. September 05, 1866, 42 Grand Street, Manhattan, New York County, New York City, New York, USA)
Birth:
Oscar was born in 1815 in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine where his parents owned a department store.
Marriage and emigration:
In 1834 he married Sophia Weber (1815-1891) and on their honeymoon they emigrated to Philadelphia in the United States.
Children:
They had three children in Philadelphia: Charles Frederick Lindauer I (1835-1921) who married Anna Augusta Kershaw (1841-1931); John Jacob Lindauer (1841-1888) who married Nellie X (1853-1899) and worked as the cigar maker; and Louis Julius Lindauer (1842-1915) who married Mary Sheehan (1842-1888).
Philadelphia to Manhattan:
Oscar and Anna moved from Philadelphia to New York around 1850 and their daughter, Eloise Lindauer I (1852-1944) was born there. Eloise would later marry William Arthur Ensko II (1850-1889) and have several children and grandchildren. Oscar and Anna lived on Houston Street in Greenwich Village in New York City and Oscar and his children operated a liquor vending business or an "exchange". Other entries in the City Directory list the children as "brokers". In 1866 he was living at 81 Grand Street in Manhattan and his occupation was listed as "exchange".
Death and burial:
Oscar died in 1866 and he was buried in Cypress Hill Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York and his funeral notice appeared in the New York Herald on September 7, 1866.
Obituary:
New York Herald, Friday, September 07, 1866, page 9: "On Wednesday morning, September 5, Oscar A.M. Lindauer, aged 51 years and 2 months. The relatives and friends of his sons, Charles, Louis, and John Lindauer, also the members of Eastern Star Lodge, No. 227, F. and A.M., are respectfully invited to attend the funeral from 42 Grand Street, this (Friday) afternoon, at two o'clock. The remains to be interred in Cypress Hill Cemetery."
Family Memoir:
In 1965 Eloise Ensko (1925-1993) wrote the following: "My great-grandmother Sophia married an Oscar Lindauer. They came from Alsace-Lorraine on their honeymoon. Alsace-Lorraine was then owned by the French. Great grandmother brought a lovely picture of Napoleon over from the other side - none of which I have ever seen duplicated. It is still in the family and in excellent condition. The Lindauer family owned a huge department store over there. When the newlyweds came to this country about the early 1800's they settled in Philadelphia. The living room furniture is still in the family. I have in my possession one of the sitting chairs. It is a very pretty, light wood in color, Victorian style. It is now of heavy material and cover. Sophia's Oscar had three boys and later on one girl. The boys were Charles, Louis and John."
Timeline:
* 1815 Birth in Alsace
* 1834 Marriage to Sophia Weber
* 1834 Emigration to Philadelphia
* 1835 Birth of Charles Frederick Lindauer I
* 1841 Birth of John Jacob Lindauer
* 1842 Birth of Louis Julius Lindauer
* 1850 (circa) Move from Philadelphia to Manhattan
* 1852 Birth of Eloise Lindauer I
* 1866 Living at 81 Grand Street in Manhattan
* 1866 Death in Manhattan on September 7th
References:
* New York Herald, September 7, 1866, Funeral Notice, Oscar Lindauer
* Brooklyn Eagle, June 2, 1889, Lindauer and Company, Tobacco