So as I mentioned, this week’s research centered around the Tropp family. As it turns out, there’s a great deal that we didn’t know about this very large family, so I intend to break this review up in to a couple of installments. This post is about Anton and Regina, what I’ve learned about them and about their children. Next installment will be more about their children and grandchildren, some of whom I’ve made initial contact with, which is kind of cool.
So anyway, Anton Tropp was born on July 17, 1859, in Pilsen. Pilsen today, spelled Plzen locally, is now in the Czech Republic. It’s the city that Pilsner beer is named after, which should be a source of pride for all of us.
In 1859, Pilsen was still part of the Autro-Hungarian Empire, and was always a bit of a border town. The people in Pilsen, to this day, identify more as Austrian than as Czech. Anton himself used “Bohemian” a number of times on various census, immigration and registration documents. Much of ancient Pilsen still stands intact, as it was out of range for allied bombers in WWII, and when Patton’s army liberated the city in May, 1945, Hitler was already dead, the war was basically over and they met very little resistance. I’d love to go see it, and intend to get there at some point in the years to come.
Anton’s father was Martin. No detail about him or Anton’s mother. It does not appear that they came to the US, as they don’t appear on any census logs or passenger manifests.
Anton sailed on the Leipzig out of Bremen, Germany, arriving in Baltimore on April 30, 1881, age 22. He traveled with a man whose last name is Markem, but I can’t read the first name on the manifest and never saw his name in anything again. They were from the same hometown, and must have been friends enough to make the trip together. How he got from Baltimore to Chicago is unclear, but why he chose Chicago is not really a surprise. In the 1860’s, Chicago was THE destination for German Catholics, and they essentially settled the northwest side of Chicago. He likely had relatives, friends, or at least the knowledge that he’d find a welcome in Chicago.
We’ll get back to Anton in a minute.
Andrew Grzecza was born in December, 1817 in the tiny Prussian town of Waldowko. Prussia in 1817 had just recovered from the Napoleonic era and was in a state of continual expansion. They controlled what is modern day Poland, most of Ukraine, and part of Denmark. Waldowko is now part of Poland, but just like Pilsen, you really have to look at how the people identified themselves. Andrew lists himself as German on his immigration papers.
Within 50 years, Bismark would unify Germany under the rule of the King of Prussia, launching us on a path to WWI and eventually WWII. Andrew and his wife, Regina (maiden name Sass) were married in 1843 in Waldowko. Regina’s father was Martin Sass, 1793-1857, but I know nothing else about the other 3 parents of these two.
Andrew and Regina were busy. From 1844 to 1864, they had 10 children – Justina, died in infancy; Maryanna, died in infancy; Anna, 1847-1914; Johann, died at age 2; Frank, 1855-1931; Gertrude, 1859-1913; Anton, died in infancy; Rosalia, died in infancy; Regina, 1865-1948.
In 1871, the entire family emigrated to Chicago. I don’t have any detail on their boat or port of arrival, but their naturalization forms show an 1871 arrival. I don’t know where in Chicago they lived at first, but more to come on that. What is clear is that the name was changed to Gretz. Very common for that to have happened; both the desire of the immigrant to simplify the name for the English tongue, and of the immigration officers just writing down whatever they wanted.
On January 29, 1884, Regina Gretz and Anton Tropp were married in Old St Joseph’s church in Chicago. Old St Joseph’s is now merged with Immaculate Conception Parish at 1100 N Orleans in Chicago, but I don’t know where it was located at the time. It could have been there, but more likely it was further west. Regina and Anton had a massive family, and they got to work right away.
Their children were Anna, 1884-1987 (103 years old!); John, 1886-1894; Frank P, 1888-1928; Mathilda, called Tilly, 1890-1977; George, 1892-1923; Joseph, 1894-1936; Dorothy, 1896-1970; Anton Jr, 1897-1964; Elizabeth, 1899-1988; Arthur, 1901-1973; Marie, 1903-1977; Conrad, 1904-1983. I’ll do more on what I’ve learned about the descendants of these people later on.
In 1889, Anton is listed in the Chicago City Directory as living at 698 Humboldt Ave as a Moulder. 698 Humboldt is no longer an address; the entire city was re-numbered in the late 1890’s, so it’s hard to say exactly where that was, but it’s safe to assume it was in the area of North & Humboldt now.
In the 1900, 1910 and 1920 census, the family lived at 2458 W Cortez St. Right next door at 2454 was the Frank Gretz family, Regina’s brother. Regina’s mother had died in the 1890’s, but Andrew was still living with Frank at the time.
2458 W. Cortez is now a vacant lot, and 2454 was clearly knocked down and rebuilt within the last 20 years. Later on, Frank and Sadie lived at 2448 Cortez, which is also a new building now. Tommy and I have a memory of being driven past a house that had been jacked up on stilts with a new story built underneath it 2 or 3 times; Frank P told us that it was the house he had been born in. I remember it being on North Ave, so maybe he couldn’t find it and just picked one out for us, or maybe my memory is faded on it. Hard to say.
What is clear is that the growing Tropp family did not go far from Cortez Street.
Anton was a Milk Merchant. We’ve all heard parts of stories about the dairy that they would ride out to each morning to pick up milk and deliver along a route. Clearly Frank, George, Joseph and Anton Jr were in the business; their occupations listed as Teamsters, which would make sense if they were actually driving the milk routes. In the 1913 City Directory, Anton is listed as a Depot operator for the National Milk Company. It seems from what I can gather that they had a delivery route for National Milk Co, as sort of a franchise operator. National Milk would supply the milk at their depot and the Tropp’s would buy it from them and then resell it on their route.
Frank Tropp married Sadie (Sarah) O’Connor at St Catherine’s Church on August 29, 1914. I would love to know the story of how they met, as the rest of the Tropp brothers and sisters all married people of German descent. I’ll do more on the O’Connor family later on.
Sadie and Frank, as we know, had 5 children; Richard, 1915-1982; Regina (Ginny Morley), 1918-2012; Frank P, 1920-2006; Mary Ellen, 1921-1979; Margaret (Marge McGuigan); 1925-2001. They lived, as I mentioned at 2448 Cortez. Frank signed his WWI draft card on June 5, 1917. I think that must have been the big draft card date, since that’s when Howard Reece signed his too.
I will do a deeper dive on all the cousins who lived on Cortez St later, but our Frank P would not have been lonely. Anton Jr had a son, Robert, born just a couple years after Frank P, and there would have been kids all over the street. As a preview, though, Robert had 4 kids in the Hinsdale area, and only died last year. I’ve reached out to a grandson of his, Joshua, to see if I can learn more about that family. Will keep you posted.
As we know, Frank Sr died in 1928; the story is that he scraped his finger on a rusty nail, developed lockjaw and died. I can’t verify that, but I can verify that he definitely did die in 1928. He is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, the same place that all of our grandparents are buried.
By the 1930 census, Sadie and the kids are living at 6829 S. Honore. Sadie owns the house, worth $5,000. In addition to the 5 kids, her mother Margaret, sisters Mary and Helen, cousin Michael and Thomas Morley (age 23 and 25) are living with them. Here’s a link to the Google street view of the house: https://www.google.com/maps/place/6829+S+Honore+St,+Chicago,+IL+60636/@41.7694085,-87.6700201,3a,75y,89.15h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNeXgtAfWFgLe3TMZK4TO6Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x880e2fb04d359723:0xe1ab1b336bef34af!8m2!3d41.7694117!4d-87.6697293
She’s in the same house in the 1940 census, and lists her occupation as “Interior Decorator”. I think that’s kind of funny. By 1940, the occupants of the house include 4 of the kids, Ginny is out by now, her mother and 2 sisters, and the Cassidy family; Frank, Kathleen, Jacqueline, Donald, Patricia & Margaret who are listed as boarders.
Sadie died on May 9, 1952 at age 58, she’s also buried in Holy Sepulchre. Again, I’ll do more on the O’Connors, including Sadie, next time.
Alright, that’s all for now.
Tropp Family History 