Notizen zu dieser Person
Family records list Franz's birth date as "About 1888." The birth date and death date included herein was first attached to Franz by Dot Wimsatt; it comes from the Social Security Death Index, for a Frank Potthast, who lived in Missouri. This is based on two assumptions: (a) that Franz immigrated to America, and (b) that he eventually settled in Missouri. Two documents confirm Franz's travels to the USA (but not, necessarily, an immigration) in 1923: The Bremen Passenger list (prepared by the Bremen Chamber of Commerce) and the Ellis Island Records both document that Franz travelled on May 5, 1923 on the ship Yorck from Bremen to New York, arriving in New York at Ellis Island on May 17, 1923. But we do not know the reason for the trip; there were no weddings or wakes among his American cousins in May 1923 (the closest possibility is the death of Anna Leib Potthast, wife of Franz's Uncle William, in January 1923). The Ellis Island records provide Franz's age on arrival as 35, and Elberfeld as his residence. An age of 35 in 1923 would indicate a birth year of 1888-89, and Elberfeld was the location of Franz's parents wedding (and probably the birthplace of his mother). All of this information conforms to family records. The Ellis Island Records also indicate that he was married at the time of his arrival, but there is nothing documenting travels by his wife -- unless he was coming to America because his wife (or wife to be) was already here. The Social Security Death Index includes a Frank Potthast born on July 13, 1889, which seems to correlate (although not exactly) with the age provided in the Ellis Island and other records. However, the SSDI indicates residence in Missouri; why would Frank settle in Missouri (except perhaps for love) when four of his uncles lived in Baltimore. And there are no family records indicating that Franz (or Frank) ever immigrated to the USA, much less that he settled in Missouri. Therefore, not all of the evidence supports the presumption that the Frank who is recorded in the Social Security Death Index is, in fact, Franz Potthast, the son of Maria and Franz. However, until proven incorrect, I have included it in this report, albeit skeptically.
Georg
Potthast
