Notizen zu dieser Person
Two credible sources differ on Frank's date of birth; I have chosen to use the date of birth listed on his death certificate: June 20, 1894." Both Frank and his brother George were inducted into the US Army on the same day: April 29, 1918, during the height of World War I. Frank did not serve overseas; he received an honorable discharge on December 23, 1918. His brother George served longer (honorably discharged May 27, 1919) and served overseas in Meuse-Argonne, France. Postcards saved by Maria Schenke Potthast include four postcards, written in English and signed "Frank." I assume these to be from this same Frank Potthast, although there is a possibility that they were from his cousin Franz/Frank (the son of Franz). They are all postmarked from June/July, 1929. He was apparently taking a variation of the European Grand Tour; the postcards were sent from London, Rome, Barcelona and Germany ... the last stop spent visiting relatives. The first postcard (sent from London) shows the ship on which he travelled: The SS Stuttgart of the German Norddeutscher Lloyd line. The next stop was Rome, followed by the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona (famous for its German Pavilion, designed by a young Mies van der Rohe). The final postcard comes from Barmen, where his Aunt Anna Florentine Potthast lived with her husband Bernhard Marx and family. The image on the postcard is of Restaurant Marx. Much of what I know of Frank comes from his obituary which appeared in The Catholic Review, January 1, 1943. However, Ted Potthast, Jr. (Frank's cousin) has noted that the fourth sentence ("Besides his wife, Mrs. Magdalena Potthast, [Frank] is survived by three children, Mary, Anna, and William Potthast") is totally inaccurate. Frank was never married. Magdalena Potthast was Frank's sister, not his wife, and the "surviving children" -- Mary, Anna and William -- are the children of Frank's brother George. Unfortunately, this error has found its way into various other genealogy reports on the Potthast family. "Frank J. Potthast, secretary and treasurer of the firm of Potthast Brothers, well known makers of furniture, died last Saturday at Bon Secours Hospital. He had been in poor health for a year. Mr. Potthast was the son of the late William A. and Anna Potthast. Besides his wife, Mrs. Magdalena Potthast, he is survived by three children, Mary, Anna and William Potthast [See above]; a brother, George, and three sisters, Misses Magdalena, Rose and Bertha Potthast. "Mr. Potthast was born in Baltimore and was educated at Saint Alphonsus Parochial School, the Baltimore City College and the Johns Hopkins University. He was a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering and served as a member of the Engineers' Corps of the United States Army in the first World War. He was a member of the American Legion. "Mr. Potthast was, for a time, president of the Charles Street Association, and member of the board of directors of the same association. His father's firm, of which he became a member, was established fifty years ago and has long been prominent in Baltimore. "The Mass of Requiem for the repose of his soul was celebrated on Tuesday morning at Corpus Christi Church by the Rev. J. Leonard Doran. Present in the sanctuary were the Right Rev. Monsignor James F. Nolan and the Revs. C. Carroll Kerr, Joseph J. Deppe and John J. Buckley. Burial was in Holy Redeemer Cemetery. The pallbearers were William Schlhorst, Edward Corcoran, Theodore, Michael and William Potthast and John Goeller."
Georg
Potthast
