Emma Kaelin was born at
1906 Hilton Street in Philadelphia on January 30, 1904. She was the first child born to George Kaelin and the
fifth child of his wife, Anna Barbara (Furst?) Kaelin, who had been married previously. Emma had four older half-siblings (Ernest, Anna, Hilda and Elsie Kindig) and three younger brothers (Franklin, George and Howard).
Emma's father was a machinist, according to a notation on her
birth certificate.
Emma was married to Carl Joseph Wenzinger on December 20, 1924, in Reading, Pennsylvania. You can see both the
marriage license and the
wedding announcement.
Emma and Carl had two sons: Carl Joseph, Jr. (b. Mar 8, 1926) and George Robert (b. Jul 24, 1933). During their marriage they lived in Philadelphia, PA; Hampton, VA; Bethesda, MD; and St. Louis, MO.
Emma nearly drowned in the waters off Beach Haven, NJ, one summer while the family was vacationing at the summer home of her in-laws, Charlie and Martha Wenzinger. After being engulfed by a huge wave, she was "unable to make headway against the powerful undertow and was carried steadily farther from the beach," according to a report in the Philadelphia Public Ledger. When Emma was rescued nearly a quarter mile from shore, she was afloat but had lost consciousness. (
Read the newspaper account of Emma's ordeal.)
In early 1952 while living in St. Louis, Emma's husband left the marriage; and by July of that year, Carl had remarried. Both of Emma's parents also died in 1952 (her mother, Anna, in February and her father, George, in November).
Following the divorce, Emma moved in with her son Carl Jr., his wife Dottie, and young daughter Leigh in Bethesda, MD. After learning to type, she found a job with the Insurance Company of North America (INA) and moved to
The Drake apartments in Chevy Chase. Emma worked at INA until her retirement in the early 1970s.
The photo at left shows Emma with three of her grandchildren, c. 1956: Leigh (age 5), Ron (age 1) and Karen (age 3). A fourth grandchild, Don, was born in 1964. All of the grandchildren were born to Emma's older son Carl Jr. and his wife Dottie (Stearns).
Emma was an excellent cook whose specialties included sauerbraten and ladyfinger pie. Both of her sons, as well as grandson Ron, carried on the tradition of preparing sauerbraten for special occasions (such as holidays and birthdays) long after Emma had passed away.
As a grandmother, Emma encouraged her grandchildren to be thrifty and facilitated their saving money by opening bank accounts in their names. A
letter to grandson Don, written in 1974 when he was 10 years old, illustrates how serious she was about her grandchildren studying hard in school and saving money for college and the future.
In retirement, Emma moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where she shared a home in the
Disston Arms Apartments with her (half) sister, Anne Wilhelm. Emma's (half) sisters Hilda and Elsie lived nearby in a mobile home park. After Anne passed away, Emma moved to Vestal, NY, to live (once again) with son Carl Jr. and his wife Dottie. Later, after Carl and Dottie built a retirement home in Deltaville, VA; and as Emma developed severe dementia (probably Alzheimer's Disease), she moved to the Riverside Convalescent Center in Mathews, VA, where she died on September 19, 1994.
In accordance with her wishes, Emma's ashes were scattered in the gardens of Christ Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, Florida (3451 30th Ave. North), where she was a member for many years and lovingly cared for the church's gardens in the early years of her retirement. The photo at left shows Emma's grandchildren (Karen, Ron, Don and Leigh) at the site (Nov 2007).
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Carl Jr's Ancestors page
Emma Kaelin was born at 1906 Hilton Street in Philadelphia on January 30, 1904. She was the first child born to George Kaelin and the fifth child of his wife, Anna Barbara (Furst?) Kaelin, who had been married previously. Emma had four older half-siblings (Ernest, Anna, Hilda and Elsie Kindig) and three younger brothers (Franklin, George and Howard).
Emma's father was a machinist, according to a notation on her birth certificate.
Emma was married to Carl Joseph Wenzinger on December 20, 1924, in Reading, Pennsylvania. You can see both the marriage license and the wedding announcement.
Emma and Carl had two sons: Carl Joseph, Jr. (b. Mar 8, 1926) and George Robert (b. Jul 24, 1933). During their marriage they lived in Philadelphia, PA; Hampton, VA; Bethesda, MD; and St. Louis, MO.
Emma nearly drowned in the waters off Beach Haven, NJ, one summer while the family was vacationing at the summer home of her in-laws, Charlie and Martha Wenzinger. After being engulfed by a huge wave, she was "unable to make headway against the powerful undertow and was carried steadily farther from the beach," according to a report in the Philadelphia Public Ledger. When Emma was rescued nearly a quarter mile from shore, she was afloat but had lost consciousness. (Read the newspaper account of Emma's ordeal.)
In early 1952 while living in St. Louis, Emma's husband left the marriage; and by July of that year, Carl had remarried. Both of Emma's parents also died in 1952 (her mother, Anna, in February and her father, George, in November).
In retirement, Emma moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where she shared a home in the Disston Arms Apartments with her (half) sister, Anne Wilhelm. Emma's (half) sisters Hilda and Elsie lived nearby in a mobile home park. After Anne passed away, Emma moved to Vestal, NY, to live (once again) with son Carl Jr. and his wife Dottie. Later, after Carl and Dottie built a retirement home in Deltaville, VA; and as Emma developed severe dementia (probably Alzheimer's Disease), she moved to the Riverside Convalescent Center in Mathews, VA, where she died on September 19, 1994.
In accordance with her wishes, Emma's ashes were scattered in the gardens of Christ Lutheran Church, St. Petersburg, Florida (3451 30th Ave. North), where she was a member for many years and lovingly cared for the church's gardens in the early years of her retirement. The photo at left shows Emma's grandchildren (Karen, Ron, Don and Leigh) at the site (Nov 2007).
→ Return to Carl Jr's Ancestors page