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Christina Alberg

2-29-1836 to 12-21-1919

Possible Siblings

 

   Nicolas

   Magdalena

   Heinrich/Henry

   Maria (Linwood)

 

(only Henry seems to have stayed in the US)

 

 Christina & John Klein

 are buried in

St. Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park. There are five illegible tombstones beside theirs.

married c. 1855

 to

John H. Klein

Oct 1828 to 12-30-1901

Children

all born in Chicago

  

 1859-Mary Klein Falkenthal

 1861-Anna Klein Wachdorf

 1863-Henry Klein

 1867-Catherine

 1871-Christina Lehman

 1876-George Klein

 plus five who did not live

 

Catherine became

a nun of the

Poor Clare Colettine

Order

Santa Barbara Mission

 

Her parents (probably):

Georg Alberg

&

Elizabeth Schmitz (or Claudia)

of Gerolstein, Rhineland Prussia

John's parents:

unknown

Her grandparents:

unknown

from Prussia

 

 

The name was sometimes spelled Albert.

Christina reported that she came to the US in 1850, at age 14. A "Christiana" Albert entered the US in 1850 on the ship Peter Hattrick, but she was listed as 11 (though it could have been a faulty transcription). The siblings and parents listed here belong to Christiana, under the assumption that she is Christina. It may be a false assumption, but no one else in currently available records comes closer to matching.

 

Click on any image to enlarge. Once enlarged, activate the zoom tool by moving the cursor to the right of the image, then back onto the image, and clicking.

Christina Alberg Klein in black, with daughter Anna, grandson Edward and gr-grandson Edward Wachdorf Jr.

Christina Alberg Klein around 1914

Christina's daughters, Mary Klein Falkenthal (in white) and Anna Klein Wachdorf, c. 1930

Obituary of Christina Alberg Klein 1919

death certificate of Christina Alberg Klein 1919

Klein gravemarker, St. Mary's--there are five illegible little stones in a row beside this marker

She gave an immigration date of 1850*, so at about age 14 she arrived in the US, and at about 19, in 1855,she married John Klein, probably in Chicago. She gave birth (again according to the census) to eleven children, of whom only six were still alive by 1900. Those for whom I have any information are listed on the Klein page. All of them were born in Chicago. At the time of her death, Christina was living on the 5800 block of Princeton Ave, right around the corner from 58th St. and St. Martin's Church. She died 12-21-1919 and is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park, IL. The original gravestone seems to have been replaced with a newer tombstone marking both her and John, but in a line beside the stone are five much older, illegible markers. These may be for some of her children.

1860 census Chicago Ward 2

John Kline, age 30, day laborer, personal estate value $350, born Prussia

Christine Kline, age 24, born Prussia

Mary Kline, age 1, born IL

 

1870 census Chicago Ward 8

John Klein, age 42, foundry hand, real estate value $1800, personal estate 200, born Prussia

Christine Klein, age 34, keeping house, born Prussia

Mary Klein, age 11, at school, born IL (as are her siblings)

Anna Klein, age 9, at school

"Samuel" Klein, age 7, male, at school

Catherine Klein, age 3, at home

"Hanah" Klein, age 1, female

 

1880 census, Chicago District 66, Steward Avenue

John Kline, age 52, day laborer, born in Prussia of parents born in Prussia

wife Christina, age 44, keeping house, born in Prussia of parents born in Prussia

daughter Mary, age 21, milliner, born in IL (as are her siblings)

daughter Anna, age 19, at home

son Henry, age 17, wks in Saddlery (was Samuel in 1870)

daughter Katrina, age 13, at home

son Harry, age 11, at school (was female and Hanah in 1870)

daughter Christina, age 8, at school

son George, age 4

 

Found a John Klein in the 1892 Chicago voter registration with the address at 5800 or 5890 Princeton

 

1900 census, Chicago Ward 30 District 947 5809 Princeton (owns with mortgage)

John Klein, age 71, born Oct. 1828, married 45 yrs, immigrated 1854, naturalized, laborer

wife Christina, age 64, born Feb 1836, married 45 yrs, immigrated 1850, mother of 11, 6 of whom survive

Chas Falkenthal (head), age 41, born Sept 1858, married 6 yrs, born IL of German parents, gas machine maker

wife Mary, age 41, born Jan 1859, married 6 yrs, mother of three of whom 1 survives

daughter Coleta, age 2, born May 1898 IL

son George, age 15, born July 1884, born IL of parents born IL, at school

son John, age 12 born Sept 1887, IL, at school

son William, age 10, born Dec 1889, at school

(NOTE: John's daughter Mary wed widower Charles Falkenthal, gaining three stepsons)

Possible Alberg Family

Christina or Christiana Alberg listed herself on the census as Prussian, born 2-29-1836. The LDS website gives a hit showing a christening record for a Christina Alberg, born 2-29-1836 (correct date), christened the same day, in Saint Anne's Catholic Church (the correct religion), Gerolstein, Rheinland, Prussia (the correct region). Parents Georgii Alberg and Elisabeth Schmitz. No further details on them. 

The Christina Alberg known to be Anna Klein's mother listed that she came to the US in 1850. Of the immigration records currently available, the only person close to a match is "Christiana Albert," arriving in NY on the Peter Hattrick from Antwerp carrying passengers from Germany on 9-3-1850. I have only seen a transcription of the record, which lists her age as 11, which would not match, but if it is a misread 14, that's a match. The father's name is Georg, but the woman is listed as Claudia. Could be that Elisabeth died and Georg remarried, could be that Elisabeth and Claudia were one and the same but she went by both names (quite common when named for your mother), could be the Claudia he is with is some other kin than his wife, could be that one record or the other isn't our Christina, or both.

In any case, the family is listed as traveling with "8 chests containing clothes," something illegible, "bed clothes," something illegible, "1 gun." That's a fairly prosperous collection, considering the guy at the top of the page is traveling with a knapsack. A bracket connects that luggage to this group of people (listed in the order they are listed on the ship's passenger list: Georg Alberg, 54 (under profession it says "unknown"); Nicolas, 29; Magdalena, 20; Magdalena, 21; Heinrich, 19; Christiana, 11; Claudia, 50; Johann Linwood, 24; Maria, 25.

I take this to be Georg Alberg and Claudia (wife or sister), with son Nicolas (plus wife Magdalena), married daughter Maria (plus husband Johann Linwood), daughter Magdalena, son Heinrich, and daughter Christiana.

In favor of this perhaps being the right family: Christina named two of her sons Henry and George, and her daughter, Anna (the only one to have sons) named sons Henry and Joseph George. In case he is her brother, I tracked a Henry Alberg, right age, right immigration date, through the Chicago census. (In 1863 for some reason he goes back to Germany, this time returning on the ship "Hansa," with wife, Mary and eleven-month-old daughter, Cath., accompanied by Franck Alberg, 27, farmer; Maria Anna Alberg, 27; Catherine, 8; and Charles, 3; and John, 10 months, and lastly Cath. Alberg, age 26. Franck, or F.G. Alberg, and Henry, both appear in the 1890 Chicago voter registration, listing their immigration year as 1863).

Anyway, tracking Henry through the census:

1860, Alberg, Henry (2nd Ward), 30, shoemaker, born Holstein. Wife Mary, 30, born Holstein. Son Joseph, 6 month, born Chicago. Daughter, Elizabeth, 2 (something odd there, because the census taker usually only deviated from descending birth order if the child is not Henry's--either a stepdaughter or something else). Also in the house, two apprentices shoemakers, Jacob and Barton Sene, 19 and 17.

1864 Chicago City Directory: Alberg, Henry, shoemaker, 374 S. Clark, h. same

1870, Alberg, Henry (9th Ward), 40, retired shoemaker, born Prussia (politically Holstein became Prussia). Wife Mary, but son Joseph is no longer listed, and neither is Elizabeth. Now there is Kate, age 8 (matches the Cath. on the Hansa), daughter Annie, 3, and son Henry, eight months, all born in IL.

1880, Alberg, Henry (on S. Clark St.--which matches the Henry in the 1890 voter registration), 50, Prussian, but no longer a retired shoemaker. Now he's an undertaker! Wife Mary, 51, Prussian. Children Chatarina, 19; Anna, 12; Henry, 10; and Peter, 8.

A side note: I find Christina in the 1860 census, already married to John Klein. I find Henry. I do not find Georg and Claudia, nor the Linwoods, nor Nicolas and Magdalena Alberg. Perhaps they returned to Germany. Perhaps the reason Henry had to come back from Germany in 1863 was because he went to a funeral, or just visited. Christina would not have gone because she gave birth to Samuel/Henry in 1863.

Again, this is all speculation. It's in here so that someone might be able to make the connection or disprove it someday.