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Diana, Goddess of the Hunt — for Ancestors!
 
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John H. ROCH
Hedwig Anna MOEWS
Husband:  Johann "Hans" ROCH | John H. ROCH
Birth:  20 Mar 1909, Sonneberg, Kr. Sonneberg, Thuringia [now in Germany]
Death:  27 Oct 1996
Last Residence:  Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN 46203
Immigration:  arrived NYC on 22 Apr 1929 on the S.S. Columbus
Occupation:  railway tinner
Father:  Johann __?__ ROCH, b. Sonneberg, Kr. Sonneberg, Thuringia [now in Germany]

Uncle:  Tobias ROCH (1856-1940) — of Diespeck, Kr. Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim, Bavaria [now in Germany]
First Cousin:  George Henry ROCH (1897-1981)
Paternal Grandfather:  Johann ROCH (1812-1896)
Paternal Grandmother:  Ursula Magdalene KOLB (1817-1883)

It's odd that our subject and his father would have been born in Sonneberg, while the rest of the family was born in Diespeck.  Was our subject mistaken about his origin?

"Hans" is not his middle name, it's a nickname for Johann.

Marriage:  1930-34
Wife:  Hedwig Anna MOEWS
Birth:  12 Jan 1908, Alt Damerow, Stolp Dist., Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire [now in Poland]
Death:  14 May 1991
Immigration:  arrived NYC on 10 Oct 1929 on the S.S. Karlsruhe
Occupation:  homemaker, servant
Uncle:  Henry F. MOEWS — of 2339 Parker Ave., Indianapolis, IN, in 1929
Father:  Karl MOEWS — of Alt Damerow, Kr. Stolp, Pommern, Preussen, German Empire [now in Poland]

In the 1929 ship's manifest for Hedwig's immigration, she gives Henry MOEWS of 2339 Parker Ave., Indianapolis, IN, as her "uncle" and Karl MOEWS of Altdamerow, Kr. Stolp, Pomerania as her father — meaning Henry and Karl are presumably brothers.  Apparently, the Carl F. O. MOEWS living in Indianapolis since at least 1903 (five years before Hedwig's birth), whom I've taken to be Henry's brother, is not Hedwig's father.  And, surely, if her father was living in the U.S., she'd have named him, not Henry, as her nearest relative in the U.S.  It appears there must have been more than one brother in this family named Karl.  This is not too far fetched because this family followed the pattern of children having three given names, so there was often duplication among them.  It would help enormously to obtain Hedwig's marriage record, assuming it names her parents as other Indiana marriage records of the period do, but I can't find it online at the LDS site (FamilySearch.org).  

I implore anyone who's next of kin to obtain either her marriage record and/or her death certificate — and share the information on it — because either one should name her parents.  (Indiana will not release death certificates to anyone but next of kin.)  I have ordered her Social Security application, which should also name her parents, so hopefully it will help solve the mystery.

Children — born in Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN:
1.  Ruth ROCH, b. 1933/4
2.  Anita ROCH, b. 1939
Keywords for search engines:  genealogy; Pommern, Preussen, Prueßen; POL, PL, Poland, Polen; USA, US, United States, Indiana

Sources:

1.  Marriage Record:

2a.  Passenger Arrival Records: Ellis Island (online at ellisisland.org; image nos. 132-133; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen; Explanation of Column Headings), List 19:
LIST OR MANIFEST OF ALIEN PASSENGERS FOR THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION OFFICER AT PORT OF ARRIVAL
ALL ALIENS arriving at a port of continental United States from a foreign port or a port of the Insular possessions of the United States, and all aliens arriving at a port of said insular possessions from a foreign port, a port of continental United States, or a port of another Insular possession, in whatever class they travel, MUST be fully listed and the master or commanding officer of each vessel carrying such passengers must upon arrival deliver lists thereof to the immigration officer.
This (white) sheet is for the listing of STEERAGE PASSENGERS ONLY.
S. S. Columbus1, Passenger sailing from Bremen, April 13th, 1929  — Arriving at Port of New York, April 22, 1929
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
15   Roch Hans 20   M S Clerk Y German Y Germany German Germany Sonneberg 33 205 Berlin 1.17.29 Germany Sonneberg 15 Father, Joh. Roch, Sonneberg/Thuer., Bernhardstr. Ind Indianapolis N Self 25 N     Uncle Tobias Roch,
1642 College Ave.,
Indianapolis Ind.
N A Y N N N N N N G N 5 6 F Br Br N
1Of the Norddeutcher Lloyd (North German Lloyd) line.  Ordered in 1914 as the S.S. Hindenburg to run the Hamburg-NYC route, but WWI caused delays and complications.  Name changed in 1920 to S.S. Columbus.  At the time of her maiden voyage in 1924, she was the German merchant marine's largest, fastest ocean liner.  In 1939, she was scuttled by her crew some 400 miles off the east coast of Virginia to avoid capture by the British, which would have made them POWs; crew and passengers were rescued by an American ship and transported to NYC.

2b.  Passenger Arrival Records: Ellis Island (online at ellisisland.org; image nos. 358-359; extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen; Explanation of Column Headings), List 2:
LIST OR MANIFEST OF ALIEN PASSENGERS FOR THE UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION OFFICER AT PORT OF ARRIVAL
ALL ALIENS arriving at a port of continental United States from a foreign port or a port of the Insular possessions of the United States, and all aliens arriving at a port of said insular possessions from a foreign port, a port of continental United States, or a port of another Insular possession, in whatever class they travel, MUST be fully listed and the master or commanding officer of each vessel carrying such passengers must upon arrival deliver lists thereof to the immigration officer.
This (white) sheet is for the listing of STEERAGE PASSENGERS ONLY.
S. S. Karlsruhe1, Passenger sailing from Bremen, September 28th, 1929  — Arriving at Port of  New York City, Oct 10, 1929
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
12   Moews Hedwig 21   F S Farmlab. Y German Y Germany German Germany Altdamerow 2 667 Berlin 8.9.29 Germany Altdamerow 12 Father Karl Moews, Altdamerow/Pommern Kr. Stolp Ind. Indianapolis Y Self 25 N     Uncle Henry Moews,
2339 Parker Ave,
Indianapolis Ind.
N A Y N N N N N N G N 5 6 F Bl Bl N
1Built in 1889 as the SS Prinzessin Irene for Norddeutcher Lloyd to run the Bremen-New York City route. Seized by the U.S. in 1917 during WWI and renamed the USS Pocahontas.  Sold back to Norddeutcher Lloyd in 1922, renamed SS Bremen, and resumed the Bremen-NYC route.  In 1928, renamed SS Karlsruhe, then scrapped in 1929 in Germany — was this it's last voyage?
2The Henry MOEWS at 2339 Parker Avenue is this Henry F. MOEWS.

3.  1930 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  John ROCH (æ 21, b. Germany; imm. 1929) is living at 909 Tacoma Ave., Indianapolis (Ward 9), Marion Co., IN (p. 85A), with first cousin, George ROCH (æ 32, b. IN) and family.  Hedwig A. MOEWS (æ 22, b. Germany; imm. 1929) is living at 5215 College Ave., Indianapolis (Ward 4), Marion Co., IN, as a servant in the WOOD household (q.v.).  Martin MOEWS is living at 1630 Tacoma Ave.; Tobias ROCH is living at 1644 College Ave.

4.  1940 U.S. Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #24 of 32 — indexed "Rock"):  2116 Olive [St.], Indianapolis (Ward 17), Center Twp. (Block 10), Marion Co., IN, Roll T627_1129, p. 3906B, SN 12B, SD 11, ED 96-225, enumerated 16 Apr 1940, official enumeration date 1 Apr 1940 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):
1940:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean.
LOC HOUSEHOLD NAME RELATION   PERSONAL EDUCATION   BIRTHPLACE   CIT RESIDENCE in 1935   EMPLOYMENT STATUS FS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25   26 27 28 29 30   31 32 33 34
* 2116 334 R 14   Roch John Head M W 31 M N H-2 Germany NA Same place       Y - - - - 40   Tinner Electric Railway PS 52 1196 N  
          ____ Hedwig Wife F W 32 M N 8 Germany NA Same place       N N N N H            0  0 N  
          ____ Ruth Dau F W  6 S Y 0 Indiana   Same place                                  
          ____ Anita Dau F W 8/12 S N P Indiana                                      
*Olive

6.  Polk's Indianapolis (Marion County, Ind.) City Directory.  R.L. Polk & Co., Indianapolis, IN (online at Ancestry.com and/or fold3.com):
Year Pg. Name Occupation Home Address Remarks  
1930 1026 Moevs Hedwig maid 738 N Graham av r do [indexed "Moevi"] A
1934 1000 Roch John (Hedwig F) janitor h 1205 E Raymond   A
1942 1124 Roch John H (Hedwig A) tinner IRys h 2116 Olive   A
1943 1109 Roch John H (Hedwig M) tinner IRys h 2116 Olive   A

7.  SSDI:  Social Security Death Index (online at Ancestry.com):
Name SSN Last Residence Birth Death Issued Comment
John H. Roch 304-09-5557 Indianapolis, Marion IN 46203 20 Mar 1909 27 Oct 1996 IN (<1951) No
Hedwig A. Roch 307-18-3342   12 Jan 1908 14 May 1991 IN (<1951) No
I've ordered Hedwig's SS application (13 Nov 2014).

8.  Public Member Trees (online at Ancestry.com).

9.  WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com):  A file there shows our subject's uncle, Tobias ROCH, as having brother Andreas, plus four other brothers, all with saint's name Johann (viz., Joh. Georg, Joh. Simon, Joh. Leonard Bernard, and Joh. Heinrich).  Unfortunately, this file does not give the children of any of the brothers, except Tobias, so we don't know which one of them is our subject's father, though it was more likely the youngest, Joh. Heinrich (b. 1852).  Or... our subject's father might have been one of the younger half-brothers of Tobias, born after 1864 and not listed in this file.

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