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I. - L'origine du doute
La famille de l'architecte de
Cleveland, John Kalsch est-t-elle d'origine bl�montaise ?
C'est ce qu'affirme A History of
Cleveland publi�e en 1918, puisque si elle le
pr�cise n� � Badenvillirs en 1860, elle
indique que son p�re, John Kalsch senior, est n� �
Bl�mont en 1860, o� le grand p�re (John Kalsch,
encore !) s�journait.
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A history of
Cleveland and its environs. v.3. Avery,
Elroy McKendree
Ed. Chicago & New-York 1918
John Kalsch,
Jr. A number of attractive homes in
Cleveland and environs testify to the good
taste and personal skill of John Kalsch,
Jr., architect, whose offices are at 4500
Euclid Avenue. M. Kalsch doubtless inherits
his artistic perceptions from his French
ancestors, and a long and thorough
apprenticeship and practical experience and
study have brought him a substantial
position in his calling.
Mr. Kalsch is all but a native of the United
States, having been brought here by his
parents when a year old. He was born
August 18, 1890, at Badenvillirs.
Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. His
grandfather, John Kalsch, was born in
Alsace-Lorraine in 1835, and spent most
of the years of his life at Blamont,
where he was caretaker for an estate. He
finally retired and went to Paris to live,
where he died in 1900. He was in the French
army during the Franco-Prussian war. John
Kalsch, Sr., was born at Blamont,
Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, in 1860,
was reared, educated and married in his
native land, and saw seven years of service
with the French armies. He learned
telegraphy, and for a time was stationed as
an operator at Luneville, France. On April
14, 1891, he brought his family to America
and settled in Cleveland and since that time
has followed the profession of gardener and
florist. He was privately employed by Mr.
Daniel R. Hanna in Cleveland, and after 1912
in Ravenna, Ohio. Since 1916 he has lived at
Interlaken, Massachusetts, where he still
continues his work as gardener and florist.
As an American citizen he votes the
republican ticket. John Kalsch, Sr., married
Helene Sounier, who was born at Badenvillirs,
France, in 1869. Her father, Joseph Sounier,
was born in the same locality in 1832 and
spent his life there, dying in September,
1914. He was a farmer and also helped battle
the forces of the German Empire in the
Franco-Prussian war. John Kalsch, Sr., and
wife have four children: John; Catherine,
wife of Carl Kissel, a carpenter living at
Ravenna ; Helen, wife of William C. Shetler,
who is
chief clerk of the Pennsylvania Railway
offices at Ravenna : and Albert William, at
home with his parents in Interlaken,
Massachusetts.
John Kalsch. Jr.. grew up and received his
education at Cleveland, and attended the
grammar schools and high school to the age
of fifteen. His technical education was
acquired by long work and experience in
architects' offices, and his skill and
proficiency are the fruit of sustained labor
and study carried on in direct connection
with the building trades and the
architectural profession.
Mr. Kalsch entered business for himself in
April, 1915, with offices at 4500 Euclid
Avenue. His specialty is the designing of
residences and he has already built up a
good business. Representing some of his
ideas in modern residence construction is
his own home at 2637 Idlewood Road, which he
built in 1916.
Mr. Kalsch married at Ravenna, Ohio, in
1913. Miss Isabel Dobbie, daughter of James
and Mary J. (Sebastian) Dobbie. Her parents
are now deceased. Her father was a
millwright by trade. Mr. and Mrs. Kalsch
have three children : William, born May 1,
1915 ; John, who carries a name that has
been assigned to every member of the
different generations of the Kalsch family,
and his twin sister, Jean, born March 9,
1917. |
H�las, aucun Kalsch
n'appara�t dans les registres d'�tat civil de
Bl�mont dans les ann�es 1860... et les notes
biographiques des dictionnaires modernes sur les
architectes am�ricains reprennent les informations
pr�c�dentes de 1918, donc n'apportent aucune piste
suppl�mentaire.
II. - Les faits r�tablis
Il faut donc se tourner vers
les archives de Badonviller, pour �claircir le
myst�re. Les registres d'�tat civil de Badonviller
nous donnent les informations suivantes :
- Le 18 ao�t 1890, na�t �
Badonviller, Jean-Baptiste Elie Sonrier, enfant
naturel non reconnu, de H�l�ne Cl�mentine Sonrier.
Acte de naissance de
Jean-Baptiste Sonrier (John Kalsch) - Badonviller -
18 ao�t 1890
Comme l'indique l'acte
ci-dessus, l'enfant ne sera reconnu et l�gitim� que
le 29 octobre 1890, � l'occasion du mariage de
H�l�ne Sonrier, avec... Jean-Baptiste Kalsch (le
pr�nom de Jean-Baptiste donn� trois mois plus
t�t au b�b� ne laissant que peu de doute sur sa
paternit�).
-
L'acte de mariage r�v�le d'autres informations sur
John Kalsch Sr. :
- il n'est pas n� �
Bl�mont en 1860, mais � La Broque le 24
janvier 1864 ;
- il est domicili�
officiellement � Raon l'Etape, en tant
qu'employ� des chemins de fer ;
- il est
effectivement le fils de Catherine Simon
et Jean-Baptiste Kalsch, �g� de 52 ans
(donc n� en 1838), qui exerce alors �
Bl�mont la profession de jardinier.
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Acte de mariage de
Jean-Baptiste Kalsch et H�l�ne - Badonviller -
29 octobre 1890 |
Les informations donn�s par A history
of Cleveland sont donc approchantes certes, mais
erron�es :
- le grand-p�re, Jean-Baptiste Kalsch est n� en 1838
et non 1835 ;
- le p�re, Jean-Baptiste Kalsch est n� � La Broque
(67)
et non � Bl�mont ;
- le nom de famille maternelle et Sonrier, et non
Sounier.
- H�l�ne Sonrier n'est pas n�e � Badonviller en
1869, mais le 25 janvier 1870.
III - L'�migration
En avril 1891, Jean-Baptiste Kalsch accompagn� de sa
jeune �pouse et du b�b� �g� de 7 mois s'embarquent
au Havre pour les Etats Unis, sur le navire la
Bourgogne.
Ils arrivent � New-York le 22 avril 1891 ; les
services de l'immigration enregistrent "J.Bte
Kalsch" comme exer�ant la profession de "Gardener,
Grower" (jardinier, cultivateur, ce qui est en
r�alit� la profession de son p�re), H�l�ne,
et Jean. La
famille s'installe � Cleveland dans l'Ohio o�
naitront 3 autres enfants.
John Kalsch Sr. d�c�dera sous le pr�nom de "John
Joseph" �
Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, le 8 octobre 1927,
exer�ant la profession de jardinier, et curieusement
indiqu� comme n� � Bl�mont le 24 janvier 1864 (date
exacte, mais en r�alit� � La Broque). On peut
supposer qu'� son arriv�e aux Etats-Unis, John Kalsch
avait tout simplement "simplifi�" son �tat civil, en
se pr�tendant n� � Bl�mont en 1864, et non � La
Broque, ville d'Alsace devenue allemande en 1870,
m�me si lui-m�me et son p�re �tait optants en 1872
pour la nationalit� fran�aise.
Quand � l'architecte John Kalsch,
la biographie de A history of Cleveland le
concernant directement est exacte.
Ajoutons qu'il est cit� dans les registres de
Cleveland comme architecte de 1916 � 1932. Il d�c�de
le 2 ao�t 1958 � Erie en Pennsylvanie.
Mais h�las, si l'on peut affirmer
une origine lorraine � l'architecte John Kalsch
(1890-1958), c'est � Badonviller qu'on doit le
rattacher, et non � Bl�mont... |
