THE KOTTIG FAMILY

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PICTURED ABOVE: George Kottig I standing in front the house he built in 1890 up on "Nanny Goat Hill" at 2938 Golden Ave., circa 1919

George Kottig was born as Gerhard Kottick in 1861, just outside of the village of Epe, in Northwest Germany near the border with the Netherlands. It was an agricultural area but his family had very little land of their own to farm. So to make a living they had to work for other farmers in the area. Gerhard was the fifth of nine children. With no land and no other way to earn a living, his chances of ever establishing himself financially there in Epe were extremely poor. 

In the 1880's, the German government had just enacted conscription laws requiring mandatory enlistment of every able bodied man into the military service. Around that same time, the European farmers were beginning to hear about inexpensive farmland in America in places like the fertile Ohio Valley. The U. S. Government itself was actively recruiting farmers in Europe to come to America.  

So at the age of 21, Gerhard along with a young Maria Francisca Möllmann, made the momentous decision to leave everything and everyone they ever knew and loved behind and make the long, arduous journey to America to find a better life. 

The two traveled on the Steamship Castor. Accompanying them was another young couple, their dear and eventual life long friends, the Siebers. They departed from Amsterdam on August 9, 1882. A voyage like this could take weeks across the open seas depending on weather. However, the Steamship Castor made incredibly good time arriving in just 17 days to The Port of New York on August 26, 1882. 

At Ellis Island, Gerhard Köttick from Epe, Germany was incorrectly registered as Gerard Köttig from The Netherlands by U.S. Immigration authorities. These "lost in translation" misspellings and misunderstanding occurred often at Ellis Island.

We are not sure exactly when or how, but eventually the two couples arrived at their final destination of Cincinnati, Ohio. The men quickly found employment with the railroads. To save money, the two couples rented a single family house together in the East End of Cincinnati. 

According to Hamilton County, Ohio records, on May 15, 1883, a George Kottig and a (Mary) Frances Mollmann were married. Seeing that the marriage certificate was signed by a Catholic priest and the couple was living in the East End of Cincinnati at the time, we feel that it is highly likely that the wedding took place at St. Rose of Lima, the German Catholic Church located in the same neighborhood. However, more researched is required to confirm this.

The two couples lived together in close quarters with their young and growing families for the better part of eight years. They sacrificed, worked hard and saved their money. In 1890, finally to escape the annual spring floods, The Kottigs and Siebers had saved enough money to purchase two plots of land up on "Nanny Goat Hill" on Golden Ave. at a cost of $420.00 each. That was a lot of money at that time for men making only $60 a month working on the railroad. On those plots of land, the families built two houses at a cost of about $1,500 each. The houses stood right next door to one another at 2938 and 2940 Golden Ave. 

George and his wife Maria Francisca were very prolific, having ten children in twenty years. Sadly, their infant son John died of typhoid at the age of 6. Another son, Will, would die of consumption at the age of 25. 

Tragically in 1904, Maria Francisca, the matriarch of the family, died while giving birth to their tenth child. Now, without a mother, the eldest daughter, Teresa Anna Kottig, was left with the monumental task of raising the remaining seven Kottig children. She was just 19 years old.

On December 16, 1919, George Kottig passed at the age of 58. In his life he achieved exactly what he set out to do in 1882. He truly lived the American dream. George's visitation was at the house he built on Golden Avenue, the funeral mass took place at St. Rose Church and George was laid to rest next to his wife Mary Frances at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Cincinnati. 

As adults, two of the Kottig children did not marry, three married but had no children and only two, Clara and Cecilia, married and had offspring. However, being daughters, their children did not carry the Kottig name.  

In 1984, 102 years after George Kottig first came to America, Willamena Francesca Cecilia Kottig Corcoran, the seventh born child and the last surviving Kottig, passed away at the age of 87. All are gone now along with the Kottig name. 

Editor's Notes: After George Kottig's death, the Golden Avenue house was deeded to his daughter Teresa Anna Kottig, my great Aunt Nanny. I spent a big part of my childhood there visiting her along with my great Uncle George (II) and my grandparents, Cecilia Kottig Corcoran and Frances Patrick Corcoran. They were all wonderful people in my life. 

I also remember that at the rear of the two properties was an adjoining sidewalk with a gate. I never really understood why that was until the time of this writing. It's obvious to me now that it was built there to allow the two families a path on which to walk back and forth to each others homes. I feel that is a testament to the two families strong friendship. They had gone through a lot together in their lives.

The Sieber's house would eventually become the home of Marice Jacobs. Maury, as he was known, was a prominent Cincinnati attorney and a colorful character. He became a dear friend of the family's as well. Maurice deserves his own page on KANIS.US. Some day before my own passing I hope to get to that.

In 1978, with total disregard to it's historic significance as the family's original homestead, the Golden Avenue house was sold out of the family. 

Over the years, the property and the area became very desirable. Around the year 2000, with the properties still in very good condition, both the Kottig and Sieber houses were razed. Only the garage that my great Uncle George (II) built in 1937 remains.

Still to this day, Golden Avenue is a beautiful and idyllic place, tucked away from the city with a park overlooking the Ohio River.  It holds a lot of memories for me and will always hold a special place in my heart.

- John Kanis III