Jurgens Ancestry

John Jurgens, my great-grandfather, is part of the history of an elaborate, triple-decker carousel known as El Dorado Carousel, which was long associated with the Coney Island Amusement Park in Brooklyn, New York, and later with the Toshimaen Amusement Park in Tokyo, Japan.  Description The El Dorado Carousel circled on three separate platforms, each rotating at different speeds. The innermost platform was a throne room surrounded by cherubs with trumpets. On the outer and inner platforms were carved horses and pigs, paintings of cherubs, and fancy, velvet-covered chariots offering couples some privacy. Some of the animals were stationary while some horses moved up and down, which were called jumping horses at that time. The carousel contained 6,000 flashing lights, mirrored posts, and Art Deco paintings. It had a capacity of 154 people and was 62 feet in diameter and 42 feet high. Inside the carousel was a famous four-ton organ manufactured by A. Ruth und Sohn in Waldkirch, German...

Here are some photos of Johann Jurgens and of his families. Other individual photos of his children, Hans and Violet, and their mother, Elly, will be included in later blog posts. Photos of Johann Jurgens Johann is seated on the bottom left. No information on this photo Johann is on the left. The beer stein makes me think this was take in Germany. Johann Jurgens in 1902 Photos from Johann's First Marriage Johann and first wife Margaretha in Buffalo in 1891 First Wife Margaretha, son Ernst, and Johann, 1902 Son Ernst Photos of Johann's Family with Second Wife Second Wife Elly Son Hans, Daughter Violet, Johann and Second Wife Elly Photos of Children, Hans and Violet Son Hans (full name Heinrich Hans Jurgens) Hans at two years old Hans and Violet Violet, aged 6, and Hans, aged 8 Hans Hans Hans Violet and Hans in 1917

 Johann Jurgens had a messy family life, which meant that something as simple as tracking down birth records for his children became a great mystery. I persevered and learned how many ways there are to problem-solve.   Family Records for First Marriage Johann Jurgens married his first wife on March 16, 1886, in Meiningen, Sachsen-Meiningen, Germany. Her name was Margaretha Diehlmann. She was 26 years old at the time of the marriage and Johann was 29. She was born on June 2, 1859, in Weisenau, Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, which was between Meiningen and Frankfurt. Her parents were Wilhelm Diehlmann and Elisabetha Guenther. The document indicates Margaretha's last residence was Altona. Margaretha was a midwife. Marriage of Johann and Margaretha in 1886. A son was born to Johann and Margaretha after eight years of marriage. Ernst Hans Jurgens was born on April 14, 1894, in Altona, Hamburg, Germany.  Birth record of Ernst Jurgens in 1894. Johann emigrated with Margar...

Johann Cornelius Jacob Jurgens is the immigrant ancestor for the Jurgens family line. Why He Emigrated Johann Jurgens was a successful lithographer in Germany, as recalled by one of his grandsons. Lithography is a printmaking process in which a design is drawn onto a flat stone (or prepared metal plate, usually zinc or aluminum) and affixed by means of a chemical reaction. Johann's goal in coming to the United States was to earn more money and greater worldwide recognition. His career is explored in later blogs. First Arrival in United States On August 3, 1887, Johann Jurgens sailed from Hamburg to New York on the S.S. Taormina, a ship that was in service as of 1884 and sunk in 1917. The ship manifest lists Joh. Jurgens, age 30, occupation lithograph, citizenship Prussia, one piece of luggage, and was in an aft (rear) compartment 3. The ship arrived in New York City on August 18, 1887. A very important piece of information on the ship manifest is that Johann's residence was Mei...