Friday, May 25, 2012

Wedding Bells


Since my son James was married earlier this month, I wanted to look back at wedding photos that I have of our ancestors (his and mine). His was a very intimate ceremony, I was 2 feet from him and his beautiful wife as they gazed into each other's hearts. I get choked up even thinking about it!




I will start with his paternal great-grandfather for whom he is named, James Culotta, and his bride Marie Kohlerman. They were married on October 19, 1930 in Baltimore. Huge Italian & German families!



James with his parents Ferdinand Culotta and Concetta Liberto, and sisters and brother on his wedding day.



My father's parents, Vernon Masterman and Hazel Peterson, were married on February 12, 1933 in Everett, Massachusetts. There was a blizzard that day that threatened to postpone the festivities, but Yankee determination won out!





Here is a photo of Vernon's parents, Filmore "Hunter" Masterman and Jennie McMonagle on their wedding trip to his birthplace, Weld, Maine. They were married on June 10, 1903 in Framingham, Mass. She was born in Nova Scotia and emigrated in ???? I'd sleep with one eye open if I were married to a woman that good with a rifle!


I also have their wedding book, complete with tips for a successful marriage, such as "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as unto the Lord." Oh my. It includes signatures of guests too. See it HERE.




Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Random Writing

These are a few odd letters in the group from Germany, but rather than coming from America, they are from family members that never left the country.



These first two are from the eldest of the Enz children, my 2x great grandfather's brother Sebastian. They are from 1862 and 1863. The first must have been to August Enz, who came to America in 1868. He was the first in his family to do so.


Weinheim, October 3rd 1862

Dear brother!

I received your letter of [September] 29th. I am glad to hear that you are well. I did not leave my position yet because the new assistant has to learn the business. I had to promise my supervisor to stay for the length of this purpose. For that he promised me to undertake the necessary steps to help me to enter the public service. Until now nothing in that regard has happened and I am still without gainful employment.

Within the next days I will do everything necessary myself. I have to go to Heidelberg for this purpose. I do not know the date yet, that is why it will be difficult to meet each other. However, I am hoping to visit [you] within the next few days. I am well otherwise.  I will enclose the letter that I recently received from home.

Kind regards to you, your loving brother Sebastian

------------------------------------------------------
Eberbach, December 10th 1863

Dear parents,

I received your letter of November 30th together with the packages. I am very happy that you are all well.
I was very delighted about the gift from Engelbert. I can just imagine how much he liked the book that mother brought from Einsiedeln and how much brotherly love it took to give it to me. I was so pleased with it that I kissed it. The wool socks were very much needed, too. I have some unpleasant news: I will leave Eberbach on the 15th of this month.

I was fired on October 2nd, after a small exchange of words. I was told that I was not needed anymore and that I could go whenever I please. I did not receive the money that I saved up this year yet; I would have sent it otherwise.

I have not heard anything from August all summer long. I sent him the letter I took from home. Since I did not receive an answer I did not write a second letter. In my letter I did not say anything else than what I recommended before, that is why I consider his silence naughty. If I will get the position I have in prospect I will send several unnecessary things home; mostly extra books which are too heavy to carry. Please keep those until I need them again.

I will find a place in my old or my new home. It is getting serious with Schleswig-Holstein. There will be no positive results for Germany, however, least of all for the Holsteins. The Prussians and the Austrians will shoot each other just like in ’48 and then go home again.

Kind regards to you and to my siblings, especially affectionate to sweet Engelbert. Always your grateful son and brother Sebastian
-----------------------------------------------------

Interesting to hear his take on the second Schleswig-Holstein wars! I don't know what became of Sebastian, just that he married in Stuttgart and died there in 1874.

This next is from Elise Enz, I think she is a daughter of George Enz. There were a few girlish postcards to her from friends in the 1920's. This is only 2 pages of a larger letter, but all I have. She sounds very homesick!

And in the meantime [I] want to learn sewing. But please do not tell anyone, I want to do everything verbally. Otherwise I would not even be able to start. However, I have valid reasons to leave Kirchheim. I made arrangements with my employer, too, which she reluctantly agreed to. It really does not work out.  It is clear to me that it would kill my heart and my soul. If I would write down everything that I have experienced within the last 14 days, dear mother, you would throw your hands up in horror. I am thinking fleeing and I would do it right away, but my embarrassment and my pride prevent me from it. With 1 month you could say she was not ready to be gone longer than for one month. My resolution is to learn cooking and sewing this winter, so that I can find further employment. Anyway, I learned to cherish my home. I never want to go away again. I want to further my studies in cooking close by, but everything [agreements] verbally. I hope you will not say anything to each other.

It will be to your and to my comfort. Goodbye until New Year’s! Please inquire regarding learning to sew, and please get the eggs and the butter. And please press the dresses I sent to my cousin. I am and always will be your grateful daughter Elis, and affectionate regards to all of you.

t was worth to explore a faraway place and home, too. From now on, I could go away anytime. You just do not see it as long as you are staying home. 

 -------------------------------------------------
This last one is a postcard from my 2x great grandfather, written while visiting his daughter, Emma Duelfer. Emma's daughter Mae is still alive at 94, and she remembers this visit!




Frau Barbara Enz in Drakenstein
Municipal association Geislingen
Württemberg
Germany


Allentown Aug 27, 23.

Dear sister-in-law,

I received your letter and I learned that you saw after my business, thank you for that. In case Josephine, my childhood friend, needs anything, you can sell her something, but at a reasonable price. It’s just that they are poor people.  Poverty is not a crime. Although many people who are poor now were rather arrogant before the war. I am visiting my daughter in a place called Allentown in the mountains. I am here for recreation because I have been ill for three weeks. I am better already.

Regards to you,

Your uncle and brother-in-law Joseph

More soon
-----------------------------------------------------



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Live Cousins!



I'll say it again - the coolest thing about researching your family history is collecting live cousins!

With the help of those wonderful letters, Google, GenealogyBank.com and even the 1940 Census/stevemorse.org and a lot of luck, my cousin collection is HUGE!

I started planning a get together for this June for the descendants of this branch of my family that the boomerang letters have given so much insight into. It has grown so large that I split it off from my website to it's own! I still have a ton of docs to add, and a few new letters, but these things are truly never finished! Check out www.EnzFamily.net

I have located at least one descendant from each of my great-great grandfather's 5 siblings that came to the US and the same for his own 8 daughters, (two children of theirs are still living!) except one that has proven difficult (I'm not giving up!) Everyone I've contacted is very gracious, helpful and happy to share and receive info. I have learned so much!

We plan to have a day-long meeting, slideshow of photos and even Skype with the cousins in Germany that day. It is going to be amazing.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Farewell...



This is the last of my great-great-grandfather's letters to his family in Germany that I have. I'm so sad! I do have 2 that appear to be from his brother Sebastian in 1889 & 1891 that I will get translated next.

Joseph Enz, the author of this letter, died 13 months later. The photo above has written on the back "Born Sept. 24, 1860  Died Jan. 24, 1941  Fri. 6:40 am." He was 80 years old and died of esophageal cancer at his home in Philadelphia.

Again, George is Joseph's nephew,  his brother Englebert's son and father of Hermann Enz who gave us these letters. The Daubenschutz family is Joseph's mother's family.


1

Philadelphia Dec 17, 39

Dear Georg and Martha,

Received your letter after 30 days. I saw that you are doing well, pretty well during the wartime. Everybody hopes that it will end better than the last time. This is a different Germany now, strong and united. Stay together, this way the Reich can never lose. I saw in the newspapers that there are still traitors and other sorts of people who are capable of anything - just like here.
Dear Georg and Martha, we are still pretty hale and hearty. I am mostly at home. Working - no, that is impossible now. Nobody wants old people, there are enough young people, but they do not want to work. They prefer to go out by night and rob stores, people, banks - pays better than work. Often they are caught in the act and almost shot, it does not take very long. Aunt goes travelling once in a while for 1 week. Of course only when a machine [car] comes and picks her up, because walking does not work well anymore. I would love to travel, too, but it costs too much.

2

Everything became really expensive since the war broke out, but everything is available in abundance. Speculation is for others, I have to hold the few dollars that I still have together. Food and drink are still reasonably priced, but the beer became too expensive. It is also not as good as in the past (chemicals), too young.

Dear Georg, did you not overexert yourself while writing the [last] letter, because it was the best one that you ever wrote? Of course I still knew them all, Georg and Valentin Bock Borch. Often on Sundays and winter evenings, when his father was still alive (he was a good man), I and Joachim Dauberschütz played Gaigel[1], also because of the pretty maid. I believe (Justine Link) was her name from Werterheim[2]. I wonder if she is still alive? I would like to send her my regards from the far away America. She would be surprised. There probably won’t be many alive anymore from the old guard. Are Margarete and Christine Dauberschütz still alive? They are sisters of Joachim, please say hello to them.  If I can (I was not able before), I will visit them. Hopefully there will be peace soon

3

and the war is over, maybe I will have enough money so that I can sell a house [sic]. But I won’t be able to go alone; my eyes are not good anymore, especially at night. God willing, we hope for the best.

Dear Georg and Martha, I can’t write everything from my family since that is too much. I do not like to write much anymore in general. Here is an overview: I have 8 daughters, +Josephine+ (Louis Sophie)(Anna Maria)(Rosa Theresia) Regina Creszentia (Clara Kathrina)(Florence Evangeline)(Emma Gertrud). Grandchildren: I cannot write all the names, as of now there are (23). Great-grandchildren are as of now (8), some are dead already. Now you can see for yourself how big our family is. Some are wealthy, too, but they do not give anything away. Way too American, they do not want to know anything anymore from the old German Swabs[3]. If they want it that way, I don’t care.

4

(address is included)

Dear Georg, I have a small favor to ask you. Every month I receive an issue of the Schwabenland und seine Umgebung [4], could you be nice and pay my subscription of 10 marks? This is not too much to ask, you can deduct it from the interest. Because you still know the sum, you know how much it is, and how many years. I think it is not too much to ask. Until now I did not write you a lot, but it had to happen at least one time. Am I not worth an answer or a greeting from sister Marie? ---But it is not yet---?

Dear Georg and Martha, I wish you and your children a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Please wish he same to Elise, her husband and the children. I wrote her a letter, but if she received it? The fine English gentlemen rob all German mail from Holland’s ships. I will send this letter via an Italian line; this will take 2 weeks or even more.

Again, cordial wishes from uncle, aunt. Please say hello to the Minister, I have not heard anything from him for a long time. Does he still receive the Catholic newspaper? The Minister Stegmeier did not say anything. Did he receive my regards from America and did he remember me?

Please be nice, let me know when you received this letter.


[1] http://whiteknucklecards.com/games/gaigel.html
[2] Most likely: Wertheim
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabia
[4] Swabia and its Environment

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have some great news to share about some more cousins to this Enz family that I have found! More on that and a plan for a reunion in Philadelphia this summer!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

DENMARK - More than pastry and big dogs!


Map of Denmark, "A" indicates location of Gimlinge & Flakkebjerg

All I know about Denmark is that I love the pastry and their ginormous dogs are beautiful. I am one-eighth Danish - time to learn a bit more about my own "great Danes." 

Denmark is the 2nd oldest monarchy in the world. Life was not easy for the working class - it was often impossible to own land as most was held by large estate holders. Tenant farmers worked hard just to survive. Some of the squires were cruel to their tenants, destroying the homes of men in order to add that land to their holdings. Your civil rights were directly related to your station in life.


Typical Danish home

The Swedes and Danes kept fabulous records - both church and census. (The Danish ones are free to search online!)  The challenge can be surnames - Scandinavians' last names changed every generation -- it is their father's given name plus "sen/son" or "datter/dotter," a practice known as patronymics. I noticed that they stopped using patronymics in the late 1800s.

My paternal grandmother's father, Alfred Søren Pederson, was born in Sweden, but his parents were both born and raised in Denmark. 
Flakkebjerg Church

His mother, Anna Katrina Andersdatter, was born in September 10, 1843 in Flakkebjerg, Denmark to Anders Lorentsen and Dorthe Larsdatter. Anders was a wealthy dairy farmer, according to family lore. They had two other daughters, Maren born in 1841 and Johanne born 1846.

On October 27, 1866, in the Flakkebjerg church, Anna Katrina married a bachelor named Peder Hansen. According to family stories, he was a hired man working for Anna Katrina's parents on their farm and that they were less than thrilled about the couple's plans to marry. Peder had come to Flakkebjerg from Gimlinge, which was only 2 miles away, in 1865. 

Gimlinge Church

Peder was born in Gimlinge May 29, 1841 to Hans Andersen and Karen Larsdatter. Hans was from nearby Sorbyemagle and Karen was from Gimlinge, where they had been married in 1829 and raised their family: Anders born 1830/died 1840; Jorgen born 1833/died at 10 days old;  Ane Kirstine born 1834; Kirsten born 1836; Peder born 1838/died 1840; Jorgen born 1839,  Peder born 1841, Lars born 1842 and Ane Lisbeth born 1846.

In the 1835 census, Karen's retired parents (Lars Jørgensen, 70, and Lisbeth Hansdatter, 65) live with them, which also lists the 5 yr old Anders, along with 2 maids and 2 young laborers. The same for 1840 census, but it also shows the older 2 daughters and the first Peder and Jorgen. By 1845, Karen's father has died, and the younger Jorgen and Peder, plus Lars are shown, along with the birthplaces of every person. (This year included 3 laborers and 2 maids). The 1850 census, Karen's mother has gone and daughter Ane Lisbeth is shown. Karen died in Gimlinge in 1870, her husband in 1872.

So back to Peder Hanson and Anna Katrina Andersdatter, my great-great-grandparents. Their first child was born in her home parish of Flakkebjerg, where the couple had been set up in a house and farm by her parents. Peder was a bit of a gambler and lost their home, not once, but three times! Finally his in-laws said "Enough!" and cut them loose. They left for Lille Vallby in October, 1867 with their newborn daughter Anna  Kristina (a move of about 50 miles northeast).  

While in Lille Valby, the had two sons, Hans Peder, born in 1869 and Lars, born in 1871. (I haven't found those records yet, but were noted in the House Exam Roll when they lived in Sweden.) 
Markaryd Church
By 1874, they had moved to Sweden for a better job – settling in Markaryd, a pulp mill town. This was not easy on Anna Katrina, as she had grown up in luxury.   When their daughter Anna was about 4 or 5 years old, Anna Katrina's uncle in Copenhagen contacted her. His wife and he had lost their only child and asked if they could raise young Anna - and economics being what they were, Anna Katrina agreed. She missed her little girl terribly.

They had a son Jorgen (George), born  in 1874 and  in 1877,  my great-grandfather was born - both in Markaryd. In September 1877, they had moved to Goteryd where August Lorents was born in 1880. Goteryd and nearby Delary had recently become a large pulp mill area. During this time, Peder learned to like Cognac. He was kind to his family, just irresponsible. Poor Anna Katrina!

Lars' Death Record (cause of death: Injured in farm chaff works)
In 1881, their then almost 10 year old son Lars was heading to his conformation class with a group of friends, they decided to take a shortcut through a grist mill. Lars being smaller was hoisted up onto the grist stone, unfastening a blade to allow the others to crawl through. It slipped out of his hands, falling across his body and cutting him badly. The other kids ran off frightened. Little Lars tucked his intestines back in and managed to make it to his mother's arms before collapsing. He lived for 2 weeks, with both parents caring for him. Anna said he never complained, just smiled sweetly and slept for short periods.  She also told of how he aged in intelligence and wisdom to be like that of an old man during those two weeks. They were both heartbroken, and Peder even stopped drinking for a time.

Goteryd church

In 1883, Anna had her last child, a son named Lars Richard. When he was 3 years old, Anna was calling him to her in their house, and as he laughingly backed away from her, he fell into a bucket of caustic soda being used to scrub the floor and he was scalded to the bone. Anna nursed him for a week before he died, even with dressings and the help of doctors.

Peder suffered a serious burn on the job when he slipped into a vat of acid, scalding his buttocks, crotch, legs and feet. Doctors wanted to amputate, but Anna nursed him through a coma and back to health over a year's time. After he returned to work, he started drinking again. At one point, he sent my great-grandfather to get him some cognac. He had never involved the children before, so Anna reprimanded him. He told her this was the last time and proceeded to drink the whole bottle! He passed out and Anna couldn't wake him. The next morning, he took her face  in his hands and said, with tears in his eyes,  "Little Anna Katrina, never again do you have to worry. Bless you little mother." He never touched another drop.

Henry was the first to emigrate to America. Anna returned to her parents at 19, but shortly followed Henry to America. The rest of the children emigrated in 1894. 



Peder & Anna Katrina came to America by way of Sweden, in 1902, first sailing from Malmo to Liverpool, then aboard the SS New England (photos above) to Boston, a journey of 6.5 days.  They joined their children in Boston, except Anna & Peter’s youngest son August, who made a last minute decision to stay in Sweden to marry a girl he loved - they had a daughter, Signe.

George,Henry and Alfred Pedersen (tintype)

Peder and Anna Katrina  settled in Massachusetts, near Boston. Peder worked at the Malden Paint factory. Their daughter Anna married in 1886, had 6 children, but only a daughter, Alice, survived to adulthood. Alice married but had no children. George and Alfred married two Swedish sisters in 1898 and 1901 respectively. George had a son Henry and daughter Ethel Lillian. Alfred had 3 daughters Helen, Hazel (my grandmother) and Marjorie, plus a son Chester.

Henry supposedly was married in the 1920's in Philly, but I haven't tracked that down. (He used the surname Hanson). I don't think they stayed in touch.
George, Anna Katrina and Alfred at Peder Hansen's grave, Woodlawn Cemetery.

Peder went in for a hernia operation in 1908, but died on the operating table. His heart kept beating for several minutes after they declared death - it was written up in the papers.

Anna Katrina lived until 1925 at age 82, when she died in Boston. My great aunt said she was a sweet, loving, peaceful woman. She is pictured below in 1919.

I'm sure I will have more info on this family as I dig more :-)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Hitler, Hindenberg & Homeland

Philadelphia, August 8, 1936



Crazy busy couple of months! Still working on Denmark, obviously not hard enough....


This letter is from my great-great-grandfather to his nephew George Enz in Drackenstein, during a very historic time in Germany's history. This was written the day after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.



Page 1

Phila May 7, 37

Dear Georg & Martha!

I received your big letter and I saw that you are doing quite well. Maybe Germany will have her full rights again[1]. This Mister Hitler did quite well – his enviers and enemies have to admit that, too, and they are not few. We are doing quite well, nothing new. I did have time enough, but I do not like writing since my eyes are not good anymore. Dear Georg, you write because of my balance. I know that no money is supposed to be sent abroad. There is smuggling going on, but this is dangerous. I have more money on the bank than what is with you. Relatives of your aunt Kingenstein: Blaubeuren Bank, Heilbronn Bank, 600 marks were deposited, but I am not able to get it. Maybe if I came myself then I could get it. I would have to spend use it. I could maybe take 200 marks with me. Is that not too much? Giving is better than taking.    

Page 2

Dear Martha and Georg, how are you doing, I hope you are fine and you carry on. Your sister Mary, is she still alive? Forgot her uncle utterly, it was different 12 or 14 years ago, but she seems to have forgotten that. Is she still a widow? I hope she is doing well, say hello from uncle and aunt. Elise did write me, too, with a photograph of her 2 children. They look good. I received the picture from your 2 children as well; they look very good and are nicely dressed, you did well. It seems you got a good wife and this is worth much more than a fortune. I was in Veinland [sic] a couple of days ago. Helen has 2 children, too, and a large flower farm. They want to go to Holland in the fall. I do not know whether they want to go to Germany. They do not have much time because of their business.

Page 3

Dear Georg, please greet Minister Burger. I sent newspapers and postcards about the Hindenburg Disaster[2]: how the burned out skeleton in flames landed at the mooring mast[3], how it flies over Philadelphia and the crew with swastika[4] flags very clearly visible. It is an English American newspaper, but everything clearly visible: the passengers looking out and waving with handkerchiefs and half an hour later this dreadful disaster. Lachword[5], N.J., the landing place is not so far from Phila, half an hour to three quarters of an hour, of course with the car machine. I would like to know whether he received the newspapers. I received a post card for my name day[6], but nothing since then.

Page 4

Many cordial greetings to you from your aunt and uncle.

Please say hello to Elise, I will write her soon, too. I received the photos of her two children, too. I will stop now, because this is more than you two write together. Because you did not write it, it was your Martha - I see that because of the handwriting. I heard that the Masses were read. Kunigunde Kneer wrote that Johannes Dauberschütz died. Of course there are only few alive who know me? Again, greetings to all and to Kunigunde from Rose Kneer, she visits us often. You will be able to read it even though it is not written well.



[1] Joseph probably refers to the revision of the Versailles Treaty and other policies through Hitler. Those were put in place in the aftermath of World War I and were meant to rein in Germany. Many Germans saw them as humiliating. Historians speculate that the revision was a major factor in Hitler’s popularity during the first years of his time in power.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_disaster
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooring_mast
[4] Joseph actually drew a small swastika in the letter.
[5] Joseph means Lakehurst.
[6] March 19.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wow, how cool! 


Here is newsreel footage of the disaster:





George's son Hermann, who still lives on the family's land in Drackenstein, shared these Hitler-era photos with us. I have no idea who they are, sorry!








Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Hibernating with Genealogy

Animals at Fairmount Park Philadelphia


Yikes, I started a blog entry 2 or more weeks ago about my Danish roots, but once I started, I was woefully devoid of information. So I started digging into it, and guess what? I'm still digging! So while I piddle around with them, I better post SOMETHING before too much time goes by.

I've gotten some more boomerang letters translated, so here is a post card and a letter from my great-great grandfather Joseph Enz to his family in Germany. I'm going to seriously cry when these are finished, they are like a present every time!



Frau Barbara Enz in Drakenstein 
Municipal association Geislingen
Württemberg
Germany

received May 8 (in pencil under the address)

Philadelphia Apr 24, 23

Dear sister-in-law,

I received your letter. I sent a letter on April 18. Hopefully you will receive it. Today I sent 100.00 marks. 32.000 for Mary, 32.000 for little Engelbert in Gosbach, that leaves 36.000 for you. It will be paid out from my bank in Berlin. Please let me know soon once you received and dispersed it. With greetings, brother-in-law and uncle Joseph.

Side: Did you receive my letter?

=================================================

This one is from August of 1930:

Side: We did not have any rain for four weeks, everything is dry. 
Page 1
Aug 9, 30
Dear sister-in-law,
I just wanted to drop you a couple of lines since you had visitors from America and I heard nothing from anybody. Not a single letter neither from you nor from Elise - I do not know what is going on with you. Don’t you have time? Or were the visitors unwelcome?  I wrote Elise a letter via registered mail and postcards and I did not see anything. I have not seen Helene Schneider yet because she and her family live 40 miles away from Philadelphia. But I have not been to Vineland, N. J., anyway (pronounced Weinland). Maybe later, when I‘ll get a week of vacation, for I am still working every day – every night actually. I have oversight over a club house connected with a theatre, cinema and billiard hall; beer cellar and so on. I work from 9 o’clock at night to 7 o’clock in the morning. I do not have to work much, but I have to go up and down the stairs and make sure everything is in order. They tried to break in twice, but I was on my guard. I can eat and drink whenever I want.
Page 2
I wish you had what goes to waste here and what gets thrown away. Despite this, many families are in distress. The unemployment is terrible; it has not been so bad for 40 years. The outlook is bleak. Despite this fact it is the richest country in the world where many hundred thousand million dollars lie around and they do not know what to do with it. It is a fact that where there are millions [money], more come to it. This is about everything I want to write.
Kind regards to you, your brother-in-law Joseph Enz (please write soon)
Dear Georg,
I am glad that you found the time to write some words. You are old enough now to think about the words you are dictated (or which are written for you?). Good, that you know____. This aside, how did you like Miss Helene? She is a fine beautiful girl, just like a wife for you. And with about 150.000 marks (30-40 thousand dollars) - but this might have been a little too much for you. What in the world should you do with that? You would have to come to America more often. Helene never would become a farmer. I still have a lot to write, but I will finish now. I wrote this to you in a Club House last night.
Greetings to you, your uncle
I enclose a dollar; you can go and see Gosbach. 
If you want to, you can go dancing, too.

(Helen was Joseph's sister's grandaughter. Nice matchmaking! It didn't work.)
I was curious about Fairmount Park, so I Googled it and found out it is America's first zoo! It opened in 1874 after being postponed by the Civil War. Admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for kids.
The MGM lion retired there in 1931, they opened the first Children's Zoo in the western hemisphere in 1938.

Cool stuff!