Frederick William Zehler
Frederick Zehler was born in Bennington, Wyoming County, New York in 1870. In 1900, he married Theresa Saure in Buffalo, new York.
The children of Frederick and Theresa are:
Fourth Generation
| i. | Norman F. Zehler | Norman was born February 3, 190318, and he died October 9, 198118. Norman married Charlotte M. Schroeder. |
| ii. | Russell R. Zehler | Russell was born about 1905, and he died March 28, 192941. |
Frederick William Zehler was born November 2, 18701, the fifth child of Peter Zehler and Mary Differt. He grew up in Bennington on the family farm. In the late 1800s, work was scarce in rural areas and getting started as a farmer was also difficult. As a result, many young men migrated to the city where work was easier to come by. They often found jobs with the railroads, clerking in stores or as drivers. Several members of the Zehler family joined this migration, including Fred.
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| Theresa Sauer (Zehler) Cramer |
By 1892, Fred was living in Buffalo and working as a fireman58. Entries in the Buffalo City Directory show he was a fireman and then an engineer for the New York Central Railroad. In 1896, Fred was living at 93 Spruce Ave., along with his Uncle Jacob59. Frederick was still living with Jacob in 1900, shortly before his marriage44.
On June 27, 1900, Fred married Theresa Sauer at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo60. Theresa was born about 1878 in Alsace-Lorraine, the daughter of Albert Wittner and Catherine Winters. After Albert's death, Catherine married August Sauer, who adopted Theresa, hence her use of the Sauer name. Interestingly, the Sauer family was living in the same boarding house as Fred and his uncle44.
Fred and Theresa continued to live in Buffalo and Fred continued to work for the railroad. Over the next seven years, they had two children and settled into family life. Then, in 1908, a mystery developed. The Buffalo City Directory of that year lists Theresa Zehler, widow, living at 402 Pratt street61. What happened to Fred?
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| Theresa (right) with Clifford Cramer and Charlotte Zehler |
The story of Fred, related by Theresa's descendants, is that sometime in 1907 Fred Zehler left home for work and never returned. Listing herself as a widow was probably a way of avoiding the shame of being abandoned. In 1914, after waiting the required seven years, Theresa petitioned to have Frederick declared legally dead60. On January 29, 1915, she married Alfred Cramer41. Alfred and Theresa had one son, Clifford, born about 1915152. Theresa died on December 25, 195340.
What happened to Fred? A death certificate, dated on November 6, 1931, sheds some light on his fate30. The certificate records the death of Fred Zehler of 76 Exchange Street, Buffalo, son of Peter Zehler and Mary Kiefer. He is described as a laborer who worked at odd jobs. Interestingly, Fred is also described as single. Thus, it appears that Fred continued to live in Buffalo after he abandoned his family and never mentioned his marriage to his new acquaintances.
Norman Zehler:
Norman and Charlotte Zehler
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| Norman Zehler |
Norman F. Zehler was born February 3, 190318, the first son of Fred Zehler and Theresa Sauer, in Buffalo, New York, where he grew up. On September 18, 192762, he married Charlotte M. Schroeder. Charlotte was born April 21, 190818, the daughter of Edward Schroeder and Anna Oberst. Norman and Charlotte resided in Buffalo, New York, where Norman worked as a riveter. They raised a family of one son and three daughters.
Norman died October 12, 198118, and is buried in Lakeside Cemetery, Hamburg, New York. After Norman's death, Charlotte remarried to (1) Samuel Barranco, (2) Karl Weight, and (3) Clifton Smith. Charlotte died on December 16, 199218.
Russell Zehler:
Russell Zehler
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