German Immigrant Ancestors
in Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York



Much of the following information on this line of POEHLMANs to which I am related has been gathered and generously contributed by Pete Pierce (pete.genealogy@sbcglobal.net). It appears here with his permission and with my thanks. Pete is a descendant of CATHERINE POEHLMAN (born 1840 "Upper Bavaria" died 1928; immig. 1846) and CARL/CHARLES SIMON (1837-?), a prosperous Syracuse shoe merchant and founder of the German Pioneer Association. Catherine Poehlman (above) and Karl/Charles Poehlman (below) were brother and sister. Contact Pete for further information regarding other POEHLMAN families of Syracuse. Please contact me with any corrections or additions to what appears here.

Descendants of
KARL/CHARLES and CAROLINE/CARRIE POEHLMAN
who were born circa 1831 ("Upper Bavaria"? emig. 1846?) and circa 1838 ("Bavaria") respectively,
married before 1868,
emigrated to Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York,
and in 1880 lived at 189 Lock Street
where Karl worked as a cooper
(barrel-maker, probably for the salt industry)



They had five children:

1. HENRIETTA POEHLMAN, born circa 1867 in New York; died ? (Whatever happened to this person?)

1. MATHEW POEHLMAN, born circa 1868 in New York; died ? (Whatever happened to this person?)

1. FREDERICK J. POEHLMAN, born in May, 1869 in New York; died 13 November 1942 in Syracuse. In 1900 he and his sister JULIA lived in a home he owned at 1034 North Street, Syracuse; he worked as a dealer in shoes (what was his connection, if any, to Carl Simon's boot and shoe business?). He married LOUISE ("LUTIE") A. REIDEL (born circa 1873 in New York, daughter of -?- Reidel and Magdalen L. -?-) on 13 February 1917 in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York. At the time he was married he was living at 803 McBride Street, Syracuse with his sister JULIA POEHLMAN and was the proprietor of a boot and shoe shop at 478 North Salina Street, Syracuse. According to Syracuse city directories, by 1915 all three of his nephews (brother GEORGE's boys) worked as clerks there and his sister JULIA was the bookkeeper.

By 1917 he had moved to 400 Prospect Avenue and was living in the home of his wife's family (sister JULIA remained living at 803 McBride). By 1919 he was in charge of the shoe store at 478 North Salina Street (now known as Poehlman & Reichel’s shoes), he was treasurer of Poehlman Shoe Company, Inc. at 313 South Warren Street, and he remained president of F.J. Poehlman Manufacturing Company, Inc., hardware specialties, located at 1812 Park Street (he seems to have sold this latter firm by 1921). In 1922 Poehlman Shoe Co., Inc. moved to 315-317 S. Warren Street and nephew CHARLES C. POEHLMAN transferred there (from clerking in the Salina Street store).

By 1925 according to the Syracuse city directories there was a "Poehlman Building" located at 328 East Genesee Street (connected to this FRED POEHLMAN, or another POEHLMAN?). By 1930 FRED had retired and he and his wife were living in their $30,000 home at 2654 E. Genesee Street, Syracuse designed by Syracuse architect Ward Wellington Ward which they had moved into circa 1920. Since 1997 this single-family, Colonial Revival-style home has been listed as an historic landmark known as the Poehlman House.

FRED POEHLMAN and his wife married (at about ages 47 and 44, respectively) without telling their families. This item appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard on 14 February 1917:
Miss Lutie Reidel Bride of F.J. Poehlman
Postal Card Tells of Marriage—
"Leaving for Florida. Uncle Fred and Aunt Lutie," Mail Announcement Reads

"Leaving for Florida this morning. Uncle Fred and Aunt Lutie." So read a postal card received yesterday morning by a relative of Fred J. Poehlman. It was mailed in this city and was the first intimation received by his family that he had been married to Miss Lutie Reidel, daughter of Mrs. L. Reidel of No. 400 Prospect avenue. In the same mail another member of the family received a post card, on which was inscribed: "Off to Florida for a swim." So the folk at home feel sure Mr. and Mrs. Poehlman have gone South for their honeymoon. After they had recovered somewhat from their surprise they made inquiries. They discovered that the ceremony took place at St. John’s Church yesterday morning and that Mr. and Mrs. Poehlman left immediately afterward for New York. To one intimate friend they confided the news, said they would be away until early in March, and when they returned will live at Mr. Poehlman’s home in McBride street. Friends of Mr. Poehlman and his bride have suspected for a long time that they were engaged, though no formal announcement has been made of it. He is proprietor of a boot and shoe shop at No. 478 North Salina street and is president of the Poehlman Manufacturing Company, No. 1812 Park street.

The 1914 city directory lists the partners for the F.J. Poehlman Manufacturing Company, which produced "hardware specialities": F.J. Poehlman, G.F. Sax, P.F. Ryan.

1. GEORGE POEHLMAN (photo), born 26 March 1871 in Syracuse; died 16 November 1951 in Syracuse; buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Syracuse. He married 12 April 1893 (by Rev. Georg Merschroth, Ev. German Luth. Church of St. Paul) Mary A. SCHNEIDER (later, called SNYDER; she died 7 September 1940 in Syracuse; buried at Woodlawn Cemetery; daughter of John and Elizabeth (Schell) Schneider). In 1900 George and Mary and their family lived in a rented home at 605 Gifford Street, Syracuse; he was a conductor on a street railroad. By 1910 according to city directories he was living at 700 Oak Street, working as a conductor. In 1914 he and his three sons all lived at 700 Oak Street. 1925-1927 city directories list: "Poehlman, George (Mary) conductor Oneida Ry [Railway?] h[ome] 700 Oak". In 1930 he was still working as a conductor on a railroad and at that time he, his wife, his son, GEORGE J., and George’s wife ANNA lived in a $5,000 home at 700 Oak Street, Syracuse, according to the census.

He and MARY had three sons and a daughter who died young:
2. GEORGE JACOB POEHLMAN, born 26 July 1893 in Syracuse, NY; died 14 February 1968 in Syracuse, age 73; buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Syracuse. He was a communicant of Assumption Church. He married ANNA MILLER circa 1919. Lived in his parents’ home at 700 Oak Street and worked as a clerk in his uncle FRED's shoe store at 478 North Salina Street, later known as Poehlman & Reichel Shoes. In 1930 he was described on the census as a merchant in a shoe store, the proprietor of Poehlman and Reichel's. At that time he and his wife lived with his father, GEORGE (and his wife, MARY A.) at 700 Oak Street, in Syracuse; he paid $25 per month rent. Following his brother JOHN’s death in 1932, he became the sole other partner with August H. ("Gus") Reichel at Poehlman & Reichel shoe store, 478 North Salina Street (according to the Syracuse city directory of 1934).

2. JOHN HERMAN POEHLMAN (photo), born in August 1895 in New York; died 23 July 1932, age 36; buried in Assumption Cemetery, Syracuse. He married circa 1917 HELEN ELIZABETH LIPKE (born 4 July 1896 in Czattkau, Germany to Johann Lipke and Elisabeth Kraft; immigrated December 1904; died 10 March 1983 in Syracuse, NY). In 1917-1918 his residence was listed as 227 Jasper Street in Syracuse; he worked as a clerk at his Uncle FRED POEHLMAN's shoe store at 478 North Salina Street. In the 1919 city directory he and his brother are listed as partners and the shoe store at 478 North Salina was now known as Poehlman & Reichel (Frederick J., George J., John H. Poehlman, August H. Reichel) In 1919-1920 he and his family lived at 295 West Moreland Avenue. In 1921 they lived at 1511 Spring Street. By 1922 they were living in a two-story, three-bedroom semi-bungalow home at 1044 Westcott Street, where the family would stay for approximately eleven years.

They had two children:
3. JANET JULIA POEHLMAN, born 1 November 1918 in Syracuse, New York; died 10 September 1997 in Manlius, Onondaga Co., NY; buried at Manlius Village Cemetery. Married 19 April 1941 in Chittenango, New York, HARDING ALLEN CLARK II (b. 8 November 1908 in Schenectady, NY; died 31 December 1960, Syracuse, NY; bur. Manlius Village Cemetery); they had two children: HARDING ALLEN CLARK III (b. 5 December 1943 in Manlius, NY; d. 10 January 1997 in Erieville, Madison Co., NY), and a daughter, living.

3. FREDERICK JOHN POEHLMAN, born 4 December 1919 in Syracuse, New York; died 26 July 1995 in Orange County, California. Married KATHLEEN SWANHILD KLEVEN (b. 25 August 1918 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; died 8 October 2010 in Anaheim, California); they had two children.

2. CHARLES CHRISTIAN POEHLMAN, born in November 1897 in Syracuse, NY; died 6 November 1989 in Syracuse, New York; buried at St. Agnes Cemetery, Syracuse. Veteran of World War I. Married circa 1923 MARTHA B. WHELIHAN (born in Syracuse circa 1899-1900; died 1 January 1990). He was a clerk at his uncle FRED's shoe store at 478 North Salina Street, later known as Poehlman & Reichel’s according to city directories circa 1914-1921; lived with his parents at 700 Oak Street. In 1922 his uncle’s other location, Poehlman Shoe Co., Inc. moved/expanded to 315-317 S. Warren Street and nephew CHARLES C. left Poehlman & Reichel and began working there. In 1925-1926 he worked in a "shoe department" located at 300 South Salina Street (Witherill's?) and had moved his home to 2006 Court Street; he became "department manager" circa 1927. On the 1930 census his occupation was listed as "shoemaker;" he operated the "Poehlman Shoe Store on North Salina Street." At that time he lived with his wife and two children at 2006 Court Street, Syracuse in a home valued at $10,000. Later worked for the Syracuse Dept. of Public Works and retired in 1965 after nine years with Lincoln Bank. Lived at 1700 W. Onondaga Street, Syracuse at the time of his death.

They had two children, a son and a daughter.

2. JULIA E. POEHLMAN, born circa 28 November 1909, died of pneumonia, age 3 months and 9 days, on 9 March 1910 in Syracuse; buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.

1. JULIA POEHLMAN, born in 28 June [or January?] 1875 in New York; died 30 October 1944 in Syracuse; buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Syracuse. She was living with her brother FRED at 1034 North Street, Syracuse in 1900, no occupation listed on the census. But according to Syracuse city directories, she was a bookkeeper at 478 North Salina Street (the boot and shoe shop where her brother worked); in 1914 she lived with him at 803 McBride Street. Circa 1920 she moved to 109 Comstock Place. She remained unmarried and died at home of lung cancer.


Reference Notes

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