Joseph Moormann was born on 25 August 1871 in Damme, Germany, the son of Johann Heinrich “Henry” grosse Moormann and Maria Agnes Elisabeth Macke. Joseph had many brothers and sisters — he was 1 of 16! While Maria was Joseph’s mother, she was Henry’s second wife. Maria died in 1876 when Joseph was only 6 years old. Henry married his third wife, Josephine Arling, later that year.

 

Joseph immigrated to the United States of America with his father, his step-mother, and several siblings. They sailed on a steamship from the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, and arrived at the port of Baltimore, Maryland, on 27 August 1880.

The family settled down in the little southeastern Indiana town of St. Maurice in Decatur County. Henry and Josephine had 7 more children (their first was born in Germany). Henry was a farmer.

 

By 1897, Joseph had left St. Maurice and moved to the big city of Cincinnati, Ohio. He married Maria Bernadine “Bernadina” Ellermann on 16 June 1897 at St. Paul’s Catholic church in Cincinnati. Bernadina is the daughter of Joseph Friederich Heinrich Ellermann and Bernadina Fehrmann. Joseph was 25 years old and Bernadina was 21 years old at the time of their marriage.

 

Joseph and Bernadina lived on Abigail Street (now E. 12th St.) in the very German “Over-the-Rhine” area of Cincinnati. While Bernadina worked in the home raising their children, Joseph worked initially as a carriage driver.

 

In 1900, their family lived in the same house as Bernadina’s parents and sister, the Ellermann’s, at 535 Woodward Street as seen in this 1900 federal census record:

 

By 1910, Joseph owned his own grocery store where he also worked as a butcher.

 

During 1910, the family lived in Newport, Kentucky, at 930 Isabella Street, as seen in this 1910 federal census record:

 

By 1920, the family lived in Cincinnati once again, at 2500 Spring Grove Avenue, as seen in this 1920 federal census record:

 

Here is the family living at 3438 Hudson Avenue in the 1930 federal census record:

 

Joseph and Bernadina had 7 children:

1. Maria (1898-1899)
2. Henry (1900-1955)
3. Frank (1902-1960)
4. Joseph (1904-1968)
5. Bernadina (1907-1986)
6. Carl (1912-1976)
7. Albert (1915-1982)

 

Bernadina died on 10 August 1933 at the age of 58 of heart failure. She is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in St. Bernard, Ohio.

 

Joseph remarried to Katherine Hoskinds Reese (date unknown). Katherine died on 13 June 1938 of a heart attack. She is buried at Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.

Joseph died on 5 April 1940 at the age of 68 of chronic myocarditis. He is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in St. Bernard, Ohio.