Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer (1815-1866)



Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer (1815-1866) emigrated from Strasbourg in Alsace-Lorraine to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834. He along with his children operated a series of liquor and cigar stores in Manhattan, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey. Their cigar business was Lindauer and Company Tobacconists which manufactured and sold cigars throughout Manhattan and Hudson County, New Jersey. They were also involved in an illegal lottery in Manhattan, called the numbers game or "policy dealing". (b. 1815; Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, Bas Rhin, France - d. September 5, 1866; 42 Grand Street, Manhattan, New York County, New York City, New York, USA)

Name variations

 * Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer, in the Ensko-Lindauer family bible.
 * Oskar Arthur Moritz Lindauer, for his marriage in 1851.
 * Oscar A.M. Lindauer ,in his 1866 funeral notice.
 * Possibly Aug Lindauer, which may be short for August Lindauer in the 1840 census.

Parents
Kevin Borland writes: "Oscar's father's name may have been Jean Jacques, as all of the known Lindauers born around Oscar's birth year in Strasbourg list their father, if at all, as Jean Jacques. Oscar also had a son named John Jacob, which supports this theory. The mother of Oscar may have been Sophie Chretienne Bauer, as she appears to have been bearing children to Jean Jacques shortly before the birth of Oscar. However, there were other children born to a Jean Jacques by a different mother (Marie Madeleine Gunther) in earlier years. This means that there could have two men named Jean Jacques, or that Jean married twice. Researcher Kevin Borland has ordered a copy of the 1836 census of Strasbourg, which is expected to resolve any uncertainty regarding Oscar's birth. The data is being mailed to Virginia from France, and is expected to arrive by mid-January. The store confirmed that there were 9 Lindauers listed in the census in Strasbourg. As of 2011 his parents still have not been confirmed, and it is possible that Oscar was born near Strasbourg and not in Strasbourg since he has not been found in the baptisms that have been scanned and put online recently."

Birth
Oscar was most likely born in 1815 near Strasbourg in Alsace-Lorraine where his parents were said to have owned a department store. The information come from the memoir of Eloise Ensko II (1925-1993). A record of his birth has not been found yet.

First marriage and emigration
Oscar married his first wife in Alsace and on their honeymoon they emigrated to Pennsylvania, most likely Philadelphia, in the United States. It was assumed they married around 1834, the year before the first child was born.

Children from first marriage
They had three children in Pennsylvania:
 * Charles Frederick Lindauer I (1835-1921) who married Anna Augusta Kershaw (1841-1931).
 * John Jacob Lindauer (1841-1888) who married Nellie X (1853-1887) and worked as the cigar maker.
 * Louis Julius Lindauer (1842-1915) who married Mary Sheehan (1842-1888) and worked as a cigar dealer.

Pennsylvania to Manhattan
Oscar moved from Pennsylvania to New York City around 1850, the same year as his first wife died.

Second marriage
He married Sophia Weber (1815-1891) on May 27, 1851 in Newark, New Jersey.

Child from second marriage

 * Eloise Lindauer I (1852-1944) who was born in Manhattan, and married William Arthur Ensko II (1850-1889).

Manhattan
Oscar and Sophia lived on Houston Street in Greenwich Village in New York City and Oscar and his children operated a liquor vending business or an "exchange". Other entries in the city directory list the children as "brokers". In 1866 he was living at 81 Grand Street in Manhattan and his occupation was listed as "exchange". This was their illegal lottery business that led to multiple arrests of his children, but no convictions.

Death
Oscar died in 1866 and his funeral notice appeared in the New York Herald on September 7, 1866: "On Wednesday morning, September 5, Oscar A.M. Lindauer, aged 51 years and 2 months. The relatives and friends of his sons, Charles, Louis, and John Lindauer, also the members of Eastern Star Lodge, No. 227, F. and A.M., are respectfully invited to attend the funeral from 42 Grand Street, this (Friday) afternoon, at two o'clock. The remains to be interred in Cypress Hill Cemetery." Death certificates were not issued in Manhattan until 1866. Prior to that year their were only ledger entries with the deceased's name and date of death, and cause of death.

Burial
He was buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York with:
 * Louise Lindauer (1858-1859)
 * Rebecca Lindauer (1863-1864)
 * Max S. Freudenberg II (1881) child of Max Freudenberg and Eloise Lindauer
 * Gusia Lindauer (1884-1885)
 * Nellie X (1853-1887) wife of John Jacob Lindauer
 * John Jacob Lindauer (1841-1888) son of Oscar Lindauer and his first wife
 * Mary Sheehan (1842-1888) wife of Louis Julius Lindauer
 * Jenny Gertrude Freudenberg (1888) child of Max Freudenberg and Eloise Lindauer
 * William Arthur Ensko II (1850-1889) child of Eloise Lindauer and William Ensko
 * Sophia Weber (1815-1891) second wife of Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer
 * Lottie Lindauer (1869-1894) aka Lottie Landus, daughter of Caroline Ritter and "Charles Lindauer"
 * Stanley Malton Massey (1895-1902) son of Grace Lindauer and Max Massey
 * Louis Julius Lindauer (1842-1915) son of Oscar Lindauer and his first wife

Memories about Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer
Memoirs of Eloise Ensko II (1925-1993) from July 03, 1965: "'My great-grandmother Sophia married an Oscar Lindauer. They came from Alsace-Lorraine on their honeymoon, by boat. Alsace-Lorraine was then owned by the French. Great-grandmother brought a lovely picture of Napoleon over from the other side - none of which I have ever seen duplicated. It is still in the family and in excellent condition. The Lindauer family owned a huge department store over there. When the newlyweds came to this country about the early 1800's they settled in Philadelphia. The living room furniture is still in the family. I have in my possession one of the sitting chairs. It is a very pretty, light wood in color, Victorian style. It is now of heavy material and cover. Sophia and Oscar had three boys and later on one girl. The boys were Charles, Louis and John and the girl, Eloise, was named by her brother, Charles. He found it by reading a book (Heloise & Abelard). The boys were much older than Eloise.'"

Timeline

 * 1815 Birth in Alsace
 * 1834 Marriage to X in Alsace
 * 1834 Emigration from Alsace to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area
 * 1835 Birth of Charles Frederick Lindauer I (1835-1921) in Pennsylvania
 * 1840 United States Census possibly with our Oscar as "Aug Lindauer" living in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
 * 1841 Birth of John Jacob Lindauer (1841-1888) in Pennsylvania
 * 1842 Birth of Louis Julius Lindauer (1842-1915) in Pennsylvania
 * 1850 United States Census (not found)
 * 1850 (circa) move from Pennsylvania to New Jersey
 * 1851 Marriage to Sophia Weber (1815-1891) on May 27, 1851 in Newark, New Jersey
 * 1852 (circa) Move from New Jersey to Manhattan
 * 1852 Birth of Eloise Lindauer I (1852-1944)
 * 1860 United States Census with Oscar as "August Lindauer" and working as a "lottery broker" in Manhattan which has been crossed out and marked as "illegal business"
 * 1866 Living at 81 Grand Street in Manhattan
 * 1866 Death in Manhattan on September 7, 1866 at age 51
 * 1866 Burial in Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
 * 1868 Sophia Weber (1815-1891) files to be administrator of his estate in New York City on December 23, 1868

Uncompleted tasks
The following further research is needed:
 * Find his birth and baptism record which will name his parents. Jenna from Genforum wrote in 2011: "I can only suggest you try and expand your search geographically to include records in Kehl, Rheinbischofsheim, and communes surrounding Strasbourg."
 * Find his marriage circa 1834 which will name his spouse
 * Find him in the 1850 US census
 * Find his death certificate for 1866, it has not been found in the NY or NJ archive to date, it will take this side of the family back one generation. Death certificates were not issued in Manhattan until 1866. Prior to that year their were only ledger entries with the deceased's name and date of death, and cause of death.
 * Order his probate papers from New York

Relationships
Oscar Arthur Moritz Lindauer (1815-1866) was the third, great-grandfather of Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ).

Source
Researched and written by Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) for Findagrave starting on June 17, 2003. That information was migrated here to Familypedia on November 8, 2006.