Professor Zimmer may have gone unidentified if not for the 1892 New York census. He looks quite young to be a professor and indeed he was. Born in 1868, he was about 20 in this photo from 1888 of the … Continue reading
Ralph Spitzer in 1931
Meet Ralph Spitzer, a classmate of Thomas Wirth from St. Michael’s Central high school in Chicago. Ralph was born in Illinois in 1913 to Max Spitzer and Sophie Mawicke. Max and his parents were all from Germany and immigrated to the US in the mid 1870s. Sophie’s parents were also German, but she was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ralph was the youngest of 5 siblings (Loretta, Florence, Dorothy, Robert, and Ralph). The family appears to have all lived and died in Chicago.
In 1931, the year of this photo, Ralph was in high school. After graduation he continued to live at home and worked as a shipping clerk for a clock manufacturer; he did not attend college it would appear. His mother died in 1939, and, with the war in full swing, Ralph joined the army in 1942. He married Rose in 1948 (the same year his father died), although I don’t know if they had any children. I hope they did, so there will be some descendants who care about this photo!
According to several sources, Ralph Spitzer died in Chicago in July of 1981. His parents are buried in Saint Boniface Cemetery in Chicago, but I’m not sure where or if Ralph is buried.
Best of luck Ralph!
Yea! I finally figured this one out. A great picture from gretacarbo on eBay for any interested parties. A name, a location, and a relatively easy to date photo – but it still took some time. I guessed correctly that … Continue reading
