"And none will hear the postman's knock Without a quickening of the heart. For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?"

Well, actually, my postman doesn't knock. But he does make fun of me for how many packages I receive. I've tried telling him that I feel it is my duty to keep the economy going, but I don't think he's buying that.

So last week right before I went on my little trip to Washington DC I finally got some social security apps that I had requested. I sent my request in JANUARY! And got them mid-MAY! It's sort of a weird little anomaly - I can get my great-grandfather's death certificate in a couple days, but the social security app takes months.

What's up with that Social Security Administration? Are you so under-funded that you are still working with copiers and typewriters? Are you really that busy looking up genealogist's requests? If it's as busy as the library at the National Archives this last saturday, I would think that you would have time to figure out the cure to cancer while simultaneously coming up with time travel for the masses (sans butterfly effect of course) and a pill to make me thin, blond, tan and young (with the only side effects being the sudden ability do math in my head and riverdance. at the same time). Anyway, if you let me know how I can help, I'll be so happy to do it.

Meanwhile, how exciting, I got some info for my Domelle side of the family that has been difficult to research. And how geeky am I that I now can link "Domelle" to my own little surname page??? :-D

Here's who I got:

Alvin Robert Bozung - he's the son of my great-great-Aunt Lena Domelle Bozung. They lived in Ionia County, Michigan. He was only 18 when he did his application (1943) and was listed as "Unemployed". In my other records, he's listed as a WWII veteran, so I have the feeling he went off to war soon after this was filled out.

Martin Domele - He's the son of my great-grandfather's cousin John. They didn't have the extra "L" in Domelle. Who knows why, but it's very consistent in the records. He worked for the Appleton Electric Company in Chicago Illinois. He filled his application out in 1936, which is a good thing, because sadly, just 3 years later he died of a Ketroperitoneal Sarcoma.

Anthony John Domelle - This guy is my mystery Domelle. I have a great-Uncle Tony, who is also named Anthony John, but he was born in 1913, and this guy is born in 1899. But it is just too much of a coincidence, he is clearly related to my family, there just aren't extra Domelle's running around. Plus, his address is in Illinois, and all my Domelle's started out in the Illinois/Indiana/Michigan area. My great-great-grandfather is Adam Domelle, so maybe this Anthony John is the son of Adam's brother or something like that? We'll just have to see.


Mary Ann Domelle - She is my great-Aunt. Never married and apparently very artistic. Her application is signed: "Miss Mary Domelle". I had never had a middle name for her before, so I was happy to see the "Ann". I think it may have actually have been "Anna" for her Aunt Anna Domelle Tischler, but that's nit-picking. In 1937, the year of her application, she was working at "Montgomery Ward & Co." at 618 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. She was only 21 and living in the big city, I wonder if she was living with relatives, or alone? She was born in Indiana where her father and uncles had moved (from Chicago) to do farming.

Elizabeth Domelle - Only daughter of my great-great-uncle Nick Domelle and his second wife, Barbara Traum. She was working at Fuhrman & Forster Co. in Chicago, also living in Chicago. The year of her application is 1936, she was only 19 years old.

In case you were wondering, Fuhrman & Forster was a meatpacking plant. I hope Elizabeth worked in the office and not the factory floor!


Anna Domelle Tischler - They typed it as "Domlle" on her application. Twice. But here's the cool thing. She is my great-grandfather's sister. She came over unmarried through Ellis Island. I always knew that my great-great-grandfather was named Adam Domelle, she even listed her dad as her closest relative back home on the ship's passenger list. But I've had a lot more trouble with Anna's mom. My grandfather said his grandmother's name was "Christine Rizer". I found one record (my grandfather's uncle Nick) where she was listed as "Kristina Reiser". But now, I have Anna's social security application and she lists her mom as "Christina Risa". One important note, this app was typed, so it was an SS worker typing out what Anna said. But now I know I have something to work with - the Risa, Rizer, Reiser name. And it looks pretty certain that her name was Christina. yay!

Ferdinand Adam Tischler - This is my great-great-Aunt Anna Domelle Tischler's son. He has helped me greatly by listing a middle name for his mom Anna, which I had not seen before. He lists her as "Anna Magdaline Domelle". Magdalena was a very popular name in the region they came from, so it makes sense. Ferdinand lived in Michigan and worked at the Belding Foundry. On this app, his middle name is spelled "Adom", but since his grandfather's name was Adam, I'm making a bet it was supposed to be the same.

Here's a picture of the main street of Belding, Ionia County, Michigan in the 1940s:


And finally,

John Peter Tischler - Son of Anna Domelle Tischler, older brother to Ferdinand. He was also working in the Belding Foundry in Michigan. His application listed his mom's middle name as "Madeline", so it was fully anglicized by then.

Yay, lots of information! I'll be filling in my software as well as updating the Domelle wiki pages.