Frederick Foth
Frederick Charles Foth
Frederick Charles Foth was born Friedrich Carl Johann Wilhelm Fodt
on March 15, 1855 in Lelkendorf in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenberg-Schwerin. He was baptized at the parish church in Schorrentin on March 25, 1855.
Friedrich's godparents
were:
Friedrich Röder, Dienend (serving) from Jördensdorf/Jördenstorf
Carl Klaan, Tagelöhnersohn (son of day labourer) from Lelkendorf
Sophia Kluth, Dienend (serving) from Lelkendorf
Mine Fodt, Tagelöhnertochter (daughter of day labourer) from Lelkendorf
Christian Fodt had a younger sister, Carolina Maria Wilhelmina Ernestina Vauth (also recorded as Foth on records). It is possible she used the name Mine as a derivative of Wilhelmina and was Friedrich's godmother as well as his aunt.
Fred emigrated aboard the sailing ship Deutschland, with his family, from Hamburg to New York on October 24, 1864. He arrived at Castle Garden Immigration Centre on November 29, 1864. On both the emigration and immigration records, Fred was recorded as Fritz Foth, Fritz being a diminutive of Frederick. The Fodt surname appeared to have changed to Foth on these records and the family was known as Foth in Buffalo.
Fred was confirmed at Old Trinity Lutheran Church in Buffalo on April 26, 1868. I have not been able to locate him with his family on the 1870 Federal Census or 1875 State Census records but did locate him living at 255 Maple Street in an 1876 Buffalo City Directory. He was recorded as a labourer. Fred used the name Fred C. Foth. On the 1880 Census, he was recorded as Fred Foch, living with his sister, Maria Frank, and her husband at 238 Elm Street.
Buffalo City Directories from 1876-1904 listed Fred’s occupations as labourer, teamster and porter. In 1905, the New York State Census recorded his occupation as printer. Buffalo City Directories and other census records show that Fred was in the printing business until at least 1915. After that, Fred worked in the automotive industry as machinist, bodymaker, finisher and auto mechanic.
Frederick married Augusta Matilda Schultz on June 13,1889 in Buffalo. I located them on the 1900 Census under the name Fogh. Fred and Augusta had no children of their own, but on that census I noted that there had been two children born who were no longer living. In 1908, the Foths adopted a daughter, Florence Alvina Foth, born January 22, 1902. Florence's birth name was Lydia Mae Taylor but it was changed to Florence Alvina Foth upon adoption.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Doyle
This photo of Florence and Augusta Foth appears to be taken at Florence's confirmation, so likely dates from around 1915.
The 1910 Census listed Fred as Frederick Voth. Throughout the family history, the name has been spelled many ways – Foth, Fodt, Voth and Vauth. Fred was listed as the owner of the house at 40 Kilhoffer Street and his occupation was a lithographer.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Doyle
In the Buffalo Morning Express 29 Jun 1919, Frederick C. Foth was listed as having a mortgage discharged in October 1910 (with Ernst F. Miller) and one discharged in May 1912 (with Herman Bresing). I don't know if the gentlemen listed were the ones who gave the mortgages or were co-signers. I suspect that Fred had borrowed money from them to purchase the house at 40 Kilhoffer Street.
In the 1920 Buffalo City Directory, Florence Foth was listed as Florena and was a telephone operator. She married William Herman Feltz April 18, 1923 and they had seven children. The Foths were very involved in raising their eldest granddaughter, Alvina Feltz. This is a photo of Frederick and Augusta with their granddaughter, Alvina.
In the Buffalo Evening News on May 14, 1926, in the Legal Records section of the newspaper, Fred was recorded as having taken out a mortgage for $2,400 on a house at what appears to be 399 Olympic Avenue which he bought from a Robert J. Schieder. The deed was then transferred from Robert to Fred and Fred then transferred the deed to William H. Feltz, his son-in-law. It appears as though Fred bought a house for his daughter and her husband and took legal responsibility for the mortgage
Frederick Charles Foth died September 14, 1926. His death notice appeared in the Buffalo News, Thursday, September 16, 1926 on page 34. Two years later, a memorial notice was inserted in the Buffalo Evening News.
Augusta lived with her daughter, Florence Feltz, in Cheektowaga until she died January 29, 1935. I believe both Fred and Augusta are buried in Holy Rest - Pine Hill Cemetery (Old German Lutheran Trinity Cemetery) in Buffalo.
From everything I have read about Fred, he was a man who worked hard and looked after his family. Like his brothers, he certainly had come a long way from his Fodt roots in Germany.