Rosa “Rose” Albertine (Kappeler) Wick Henry was Catharine Grogan’s maternal grandmother, mother of Carrie Margaret “Elsie” (Wick) Grogan. Rose was born 28 October 1879 in Bern, Switzerland, one of 9 children of Christian Kappeler and Margreth Müller.
I will be making a separate post dedicated to Rosa’s family of origin in Switzerland. I have added all her records to her WikiTree profile (follow footnotes embedded in the bio or just scroll down to the Sources section). I also have a Kappeler album on Flickr with newspaper clippings and other goodies, and a backlog of documents I haven’t uploaded yet. I also intent to link biographical info posted here to supporting documents. At this time I’m just trying to establish a framework to build on. Okay, enough housekeeping, let’s learn about Rose!
In 1895, when she was 15 years old, Rose immigrated from Switzerland to Oneida County, New York, accompanied only by her 11-year-old brother, Frederick. They departed Southampton, Hampshire, England aboard the SS City of New York, 11 May 1895. You can access the passenger list here, from when they went through customs at Ellis Island.
The two siblings traveled in steerage, each with only one piece of luggage. Steerage was the lowest and least expensive class on transatlantic ships, often located in the ship’s hold where passengers had minimal comfort and limited space, typically traveling in crowded conditions. Despite the fact Rose and Fred didn’t travel with family members, I=it’s possible they were supervised by more distant relatives, family friends, or an immigrant group that would’ve offered some level of supervision. No doubt it was a grueling journey for anyone, much less unaccompanied children.
We also don’t know how Rose and Fred got from the Alps to the south coast of England or who brought them there. They likely traveled mostly by train so we can speculate what their journey would have been like.
The first leg would have been from Bern to Basel, a major railway hub in Switzerland located near the border with Germany and France, about a 2-3 hour ride; then from Basel to Paris, 5-6 hours; Paris to Calais, 3-4 hours; across the English Channel to Dover, 1-2 hours by ferry boat; another train from Dover to London, 2 hours; and finally on to Southampton, another 2 hours, for a total of 15-18 hours of straight travel time, not including wait times or overnight stops along the way. And that was just the beginning of their journey! After that, it was a week in steerage, across an ocean!
The SS City of New York was built by J. & G. Thomson, Ltd., Clydebank, Glasgow, Scotland in 1888 and was the largest passenger ship in the world at the time, with a accommodations for 540 first-class, 200 second-class, and 1,000 steerage passengers. The journey from Southhampton to New York took about a week, which was pretty fast compared to the pre-steamship era when it took an average of 6-8 weeks, up to 3 months to cross.
Rose and Fred arrived at Ellis Island Saturday, 18 May 1895. The high temperature was 61°F that day, a pleasant thaw after a cold snap in the Northeast, and the fresh air would’ve been welcome after a week in steerage with hundreds of other immigrants.
Rose and Fred settled in the hamlet of West Branch, part of Lee Township in Oneida County. While their journey was doubtlessly long and hard, they did have a soft place to fall at the home of their older brother Samuel and his young family. Samuel, 31, and his wife Julia E. Rebe, 24 had just passed the 4th anniversary of their marriage in Rome NY, 16 May 1891. Julia would’ve been very pregnant with their second child, Arthur (who was born that June) with 3-year-old Lilly peeking out from behind her aprons at the arrival of her aunt and uncle who had traveled across an ocean from the old country.
Samuel Kappeler
Samuel had immigrated to the US alone in 1888, sailing from Le Havre, France 22 April and arriving in New York 7 May. He was a dairy farmer and skilled cheese maker who would go on to be a pillar of the community, described as “always the ideal citizen; genial, generous, and kindly disposed. Few men had more friends…”
Sam and Julia lived in West Branch with their family until 1898 when Sam purchased the Lee Center cheese factory in February 1898 and moved his family there sometime before their 4th child Alma was born 1 March 1900. You can see the property on the right side of the map below. The house and some outbuildings are still standing, located at 5633 Stokes Lee Center Rd, in Lee Center.
Sam’s wife Julia was also from the canton of Bern, Switzerland. She was born in the Diemtigen municipality in the district of Frutigen-Niedersimmental, 7 March 1871 and immigrated to the US in 1890. Sam and Julia were married 16 May 1891 in Rome. They had 5 children:
- Lillian I. (Kappler) Lawton, born 20 Apr 1892 in West Branch, married Theodore Sheffield Lawton 16 Jan 1912 in Lee Center, died 1 August 1986 in East Longmeadow, Hampden County, Massachusetts.
- Arthur Maynard Kappler, born 26 Jun 1895 in West Branch, married Eleanor Louise Buckley 30 Nov 1922 in Afton, Chenango County NY, died 12 October 1967 12 OCT in Broward County, Florida.
- Leroy Alton Kappler, born 27 March 1897 in West Branch, married Mary E. O’Brien 11 September 1931 in Rome, died 4 April 1968 in Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida.
- Alma I. Kappler, born 13 Mar 1900 in Lee Center, married Horace L Dillingham 5 February 1923 in Rome, died 23 February 1949 in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey.
- Ruth M. Kappler, born 1 April 1910 in Lee Center, married Ralph E. Arnold 31 May 1947 in Rome, died 1 May 1997.
I’m working on a separate post detailing the rise and fall of the Kappeler cheese empire. Fred Kappeler was a cheesemaker as well, first working at prominent cheesemaker David Karlen’s factory in West Branch.
Rosa Albertine Kappeler Marriage to Frederick Wick
On January 12, 1898, at the age of 18, Rose married Frederick Wick at Wick’s Hotel in Point Rock. Fred Wick was a farmer and son of German immigrants Lewis Wick and Margrett Deitz. Wick’s Hotel was owned by Fred’s brother Lewis Jr.
“The bride was dressed becomingly in gray henrietta, with a cream silk front, and carried pink roses. She was accompanied by Louisa Waufler of Utica and Maggie Wilbert of Rome. The groom was attended by his brother, George Wick, who was best man, and John Morat. After the ceremony, an elaborate supper was served, and music and dancing continued till the “wee small hours.” Burk’s Band furnished music, and the West Branch Brass Band gave a number of fine selections…Mr. and Mrs. Wick have gone immediately to housekeeping and will be at home to friends at the old Wick place in the future.”
Rome Semi-Weekly Citizen, Rome NY, Friday, January 21, 1898
Children of Fred and Rose
Carrie Margaret “Elsie” Wick was born New Year’s Eve 1898 in Point Rock. Her entry on the NY Birth Index (below) is the only time I have seen her with the first name “Carrie.” After that, it’s always Elsie or sometimes Elsa. Her corresponding birth certificate is on my wish list of documents to order.
Ruella Wick, listed directly below Elsie, was Elsie’s first cousin, daughter of Fred Wick’s brother Louis Wick Jr and Maria Morat.
We also have a birth announcement from the Rome Daily Sentinel, which states “Born…At Point Rock, December 31, 1898, to Mr. and Mrs, Fred Wick, a daughter.”
Elsie was the eldest of four children of Rose and Fred Wick, born over 5 years between 1898 and 1903:
- Carrie M. “Elsie” born 31 December 1898 in Point Rock, married Walter E Grogan 15 Apr 1917 in Rome, died 26 December 1973 in Syracuse.
- Helen A. born 6 September1900 in Annsville, died 27 April 1993
- Alvin Leo born 11 March 1902 in Annsville, married Mildred Elizabeth Kennedy 27 June 1935 in Oneida County, died 28 May 1973. in the city of Oneida, Madison County.
- Lloyd Edward born 15 December 1903 in Point Rock, married Dorothy E. Mudge 9 November 1933 in Bridgeport, died 15 March 1976 in Rome.
I have listed the Wick children with the birthplaces found in the NY State Death Index, however they were all likely born on the Wick farm, which was located somewhere around the northern end of present-day Coal Hill/Sheehan Rd, Taberg.
The Wick family and associated maps and property records will need their own post. Suffice to say maps, municipal boundaries, and the labels we give them shift and reshuffle over time and the Wick dairy farm straddled Annsville Township and the hamlet of Point Rock, which is now in Lee Township but at one time was in Ava Township.
Fred and Rose raised their family on their dairy farm.
Fred Wick Illness and Death
Frederick Wick passed away on 13 April 1925 at the age of 58, after suffering from poor health for several years. His death left Rosa to raise her children as a widow.
