Bios

Mary Catherine "Kitty" (Hoeger) Gates born 1915 KY

In honor of Aunt Kitty, here is my research on the Hoeger and Allen families, Kitty's parents' families.

What follows are ten interesting discoveries that I found while researching in the Social Security Death Index, the KY death index, the 1918 WWI registration and the censuses from 1880-1930 in Louisville, Jefferson County, KY, where both sides of the family lived.

The links take you to the federal censuses and to the 1918 WWI registration. To enlarge the image after you open it, use the plus-sign cursor and left-click with it on the image. Scroll down to find the family. Scroll right to read details. Explanation of information in boxes is at top of columns. To download images to your computer for printing, right-click the linked image and then "save as."

Mary Catherine HOEGER GATES

born 8 July 1915, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY, died 9 Nov 2006, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, NY.

1. Kitty's father was Oscar Fred HOEGER, born 16 October 1882 in KY and Kitty's mother was Margaret "May" ALLEN, born June 1884 in KY, probably Louisville.

2. In 1930, living with Oscar HOEGER, Margaret "May" and their two children (Kitty, age 14 and Helen P., age 17) was Margaret "May's" mother, Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN, born Feb 1854 in KY. On the (Hoeger) 1930 and (Hoeger) 1920 census, Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN's daughter, Mayme ALLEN (born Mar 1876 KY) was also living with them. Mayme and Patti (Elizabeth) ALLEN (born Dec 1877 KY), were both living with them in 1920. Mayme and Patti were Margaret May's sisters, aunts to Kitty.

3. Oscar's father, Charles R. HOEGER, was born Sept. 1847, in Germany. Oscar's mother, Minnie C. Gluesenkamp, was born 26 Dec. 1856 in Ohio, but Minnie C.'s parents were also both from Germany. So the HOEGER's were all German it appears. Minnie C. Gluesenkamp's mother's maiden name was Koch, according to Minnie's death certificate. (Information from S.G.M.'s family tree).

4. Kitty's grandmother who lived with her, Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN, was also born in KY but Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN's parents, Mr. and Mrs. ALLEN, were both from northern Ireland. So the ALLEN side appears to be Irish. According to S.G.M.'s family tree, "Kitty Gates thought that Margaret's maiden name was also Allen...?" IGI lists a John Allen and Margaret WHALIN marriage in Jefferson County, KY on 23 May 1872. Could Kitty have remembered "Whalin" as "Allen"?

5. Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN''s husband, Kitty's Irish grandfather, was listed as John ALLEN on the (Allen) 1880 Louisville census and they had five children, of which only four were listed as living in 1900, according to the (Allen) 1900 census: Mayme, 24, Elizabeth "Lizzie," (aka "Pattie"),22, a son John N., 18, and Margaret "May" (Kitty's mother), 15. S.G.M.'s family tree mentions a Katie Bell as a 5th child, but hasn't been able to confirm it. John ALLEN was listed as a laborer and died leaving Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN a widow, before 1900, so he died between 1883 and 1900. See on the (Allen)1900 census page 2 that Margaret "May" is already working as a saleswoman at a florist's at 15 years old.

According to the (Allen)1910 census, Margaret "May" ALLEN, age 23, is working as an operator at a telephone company, Mayme ALLEN, age 30, is working as a seamstress and John N. ALLEN, age 29, is working as a wireworker. Patti ALLEN and her mother Margaret "Maggie" ALLEN are listed as not working.

6. Back to Minnie C. Is Minnie a nickname perhaps for Wilhelmina? Minnie C. was a widow as early as 1910. She is listed as having had three children, and three children are still alive on the (Hoeger)1910 census but only two are living with her: Oscar Fred HOEGER and Anna W. HOEGER.The third sibling was Albert R. b, 1884, (S.G.M.'s family tree 2007.) In 1910 Minnie C. owns her house on 2328 Garland St., Louisville. Anna W., 29 years old, is a bookkeeper and Oscar, 27 years old, is an ass't manager for a hardware store.

7. Oscar married Margaret "May" probably right after the 1910 census and by the (Hoeger)1920 census he owns his own house, has two daughters (Helen and Kitty) and works as an "inbound traffic manager for a wholesale hardware company." In (Hoeger)1930 it becomes a "wholesale grocery."

8. After Oscar marries Margaret "May", his sister, Anna W., continues to live with their mother, Minnie C., and is listed as a bookkeeper on the (Minnie C.)1920 and (Minnie C.)1930 censuses. She appears in the SSDI as having never married, dying in 1970, age 90.

9. Kitty has longevity in her family. Kitty lived to be 91. Her father, Oscar Fred HOEGER and Oscar's mother, Minnie C., both lived to be 93. Oscar's sister, Kitty's Aunt Anna W., lived to be 90. And Kitty's sister was 94 as of 2006.

10. Oscar Fred Hoeger, Kitty's father, had blue eyes, light hair and was of med height and med build in 1918 at age 36, according to his (Hoeger)1918 WWI registration. If you look at that record, does his address sound familiar? Uncle Spot, our Grandfather's brother, lived on the same street, Bardstown St., as listed on the (Gates)1910 census and lived on Kenilworth Place/Dr. in 1930 which is adjacent to Bardstown St. You can see both streets written vertically on the left margin of the (Hoeger )1930 census. Oscar Hoeger and John "Spot" Gates were neighbors and probably friends (Spot was 5 years older).

They were probably still friends ten years later in about 1940 when Gussy might have been visiting Uncle Spot and then met Kitty. S.G.M. says in her family tree that Gussy stayed at his Aunt Gertie's while courting Kitty. On this map in 1930, Windsor Rd on the far left is Gertrude (Gates) Vogel's house. Kenilworth Place, on far right, (above Hampden Ct.) is Uncle Spot's house. And where Kenilworth and Bardstown Rd intersect, (scroll in), is where the Hoeger's lived. Small world...

Calvary Cemetery on the left is where Margaret Allen and Uncle Spot are buried. Minnie C. is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery.

This PDF chart shows how all the above people are related: HOEGER ALLEN pedigree chart.

We miss you Kitty.

Love,

Your cousin,

Janet

P.S. This website was created with much help, if not downright complete fashioning out of thin air,

from my resident webmasters, J and B.. Thanks my dear daughters!