The Ziegler brothers—Lawrence (1822-1892),

John (1824-1901), and Lewis (1837-1878)—

emigrated from Baden, Germany. John arrived with

his wife Regina Graf, son John Jr., and brother, Lewis

(Louis) in 1851. Lawrence’s naturalization papers

reveal he departed Havre, France at age thirty-two,

which would make his immigration about 1854. The

New York State 1855 Census shows them all living

together in the Town of Schodack.

Their stay in the Town of Schodack, however,

must not have been long because the Christian Intelli-gencer of the Reformed Dutch Church recorded that

Lawrence married Elizabeth Magee, Saturday, April

26, 1856, in Coeymans. And naturalization records

indicate John was living in the Town of Coeymans on

August 26, 1856. A few years later, Lawrence was

naturalized August 27, 1860, with John acting as wit-

ness.

Each brother had large families. Lawrence and

Elizabeth had six—Amelia (died at 18), Viola, Linda,

Frank, (Martin and Earnest died as infants), and John

and Regina also had six—John B, Emma (died at

two), Charles, Edward (Edwin), Andrew, and Martin.

Lewis married Catherine Miller from Germany, and

their two children were born in Coeymans. However,

the 1875 New York Census shows Lewis’ family

moved back to Schodack with his occupation, broom

maker. Lewis and Catherine had five more children

before Lewis’s death in 1878.

Prior to the 1870 U.S. Census, Lawrence and

John started a broom business in Coeymans. In 1863,

John purchased a lot on the north side of Fourth St,

100 feet east of the Albany and Greene Turnpike

Road on which they built a broom factory. In 1864,

Lawrence bought lots 7, 8, and part of lot 9 on the

south side of Fourth St. John purchased from Peter

Seabridge in 1869 part of lot 1 on the north side of

Second St between Third St. and First Lane, where he

started a store. Then in 1870, he purchased the lot on

the south side of Fourth St, west side First Lane from

Margaret and Horace Rennie.

Together the brothers also bought a 140-acre

farm on August 4, 1869, in North Coeymans bounded

by the lands of Alexander Willis, Philip Winne and

Andrew Ten Eyck. The location of this farm today

would be north of Magnolia Circle in Ravena, but

access was from Riverview Drive in Coeymans.

They might have bought it to grow broom corn

for their broom business or to stable horses for busi-

ness and personal use. John and Lawrence continued

as broom manufacturers, along with Charles, Edwin,

(Continued on page 3)

RAVENA COEYMANS HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Summer 2015 Vol. 13 No. 2

The Hitching Post The Ziegler Family: Immigrant Opportunists

By Lynn Van derzee Christie

Ziegler Broom Factory on Fourth Street, Coeymans, NY,

which later became Edwin Ziegler’s duplex

1891 Watson & Co. Map

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Friends,

Your past support has helped strengthen our historical society and helped

ensure the preservation of valuable artifacts. We are proud of the significant in-

crease in the 2015 membership drive from individuals, families, and sponsors.

Thank you.

For months our newest trustee, Roger Wilber, has been painstakingly pre-

serving a number of valuable maps. This summer we received a generous dona-

tion from the Blaisdell family which we are in the process of accessioning. At

the annual open house in December, we will display many of this family’s ob-

jects.

In this issue we feature Lynn Van derzee Christie’s article about the Zieg-

lers who started a brickyard and broom factory in Coeymans. We encourage

everyone in our area to write personal stories and/or record oral histories of their

families. These stories can be submitted to The Hitching Post or shared at one of

our monthly programs. We welcome all entries.

Best wishes,

Ralph Biance

P a g e 2

Ravena Coeymans

Historical

Society

2014 - 2015

Officers/Trustees

President

Ralph Biance 2017

V. President

David Ross 2015

Treasurer

Marie Sturges 2015

Recording Secretary

Linda Peterman 2017

Corresponding Secretary

Suzanne Celella 2016

Curator/Historian

Joseph Boehlke 2015

Trustees

John Bonafide 2016

Nancy Bruno 2016

Paul Lawler 2017

Dennis Whalen 2016

Roger Wilber 2015

M u s e u m

H o u r s

The Historical Society Museum

is open every Thursday (except

holidays) from 1 - 3 p.m.

For an appointment, call

756-9395 or 756-6536.

Visit us at

coeymanshistory.org

The Hitching Post

Marie Sturges, Editor

Mary Farinelli, Copy Editor

THE CURATOR’S CORNER

Joseph Boehlke

Over the last couple of years the Albany County Historical Association

(A.C.H.A.) has been reaching out to other historical societies in the county to

share information about preserving area history for future generations. In the

fall of 2014, Ralph Biance, Paul Lawler and I attended our first meeting of this

group at the Knox Historical Society.

Since then, several meetings have been held, and at the early spring meet-

ing this year, the group decided to call themselves the Albany County History

Collaborative. The A.C.H.A., located in the Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany,

applied for and received a grant that is being used to create a website for the

Collaborative. Its purpose is to heighten awareness of Albany County history.

The newly-formed Collaborative will enable all historical societies in Al-

bany County to link their websites to the primary site, thus giving each society

more visibility and researchers a broader range of local history resources.

On Saturday, July 11, we hosted the group's quarterly meeting at our muse-

um, which gave many trustees an opportunity to learn about the progress of the

website and interact with members of other historical societies. We also listened

to David W. Palmquist, former head of museum chartering for the NYS Educa-

tion Department and currently executive director of ESCOT, Inc., a not-for-

profit corporation providing support to organizations. He offered insights about

various topics ranging from a board’s fiduciary responsibilities to new state re-

quirements and policies which must be followed.

P a g e 3

and Andrew until about 1895. The Coeymans Herald

reports about their business:

A large quantity of broom corn was landed at our

wharf last Saturday by the steamer Eagle. It was

for John Ziegler. [6/19/1873]

The broom factory of Mr. Ziegler is running

full blast. [11/7/1877]

One day last week while at work to Ziegler’s

broom factory Emery Smith accidentally, inflicted

a severe gash to his forehead with a large brush

knife he was using in cutting twine. [12/21/1881]

Mr. John Ziegler, while out on a broom peddling

trip last Monday, had the misfortune of losing one

of the horses. The horse took sick and died.

[11/16/1887]

The Coeymans Herald also makes references to

Ziegler Island. On July 2, 1862, Lawrence and John

bought thirty-one acres of land for $950 from John

Mull on an island known as Mull’s Platt, a small nar-

row island near the northwest side of Lower Schodack

Island.

The parcel was an undivided half Brant Mull con-

veyed to John Mull. Lawrence bought the other undi-

vided half of thirty-one acres purchased September 28,

1880, for $843. The two brothers purchased that fertile

island land to grow broom corn. When that portion of

the Hudson River had been dredged, the island be-

came part of Lower Schodack Island. The Zieglers also had an ice house on this island.

Like many other businessmen along the Hudson Riv-

er, they harvested the readily available ice and shipped

it to New York City. The largest ice company, Knick-

erbocker Ice Co., had ice houses up and down the

Hudson River. On March 3, 1881, Lawrence and John

sold forty acres of their Ziegler Island property to the

Knickerbocker Ice Company for $5,000. Even after

the Zieglers had sold the island property, it was still

called Ziegler Island as noted in “The Eleventh Annu-

al Report of the State Board of Health.” Table III

shows the Knickerbocker Ice Co. stored 15,000 blocks

of ice in 1889 on Ziegler Island.

In many rural communities, the railroad was be-

ginning to change the American landscape. “The

West Shore RR has settled with the Zieglers for the

right of way through their farm for $1,000 and that

John Deahl [renter] will sell his stock and farming

implements 3/9/1882 at public auction, at his resi-

dence on the Zeigler farm,” as reported in the

2/15/1882 Coeymans Herald. On April 6, the Zieglers

sold ten acres of the farm to Edward Winslow, and on

April 7, Lawrence transferred the farm to his brother

John for $2. John sold the remaining 130 acres, June

16, to the West Shore Railroad for $265. In the

12/19/1883 issue, the newspaper reports “a steam

shovel is at work on the Ziegler farm getting filling

for the W.S.R.R. yard at this place. The rapidly in-

creasing business of the road makes it necessary for

more side tracks at this point, so that trains may be

handled and dispatched with the greatest celerity.”

Lawrence’s wife, Elizabeth Magee, died in 1881,

and five years later he married the widow, Elizabeth

Gardenier Van Dyck. Their marriage only lasted sev-

en years as Lawrence died in 1892. John’s wife Regi-

na died in 1886 and John, in 1901. Both Lawrence

and Elizabeth Magee, and John and Regina Graf are

buried in Grove Cemetery. A pink granite obelisk

marks John’s plot.

John’s oldest son, John Jr., listed as a cigar mak-er in the 1870 census, later moved to Brooklyn, and

there does not seem to be any further contact with

him. Charles went into proprietorship with H. Long to

run a meat market. One day “a steer belonging to

Ziegler & Long broke loose while being led to the

slaughter house yesterday and created considerable

excitement before recaptured; everybody seemed will-

ing to give it plenty of room” [Coeymans Herald

12/21/1881]. Then a few years later the paper reports

the “firm of Ziegler & Long was dissolved by mutual

consent with Charles Ziegler retiring” [8/8/1883].

Charles’s next business endeavor in 1883 was

selling harness equipment, cutters, and sleighs, and in

that year, he married Rena Keller. “Charles purchased

the meat business formerly conducted by Harry Long

(Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 4)

at the old stand in the Whitbeck building on Westerlo

Street,” is announced in the 3/26/1885 Coeymans

Herald edition. According to the 1892 N.Y. State Census, Edward Ziegler is listed brick worker;

Charles and Andrew, broom makers; and Lawrence’s

son Frank, boat engineer. The only change in occupa-

tion of second generation Zieglers is found in the

1900 U.S. Census: Andrew, a farmer, bought 117

acres from his wife’s family, the Trenchards.

It may have been Edward’s experience as a brick

worker and Charles’s connection to Peter Seabridge,

a former brickyard owner from 1850-1864, that gave

the Zieglers impetus to form their own brick company,

Ziegler & Ziegler, in Coeymans. Between 1880 and

1920, New York City experienced the greatest growth

of any city in the world. With that growth, there was a

tremendous need for brick. Lawrence’s son, Frank,

and John’s sons, Charles, Edward (Edwin), and An-

drew took advantage of the readily accessible Hudson

Valley clay and an industry where the start-up costs

were low. And the Hudson River provided easy

transport to NYC.

Edward and Andrew managed the brickyard,

while Charles, a boat captain, and Frank, an engineer,

were in charge of hauling the brick to the New York

City market. The symbol on their brick was either

Ziegler or ZZZ. Located where the Lafarge marine

terminal is today in Coeymans, the Ziegler brickyard

employed about forty people and used three mixing

machines.

News about the progress of the Ziegler Brick

Company appears in the Coeymans Herald:

The Messrs. Zieglers are pushing the work

of equipping their brick yard as rapidly as possible and expect to have their plant in

readiness to start up as soon as the brick

making season shall arrive. [3/8/1905]

Ziegler and Ziegler began manufacturing

brick on Thursday, burning out their first

pit full that day. Their brick have the

appearance of being A No. 1, and their

machinery and yard 1st class. [5/3/1905]

Mrs. Charles Ziegler and son Keller left

on Mr. Ziegler’s brick barge last night for

New York where they will remain a couple

of weeks. [8/30/1905]

The Zieglers have chartered an extra boat to freight their brick to market. [9/13/1905]

Ziegler & Ziegler expect to ship the last of

their season’s output of brick the latter

part of this week. The season has been an

exceedingly good one and although they were somewhat late in starting yet their

entire product, something over three million

brick, has been sold at very profitable

prices. Since manufacturing ceased they

have built an additional yard and will install

another machine in the spring. [11/29/1905]

The brick manufacturing firm of Ziegler & Zieg-

ler has just purchased a new brick barge

capable of carrying a cargo of 300,000 brick.

They will use the vessel in their business next

spring. [1/24/1906]

(Continued from page 3)

P a g e 4

The Ziegler Family at their brickyard

*Identifications ~ p.6

P a g e 5

Dr. A.T. Powell and Andrew Zeigler returned

from their trip South and brought with them a

large number of colored men to work in their

brickyards. [5/12/1911]

BRICK INDUSTRY WILL SOON BE IN FULL

SWING – The other yards on the Coeymans beach

are also making preparations for the starting up

in a few days of moulding brick. Corwin &

McCullough, Powell & Minnock and Ziegler &

Ziegler have given employment to large forces of

men the past few days in the preliminary work.

The outlook is good for all the yards operating to

full capacity the entire season. [5/3/1912]

Because brick making was seasonal, each of the

Zieglers had other businesses. As mentioned previ-

ously, Charles ran a meat market and became a boat

owner and captain, while Frank became a marine

engineer. In March 1911, Andrew decided to start a

broom factory:

Andrew Ziegler is fitting up a broom factory in

the building at the corner of Gazette and Wester-

lo streets and expects to commence operations in

a few days. Years ago broom manufacturing was

conducted on a large and prosperous scale here,

and there seems no great reason why the indus-

try could not be revived and profitably contin-

ued. There is considerable island land here suit-

able to cultivation of the corn and no other crop

more valuable could be grown. [3/10/1911]

Zeigler’s new broom factory on Westerlo Street

is now in operation. [3/17/15]

There does not seem to be a record of what happened

to the Ziegler brickyard. Sometime between 1915

and 1920 the Ziegler Family ceased making brick. A

1916 issue of The News-Herald notes that “Martin

Ziegler [John’s youngest son] is filling his usual po-

sition of time keeper at the Inter borough Ice Co.”

The 1920 U.S. Census lists Charles as a proprietor of

retail groceries; Edward, a machine shop operator

(Ravena Iron Co.); Frank, a steam engineer for the

railroad round house; and Andrew, proprietor of a

coal yard in New Baltimore. Andrew ran this ad in

The News-Herald:

ANDREW ZIEGLER Coal, Lime, Cement,

Feed TRUCKING. Avoid Uncertain deliveries

and empty bins during cold weather. Order

now to insure delivery at designated time.

Trucking any where, anytime. Telephones

36F6 and 50F4 New Baltimore, NY. [7/1922]

The ambitious Ziegler men from Germany, first

generation Americans, sought opportunities to buy

property and establish a broom factory. When the

broom industry shifted out West, the second genera-

tion saw the potential in the area’s natural resources

to start a brick business. These two generations took

advantage of opportunities in the Hudson Valley to

raise their families.

_________

Notes Ziegler is a common German surname meaning

brick maker. In my research of this family, I found the name spelled Ziegler, Zeigler, Zigler, and Zeagler.

All second generation Zieglers had black onyx rings,

each with a white letter Z. The Zieglers were Catholic, but the hardship of going the distance to Albany by horse and wagon

made them decide to join The Dutch Reformed Church in Coeymans.

Of the four Zieglers running the brickyard, only Charles did not marry a woman by the first name of

Elizabeth.

Charles Ziegler’s wife, Rena Keller, was the older

sister of my grandfather Keller.

Peter Seabridge, who ran a brickyard from 1850- 1864, was Rena Keller’s grandfather.

Lawrence Ziegler’s home was on First Lane (now Second St). The McNaughton house on Fourth

St. in Coeymans was John Ziegler’s home. The house across from them was the broom factory, which was

later made into a duplex. Edward (Edwin), Elizabeth, daughter Laura and husband Howard Youmans lived on one side, and the Bakers, on the other half. Charles

lived in the duplex at 4 Colvin Ave., and his meat mar- ket was located on Westerlo St. next to the Frangellas’ business.

Edwin Zeigler of Schodack is a descendent of younger brother Lewis (Louis). Edwin has two sons, Leroy

and Eric.

The last-known male Ziegler of John’s lineage was

Roy James (Jim) Ziegler, who died at 99 on January 19, 2013, in East Stroudsburg, PA. A chemical engi-

neer, he worked for the fragrance industry. Informa- tion in these notes Jim related to Jean Bush and me because of his interest in Ziegler genealogy. For

twelve years, Jean and I compiled research for him. I thank Jean Bush for all her research help.

(Continued on page 6)

P a g e 6

Sources

Albany and Rensselaer County Deeds Albany Hall of Records: Naturalization and Declarations of Intention

Brick Collecting.com “A Brief History of Coeymans, NY from the perspective of the Great Hudson River Brick Industry.” Bush, Jean. Researcher of references to Ziegler family in Coeymans Herald and The News-Herald.

Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church Coeymans Herald and The News-Herald

Huey, Paul R. “Historical and Archeological Resources of Castleton Island State Park, Towns of Stuyvesant, Columbia County, New Baltimore, Greene County and Schodack, Rensselaer County, New York: A Preliminary Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment.” May 1997.

Hutton, George V. The Great Hudson River Brick Industry: Commemorating Three and a Half Centuries of Brickmaking.” Fleischmanns, NY: Purple Mountain Press, 2003..

Lynch, James M. “Second Annual Industrial Directory – Register of Factories 1913.” Document of

The Assembly of State of NY, Volume 39. New York State and US Federal Censuses

Powell, Ten Eyck. Conversation May 2015. Watson & Co., 1891 Map 30 Section Portion of Albany & Greene County

Ziegler, Roy James. Conversations and letters 2001-2012.

__________________

(Continued from page 5

Writer Lynn Van derzee Christie and Jim Ziegler April 2007

*Identifications of the Ziegler Family (page 4)

1st Row: Libbie Ziegler (Mrs. Frank), Annie Hazelton (Mrs. John C.), Rena Ziegler (Mrs. Charles), Lida Ziegler (Mrs. Andrew),

Mrs. Keller (Rena’s mother)

2nd Row: Ed Ziegler, Libbie Ziegler (Mrs. Edwin), Frank Ziegler, Howard Youmans, Laura Youmans (Edwin and Libbie’s daughter),

Keller Ziegler (Charles’s son), Bertha Ziegler

Top Row: Andrew Ziegler, Andrew Ziegler, Sr., Bronck Hazelton, Maude Robbins, Niles Keller (Rena Ziegler Keller’s brother),

Bessie Hazelton, Charles Ziegler, Mable Ziegler (Frank and Libbie’s daughter)

P a g e 7

2015 MEMBER SPONSORS BENEFACTORS ($250+) Joe & Gail Boehlke Bob & Ann Hallock Sylvia & Paul Lawler Harry & Marie Sturges Dennis & Alice Whalen

PATRONS ($100+) William Bailey & Penny Gould Ralph Biance Clesson & Jean Bush Linda & Edgar Roosa INDIVIDUAL LIFETIME [New] ($100) Mary K. Pape Stephen Coye SUPPORTING/FAMILY ($50 annually) John & Anna Marie Bonafide Lynn Van derzee Christie Eileen & Raymond Collins Charles F. Coons Patricia and James Feuerbach Keith & Lynda Geraldsen Mary McCabe Robert & Ruth McCabe Robert & Laraine Misuraca Tony & Cathy Ricciardi Elizabeth Spoor Gordon & Linda Stanton SUPPORTING/INDIVIDUAL ($25 annually) Karol Beck Marcia Blakesley Nita J. Chmielewski Elaine Christopher Ron Decker Mary Farinelli Greene County Historical Society Henry Hamilton Barbara Heinzen Rev. James J. Kane Peggy Matheny Terry and Cathy McEneny William & Judith McMillen William R. Meyer Louise Pape Danielle Parks Carol Pitsas Jay W. & Connelly-Anne Ragley Bonnie Ruso

2015 BUSINESS SPONSORS BENEFACTORS ($1000+) Village of Ravena

PATRONS ($250+) Babcock Funeral Home Callanan Industries, Inc. Lafarge Building Materials Inc. Port of Coeymans State Telephone Company Town of Coeymans

SUSTAINING ($100+ annually) C.A. Albright & Sons LLC Bullock Utilities Coeymans Landing Marina Collins & Son Inc. Crossroads Ford National Bank of Coxsackie Ravena Shop’n Save

Stanton Farms LLC TCI of NY, LLC Robert P .Van Etten Excavating, Inc. BUSINESS SUPPORTER ($50 annually) Baynes Law Firm John T. Biscone, Esq. Boomer’s Garage Central Hudson Fori’s Variety Store Little Feet Daycare Center, Inc. Mueller’s Automotive LLC Persico Oil Company Ravena Auto Supply (Napa Auto Parts) Note: All members/sponsors are listed on the website.

MEMBERSHIP GENERAL MEMBERSHIP BUSINESS SPONSORS Member $10 annually Supporter $50 annually Family $15 annually Sustaining $100+ annually Supporting/Individual $25 annually Patron $250+ Supporting/Family $50 annually Benefactor $1000+ Patron $100+ Benefactor $250+ Individual Life $100 (55 or older)

The Society welcomes new members, businesses and contributions. Checks are payable to The Ravena Coeymans Historical Society c/o Treasurer

P.O. Box 324, Ravena, NY 12143

In Memoriam

Harry K. Christie

Marvin S. Ruso

The Hitching Post

Ravena Coeymans Historical Society P. O. Box 324 Ravena, New York 12045

coeymanshistory.org

PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE

Published semi-annually by The Ravena Coeymans Historical Society

2015 Fall Programs

September 13, 2015 ~ 2:00 PM

The Art of Surveying: Then and Now

Cynthia Elliot, a local surveyor, will provide a historical overview of the art of surveying

and the equipment used, with some famous and not-so-famous highlights.

October 11, 2015 ~ 2:00 PM

The Ice Harvesting Industry

Tom Ragosta of the Watervliet Historical Society will present a history of the ice harvesting

industry along the Hudson River, including it in Watervliet and Coeymans

November 8, 2015 ~ 2:00 PM

Wee Willie Winter’s Eve

Shelby Mattice, curator of the Bronck Museum, will explore the challenges of winter life

on a Hudson Valley Dutch farmstead in the 1600s.

December 13, 2015 ~ 1:00 to 4:00 PM

Annual Holiday Open House ~ Highlights of the Blaisdell Collection

Ravena Coeymans Historical Museum