Translation for first paragraph on page 131 found on Webpage 10

Bernhard H.T. Voelker

Mr. Bernhard Heinrich Theodor Voelker, owner of the Tonawanda Brewery, is counted among the German-American captains of industry. These were men who came from Germany and turned their ability, energy, and quick grasp of the American vision in a relatively short time into a comfortable and respectable existence as citizens of this land. Mr. Voelker was born on August 23, 1862 in Neubukow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He was the son of merchant Carl Voelker. He learned the worthy baking trade. In 1890 he emigrated to the United States and settled in Rochester, N.Y., where he soon after had his own successful bakery. In 1894 he turned the bakery into a hotel. His luck held steady and his hotel was considered one of the most popular in Rochester. In 1900 he took over a large furniture business, which he consolidated with a gold and silverware business. The business was sold in 1893 [probably a typo , should most likely be 1903] and then he moved to Tonawanda, N.Y. He bought the Tonawanda Brewing Co., on the Niagara River, in partnership with A. Beurger.

On August 4, 1894 Mr. Voelker married Miss Margarethe Schmeer of Bismischheim near Saarbruck in the Rhine Province. Two children have come from the happy union - Olga, born on March 16,1895 and Herbert, born on October 24, 1897.

Regularly taking part in German activities, Mr. Voelker is a member of several German organizations including the Orpheus, the Sängerbund, the Teutonia Glee Club, and the Schlaraffia. Furthermore he is a prominent member of the Order of Free Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and the Eagles. When needed he has been ready to support a good cause in word and deed. Having excellent social skills and being a German through and through, he enjoys the love and respect of a wide circle of friends.

Alfred M. Göhle

Alfred M. Göhle, principal of Public School 25 on Lewis Street near William, was born in America in a German household.

Caption under picture at upper right reads Bernhard H.T. Voelker

He holds his German ancestry in high regard. With the effort he put into the study of German he has mastered the language and the script. He looks back proudly at the accomplishments of his family as they strove to find a place for their German way of life in the new homeland. He's worked hard to follow the same path and contribute meaningfully. We can see this in a visit to his cozy home at 20 Pascal Street. German voices greet us there. Happy children bid us welcome in German and the amiable lady of the house delights the German guest with her excellent German.

Alfred M. Göhle first saw the light of the world in our beautiful city of Buffalo on August 27, 1878. He is the son of the well known German music pioneer Karl August Göhle and his wife Auguste, nee Dette. He received an excellent German education in his parent's house. His first formal schooling came from the parish school of Trinity Lutheran Church. He then attended the public school and in order to prepare himself to become a teacher he studied at the State Normal School and the city teacher's seminary. After completing his exams with distinction he became a teacher at Public School 27 and later an assistant principal at School 7. He then became principal of School 25. Mr. Göhle has dedicated himself to becoming the consummate educator who maintains strict discipline in his school.

Besides his fine calling as a child educator, this endlessly working man is adept in the field of music. He has developed and augmented his significant talent through hard work and love. He is an excellent organist and violinist and his strong musical gift includes composition, attesting to the strength of his self-taught piano skills. Currently he is working as organist at the German Reform Zionist Church. He was employed in the same capacity at other Protestant churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Concordia Church and the Church of the Atonement.

Mr. Göhle has many interests. He finds his greatest pleasure in family life. His many club and organizational interests include the founding of the Buffalo Schoolmaster's Association and the Council of Grammar School Principals. His membership in the German Literary Society attests to his affinity for the study of German language and literature.

Caption under picture in upper left reads Alfred M. Göhle.

Furthermore he is an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church and he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and the Buffalo Society of Natural Science. Mr. Göhle enjoys a happy family life with his wife, Helene. She was the daughter of Pastor Otto Posselt of Blossom, New York. She entered the bonds of matrimony on July 12, 1905 in Peekskill, New York, where her father was pastor at the time. Two children have come from this union - Helene, born on December 13, 1907, and Linda, born on February 28, 1910.

Dr. Henry G. Bentz

Dr. Henry George Bentz, one of the best known German physicians in the city, first saw the light of the world on September 2, 1865 in Buffalo. His father, Henry Bentz, was born in Oberkurzenhausen near Strassburg and came to America in 1838. His mother, born Franziska Henriette Caroline Goertz, came from Hackenwalde near Stettin. Dr. Bentz is a true Buffalonian. He attended the public schools and then the high school. He went to the University of Buffalo to study medicine. After becoming an M.D. on February 28, 1888 he received a PH.G. on March 26, 1889. He established himself in his father city as a physician and surgeon and over the years built up a large practice.

Dr. Bentz, greatly respected among the circle of men in his profession, is a member of the Buffalo Academy of Medicine, the Erie County Medical Association, the New York State Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the American Pharmaceutical Association, and the Erie County Pharmaceutical Association. He is a member and examining physician for the following lodges and organizations: the Royal Arcanum, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Improved Order of Heptasophs, the National Union, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Order of the Iroquois, the New York Physicians Mutual Aide Association. He is also an examining physician for the Phoenix Life Insurance Company, the Valhalla Section of the Bavarian National Association, and the Lake Erie Lodge of the Order of the Harugari. Further he is a member of the Queen City Lodge No. 358 of the Order of Free Masons, the Buffalo Consistory, the Ismailia Temple and Zuleika Grotto, the Omega Lodge and Erie Encampment of the Order of Odd Fellows, the Genesee Tribe J.D.R.M., the Buffalo Lodge 23, B.B.O.E., and other associations. Since April 1, 1891 he has been the physician for the poor of the 5th district.

On July 29, Dr. Bentz married Miss Louis Amalia Reiser of Buffalo. The happy union has produced 6 children, of which three have died. Those children still living are Florence Louise, 17, Mildred Lorrain, 11, and Russell Richard, 7.

Caption under picture at lower right reads Dr. Henry G. Bentz

The children, who died, were: Henry George, born April 12, 1891; Henry Walter Louis, born August 20, 1892; Raymond Edward, born July 3, 1879. Dr. Henry George Bentz, who is treasured by many as a physician, a human being, and a citizen, lives with his family at a stately home at 894 Michigan Avenue.

Dr. Carl August Bentz

Dr. Carl August Bentz is a well educated young man who has built up a good reputation through his scientific research. He is an assistant professor at the University of Buffalo. A series of excellent scholarly articles have come from his quill. To broaden his study in the field of pathology and bacteriology, he took a trip to Europe from August to December in 1911. There he visited the large hospitals and medical institutes in Berlin and Strassburg in Alsatia as well as the Friedrichshain Hospital, the Charité, Professor Landau's clinic, the Preventive Medicine and Serum Institute (Professor Pirokowski), and the Royal Clinic (Professor Sticker) in Berlin, and the University Clinic in Strassburg in Alsatia. Dr. Bentz brought home a wealth of experience from this investigative tour. He spoke highly of Germany and especially Berlin. Dr. Bentz himself comes from a good German family. Settled in the German section of Buffalo, he has taken a lively interest in all German activities.

Dr. Carl Bentz was born on February 20, 1879. He was the son of Heinrich Bentz and his wife Franziska, nee Görtz. He attended Public School 37 and Central High School. Then he studied medicine at the University of Buffalo, receiving his M.D. degree in 1902. In the same year he established himself as a practicing physician and began at the same time on his career as an assistant professor. From 1902 to 1904 he held classes at the University on histology and from 1904 to 1909 on bacteriology. Since that time he has proven himself in the fields of pathology and embryology. He has published scholarly works in the following subjects: Traumatic Tetanus, Rinophyma, Trichinosis, Avian Tuberculosis, and Gangrenous Dermatitus. Dr. Bentz is an assistant pathologist of the General Hospital, the Erie County Hospital, and Sisters Hospital. He is a member of the Medical Academy of Buffalo, the American Association of Bacteriologists and Pathologists, the Roswell Park Medical Club, the Alpha Omega Delta Fraternity, and the medical associations of Erie County, New York State , and the United States. Buffalo's German community can feel pride that such an accomplished scholar has come from its midst.

Dr. Bentz enjoys immense popularity among German circles. He is a member of the Orpheus and other clubs. His residence is at 84 Orange Street. In 1907 Dr. Bentz married Miss Olive Smith of Buffalo.

Baron Heinrich von Nettelbladt

Baron Heinrich von Nettelbladt was born on July 29, 1864 in Schwerin, Mecklenburg. He comes from one of the oldest noble families on his father's side. His father was the well known Colonel Ferdinand Baron von Nettelbladt. His mother, Baroness Louise von Nettelbladt, was a daughter of Mayor Passow of Rostock.

The son, Heinrich von Nettelbladt, attended the academic high school in Rostock. After passing his final exams he followed the prescribed course of military service as expected of an old officer's family. At the age of 19 he was an officer. He remained as such from 1883 to 1895. Like so many sons of the feudal fatherland, the hand of fate brought the Baron to America. He settled immediately in Buffalo. He traded in the rigorous life of a soldier for the peaceful occupation of a citizen. He proved that he was not only good with a blade but also capable of the intellect necessary to carry on individual enterprises in the New World. It didn't take long before he stood as an educated man aware of his own worth at the pinnacle of a useful life. For 10 years he has been a professor of the German language at Central High School. Previously he taught at the Heathcote School. Mr. von Nettelbladt is a member of the University Club and the Order of the Harugaria. German by sensibility and memory, American by trade - this is his motto.

Caption under picture at upper right reads Baron Heinrich von Nettelbladt

Translation for beginning of biography of Otto Wick can be found on Webpage 12

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Susan Kriegbaum-Hanks
Revised July 30, 2005