In
1645 the original Dutch Charter
was signed. Following the
revolutionary war, the Stratton
family purchased 320 acres. In
1835 the Stratton family sold
property to Dr. William A.
Muhlenberg, an Episcopalian
minister. His dream was to
establish a seminary as a rival
to Harvard and Yale. He
established St. Paul’s Seminary
which was successful until the
financial woes of 1837. The
school closed but the name
stayed with the location – the
school had been located on what
is now MacNeil Park along Fifth
Avenue bordering the East
River.
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NYC skyline from the Herman A. MacNeil Park
looking across the East river. MacNeil Park, named for Herman A. MacNeil
(1866-1947), a College Point resident and national known sculptor, was formerly
known as Chisholm Park or the College Point Shore Front Park.
©
Susan Williams 2004 |
The Attraction to College Point
In 1853 Conrad Poppenhusen built his rubber factory – the population of the town grew to 2,000 by 1860. Along with the factory, Poppenhusen built homes for his workers and a cobblestone road between Whitestone and College Point. He drained the marshes, brought in clean water, tree-lined paved streets and gas lines. In 1898 College Point became part of Greater New York City. Mr. Poppenhusen established the Poppenhusen Institute, an educational and civic organization for the benefit of the population (more about this later). The Institute still exists today.
College Point was a well-established German-speaking village. I’m sure this fact and the availability of factory jobs helped attract Banaters to the town. According to Dave Dreyer’s Manifest List, the Pisa, arrived in New York on the 30th of March 1906 and brought the following Glogowatz citizens:
Paul Begner/Vegner, Johann Czallner and his wife Anna and son, Anton; Mathias Daneker, Josef Eder/Adler), Josef Erustein, Josef Gamber, Josef Gerhard, Andrea Hollich, Johann Kaiser, Peter Keiher, Franz Kornacker (going to join cousin, Anton Kornacker); Franz Lorenz, Anton Reingruber, Peter Trehr, and Johann Zellner, Anton Kornacker must have arrived first – according to Ellis Island manifests he arrived on the 25th of January 1906 aboard the Slavonia. His departure point is listed as New York but now we know the rest of the story…he found his way to College Point and others followed. Other Glogowatz citizens arrived earlier and listed their destination as New York – these people may have come to
College Point also. What we do know is that it was the beginning of a new life for all Glogowatz emigrants to the United States of America.
Related Links
Many Banaters were employed at the American Hard Rubber Company in College Point, New York, owned by
Conrad Poppenhusen.
The Poppenhusen Institute
was built in 1868 with funds donated by Conrad Poppenhusen, the benefactor of College Point. The story of Conrad Poppenhusen who employed many Banaters at the American Hard Rubber Company he began in College Point, New York.
Poppenhusen - the Founder of College Point, L.I. - founder of the Rubber Works Factory
where many Banaters found jobs to support their families and establish a new life in the United States of America.
Sources: The Parish of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Martyr 1856-1956; A History of College Point, NY by Robert Hecht Copyright 1976 by Bicentennial Committee of College Point, Inc.; Dave Dreyer's Manifest List
Donauschwaben Area Associations
German Romanian
Society of New
York, Inc.
Eva
Mayer
P.O. Box 119
College Point, NY 11356
718-445-1632
Liederkranz of New
York City
On
January 9, 1847, a group of
25 men of German heritage founded a male
singing society, dedicated in particular to
the promotion of vocal and instrumental
music. The society's name was "Deutscher
Liederkranz der Stadt New York."
www.liederkranznycity.org
6 E 87th St
New York,
NY
10128-0505
St. Fidelis,
College Point, New York
The Early History
& The Pastors of St. Fidelis Church 1856-2004
Local Genealogical
Research Aids
College Point,
Queens County, New York
The Becker
family is believed to
be the first Donauschwaben family from Banat to
immigrate to College Point:
Jacob Becker, Obituary - Aug 5, 1901 - Publication: Brooklyn Eagle:
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Danube Swabian
Passenger Records,
Destination: College
Point, NY
Banat immigrants who settled in College Point, New York David Dreyer's Emigration extractions from Banat, list
102
records of
Street
Locators - If you
happen
to have
old maps
of
College
Point, a
census
record
or
property
description,
you may
be
confused
when you
cannot
locate a
street where
your
ancestors
once
lived.
Here is
a
sampling
of the
"Old"
to "New"
names
for the
College
Point
area.
A
Ave to 13th
Avenue
High
Street to 14th
Avenue
Chisholm
Avenue
to
6th
Avenue
1st
Avenue
to
14th
Avenue
2nd
Avenue
to
14th
Road
3rd
Avenue
to
15th
Avenue
4th
Avenue
to
18th
Avenue
Bay
to
119th
Street
Bleeker
to
129th
Sgtreet
Brackenridge
Ave.
to
5th
Avenue
Breen
Avenue
to
6th
Avenue
Broadway
to
20th
Avenue
This
list was
generated
from an
LDS film
#
1976731.
Check
the
Steve
Morse
site for
other
cities
and
states.
Many
thanks
to Steve
Morse
and the
transcribers
who made
this
possible.
More about College Point, Queens County,
New York
This interesting link gives the
history of the park
including the use of the mansion
at the park by Mayor Fiorella
LaGuardia. (building no longer
exists ... but the history lives
on)
www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=227
Germans In Queens: The
Steinways Old Traditions In A
New Key www.queenstribune.com/anniversary2002/germans.htm
The Flushing and North Side
Railroad: College Point to
Whitestone www.lirrhistory.com/F&NSRR.html
Forgotten NY Neighborhoods -
College Point www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/collegepoint/collegepoint.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Point,_New_York
