The Family of Johann Ludwig Karl Heise

Mr. Ludwig Carl Heise, 2121 East Pratt street, yesterday celebrated the ninety-fifth anniversary of his birth by holding a family reunion at Heise's Grove, a beautiful grove on Sollers' Point, at the mouth of Bear creek, overlooking the Patapaco river.

The old gentlemen is sprightly and active for his years and enjoyed with zest the entertainment provided by his offspring for the commemoration of his natal day.

One hundred and nine direct descendants, consisting of five children, forty-five grandchildren and sixty four great grandchildren were on hand.

His children are August Heise, Adolph Heise, Mrs. Mary Haesloop, Mrs. Lottie Klitch and Mrs. Masie Sterble. All of his nine children lived to raise families. The deceased children are William Heise, who left eight children; Albert Heise, who is survived by three children; Mrs. Alice Hinners and Louis Heise. Mrs. Hinners left three children and Louis Heise is survived by one child.  [Transcriber's note:  Alice Hinners is Ludwig's grand-daughter, by his son Albert.  Ludwig's son Charles was left off the list.]

The grandchildren are

Mrs. Adeline Smith, Detrich Haesloop, Henry Haesloop, Mrs. Tillie Richter, William Haesloop, Mrs. Annie Stein, Minnie U(illegible), Mrs. Bertha Krause, Charles Mehlenrich, William (illegible), Mrs. Katie Parrott, William Heise, Charles Heise, John Heise, Louis Heise, Frederick Heise, Gus Heise, Miss Alvina Heise, Mrs. Mary Schafer, Mrs. Louisa Bowie, of Washington; Richard Klitch, Henry Klitch, Albert Klitch, Mrs. Clara Heilgrove, Miss Emma Klitch, John Klitch, Howard Klitch, Rudolph Klitch, Mrs. Carrie Wilson, Mrs. Lillie Montgomery, Mrs. Gussie Talent, Mrs. Katie McCormick, Rutherford Heise, Harry Heise, Miss Irene Heise, Adolph H.T. Heise, Mrs. Louisa Miller, Alice Forrest, Arthur C. Heise, Carroll Heise and Miss Gussie Heise, daughter of Adolph H.T. Heise, Louis Mehlenrich.

In addition to his progeny present, Mr. Henry Heise, a nephew, was in the gathering. He is the son of Mr. Ludwig Heise's only brother. Messrs. Andrew and Gerhard Heise and Mrs. ?pirts, of Wittenburg, Minn. are nephews and niece of the venerable gentleman. All of his descendants are residents of Baltimore and its immediate vicinity with the exception of the family of Mrs. Louisa Bowie, who resides in Washington.

Mr. Heise was born at Liebenau, Hanover, Germany, June 16, 1802. He came to this country in 1853, landing in Baltimore, where he has since resided with his family. For 30 years Mr. Heise conducted the tailoring business and then he went into the lumber business with his son William, who was operating a box factory under the firm name of Heise & Klingmeyer. Later the firm became Heise and Bruns, lumber merchants, and also Heise, Bruns & Co., sash manufacturers, both of which firms exist today.

About thirty years ago the mother of the Heise family died and Mr. Heise continued single until he was seventy-two years old, when he took a second wife, who died six years ago. For many years he has been out of active business pursuits, but his figure has become a familiar one around Patterson Park for twenty years, because of his presence almost daily with a number of old gentlemen who make the pavilion their headquarters. There they talk over old times and swap yarns of boyhood days. By reason of his greater age Mr. Heise is called the president of the company. Mr. Heise's father was a soldier in the Hanoverian army during the wars with Napoleon, but the son's recollection of that period is not distinct.

Besides a sumptuous dinner at yesterday's celebration there were a number of games provided for the children of the party and dancing for the older folks to music furnished by Wiedner's Orchestra.

Mr. Ludwig Heise, aged ninety-five years, was probably the only man in Baltimore who could boast of having seen Napoleon Bonaparte, died yesterday at his home, 2121 East Pratt Street. Born in 1802 at Leibenan, Hanover, Germany, Mr. Heise, when a boy of thirteen saw the great commander, with his military escort, pass through a German town some time before the battle of Waterloo. He often related this circumstances to his friends.

In 1851 Mr. Heise came to Baltimore and engaged in business. Thirty years ago he retired and ever since has lived in the Eastern section of the city. His descendants, all told, number about 120. He leaves five children...two sons, Mr. August J. Heise and Mr. Otto H.J. Heise [transcriber's note:  "Otto" is really Adolph] and three daughters, Mrs. Mary Haslup, Mrs. Bertha Sterbel and Mrs. Lotta Klitch.

For many years and up to the beginning of his recent illness the deceased was the center of a group of old gentleman who congregated daily under the gigantic oak in Patterson Park and discussed topics of the day. This group numbered about twenty a year ago. Since last spring seven of these have passed away, including Mr. Heise, who was the oldest of them all.  The funeral will take place Friday from his late residence. The interment will be made at Baltimore Cemetery. Rev. John Hoen will officiate.

Ludwig Heise, a well known citizen of East Baltimore, died at 8 o'clock yesterday morning at the residence of his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Mary Heise, 2121 East Baltimore street, aged 95 years. Mr. Heise was active and in good health up to about two hours before he died. His death was caused by old age.

Mr. Heise was a native of Libenau, Germany, and came to this country 44 years ago. He married Miss Bertha M. Rabbe, who died some years since. The following children survive him: August J. Heise, Adolph H.T. Heise, Mrs. Mary Haslup, Mrs. Bertha Stiebel and Mrs. Lotta Klitch. Three children -- the late William Heise, Albert Heise and Louis Heise -- died before their aged parent.  [Transcriber's note:  Son Charles Heise was left out of this obituary.]

Mr. Heise leaves a numerous posterity, 44 grandchildren and 66 great-grandchildren surviving him. August J. Heise, one of his surviving sons, is the head of the firm of Heise, Bruns and Co. The nonagenarian was the president of a coterie of aged gentlemen who for years assembled in the pavilion at Patterson Park. He was the oldest of the gathering, and was also the most active. His memory remained unimpaired to the last, and he had an unexhaustible fund of reminiscence relative to East Baltimore. On June 16 last Mr. Heise celebrated his 95th birthday at Heise's Grove, Middle River, which was, in fact a grand reunion of his many descendants.

The funeral will take place at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon from his late residence. Rev. John Hoerr, of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, will officiate, and the interment will be made at Baltimore Cemetery.

One of the oldest, if not the oldest of Baltimore's German-Americans, Mr. Johann Ludwig Heise, died suddenly yesterday morning at his residence, 2121 East Pratt Street. Mr. Heise was 95 years of age and until the time of his unexpected death was in the best of health. He had in the last days developed a minor cold. Yesterday morning at 6 o'clock he had been in and out of the house. Shortly before 8 o'clock in the morning he took sick. A physician was called and a few minutes later, about 8 o'clock, the old man was dead.

Mr. Heise was from Liebenau on the Weser in Hanover. He was born there on the 16th of June 1802 and later he learned the tailoring trade. Subsequently, as a journeyman he traveled in the German territory, he married Bertha Magdalene Raba from Bremen. He then became established in his hometown as a tailor for women. Later, as his daughter recalls, he was a lace maker. In this craft, the daughter reports, he had a special aptitude. Mr. Heise delivered the lace for the wedding dress of the young queen of Hanover, a Princess of Saxony.

In the fall of 1852, Mr. Heise emigrated to America following his oldest son Wilhelm who the previous month had left for the New World. Mr. Heise landed in Baltimore, where his son lived. After a voyage of seven weeks and three days aboard the sailing vessel "Mississippi," Mr. Heise arrived on the 13th of February 1853. Almost immediately thereafter the remaining family members also arrived. Mr. Heise endeavored initially to align himself in the women's clothing community but was not successful so he joined the firm of his son Wilhelm who had formed a business with a friend under the names of Heise & Klingmeier makers of crates located on McClellan's Alley. In this business he remained until advanced age brought him to retirement.

The old gentleman remembered many incidents from his youth. In particular he recalled Napoleon the First recruiting from Liebenau, about 30 men were sent to the battlefield in Russia, but only three, a salesman, a cooper and a blacksmith later returned. In the year 1867, on the second day of Christmas his wife died and six years later he married a second time; the second wife was a Mrs. Schulz. After four and a half years of marriage, she also died. Mr. Heise was the ancestor of 118 descendants: nine children, 45 grandchildren and 64 great grandchildren. 

Of the nine children only five survive, namely, Mrs. Marie Hasloop [Haslup], Mrs.  Meta Steibel, Mrs. Charlotte Klitsch, Mr. August Heise and Mr. Adolph Heise. The deceased children are: Misters Wilhelm, Albrecht, Louis and Karl Heise. [Transcriber's note:  Note the German usage of proper names, rather than the Anglicized version.]

The descendants of these nine children are: 

Debrich [translator's note: this is probably "Deitrich"] with four children, Heinrich Hasloop with one child, Lillie Rechter with three children, Wilhelm Hasloop, Anna Steen with one child, Marie Ohrenschall, Friedrike Leidig with two children, Adeline Schmidt with three children; these are all the descendants of Mrs. Marie Hasloop the oldest daughter of Ludwig Heise. 

Children and grandchildren of the second daughter, Meta Steibel are: Bertha Krause with three children, Karl Mohlhenrich, L. Mohlhenrich and Wilhelm Steibel. 

The children of the oldest son Wilhelm Heise are: Katharine Parrot with three children, Wilhelm Heise with four children, Charles Heise with three children, John Heise with three children, Louis Heise with three children, Friedrich Heise, Gustav Heise and Alvine Heise. 

The children of the second son, Albrecht Heise are: Marie Schaefer with four children, Alice Hinners with three children, Louis Heise with four children and Gustav Heise. 

The descendants of the third son, Louis Heise are: Mrs Louise Bowie with four children from Washington. 

The third daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Klitsch had eight children: Richard Klitsch with five children, Heinrich Klitsch, Albert Klitsch, Clara Hotgrebe with one child, Edmund Klitsch, John Klitsch with one child, Howard Klitsch and Rudolph Klitsch with two children. 

The fourth son, Karl Heise left the following: Mrs. Carrie Wilson with one child and Lillie Montgomery with three children. 

The descendants of the fifth son August Heise are: Auguste Talent, Katharine McCormick with one child, Rutherford Heise, Harry Heise and Irene Heise. 

The descendants of the youngest child of the elder Ludwig Heise, Adolph Heise are: Louis Miller with two children [it says Louis but should probably be Louisa], Alice Forest, Arthur T. Heise, Carroll Heise and Augusta Heise. 

To celebrate the 95th birthday the 118 descendants on the 16th of June of this year met at Heise's Shore on Bear Creek for a reunion where almost everyone was present. 

Other descendants live in Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, Wisconsin and other states in the union. The funeral will take place tomorrow at 2 P.M. from the deceased's residence and proceeds to Baltimore Cemetery.