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I, Hinrich N. Mohrmann was born August 7, 1874, on a farm west of the village of Ihlienworth, Kreis Hadeln Provinz Hannover, Germany. I was baptized August 16, 1874 and confirmed in the church at Ihlienworth, April 14, 1889.
The next day I entered the service of my uncle, Adolf Foltmer, on his farm until April 23, 1890. On this day I boarded the Steamer Lahn of the North German Lloyd at Bremerhaven and traveled to New York, N.Y. and landed at the Barge Office on May 3, 1890.
The same day I began to work in the grocery store of Hamcke & Gerken at 516 Vanderbilt Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.
On January 25, 1891, partnership of "Hamcke & Gerken" was dissolved and Nick Hamcke bought the grocery store at 2931 Fulton St. corner Ashford St., and I entered his service as 3rd clerk. In February I advanced to 2nd clerk and a year later to 1st clerk.
About the middle of September 1892, I traveled by train from Brooklyn to Colorado, arrived at my uncle's farm on a Sunday. My uncle, Henry Foltmer, had a farm near Vernon, Yuma, Colorado. I worked there until July 25, 1893; as great drought (insufficient rain) and hot winds had killed the wheat and corn crops, the farmer could not afford to hire any help, so I took the train and traveled to Wilbur, Nebraska and worked for William Rehm, who was also a native of Ihlienworth and Herman Huneke on farms south of Wilbur, Nebraska. After two years of more drought and crop failing, the farmers did not need help, so I traveled by train to Omaha, Nebraska on August 6, 1895. I worked for a gardener, John Housechild, near Omaha. Later I crossed the Missouri River from Omaha to Council Bluffs, Iowa and worked on the farms of William and John Trede and Kurth Bruning near Treynor, Iowa, about 15 miles east of Council Bluffs.
In January 1897 I helped to organize a singing society in the Lutheran church near Treynor, Iowa. I was elected president and in August 1897 we held our first church picnic without dancing.
November 22, 1897 I traveled by train from Council Bluffs, Iowa to New York, N.Y., visited by relatives there, and on November 30, I boarded the Steamer Spree and landed December 10, 1897 in Bremerhaven.
Returning to America I boarded the Steamer Patria in Hamburg on September 21, 1898 and landed in New York, this time at Ellis Island, October 3, 1898. I entered the service of Nick Hamcke again as grocery clerk until April 1900.
July 18, 1899, I tried to enlist in the U.S. Army against the Philippinos, who under General Aquinaldo were fighting the Americans. I was rejected on account of my left eye.
November 16, 1899 I was sworn in as an American citizen and received my full pledged American citizenship paper.
April 1900 I became manager of the grocery store of my uncle William Mohrmann at 101st Avenue and 120th Street, Richmond Hill, L.I. That summer my uncle took a vacation and traveled to Germany and also to Paris, France to see the Paris exhibition.
In November 1900 I started in business. I bought a horse and an enclosed wagon and began a coffee, tea, spice and grocery route.
July 1901, I joined the Grocery and Tea Clerk Association of Brooklyn, N.Y. with the purpose to secure a law similar to that one the butchers have on the statue books of the state of New York, to have the grocery stores closed on Sundays. To avoid hardship in case of visitors we would allow Delicatessen to be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. A week after I had joined the association I was elected Vice President. In February 1902 I was sent to Albany to speak at the hearing of the bill before the Committee on Codes. The bill was reported out of Committee, but failed to pass the Assembly. On May 6th I was elected President of the organization.
In May 1902 I was also elected "Historian" of the Jewell Literary Society of the 26th Ward branch Y.M.C.A. which is now called the Highland Park branch of the Brooklyn Y.M.C.A.
In January 1903 I opened a grocery store at Fulton Street - Autumn Avenue, Brooklyn. In August 1904 the house in which the store was located went up "for sale" but as I was unable to buy the house on account of "No Funds" the house was sold to another grocer and I had to get out and moved the groceries to 208 Crescent Street, about the middle of August 1904. This location proved to be too far away from my customers and business recession began. I therefore gave up the grocery business and entered the service of the National Biscuit Company in July 1905 until August 1, 1906 when I entered the service of the U.S. Postal Office in Brooklyn, N.Y. In the fall of 1905 I took the Civil Service examination for Post Office clerk for the Brooklyn Post Office. July 19, 1906 I was appointed substitute clerk and began work in the Post Office August 1, 1906. November 1st I was appointed regular clerk. In the middle of February 1907 I was transferred to Ridgewood Station.
On December 14, 1903 I married Miss Hedwig Frieda Schuchardt at 299 Nichols Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Reverend Geist of St. Peters Lutheran Church of Hale Avenue. My wife was born December 4, 1873 in New York City, N.Y. - She died February 13, 1942, was buried February 16th in Lutheran Cemetery Lot 244.
Our marriage was blessed with six children and a number of grandchildren.
On November 22, 1914 I was stricken with Typhoid fever and on the evening of November 24th I was taken in a private ambulance to the Cumberland Street Hospital. Later I also contracted Pneumonia and Pleurisy. On the morning of Christmas Eve December 24, 1914 my wife took me home in a coach. On February 1, 1915 I began work again in the Post Office, much too soon for my condition, but at that time the Post Office allowed no sick leave to their employees.
In March 1915 my wife and I bought a 1 family house (joint ownership) at what was then 35 Morton Ave. (now 67-61 79th St.) Middle Village, N.Y. We moved in on April 17, 1915.
Upon my request I was transferred in April 1916 to Pratt Station, and remained there until May 1920, when I transferred back to Ridgewood Station.
In September 1920 I took a special examination for special clerk after which I was promoted to 1st grade special clerk October 1, 1920 at $1800 per year. On October 1, 1921 I was promoted to 2nd grade special clerk at $2000 per year. These two grades were later raised to $2200 and $2300 salary per year (1925).
During the first week of August 1927 a contracting builder, Mr. Miller, from Island Park, L.I. erected a bungalow for us on Lot 43, Block 12, school district 15, Atlantic Beach, L.I., including the outside frame, roof and wooden partitions inside. Plumbing, gas and electric lights were installed.
In the spring of 1929 I made a lawn around the flower diamond, planted hedge around the lawn and planted three trees ("Tree of Heaven" trees).
The next years to come I dug clay wherever I could find it and in a wheelbarrow wheeled it on our lot and the lot south of us to harden the ground, so that we could use it for parking purposes.
In June 1931, we had the inside of the bungalow sheetrocked and painted.
In the summer of 1937 we made a foundation of concrete blocks under the bungalow and also dug a cellar under the bungalow, which was cemented.
In the spring of 1938 we took the partition between the kitchen and breakfast nook out and made a big kitchen and dinette out of it.
In 1938 we had a terrible rainy summer and the ground water came in the cellar. After pumping Saturday and Sunday, July 2nd and 3rd with a hand pump resulting in having the cellar fairly dry in the evening, but getting the water back again by the morning, I stopped pumping and started digging sand. We filled the cellar with eight inches of sand and the next Saturday cemented it again for the second time. The last week of July it rained day and night and the ground water rose so high that we had a foot of water in the cellar again. I then bought an electric pump, which pumped the water out in one day and after that it pumps whenever there is water in the cellar and when the water is pumped out it stops itself. When the ground water sinks below the level of the cellar all water trouble is over. On June 18, 1942 I sold the bungalow at a loss of $2,000.
In the summer of 1943 I insulated my home at 67-61 79th Street with Insulbrick at a cost of $500.
In late August and beginning September 1945 I rebuilt an enclosed porch and insulated sides. I also put double bottom with insulation between the two which cost $700. In November 1945 I had an oil burner unit installed for heating the house which cost $700 also. This unit was later converted to gas.
June 15, 1931, I transferred to Finance Station 64, which is located at Abraham Strauss Dept. Store. March 1, 1933, I transferred to the Inquiry Dept. Room 334, 3rd floor General Post Office. I retired with an honorable discharge from the Post Office on September 1, 1939 with $100 per month pension.
In January 1932, the Property Owners of Middle Village facing assessment on title proceeding on Dry Harbor Road, from Metropolitan Avenue to Myrtle Avenue and widening of said street, were called together by Mr. Ed Kassel, President of the Glendale Taxpayers Association to P.S. 87, and a new organization was formed: "The Property Owners Association of Middle Village" for the purpose of fighting unjust assessments and taxation, to work for needed improvements and general welfare of the people of Middle Village.
Among other officers I was elected in this organization as Chairman of the Delegates to the Associate Organizations of Greater Ridgewood, Chairman of the Constitution Committee, Chairman of Local Improvement, Delegate to Queens County Federation of Civic Associations, Member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Subway Committee, and many other committees.
In the years of 1935 and 1936 I was elected the Treasurer of the organization.
The organization with the aid of the Glendale Taxpayers Association secured a 20% reduction of assessment of Dry Harbor Road; secured a larger and better place for the Library which is 7517 Metropolitan Avenue; secured reductions in assessments on 78th and 79th Streets, also nearly half on the so called 74th Street title proceedings covering nearly all streets from 69th to 74th Streets in Middle Village. It secured a playground at 79th Street and 68th Avenue and also Juniper Valley Park. It also secured an American Legion Monument in Middle Village at 77th Street and 66th Road, worked for a Post Office Station in Middle Village and a consolidation of all Post Offices of Queens County into one Post Office, and many other improvements.
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These accounts by Hinrich N. Mohrmann are the property of his descendants, as documented in this account. If you wish to use or copy this information you must obtain permission from the author of this page, and may contact him at: MohrWeb@worldnet.att.net. Personal references by the family are acceptable. I would appreciate an acknowledgment and link to this address to facilitate communication.
