Martha Emilie Böttcher (1895-1917)
Martha and Opa about 1916
Our Uroma (great-grandma) Martha, gave birth to her son ("Opa")* in the winter of 1916. He was a cute baby with a strong, Böttcher chin. Sadly, Martha would not live to see him grow into a fine man.
Martha's life was full of tragedy. Her father died when she was 11, and her mother died when she was 17. Although she looks reasonably happy in this photo—she was heart-broken. The father of the baby was 'not in the picture' either because he would not 'step forward,' or because she didn't want him to. Martha couldn't cope with all her sadness, and she committed suicide. Her son was about 1-year old—she was 21. Family tradition says that she died on Oct 16th. Fifty-nine years later to the day, her now grown son, died on the same date.
The cemetery where Martha was buried no longer exists. The area was reconstructed and became part of a large road.
* Opa is not named on this web site.
Martha's life was full of tragedy. Her father died when she was 11, and her mother died when she was 17. Although she looks reasonably happy in this photo—she was heart-broken. The father of the baby was 'not in the picture' either because he would not 'step forward,' or because she didn't want him to. Martha couldn't cope with all her sadness, and she committed suicide. Her son was about 1-year old—she was 21. Family tradition says that she died on Oct 16th. Fifty-nine years later to the day, her now grown son, died on the same date.
The cemetery where Martha was buried no longer exists. The area was reconstructed and became part of a large road.
* Opa is not named on this web site.
Opa's New ParentsMartha, Otto, and 'Opa'
There was a lot of love in the Böttcher family, and Martha's brother Otto (see previous page) and his wife Elise were happy to adopt Martha's baby. He was their only child and they loved him dearly. They became his 'true' parents.
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Elise Maria Martha (Paesch) Böttcher (1885-1976)Martha and 'Opa'
Elise was a good mother. She was from Ostswine, a suburb of Swinemünde, Germany (now Świnoujście, Poland). It is on the Swine River at the northern tip of the current border between Germany and Poland.
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At one time Elise worked as a maid for a wealthy family. She wanted to be a beautician, but her mother wouldn't allow it. She (and no doubt her family) moved from Ostswine to Berlin, probably when all Germans were removed from lands that were given to Poland after World War II.