iii - Geatz Family Roots
My grandmother Mary Geatz Wallace’s parents were born in Bavaria
(Germany). Johann Goetz (in America changed to John Geatz) was born in 1834 to
Josef and Catharina (Reuterin) Goetz. His wife Anna Catharina Barnard was born in
1832 to Josef and Margaretha (Baner) Barnard. In 1860 Johann and Anna immigrated
to the United States. On the ship’s passenger list they were entered as Johann Goetz,
farmer, and Anna Goetz, indicating that they were married. They had undoubtedly
been married in a civil ceremony, because ten days after arriving in the port of
Baltimore, they were married in a religious ceremony at Saints Peter and Paul’s
church in Cumberland, Maryland. Why they settled in Cumberland is not recorded.
John and Anna Catharine had four children: Joseph, George, Catharine and
Mary Barbara. Anna Catharine died in 1875 when Mary was two years old.
In 1878, John married Catharine Eilert, who had come to the United States
from Hanover (Germany) in 1872. They had three children: John, William and
Margaret, who married Chester King.
John Sr.’s occupation in 1880 was “worker in a lumber yard," according to the
census for that year. In that same year, the Geatzes lived on Cumberland Street on
property that I remember (years later) as quite large for an urban residence. A large
part of the property was planted in vegetables, some of which were sold locally,
undoubtedly providing a necessary element of the family income. Beginning around
1880, John owned one or more saloons in downtown Cumberland (one named The
Rivoli), precursors to Geatz’s Restaurant on Paca Street existing today.
John died in 1900. Kate lived on until 1923.15
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15 Charles William Rohrer, biographical sketch, John Geatz, September 1991 (Revised November 1991).
