Wrong man? Illegitimate G Gdad? Both/Neither?

[Spangle]

I've just been looking on IrishAncestors and now realise that I've carried out loads of research on the wrong people. You'd have thought this was impossible with the name Kohler in Dublin, wouldn't you?

It's not if they're all called Charles!

It all began with Charles Kohler, son of Charles Kohler, who was a Dublin tailor. The former died aged 42, in 1860, having married 7 years earlier. Somewhere, and I can't recall where, I'd got it into my head that this younger Charles had a son, also called Charles. There is indeed a Charles who fits this logic, born in 1858 according to his Press death report, who lived in Dublin although he was born in Neustadt, Germany. This man was also known as Carl and was married to a Maria Flood (IGI).

IrishAncestor's church records show a Carl (aka Carolus) Kohler and a Maria Flood as sponsors to two baptisms, one in 1862. Alarm bells started ringing. Charles and Maria were both born in 1858, just 4 years earlier, according to my (forgotten where from!) research. The church records also detailed the couple's marriage in Dublin in 1868. But they would have only been ten years old! I STILL don't "get" any of that.

But it gets worse...

I looked again. Oh beggar me! THIS Charles/Carl/Carolus Kohler was the son of JOANNIS Kohler, not Charles! And I've never heard of a Joannis Kohler in amongst my lot!

How many flipping Charles Kohlers (or variants of) can you get in Dublin in the 1800s for goodness sakes?! That's just not fair!

Now, I can cope with having spent months in researching a Carl who isn't mine. I can deal with having read of his sad death in a railway accident in 1900 and going so far as to find a report on it. I can accept that all his offspring, proudly displayed on my tree, aren't mine unless I have yet to claim the mysterious Joannis Kohler.

But what's really hacked me off is that I am back to square one with my ethnic heritage. I'd concluded that we were of German descent, the clues being:

1. Kohler spelled with an umlaut in the 1830s which indicates to a professional genealogist that they were German speakers and probably quite new to Dublin.

2. My G Grandfather's brother stating his ethic background as being German on his paperwork when he emigrated to Canada.

3. This flaming Charles/Carl Kohler fella being born in Neustadt Germany, and dying in that railway accident in Constance, Switzerland, whilst, according to his Irish death report, visiting a relative in Baden.

Now I'm not so sure!

And yet... this man was a KOHLER! In Dublin! As rare as hen's teeth, surely! What's more he worked in Dame Street, the city centre... the very city centre where the two Charles Kohlers I KNOW to be mine also worked.

So my brickwall questions are these... can anyone find me a Joannis Kohler in Dublin and make or disprove a connection to my own and DID Charles Kohler (1818-1860), the woollen merchant and tailor of College Green, and his wife, Anne Odell, have any children, whether or not a boy named Charles/Carl?

I'll add one last puzzle. The mother of the ("my") Charles Kohler who was born in 1818 was only born in 1806 herself! This is documented in Press reports of her death, where it is stated that she married very young. Yet her other son (my G G Grandfather, Thomas), was born some 20 years after Charles, in 1838 (Dublin), with some daughters inbetween, (notably 1821 and 1831 according to an Irish genealogist). Thomas and his brother Charles are seen in Irish records working together in the family tailor's business in Dublin when their tailor father died, and yet following the father's death Charles the son went his own way and advertised in the Press as the ONLY son of the late Charles Kohler!

Now work that one out!

I'm totally, totally confused, despondant and peed off. My only thoughts are that Charles/Carl, son of Joannis, must be linked to my lot SOMEHOW and that it's possible that my G G Grandfather Thomas, born 20 years after his brother Charles, the latter of whom (spitefully? with knowledge that Thomas was NOT his real brother?) announced himself in the Press as the ONLY son of their late father, might indeed not have been a real brother to Charles and real son of Charles senior... perhaps he was the illegitimate son of one of Charles senior's daughters?

Over to you, experts!

[Waitabit]

Oh Spangle,....
[Somewhere, and I can't recall where, I'd got it into my head that this younger Charles had a son, also called Charles. /]

notes, notes, & more notes.

My sympathy with you. At least my Charles Kohler (son married into my line) had the grace to be born in 1888 Brooklyn, New York where searching is quite a lot easier.

Why not take yourself out for a treat & come back & face this all head on from the first 'definite' knowledge you have. Bound to be some hardy soul who will accompany you on the trip. Needs sorting out don't you think?

[ralphWRJ]

hi
The Charles Kohler that was killed in the train crash was my great grandfather his son Raphael (my mothers father) married Bridget Moore .They had four children Margaret,Angela,Albert and Dolores (my mother) Raphael died 23 Aug 1962 the day i was born so i am named after him

[Ladkyis]

Welcome to British-Genealogy ralphWRJ.

Spangle hasn't been active on the forum since 2012 but if they still have the same email address then the notification from this thread should alert them to your post. I do hope you can connect some of the dots together