Marriage of Two Fleischhackers

Joseph Fleischhacker (1891-1946) was born in Apetlon, Burgenland, Austria, immigrated to America and resided in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Katherine née Fleischhacker  (1890-1957) was born in Pamhagen, Burgenland, Austria, immigrated to America and resided in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Together they forged a great partnership.

Church of Saint Bernard

In the late 1800s, many Burgenlanders found their home in St. Paul’s expanding north end. To serve all of those immigrants, another Roman Catholic church formed in 1890: the Church of Saint Bernard. [Locals call it St. Bernard’s and pronounce it Saint BIR-nurds.]

As the neighborhood grew, a school and a convent were added. In 1906, the beautiful, new church was built. This is the community in which Joseph and Katherine met.

Exterior of the Church of Saint Bernard, 1910,
Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society¹Gibson, Charles P. Photo of St. Bernard’s Church, Saint Paul MN. 1910. Minnesota Historical Society.

Interior of the Church of Saint Bernard, 1910,
Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society²Gibson, Charles P. Photo of Interior of St. Bernard’s Church, Saint Paul MN. 1910. Minnesota Historical Society.

Marriage

Fleischhacker Marriage Record³Ramsey County MN Marriage Book 79. Marriage of Joseph Fleischhacker and Katherine Fleischhacker July 25, 1916, entry 531.

Joseph and Katherine married at St. Bernard’s on Tuesday, July 25, 1916.

• Reverend Odilio Kohler, the assistant pastor,⁴Church of St. Bernard. The Church of St. Bernard of Saint Paul, Minnesota: a record of fifty years.. St. Paul: Wanderer Printing, 1940. page 73. Rev. Odilio Kohler, O.S.B. served from August 1915 – August 1920. married the couple.
• Joe Oparitz [sic Opitz] lived above Tschida & Fleischhacker grocery⁵R. L. Polk & Co’s St. Paul (MN) City Directory, 1916. Jos. Opitz, boards at 1088 Rice, pg 1271. and witnessed the wedding.
• Julia Kotzmacher, Katherine’s first cousin, was the second witness. The girls’ mothers were sisters: Mary Ganzer (1859-1939) and Franziska Ganser (1869-1951).

Wedding Photos

These posed portraits were taken at the Nels A. Forseen Photo Studio. According to the 1916 City Directory, the studio was located in the Grand Opera House Block (the southeast corner of St. Peter and 6th) in St. Paul.

What to research next:

Do you have other photos of Joseph and Katherine?
What did Tschida & Fleischhacker Grocery look like in 1916?
Were Joe Opitz and Joseph Fleischhacker related?

SOURCES

• 1
  Gibson, Charles P. Photo of St. Bernard’s Church, Saint Paul MN. 1910. Minnesota Historical Society.
• 2
  Gibson, Charles P. Photo of Interior of St. Bernard’s Church, Saint Paul MN. 1910. Minnesota Historical Society.
• 3
  Ramsey County MN Marriage Book 79. Marriage of Joseph Fleischhacker and Katherine Fleischhacker July 25, 1916, entry 531.
• 4
  Church of St. Bernard. The Church of St. Bernard of Saint Paul, Minnesota: a record of fifty years.. St. Paul: Wanderer Printing, 1940. page 73. Rev. Odilio Kohler, O.S.B. served from August 1915 – August 1920.
• 5
  R. L. Polk & Co’s St. Paul (MN) City Directory, 1916. Jos. Opitz, boards at 1088 Rice, pg 1271.