George Ruhland

George Ruhland was born 11 April 1841 in Hocha, Cham,Bavaria to Johann Georg Ruhland and Anna Eva Dietl.  He had siblings: Andrew b. 1835, Anna Magdalena b. 1838 m. Vitus Vogel, Ludwig b. 1842 m. Katherine Loffler, Joseph b. 1845 m. Teresa Loffler, Franz Xavier b. 1847, d. 1847, Eva Barbara b. 1848, Franz Xavier b. 1852,d.1852,  and Theresia b. 1853 m. Charles Gruber.

Though we have not found Georg’s emigration record, Otto Horz does mention him in his Dissertation about emigrants from the area on page74 1363 Hocha. It doesn’t say much, though!

George married Ana Ruhland on 8 Feb 1869 in St. Ann’s RC Church, Buffalo NY. The 1869 Buffalo City Directory shows George living at 429 Monroe St. John Ruhland also lives there. There is some sort of dispensation mentioned in the record….can anyone translate what exactly it was? Of course, we are all wondering about the names….

In 1870 George and Ana lived in Buffalo’s 6th Ward with their first child, a son, Joseph who had been born in 1869. He is 28 years old, a laborer and has $100.00 worth of personal possessions.

In 1879,George is a laborer living at 439 Adams St., Buffalo.

We are not sure why, but he lived in Peoria IL for a short while. The 1880 US census  shows the family at 1708 Washington Street. George, 38, is working in a sugar refinery. Ana is 28, and the children now include Joseph 10, George 9, John 7, Andrew 5, Annie 3, Teresa 2. Baby Dora was born while they lived in Illinois. Andrew Ruhland, a boarder born in New York, 20, is also working at the sugar refinery.

By 1881, the Ruhlands return to Buffalo the next year and live at 331 Sherman St. George is a laborer. They remain there, showing up in the city directories of 1885, 1886, 1887, 1890.

By the time of the NY 1892 census, George, 50 years old, a laborer, and Ana, 41, were living in Buffalo’s 14th Ward E.D. 01.  George JR was 21 also a laborer, John 20, a shoemaker, Andrew 18, a shoemaker, Anna 16, a shoemaker, Teresa  15, Victoria 13,  Eva 11, Frank 9, Francis 8, Henry 4, and Augusta (Girlie)1.

The 1902,1903,1904 City Directories list George as a laborer living at 120 Guilford St. Today, we can find out that the home at 120 Guilford Street was 5 bedroom, 1 bath. 1732 sq. ft., built in 1910 (which is obviously wrong — or, it’s correct but there was another house on the spot earlier) the current house was rebuilt)……the assessed value in 2018 is $18, 500.

George died on 1 Nov 1905 from cirrhosis of the liver and general edema of about 10 months, as well as interstitial nephritis. We’re wondering if the nephritis may be genetic…please let us know if you find relatives iwth this as a cause of death.  He was 64 years old and living at 120 Guilford Street, Buffalo. His wife, Ana was 54 years old. Thanks to cousin Donna Bonning for the death cert!!!

George is buried with daughter Eva in the United French and German Cemetery (Mount Cavalry) in Cheektowaga.