Mary Elizabeth THOMSER

  General Notes:

On the certificates of baptism for her three children, Mary has the first name "Maria." However, her surname is variously spelled as Thompson, Tompser, and Tromser. A wooden box in the possession of her grandson, Thomas, spelled out the name as "Thomser." The Social Security Application of her son Louis Frank also lists her surname as Thomser.

The sponsors at the baptism of Louis Francis were Louis and Lena "Tromser." At the baptism of Charles, Charles and Philomena Pabst were the sponsors. The sponsors for Mae were listed as F.X. and Maria E. Reiss.

The 1900 Federal census lists the Frank Reiss family at 168 Leonard Street (one of eight families at that site). According to the record, Frank and Mary had been married for 9 years in June 1900. The 1900 Census states that Mary's father was born in France and her mother in New York. The 1920 census record for Mary's daughter, Mae, states that Mae's mother was born in France and spoke French.

The Death Certificate for Mary Elizabeth Reiss indicates that she died on Jan. 29, 1903 at the age of 31. She is identified as being born in the US, with her parents both born in Germany. The certificate states that she died at 103 Ten Eyck Street, which is identified as a tenement. This building is near both the the Hope Street address listed as the Reiss residence in 1894 and the Leonard St. residence in1900. Causes of her death are listed as asthenia (weakness/debility) and Phthisis Pulmonalis (tuberculosis/consumption) . (Her mother, Appolonia Koferl Thomser, died at age 28 from the latter affliction.) Mary was buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery on February 1, 1903. The doctor is listed as John Ho?is, 79 Penn Street, Bklyn. He treated her from December 15, 1902 to January 28, 1903. (Above medical information (spellings and definitions) are from Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 1933.)

A visit was made to Most Holy Trinity Cemetery on June 4, 2000. It was discovered that there is no marker on Mary's grave (Block 11, Row 1, #27). The location was identified through a receipt for payment of plot rent signed by L.F. Reiss in 1930. A geranium was placed on the gravesite.

According to Rosemary Reiss, granddaughter, Mary dropped dead while baking a cake.

Mary married Francis Joseph Xavier REISS, son of Emmerich Josef REISS and Mary Elizabeth RAUCH, about 1890. (Francis Joseph Xavier REISS was born on 31 Jan 1866 in New York, USA and died on 6 Mar 1931 in Forest Hills, Queens, NY, USA.)