Whenever Joseph first came to England, he must have been here by the middle of 1913 as his first child, a son named Donald James, was born in May of the following year. This was before he was married although Donald's birth certificate incorrectly recorded that his parents were married at the time of the birth. Donald's mother was Nelly Alice Jones and he was born at her parents' address, 14 Godman Road, Peckham; it is not known if Joseph and Nelly were then living together, and it was Nelly who registered the birth from this address. This was also Nelly's address when she and Joseph married in July 1915, although Josef's address was then given as 15 Gosfield Street, Marylebone; Joseph was aged 37, 16 years older than his bride, and was employed as a hotel valet.

Nelly Jones had been born in Peckham in December 1893 and was the 6th child in a family of 10 born to Charles John Jones, a locksmith, and his wife, Emily Constance Weston. Nelly, named as Ellen, was probably recorded working as a bathroom maid at the Kenilworth Hotel, Great Russell Street, in 1911; presumably, she met Joseph through her work and began a relationship with him soon after. Unfortunately for Nelly, she was not destined for a long life; in March 1916, she suffered a miscarriage which led to a major haemorrhage and she died while being prepared for an operation at Camberwell Infirmary. She was only 22 years old and was described on her death certificate as being the wife of Joseph Hangge, a hotel valet of 33 Tandison Street, East Dulwich. Nelly's death left Josef with a son who was not quite 2 and it is believed that the boy may have been cared for by his maternal grandfather, Charles Jones, although this is only supposition. Charles Jones had been widowed twice but married for a third time in 1917; it is certain that Charles and his third wife had contact with Joseph's family in later years and it is believed that this was entirely to do with Donald but when, and what the substance of the discussions was, is unknown.

Whether or not Donald was lodged with his grandfather after his mother's death, it has to be presumed that he was left in the care of someone while Joseph continued his employment as a hotel valet. Nothing is known of this period and it is not until Josef's second marriage that the story really continues.

ANNA ELISABETH KUHN

Background

Anna Elisabeth Kuhn was born in Heidelberg on 3rd October 1883 and was baptised at the Roman Catholic 'Heilig Geist' church there on 9th October. Her date of birth has been confirmed from both the personal knowledge of her daughters and an alien's 'Certificate of Registration' paper dated 19th May 1934; this was in the name 'Annie Elizabeth Hanggi', and stated that she was Swiss, having been born on 3rd October 1883 in a place "unknown, believed to be Switzerland". The document also stated that she had entered the UK in January 1884, exactly where from also being unknown.

The baptismal record, as transcribed for the IGI, names Anna's mother as Kunigunde Kuhn but does not name a father; however, the record does name her maternal grandparents as Joseph Kuhn and Ludwina Hofstatter. Anna was next recorded in the 1891 census of the UK, as Annie aged 7 and born in Germany, living with her mother and stepfather in Marylebone; her mother, as Maria Kunigunde Kuhn, had married a Swiss immigrant, Godefroi Leuenberger, in April 1890 and already had another daughter, Nelly, who was then aged 5 months. When she married Godefroi (later recorded as Gottfried), Marie was described as being a spinster aged 25, and the marriage certificate also names Marie's father as Joseph Kuhn, a 'foreman sword manufacturer', again providing support for the accuracy of the 1883 baptismal record. At the time of the 1891 census, the family was living at Middleton Buildings, Marylebone, Marie being said to be aged 27 and from Germany, fully supporting the other records relating to Anna.

My grandmother, Anna Kuhn, pictured firstly in about 1893 and secondly in about 1897

It has been said by her daughter, another Marie, that Anna was privately educated though there is no evidence of this. However, a photograph which may have been taken around the time of her 21st birthday shows Anna in a pose which suggests that she had some learning. There are clearly questions about her origin and removal to England when only 3 or 4 months of age which could suggest that there is more to this story; is it possible that her father was a man of some importance and that money was provided for her education ? This may well be an issue which will never be resolved.

In 1901, Gottfried, Marie and Nelly had been joined by another child, Bertha, who'd been born in 1894, and were living in Great Titchfield Street, Marylebone, where Gottfried was working as a tailor; research shows that they'd also had a son, Albert, who was born in December 1891 but died only a few months later. Anna was no longer living at home and was working as a servant in the household of a Mary Stormont in St Giles, aged 17 and with a birthplace of Germany. Mary Stormont's daughter, Helen, had previously married yet another Swiss national, Charles Jean Vuilleumier, in 1885 although he had died at a young age; Helen and her family were later to become close friends of the Hanggi family, Helen herself being known as 'Granny Vuilleumier', even to me up to the early 1960s.

My grandmother, Anna Kuhn, probably aged 21

By 1911, Anna was living with a family in South Hampstead, though still employed as a domestic servant. She was recorded as being aged 27 and her birthplace, though a little misspelled, was obviously Heidelberg, Germany. Her family were still living in Great Titchfield Street and working at their tailoring business, Gottfried and Marie having been joined in their activities by their daughter Nellie who, so I have been told, later became an expert button-holer.

The Vuilleumiers were living in a substantial house in Grenville Street, St Pancras, where Helen was keeper of a boarding house. Whether there is any relevance in it, Helen Vuilleumier had 2 boarders who were of foreign origin and, given that her husband was Swiss, it may be that she provided the link between Anna and Joseph Hanggi; again, this is supposition and the truth is something that probably will never be known.

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