Adam Kuhn, my great-grandfather, was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1886 when he was 11 years old. See Part 1 of this series for info about his father, Nikolaus. I know that the Kuhn family was in Fostoria, Ohio, as two of Adam's step-siblings were born there in 1893 and 1895. Fostoria Glass Company moved from Fostoria, Ohio, to Moundsville, West Virginia, in December 1891. I've read that most of the employees moved with the company. Adam is the only member of his family that settled in Moundsville, and as he would have been 17 years old when Fostoria Glass moved, I suspect that he may have made the move at that time.
Adam was definitely in Moundsville no later than 1897, for he married Hattie May Clark on 18 January 1898. She had been born in Moundsville and lived there with her parents, Samuel E. and Margaret (Shimp) Clark. My grandfather, Herbert Samuel Kuhn was born to Adam and Hattie on 05 November 1898, followed by sisters Margaret Marie in 1900 and twins Agnes Pauline and Alma in 1908.
Getting back to glasswork, Adam was a Glass Presser per the 1900 U.S. census; the 1910 census recorded him as a decorator in the Glass House. Adam was only 38 years old when he died on 20 October 1912 at Limestone, West Virginia. While his death record says he died from heart trouble, my grandmother (his daughter-in-law) said he died from “painter's poison,” which was common among glassworkers. She believed that it was from exposure to lead which was common in the glass manufacturing process, especially with lead crystal, ceramic glazes.
Info that I've found on the internet about lead poisoning says that it leads to a number of serious health issues with the heart and other organs. So it is quite likely that the so-called “painter's poison” contributed to the heart trouble that was his official cause of death.
When Adam died, support of the family fell on his son, Herbert ... another glassworker. I'll continue with his story in my next blog post, Glassworkers - Part 3.
No comments:
Post a Comment