The Holsts in Riga

It has been a long time because I've been working on other things, but I'm here!

I've recently been researching the Holst family, in memory of Harro Lange, who was a distant Holst relative and a keen researcher of the Holst family. Before he died in 2013 he hoped that others would take up the reins.

I'm interested in the Holst family because my 3x great grandfather Charles Nicholas Weiss married Benigna Catharina von Holst. Her father Matthias adopted the "von" when he moved to England, but he was born Matthias Holst, in Riga. I've recently discovered online parish records for the Lutheran churches in Riga, through Raduraksti.lv, and so have been delving into the Holsts. The records are written in German, which is something I'm reasonably used to reading, so I'm finding lots of new info.

Benigna's parents were Matthias Holst and Catharina Rogge. The story goes that Catharina's brother, Johann was a knight or a prince of Russia but there has never been any evidence found to support this. Catharina was married before Matthias, to Johann Wilhelm Becker. They appeared in Riga in the 1790s (from Russia?), and had a child, Matthias Alexander, of whom Matthias Holst was a godfather. On the baptism record for Matthias Alexander, Catharina's name was given as Catharina Beata Roggen. Was this really her surname, or a misspelling? I can't find her in any other parish records for Riga, so have no other primary sources with which to compare the spelling.

Matthias Holst's father was said to be Meno Holst. Meno Holst married Maria Saumann at St Peter's Lutheran Church on the 3rd Sunday after Trinity in 1753 - I think this was in July. I have found records for many of the their children, but still have to nail down Matthias' baptism record.

According to all published information on him, Meno Holst apparently died in Riga in 1805. I have searched the parish records for his burial record and cannot find it in his family church of St Peter's, Riga in that year (though it may be in another parish). I have, however, found a burial record for a Meno Holst, with the same occupation description as on the baptism records of Meno and Marie's children, at the same church, who was buried on 31 January 1787, aged 63 years. I think this could be him. Although I haven't yet found a baptism record which corresponds, working backwards, this Meno Holst's birth year would be about 1724, in which case, if it IS my Meno Holst, he would have been 29 years old when he married Marie Saumann, which seems reasonable.

I wondered if there were two different Meno Holsts so I went through all the parish records that I could find for him, and checked his occupation:

Date	Event	Occupation of Meno Holst	Source
Jul 1753	Marriage of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Ältester der Schwarzen Häupter	St Petri Riga 1712-1842 German, married
18 Mar 1754	Baptism of Adolph, son of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1737-1762 German, born
20 Mar 1754	Burial of unnamed child (possibly Adolph) of Meno Holst	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
Feb 1755	Burial of unnamed daughter of Meno Holst	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
Jan 1757	Baptism of Lorenz Christian, son of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1737-1762 German, born
Jun 1757	Burial of Christian Lorenz, son of Meno Holst	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
Jun 1758	Baptism of Anna Gerdrutha, daughter of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1737-1762 German, born
Aug 1759	Baptism of Matthias, son of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Kaufmann	St Petri Riga 1737-1762 German, born
Sep 1759	Burial of unnamed child (Matthias?) of Meno Holst	No occupation given	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
3 Oct 1764	Baptism of Meno Hinrich, son of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1763-1800 German, born
May 1766	Baptism of Martha, daughter of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1763-1800 German, born
Jan 1770	Baptism of Meno Hinrich, son of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1763-1800 German, born
Oct 1770	Burial of Meno Hinrich, son of Meno Holst	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
Jul 1773	Baptism of Maria Eleonora, daughter of Meno Holst and Maria Saumann	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1763-1800 German, born
Oct 1786	Burial of Maria Eleonora, daughter of Meno Holst	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died
Jan 1787	Burial of Meno Holst, aged 63	Commercien Rath	St Petri Riga 1657-1811 German, died

A bit of further research confirmed that unmarried merchants could become members of the Schwarzen Häupter, and then after the married they would join the Gross Gilde (the Great Guild). This would explain why he was no longer referred to as Ältester der Schwarzen Häupter (Elder of the Black Heads) after he was married. Commercien Rath was a title for someone who promoted trade activities, while kaufmann means merchant.

As far as I can tell, Meno Holst died in 1787, not 1805. All the information that I can find stating that he died in 1805 was written at least 100 years after either death date, so therefore I will stick with the death year of 1787, unless someone can prove to me otherwise!

Edited to add: I found Meno's wife Marie's burial record - she was buried on 14 August 1805. I believe that the year of Marie's death has been assumed to be Meno's. I'm not surprised no one had found her death record before - she was named as Maria von Holsten, however it says she was the wife of the Commercien Rath, and that she was 72 years old, which fits. Glad I sorted that out!

The final resting place of Carolina Friederichs

I've been trying to work out what happened to Carolina Helena Maria Friederichs née von Holst for some time now.

Recently I've been working on the Tourrier branch of the family - Carolina's sister Constantia married a Tourrier, and I'd found that her husband Jean Furcy Tourrier may have been buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.

I sent off a query and hit the jackpot:

Jean Furcy Tourrier was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in 1867 in grave 20207, square 105, row 10. Also buried in that grave were Constance Tourrier in 1877, Albert Charles Millet in 1878, Alfred Holst Tourrier in 1892, and Caroline Fredericks in 1884.

Constance Tourrier was Jean Furcy Tourrier's wife - baptised as Constantia - with Constance obviously an anglicised version of the name.

Albert Charles Millet was the husband of Ida Sarah Tourrier, one of Jean Furcy and Constantia Tourrier's daughters. I don't know where Ida was buried - she died in 1919, after three of her four children, so perhaps she was buried with at least one of them.

Alfred Holst Tourrier was one of Jean Furcy and Constantia Tourrier's sons. He never married.

Caroline Fredericks was Carolina Helena Maria Friederichs née von Holst. Realising that she might have lived under an anglicised version of her name I searched through the English censuses to see if I could find her. The last time she was listed under the spelling of Friederichs was in the 1851 census. But there she was in the 1871 and 1881 censuses, as Caroline Fredericks. She was noted as widowed, and lived with a servant, or boarded with another family. So she was buried with her sister and some of her sister's family. It suggests to me that her husband, Joachim Friederichs, died overseas, and then she returned to England to live out the rest of her life. I'm glad I finally tracked down where she ended up, and her final resting place.

Joachim Heinrich Christian Friederichs

I recently received the naturalisation papers for Joachim Heinrich Christian Friederichs from the National Archives UK.

He was married to my 3x great aunt Carolina Helena Maria Von Holst and was born in Altona, Holstein, Germany in about 1786.

I've done quite a bit of searching on him and his wife, mainly to see if they ever had children - I can't find a record of any - but was intrigued to know more about him anyway.

Joachim Friederichs and Carolina Von Holst were married on 30 Jan 1834 at St Pancras, London. Friederichs was noted as a widower. I have not found any record of who his previous wife was, but I believe she was not English. I also have no knowledge of whether there were children from the previous marriage - certainly none have turned up in my research.

I was hoping that the naturalisation papers might give me more detailed information on where Friederichs was born in Altona - it seems that the official birth, death and marriage records for that time in Holstein are only found in the church records, which are not centralised anywhere, but you have to go to the individual parishes. Unfortunately, it didn't give me any more details. It did state that Friederichs arrived in England in April 1833, less than a year before he married Carolina.

I was surprised to find that Joachim Friederichs was the inventor of a series of maps called The Circuiteer, one of which can be accessed through the online gallery at the British Library. He drew a series of circles over the maps which allowed people to work out the proper fare for travelling in cabs, to stop the cabbies from swindling people. He published a number of editions - in 1849, 1850, 1851, and also an apparently revised edition in 1862. Interestingly, I have not been able to find record of Friederichs and his wife in England after 1851, and suspect that they may have spent time in Germany, but clearly they, or at least Joachim, must have returned long enough to update the map(s).

I also found that Friederichs had links to Count Lusi (somehow related to the Prussian Ambassador to London with the same title) - he travelled to the Port of London with Count Lusi in 1842, arriving on April 1. The naturalisation papers also state that he wanted to become a British citizen so that he could "prosecute his claims to property as administrator in England of the Late Count Lusi of Berlin."

As for when Joachim and his wife died, I have not found any records. I don't think they died in England, more likely in Germany, possibly Berlin.

Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was my second cousin three times removed. He is from the musical branch of my family - Benigna Weiss née von Holst being his great aunt. Gustav Holst, born Gustavus Theodore von Holst, was a British composer, most well known for his work The Planets, the most famous part of it being Jupiter, with the well known "hymn" I Vow to Thee My Country set to the music of Jupiter.

Last year a documentary on Gustav Holst was produced: Holst - In the Bleak Midwinter, by Tony Palmer. I recently received a copy on DVD from my sixth cousin once removed, Harro Lange, a fellow Holst/von Holst-family researcher. The documentary is brilliant. I learnt so much about Holst, and have a new appreciation for his music. Commentary on his life is interspersed with interviews with people who knew him, including his daughter Imogen Holst, and also with performances of his music. You get a very good idea of the cross-section of music that he composed throughout his life, connected with his own experiences and world-view. I also think the Morris Dancing portrayed in the documentary was quite hilarious. I think the British have a different view of manliness than Aussie men!

I recommend Holst - In the Bleak Midwinter to you, if you have any interest in Holst's music, or British composers in general.

Mrs C N Weiss - Professor of the Harp

I wrote ages ago about the Von Holst sisters, and said that I hadn't been able to find any evidence of Benigna Von Holst's musical/artistic/language talents.

I found some today. I am currently working on a biography of Charles Nicholas Weiss, Benigna's husband. I have been spending days and days going through historical newspaper articles for any with "Weiss" in them, most of which are for John Weiss, surgical instrument maker (who I believe is no relation), W. G. Weiss, Liverpool music seller and Charles' brother, plus many for Charles - for concerts he performed in, music he composed and released, and offering his services as a Professor of Flute. There are so many of them that I was probably getting a little snow blind, and almost missed the fact that one newspaper advertisement I was reading was for Mrs. C.N. Weiss rather than Mr., and announced her as a Professor of the Harp.

Since I wrote about the Von Holst sisters I had already discovered that Benigna was a talented artist - I have seen some of her drawings and they are beautiful. However this is the first time I have found anything to suggest that she also had musical talent.

One of the advertisements:

HARP.
MRS. C.N. WEISS, Professor of the Harp, Pupil of Bochsa and Philip Mayer, begs leave to inform the Gentry that she has received from London a beautiful Ultramarine Double-action HARP, ornamented in the richest and most elegant style, possessing a full and brilliant tone, and expressly chosen for her by Mr Bochsa, which is to be disposed of on reasonable terms.
Mr. C.N. WEISS, from the London Concerts, Professor of the Flute, takes this opportunity of acquainting his Pupils, the Gentry, and his Friends, that he has removed to No. 3, Camden-street, London-road. (One concern.)
Liverpool Mercury, 25 January 1833

Interestingly, the two advertisements I have found so far that mention her were for 1833. By this stage she already had two or three children, but still found the time to teach the harp. Like her sister Constantia she either had help with the children or she juggled work and children well. Also, she was a pupil of Bochsa, as was her sister Carolina. The "Philip Mayer" noted in the advertisement was Philip James Meyer (1779-1849), a harpist and composer, who was a highly respected teacher.

The graves of Matthias and Catherine Von Holst

"April 11, in London, aged 86, Matthias Von Holst, the celebrated composer of music." Liverpool Mercury, 25 April 1845.

A while back I found that Matthias and Catherine/Catharina/Katherina/Katharina Von Holst were both buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London. Thinking particularly of Matthias, I wondered if there was an inscription on the grave so I decided to send an email and ask. I have found in my family history research that there are people who ignore email requests for information or assistance (I probably get answers to 1 in 5 of my emails) and people who go out of their way to help you.

On this occasion I got a reply from a wonderfully helpful lady who told me the grave number (4671, square 118, in the Church of England section) and said she would have to go out and find the grave to see if the memorial still existed. She sent a photo the next day, which showed a very old grave, with the stone grave covering on an angle and no obvious headstone or inscription.

I also enquired of her whether Matthias' wife was buried in either of the graves beside him. No, in fact Catherine Von Holst was buried in a public vault, Catacomb A, vault 50 (ref 1092). She advised that for various reasons the catacombs cannot be visited.

I am so grateful to this lady for her assistance. That she even went out of her office and took a photo for me amazes me. It just goes to show, you should always ask - you never know how helpful the person is willing to be!

Constantia von Holst Tourrier (plus a little on her husband)

I have recently received in the post a copy of the catalogue of the Theodor von Holst exhibition, held at the Holst Birthplace Museum, Cheltenham England, in 2010. It includes an illustrated essay on the Holst family, written by the curator of the exhibition, Laura Kinnear. It contains biographical information on many of the members of the family. This includes a little information on Constantia von Holst, who was born 11 Nov 1804, at St Marylebone, married a Frenchman Jean Furcy Tourrier on 20 Jun 1833, at St Pancras, and died in 1877, aged 73 at St Pancras.

The essay on the family background of Theodor von Holst states that "There are no indications that Constantia embarked upon singing or acting...". I've actually found evidence to the contrary so I thought I would present it.

We already know from this post that Constantia had an Academy for Singing. She advertised it many times over 1836-1838. Considering she had children from 1835 onwards (Alfred Holst Tourrier 1835-1892, Constantia Sophia Tourrier 1837-1842, Ida Sarah Tourrier 1841-?, Juliette Alicia Sarah Tourrier 1843-1853, Eleanora Georgiana A Tourrier 1844-1923, John Theodore Tourrier 1846-1829 and Gustave Leon Furcy Tourrier 1849-1922) they could either afford a nanny or she was very good at juggling students and her own children! I find it quite surprising that she worked at all - it seems like a very modern thing to do, but at least it was a genteel-type thing to be occupied with - teaching (presumably) well-to-do ladies to sing.

In June 1836 "Madame Tourrier" also performed in a concert - Signor Curioni’s Grand Morning Concert in the Concert Room of the King’s Theatre, no less. There are no reviews of the concert to gauge the audience's opinion of her performance. She was one of many performers, one of an "extraordinary combination of talent", according to the concert advertisement. I can only find one other reference to Constantia performing in a concert - Don Ciebra's Concert, held 10 June 1840, which according to the review, was well attended. "The performances were principally instrumental; there was, however, some very good vocal music... Miss Yarnold and Madame Tourrier were also amongst the performers..." One could surmise from this that although she was enough of a talent to get the occasional gig singing in a concert amongst a large stable of other musical performers, she didn't really have what it took to set the world on fire.

By 1853, when her youngest child was about 4, Constantia did some teaching at Cavendish College, in Wimpole St, Paddington, which was for the instruction of ladies in appropriate branches of learning. This included Constantia assisting F. Praeger, Esq. in teaching the piano (Mr. Handel Gear, Esq. got the job teaching singing), and her husband teaching French, Elocution, Geography and History. There is a rather long article in The Morning Post of June 24, 1853, about a lecture that Monsieur Tourrier gave at the college on The French Language. It sounds, from the account given, mind-numbingly boring, however I'm not a linguist so perhaps the "select audience, consisting almost entirely of ladies" enjoyed it rather more than I would have.

And that seems to be the extent of the surviving information on Constantia von Holst Tourrier's musical career.

Carolina Helena Maria von Holst Friederichs

I've been researching Carolina Helena Maria von Holst. (A word about her name: there are variations on spelling, depending on whether she was using the English spelling or the German or whatever. Plus, the surname von Holst was either written with a capital "v" or a lower case "v" - the family members themselves apparently couldn't decide. As it was, the "von" was adopted by the Holst family when they were in England and there is no evidence they were actually entitled to it!) Carolina was born in Danzig, Prussia, in the early 1800s - information from the Holst Birthplace Museum gives her date of birth as 1802, however her age in the 1851 English census suggests she was born about 1815. In 1834 she married a Dane, Joachim Heinrich Christian Friederichs, at St Pancras Parish Church. Her husband was noted as a widower and was a number of decades older than her.

Carolina was apparently a talented harpist. She was a pupil of Robert Nicolas-Charles Bochsa who was a rather colourful character (who incidentally died in Sydney, of all places) and she appears to have achieved some degree of fame in musical circles. I'm not sure that she was always known by her first name of Carolina - I've found one reference to her that suggests she used the first name of Friederike professionally. She also used many variations of her surnames: von Holst, Holst, Holst-Friedrichs, Friedrichs-Holst and Friedrichs (Friedrichs is the German form of Friederichs).

Carolina did at least one tour of Europe, in 1835-6, playing in Dresden, Berlin, Prague and Vienna, and possibly other places as well. She received very good reviews though the reviewers would have preferred her to steer away from the music of her teacher Bochsa as they felt it wasn't very good!

"Mad. Friedrichs’ play is in every respect excellent. Her passages are beautifully turned, and roll along like so many pearls, while her shake, considering it is on the harp, is admirable. We have heard nothing equal to her; and in addition to these advantages, she is a pretty, modest and amiable young person. May she let us hear something, occasionally, not by Bochsa!" (Supplement to the Musical Library, 1836.)

Family legend says that Carolina was employed as a harpist in the Prussian Imperial Court in Berlin, though it is unknown when. I have yet to find any definite evidence of this. Certainly by 1851 she was living in London in Paddington. Was it before or after this?

Did she have any children? Nothing has yet come to light. It is also unknown when or where Carolina died. The last we know of her for sure is from the 1851 English Census, when she was between about 30 and 50 years of age, depending on what date of birth you use. I do have information that says she toured Russia in 1837, France, Italy and the Netherlands in 1838, and then returned to London to teach, however I have no concrete evidence of this. But I'll keep looking!

Professors of Music

I sent an email to the Royal Academy of Music the other week, asking about the title of Professor of Music. I received a very helpful reply yesterday advising me that in those days "Professor of Music" was a common term used interchangeably with "Teacher". There was no qualification needed to advertise in this way. So I needn't think my relatives were trying to give themselves a more glorified title. : )

The helpful librarian who wrote back to me then added some extra information unbidden: "[Gustav] Holst’s grandfather [Gustavus Valentin Johann Von Holst, Matthias and Katharina Von Holst's firstborn son] would have been too old to have studied at the Academy: in its early days, it taught only children aged approximately 12-16 years. I checked our records, however, and did find Mathias Von Holst, aged 14, who entered the Academy on the 9th October 1848 and left on the 16th June 1849. He studied piano with Mr Cipriani Potter."

This was Gustavus' first child, also named Gustavus, who was known as Matthias. I found a newspaper article (The Times, 22 Dec 1847) which said a candidate with the name of Von Holst distinguished himself in the examination for two King's Scholarships at the Royal Academy of Music, which became vacant every Christmas. It would appear that he didn't win a scholarship but he went anyway, the following year. Matthias was both a pianist and a harpist.

The von Holst sisters

I haven't enough concrete information to say what order the three von Holst sisters were born in so I shall refer to them in alphabetical order: Benigna Catharina, Carolina Helena Maria and Constantia Eleonora von Holst. I actually wasn't aware of Carolina until very recently, when I just happened upon information on her. I had read that there were five children in the family but until then she had eluded me.

Benigna was my great great great grandmother and was married to Charles Nicholas Weiss. Her sister Carolina was married to a Dane/German named Joachim Heinrich Christian Friederichs. Joachim was a widower when he married Carolina and his profession was "Gentleman". Constantia married a Frenchman named Jean Furcy Tourrier - he was an artist and a French teacher.

Trawling through historical newspapers the other day I came across advertisements that they had placed in The Times.

MADAME TOURRIER (Nee von Holst) Professor of the Pianoforte and Singing, respectfully announces that her ACADEMY for SINGING, in the Italian, German and English languages, will OPEN at her residence, 158, New Bond Street, on Thursday, the 25th instant, and that the instruction will be continued every Monday and Thursday, from 1 to 3. Monsieur Tourrier's Academy for Drawing is on Wednesday and Saturday, from 3 to 5. The Times, 23 Feb 1836.

MONSIEUR TOURRIER, Professor of French and Drawing, author of "The Model-Book, or the 77 French Lessons", will recommence his EVENING FRENCH CLASSES, in the city, on Monday next, at Mr Trail's office 18 Cornhill. He also, for the accommodation of gentlemen residing at the west end, will open a class at his residence 158 New Bond Street. Madame Tourrier nee von Holst, professor of the pianoforte and singing, will recommence her singing academy on the 24th instant. Apply by letter, post paid, at 158 New Bond Street. The Times, 6 Oct 1836.

HARP and PIANO - Mrs. FRIEDERICHS, late Miss von Holst, daughter of the celebrated GERMAN composer and pupil of Bochsa, informs the nobility and her former pupils, that she has lately returned from Germany, where she has given concerts with great success and intends to resume her former profession in giving LESSONS on the above instruments. Her method is so easy that pupils will be able to become proficient in a very short time. Her terms are moderate. The lessons can be given in the German language if required. Also, Mr Friederichs, her husband, a native of Germany, who is sufficiently acquainted with the English language, is desirous to give lessons in the German language and literature, and read with advanced pupils the works of Schiller and Goethe, and other famous poets. His terms are reasonable. Address 46 Upper Charlotte St, Fitzroy Square. The Times, 9 Jan 1847.

Clearly they had some talent in the area of music! Both the von Holst brothers seemed to have been talented in some way as well - Gustavus as a musician (piano and harp) and Theodor was a well-known artist. Which leaves Benigna. Try as I might, I have not been able to find any advertisements offering her services in lessons for music, art and/or languages. I have wondered about this - I can't imagine that the talent gene would have completely skipped over her. Perhaps she was just content to raise her children. I shall probably never know. I have not been able to uncover any children for the Friederichs but I do know that Constantia already had one child of her seven at the time the advertisement for her Academy for Singing was placed. We can only assume the Tourriers were wealthy enough to employ someone to look after the baby whilst she taught.

Charles and Benigna Weiss

I've written before about my great great grandfather Frederick Weiss, and some of his relatives, including his sister Caroline. I've mentioned that Frederick and his siblings were orphaned while the family was in India, but haven't really explained that yet. There isn't a whole lot of information available on Frederick's parents, Charles and Benigna Weiss, but the following is what I do know:

Charles Nicholas Weiss was believed to have been born in Prussia, in an area which is now in Poland, in about 1795. Nothing is known of his parents. At some stage he made his way to England, and there we have the first concrete evidence of him - marrying Benigna Catharina Von Holst at St Pancras Church, London, on 9th September 1928. They were both of that parish, neither had been previously married, and the witnesses were either members of the Von Holst family or not Weiss'. If Charles had come to England with members of his family certainly none of them were official witnesses at his wedding.

Exactly a year after they were married Charles and Benigna's first child was born - Adelaide Catherine Gustavia Martha Weiss. She was baptised at St Pancras Church on 1st October 1929, and Charles' occupation was listed as Professor of Music. After this five more children were born, but so far no baptism records have come to light for three of them: Benigna, Caroline or Derby.

According to family information, Charles enlisted in the British Army on 22nd October 1840 as a Private (Band flautist) in the 17th Foot Regiment (also known as the Leicestershire Regiment), and was promoted to Sergeant the very next day. The 17th Foot Regiment was posted in India and Charles is believed to have arrived in Bombay from England to join the regiment on 30th November 1840. The Regiment was then later stationed at Poona, and later moved to the British colony of Aden (now part of Yemen).

At some stage the family joined Charles where he was stationed, some time after the 1841 England Census taken on 6th June 1841, as most of the family were recorded on that day living at 4 Acre Place, St Pancras, London. During the time he was stationed in Aden, Charles and Benigna's youngest boys, Egmont and Frederick, were baptised by the Assistant Chaplain Reverend G. Morison. The parish baptism records list Charles as Band Master for the 17th Regiment.

No further information has come to light about Charles, until his death. He died from unknown causes on 14th June 1845, aged 50 years. Charles' funeral was held in St Thomas' Cathedral Bombay (Mumbai) and he was buried in Back Bay cemetery by William Dinan on 15th June 1845. Back Bay cemetery has since been cleared and made into a park.

Benigna Catharina Weiss (nee Von Holst) was born about 1801, somewhere in Europe, to Matthias and Katharina Holst (nee Rogge). The 1841 England Census has her birthplace as "Foreign Parts" so she certainly wasn't born in England. Her father had fled from Riga because of unpopular political views, and according to the biography of the composer Gustav Holst, who was Benigna's great nephew, "by the beginning of the nineteenth century he had to escape from Riga with his Russian wife and small son Gustavus Valentine". Perhaps Benigna was born along the way, before they reached England. Benigna's next-born sibling, Constantia, was born in England.

Benigna is listed in the 1841 England Census with four of her six children - Adelaide, Derby, Egmont and "Fritz" (Frederick). Her daughter Caroline was still alive so must have been elsewhere on the night of the Census (though I cannot find any reference), and I believe Benigna, Charles and Benigna's second child, may have died in childhood. In the Census Benigna (the mother) is listed as of "Independent Means". What this means I cannot be sure - perhaps it means she was living off Charles' army income, or perhaps she had income from her own family, the Von Holsts, who seemed to portray themselves as reasonably well-off.

As mentioned earlier, Benigna and the children followed Charles to India sometime after June 1841, and the children were orphaned after Benigna died. She died just a few months after her husband, in Bombay, of a fever on 26th October 1845. She was buried in the cemetery at Colaba, Bombay, on 28th October by Chaplain George Pigott. The burial register for Colabah (sic) lists her age as 40 years, but this is likely to be incorrect - see year of birth discussion above. Her "Quality, Trade or Profession" is listed as "Widow of the Late Band Master Weiss H.M. 17th Regt". Colaba cemetery is long since gone.

A couple of Weiss things...

I mentioned in my post about Frederick Weiss' journey to England from India that he stayed at 73 Upper Norton Street when he arrived in London. I worked out last night that this was the home of some relatives. Gustavus Von Holst (uncle on Fred's mother's side and grandfather of the composer Gustav Holst) was a professor of music, and this is where he lived (and probably worked) with his wife Honoria.

And I found another piece of circumstantial evidence that Caroline J Hughes is the Caroline Weiss from my family. Caroline was the third child in the Weiss family, the eldest being Adelaide. Adelaide married James Sheldon and they had at least five children, one of whom, Adelaide M Sheldon, was born in Blackheath, Kent, England (now a part of London near Greenwich). James was a missionary with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in India and they lived there between 1855 and 1883. During this time their daughter Adelaide was born (in about 1869), presumably when they were back in England for a visit. In about 1868 Caroline and Henry Hughes had a daughter Elizabeth, also born in Blackheath, Kent, England. The Hughes had not long been in England, and appear to have not yet settled in Bath. It is not unlikely that the two families might have spent time together (or even stayed together) during this period when both sisters were pregnant with their daughters. As I said, it's circumstantial, but another little piece of possible evidence nonetheless.

Family likeness

The people above are: Gustav Holst, Imogen Holst, Theodor Von Holst, Constantia Tourrier (nee Von Holst), Caroline Weiss, my great aunt (also a Weiss). Theodor and Constantia were siblings, Gustav was their great nephew (and Imogen his daughter), Caroline was their niece, and my great aunt was their niece a number of generations down.

See any family likeness? I can see a long face, a long thin nose and a small mouth.

Incidentally, the portrait of Caroline is the one I wrote about in an earlier post. It clearly isn't by Theodor - it's quite amateurish compared to the painting he did of Constantia beside it - but it was a nice thought while it lasted!

It's rather unusual to be in the position to be able to compare faces through so many generations. I'm fortunate that these relatives (apart from my great aunt) were either famous or had portraits painted. I have no other branches of the family I can do it in!

Oh, and I have the thin nose, though it's not as long as those seen here.

A lost Weiss/von Holst?

I have mentioned that my grandmother was aware of a picture of one of the sisters of her grandfather Frederick Weiss. Grandma thought it was a locket but it turned out to be a very small painting. It is of Caroline - one of the sisters I had no evidence for!

I have not yet seen it, but Grandma has described it to me. It's about 2 x 2 inches, and in Grandma's estimation is very well painted - she says it is like a photo, the realism is so good. She guesses that Caroline may have been around 20 years old in the portrait. The painting is kept in a special little box which seems to have been made especially for it. It clearly was someone's treasure. Caroline's?

I was thinking about the painting, whilst doing some housework. It suddenly occurred to me that Caroline's mother, Benigna, had a brother who was an artist. Theodor von Holst was an English romantic painter, and was Benigna's younger brother.

Family lore says that after Caroline's parents Charles and Benigna both died in Bombay their sons were sent to a military school somewhere in India and the daughters were sent home to England for their schooling. I don't think it is a stretch to think that an uncle might paint a miniature portrait of his niece...

I shall wait to see the painting.