Death of Fr. Alphonse Rickert, May 29, 1940

RICKERT—On Wednesday, May
29, 1940, at St. Bernard's Rectory,
651 Hicks St., REV. ALPHONSE M.
RICKERT, chaplain of the Catholic
Seamen's Institute of Brooklyn;
beloved brother of Joseph J., Frank
J. Rickert, Mrs. Lawrence J. Maier,
Sister Therese Marie of Maryknoll
and Sister Margaret Elizabeth, S.S.J.
Remains will lie in state at St. Bernard's
Church until 9:30 am Saturday. Divine
office and solemn mass of requiem 10:30
am at St. James Pro-cathedral.
Interment Holy Cross Cemetery.

From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, via Fulton History.

The Real Anna Rickert, 12/29/1937

This one is definitely Anna Rickert, Joseph's sister. She died December 28, 1937, at her brother Joseph's home. Apparently, 2 of their sisters became nuns. It's a pity we can't tell which ones, of course. The Rickert children included 1 priest, Alphonse, and 2 nuns, and the next generation produced at least two priests, as well - Loretta and Joseph's sons Joseph and Eugene were both priests. What a blessed family!

Anna Rickert
A solemn requiem mass will be
held Friday at 10 a.m. for Anna
Rickert, who died suddenly yesterday
at the home of her brother,
Joseph J. Rickert, 341 President St.,
in the St. Agnes R. C. Church, Hoyt
and Sackett Sts.
Miss Rickert, who was a practical
nurse, and a lifelong resident of
Brooklyn, is survived by three broth-
ers, Rev. Alphonse M. Rickert,
head of the Catholic Seamen's Institute,
Joseph J. and Frank . J .
Rickert; and three sisters, Sister
Therese Marie of Maryknoll, Sister
Margaret Elizabeth, S.S.J., and Mrs.
Lawrence J. Maier. Interment will
be in Holy Cross Cemetery.

This shows that of the Rickert siblings, only August A. had died by 1937. The 8 of them were 4 girls and 4 boys; of the boys, Alphonse, Joseph, and Frank survived through 1937, and other than Anna, all three of the girls were still alive, though we don't know - yet - who was Mrs. Lawrence Maier, who was Sr. Therese Marie, and who was Sr. Margaret Elizabeth.

The Rickert Family in 1910

Here's Joseph Rickert's family when he was growing up. They're living at 118 Third Place. His parents were Michael and Elizabeth C. Rickert, and his many siblings were Anna M., b. 1894; August A., b. 1895; Francis J., b. 1889; Clara A., 1892; Alphonse M., b. 1894; Mary E., b. 1895; and Julia E., b. 1899. They also live with two of their cousins, Michael's nephew William J. Rickert and Elizabeth's nephew William B. Baker. Both parents were born in Pennsylvania, of German descent, and, interestingly, all the children were born in NY except Joseph, who was born in NJ. Other records I've come across suggest that some of his siblings were born in Buffalo, NY not in NYC. Michael is a Boatman for "Harbor Boating," Anna seems to be listed a "Costumer" at a store, though I don't know what that means, August is a Wallpaper Salesman at a Wholesale Store, Joseph is a Clerk at a Bank, and Francis is a Canvasser for a Magazine. None of the others kids work, although William Rickert is a Porter for a Publishing Office and William Baker is Clerk at a Railroad Office. Michael is working on his "Own Account," and the rest are "Workers."

Michael and Elizabeth have been married 29 years, meaning they married around 1881. They've had 9 children, 8 of whom are still alive.

If you notice, William B. Baker's mother was born in NY and his father was born in Pennsylvania. Since he's Elizabeth's nephew, and Elizabeth was born in Pennsylvania, it's reasonable to think that he's Elizabeth's brother's son, and thus that Elizabeth's maiden name was Baker.