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Katharine Menke later Lady Woolley
- Thread starter Susang
- Start date
MWS
from Bham
You may already know this but...
Carl Theodore Menke married Marie Wilhelmine Ehni in Stuttgart 21 Mar 1887.
Marie was born in Stuttgart 15 Nov 1867, the daughter of Johann Georg Ehni and Marie Sutorius.
Carl was possibly the son of Carl Menke and Katherine Wolf.
Frederick William Menke was born in 1892 and served in the Labour Corps in WWI.
Carl Theodore Menke married Marie Wilhelmine Ehni in Stuttgart 21 Mar 1887.
Marie was born in Stuttgart 15 Nov 1867, the daughter of Johann Georg Ehni and Marie Sutorius.
Carl was possibly the son of Carl Menke and Katherine Wolf.
Frederick William Menke was born in 1892 and served in the Labour Corps in WWI.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Charles Theodore Menke was interned in August 1915 as an alien. In July 1916 was charged against the Trading with the Enemy Act. He carried on business under the name Hills, Menke and Co. At 154 Great Charles Street, Merchants with branches in various parts of the world. He was concerned with the supply of tin plates, and 14 charges were made.
Unlikely he had a General Store ?
Unlikely he had a General Store ?
‘General merchant’ - as described by KW in Marriage certificate in 1919 to Bertram Keeling under profession of father. Where were his other stores in the world? KW died in 1945 leaving £44,000 (over £1 million today) - could this have come from her father? Was he very wealthy? His house in Richmond Hill Road sounds substantial! Thanks for all your help!
Attachments
I think KW may have been wealthier even than that. Assuming that she owned a nice house in Edgbaston, the value of that, in today's money, would have been subject to a much higher rate of inflation than the overall average for 1945 to 2024. If you include a property of that sort, the equivalent value of her estate in 2024 £ might possibly have been around £3.5m.
Chris
I don’t think she ever owned a house. She left Birmingham to go to Oxford, then became a VAD nurse in Europe and ended up marrying an archaeologist who relied on grants for his research, as they did in those days. I think her parents left Birmingham just after the war and went to America???
MWS
from Bham
It's difficult to be certain that the American death is his. As mentioned the newspaper reported him being alive in Hamburg in 1928 but there's no guarantee that is correct.
There is a marriage for Frederick W Menke to a Marjory G Waddington registered in Hampstead district in 1927 and a daughter, Dinah Marjory, born a year later but I don't know if that's him and that's the last mention of any of them that I can see.
There is a marriage for Frederick W Menke to a Marjory G Waddington registered in Hampstead district in 1927 and a daughter, Dinah Marjory, born a year later but I don't know if that's him and that's the last mention of any of them that I can see.
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
Looks like Carl Menke set up a company to cover a multitude of sins.
Hills Menke and Co. was registered in 1914 to carry on business of general merchants, agents, importers, exporters, shipowners, shipbuilders, charterers of ships, warehouse men, refrigerators, ship and insurance brokers, carriers, forwarding agents, wharfingers, preservers, packers and brokers of provisions, electrical and mechanical engineers, &c.
May 1917 the Company was advertised for sale. Branches in Italy and the Far East….Jarva, Cairo.
Hills Menke and Co. was registered in 1914 to carry on business of general merchants, agents, importers, exporters, shipowners, shipbuilders, charterers of ships, warehouse men, refrigerators, ship and insurance brokers, carriers, forwarding agents, wharfingers, preservers, packers and brokers of provisions, electrical and mechanical engineers, &c.
May 1917 the Company was advertised for sale. Branches in Italy and the Far East….Jarva, Cairo.
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brummy-lad
master brummie
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
What I have said in this post is not the full story. The Company was formed in 1878 and Mr Hills died in 1903. There must have been some form of change in the company in 1914. The Company would definitely have been sold off in 1917 under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
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How can I find out how much the Company was worth, although it might have been liquidated in 1917? How do you access Kelly’s Archives to find more about the company?
I see two silver plated teaspoons being sold on eBay by Hills, Menke & co with snake and wording African silver! Apparently the snake was their hallmark!
I see two silver plated teaspoons being sold on eBay by Hills, Menke & co with snake and wording African silver! Apparently the snake was their hallmark!
Pedrocut
Master Barmmie
May be difficult to find any info concerning the sale. The money would go to the Government and probably not made public. The address
of 154 Great Charles Street was used about 4/5 years later by an unrelated company.
Kelly's Directory would not be of any use to learn about the company. You can pick up bits of info from mentions in the Newspaper archives.
of 154 Great Charles Street was used about 4/5 years later by an unrelated company.
Kelly's Directory would not be of any use to learn about the company. You can pick up bits of info from mentions in the Newspaper archives.
brummy-lad
master brummie
Yes, I got it wrong Janice, I was starting at the wrong end of the road. It looks like the house is still there as you say, I have circled it on the 1948 image.
