1 post tagged “martin hildebrandt”
Finding out personal details of people who lived over one hundred years ago is tricky- one of the big mysteries I've run across is the relationship between tattooed lady Nora Hildebrandt and the tattoo artist Martin Hildebrandt. Were they father/daughter (as their approximate age differences suggest)? Were they husband/wife? And if so, who was Jacob Hildebrandt (he was listed as her brother in a NY Clipper ad, though I did find a listing for a marriage between Nora Hildebrandt and Jacob Gunther in 1889)
so- my theories are:
1. Martin was Nora's dad, which is how she got into the tattooed lady business
2. She married a guy named Jacob, who took her last name for performance purposes, since it was better known.
2. Nora died in 1892 or 1893, and this NY Times listing of "Brooklyn Calendars- This Day, Surrogates Court" from April 1893 lists the "Administration estate of... Nora Hildebrandt." Additionally, I can't find any records of her working after 1891 when she and Jacob "Hildebrandt" worked with the Barnum and Bailey Sideshow.
Unfortunately, the Surrogate's Court in Brooklyn has no records from the settlement of this estate. I have a few more things to try, suggested by the nice folks at the Brooklyn historical society. I'll keep you posted...
so- my theories are:
1. Martin was Nora's dad, which is how she got into the tattooed lady business
2. She married a guy named Jacob, who took her last name for performance purposes, since it was better known.
2. Nora died in 1892 or 1893, and this NY Times listing of "Brooklyn Calendars- This Day, Surrogates Court" from April 1893 lists the "Administration estate of... Nora Hildebrandt." Additionally, I can't find any records of her working after 1891 when she and Jacob "Hildebrandt" worked with the Barnum and Bailey Sideshow.
Unfortunately, the Surrogate's Court in Brooklyn has no records from the settlement of this estate. I have a few more things to try, suggested by the nice folks at the Brooklyn historical society. I'll keep you posted...
