GOTZIAN, Conrad

Conrad Gotzian (1835-1887) was born in Saxe-Weimar, Prussia, came to United States in 1852 and St. Paul in 1855, established himself first in the retail shoe and boot trade, then established a boot and shoe manufacturing company. He married Caroline Busse in 1859, was a member of the Minnesota Legislature in 1885, was a director of the German-American Bank, and died in St. Paul.

Bibliography:

‘Conrad Gotzian Dead’ in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer Press, 22 February 1887.

Paul Harris Gotzian (1866-1909) the son of Conrad Gotzian and Caroline Busse Gotzian (1841-1913) married Emmaline Nelson Beebe in St. Paul in 1890.

The Gotzian burial plot at Oakland Cemetery contains the graves of Conrad Gotzian, and his wife Caroline Gotzian (1841-1913); their son Paul Harris Gotzian and his wife Emma Beebe Gotzian (1869-1908,); Roberta Gotzian (1879-1908) Vallie Gotzian Smith (1873-1932) Samuel Edward Gotzian (1859-1861) William Adam Gotzian (1864-1865) and Frank Conrad Gotzian (1875-1875).  There were three other children Caroline E Gotzian, Helen E. Gotzian, and Harriet F. Gotzian (Mrs Ambrose Tighe) not buried here.

The Gotzians were neighbours of the James J. Hill family in St. Paul.

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There is a letter in the artist’s papers from Mary J. Hill, wife of James J. Hill, written from the Albemarle Hotel in New York, but only dated April 16th (almost certainly 1887), which reads:

‘Mr. Miller,

    Dear Sir,

We have just received a letter from Mrs Gotzian. She is very much pleased with Mr. Gotzian’s portrait. Thinks it is most natural. We hope to see you before we leave. We shall be in this evening and tomorrow evening. We leave for home Monday morning. Will you please tell Mr. Chelminski.

            Believe me yours, Mary J. Hill.’

The fact that she calls him mistakenly ‘Miller’ and there is no ‘-Ury’ suffix must mean this letter belongs to a date early in his relationship with the Hill family of St Paul, and amongst the James J. Hill Papers (Hill Family Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul; 21 H 41) there is a Voucher for payment with a letter attached, written by the artist on 12 May 1887 on notepaper of the Sturtevant House Hotel in New York (and signed ‘F. Adolphus Muller’) which says in part:

‘Dear Sir

Your favor of the 9^th May with draft for $850, for full payment of the picture for Mrs Gotzian I received; and for your kindness I can send you only thousand thanks.’