In July of 1925, local contractor Marion Cordill, took out a building permit for the construction of a small bungalow at 36 South Arlington Avenue. Mr. Cordill was very busy during that summer as he constructed several residences along Arlington and Julian Avenues. His crew completed the dwelling by October as ad an in the Indianapolis Star touted:
New five-room bungalow, 1/2 block from Washington Street; hardwood floors, fireplace, breakfast nook, brick porch, thoroughly modern garage...(October 11, 1925, 25)
In either late-1926 or early 1927, two German siblings, Wendell and Antoinette Goerich, moved into the modest bungalow and remained for the next several decades.
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| The Goerich siblings resided in this small bungalow at 36 South Arlington Avenue from 1926 until 1982. (photo taken on August 10, 2021) |
The Goerich Siblings
Wendell (Wendelin) Goerich (1883-1966)
Sometime in the early twentieth century, a young man named Wendell Goerich left the village of Dingelstadt in the German state of Thuringia for a new life in America. For many years, beginning as early as 1909, he boarded with Oliver and Luella Snell (Schnell) who lived on Spann and later Fletcher Avenue. Was he related to the Snells? Did they sponsor him? There are still many unanswered questions about his early years. He immediately found a job as switchman with the New York Central Railroad. He was 25 years old.
Working as a switchman in the early twentieth century was a very dangerous job. The men worked in all kinds of weather and if they were not careful they could be crushed in between train cars. Young immigrants like Mr. Goerich frequently put themselves in great danger with such positions. In December of 1909 Wendell Goerich suffered such an accident and lost his left arm. A publication called The Brotherhood of Rail Trail Men documented that the young immigrant received a claim of $500 for the loss of his limb. Incredibly, Wendell Goerich went back to work for the New York Central Railroad and remained for the next fifty years.
During World War One, many German immigrants living in the United States faced suspicion and discrimination. In Indianapolis the school board terminated the teaching of German and the town elders in one eastern Indiana town attempted to rename their town to Pershing from East Germantown in honor of the American general. On December 7, 1917, the Indianapolis Star published a list of unnaturalized German immigrants living in the city. Wendell Goerich was on that list. What did this mean? Mr. Goerich had to voluntarily register with the city police and he had to stay at least a half a mile away from any factory producing munitions for the war. He was now on a watch list. To prove that he sided with the Americans during the war, the young German even registered for the draft although he had no chance of serving due to his accident.
The Arrival of Antoinette (Antoninette) Goerich (1896-1988)
On October 1, 1921, twenty-four-year old Antoninette Goerich arrived at Ellis Island. A ship passenger list reveals that her final stay would be in Indianapolis where she would be living with her older brother, "Wendelin" Goerich. The clerk who processed her paperwork described her as 5'6" with blond hair and gray eyes. She had traveled across the ocean with dozens of other immigrants like herself to live with family members who were already rooted in America.
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| Antoinette (Antoninette) Goerich arrived in the Indianapolis in 1921. I recently unearthed this photo of her in a local antique mall. She moved to 36 South Arlington Avenue in either 1926 or 1927. |
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| Miss Goerich signed the back of her photo. Her signature matches that of the one found on her naturalization papers. (see below) |
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| By 1927, Miss Goerich changed the spelling of her first name. A clerk misspelled her last name on this form. |
Little is known about her early years on the south side of Indianapolis, but by late 1926 or early 1927, both she and Wendell lived in a brand new house at 36 South Arlington Avenue. Had Wendell learned of the house through the ad published by the contractor Marion Cordill? We will likely never know, but the Goerich siblings spent most of the remainder of their lives in the little bungalow with the breakfast nook.
Antoinette Goerich appears to have kept the household running while Wendell, who was now a yardmaster, left for the job. The siblings joined Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and both were involved with local Moose chapters. Miss Goerich loved to read and she belonged to Irvington's Brown Library Great Books Club. She was also an excellent quilter and was featured in the Indianapolis Star on October 2, 1957, along with other women of the church for their beautiful quilt.
On January 4, 1960, seventy-six-year-old Wendell Goerich was struck by an automobile as he crossed the street at Audubon Road and Washington Street. Amazingly, he survived his second big accident. He would go on to live another six years, dying at the age of 82 in 1966. Antoinette Goerich found herself alone in the small bungalow, but she seems to have had many friends and neighbors who checked in on her. The Garza family, who resided at 44 South Arlington Avenue, described her as a kind woman who was very good with children. Regina Garza Ruopoli, who grew up near Miss Goerich, fondly recalled visiting her. The elderly woman frequently gave the children treats including grapes from her arbor in the backyard where she also kept a small pond surrounded by flowers. At Christmas she gave her fruit strudels to her neighbors and friends.
Living alone and far away from any family began to take its toll. She told her neighbor Rudy Garza that "it is hell getting old." In 1982, Miss Goerich moved into a nursing home in Beech Grove. Her home was put on the market nearly 57 years after she and her brother first moved in. She died in 1988 at the age of 91.
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| Antoinette Goerich c1980 sat in her rocking chair at 36 South Arlington Avenue. Her neighbors reported that she generally wore cotton dresses and she likely knitted the items visible in the photo. (photo courtesy of the Garza family) |
If you knew the Goerich siblings and have memories to share, please do so in the comments section under this post. I would love to find a photo of Mr. Goerich. Thank you!!
Sources: Interview with Rudy and Christina Garza along with their daughter, Regina Garza Ruopoli; I would also like to thank Jon Oliger, Paula Schmidt, and Bill Selm; Wendell Goerich--World War One Alien List: Indianapolis Star, December 7, 1917, 12; Accident--Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, 1910, 425; World War One registration via Ancestry.com; Accident--Indianapolis Star, January 5, 1960, 21; Obituary--Indianapolis Star, April 21, 1966, 57; Antoinette Goerich--Ship Passenger list and naturalization papers via Ancestry.com; House for Sale--Indianapolis Star, October 17, 1982; Obituary--Indianapolis News, June 28, 1988, 57; Death certificates for both Wendell and Antoinette Goerich via Ancestry.com.
