Nicklos
Ernest Nicholas
Story of Ernest Nicholas by Edith Nicklos (1970)
The original family account of Ernest Nicholas as written down by Edith Nicklos, youngest daughter of Charles Nicklos. It is perserved in two forms. A hand written note and a typed history. Both accounts tell a similar tale with some slight differences
The Typed Account
Charles Nicklos’ father came from Saxe Coburg, Germany and settled in Rochester, New York. He married Elenora Brown. They had two children, Fredrick and Charles. Fredrick was seven years older than Charles. Their mother died when Charles was only a few years old, his father remarried, and when the war of States was on Fredrick enlisted as a drummer boy and was never heard from again. In the meantime, the father died and the step-mother remarried. Conditions were very bad during the war years so they moved to Canada.
The Handwritten Note (hard to read in spots)
G. Grandfather Charles Nicklos born Nov. 3rd, 1854(?) in Rochester New York. His Father came from Coberg Saxony, his wife was Isabella. Two son’s were born Fredrich and Charles – Fredrich was lost in the war of the States. Grandfather Nicklos remarried, and after several years died, and his wife who had three daughters by a [unreadable line] previous marriage moved to London, Ont., Canada found at that time was very sense in the U.S.A when G. Nicklos was 25 years old he married Jessie McDowell daughter of Isabella and John McDowell.
Story of Ernest Nicholas by Gordon Remington (1990)
Gordon Nicholas commissioned Gordon Remington to do further research on Ernest Nicholas. Remington put together an amazing account from a wide variety of sources before the internet was widely available. The entire research makes for compelling reading.
Gordon Remington found that Ernest, wife Charlotte (Zieryacks), and their two year old son Frederick arrived in America from Bremen Germany on the ship Hiram that arrived in New York on 8 June 1850. They settled in Rochester, New York where Charles (baptised as “Johann Christian”) was born on 5 Nov 1853. Charlotte died soon thereafter. Around 1858 Ernest remarried Eleanor (who usually went by Laura) Braun (or Brown). In 1859, a daughter, Anna, was born. Frederick disappears after 1860, although Remington found an intriguing 1860 census entry for a Fredk C Nichols, age 12, residing at the House of Refuge. Then in mid 1860’s the family moved to London, Ontario, where another daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1867. At this point (the 1871 Canadian Census) Ernest went by the name of Hans. The author finished by speculating that Ernest probably died as Hans Nicholi, buried on 16 Jun 1871 as noted in St. Paul’s Anglican Church cemetery records.
Story of Ernest Nicholas by Bob Schwartz (2015)
Frederick Nicholas
The evidence continues to suggest that Frederick was not part of the Civil War, but rather was committed to Western House of Refuge, a institution for delinquent boys. For example, the fabulous fultonhistory.com newspaper repository has an interesting article from “The Rochester NY Union & Advertiser”, 31 Mar 1862:
This morning at 11 o’clock the prisoners convicted at the present term of the Court of Sessions were brought up and sentenced as follows. In but few instances had the prisoners anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced against them. Some of them declared their innocence even after they had pleaded guilty to the indictments found against them:
Frederick Nicholas, burglary, House of Refuge.
None of the current evidence is sufficient to pinpoint Frederick’s fate. Records for the Western House of Refuge and additional newspaper accounts have survived. So it is hopeful that we might still find an answer.
Elenora (Braun) Nicholas
Laura (Braun) Nicholas was the stepmother of Charles. London Ontario city directories show Laura Nicholas, a widow of Hans, living with Charles in 1875 and living on her own in 1877 as Mrs. Laura Nichol. Then, in 1878, there is a marriage record for the widow Lora Brown marrying Otto Brunner. Otto was a cooper who immigrated to Canada around 1871 from Switzerland. There was an age difference between Laura (b. 1832) and Otto (b. 1846) which may account for varying ages given by Laura in the many following documents. Laura likely arrived through New Orleans around 1855. She was also likely born in Bavaria to Frank and Catherine (Weber) Braun.
You can follow their trail though the Canadian censuses in 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911. By 1881, Otto and Laura were living with Toronto, Ontario. Laura died in 1912, while Otto died in 1919. Most interesting are the children listed for Otto and Laura. The 1871 Census referenced by Gordon Remington suggested that Charles had two half-sisters, Anna and Elizabeth. On the 1881 census, Anna is missing due to her marriage. Elizabeth is present, age 14, but there is also two additional daughters. Rosie, age 12 and Minnie, age 10. Later in 1901, we see an additional daughter, Hilda, age 10.
Both Otto and Laura were Roman Catholic with all their daughters raised within the Catholic church (as opposed to Ernest, Frederick and Charles who were Protestant). Most of the Toronto transplants can be found buried in Mount Hope Catholic cemetery.
Anna Nicholas
Anna Nicholas remained in London Ontario where she married Samuel Thomas Dunlop in 1877. Unlike her mother and sisters, she never relocated to Toronto, and may have drifted apart from the rest of the family. The Dunlop’s had five children (Edgar, Frederick, Oscar, Laura and Earl), but only Edgar had any grandchildren. Anna is clearly the daughter of Ernest as shown by her marriage record:
On 22 Mar 1877 at St Andrews in City (London), Middlesex Co, ONT, Samuel Dunlop, 22, residing London East, a Presbyterian, a potter, born London to Samuel Dunlop and Jane Wilson, married Annie Nicolas, 19, a Presbyterian, residing London East, born US to Earnest Nicolas & Nora Brown. Witnesses James Mills & Georgena Murray of London.
and by the detailed inscription on her gravestone:
ANNIE NICHOLES / BELOVED WIFE OF / SAMUEL T. DUNLOP / born in Rochester, N.Y. / DIED IN LONDON ONT. / AUGUST 26, 1939
Elizabeth Eleanor Nicholas
Elizabeth Eleanor Nicholas took Otto’s surname of Brunner. She never married, and ran a little dry goods store with her sister Hilda. Her exact birth date changed a lot over the years to make her progressively younger. Born 1867 in 1871-1891 census; born 1876 in 1901-1911 census. It may be because she used Otto Brunner as her father, and the family wanted her age to make sense.
Sophia Maria Nicholas
She went by “Minnie” and also went by her stepfather’s surname of Brunner. However, she is the daughter of Ernest Nicholas given the following Catholic church baptism record found in London Ontario:
Baptized: Sophia born two weeks ago of the lawful marriage of John Nicholas and Laura Brown. Sponsor Sophia Bush. Oct. 8th 1870 W.J. White
She married Frederick Lester Wynne, and they had one child, Elma, who lived to the ripe old age of 98 years. Dying on 17 Jul 1968, her obituary reported 4 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren. Undoubtedly, there are descendants to be found.
Mary Rose Nicholas
Known as Rose or Rosie, she married William F Smith in 1901. They had three children: Russell, Doreen and Hilda Smith. William’s Obituary indicates 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Her connection to Ernest is based on her marriage record. Note the reference to a Rochester birth and father name of Ernest N Brunner. Neither statement is correct, but it points to Ernest being the father.
On 9 Jun 1901 in Toronto, York, ONT, William F Smith, 26, a book binder, resident of Toronto, b. SCT to William Smith and Barbara Faicherie married Rose Brunner, 28, b. Rochester, to Ernest N Brunner and Helena Brown. RC service witnessed by Lizzie Brunner and George Somers of Toronto.
Her exact birth date is really hard to pinpoint: 1769 from the 1881 census, 1771 from the 1891 census, 23 Mar 1878 in 1901, and Mar 1873 in 1911. The 1878 date is probably a transcription error for 1873, so the birth date ranges from 1769 to 1873. Still, some questions remain given that she and Minnie are missing from the 1871 census and given that Nicholas potentially died in 1871.
Ernest Nicholas
So what does all this information about step-relatives tell us about Ernest Nicholas, our direct ancestor? A few additional documents have been located since Gordon Remington’s 1990 research.
| Document | Entry |
| 1857 Rochester City Directory | Nicholas, Ernest, blacksmith, h corner Baden and Hanover |
| 1871 Ontario death record | Hans Nichols, age 58, a laborer, affiliated with Ch of England, born Germany died on 15 Jun 1871 in London Middlesex ON of a natural death. Informant John Wilson, hotel keeper on Hamilton Road. |
| 1871 London Ontario City Directory | Nichols —, blacksmith, Simcoe |
| 1873 London Ontario City Directory | Nichols —, blacksmith, Simcoe north side, bet Waterloo and Wellington |
We can state with confidence that Ernest Nicholas was father of two boys (Frederick, Charles) by Charlotte Zieryacks and father of four daughters (Anna, Elizabeth, Minnie and Rose) by Laura Braun. The tree below summarized these findings. He died before 1875, likely on 15 Jun 1871 as Hans Nichols died per Ontario records. After the move to London, Ontario, he primarily used the name of Hans over Ernest, suggesting that Ernest had a middle name Johannes which shortens to Hans in German and John in English.
There is still information left to find. First, no German birth record has yet been located for either Ernest or Charlotte. Many records have come online, but Coberg is still not well represented. Second, the fate of Frederick Nicholas remains a mystery. Third, it would be fun to contact other descendants of Ernest to see what they know. Given the large number of aliases for Ernest Nicholas, continued research will be an ongoing challenge.
Ernest & Olive Nicklos
Ernest was a true “roughneck” oil man. Although born in Ontario, Canada, he spent much of his early years in the oil frontier of Galacia, Austria where he learned his craft as a teen. He married Olive Perkins, daughter of Jacob Perkins, one of his key mentors in the oil business. He struck out on his own in the Gulf of Mexico region of Tampico. During his career, he moved up the corporate ladder of Continental Oil before starting his own company, Nicklos Oil and Gas. Eventually, the family settled in Houston, Texas. His legend will be difficult to top. Many of the family fondly remember trips to Rancho Amigo in Hunt, Texas, home of the hundreds of Mettlach Beer Steins that he actively collected. Recently the tile and iron work done in the home has become the subject of study for others interested in the architecture of the time.
Here are the photos of Ernest, Olive and their young family in roughly chronological order
James & Isabella (McLeod) McDowell
Edith Nicklos, my great Aunt and the family historian of her time, wrote this family biography of James and Isabella (McLeod) McDowell:
“Jessie McDowell born on January 13, 1861 in London, Ontario, Canada. Daughter of James and Isabella McDowell. Her mother, an orphan, was brought at the age of 18 years from Inverness, Scotland by her Uncle William MacKenzie to Canada, her maiden name being Isabella McCloud. Her grandparents name was McKay and he was a sea captain. All came from Inverness or the Highlands. Isabella McCloud married James McDowell in London, Ontario. He too came from Scotland, but from Glasgow. When he married he owned a small hotel in London, Ontario. Isabella McDowell had five children – James, Samuel, Jessie, John and Sarah. Sarah married John Brown who had one son, Claire. John married, lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, had one son, Jack McDowell~ Son never married. Jessie McDowell married Charles Nicklos in London, Ontario. They had nine children.”
A rich record survives during this time in London, Ontario in terms of city directories, newspaper extracts, censuses, and maps that gives additional insight into the lives of the McDowell family. A cache of photographs was also been preserved (unfortunately James and Isabella were not part of the mix). So let us see how the above story survives under some scrutiny.
The 1861 and 1871 Canadian Censuses clearly shows the entire McDowell family including a 2 year old Jessie in 1861. The 1871 census includes tantalizing individuals “Colin McKay” and “Daniel McLeod” who may be connected with Isabella. Nothing more has been learned about her family. No Scottish birth record has yet been uncovered. Isabella came to Canada around 1841 which means she probably was left off the rolls of the useful 1841 Scottish Census. On James’ side, we see another McDowell family, led by John and Eliza McDowell. They about the same age, the family names are similar and they are engaged in the hotel business. John could be a brother to our James. Or not. This McDowell family claims Irish birth, and no definitive tie has been found. During the time 1855-1880, the two families are difficult to distinguish. They operate nearby hotels. However, by the 1881 census all the McDowells are gone from London Ontario. The other McDowell family has vanished. James, Isabella and son James have died. Jessie is married to Charles Nicklos, Samuel has left for Chicago and John is seeking his fortune in St Paul, MN. Only single Sarah McDowell, who is living with Charles and Jessie, remains.
The London city directories show the confusing McDowell picture (James and Isabella related family are printed in bold). Our James McDowell is running the City Hall Hotel, while the other John McDowell is running the Royal Arch Exchange Hotel and, later, the American Hotel. Later, our James and Isabella move locations to Talbot and York as proprietor of the Brock’s Hotel. Then a few years later Isabella, now widowed, moves to 71 Kings Street. Brock’s Hotel survived until the 2008 when it was burned mysteriously after efforts were made to perserve the old hotel. It is now a parking lot. 71 Kings Street now holds a massive apartment tower called “The Renaissance”, a fitting monument to the many years of McDowell hotel service.
| Year | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1857 | McDowell, James, proprietor of City Hall hotel, King n Richmond |
| McDowell, John, proprietor of Royal Arch Exchange Hotel, Ridout st. | |
| McDowell, John, captain London volunteer rifles, h Ridout | |
| 1864-65 | McDowell, Thomas, photographer, b Royal Arch Exchange |
| McDowell, John, proprietor Royal Arch Exchange, Ridout, foot of Market | |
| McDowell, Allen agent for Ross, Strange & Co., Dundas bt Richmond and Talbot | |
| McDowell, John, tavern keeper, h King, bt Talbot and Richmond | |
| McDowell, John, h cor Ridout and King | |
| 1866-67 | McDowell, James, messenger Provincial Telegraph Company, bds American Hotel |
| McDowell, James, prop City Hall Hotel, King | |
| McDowell, Mrs, American Hotel, cor King and Ridout | |
| 1868-69 | McDowell, Mrs. Eliza (wid John) boarding house, n e cor King and Ridout |
| McDowell, Thomas, artist, bds Mrs. Eliza McDowell’s | |
| 1871-1872 | McDowell, James, hotelkeeper, Talbot |
| McDowell, Thomas, painter, Talbot | |
| 1872-1873 | McDowell, Mrs. James, hotelkeeper, on Talbot west side, at York st, bet King & York |
| 1875 | McDowell George, trader, h. Clarence, s s, n North |
| McDowell Isabella, wid James, h King, s s, bet Ridout and Talbot | |
| McDowell James A, printer, bds King, s s, bet Ridout and Talbot | |
| MCDOWELL SAMUEL, proprietor Farmer’s Home, Adelaide, w s, cor Pall Mall | |
| 1877 | McDowell, Mrs. Isabella, widow James, 71 King |
| McDowell, James A., printer, 71 King | |
| McDowell, John, printer, bds 71 King | |
| McDowell, Samuel, machinist, bds 71 King |
There is also an interesting series of newspaper excerpts that are available online. Here are the McDowell related entries (again John & Isabella related family are printed in bold). We see that running a hotel can be hard work – taking verbal and physical abuse, stiffing the help. We see the death of Isabella and her son James. We also see a George McDowell is not a very nice guy (no indication that he is related – yet). However, the first entry is the most interesting. It implies that John McDowell of the other family may have been killed by a brother Samuel. If James and John were brothers, then we have uncovered an previously unknown family scandal.
| Name | Newspaper Date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|
| John & Samuel McDowel | 5 Sep 1865 | John, drunk, threatened to beat his wife, and his brother Samuel, also drunk, accompanied him home to prevent this, and in the argument, Samuel beat John with a club, and he died 2 Sep 1865 |
| Isabella McDowell | 4 June 1870 | A. Carr charged by Isabella McDowell with disorderly conduct and using abusive and insulting language. Accused did not appear – warrant issued for arrest. On 6 Jun, A. Carr fined $1.00 and costs or 21 day in jail for abuse of Isabella McDowell |
| Isabella McDowell | 22 Mar 1873 | charged by Susan McDonald with non-payment of wages. Case was settled out of court |
| George McDowel | 3 Apr 1874 | James Shaw charged on 2 Apr 1873 with assaulting George McDowell on the Market Square. Fined $5.00 |
| Samuel McDowell | 5 Mar 1875 | Joseph Stevenson charged by Samuel McDowell with assault. Settled on payment of costs. |
| Samuel McDowell | 14 Aug 1875 | landlord of the farmer’s Home tavern, charged a man named McKenna with stealing his dog, valued at $10. He was fined $9.90 with costs. |
| Fanny McDowell | 26 Feb 1878 | Fanny McDowell died 25 Feb 1878, age 7 yrs, daughter of George and Sarah McDowell |
| James McDowell | 5 Jun 1879 | James R. McDowell of London, age 31, died on 4 Jun 1879 |
| William James McDowell | 29 Nov 1879 | married on 19 Nov 1879 to Elizabeth Adams, daughter of John Adams of Kencardine |
| George McDowell | 23 Jan 1880 | charged with turning a horse out to die on the commons of Kenzington which drowned 2 days later |
| James Alexander McDowell | 29 Mar 1880 | died in this city on 27 Mar 1880, age 27 |
| Isabella McDowell | 24 May 1880 | Isabella McDowell, age 57, died 22 May 1880, in this city, relict of Jas. McDowell, fun. from res. brother-in-law, 521 Simcoe St. |
THE SIBLINGS OF JESSIE (McDOWELL) NICKLOS
John B McDowell
The record indicates he moved to St Paul Minnesota around 1880’s and worked in the newspaper printing business. After a first marriage in 1889 where he helped raised a stepdaughter, Ada, John then remarried Susanna Zimmer. They had one son, John B McDowell, who stayed in the newspaper business. John married Myrtle Peehl around 1941 and they had 3 children in St. Paul before moving Washington state (date unknown). So it appears that our family history is wrong, and that there may be remaining cousins out there.
Samuel McDowell
Samuel was kind of an enigma. No records are identified for him in Chicago or Ontario after the 1871 Census until his newspaper obituary in 1931. His death certificate indicated that he has been in Canada for 35 yrs which means he could have left Chicago as early as 1896. His obituary and death certificate make prominent mention of his pension. Here is his newspaper obituary
SAMUEL M’DOWELL WAS OLD-TIME FIREMAN
Chicago Veteran Was Born in London and Lived Here 12 Years
Samuel McDowell, a resident of St. Thomas for the past twelve years, died in the Memorial Hospital, Friday afternoon, after a week’s illness. He was 75 years of age. Mr. McDowell was a native of London, Ont., until 1880, when he went to Chicago. There he was connected with the Chicago fire department. After being pensioned by the department he came to St. Thomas to visit his old friend and life-long pal, R.D. Elslie, and decided to remain here. He boarded at the Iroquois Hotel. Mr. McDowell was a member of the Masonic order in Chicago. A sister, Mrs. Nicholas, resides in Glendale, California, and another sister in Oklahoma [probably should read “Oregon”]. The remains have been taken to the P.R. Williams and Son funeral home. Funeral arrangements will not be completed until Mrs. Nicholas is heard from.
From “The St. Thomas Times-Journal” 27 Mar 1931 (Jim Nicklos Scrapbook)
Sarah (McDowell) Brown
In the 1881 Census, Sarah is living with Charles and Jessie Nicklos. By 1900, she is recently married to John O. Brown, and living in Butte County, CA. Not sure what happened to her between those dates. She had one son, Claire, born somewhere in Canada, then the family settled in Josephine County, Oregon around 1909. Claire, who remained in Oregon, married Mary Raypholtz in 1932. No evidence of any children. No one was around to add his birth & death plate to the metal grave marker. It remains blank.
