Ferdinand married Teresa Rottkamp. Teresa was born on 1 Apr 1927 in New York, USA; died on 29 Jan 2012; was buried in Melville Cemetery, Melville, Suffolk County, New York, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ferdinand married Mary Froehlich. Mary (daughter of John Frank Froehlich and Therese M. Rose) was born on 26 Apr 1898 in New York, USA; died on 11 Apr 1974 in Nassau County, New York, USA; was buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Elmont, Nassau County, New York, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Written by Ed Wesnofske

"Bernard and Caroline Rottkamp had a large family in their Foster's Meadow domain. Not unusual for the time, but tragically never-the-less, there were two infant deaths and two adolescent deaths. Despite these deaths, there were ten surviving children who married (and were to procreate 103 births for the next generation!).

Less than half a mile away as the crow flies from the Rottkamps homestead on Foster's Meadow Road (and 3/4 mile following the dirt path off Central Avenue into the Town of Jamaica) was the Frank and Madeline Froehlich family. There, the two oldest sons Frank and George found romance with two daughters of Bernard Rottkamp. Caroline married Frank January 16, 1883. Elizabeth married Frank March 2, 1886. By 1894, the Froehlichs joined the Wulforst, Muller, Haslach, Miller, Schmitt, and Jacob families as spouses of nine of the ten Rottkamp children.

The tenth and youngest child of Bernard and Caroline, daughter Anna Rottkamp (born 1875), was unmarried in 1894.

She caught the eye of John Froehlich (born 1867). He had already been married and become an early widower. His older brothers Frank and George already had Rottkamp wives.

Anna became sweet on John as did John on Anna. And the romance proceeded forward enough that the community was of a mind that the forthcoming marriage would be the social occasion of the year.

On July 4, 1894, farmer John dressed for the occasion of meeting his sweetheart and taking her to a picnic at Foster's Meadow sponsored by the Catholic Benevolent League.

He drove from Foster's Meadow toward Springfield Store along Central Avenue and when he arrived at the Rottkamp place, mother Caroline informed John Froehlich that daughter Anna had already gone to the picnic. Disturbed, John immediately went to the picnic and sought out Anna.

John asked for an explanation on why he was stood up. Anna replied in the midst of a surprised audience with a curt "I will have nothing more to do with you, sir. I have found you have deceived me ".

The community was ablaze in gossip for the following week about the to do between members of two families of status in the agricultural community. Was there another man in Anna's life?

Then after a week another rumor surfaced in the gossip circuit. John Froehlich was involved with another woman. The rumor pegged 17 year old Annie Brown of Hempstead Town as John's paramour. Born in New York of Irish parents no less, not German. The rumor reached John's ear.

John wasted no time. Over the next few days, he cleverly gathered conversation from others about all they had heard. He then sought out a lawyer William Stanford from Jamaica who saw to it that thirteen subpoenas were issued to young women and men of Foster's Meadow in an court action using the obscuring tactic naming one "John Doe". The subpoenas were the first inkling anyone in the community had that something was afoot although who "John Doe" remained unknown to most. The subpeonas were returnable July 13th in Justice Searing's court at Mineola.

As word spread of the possible meaning and identity of the "John Doe" action in the community, a number of the women subpoeaned lost no time in hurrying to cover their tracks by checking with their neighbors as to what they might have said and thus causing even more notice and stir about the affair.

On the day the case was to be heard, witnesses were accompanied to Mineola by Constable Henry Felton. The court hearing was packed by virtue of the story of the subpoenas being passed far and wide.

Justice Searing was observed as very serious and John Froehlich as looking angry during the hearing.

Questioning was done one by one and out of earshot of the other witnesses by John's lawyer and Justice Searing. The information provided by witnesses gave no conclusive answer as to who first whispered the rumor. All witnesses claimed to have heard the story of John's "other woman" from someone else and was not to have been the originator.

Without a clear answer, lawyer Stanford had a dozen more subpoenas issued to other members of Foster's Meadow society and the case was adjourned until July 18th.

After the first hearing, John Froehlich expressed his confidence that the additional finger pointing about the phony story of his love life that came out in the hearing would lead to justice.

On the day of the resumption of the hearing, additonal witnesses were questioned. Miss Annie Brown, who had been linked in the scandalous story to John, testified she was merely an acquaintance and nothing more and that she would sue her slanderers as well.

Mrs. Phillipa Finn, the wife of Arles Finn who farmed between Central Avenue and Dutch Broadway in Foster's Meadow, finally identified to the satisfaction of the Court the two women who started the tale. The two had previously been examined at the first hearing and as a consequence, Justice Searing issued arrest warrants for them.

Miss Annie Rottkamp was satisfied her lover's denial of the rumor was true and that he had been loyal to her and had proven it by his actions. The couple was reunited in love.

But the Triple Play of Rottkamps to Froehlichs was not to take place.

The couple would split again. John Froehlich would marry another lady eighteen months later. Anna Rottkamp would marry Jacob Jacobs in February 1896. "

John married Therese M. Rose on 29 Jan 1895 in Elmont, Nassau County, New York, USA. Therese was born on 15 Aug 1875 in New York, USA; died on 29 Nov 1939 in Elmont, Nassau County, New York, USA; was buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Elmont, Nassau County, New York, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]