Julia Ziegler Schmidt Cassebeer

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Julia Ziegler Schmidt Cassebeer(b. December 28, 1855, in New York City, d. May 11, 1921, in Steinway, Long Island, New York), whose full name was Johanna Dorothee (or Doretta) Juliane, was a daughter of Doretta Steinway and Jacob Ziegler, hence William Steinway's niece.  On September 23, 1875, she married  Constantin Schmidt, a stationer.   After being widowed in 1885, in 1891 she married Henry Adolph Cassebeer, a pharmacist in New York City, the widower of her sister Anna Louise (Lizzie)(1)(2) 

William’s mentions of Julia in The Diary were largely to note social events.(Diary, 1873-11-15, 12-27, 1891-08-29, 1894-03-10)  He reported on her wedding(Diary 1875-09-23) and the arrivals of her children.(Diary, 1881-09-06, 1885-02-02)  Julia’s husband, Constantin, operated a stationery shop at 33 Broad Street in Manhattan until the time of his death in 1885.(4) During their marriage they lived in Astoria (Diary, 1878-06-27) and in a house at 1004 Fourth Avenue (Diary, 1880-12-28). William was in Germany with the family when Julia, also in Germany, received information that Constantin had died in Sonnenberg (Diary, 1885-08-29). William’s brother Theodore rushed to Sonneberg and reported “that Const. Schmidt walked out of the 3d story window and was dead instantly.”(Diary,1885-08-31) which suggested that suicide was possibly the cause.(Diary, 1885-08-29, 1886-03-12)

Constantin left Julia with three children under the age of ten:  Herman Constantin Schmidt (b. July 11, 1876, in New York City; d. November 24, 1939, in San Francisco), Paul Henry Schmidt (b. October 11, 1878, in New York City; d. June 23, 1950, in Coronado, CA.),  and Gertrude Schmidt (b. February 2, 1885, in Long Island City, New York; d. May 20, 1968, in New York City).  A fourth child predeceased Constantin: J. R. Walter Schmidt (b. September 6, 1881, in New York City; d. April 1, 1882, in New York City).

On June 27, 1891, Julia married her brother-in-law Henry A. Cassebeer who had been left a widower on the death of Julia's sister, Anna Louise (Lizzie), in January of 1890, and therefore responsible himself for the care of four minor children.   Julia’s marriage to Henry produced no children.  Julia survived a bout of typhoid fever(Diary, 1892-11-15, 11-27) With seven children, they moved to a house on West 70th Street.(Diary, 1894-04-15). Julia, aunt to Henry’s children, assumed the role of mother for her sister's children in addition to her own.  So completely did the two families merge, that Julia was described in her obituary as the mother of her children plus her sister's four children: Julia Cassebeer, who had married Frederick Steinway, Dr Henry Cassebeer, Edwin Cassebeer, and Theodore Cassebeer, who at the time of her death was an expert piano builder and authority on veneers at Steinway and Sons.(3)(1)(3)(4)
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Sources:

1. “Died,” The New York Times, May 12, 1921, p. 14.
2. Maniha, Ken and Richard Riley, Steinway Family Genealogy
3. “T. Cassebeer, 63: Ex-Piano Official,” The New York Times, October 13, 1941, p. 17. 
4. US Passport Application, April 8, 1878