General Notes

17 Aug 1867, Johann Peter Heinrich Dittmer (or Henry), the son of Henry a farmer was born in Diersbüttel, Rehlingen, Germany and went to school at Rehlingen (a 40 minute walk).

In 1874, when Johann Heinrich Christoph Dittmer married Magdalena Heuer, Johan’s father was also Johann Heinrich, farmer (deceased), so Chris and Henry are very likely to be brothers.

In 1886, Henry arrived in the UK from Germany, probably travelling from Hanover to Hull.  There is a Heinrich Dittmer arrived at Hull 12 Aug 1854 on the Britannia from Hamburg, but this Heinrich was a ships cook.  Another Heinrich arrived at Hull from Hamburg in 1887, but this Heinrich appears to have continued his journey to the USA.

Christian Westpfahl and Sophia Duncacke had come to Liverpool about 1882 but only married in Liverpool March 1888.  The 1883 birth records for daughter Bertha shows he had already married Sophia, presumably in Germany before he came to England.  Friederike Westphal who Henry was to marry in 1892 was his landlord’s daughter, but she wasn’t in England in 1891 at the time of the census.

In 1891, Henry Dittmer (23 and single) and Peter Gellerson (47) from Hanover were lodging at 89 Opic Street, North Everton, Liverpool.  The head of house was Christian Westpfahl and his wife Sophia (46 & 39) and daughters Betha (8) and Merri (5).  Both men were labourers at the sugar refinery; hard, hot and sometimes dangerous work!

28 Feb 1892, Henry Dittmer (24), son of Henry a farmer, married Friedericke Westphal (22), daughter of Christian Westphal a sugar refiner at All Saints, Liverpool.  Both were living a 2 Great Nelson Street.  Their marriage witnesses were Charles and Bertha Heinz. 

Ather they married Henry and Freda lived at Opic Street, North Everton, Liverpool.

In 1893, the family were living at 104 Opic Street, North Everton when Harry was born. 

In 1894, Henry was listed in Kelly's directory as a "Sugar Boiler", living at 104 Opic Street, South Side.

In 1897, the family were living at 104 Opic Street when son Harry started school at St Peter's COE School, Sackville Street, Everton, aged 4.

About 1901 Henry returned to Germany for 2 weeks to visit his sister (her name not disclosed) in Diersbuttel, Germany (which is also where Henry went to public school).

In 1901, Henry and Friederike (33 & 31) were living at 4 Brunswick Road, Drypool, Hull, Yorkshire with their son Harry (aged 8).  Henry was a labourer at the Oil Mill (probably the historic Isis Oil Mill and Silo at Morley Street next to the River Hull).

In 1911, Henry and Frederika (aged 42 & 41 and both German subjects) and were living with their son Harry (18) at 56 Mossman Street, Windhill, Shipley, Yorkshire.  They had been married 19 years and only had the one child.  Henry was a labourer on a Sewage Farm for the municipal corporation.

Around 1914 to 1918, during WW1, Henry was interned on the Isle-of-Man.

In 1921, Henry and Fredericka were at Idle, North Bierley, West Yorkshire.

In April 1927, after the war and living in the UK for 41 years, Henry applied to be a UK citizen.

In Sep 1939, Henry (DOB 17 Aug 1865), a retired Grease Boiler, and Friederike D (DOB 15 Feb 1870) were living at No.6 Doctor Lane, Idle.  This was a small stone terraced house with a shared WC at the end of the terrace. Freda died 20 Oct (just after the register was taken).

In 1939, after Freda’s death, my mother recalls that Henry and son Harry came to live in Devonshire Road, Upton for a while.  However, there wasn’t much space for him there so he went to live in lodgings at Glebe Park Rd (near Arrowe Park) for a while

About 1942 Henry moved to 34 Bankburn-Road, Tuebrook where he lived with some Dittmer relatives, possibly two old aunts.  My own DNA confirms we are related to the Liverpool Dittmer family.

30 July 1950 Peter Henry Dittmer (otherwise Henry) of 34 Bankburn-Road, Tuebrook, Liverpool 13 died at 42 Belmont Road, Liverpool 6.  He left his estate of £231 to his son "Harry Dittmer (the elder) engineer".