Résumé

Apprentice watchmaker, perhaps with his father Charles H. Gottschalk, San Francisco, CA, c. 1880. At age 16, Charles had entered this watchmaking apprenticeship. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 79; Page: 141a; Enumeration District: 206, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Partner, Strange and Gottschalk, Architects, Pasadena, CA, 1888. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1888, p. 1011.)

Draftsman, Curlett and McCaw, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1900. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1900, p. 736.) and

Draftsman, William Curlett, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1901-1904. (SeeCrocker-Langley San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1901, p. 755 and Crocker-Langley San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1904, p. 782.)

Draftsman, Curlett and Son, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1908. (See Crocker-Langley San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1908, p. 764.)

Principal, Charles E. Gottschalk, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1909- . It appears that Gottschalk operated his own firm from 1909 onward, but that he also assisted his long-time employer, William Curlett, until the latter's death in 1914. In 1908, Curlett made his son a partner in the firm of William Curlett and Son, and Gottschalk probably left soon after this change occcurred. Gottschalk's name was listed as having his own architectural practice in the San Francisco City Directory, 1909, but his office was in the Phelan Building, the same as that of William Curlett and Son. He may have worked on his own projects but continued to assist William Curlett while he was still alive. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1911, p. 1785.)The Los Angeles City Directory, 1913, (p. 531), indicated that three people managed William Curlett and Son's Los Angeles office: William Curlett, Aleck Curlett and C. E. Gottschalk.

In 1917 and 1919, Gottschalk had an office in Room #958 of the Phelan Building #2, 760 Market Street, in San Francisco. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1919, p. 679.)

Relocation

The architect Charles Edward Gottschalk lived for most of his life in San Francisco, CA. His parents Charles Hubert Gottschalk and Eliza Betcke were both German by birth, and his father immigrated to the US by about 1849. Charles Hubert spent a few years living in New York, NY, before relocating to Dubuque, IA, by about 1860. It is not clear if Charles married Eliza in NY or whether this occurred in IA. The Gottschalks remained in IA for a short time and had moved to San Francisco by the time Charles Edward Gottschalk was born in 1865. In 1866, his family resided at 12 Sutter Street in San Francisco as per 1866 voting records for his father Charles Hubert Gottschalk. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 41; FHL Roll Number: 977096, accessed 08/04/2025.)

The US Census of 1870 indicated that his father was prosperous, owning $9,000 worth of real estate, and holding a personal estate of $8,000. This was a greater amount of wealth than most immediate neighbors who lived in the city's sixth ward. At this time, the neighborhood consisted mostly of native-born citizens and immigrants from the British Isles. In neighboring blocks, however, some quite wealthy people lived close by, some of whom had retired to San Francisco, who had made their money in lumber dealing, bookselling, saloon-keeping, cigar sales, clothing sales and farming. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: San Francisco Ward 6, San Francisco, California; Roll: M593_81; Page: 119B, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Ten years later in 1880, the Gottschalks lived at 1612 Post Street in San Francisco. The household included his parents Charles and Eliza, and their children Olga, Charles, Louis, Emil, Otto, Dora and Adolph. Their immediate neighborhood consisted of many more German-speaking people, immigrants from various states in Germany, most notably from Prussia. (See Ancestry.om, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 79; Page: 141a; Enumeration District: 206, accessed 08/04/2025.)

C.E. Gottschalk lived in Pasadena, CA, in 1888, living at the Southern Hotel there. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1888, p. 940.)

He appears to have resided in IL c. 1896, where his daughter, Doris, was born.

In 1900, Charles E. Gottshalk lived at 132 Albion Avenue in San Francisco, CA. Adolph, Charles H., and Otto Gottschalk all involved in the watchmaking trade, lived nearby at 157 Albion. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1900, p. 736 andAncestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0099; FHL microfilm: 1240102, accessed 10/24/2018.)

The architect made his home at 765 Cole Street in San Francisco, between 1903 and 1905. (See Crocker-Langley San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1905, p. 793.)

Gottschalk lived at 1546 Waller Street in San Francisco, CA, in 1908-1913. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1908, p. 764 and San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1913, p. 776.)

In 1919, Gottschalk lived at740 24th Avenue in San Francisco, CA.(See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1919, p. 679.)

The architect died at age 64 years and approximately two months of age in San Francisco. He was buried at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, CA.

Parents

His father was also Charles Hubert Gottschalk (born 08/11/1833 in Bad Ems, Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany-d. 05/24/1912 in Mountain View, CA), who immigrated from Germany in 1849, as noted in the 1900 US Census. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0099; FHL microfilm: 1240102, accessed 10/24/2018.)

Charles H. Gottschalk first lived in New York, NY, right after landing. Possibly by the late 1850s, Charles Gottschalk had moved to IA, where he likely married Elizabeth "Eliza" Betcke (also written "Elise" in German, born 10/17/1835 in Schwerin, Mecklenburg, Germany-d. 08/16/1919 in San Francisco, CA) by about 1860. Eliza had arrived in New York City about nine years after Charles, on 11/01/1858, aboard the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft's SS Borussia. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897; Microfilm Serial or NAID: M237; RG Title: Records of the U.S. Customs Service; RG: 36, accessed 08/04/2025 and and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Staatsarchiv Hamburg; Hamburg, Deutschland; Hamburger Passagierlisten; Volume: 373-7 I, VIII A 1 Band 012; Page: 651; Microfilm No.: K_1706, accessed 08/04/2025.)

In 1860, Charles and Eliza resided as a married couple in Dubuque, IA, where Charles worked as a watchmaker. They boarded with a woman, Sarah D. Seymour (born c. 1810 in CT) and Eliza's older sister Augusta Betcke (born c. 1834 in Mecklenburg, Germany). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa; Roll: M653_320; Page: 90; Family History Library Film: 803320, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Charles and Eliza remained in IA for only a short time. They moved to San Francisco, CA, by about 1865. An 1866 San Francisco voter registration roll indicated that Charles was made a naturalized US citizen on 01/19/1854 in Common Pleas Court in New York, NY. (Another document indicated that a "Charles Gottschalk," likely not the same man, had been naturalized in Davenport, IA, on 01/24/1859. This Charles Gottschalk in Davenport was 40 years old when he enlisted in the Civil War, making him about ten years too old, and he worked as an "agent" not a watchmaker. See Ancestry.com, Source Information Iowa, U.S., Records of Persons Subject to Military Duty, 1862-1910 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020, accessed 08/04/2025 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; ARC Title: Petitions For Naturalization For the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950; NAI Number: M1285; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; Record Group Number: Rg 85, accessed 08/04/2025.) This 1866 San Francisco voter registration roll indicated that the elder Charles worked as a stone cutter, although this may have been an error.

By 1870, Charles Hubert Gottschalk again worked as a watchmaker, and the 1880 and 1900 US Censuses confirmed that he continued in that line of work. (See Ancestry.om, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 79; Page: 141a; Enumeration District: 206, accessed 08/04/2025 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 102; Page: 4; Enumeration District: 0099, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Eliza had ten children, seven of whom survived in 1900. She managed this large household and faced the loss of three offspring. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0099; FHL microfilm: 1240102, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Charles's siblings included: Olga Gottschalk (born 07/1860 in IA-d. 10/12/1933 in Alameda County, CA); Alice Gottschalk (born 04/17/1862 in IA-d. 05/31/1869 in San Francisco, CA); Louis Gottschalk (born 09/1869 in CA-d. 01/02/1934 in Marin County, CA); Emil Henry Gottschalk (born 04/1871 in San Francisco, CA-d. 07/02/1932 in Oakland, CA); Otto Gottschalk (born 06/21/1873 in CA-d. 06/21/1956 in Alameda County, CA); Dora Gottschalk (born 08/1875 in San Francisco, CA-d. 05/14/1965 in CA); and Adolph Gottschalk (born 07/25/1877 in CA-d. 05/18/1965 in San Francisco, CA).

Louis Gottschalk became an attorney who represented his brother's architectural firm, Strange and Gottschalk, in the case, Davies-Henderson Lumber Company v. Gottschalk et al., (81 Cal 641, Supreme Court of California, decided 12/04/1889).

Adolph Gottschalk became a surgeon in the San Francisco Emergency Hospital by 1919. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1919, p. 679.)

Emil Gottschalk managed E. Gottschalk and Company in San Francisco, a general merchandise business. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1919, p. 679.)

Spouse

Gottschalk married at least twice. He married Lilias H. Vermilion (born c. 1860 in Evansville, IN) on 08/02/1888 in Pasadena, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California Department of Public Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images, accessed 10/24/2018.) This marriage failed rather rapidly, likely by 1891.

He next wed Alice M. Kenyon (born 02/21/1872 in Hartford, CT-d. 04/05/1935) on 08/06/1892 in Alameda County, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1850-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 08/04/2025.)

In 1930, after Charles's death in 1929, Alice resided at 120 Hudson Street in Redwood City, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Redwood City, San Mateo, California; Page: 28B; Enumeration District: 0050; FHL microfilm: 2339952, accessed 08/04/2025.)

Children

Charles had a son with Lilias Vermilion, David Sinton Gottschalk (who went by the surname "Vermilion," born 03/09/1890 in Pasadena, CA-d. 06/21/1948 in Los Angeles, CA). Given that he used the surname Vermillion rather than Gottschalk, one might surmise that he had worse relations with his father than his mother or her family. He lived with his maternal grandmother Artemesia Sinton Vermilion (born 1830 in OH-d. 10/26/1920 in Los Angeles, CA) at 11 Chester Place in Los Angeles in 1910 and 1920. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 71, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T624_82; Page: 11a; Enumeration District: 0201; FHL microfilm: 1374095, accessed 08/04/2025 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Los Angeles Assembly District 75, Los Angeles, California; Roll: T625_115; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 443, accessed 08/04/2025.) Chester Place was Los Angeles County's first gated sub-division, home to the Doheny Family and other very wealthy people.

He and Alice had a daughter, Doris E. Gottshalk (born 05/06/1896 in IL-d. 10/02/1988 in Santa Clara County, CA).

Biographical Notes

According to 1892 Santa Clara County voter registration indicated that Charles E. Gottschalk, at age 28, stood 5-feet, 7-and-½-inches tall. He was Caucasian with gray eyes and brown hair. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 125; FHL Roll Number: 977289, accessed 08/04/2025.)

• San Francisco, CA (Architect's Death)
  San Francisco, CA

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