Tracing the life of Philip Florsheim, a German immigrant shoe and boot merchant.
We assisted with a project for another genealogy society that documents the lives of German immigrants. We conducted a basic six-hour paper trail on Philip Florsheim, a German immigrant born in 1845 in Romrod, Hesse, Germany. He came to the United States in 1855. The Florsheim family later built a very successful business in the boot and shoe industry in Chicago. Our team volunteered to conduct research and pull records for the genealogy society. We were very honored and excited to take part in this project.
Philip Florsheim is listed in the 1870 census with his parents. His occupation is recorded as a boots and shoe dealer, and his personal estate is valued at $5,000, which is equivalent to approximately $125,000 to $135,000 in today’s dollars.
Philip Florsheim is listed in the 1880 census living with his brother-in-law. His occupation is recorded as a boot and shoe mercht
Philip Florsheim is listed in the Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856–1991, with a record dated May 1, 1891.
In the 1880s Chicago city directory, Philip Florsheim is listed in Chicago with his brother Henry.
Chicago Tribune, 1894. Newspaper article providing insight into the life of Philip Florsheim
Passport application of Philip Florsheim