Biography of Bernard and Margaret (Graham) Zoeller

Zoeller Book

Bernard "Ben" and Margaret (Graham) Zoeller

of Pittsburgh

Bernhard's signature

1866 - Born presumably in Pittsburgh, the son of Phillip Georg and Margaret (Keinert) Zoeller, and the first child after the father's return from the Civil War.

-- Wife Margaret Graham also born in 1866.

1888 - Married Margaret Graham.

189? - Son Howard S. Zoeller born on May 17. See below for more.

1892 - Listed as an “Engraver” in the Pittsburgh City Directory.

1893 - Daughter Hazel E. Zoeller born March 8, 1893.

1897 - Daughter Kathryn M. Zoeller born on Jan. 18, 1897. She later married Charles G. Crossman (1895-1974), a U.S. Army veteran of World War I.

1899 - Son Phillip B. Zoeller born on Feb. 5 in Pittsburgh. See below for more.

1906 - Resided in Pittsburgh at the death of his father. In the 1906 Pittsburgh City Directory, was listed as a “beltmaker” and resided at 240 3 rd Avenue.

1910 - Resided in Pittsburgh at the death of his mother.

1920 - Resided in Pittsburgh at the time of the US Census. Occupation listed as a “Belt Man.” His wife had no occupation.

1920 - Son Phillip B. Zoeller married Freda Coutts on Aug. 28. At the time, Phillip resided at 111 Oak Street in Pittsburgh and worked as a clerk. She was born in 1898 in Monongahela, PA; resided at 821 Timberlin; was the daughter of Donald and Ottilia (Harris) Coutts. Freda's father was born in Scotland and was a “stationery engineer,” and her mother was born in Germany. See marriage license Series L, #21200.

Obituary, 1947

1930 - When the federal census was taken, Bernard and Margaret made their home on Oak Road in Pittsburgh. Also in their household were unmarried daughter Hazel (age 32) and single sisters Margaret Zoeller (age 70) and Julia W. Zoeller (age 68). Bernhard's occupation was listed as "repairman - leather belts." Daughter Hazel's employment was given as "stenographer - office."

1932 - Bernard wrote and signed his will, naming his wife Margaret as executrix.

1947 - Jan. 16 – Bernhard died at 3:25 a.m. at home at 2102 Whited Street, Overbrook. Survived by wife Margaret, children Howard S. Zoeller, Hazel E. Zoeller, Philip B. Zoeller and Kathryn Crossman, and five grandchildren. Funeral services at Beinhauer Mortuary, 2630 West Liberty Avenue. Obituary published in the Pittsburgh Press , Jan. 17, 1947 (page 32).

-- Orphans Court No. 493 of 1947 – lists assets of $7,940 in stock of Columbia Gas and Electric Corporation, Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, Crucible Steel Company of America. Wife Margaret lived at 2102 Whited Street, son Philip at 1300 Wisconsin Avenue in Dormont, son Howard at 4004 Grizelle Street on the North Side, daughter Kathryn at R.D. #3 Turtle Creek, and daughter Hazel at 2102 Whited Street.

-- Aug. 27 – Wife Margaret died on Aug. 26, 1947, at 8:55 o'clock, in her 80 th year. Resided at 3616 Perrysville Avenue. Funeral services at Beinhauer Mortuary, 2630 West Liberty Avenue. Obituary published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug. 27, 1947 (page 20). Named Philip Zoeller as administrator of her estate. See Allegheny County, PA, Proceedings Index 67, page 194.

Graves of Bernard and Margaret Zoeller at Allegheny County Memorial Park in Allison Park, PA

Distant cousin Liz (Zoeller) Miner at the Zoeller grave plot at Allegheny County Memorial Park in 2009. Click to email her.

1972 - Son Howard died on April 16. Funeral held at Brandt Funeral Home in Perrysville, near Pittsburgh. Not found in the Allegheny County Estate Index. Notes on his life: he married Alice Bolster (1897-1978) and had one child, Marion (Zoeller) Brown. Fred E. Zoeller remembers that Howard was a cousin, that Howard attended Fred's wedding, and lived in Wexford, PA. Fred still has a glass ice bowl that Howard gave as a wedding gift. At the death of Howard's wife Alice, she was residing at 557 Southern Avenue in the Mt. Washington section of Pittsburgh. She died Dec. 11, 1978 at age 81, and her obituary was in the Pittsburgh Press (microfilm reel #N-51 at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh). Circa 1978, daughter Marion Brown resided in Ross Twp. near Pittsburgh and had two sons, Jeffrey S. Brown of California and James A. Brown of Ross Township.

Alice's obituary, 1978

1974 - Son in law Charles G. Crossman died on the Fourth of July. He was laid to rest in the Zoeller plot at Allegheny County Memorial Park.

1976 - Son Phillip B. Zoeller died at age 77 in March in Florida. Nothing further known.

1976 - Daughter Kathryn (Zoeller) Crossman died on Sept. 14, 1976. She was buried with her parents at Allegheny County Memorial Park.

1981 - Daughter Hazel E. Zoeller died on July 11, 1981, at the age of 88. She resided in the Bethel Park section of Pittsburgh, zip code 15102. The source for this is the Pittsburgh Press obituary of her sister-in-law, Alice (Bolster) Zoeller, and the Social Security Death Index. She was buried in her parents' plot at Allegheny County Memorial Park.