Max H. Koch

Need Image of Max please

Born: 1850 in Germany

Death: May 9th 1933

In the late 1880’s Max decided to move his family from Chloride New Mexico, a silver mining town that was becoming “mined out”. He decided to on White Oaks due to its fast growing popularity. Max once in White Oaks wasted no time and soon became one of White Oaks trusted builders, photographers, and undertakers.

Spouse & Children

Max Koch married Alice Jan 28th, 1888

Some of his Photographs link here

A Day in the life of Max Koch Story: A Day in the life of Max Koch

The below taken from http://genealogytrails.com/newmex/quay/bios.html

M. H. Koch, funeral director and embalmer of Tucumcari, was born in the city of New Strelitz, Germany, on the 28th of February, 1850, a son of Ludwig and Bertha (Ruegg) Koch, the former born in New Strelitz in 1813, while the latter was a native of Switzerland. The father followed building carpentry as well as cabinet work and died in New Strelitz in 1874. He was a strong democrat politically, as opposed to the aristocrats, or nobility. He never served in the army, but was a member of the Civic Guards.

His son, M. H. Koch, was graduated from the high school at New Strelitz in 1867. He then took up his father’s occupation of house building and cabinet making, which he followed in his native country until the summer of 1868, when he landed in New York. After spending a short time with relatives in the east he made his way westward, working in Indiana and in Chicago, but soon returned to New York, where he followed his vocation for about two years. However, close association with relatives and the people of his own nationality offered him little opportunity for advancement and under such conditions there was but one prospect in view, to be a shop hand for all time. Besides, the daily grind was becoming monotonous and, desirous of seeing the world, he embarked for New Orleans. Arriving in the Crescent city, he found it was the season in which yellow fever was to be expected and rather than face that he continued his journey into southern and southwestern Texas, where he worked for a little more than four years. Desiring to see the old folks at home once more, he traveled as far as New York, only to learn that great changes had taken place in Germany recently, making the trip across the ocean useless.

Not liking the east, Mr. Koch crossed the continent to California and Nevada in order to learn what that section of the country was like. After working in Nevada for two years he was offered an inducement to go into business in western Pennsylvania, where he purchased an interest in a furniture and undertaking business. Through the extravagance of a partner, however, this proved unprofitable, so he disposed of his interest and, unable longer to withstand the lure of the west, he arrived at San Marcial, New Mexico, in February, 1881, the point to which the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad was then open for traffic. From that point he continued on to Engle and finally settled at Chloride, New Mexico, where he established himself in the building, furniture and undertaking business. He was forced to leave there in 1893, after silver was demonitized, for the place was a silver camp. Sacrificing all of his investments, he removed to White Oaks, where again he worked his way upward, establishing himself once more in the building and undertaking business. The year 1905 also proved disastrous for the mines were shut down and the new towns along the railroad drew the trade away from White Oaks. With what little could be saved from the wreck he then turned to Tucumcari, where he opened an exclusive undertaking establishment, only doing picture framing as a side line.

Fraternally Mr. Koch affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, is a member of the Eastern Star and also of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is identified with the Presbyterian church. He is the oldest undertaker in the state and is serving his fifth year on the state board of embalming, of which he has been and yet is secretary and executive officer and of which he will be president the coming year. He maintains an independent attitude on state and local politics but is a republican on national issues, and he believes in the principle, possibly through inheritance, of the equality of all people, which is one of the many reasons why he finds himself a resident of the United States.

[The Leading Facts of New Mexico History, Vol III, 1917; transcribed by cddd]

Newspaper Clippings

Lincoln County Ownership

 

Results for your Search by Grantee: KOCH M H
For official copies of documents, please visit the County office.

 

Type Grantee Rec Book Page # Filed Grantor Instrument Description Doc#
WD KOCH M H 1 M 276 1 18941126 SLACK J B 18941122   189410276
  Track Unit Block 10 Lot 2 Parcel PART WHITE OAKS O P       189410276
WD KOCH M H 1 M 309 1 18950731 BAWMAN LILLIE MARY E 18950727   189510309

See Interactive Map  Ownership

Ancestry.com

  • LISTED 
Find A Grave

 


The Professional and Amateur Photographer, Volume 5 Jan 1900

Timeline of Max Koch in White Oaks
First Entry for Koch in Tucumcari New Mexico

 

 

Below shows Tucumcari

 

See Max’s Photo Gallery on White Oaks Ave

To view all of Koch’s mention in the Tucumari newspaper press here

1900 Census for Max Koch


1910 Census for Max Koch

Field Notes

1900 census of White Oaks shows Max a carpenter living with his wife Alice next door to Edward Queen and John Hewitt house on Franklin Street with him were his two children daughter Edna a born November 1888 New Mexico daughter Merle born June 1894 new mexico

1910 census shows M H Koch 60 years old is Undertaker living in Tucumcari New Mexico he was born in 1850 in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1868 with him was his wife Alice  who was born in New York is 47 years old and his two daughters as listed before Edna and Merle

Wife Alice dies in 1914 is buried in Tucumcari

1920 census shows M H Koch widower 69 years old retired living in Tucumcari with him are still his two daughters Merle is now a stenographer Edna has no job

1930 finds max Koch  father-in-law 80 years old living with Curtis Davis 38 and his wife Merle Davis 36 in Montoya Quay County New Mexico she was married to him in 1925 and  1930 he was a railroad agent living in a rented house rent $20 a month they had one son John Davis born in Texas in 1929

Edna is now married to James rice living in Houston Texas he has a men’s Clothier they have a. Son James L who was born in 1919

Find a grave reports Alice  born 1862 died 1914 age 51 Edna rice born June 26th 1887 died August 1st 1960 Max H Koch born 1850 died 1933 aged 82 merle Davis born 1894 in New Mexico died 1938 age 43 all buried in Tucumcari Cemetery

Research is ongoing to find a living relative to try to find max photography if it still exists. If anyone reading this can help with obtain Max Koch’s photograph, please contact me via the contact page. Thanks!

Some of Koch’s Photography below



Authors Note:

  • Max had set up shop in two New Mexico frontier towns only to be forced out due to the towns collapse. In moving to Tucumcari he solved his main. problem, that town had a railroad and was just starting up when Max moved the family from White Oaks. This move rewarded him and his family. They had a business, and an owned home above. The two girls Merle and Edna played the violin, Merle also was a dancer. Combined with Max’s love of photography the family was artistic. refined, well traveled. well respected in Tucumcari.  The girls had a bond with the Mayer and Taliaferro families in White Oaks that continued for  many years. One can sense Max and Alice wanted the best for their girls and were successful in that effort. The Max Koch story of finding success after White Oaks is uplifting and rare. The authors raise their glasses in a toast to Max and his family, 
     
    Gone but thanks to this site not forgotten