July 22, 1886 - March 13, 1956
My grandfather, Daniel Altre was born in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines on July 22, 1886.
Because he died twelve years before I was born, he has always been a rather mysterious and adventurous figure to me. By all accounts he was stern and exacting man, very proud of his appearance.
He was the son of Toribio Altre and Ysidora de la Cruz, and grandson of Pedro Altre and Dominga Ramos.
We believe that he was one of ten children, but we know only the name of a sister, Felipa and a brother, Graciano. We also have pictures of his nephews, Baldog and Domingo, a niece Maria Z. Altre, and cousin Moises. This however, is the extent to which I can presently document his family.
He passed the Civil Service Exam in the Philippines in 1905, and he served in the Philippine Constabulary from 1909-1912. In 1913, he joined the US Navy where he served for the next 33 years. He served in the 1917 Mexican Campaign, World War I and World War II, attaining the rank of Chief Steward.
November 24, 1901 - August 3, 1978
Daniel Altre married Alma Marija Maresch at the St. Petri Kirche in Riga, Latvia in 1924. Alma was the youngest daughter of the late Kark Friedrich EmilMaresch and his wife Wilhelmine Ulrike Bartels. She was the grand-daughter of Johann Gottlieb Bartels of Riga and Charlotte Christine Dorothea Tremper of Hessen-Nassau.
She had two sisters, Senta Maresch and Erna Maresch Hettelmann.
The Mareschs were part of the strong native German cultural presence in Latvia prior to World War II. The fact that this was a racially mixed marriage in a time of strict rules of moral conduct, their marriage itself is remarkable, especially as she was 15 years younger than her new husband.
My grandparents had three children; Marija, Daniel and Norma. Marija, my mother, is the only one of the three to have been born n Latvia. The Christmas before the war broke out, the family sailed on the "Bremen" from Hamburg, bound for their new home in Brooklyn NY. Because my grandfather was away for such long periods, my grandmother was left to raise three children almost alone in a new country, without knowing what had become of her family in war-torn Europe.
My grandparents moved the family to Rochester NY after the war, and they remained there for the rest of their lives. Their children all married over the years: my mother Marija married my father, Kenneth William Kerber, Daniel married Joanne Smahol, and Norma (also known as "Maus") married Harry Arthur Ashworth.
My grandfather was in good health as he entered his 60s, but he died in March 1956.
My grandmother was the only one of my grandparents I ever knew, and she became a strong influence on me growing up. She came to our house nearly every Sunday, and after parades in downtown Rochester during holidays, we would go to her apartment for lunch. She spoke broken English to her grandchildren, but mostly German to her own children. I remember her singing to us in German as children.
She died in August 1978.
They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Rochester NY.
Before I married in 1993, I added the Altre name to my last name to honor the Altre family, and because I believed myself to be the last of the Altre males.
In 1999, as I began my genealogical research, I found several other Altres in the US doing searches on the Internet. I sent out letters to the names that I found, and I was fortunate to receive a reply from Mr. Rodolfo (Rudy) Altre.
During the course of our correspondence, I learned that Rudy's family is from Lingayen, the same town as my grandfather. We have no doubt that our families are related; it is simply a matter of finding out how.
I have also corresponded with Rizalino (Zaling) Altre of Mandaluyong, Philippines. His father Jose was my grandfather's nephew, making Zaling my second cousin.
I am using this page to be a call to any and all members and relatives of the Altre family to contact me so that we may once again establish our family ties.
Look for more updates, and more information about the Altre families in the months to come!
Joel Altre-Kerber
7/4/00
SITTING: Joel Altre-Kerber, Jane Altre-Kerber
STANDING: Gretchen Kerber, Kenneth Kerber, Marija Altre Kerber, Harry Arthur Ashworth, Norma "Maus" Altre Ashworth, Joanne Altre, Daniel Altre, Jennifer Altre, Kirsten Kerber, Napoleon John Kerber, Ursula Kerber
NOT PICTURED: Daniel Kerber