Families: Dietrichs , Lienau and Booraem

Carolina de Jongh,believed to be the owner of photo album B, married widower Louis Koester in 1875 in Cette (Sète) in Southern France, a wine merchant born in Hanover. Louis had two children Charlotte and Louis (Stumpy) from his previous marriage with Sara Adeline (Addy) Dietrichs, daughter of Catherine van Giesen Booraem (1) and Francis Dietrichs (Diedrichs) maried around 1840 and living in the USA. Father Dietrichs died in 1844, his daughter in 1871. Louis and Caroline called their only child, Augusta Adeline Henriëtte, Addy , I believe in remembrance of his first wive. Caroline gave the photographs of his first wive a generous place in her album.


Believed to be Addy Koester - Dietrichs (+1871)

1) Van Giesen refers to Catherine van Giesen a girlhood friend of her mother Hannah Morrell. This naming custom is or was apparently a custom in the USA or at least in that family.

Stepfather Detlef Lienau (1818 – 1887)

Mother Catherine Van Giesen Booraem (1819-1861)

Detlef Lienau trained as an architect at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and emigrated to the USA in 1848. He is credited with having introduced the French style to American building construction Lienau was recognized by clients and colleagues alike as one of the most creative and technically proficient architects of the period, and was one of the 29 founding members of the American Institute of Architects. He married in New York 1853, the widow Catherine Van Giesen Booraem. They had five children: Jacob August, Detlef, Catherine Cornelia, Lucy, and Louise. The Booraem's (originally Van Boerum) is an old New York family of Dutch origin who settled in 1649 in what was then New Amsterdam. Detlef had designed the church, where he and Catherine were the first couple married in it even before the official opening. Co-founders of the Grace Van Vorst Church were Henry Augustus Booraem, a brother of Catherine, and his wive Cornelia van Vorst.

Detlef was born in Uetersen Schleswig Holstein an area of Denmark that in 1864 became part of Germany. The Lienau (also Linau and Linow) family has been there since at least 1600. The Linow name is originally Slavic.



Detlef's brother Michael Lienau married in New York to Sarah Adeline Booraem (a younger sister of Catherine born 1823) she died in 1847. They had two sons Louis August born 1844, who became wine importer and Rudolph Booraem Lienau born 1846 a doctor in New York City. Michael remarried and later moved back to Uetersen where Detlef designed villa Schloss Duneck (1872) for him. He is recognized to have done good work via the Lienau foundation and was made honorary citizen of Uetersen

Yet another brother of Detlef, Jacob, was living in Uetersen and also a wine merchant.

An other photo from Detlef Lienau this time by famous French photographer Nadar

Believed to be Louis August Lienau, son of Michael and Sarah Adeline Booraem.

Believed to be Josephine Bruniquel Booraem, born 1848 and Frances (Fan) Diedrichs Booraem, born 1841. Both daughters of Henry Augustus and Cornelia van Vorst

A short history of the Booraem family can be found on the website (www.nycmc.org; vaults182-224) of the New York Marble Cemetery, co founded by Hendrik Booraem (1784-1834 father of Catherine) in the early 1830's. I received additional information from Hendrik Booraem a descendent of Henry Augustus and Cornelia van Vorst and trustee of the cemetery who in turn refers to correspondence of his father with a Dr Horst Hase from Essen said to be an expert on the Lienau family.

More about the architect Detlef Lineau in the Wikipedia

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