Edwin George Lutz was born August 26, 1868, at 1919 Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was born of German immigrants. His father, John Martin Lutz, was born in Dombühl, Germany around 1842. In May 1848, at the age of six, John and five siblings immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Philadelphia, PA. As an adult, John was a bookkeeper.
Edwin’s mother, Anna Ernestine Bachman Lutz, was born May 12, 1845, in Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Anna’s brother Henry wrote to Edwin in 1910 and provided a little family history. The Bachman family were Mennonites. They were chased from Germany to Switzerland to Holland and, finally, to America. In December 1852, on their way to the United States, their ship reached the port of Nassau, the Bahamas. While in port, the ship caught fire, and all of their possessions were lost, along with those of all the other 159 emigrants. The Bachman family was befriended by a Baptist minister who offered them shelter until they were able to get passage to the U.S. and continue their voyage to the U.S. on another ship ten days later. The Bachman’s eventually settled in Philadelphia, PA.
John Lutz and Anna Bachman were married on July 17, 1867 by Reverend, A. Speath in Philadelphia. They stayed in Philadelphia and started to raise a family.
Edwin was their first child, born August 26, 1868, and he had three siblings:
- William Florence Lutz was born September 10, 1871, and died September 1, 1945. A professional ivory carver, William also had artistic inclinations.
- Flora Johanna Lutz Wiegandt was born October 22, 1873, and died July 31, 1959. She was a housewife.
- Ernest Martin Lutz was born July 15, 1877, and died June 21, 1928. He was a machinist in the arsenal industry.
The four children were orphaned when both parents died less than a year apart. John passed away due to tuberculosis on October 4, 1878, when Edwin was 10 years old. About 11 months later, on September 12, 1879, Anna also died of tuberculosis. Several families reared the children.
Ethel Lutz Endicott, Edwin’s niece, wrote on the back of the family photo shown below:
“The elderly couple seated in the center are Mr. and Mrs. Schmierer. When William’s parents died, he and Uncle Edwin Lutz (the artist), were raised by this couple, and several other aunts. Alternating with Chris Lutz (John’s brother) and Tante Klink, and an ivory artist named Henry Bachmann, who taught William the ivory business. The Schmierers had 7 sons and 5 daughters and a farm on the Burlington Turn Pike. He had pears by the back door, which were very good. Many of the sons owned farms on the Pike so that from Palmyra to Cinnaminson they owned all the farms between the two towns.” Ethel also wrote: “…It was a wonderful family.”
Census records confirm that in June 1880 Edwin’s siblings Flora and Ernest were living with their Aunt Federica Lutz Kuenstler and her family. William was living with the family of Henry G. Bachmann (an ivory carver), not to be confused with his uncle Henry Bachman. During the 1880 census, Edwin was recorded as attending the Nazareth Hall boarding school.
Edwin’s Family Tree
There are many relationships that this family tree does not show. Other than Edwin’s mother and his wife, spouses are not shown. His father, John M. Lutz, had three brothers and two sisters, and they had children. His mother, Anna E. Bachman, also had siblings with families. Edwin and Eleanor were divorced and did not have any children. His brother William had two children, as shown. Both Royd C. Lutz and Ethel Lenora Lutz had families. Flora J. Lutz Wiegandt was married and had one son. His younger brother, Ernest M. Lutz, had seven daughters and four sons.
Illustrating Edwin 