#vonlingkefamily

[yatescountyhistorycenter]

A real diamond in the rough

By Jonathan Monfiletto

When I wrote about the Newark Garden Colony – also known as the Penn Yan Colony – also called the Colony Home or Colony House, whose residents – dubbed colony girls – resided for nearly 30 years in the house at 324 North Ave. in Penn Yan, I mentioned in passing Baron von Lingke as “an interesting character in himself.” Von Lingke and his family lived in the home on North Avenue until close to the turn of the 20th century, and I mentioned him in passing because my research into the Colony Home also mentioned him only in passing.

Yet, while Baron von Lingke – his real first name was Oscar; Baron was his title, either actual or self-proclaimed – was indeed an interesting character in local history, the digitized newspaper collection of the Yates County History Center reveals much more than a passing mention of this man and shows the several ways in which this character is interesting. He lived in Penn Yan just a brief time, but he nevertheless made an impact that is still felt today.

Von Lingke apparently lived in Penn Yan in two different stints and seemingly in two different lifetimes. In the early 1880s, he resided as a musical instructor and performer, hosting concerts with his students at various locations in the village. In February 1883, “Prof. von Lingke,” as he was deemed by the newspapers, and his students held a concert at the home of Farley Holmes, located today at 303 Main St. In October 1884, the professor and his pupils hosted a performance at a location listed as the Opera House – likely Cornwell’s Opera House, which is nowadays the site of Long’s Cards & Books.

While we have a Penn Yan village directory covering 1879-1881, the next directory in succession covers 1889. Unfortunately, von Lingke is listed in neither directory, so it is difficult to pinpoint where he lived during his first iteration in Penn Yan. However, a May 1931 reminiscence by C.T. Burrill states von Lingke “had a studio in a double house where the Delos Hollowell residence is now located,” listed as 219 Main St. by modern-day addresses, so this may have been where he lived during that time. Burrill also notes von Lingke “went to Germany to secure his title and came back with his wife,” Lina.

Having been born in Germany in 1826, von Linke came to Penn Yan in 1878, according to former Yates County Historian Frank Swann. It is unclear when he returned to Germany, but it seems he and his family made their way back to Penn Yan by 1894. An item in the Yates County Chronicle of March 14, 1894 states: “Baron Oscar von Lingke, wife, family and maid are stopping at the Benham House.” A week later, “Baron Oscar von Lingke, wife, and children have taken up their residence in town.” Again, the location of this residence is unclear. According to Swann, von Lingke took possession of the North Avenue home from George W. Hobart on April 1, 1898, but an item in the Penn Yan Express of June 7, 1899 notes “a few years ago” von Lingke contracted with Hobart to purchase the property.

In June 1894, von Lingke and his wife welcomed a son, but the baby died a little more than 3 months later. After that point, the newspapers report the trips von Lingke took back and forth between Penn Yan and Germany. During one of those trips in 1895, von Lingke apparently inherited a baronial estate in his homeland through the death of his only brother, who seemingly left no other heirs. The estate was worth $100,000 (a little more than $3.7 million in modern money), and von Lingke traveled to Germany to look after his affairs and earn his title.

During another return from Germany, on April 23, 1897, von Lingke was charged with smuggling after failing to declare to customs officials some jewelry he claimed to have brought home for his wife. His pockets contained a diamond brooch, a pair of diamond and pearl earrings, another diamond brooch, and a diamond necklace. The jewels were worth about $2,500 (almost $93,000 in today’s money) altogether. He posted $1,000 bail and later settled the case with a $500 fine.

About a year and a half later, on September 23, 1898, von Lingke died at age 72 of complications from diabetes. He was survived by his wife and two daughters, and he was buried in Lakeview Cemetery along with his infant son. Following his death, Lina and the girls sailed for Germany at first to settle her husband’s affairs there and then to relocate permanently in her home country. After settling her husband’s estate in Penn Yan, Lina and her daughters returned to Germany to stay in June 1899.

The case of the alleged jewel smuggling was apparently not settled yet, however. According to the Express of September 27, 1899, a jury met to decide the fate of the jewels that von Linke had brought back from Germany without declaring but that had never been returned to him or his family. According to that article, the contents included a diamond ring, two brooches, a gold watch, a bracelet, and other jewelry. Lina stated she would like the jewelry returned to her, applied to the U.S. government for them, and offered to pay the duty on them.

The question before the jury was whether von Lingke intended to defraud the government with his initial act, and the jury decided there was indeed intent to defraud on von Lingke’s part. Thus, the jewelry became property of the U.S. government and sold by the U.S. Marshals. By the time of their sale on May 29, 1900, the jewels were valued at $3,000 and contained – a changing list – one diamond and pearl bracelet, one diamond and pearl brooch with pendant, one pair of diamond and pearl earrings, and one diamond brooch. It is unclear who bought the jewelry, how much they paid for the jewelry, and where the jewelry is now.