Albert Kuner

Albert Kuner ( born Georg Albrecht Ferdinand Küner; born October 9, 1819 in Lindau on Lake Constance; † January 23, 1906 in San Francisco ) was a German American gold - and silversmith, and engraver. Wider gained fame Kuner by the engraving of the seal of California.

Life

Early years

As a journeyman he went on wanderings from Lindau to Kempten, Memmingen, Ulm, Munich and Nuremberg last.

Arrival in San Francisco

On 3 September 1848 he left Europe with three other traveling companions and came on October 28, 1848 in New York, where he remained until 1 January 1849. In New York he was received by the family Heidecker, with whom he was related, and worked in his profession at the company Tiffany & Co. The California Gold Rush lured him on, and so he left New York on board the Sutton on the same three traveling companions and circled on their Cape Horn. After a long and adventurous journey rich, he arrived in San Francisco on 22 October 1849.

Work as an engraver

Upon his arrival in San Francisco, he took up his job as an engraver. He was at the time the only engraver in San Francisco and master goldsmith to do so. Here he worked for Moffat & Co., where he created the engraving for the 5 and 10 dollar coins. He created the engravings for the first coins were minted in San Francisco. Special Kuner gained fame as an engraver, designed by Robert S. Garnett State Seal of California, also known as the Seal of California. And he has also created the engravings for the majority of the County ( districts) coat of arms or seal in California in 1850, and the seal of the Supreme Court of California. Besides, he has created the engravings for the award medals for the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco. From 1852 he worked for the Bank, Wells Fargo & Co., in whose service he created engravings for the sealing of the well-known San Francisco financial institution.

Marriage and children

In 1854 he returned to his home to visit and married Juditha Rheineck, who came from Memmingen. The couple had met in Lindau, as Juditha Rheineck visited her aunt there. The wedding took place in Memmingen on 14 August 1854. After two weeks' stay in Paris, the couple took a ship from Le Havre to New York. After that, the couple traveled by ship to Nicaragua, crossed the country by mule to the Pacific, where continued the journey by steamer to California. Albert and Juditha Küner together had five children, four daughters and a son. A daughter, Martha, married the German pastor Hermann Gehrke, who was the founder of the St. Matthew's Church in San Francisco, where a stained glass window in honor of Albert Kuner can still be seen today.

Grave stone of Albert Kuner and his wife, Juditha

Grave stone of Pastor Hermann Gehrke and his wife, Martha. Martha was a daughter of Albert and Juditha Küner.

Death

Albert Kuner died on January 23, 1906 in San Francisco, shortly before the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and was survived by his wife and five children. His body was by his house ( 730 Gough Street ) to Olivet Memorial Park in Colma ( Lawn 36, Lot 8), south of San Francisco transferred and buried there.