My ancestors - O'Mara - Contents

Baron Georg von Trapp

• References:
  • To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander (and here), by Georg von Trapp, pub 2007.
  • Memories Before and After the Sound of Music, memoir by Agathe von Trapp (2004, later edn 2010).
  • The World of the Trapp Family, William Anderson, 1998.

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (and here and here), memoir by Maria von Trapp, 1949.
  • Maria, My Own Story (and here), memoir by Maria von Trapp, 1972.

Georg von Trapp.
From here.

Baron Georg von Trapp,
born 1880,
of the famous singing family.
See Wikipedia and German Wikipedia.
He was a submarine commander in Austro-Hungarian Navy.

He mar 1stly, 10 Jan 1911, to Agathe Whitehead [born 14 June 1891, dau of John Whitehead by his wife Countess Agathe Breuner]. John Whitehead was son of Robert Whitehead, inventor of the torpedo (see family in Danish Wikipedia). See extract from [Agathe von Trapp, 2010]. Agathe descends from Edward III. See descent by George Larson. The Whitehead family were wealthy arms manufacturers of torpedoes and submarines on the continent. They had a factory at Fiume. Georg visited 1908 and met Agathe. Agathe christened Georg's U-boat in 1909.

They lived Pula, Croatia (then in Austro-Hungarian Empire).
Family moved to Zell am See, Austria, when WWI started 1914.
He was Austria's leading U-boat submarine ace in WWI 1914-18.
He sank many ships during the war, including the French ship Leon Gambetta in 1915 (when he killed 700).
Austria lost the war 1918, and lost its entire sea coast and navy.
They moved to Klosterneuburg, Austria, in Jan 1921.
Agathe died 3 Sept 1922, age 31 yrs.
Georg had issue by 1st wife:

1. Rupert von Trapp, born 1 Nov 1911.

2. Agathe von Trapp, born 1913.
3. Maria von Trapp, born 1914.

4. Werner von Trapp, born Dec 1915.
   Named after his uncle Werner, who was killed in action in May 1915.

5. Hedwig von Trapp, born 1917.
6. Johanna von Trapp, born 1919.
7. Martina von Trapp, born 1921.

Georg and the children moved in 1923-1925 (sources differ) to what is now Villa Trapp, in the Aigen district of Salzburg, Austria.
He mar 2ndly, 26 Nov 1927 [him age 47, her age 22] to Maria Kutschera [born 1905, his daughter's tutor].
They became a famous singing family, from 1935 onwards, performed across Europe.
They fled Austria when the Nazis came in 1938.
They went to US 1938.
Their house in Salzburg, the Villa Trapp, was taken for a headquarters in 1939 by the Nazi leader Himmler, one of the architects of the Holocaust. He used the house until 1945.

The family settled in Stowe, Vermont, 1942, at the Trapp Family Lodge (see site).
Georg died 1947, age 67 yrs.
He was bur in the cemetery at the Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont.
Maria wrote about their story in 1949.
Their story inspired a series of productions:

• The German film Die Trapp Familie (1956). Think this was shown in English as The Trapp Family.
• The sequel Die Trapp Familie in Amerika (1958).
• The Broadway show The Sound of Music (1959).
• The Hollywood movie The Sound of Music (1965). Maria was played by Julie Andrews. It was filmed at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg (which was not their home). The movie was for a time the 3rd highest grossing film ever.

Maria died 1987, age 82 yrs.
She was bur cemetery, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont.
Georg had issue by 2nd wife:

1. Rosmarie von Trapp, born 1929.
2. Eleonore von Trapp, born 1931.
3. Johannes von Trapp, born 1939.

Maria Kutschera, 1944.
From U.S. government records.

Trailer for the movie The Sound of Music (1965).
This trailer is for the 45th Anniversary release (2010).

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• Trapp Family

• An earlier attempted Royal Descent of Agathe Whitehead by George Larson (and descent by Ed Mann) fails because it incorrectly had Agathe as dau of John Whitehead's brother Sir James Whitehead and his wife Marian Cecilia Brodrick.