Hi Gail,
I found a Jeff Niese on facebook and sent a message but never got a reply. It was probably not the same one.
I'm sure we are distantly related, I just can't find the direct lineage. All I can find online is that my great grandfather was Frank Traendly and his father was a Frank Traendly as well. My grandfather, John Traendly, died in 1968 when I was six, my grandmother in '92, and I'm estranged from my mother, so I really can't ask any questions there. I'm not sure if my grandfather or great-grandfather had any siblings, though I'm suspecting your grandfather was either a brother, or at least a first cousin, as according to this page:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?P... it seems they were both born in Brooklyn, and both being connected to the flower business, it adds up. Do you have any relatives from whom you can inquire?
Also, have you ever tried a google news archive search? I've found some pretty interesting articles there, including finding out my mother was once a runaway...
Tracie