August 1999 Volume 3 Issue 5
Birthdays and Wedding Anniversaries
Dies und Das
The Hay Mowing Accident by Earl W. Schwenk
From the Archives
American Schwenks Visit Laichingen
A Word from Uncle Don
Links
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1. David Bartlett
of the Los Angeles area turns 38.
Want to see how these and other Kids are related to you? Click here for those who descended from John Schwenk and his immigrant siblings. Click here for all others. Want to see pictures of most of these 53 Kids? (198 KB).
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Dies und Das
Editors' note: The underlined names are Konrad's Kids. The words in blue color and underlined are links to photos. Please don't overlook clicking on those links.
Another descendant of our Konrad Schwenk was born on Friday July 9,1999
in Wheaton, Illinois to
Clarinda Schwenk James and Jeffery James. They named her Grace
Elizabeth. Congratulations! And Grace, please let us know when you
get online...Micky, wife of Karl Schwenkbeck near Niagara Falls,
NY recently wrote the following: "We went to Canandaigua for a few days-
Karl's Mother is from there and he still has relatives in that area, tho'
we didn't go to visit them. Had more fun going to some of the wineries
in the area and stocking up! We were there for his birthday (he hates
doing the cake thing!) Can't believe he's 50 !!!" Micky also writes
that she prints out the SN Newsletter and gives copies to offline kin as
well as informing her online sisters after each issue has appeared...Milton
Schwenk and son Kyle Schwenk and their wives, Joann and Beth,
respectively, provided the editors with many photographs taken in Laichingen
during their visit there on the last weekend in June (see separate article).
There, they met Dieter Rehse and wife Irene Röcker Rehse
and their son Michael. They also met Michael Schwenk, his
parents and siblings. For a collage of photos, click here(189
K). Here is a small photo of Michael Schwenk's mother's mother, Anna
Bäumler Schwenk sitting at a spinning wheel when she was a teenager
in Laichingen. And here is one of Irene and Joann
Schwenk sitting and chatting in the Laichingen cemetary near sunset
time.
And lastly, a photo of the inside of St. Albans
Lutheran Church in Laichingen where our Konrad was christened and where
he married Magdalena in around 1630...Here is something Kyle Schwenk
wrote about Dieter Rehse after returning home from the trip to Europe:
Don,
if Dad hasn't passed this bit of info on yet, I just remembered something
Dieter said. He has a great sense of humor, and as we've seen, it
takes a pretty good control of the NEW language to share a joke. Anyway,
we were walking through a cemetery in L. (photos to come, hopefully) and
came across a tombstone of a Schwenk, so we asked Dieter if the person
was kin. He said he didn't know, but likely it was family - but one
thing was for sure, that person definitely wasn't "on-line"!...Here
are two photos of Nikki Schwenk Cartney
and children, who visited her father Don Schwenk in Idaho, July
8-14, during their 45 day journey from Pittsburgh, PA to the West and back...Bad
news for people seeking phone numbers and addresses in Germany's online
telephone listings Website, www.teleinfo.de. According to a current message
in that site, some kind of a new law prohibits free access to this kind
of online information in Germany 
But check out in the Links column below a Website which will!...An annual
tradition in July for Karlheinz Schoenfeld and wife Lore and their
children Fred, Ellen, Karen and Andrea is to travel
to North Carolina and spend a week on the seashore with other friends and
relatives - which is what they did again this past July...Four siblings
in Boise, Idaho have begun a nice tradition this year; They meet once a
month at various local watering holes/eating places in Boise to hoist a
few and eat a bite. They are, Christine Schwenk Moore, Gordon
Schwenk, Rodney Schwenk and Marvin Schwenk. Whether they discuss
their Schwenk ancestry, is not known to the editors...David Schwenk
of San Francisco will marry his long time sweetheart Karen on September
11th on a dinner boat docked in Berkeley, California. Then on September
18th on Rib Mtn. in Wausau, Wisconsin, his parents Jim Schwenk and
Mary will hold a reception party for this newly married couple...Charlene
Laur Soos of Niagara Falls has recently acquired a Family Tree Maker
genealogy software program, and intends soon to exchange FTM files with
Don
Schwenk. She has also made some attempts to find information on Michael
Schwenkbeck who reportedly settled in the Niagara Falls area in circa 1885,
the father of Georg Schwenkbeck, the so-called founder of the Schwenkbeck
Clan in America...Richard Schwenk of Manila has been eating his
own cooking while his wife Caring was away in Illinois helping out with
the arrival of their new granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth James...Have you
marked your calendar for the Schwenk Reunion to be held in the Black Hills
of South Dakota on June 27-28, 2002?...
A Short Story by Earl W. Schwenk
Editors note: In 1979, my father put to paper many short, short stories. These were memories of his youth. He called these Some of my Yesterdays. He passed away in 1991 at the age of 80. In 1995 and in memory of him, I self-published this collection of stories. Below is one of those. He was then age 14 and living near Rapid City, South Dakota. Don Schwenk.
The Hay Mowing Accident
We moved to Rapid City in the fall of 1925. I had just started to high school, a freshman in high school. My brother was a junior in high school. My sister was still in grade school. We lived in town the first winter. My father had been transferred out there and was to be the field secretary for the Methodist Deaconess Hospital under the appointment by the Methodist Conference which had met that fall. By the next spring, my father had decided to buy a dairy farm right below Rapid City. As I have already stated, my dad was pretty much farm minded and kind of speculative. He had always, possibly, had these desires and he'd probably never get over it. Apparently he never did. So, he bought this 160 acres just below Rapid City, below the School of Mines, and we moved out there in the spring of the year.
Well, that same summer of 1926, my Uncle Fred, who was a minister in the Evangelical church back in Buffalo, NewYork came out to visit - my dad's brother. And his sons Don and Ward and two other young men. There were five of them that drove out all the way from Buffalo, New York. They spent quite some time there on the farm. While they were there, we were putting up hay. Ward, who I presume was about sixteen years old at the time, he wanted to mow hay. He was a city boy. He knew nothing about farm work, really, or driving a team, but we consented. Okay,if you want to help us, we'll give you a team that's gentle and you can mow hay. We were mowing hay with two mowers. We started mowing and everything was going fine ... for a while. As I recall, Ward was driving a team of a sorrel and a black, I believe we called 'em Nig and Chief. He was ahead of me and I was mowing behind ... and something happened! At the time I didn't know till I examined things and analyzed it later what had happened to cause this team to run away. The pin in the double trees had come loose, someway.The bolt had come out..the nut had come off the bolt and let the double trees loose. This let the double trees completely loose, and the team lunged ahead. And it scared them, and they began to run, and it threw Ward off the mower.They could pull the mower with the neck yoke, because it was bolted onto the end of the tongue. Anyway, it threw him off to the left side of the mower. Luckily he didn't move to the right side of the mower or he would have fell into the sickle and probably would have been cut all to pieces. The wheel ran over his leg and over part of his head. I stopped my team right away, and his team went running through the field on up to the end of the field, and when they went as far as they could go they finally stopped. I went over to where Ward was laying, groaning, and to find out what was wrong. And there he lay, all doubled up in a knot. Blood was oozing out of the side of his head. I saw that his ear was nearly cut off, his left ear. I said, "Can you get up? " "No", he said. "My leg, my leg, my leg. I feel like it's broke." Well I said, "Just be calm, as calm as you can. I'll take my team up to the barn, to the shed, and I'll tie 'em up and I'll get the old Dodge and I'll get you to the hospital." We had an old Dodge truck down there where we were cutting hay... a delivery deal ... a kind of ... you might call it a pick up ... well it was a 1918 Dodge. An old timer. The radiator wasn't very good ... and it would leak water. Everytime we went somewhere we'd have to fill it up with water. So I come back down to the field to get Ward. I got him into the truck and proceeded to get home. I had about five miles to drive, but I got home. By the time I got home, that old Dodge was a steamin and a puffin ... it got pretty hot, but I kept on a going. Pulled into the farm. Uncle Fred saw Ward sitting out there on that old Dodge truck. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Oh my, oh my", he said. I told him we had a team run away and Ward had had an accident and was in pretty bad shape. Well, we took him right up to the hospital and Ward's ear was sewed back on ... it was kind of hanging on by the skin. As I said before, his left leg was broke. Well, Ward stayed in the hospital ... I don't know how long..until he recuperated. Might have been two, three, four weeks ... I don't know..l don't remember. Much longer than you'd stay today, however.
Well, his dad and brother and the boys ... they had
to go back. He was out there on his vacation. So they left
Ward there. Ward was not out of the hospital yet when they left. Incidentally,
that accident changed the whole course of that boy's life. He never
did go back to New York; he stayed out west. That was in 1926. Ward is
still in Rapid City. And this is 1979. If he hadn't had this accident,
chances are he would have gone back to New York and he would have had an
entirely different life.
From the Archives
Here is an excerpt from the Schwenk.Net Newsletter of exactly two years
ago. It was sent as html email rather than plain text. What is probably
most interesting here is the fact that then only 18 "known" Konrad's Kids
existed. It is also interesting to note that html email was pretty new
stuff just two years ago!
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Dear Kin on three continents:
Some of you may see color and formatting in this August issue; some may not. This is being typed in Netscape's new 4.01 version (also called Netscape Communicator) which allows one to send email in a html format. Color, formatting, various sized fonts, even allows the insertion of graphics within the body of the email. You must have this new version to send this. But recipients with NS 3 versions can still see all this on their screens. I must tell you it is an experience akin to seeing color television for the first time, though this is a weak analogy. And it has a spellczecker too! But enough of this.
SchwenkNetters Numbers Growing.
There are now sixteen - well kind of. Milton, son of Elmer is not yet online, but he gave us an email address of a business place near his home in Yakima. And so we hope we don't wear out his welcome there at that store. And then there are the two Hayes kids, one in IL, the other in NY whose mother was born Schwenk. They are my 7th cousins. Our common Schwenk roots go right back to Laichingen, our common Urheimat. So that would make eighteen. Fifteen of us descend from John 1839-99. And all of us descend from Conrad 1601- 86. And all online - well kind of.
American Schwenks Visit Laichingen
(Editor's note: In late June of this year, Milton Schwenk and wife Joann of Yakima, Washington rendezvoused with their son Kyle and his wife Beth of near Astoria, Oregon, in Munich, Germany. What follows are descriptions of their experiences in Laichingen where they met their distant Schwenk kin for the very first time.)
Monday June 28 1999 10:40 AM MST
Dear Kin:
Yesterday I received a remarkable email from Irene Rehse in which she describes in such glowing terms the visit of Milton, Joann, Kyle and Beth. It was such a lovely letter, I knew I wanted to share it with you, and so have translated her words for you. The words italicized within parentheses are mine. Don Schwenk
Letter From Irene Rehse
Hello dearest Don,
I was so very pleased when
I got your mail. Actually I wanted to write to you throughout the day,
but
just didn't get to it. Dieter's
brother from Berlin is still here on a visit. So it was most certainly
telepathy
that you wrote me today
(regarding Milton's visit). But now I have the time and can write
you in detail.
I'm almost bursting because
of so many things I want to say and write about. Dieter wanted to write
you
last evening, but he didn't
get to it because the preparations for his expedition (mountain) took so
long.
Milton and family arrived
here and were with us on Friday. Dieter and I were very anxious over this
visit
from America. But the moment
we met them, we liked them. Beth spotted us just by chance in front of
the Mövenpick (Hotel
in Neu Ulm) and smiled at us so friendly like and then asked if we
were the
"Schwenk Familie." We said
yes, and that was our first contact. The whole family is so nice. We grew
fond of them immediately.
They didn't seem like strangers to me at all. Joann and Milton, Beth and
Kyle
are such endearing people.
Kyle even speaks a little German, and with the others I conversed through
hands, feet and gestures,
and I thought it went quite well. Dieter could make himself understood
through
English. Michael was in
Ulm almost the whole day involved with a dance class and so he was not
much
help (at translating).
It was absolutely necessary that he attend that class, for next week he
must take
an examination. Nonetheless,
we understood each other just great.
In spite of that, it is too
bad that I don't speak English, for there was so much I wanted to say to
the two
women. We simply are on
the same wave length. Joann and Beth are such dear and smart women, that
I immediately wanted them
as my best friends. I wanted to show, explain and ask so much - you know
how women chat - but
two days would not have been enough.
And then Milton and Kyle.
To hug! They were so friendly and polite, something we have rarely
experienced. Dieter couldn't
get over it. At the cemetary, Kyle asked if he might be permitted to
photograph Konrad Schwenk's
grave (that would be Heinrich's father). That is such a lovely gesture
of
politeness, that to us was
hardly believeable. The people over here are no longer so thoughtful, and
we
enjoyed witnessing this
very much.
The day was such a wonderful
event for us that we would have to offer a thousand thank you's for these
lovely hours with the Schwenk
Family from America.
Milton is a total rascal.
He insisted on photographing me. I didn't want that done. But in spite
of this, he
later caught me with his
camera. He maintained that you had commissioned him to get a picture of
me.
We laughed a lot about that.
The whole Schwenk Family
brought along so many presents, that I don't know where to
begin. I'll
mention only a couple. The
tape cassette for me was super. My "Good Night Irene" song I can hum along
to already. There are fantastic
melodies on that tape - so perfect for dreaming and dancing. Both the
bears have a place of honor
on the fireplace mantle, and the caps and souvenoirs must now be fairly
distributed.
Today, when I had time for
myself, I looked again at the postcards and maps. I am amazed at all there
is over there. What impressed
me the most are the great distances between your places of residence. I
had thought one could drive
at anytime to one's friend/relative's home. But no, those would be
half-way-around the world
trips that you would have to undertake. We don't even drive such long
strechtes when we go on
vacations. I always think of America as it is described in Wild West
Films and
novels. A big mistake of
mine.
Oh Don, it would have been
so nice if you had been here. I would like so much to get to know you
personally and give you
a hug, and be so delighted as I was during this visit.
Unfortunately, it was only
one day that we could spend with Milton's family, but I am sure that they
are
in good hands with Heinrich
and Ruth. Heinrich had a big program planned and had signed up all his
children as translators.
He wanted to take them to the Heimatmuseum and on a small excursion (a
trip
around the area),
but I don't know what else they did, for I've not been in telephone contact
with
Heinrich. Heinrich was here
with us on Friday and he was so funny. I am anxious to hear what Milton
reports to you about all
of this. But I believe everything pleased them. They are so modest and
grateful.
I even received flowers
from Kyle and Beth for our wedding anniversary. I wish I could better express
to
all of them my gratitude.
I was a grand experience, something I would not have wanted to miss.
We did not talk much about
our Schwenk roots because of the difficulty in understanding each other.
But
I assume that Heinrich will
do that since he has better translators available.
So, your weather over there
is beautiful? It's not so around here. Milton has run into a bad summer
here. In spite of that,
Friday was a sunny day. And for Dieter it will not be very pleasant walking
through
meter high snow on his hiking
trip in the mountains. During the last few weeks, the snow line has
dropped down to 1400 meters.
But unfortunately, we can't change the weather. Dieter will be gone the
whole week, and Thursday
Michael will travel to Frankfurt. Then I'll be all alone. That frightens
me a bit
to be so alone, but I'm
sure you'll write me which will provide me some diversion.
... So, now I must close,
for tomorrow begins the old routine again, the vacation is over and I must
get
to bed..alone. When
you are finished putting new clothing on your shed (paint),
please write. And say
hello to all from me and
Dieter. Your cousin, Irene.
Friday, June 25, Munich: Beth woke early, walked under the arch (old city entrance) to Marionplatz. Flower and fruit stands were setting up, street sweepers cleaning their walkways. Got own train compartment, traveled to Ulm, then rental car to hotel in Neu Ulm. Excellent location and facility of Mövenpick Hotel in Neu Ulm on Donau river. Had quick lunch, then met Dieter and Irene who were immediately friendly and had offered to come to Neu Ulm and escort us back to Laichingen. Visited, struggled with speaking some basics, gave "gifts", met Heinrich. Toured old cave, steps nearly vertical, beautiful walls looked like melted candle wax in dim lighting. Very old soft rock with water "carving" out the cave. Dieter led us on short walk which led to a beautiful view overlooking Laichingen. Dieter described his growing up in the area, how he enjoyed the city, and said he knows the city "like his pocket." Had wonderful chicken a la king dinner, but title doesn't do the taste justice - very tasty meal. Met Dieter and Irene's son Michael and his girlfriend Betina. Saw cemetary where some Schwenks' were including Heinrich's father, Conrad. The gravesites were landscaped 3 times a year by the families and were usually visited once a week. Back to Rehse's home, met his mother (to be quoted for saying a very reassuring "Alles Gut") and brother. Received wonderful Laichingen ornament and linen swatch. Mom showed postcard of "family" - the lice boys which further broke the ice.
June 26: Woke early, K+B walked along river in Ulm, got semmel (rolls) at shop, then to Münster, church with tallest spire in the world. Walked up 768 steps. Awesome views. Gargoyles and filagree. Inside church old ornate narrow tall beautiful stained glass windows. Old pews perpendicular, facing in. Many fruit and vegetable stands set up, also flowers. People bring their own baskets to shop here. Got flowers, raspberries, bananas. Walked down cobblestone streets, got some great pastries. Nice sunny a.m. Back to Laichingen. Said goodbyes to Dieter and Irene. To Heinrich's house, met Maike and Michael, Heinrich's son. Laichingen Museum which had old engines and old linen machines. Watched Kindergarten children's musical celebration with Heinrich's daughter Monica leading the program. Met Petra, another daughter of Heinrich's who is a physical therapist. To old Evangelical Family church with structure dating to 1400's. Baptismal base still in use.(Original church that Conrad attended.) Toured Heinrich's machine shop and Linen shop. Received tablecloth, placemats, towels. To Schwenks home, looked at wedding photos, photos of Heinrich's, Michael's and Maike's recent trip to Kenya. Ruth doesn't enjoy travelling as much. Discussed Christmas traditions.To Pizza parlor/Greek restaurant for German meal and pizza. Toasts were made to Don.
June 27: Brunch at Ruth and Heinrich's. Discussed their family's trip to U.S. including Philip, Michael and Maike, others welcome also. Michael planning trip in August, Philip in 2000. Wonderful meeting these extended family members who were very generous hosts, all very intelligent and generous people and we were able to converse fairly well. A "down-home" feel to the visit, with each showing every effort to make us feel comfortable. We had some things in common with this distant family. They were genuine. Even though we had just spent 3 days only with them, we will miss them. Kyle drove back to Neu Ulm, 170 kph. Kyle and Beth did walking tour of older part of Ulm. Observed a leaning building built in 1500's, a tower from 1300's, a wall from 1200's. Men's choir was strolling and stopping periodically to sing a song or two. Cobblestone plaza's, pretty little bridges over branches in the river. Lots of families/people out walking and biking on this sunny afternoon, some in traditional dress, most in modern casual and dressy. Rested at riverside bench. Dinner at outside cafe on Danube. (German Donau.) Walked a bit, then drove to Bahnhof, a bit lost, got gas. Left car at hotel. Called girls. Ja, bitte and danke now becoming reflexive.
A Word from Uncle Don
It was early 1995 when I discovered the parentage of my immigrant great-grandfather, John Schwenk. This was enabled through microfilmed church records owned by the Mormon Church. As most of you know, this is what led my search back to our earliest known Schwenk ancestor, Konrad, b. 1601. John's parents were Johannes Schwenk and Maria Barbara Lieb. The parents of Johannes were Conrad Schwenk and Felicitas Breymayer. Johannes was the first child, born in 1798 in Mundingen (an ancestor to about half of us). Ever since learning of him, I had wondered who he had been named after. While it is true that this given name was about the most common one in Germany at that time, people then did not give a name to a child just because it was a currently popular name, but rather because it usually was the name of the parent, or grandparent, or Godparent. Then in August of 1997, I discovered the person, the namesake of our Johannes. Below is an email sent to three of you that month.
Subject:
Where our Johannes Schwenk b. 1798 got his name. More on poor house of
Mundingen
Date:
Thu, 21 Aug 1997 16:34:02 -0600
From:
Don Schwenk <uncledon@micron.net>
To:
"SN-Schwenk, Richard L" <rschwenk@starnet.net.ph>,
"SN-Schwenk, Jim & Mary" <jschwenk@pcpros.net>,
"SN-Schwenk, Gordon" <gordons@cyberhighway.net>
References:
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Ever since I found our Johannes, father of our John, I have wondered why Conrad and Felicitas gave him the name of Johannes. No Johannes names in Conrad's direct ancestry. Nor in Felicitas'. The firstborn son was usually named after the father's father and the firstborn girl after the mother's mother. Not always, but generally so in old Wuerttemberg.This was unlike in the catholic parts of So. Germany where so often the Godparent's name was given to the baby - at least the first boy and girl.
Conrad and Felicitas had four children born who survived infancy. In order of birth: Johannes, Elias, Elisabeth, and Conrad (sp. usually with a k). We know where the Elias name came from. And Elisabeth was Felilcitas' mother's name. Today, I think I have found the person whom our Johannes was named after.
Refer to my letter of yesterday in which I show a Johannes Maier, the farmer who m. the sister of our Felicitas in 1777 and received the house # 45 and some 60 acres from stepfather Elias Fischer. Well, I learned that Johannes served as Godfather to all six babies born to Conrad and F. And these birth entries also showed Johannes to have been the local Burgermeister at that time. So it seems that Conrad and F. held this man in high esteem. And he was, after all, her brother-in-law and the baby's maternal uncle.
Conrad did have a first cousin in Feldstetten, a Johannes Schwenk, born some 40 yrs. before Conrad. And that Johannes (who with some 13 babies b. in 2 marriages) left no male descendants - as an aside. And he served as local village judge. He died in ca. 1808 in Feld. So until today, I had assumed that this cousin of Conrad might have been a father figure to him. Now I believe it is Johannes Maier whose name our Johannes received. End of story.
I received your letter, Ric, the one w/ the hilarious Subject line: a Späth is a Späth. Let me clarify to you, Jim and Gordon what the Armenhaus in small communities in those days meant. In Mundingen in 1840, the practice of hiring herders for the horses and cattle ended with the widespread innovation of keeping the livestock in the barns and corrals and then going to the fields daily to cut green fodder and haul it to the livestock. This is still practiced today. You may recall, Ric, when you stayed at the Hirsch, that the farm right beneath the window practiced this hauling in of green fodder.
With the introduction of this new farming practice, the run-down house which had been used for housing during the herding months for the hired herders (who usually were not Mundingen residents) was thereafter used for housing of destitute local families. Gottlieb Späth and family were apparently the first to occupy this Armenhaus.
He was charged a small amount of yearly rent. And the community offered him as a means of earning a small amount of income, the jobs of night watchman, road repairman, and Polizeidiener, or small town constable with virtually no authority. I doubt if he carried a firearm. These were jobs which Konrad Schwenk Jr. later had after he fell on hard times after selling the Hirsch Inn (but still owned the brewery).
The Armenhaus was not really like our poor houses of the last century, where debtors were placed because they did not pay their debts. Some people, though no fault of their own (sickness, disability, etc.), found shelter in such village-owned structures. It cost the village of Mundingen about 800 Gulden to pay for the travel costs to America for this Späth family of nine.
Another girl in this village at about this time of mid 1800s, who apparently kept getting pregnant without the benefit of matrimony, was offered paid-passage to America. She accepted. Cost was 90 Gulden. And Mundingen also bought her a new dress for 9 Gulden. That tells us that either dresses were expensive then or travel costs were inexpensive. BTW, the Armenhaus was torn down in 1913, no longer being needed. (Arm = poor).
I guess that's about it for today. I put a lot more names in my FTM the past two days. The total count now is 6119, all connected to all of us in various ways. Oh BTW, the Johannes Maier name was spelled in many ways - just like in E. Belgium. Mayer, Maier, Meyer, Mayer with umlaut above the y. So it was hard to choose which way to spell a name and enter this in the FTM. As far as I could tell, this clan of Maier is different than that of Otto Mayer's, though a Maier man did marry a daughter of Jacob Mayer and M. Barbara Schwenk, the gr-grandparents of Otto. So is anyone out there confused? Well join the crowd! Don
Links
http://www.infospace.com/ The so-called Ultimate Directory. This Website does not limit a search to just the United States as does the popular switchboard.com. Here below is an example of what you see after typing in a person's name, city and country:
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