C H A R L E S S C H U C H M A N N F
A M I L Y
Compiled by Robert Buecher,
5400 Pernod Avenue, St. Louis, MO
63139-1537
e-mail: rgb7847@aol.com
[revised: 4 August 2006]
[The following information
corrects and updates the family sketch that was published on page 500 of the HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, IL, VOLUME 1,
published in 1988 by the St. Clair County, IL, Genealogical Society]
______________________________________________________________________________
According to his birth certificate found in the records of the
Evangelical Church of Gross-Bieberau, Hessen Darmstadt, Charles SCHUCHMANN was
born "Friedrich Carl SCHUCHMANN" at 5 o'clock in the evening on
Thursday, 12 January 1809 in Gross-Bieberau, Hessen Darmstadt. He was the 4th child and 2nd son of Johann
Daniel SCHUCHMANN [b. ca. 1781] and Christiane Dorothea, nee BERNTH [ca.
1780-1855]. He was baptized at
Gross-Bieberau on Sunday, 15 Jan. 1809.
While still in Germany, Charles learned the cooper trade.
Gross-Bieberau is a town in the County ["Landkreis"]
of Dieburg and is located 12 kilometers (7 1/2 miles) southeast of the large
city of Darmstadt. In July 1993 after
the reunification of Germany, its postal code number was "64401
Gross-Bieberau". The Family
History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has filmed the Evangelical Church
records for this town from 1576-1904.
On Thursday, 11 March 1830, Friedrich Carl [Charles] SCHUCHMANN
married Helene Margarethe BALZ [later spelled BALTZ] at the
Evangelisch-Lutherischen Pfarrkirche at Gross-Bieberau.
According to her baptism record found at the Evangelical Church
of Gross-Bieberau, Helene Margarethe BALZ was born at 9 o'clock in the morning
on Thursday, 12 December 1811 and was the 11th child and 7th daughter of Johann
Leonhard BALZ [1762-1829] of Gross-Bieberau and his wife, Maria Margarethe, nee
PFAFF [1773-1829]. Johann Leonhard BALZ
is listed as being a "Gerichtsschoffe" which has something to do with
a jury court. She was baptized in Gross
Bieberau on Sunday, 15 Dec. 1811.
The Charles SCHUCHMANN family remained in the town of
Gross-Bieberau and it was here where two of their sons [Carl & George] were
born.
The Charles Schuchmann family left the town of Gross-Bieberau
for the United States in December of 1833.
The SCHUCHMANN family sailed from the port of Bremen, Germany on 3 June
1834 and journeyed to America in the ship called the "Brig Weser" [1]. Nearly all the passengers on this ship were from the town of
Gross-Bieberau, Hessen Darmstadt.
The SCHUCHMANN family landed at the port of Baltimore,
Maryland, on Monday, 25 August 1834 after a sea voyage of 2 months. The ship passenger list records the family as:
No. 23 Carl
SCHUCHMAN age 25 father
No. 24 Helena Margarethe
SCHUCHMAN age 23 mother
No. 25 Carl
SCHUCHMAN age 3 1/2 son
No. 26 George
SCHUCHMAN age 2
son
The SCHUCHMANN's baggage is
listed as "2 chest clothing, 2 beds, 2 guns, 1 pistol, and 1
kettle". The father, Carl, is
listed as a "soap boiler" and the entire family lists Gross-Bieberau
as their "last permanent residence".
A third child and third son, Daniel, was born to them on 5 August 1834
on the Atlantic Ocean during their voyage to the United States. Daniel’s obituary [2] in 1915 states that he “could rightfully be said to be a son of
Neptune, having been born in mid-ocean in 1834, while his parents were
emigrating to America”.
It is interesting to note that Helene (BALTZ) SCHUCHMANN's
brother, Leonhard BALTZ and family were on the same ship:
Leonhard BALTZ
age 37 farmer
Maria Dorothea BALTZ
age 35
Maria Christina BALTZ
age 15
Maria Margaretha BALTZ
age 13
Johan George BALTZ
age 11
Maria Catherina BALTZ
age 8
Johann Leonhard BALTZ
age 6
Philipp BALTZ
age 4
Johann Friedrich BALTZ
age 1
1/2
The entire BALTZ family is
listed as being from Gross-Bieberau. A
4th daughter, Maria Dorothea BALTZ, was born in St. Clair County, IL in 1836
and 3 more sons [Leonard, Frederick, & William BALTZ] were born in Sugar
Loaf Township in 1838, 1840, and 1843.
Additional information about this BALTZ family is found in the
"Family Register" which was written in German script in the 1840’s by
Pastor J. J. Riess and preserved in the
records of Zion Evangelical Church, Millstadt, IL. An English transcription [3] was published in 1987 and
the record gives the following information:
"Johann Leonhard BALTZ, was born 26 July 1797 in Gross-Bieberau,
Hessen Darmstadt, the son of Johann Leonhardt BALTZ and Maria Margaretha, nee
PFAFF. He married Maria Dorothea DAAB
in 1819. She was born on 4 April 1799
at Gross-Bieberau, the daughter of Johann Nikolaus DAAB and Dorothea, nee
HOERETH. Their children were:
1. Maria Christina
BALTZ, born 17 Nov. 1819
2. Maria Margaretha
BALTZ, born 28 Jan. 1822
3. Johann Georg BALTZ,
born 8 Nov. 1823
4. Maria Katharina
BALTZ, born 4 Feb. 1826; died 24 Dec. 1834 at High Prairie
5. Johann Leonhardt
BALTZ, born 17 May 1828 died 21 Oct. 1834 St. Louis
6. Johann Philipp BALTZ,
born 5 August 1830
7. Georg Friederich
BALTZ, born 20 Jan. 1833 died 25 Oct 1834 St. Louis
8. Maria Dorothea BALTZ,
born 26 August 1836"
Three additional sons were born to this couple:
9. Leonhard BALTZ,
born 18 June 1838 near Millstadt, IL
10. Frederick Ludwig BALTZ, born 25 May 1840 near
Millstadt, IL
11. William John BALTZ, born 2 April 1843, near Millstadt,
IL, in Sugar Loaf Township
After their arrival in the United States in August 1834, the
Charles SCHUCHMANN family, together with the Leonhard BALTZ family, journeyed
to St. Louis where they were staying in October 1834 when two of the BALTZ
children died. By 24 Dec. 1834, the two
families had moved to separate farms in St. Clair County, Illinois. The BALTZ family first settled at High
Prairie but soon after settled in Sugar Loaf Township, while the SCHUCHMANN
family settled in the Turkey Hill area.
The first land record that we have of their settlement in
Illinois was on 18 March 1836 when Charles SCHUCHMANN bought property located
in Section 10 of Township 2 South, Range 7 West [now in New Athens Township]
from Patric RAINER [recorded in Book H, page 344, Recorder of Deeds, St. Clair
County, IL]. Seven years later, on 19
June 1843, Charles added to his original purchase when he bought more land in
the same section from Wm. ATCHISON . [4]
Other proof that we have of their settlement at Turkey Hill
around 1836 concerns the baptism of their daughter, Margaretha Anna
SCHUCHMANN. She is listed in the
baptism records of Zion Evangelical Church, Millstadt, as "Anna Margaretha
SCHUCHMANN" [5] , being the daughter of
Karl & Helina SCHUCHMANN, nee BALTZ and was baptised on the 18 June 1836 at
Turkey Hill by Rev. Johann Jacob RIESS, pastor of Zion Evangelical Church. Her baptism record does not give an exact
birthdate, but “March 14, 1836” is given in her obituary in 1928.
Both the SCHUCHMANN and BALTZ families were among the earliest
and founding members of Zion Evangelical Church [6] at Millstadt, IL. This church was founded on 17 January 1836
when Rev. Johann Jacob RIESS preached for the first time to a group of
Christians at the log cabin home of Johannes FREIVOGEL which was about 2 1/2
miles south of present-day Millstadt on the Saxtown Road. The first church was built in early 1837
near the intersection of the Douglas Road and the Saxtown Road. .
Zion Church was the first Evangelical church formed in St. Clair County. The baptism records of this church also
contain an entry for “Leonhardt SCHUCHMANN” [7] , son of Karl & Helena
SCHUCHMANN. Leonhard was born on 22
Dec. 1838 at Turkey Hill and baptised on 15 Sept. 1840 by Rev. J. J.
RIESS.
****************
***************
***************
***************
1840 U. S. Federal Census [8] The Charles SCHUCHMANN family is listed as:
Charles SCHUCHMAN [head of family]
1 male, under 5 years [this was Leonhardt born in 1838]
3 males, 5-10 years [this
was Carl born 1831, George born 1832, &
Daniel born in 1834]
3 males, 15-20 years [names unknown]
1 male, 20-30 years [name unknown]
1 male, 30-40 years [this was Charles born in 1809]
1 female, under 5 years [this was Margaretha Anna, born in 1836]
1 female, 20-30 years [this was Helena, born in 1811]
****************
***************
***************
***************
It is not known how long Charles SCHUCHMANN remained a farmer
at Turkey Hill. The years were probably
from 1834 until sometime in the 1840's.
On 25 Aug. 1847, Charles sold his land in Section 10, New Athens
Township, which he had bought in 1836 and 1843. This land was sold to Val ZOELLER [9] .
It was about this time that Charles sold his farm and moved to
Belleville where he operated a cooper shop on South Illinois Street. Charles bought
the following pieces of land in Belleville:
Sept. 13, 1847 - land from
Jas. TRACY [recorded in Book S, page 216]
Nov. 28, 1849 - lot 13 & more in Stuart's
Addition to Belleville from Ed ABEND [10]
May 18, 1850 - lot 11 in
Chandler's Addition to Belleville from S. B.
CHANDLER [11]
Besides the land he bought above, Charles also purchased other
land in St. Clair County on the following dates:
June 5, 1846 - Section 36, Freeburg Township
Oct. 18, 1847 - Section 15,
New Athens Township
July 26, 1852 - in
Belleville
Dec. 24, 1852 - in
Belleville
Jan. 11, 1858 - in
Belleville
Feb. 24, 1858 - in
Belleville
Dec. 3, 1860 - in Belleville
The following land was sold by Charles Schuchmann:
Feb. 14, 1849 - sold Section
15, New Athens Township, to Mic MAURER
Oct. 31, 1850 - sold lot 14
in Stuart's Addition, Belleville, to the City of Belleville
June 4, 1851 - sold Section 36, Freeburg Township
Sep. 21, 1851 - sold lot
138, Chandler & Abend Addition to Belleville
****************
***************
***************
***************
1850 U. S. Federal Census [12] The family was living in Belleville when this census was taken
:
Charles SHOOKMAN; age 42;
occupation “Cooper”; born in
“Germany”
Melinda [Helena]
SHOOKMAN; age 40; born in “Germany”
Charles SHOOKMAN; age 20;
occupation “Cooper”; born in
“Germany”
Daniel SHOOKMAN; age 16;
occupation “Cooper”; born on
“the Atlantic Ocean”
Margaret SHOOKMAN; age 14;
born in “St. Clair Co.”
Leonard SHOOKMAN; age 12;
born in “St. Clair Co.”
Elizabeth SHOOKMAN; age 7;
born in “St. Clair Co.”
Mary SHOOKMAN;
age 4; born in “St. Clair Co.”
Anna SHOOKMAN;
age 1; born in “St. Clair Co.”
Please note that in the
above census, SCHUCHMANN is mispelled and that his wife's name is listed as
"Melinda" when her actual name was Helena.
****************
***************
***************
***************
Charles SCHUCHMANN filed his intention to become an American
citizen on 5 June 1840 in St. Clair County, IL. It contained the following information:
Age: about 31 years
Date of birth: 12 January 1809 [correct]
Place of birth: Grossbieberau in the Grand Duchy of Hesse
[Darmstadt]
Left Bremen, Germany on 3 June 1834
Landed 31 Aug. 1834 at Baltimore, Maryland [wrong date;
according to the actual ship passenger list he landed in
Baltimore on 25 Aug. 1834]
He was naturalized an
American citizen in St. Clair County on 19 Oct. 1846, number 3282.
Charles Schuchmann is
suppose to have crossed the Atlantic Ocean three (3) times: the 1st time in
1834 when he and his family came to the US;
the 2nd time in 1854 when he brought his niece (Elisabeth Schuchmann) and
her two brothers (George Augustus Schuchmann & Charles Schuchmann) back
with him to the US; and the 3rd time in
1878 when he visited his old homeland.
Actually, Charles would have crossed the Atlantic 5 times if he made
those 3 trips! The Talley-Webster
family in Laddonia, Missouri is suppose to have the original trunk that Charles
owned and that crossed the ocean on his several trips.
On 11 October 1854, Charles bought the Anderson Brewery from
Abraham ANDERSON. According to the 1860
BELLEVILLE, IL, CITY DIRECTORY, p.
74, the brewery was located on "1st South, between Illinois and
Spring". A brief notice about the
purchase appeared in the Belleville newspaper in October 1854. [13] The brewery was located where the county jail stood in
1896. Charles did a successful business
for several years and sold the brewery back to Mr. ANDERSON on 16 August 1862. Charles then retired to a farm three miles from Belleville on the
Carlyle Road. No record has yet been
found that gives the purchase date for this farm but the 160 acre property is shown
in an 1874 atlas [14] of St. Clair County, as
being in Section 24 of Township 1 North, Range 8 West [St. Clair
Township]. In 1997, this land was
directly across from Belleville Area College on Carlyle Avenue. [15]
****************
***************
***************
***************
1860 U. S. Federal Census [16] The SCHUCHMANN family [name mispelled as "SHOOPMAN"] is
found residing in St. Clair Township on pages 523 & 524; family # 1711:
SHOOPMAN, Melinda; age 49;
born in Hessen
SHOOPMAN, Daniel; age 26;
born in Hessen
SHOOPMAN, Lenhard; age 22;
born in Ill.
SHOOPMAN, Eliza; age 16;
born in Ill.
SHOOPMAN, Mary; age 13;
born in Ill.
SHOOPMAN, Anna; age 11;
born in Ill.
SHOOPMAN, Tonny; age 32;
born in Ill.
****************
***************
***************
***************
1870 Federal Census [17] The SCHUCHMANN family [name mispelled as "SCHUKMANN"]
is found living in St. Clair Township :
SCHUKMANN, Charles; age 62;
occupation “Farmer”; born in
“Hesse Darmstadt”
SCHUKMANN, Helena; age 60;
occupation “Keepinghouse”;
born in “Hesse Darmstadt”
SCHUKMANN, Anna; age 21;
occupation “at home”; born in
“Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, Leonhard; age 32;
occupation “Farmer”; born in
“Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, Nancy; age 26;
occupation “keepinghouse”;
born in “Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, Hanchen?
[Anna]; age 7; occupation “at
home”; born in “Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, William; age
5; occupation “at home”; born in “Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, Sophia; age
2; occupation “at home”; born in “Ill.”
SCHUKMANN, Louis; age 6/12; occupation “at home”;
born in “Ill.”
****************
***************
***************
***************
According to the records of Walnut Hill Cemetery, Belleville,
IL, Helena SCHUGHMANN, age 62, died on Tuesday, 10 September 1872 in St. Clair
County. The record states that the
cause of death was "liver complaint" and that she was buried in lot
161, addition 2, block 22 in Walnut Hill Cemetery. She shares a joint tombstone with her husband and the only
inscription that appears to be on the stone is: Father -
Mother, with the word SCHUCHMANN underneath.
In December 1877, there was an article published in a
Belleville newspaper about a fire that completely destroyed “the residence and barn of Mr. Chas.
Schuchmann, a wealthy farmer, living on the Carlyle road three miles east of
Belleville....The loss to Mr. Schuchmann is estimated at from six to eight
thousand dollars....None of the property was insured. At the time of the fire Mr. Schuchmann was absent in Effingham
county, where he has recently purchased a farm.” [18] This same property on the Carlyle Road was sold the next month
to Jacob Gundlach who bought the 170 acre farm for $ 19,300.00 [19]
His obituary states
that sometime after his wife's death in 1872, Charles sold his farm and made a
visit back to Germany. There was a
United States passport [20] issued in St. Clair County on April 30, 1878 by County Clerk
Louis C. Starkel, for Charles Schuchmann .
That document states that he was “born on 12 January 1809” and that he
was a naturalized US citizen. His physical
description is written on that document as:
Age:
69 years Mouth: medium
Stature:
5 feet, 8 inches Chin: round
Forehead:
low Hair: gray
Eyes:
gray Complexion: dark
Nose:
large Face: oval
In his later years, Charles moved from the Belleville area to
Benton City, Missouri, so that he could be cared for in his declining years by
his daughter, Mrs. Elisa FLITTNER.
Charles died on Thursday, March 26, 1896 at the advanced age of 87
years, 2 months, and 14 days at his daughter's home in Benton City, Mo. Death was caused by a traumatic abcess of
the throat. A lengthy obituary was published in the Belleville newspaper [21]. Another lengthy obituary, written in German, was also published
in the daily edition of the Post und Zeitung [22] . He was buried next to his wife in Walnut Hill Cemetery, Belleville,
on March 28, 1896.
The following eight (8) known children were born to Charles SCHUCHMANN & Helena BALTZ:
1.)
Charles SCHUCHMANN
born: 6 Nov. 1830 Gross Bieberau, Hessen Darmstadt
died: 21 June 1873 St. Clair County, IL
married: Mary TOTSCH 14 April 1853 in St. Clair County, IL
2.)
George Ludwig SCHUCHMANN
born: 7 Sept. 1832 Gross Bieberau, Hessen Darmstadt
died: 9 August 1908 New Baden, Clinton County, IL
married: Maria DAAB 26 December 1857 St. Clair County, IL
3.)
Daniel SCHUCHMANN
born: 5 August 1834 on the Atlantic Ocean
died: 22 July 1915 Belleville, IL
never married
4.)
Margaretha Anna SCHUCHMANN
born: 14 March 1836 Turkeyhill, St. Clair Co., IL
died: 14 Sept. 1928 Belleville, IL
married: Louis GEISSLER 24 August 1856 in St. Clair County, IL
5.)
Leonhard SCHUCHMANN
born: 22 December 1838 Turkeyhill, St. Clair Co., IL
died: 18 July 1915 Kansas City, Missouri
married: Nancy Jane NOBLETT on 21 Nov. 1861 Belleville, IL
6.)
Elisabeth SCHUCHMANN
born: about 1843 in St. Clair County, IL
died: 25 Feb. 1905 in Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri
married: Friedrich FLITTNER 9 August 1862 in St. Clair County, IL
7.)
Maria (Mary) SCHUCHMANN
born: 18 January 1847 in St. Clair County, IL
died: 9 February 1899 Belleville, IL
married: Philip Adam ACKER 1 August 1863 in Belleville, IL
8.)
Anna SCHUCHMANN
born: 13 May 1849 Belleville, IL
died: 20 February 1879 in Belleville, IL
married: Francis KNAPP on 17 June 1875 in Belleville, IL
[1] U. S. National Archives Microfilm Series M255 (Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, 1820-1891), microfilm roll # M 255-01; ship # 52
[2] Daily Advocate, Belleville, Illinois; “Dan Schuckmann Dies of Stroke of Paralysis”; Thursday, July 22, 1915, page 1
[3] ‘Family Register’ of Zion United Church of Christ,
Millstadt, IL; family sketch # 21; published in the St. Clair County [IL]
Genealogical Society QUARTERLY, Vol. 10 (1987), pp. 1 - 28
[4] Recorder of Deeds, St. Clair County, Illinois, Book N, page 365
[5] Zion Evangelical Church, Millstadt, Illinois. Baptism records, 1836 # 11.
[6] Zion Evangelical Church, Millstadt, has baptism records starting in 1835, confirmations starting in 1866; marriages starting in 1836; and burials starting in 1836. The records before 1920 are written entirely in German.
[7] Zion Evangelical Church, Millstadt, Illinois. Baptism records, 1840 # 31, page 16.
[8] Sixth Census of the United States, 1840 Census, St. Clair County, Illinois, page 276; National Archives microfilm series M704, roll # 70.
[9] Recorder of Deeds, St. Clair County, Illinois, Book S, page 128
[10] Recorder of Deeds, St. Clair County, Illinois, Book V, page 473
[11] Recorder of Deeds, St. Clair County, Illinois, Book X, page 225
[12] Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. St. Clair County, Illinois, City of Belleville, page 337, lines 5-14, dwelling # 2611; National Archives microfilm series M432, roll # 126.
[13] Weekly Advocate, Belleville, Illinois, Wednesday, October 11, 1854, last page, column 3
[14] An Illustrated Historical Atlas of St. Clair Co., Illinois. (Published by Warner & Beers, Chicago; 1874) page 39.
[15] Charles bought land in Survey 386, Claim 523 on May 4, 1865 from Wm. C. DAVIS which is recorded with the St. Clair County Recorder of Deeds in Book G-4, page 231. But the farm in Section 24 should not have been part of any original survey.
[16] Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. St. Clair County, Illinois, Township 1 North, Range 8 West (St. Clair Township); National Archives microfilm series M653, roll # 224.
[17] Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. St. Clair County, Illinois; Township 1 North, Range 8 West (St. Clair Township); Belleville postoffice; page 327; line 24; family 37; National Archives microfilm series M593, roll # 280
[18] Weekly Advocate, Belleville, Illinois, Friday, December 14, 1877, page 1, column 4
[19] Weekly Advocate, Belleville, Illinois, Friday, January 18, 1878, page 1, column 5
[20] National Archives Record Group 59, “Passport Applications”; Microcopy M1372, roll 222; application # 6238. Document found on April 1, 2002 by Diane Renner Walsh of Belleville, IL during a research trip to Washington, DC
[21] Weekly Advocate, Belleville, Illinois; “Obituary - Charles Schuchmann”, Friday, April 3, 1896, page 5
[22] Post und Zeitung, Belleville, Illinois; (weekly edition), Thursday, April 2, 1896, page 7, column 4.