Wilhelm Schochenmaier (1897-1970s) - my great great grandad

As for me, I have one photo of my great great grandpa, it's the oldest photo of our family. You can see Wilhelm Schochenmaier on it.

The photo had been taken in the 1920s, in Odessa, the biggest city of that region in the South Ukraine. You can find Wilhelm staying together with his wife Eva Bender (daughter of Michael Bender)

and their children Annetta (1918), Frieda (1922), Wilhelm (1924) and Edwin (1926). Annetta is my great grandma (on your right).

Wilhelm was born in 1897, although in some databases 1887 is noticed. I am not sure if it's a mistake or not. He was born in Neu-Rohrbach (Russian name is "Ieraklievka"). I was surprised by getting to know that he had been trompet teacher, because I thought that all of them were farmers or smiths but it's not the case.

My grandma Johanna (Zhanna - in Russian style) does still remember her grandad and she told me some very interesting stories about him. I will write them on our blog later. It's worth to be read))) In 1943 he could reach Germany and then he was hidden in the Switzerland till the end of the WWII. It's a pity that he had been devided from his family and had no idea what had happened to his wife and his children. As consequence, he stayed in Germany and in 1959 only he descovered that the rest of the family was deported from Poland and Ukraine to the South Ural near Kazakhstan. I can't imagine what he felt, he was already married for the second time and he was living in Radolfzell on the Lake of Constance. It was a real tragedy... for him as well as for us who stayed in the USSR...

    

Schochenmaier the Hatter from Ludwigsburg

Among the Schochenmaiers, which dwelt Germany before the emigration, you can meet one Schochenmaier in Ludwigsburg.

You find it in the Municipal Archives of Stuttgart. There is no first name, but you can see his profession:

He was the hatter. The notice has been made in 1810. It's about a building application in Ludwigsburg. 

So, now we know that one Schochenmaier was looking for a place to build its house or an "office". The time is very near to the emigration years from this area of Würtemberg. 

It's also interesting to get to know that he was a hatter))) At that time it looked like that:

and

I must point out that this area of Würtemberg was rich in the Schochenmaiers: Ludwigsburg, Stuttgart, Neckarsulm, Heilbronn and several villages. Let's dig deeper!!!

A photo from Neu-Rohrbach

Thanks to Natalya Schochenmaier, we've got a new photo from Neu-Rohrbach. I have not mentioned this place-name. Actually, as I understood, the Schochenmaiers which had stayed in the Russian Empire, after Michael and Jacob Schochenmaier had left for the New World, co-founded a farmstead from Rohrbach in a couple of miles from it under the name of Neu-Rohrbach in the beginning of 1880s.

Here is the photo taken in that Neu-Rohrbach:

In the second row to the left is Heinrich Schochenmaier (1905-1975,son of Christian Sch. (1866), nephew of Michael (1859) and Jacob (1861) Schochenmaiers), while in the first row to the right is his future wife - Lilly Weikum (1909-1961). They are nor married yet. It's between 1924 and 1928. Others have not been recognized. 

Heinrich Schochenmaier is also a cousin for Paul Schochenmaier (1897-1973), who is the grandpa of Janet Schochenmaier in Canada)))

I suggest that next to Christian is staying another Schochenmaier as they look pretty similar, especially in the eyes. Do you agree? Theoretically, it could be his older brother - Christian Schochenmaier (1897-1938).  

  

  

Schochenmaiers before emigration. Introduction

I'd like to start to post which Schochenmaiers are to be found in various materials before emigration. Under the emigration I understand not only before the New World but before Russia as well.

The very first mentions of Russian Schochenmaiers can be found in the Odessa Digital Library http://www.odessa3.org/ :

Births:

Deaths:

and Marriages:

Chronologically, the earliest date is September 1852, when Margaretha Schochenmaier was born to Ludwig Schochenmaier. It's interesting to see that she is one and only who has no precise birthday if it was the very beginning or not ordered yet at that time... Nothing (no documents!) earlier of the Schochenmaiers in Russia prior to 1852. The rest of the information is from the file compiled by the Village Coordinators from the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (North Dakota, Bismarck) http://www.grhs.org/index.html:



But where did they get the information about the Russian Schochenmaiers between 1800 and 1840s from? Why have I never asked this question before? I will contact them today.

The Village Coordinators are from the Beresan District Odessa Regional Interest Group

Their names are: Rosemarie Dinkel, Nancy Schroeder, Lucy Simpson, Erwin Ulmer.

So, as promised, I will post on the Schochenmaiers found prior to 1852, mostly in Germany, of course.