Distribution of last names schOchenmaiers vs. schAchenmaiers

Today I'd like to compare the distribution of all possible spellings of schOchenmaiers versus schAchenmaiers, in order to see if there are any regularities or interdependences therein.

With the help of German Surnames Atlas program (by courtesy of Prof. Konrad Kunze from the University of Freibrug, as the software is not publically accessible), I could map the distribution of all (SHOKHENMAYER) spellings. It's a dataset with more than 30 millions of German citizens on the basis of their phone lines and zipcodes. Taking into account that there are about 83 millions of people in Germany, we come to the coefficient of 2,9 persons per phone line (what is actually a "normal" German family: he, she and one child). It would be of great interest to get to know how many Scho/achenmaiers are living in Germany now.

All in all, we have the follwoing possible spellings for SchOc?(h/k)enm(a/e)ier: 

Schochenmaier	5 * 3 = 15
Schochenmeier	4 * 3 = 12
Schockenmaier	1 * 3 = 3
Schockenmeier	2 * 3 = 6
Schokenmeier	1 * 3 = 3

The numbers to the right show how many phone lines are to be found in Germany. We multiply by 3 (or 2,9) and we get the approximative number of living with those family names.  As you can see, there are probably not more than 40 persons who write their names with "O".

By the way, there are 40 Schochenmaiers in Germany, about 10 in Switzerland, about 20 in Russia and about 300 hundreds of them in the North America !!!))) Alert! We are dying out here in Europe)))

Well, what about SchAchenm(a/e)(i/y)e?r:

Schachenmayer	9 * 3 = 27
Schachenmayr	16 * 3 = 48
Schachenmeier	15 * 3 = 45

So, there are about 120 of Schachenmaiers. 

And now the map:

What can you see on the map? The dwelling places of Schochenmaiers have almost no overlapping with that of Schachenmaiers (except the Northern Bavaria!) The considerable number of Schachenmaiers is to be seen in the Southern Bavaria, near to Austria.  The Schochenmaiers are to be mostly found in area of Baden and Rhineland-Palatinate. So to say, Schochenmaiers - on your left and Schachenmaiers - on your right. 

We may conclude, that they possibly had a different origin. But, as I have already mentioned, it depences on the origin of the family. 

In the next posting I will present the first theory on the Schochenmaier family name origin. 

On the "knitted" SchO/Achenmaiers

After we read about two Schochenmaiers (Johann Christian Schochenmeyer the Cloth-maker to the end of the 18th century and one Schochenmaier the Hatter in the beginning of the 19th century at the same place!), who dealt with the knitwear manufacture, I started to think that Schochenmaier could be related to famous Schachenmayr.

I suggest that our Schochenmaier's ladies do know this company producing hosiery:

It's interesting to get to know that the first fabric has started in 1822: 

Here is the story of the beginning (http://www.ravelry.com/designers/schachenmayr):

The well-known Schachenmayr (formerly known as SMC) brand is characterized by a long and successful history.

Yarns were manufactured as early as 1817 by Johann Gottfried Kolb in a cluster of historic spinning mills, located on the river Fils near Salach, Germany. Shortly after production began, a cotton mill was added which was later converted into a wool spinning mill in 1822. To this day, this facility continues to be the hub for the development and marketing of all Schachenmayr knitting yarns.

In 1824, Leonhard(t) Schachenmayr joined the aspiring company after he married Herr Kolb’s eldest daughter. His focus on innovative yarn technologies and high quality production standards shaped the company and led to the development of one of the first yarn brands in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. In 1871, the company name was changed to Schachenmayr, Mann & Cie; in 2009, the acronym Schachenmayr was introduced with the current logo seen on all knitting yarns, design publications and advertising.

The Schachenmayr brand reflects the historical foundation of the company, yet continues to be forward thinking in product and design development. Today, the Schachenmayr brand is one of the leading producers and suppliers of knitting yarns. Held in high esteem by knitters all over the world, the Schachenmayr brand stands for quality, creative design and the celebration of the joy of knitting.

 

Please, turn your attention to the chimney-shafts. 

One of those chimneys is to be seen today in Salach: 

The original building doesn't work anymore:

Here is the factory's aerial view: 

Here was its yarn spinning mill:

The name of the company (on the actual building):

They had produced even some books:

and one postage stamp:

Here is one official company blank:

 

Salach is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It looked like that: 

In Salach, a settlement named Schachenmayr is to be found today:

Well, but where is that river Fils near Salach in Germany? Let's check the map: 

Is it by accident that Schachenmayrs had founded their factory in 1822 in 123 km from Neckarsulm where in 1820s there was a big family of Schochenmaiers? Or in 61 km from Ludwigsburg (between Stuttgart and Neckarsulm)?  

I must confess that, afters all these coincidences, I am starting to hesitate that we are nor remote relatives. The only one problem is the fact that German last names had been fixed for a long time: in that region between 13-14 centuries. We cannot be even sure that Schochenmaiers did existed at that time... I have already seen such cases when even our Schochenmaiers were written with A because of mistake. Is it possible that after the 15th century the mistake was fixed as a last name? As far as I understand, everything depends on the origin of the family name. We should shed the light on it in the forthcoming postings, I have already accumulated at least 3-4 theories on our origin. I will keep to digg deeper here and in the next posting I will compare the distribution of schOchenmaiers vs. schAchenmayrs, first as family names, then as topografic names, so to say as place-names (schOchen vs. schAchen).  

Johann Christian Schochenmeyer the Cloth-maker

Today I'd like to introduce a very interesting figure in our family history: Johann Christian Schochenmeyer.

First of all, turn your attention to the writing and spelling manner: SchochenmEYer. It was probably one of the oldest spelling type (as I will demonstrate in the post on the oldest Schochenmaiers ever))))). In the today's world, you won't find such Schochenmeyers, except Delmer H. Schochenmeyer, married in Pennsylvania to Verna Helen McCoughey in 1945 (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nelancas/marriages/1939-1940s/s.htm). I have never heard about any Delmer Schochenmeyer. There is no context, no parents, no other documents. So, I suggest it's just a spelling mistake. Maybe you can help us to find that Delmer SchochenmAIer or whatever his name was.

Secondly, Johann Christian is to be found in Ludwigsburg as well, where we met Schochenmaier the Hatter last time (from the 1810).

But this Schochenmeyer lived anywhen between 1710s and 1770s. In the Archives of Stuttgart, I have found his request for the building of a private house. Here it is (in German):

It says that in the paper version the front view and groundplan of the house projected by Johann Christian Schochenmeyer in a ration of 1:77 are to be found (150 steps = 18,5 cm). One day I will order it to check how it looked like and to find out if it survived till today))) Amazingly enough is what is noticed as the content of the planning application in the bottom of the scan: "Front view of the house being opposite to "Stadtkirche" and to "eagle" (???), layout of the ground level, first floor and roofs scumbled in pink". This Evangelical Church is pretty known in Ludwigsburg, if so, Johann Christian Schochenmeyer plans to build his house in front of the Stadtkirche. What does it mean? Is he so rich? Is he a man of the high society? I can't imagine it, but everything is possible.

Here's the Stadtkirche and some houses near to it:

and that's written on it:

 

 The dedication of the church took place in 1726.

In front of the Stadtkirche (on your left) you can see what follows:

I don't know if any of those houses were private at that time and belonged to any Schochenmeyers.

The last point is that Johann Christian Schochenmeyer was a cloth-maker. I have found the information that some of them during the 18 century could organize their business in well-developed textil manufactories which in the begining of the 19 century were brought to ruin by the monopolistic textil factories. In 1807 there were only 5 cloth-makers in Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg! They produced mostly for the court of the Duke Ludwig von Württemberg.

The job of cloth-maker looked like that:

and

or maybe

Thank you!!!