| Married on February 19, 1856 |
Lorenz Schilly and Victoria Birkenmeier
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| My great-grandfather Joseph A. Schilly, Sr. (b. July 9, 1877, d. October 29, 1958 In St. Louis, Mo.) married Apollonia "Lena" Rossfeld (b. December 27, 1879, d. October 18, 1958 in St. Louis, Mo.) on November 5, 1878 in St. Louis, Mo. His great-grandfather Andreas Schilly (Schilli) was a Parisian wine maker (he married Anna Maria Hugle Danner, she died in 1816). They had five children (Antonius b. 12-18-1797; Theresia b. 4-9-1800; Ferdinand b. 6-5-1802; Michael b. 9-23-1804; and Maria Anna b. 6-11-1806). Three were sent to Baden, Germany to care for his vineyards there. Two remained with him to look after the vineyards near Paris. Andreas was the son of Mathias Schilly (Schilli) from Rieshof, Passau in Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria) and Anna Maria Armbruster from Fessenbach. How he ended up in Paris is not recorded. The Baden-domiciled children married Germans. Lorenz Schilly (my great-great-grandfather) was born on August 5, 1832 in Fessenbach, Middle Baden (Ortenau) to Ferdinand Schilly (my great-great-great-grandfather, b. June 5, 1802, d. February 1, 1838) and Maria Schweiss. Lorenz had one sister, although no record can be found of this sister, there is a record of two brothers, Anton, born on 7-1-1831; and Gregor, b. 3-17-1835 and d. 4-11-1835. His mother Maria Schweiss was the daughter of Mathias Schweiss and Katharina Harter. The children were apparently orphaned in infancy, therefore an aunt (Theresia Schilly) and her German husband (Michael Litterst) reared them. Their inheritance was applied to their care so that by the time Lorenz was twenty-two and wanted to immigrate to America, there was just enough left to pay for his passage to St. Louis for two. Michael Litterst and Theresia Schilly were married on 10-4-1825. Her husband Michael was the son of Josef Litterst and Magdalena Leitermann. Lorenz booked passage on an English ship for himself and an elderly man who did not have the means to pay his own way. This man's identity and subsequent life are unknown. The ocean crossing took three months. The German passengers hated the English crew for treating them very badly. Lorenz became ill during the voyage and when the ship touched the port at New Orleans, the crew threw him off the boat. It was storming so he crawled under a wagon for shelter. A kind sailor found him there and got him to a hospital operated by the Daughters of Christian Charity. Upon recovery from his illness, typhoid fever, Lorenz purchased a pair of boots for his benefactor for ten dollars. After this purchase, he was left with four dollars and his passage to St. Louis. It was not recorded if his luggage was thrown off the boat with him, sent to St. Louis ahead of him, or was lost forever. At any rate, Lorenz Schilly arrived at his St. Louis destination in 1854. Lorenz's first home was a boarding house in the Frenchtown area (Soulard) of St. Louis, where he later met and married a young waitress named Victoria Birkenmeier (Birkenmayer) (b. 11-19-1836 in Ebringen, Baden, d. 7-13-1917 in St. Louis). She left Baden on 11-29-1854 with her family when she was 18 years old. They boarded a ship at Rotterdam, the Netherlands and traveled to LeHarvre, France. Her father, Ottmar Birkenmeier* (b. 12-19-1836), died on board ship from the plague and was buried at LeHarvre. Leaving her mother, Maria (nee Gutsell) Birkenmeier with 11 children bound for St. Louis. She arrived in New Orleans on 2-19-1855 aboard the ship, S.S. Regulator. They then traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis and settled in the Frenchtown area. Victoria did not want to come to America, and she refused to learn English. Lorenz and Victoria had 12 children, one of which was my great-grandfather Joseph A. Schilly, Sr., in 1877. They were married in St. Louis on 2-19-1856 at St. s Peter and Paul Church. They initially settled in Harrisonville, Illinois but they finally moved in 1865 to the Carondelet area of St. Louis (211 West Stein Street). Lorenz purchased a store at 7509 South Broadway in 1865 and operated a tailor shop there, which he passed on to his sons Leo and Joseph. He died after over 50 years of marriage to Victoria, on August 11, 1907. They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at St. Boniface followed by a reception at their oldest daughter Sophia Hunleths' home seven of their living children and 41 grandchildren. The Schilly children all attended St. Boniface School, where one man taught all the classes.
*A letter from the town clerk of Ebringen in September 1989 notes that Ottmar Birkenmeier was destitute, and his family was sent at the expense of the community to the USA. All expenses were paid for a total of 29 persons on that trip. In 1891 his son Matthew returned to Ebringen from St. Louis for a 4-week visit. He brought a large colored lithograph of a "probable German brewery from St. Louis", which still hangs in the council chamber of the city hall. (Editors Note: More likely it was of the Griesedieck Brothers or Lemp Brewery, rather than Anheuser-Busch brewery which was "Bohemian style lager".) The clerk noted the Birkenmeier family has lived in Ebringen since 1685, and most likely came from the neighboring community of Solden to Ebringen. Ottmar never achieved house ownership, he just rented. In 1826 he is listed as a tailor, 1827 as a day laborer, 1826 municipal messenger, 1839 letter carrier, 1841 day laborer, 1846 vineyard worker at estate of Weber in Glottertal. Before his marriage he apparently worked as a journeyman tailor as in 1826. He served 8 years as a soldier. The clerk notes that 1853 was a time of great poverty for many families. ** Sophia Schilly Hunleth was spoken of as a saint. Her fur cape concealed the food packages which she prepared and delivered personally to the poor. The children of Leo Schilly remembered gratefully that it was she who helped their family after their father's death. Sophie died of cancer of the stomach, refusing drugs, so that she might offer her sufferings to God." |
Badische Weinstraße
Baden 1806-1945
Arrived in St. Louis, Missouri in 1854 from Fessenbach, Ortenau, Grand Duchy of Baden
| Fessenbach where Lorenz Schilly was born in 1852. |
| Fessenbach is a wine community in the Middle Baden area, called the Ortenau. Established in 1245 |
Baden Coat of Arms
| Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subsequently split into different lines, which were unified in 1771. It became the much-enlarged Grand Duchy of Baden through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1803-1806 and remained a sovereign country until it joined the German Empire in 1871, remaining a Grand Duchy until 1918 when it became part of the Weimar Republic. Baden was bounded to the north by the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt; to the west and practically throughout its whole length by the River Rhine, which separated it from the Bavarian Rhenish Palatinate and Alsace in modern France ; to the south by Switzerland, and to the east by the Kingdom of Württemberg, the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and partly by Bavaria. The Lords of Baden benefited from the break-up of Swabia, and, raised to the dignity of Margrave in 1112, were able to take their place as one of the four most important dynasts in southern Germany (along with Habsburg, Wittelsbach, and Württemberg). Baden was fragmented from 1190-1503, 1515-1620, and 1622-1771, though the eras of 1415-1503, 1604-1620, and 1666-1771 saw only two active branches each. After 1771 the only surviving branch retained full authority and in return for compliance with Napoleon, was raised to Electoral dignity in 1803, and then Grand Ducal status in 1806. The French Revolution and Napoleon When the French Revolution threatened to be exported throughout Europe in 1792, Baden joined forces against France, and its countryside was devastated once more. In 1796 the margrave was compelled to pay an indemnity, and to cede his territories on the left bank of the Rhine to France. Fortune, however, soon returned to his side. In 1803, largely owing to the good offices of Alexander I, emperor of Russia, he received the bishopric of Konstanz, part of the Rhenish Palatinate, and other smaller districts, together with the dignity of a prince-elector. Changing sides in 1805, he fought for Napoleon, with the result that by the peace of Pressburg in that year he obtained the Breisgau and other territories at the expense of the Habsburgs. In 1806 he joined the Confederation of the Rhine, declared himself a sovereign prince, became a grand-duke, and received other additions of territory. The Baden contingent continued to assist France, and by the Peace of Vienna in 1809 the grand-duke was rewarded with accessions of territory at the expense of the kingdom of Württemberg. Having quadrupled the area of Baden, Charles Frederick died in June 1811, and was succeeded by his grandson, Charles, Grand Duke of Baden, who was married to Stéphanie de Beauharnais (1789-1860), a niece of Empress Josephine who had been adopted by Napoleon. Charles fought for his father-in-law until after the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, when he joined the Allies. |
| Revolution of 1848/49 The news of the revolution of February 1848 in Paris brought the agitation to a head. Numerous public meetings occurred and adopted the Offenburg programme, and on March 4, under the influence of the popular excitement, the lower chamber accepted this programme almost unanimously. As in other German states, the government bowed to the storm, proclaimed an amnesty and promised reforms. The ministry remodelled itself in a more Liberal direction; and sent a new delegate to the federal diet at Frankfurt, empowered to vote for the establishment of a parliament for a united Germany. The disorders, fomented by republican agitators, nonetheless continued; and the efforts of the government to suppress them with the aid of federal troops led to an armed insurrection. For the time this was mastered without much difficulty; the insurgents, led by Franz Joseph Trefzger, lost at Kandern on April 20, 1848; Freiburg, which they held, fell on April 24; and on April 27 a Franco-German legion, which had invaded Baden from Strasbourg, was routed at Dossenbach. At the beginning of 1849, however, the issue of a new constitution, in accordance with the resolutions of the Frankfurt parliament, led to more serious trouble. It did little to satisfy the Radicals, angered by the refusal of the second chamber to agree to their proposal for the summoning of a constituent assembly (February 10, 1849). The new insurrection that now broke out proved a more formidable affair than the first. A military mutiny at Rastatt on May 11 showed that the army sympathised with the revolution, which was proclaimed two days later at Offenburg amid tumultuous scenes. On the same day (May 13) a mutiny at Karlsruhe forced Grand Duke Leopold to flee, and the next day his ministers followed, while a committee of the diet under Lorenz Brentano (1813-1891), who represented the more moderate Radicals as against the republicans, established itself in the capital to attempt to direct affairs pending the establishment of a provisional government. This was accomplished on June 1, and on June 10 the constituent diet, consisting entirely of the most "advanced" politicians, assembled. It had little chance of doing more than make speeches; the country remained in the hands of an armed mob of civilians and mutinous soldiers; and, meanwhile, the Grand Duke of Baden had joined with Bavaria in requesting the armed intervention of Prussia, which Berlin granted on the condition that Baden should join the League of the Three Kings. From this moment the revolution in Baden was doomed, and with it the revolution in all Germany. The Prussians, under Prince William (afterwards William I, German Emperor), invaded Baden in the middle of June 1849. Afraid of a military escalation, Brentano reacted hesitantly, afraid of military escalation - too hesitantly for the more radical Gustav Struve and his followers, who overthrew him and established a Pole, Ludwig von Mieroslawski (1814-1878), in his place. Mieroslawski reduced the insurgents to some semblance of order. On June 20, 1849 he met the Prussians at Waghausel, and suffered complete defeat; on June 25 Prince William entered Karlsruhe; and at the end of the month the members of the provisional government, who had taken refuge at Freiburg, dispersed. Such of the insurgent leaders as were caught, notably the ex-officers, suffered military execution; the army was dispersed among Prussian garrison towns; and Prussian troops occupied Baden for a time. Franz Trefzger managed to escape to Switzerland. Grand Duke Leopold returned on August 10, and at once dissolved the diet. The following elections resulted in a majority favourable to the new ministry, which passed a series of laws of a reactionary tendency with a view to strengthening the government. Grand Duke Leopold died on April 24, 1852, and was succeeded by his second son, Frederick, as regent, the eldest, Louis II, Grand Duke of Baden (died January 22, 1858), being incapable of ruling. The internal affairs of Baden during the period that followed have comparatively little general interest. In the greater politics of Germany, Baden, between 1850 and 1866, was a consistent supporter of Austria; and in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 her contingents, under Prince William, had two sharp engagements with the Prussian army of the Main. Two days before the affair of Werbach (July 24, 1866), however, the second chamber had petitioned the Grand Duke to end the war and enter into an offensive and defensive alliance with Prussia. 1854 is when Lorenz Schilly left Fessenbach, Middle Baden for St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Baden (August 15, 1824-January 22, 1858) was the son of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden and Sophie of Holstein-Gottorp, Princess of Sweden. Ludwig succeeded his father on April 24. 1852. However, in 1856, his brother Frederick became regent, as Ludwig suffered from mental illness. He was also an honorary citizen of Karlsruhe. |
| Baden Wine Road Meander along the Baden Wine Road (Badische Weinstrasse). The road invites you to indulge in special gastronomic treats. All along the way from Baden-Baden through the Ortenau, the Kaiserstuhl and the Markgräflerland to Weil am Rhein. Always accompanied by the excellent wines of the various regions. The Badische Weinstrasse (Wine Road) follows the river rhine from Baden-Baden to Weil am Rhein (nearby Basel). The portion "Ortenau" from Baden-Baden to the Offenburg area is the part next to Stuttgart. Superb landscape is between Sasbachwalden and the quaint Gengenbach. Opposite the river rhine, in France, there is the just as attractive Alsace Wine Road. So you e.g. could follow the German wine road north, cross the rhine and drive back via France. (Strasbourg is a must see) A large number of classic grape varieties are grown in Baden but the Burgunder (pinot) varietal thrives throughout most of the region. The region's white wines range from the delicate Auxerrois, to the elegant, food-friendly Weissburgunder (pinot blanc), to the fashionable Grauburgunder (pinot gris). The luscious Spätburgunder (pinot noir) is the ruby among Baden reds. |
Examples of fashion in Baden in 1860's
| St. Boniface the site of so much of the religious life of Lorenz Schilly and his children. Founded 1860 in Carondelet Section of St. Louis. Named for St. Boniface, patron saint of Germany. (7622 Michigan Avenue) Closed in 2005. |
| Saints Peter and Paul Church in Soulard Section of St. Louis. This is where Lorenz Schilly married Victoria Birkenmeier in 1856. The stained glass comes from Innsbruck, Austria, and the oil paintings used as stations of the cross are from the Beuron School of South Germany. The interior of the church is modeled on the Cathedral of Cologne and the Liebfrauenkirche of Trier. Established in 1849 for German immigrants, closed in 2005. |
| Eleven Generations from Germany/France/Germany to the U.S.A. - DE1. Lawrence Schilli, (b. 1710 in ?; d. 2-4-1745 in ?) Married: (?) TO: (?) Father of Mathias Schilly. DE2/FR1. Mathias Schilly (Schilli), (b. 1735 in Rieshof, Passau in Niederbayern (Lower Bavaria); d. 3-30- 1806 it appears in Paris Region). Married: (?) Anna Maria Armbruster, (b. ? in Fessenbach, Middle Baden; d. ? it appears in Paris Region ) Parents of Andreas Schilly (Schilli) but not certain how many other children. FR2. Andreas Schilly (Schilli) (b. 11-27-1775 in Paris Region; d. 1815 in ?) Married 1-9-1797. Anna Maria Hugle Danner, (b. ?; d ?.) They had five children, Ferdinand Schilly was their third child. DE3. Ferdinand Schilly (b. 6-5-1802 in Fessenbach, Middle Baden; d. 2-1-1838 in Fessenbach, Middle Baden) Married ? Maria Schweiss (b. ?; d. ?) They had three sons and one daughter, Lorenz Schilly was their second child. DE4/US1. Lorenz Schilly (b. 8-5-1832 in Fessenbach, Ortenau, Grand Duchy of Baden d.8-11-1907 in St. Louis, Mo) Lorenz came to St. Louis in 1856; Victoria came to St. Louis in 1854. Married on 2-19-1856 in St. Louis, Mo. Victoria Birkenmeier (b. 11-19-1836 in Eberingen, Grand Duchy of Baden; d. 7-13-1917 in St. Louis, Mo.) They had 12 children, Joseph A. Schilly was their eleventh child. US2. Joseph Aloysius Schilly, Sr. (b. 7-9-1877 in St. Louis, Mo; d. 10-29-1958 in St. Louis, Mo). Married 11-5-1901 in St. Louis, Mo. Apollonia “Lena” Rosseld (b. 12-27-1877 in St. Louis, Mo; d. 10-18-1958 in St. Louis, Mo.). They had 7 children and Marie E. Schilly was their second child. US3. Marie E. Schilly (b. 8-14-1904 in St. Louis, Mo.; d. 2-21-1972 in St. Louis, Mo.) Married on 10-3-1928 in St. Louis, Mo. John Anthony "Jack" Maurer, Sr. (b. 12-19-1900 in St. Louis, Mo; d. 3-10-1977 in St. Louis, Mo.) They had four children and John Anthony Maurer, Jr., was the second child. US4. John Anthony "Mick" Maurer, Jr. (b. 1932 in St. Louis, Mo) Married on June 21, 1952 in St. Louis, Mo. Margaret Mary Morgan was born in 1933, St. Louis, Mo. They had six children and John Anthony Maurer, III was the second child. US5. John Anthony Maurer, III (b. 1954 in St. Louis, Mo.) Married on August 3 and August 4, 1973 in St. Louis County, Mo. Pamela Anne Siems (b. 1953 in St. Louis County, Mo.) They had three children and John Anthony Maurer, IV was the oldest child. US6. John Anthony Maurer, IV (b. 1977, St. Louis County, Mo.) Married on May 17, 2002 in Colorado Springs, Co. Kasey Elisabeth Barton (b. 1977, Colorado Springs, Co.) They have one son, Desmond Barton Maurer (b. 2007, Boulder, Co.) US7. Desmond Barton Maurer (b. 2007, Boulder, Co.) |
| Missouri Weinstraße: In 1837, German settlers established the town of Hermann on the southern banks of the Missouri River, west of St. Louis. A century ago "American wine" usually meant Missouri wine, and St. Louis was the nation's center for world-class quality. |
| Lorenz and Victoria were married in St. Louis in 1856. They initially settled in Harrisonville section in Monroe County, Illinois probably from 1860-1864 but they finally moved to the Carondelet area of St. Louis (7509 South Broadway which he officially purchased on 28 December 1865), eventually the family would move to a home at 211 west Stein Street. Harrisonville, along with the rest of Illinois, was first populated by the Mound Builders, then the American Indians. By virtue of discovery and exploration, it was claimed and occupied by the French. In 1763, France ceded to England all the territory east of the Mississippi River. Following the British victory in the French and Indian War, many of the town's French residents fled across the Mississippi River to towns such as Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis to avoid British rule. The Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail passed through what is now Valmeyer. Nearby, Fort Whiteside and Fort Piggot were built nearly 200 years ago. Fort Whiteside led to the first permanent settlement in the vicinity. The fort was named for the Whiteside family which had come form North Carolina and were noted Indian fighters. They became the protectors of other Monroe County settlers. |
| The first influx of German immigrants came in 1835. The Germans had the most profound impact on the community, building homes of local clay bricks close to the streets. This was done so gardens and livestock could be kept behind the houses. Many of these homes are still standing and contribute to the original community's unique appearance. Harrisonville is an unincorpated area of Monroe County near the Village of Valmeyer. Located eight miles west of Waterloo on Route 156, the new Village of Valmeyer (Monroe County, Illinois) has emerged as a result of the original village being desimated by the Great Flood of 1993. Valmeyer, Illinois, was once a community of about 900 on the banks of the Mississippi River, 25 miles south of St. Louis. The Great Flood of 1993 left 90 percent of Valmeyer's buildings damaged beyond repair. The village's levee broke on August 1, 1993, and a "river" continued to flow through the middle of town a full two months later. The flood affected not only Valmeyer residents, but also about 1,600 people living on farms throughout the surrounding countryside. Moving back into their homes was not a choice for most of these 2,500 people. A makeshift trailer village set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — "FEMAVille," as it was called — became home for many. Valmeyer residents rebuilt their entire community on a high bluff above the floodplain. The move became the largest federally funded community relocation in history, prior to Katrina. Valmeyer's history largely is based on periodic flooding and efforts to control the river. The town flooded in 1910, 1943 and 1944. A new levee system prevented flooding in most subsequent years, especially in 1973, the last major threat prior to 1993. In 2000 48% of Valmeyer residents report German ancestry, and 10% report Irish. The county is part of the Southwestern Illinois German Heritage Area and a French Heritage Corridor. A tour entitled "Ancient Lands and French Frontiers" begins at Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville and continues south through Cahokia, Monroe County and on to Prarie du Rocher, Fort de Chartres, Fort Kaskaskia, Kaskaskia Island and Chester in Randolph County. The guide also suggests taking a scenic ride along Bluff Road, and stops at the Peterstown House, Waterloo Winery and Maeystown. Good thing Lorenz and Victoria moved to Carondelet in 1865, but that is also a flood prone area on the Mississippi River. |
| Lorenz Schilly had a tailor shop at 7509 South Broadway, his family lived at 211 W Steins Street |
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| Upstairs windows: even though you can't see her I believe Rose is behind the curtain on the left (born 4th March 1863 in Harrisonville, Monroe County, Il., source 1880 Census) # 2 is mother, Victoria (born 1836 in Ebringen, Grand Duchy of Baden) # 3 is Louisa (Wolf) (born 3rd April 1865 in Carondelet, Mo.) # 4 is Annie (Sr. Loraunciana) (born 21 May 1871 in Carondelet, Mo.) Standing are: 1st Joseph (born 10th July 1877 in Carondelet, Mo.) 2nd Sophia (Hunleth) (born 12 Oct 1858 in St. Louis, Mo.) 3rd Adolph (born 11 April 1867 in Carondelet, Mo.) 4th is father, Lorenz (born 5 August 1832 in Fessenbach, Grand Duchy of Baden) 5th Leo (born 15 March 1869 in Carondelet, Mo.) 6th Kate (Moellman) (born 4 Dec 1860 born in Harrisonville, Monroe County, Il., source 1880 Census) 7th Frederika (Mueller) (born 11 March 1875 in Carondelet, Mo.) Editors Note: This picture was taken at 7509 South Broadway. Building no longer standing. I believe picture must have been taken between 1880-1882. They had a son Bernard born 7 July 1880 and died April 15 1881. Sophia was married in 1883. Based on this I would put the picture in 1882. The picture was courtesy of Mary Ellen Cadice (Mueller). It was actually a cousin of hers that had the picture and she brought the two of us together. (As written by my dad's second cousin, John Stangler). |
| After Lorenz and Victoria were married in St. Louis, he is listed in the St. Louis City Directory as living at 209 South 2nd Street in St. Louis. Editors Note from John Stangler: If you look this position up on old maps of St. Louis City, it is exactly where the Arch is located. It is also quite near where Adam Lemp had his brewery. |
| Harrisonville, Monroe County, Illinois 1860-1864 |
| Lorenz eventually moved his family from living above his tailor shop on South Broadway to 211 West Steins Street in Carondelet section of St. Louis City, Mo. |
| Luis Francisco Héctor Carondelet for whom Carondelet section is named, Spanish governor of Louisiana. |
| Joseph A. Schilly at steering wheel, Adolph Schilly and their brother-in-law Simon Wolf |
| Taken at West Baden Springs, Orange County, Indiana Health resort. Front row: Adolph Schilly, Joe Schilly, Loronz Mueller Back row: Simon Wolf and unknown. |
| Baden A big wine growing district of Southern Germany, comprising a quarter of the whole vineyard area of the whole Republic. Ortenau A wine-growing district, fairly important in Germany but not well-known in the USA. It lies between Offenburg and Baden Baden, in the Middle Baden viticultural area. Some communes: Durbach, Fessenbach, Waldulm, Ortenburg. |
U.S. Civil War was 1861-1865
| Building on South Broadway from that era still standing, 7121 and 7809 South Broadway. |
USS Carondelet (1862-1865)
| The Carondelet Neighborhood In 1767, Frenchman Clement Delor DeTreget founded the settlement of Carondelet five miles south of the furtrading post of St. Louis. From its beginnings, the river town was home to Creoles, African-Americans and Indians. During the nineteenth century the little town grew with the arrival of Anglo-Americans, and German and Irish Immigrants. While the town was still healing from the divisiveness of the Civil War, it was annexed by the booming, neighboring City of St. Louis. Even as a neighborhood of St. Louis, Carondelet continued to grow and develop with an unique ambiance and distinctive architecture. Today Carondelet boasts a wealth of Victorian-era buildings ranging in style from Greek Revival to Romanesque. Historic South Broadway In the days before the Civil War, when a farmer named Ulysses S. Grant was travelling the streets of Carondelet, the South Broadway business district offered a host of stores, shops and services near to the light industry along the river and near to growing Victorian neighborhoods. Today, the two-mile stretch of South Broadway in the Carondelet neighborhood is coming back as it was in the days of the early Creoles and the German and Irish Immigrants - a commercial district offering businesses, services and a growing antique row in an historic community. The Past Still Lives Several businesses founded in the nineteenth century still thrive on the historic street. They include Hoffmeister Funeral Home, 7814 Broadway, established in 1858; the South Public Market, 7701 S. Broadway, established in 1870; Rathbone Hardware Store, 7625 S. Broadway, established in 1885; and Southern Commercial Bank, 7201 S. Broadway, established in 1891. Treasures and Antiques All in a Row More than a dozen resell-its and antique stores offer for sale Victorian furnishings, old photos, period jewelry, vintage records, embroidered linens, collectibles and nicknacks. Similar items were sold new in the furniture and five-and-dime stores that once lined South Broadway. Refreshments Steak, chili, chicken - even brain sandwiches - with cold steins of beer refresh visitors in tavern buildings where cavalry officers from Jefferson Barracks once enjoyed home brews. Office Development Drafting shops, barber shops, chiropractors' offices, and offices for real estate, tree service and insurance companies have filled the old storefronts that once housed blacksmith shops and dry goods stores. Manufacturing The century-old Alumax Company produces aluminum foils in the buildings of the old Johnston Metal Company. The Borden Company recently invested more than fifty million dollars building the largest pasta plant in the United States near the industrial site were German workmen built the Civil War ironclad gunboats. Text by NiNi Harris, author and historian © 2006 South Broadway Merchants Association (SBMA), St. Louis, Missouri. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |
Carondelet South Broadway 1841
| USS Carondelet , a 512-ton Cairo class ironclad river gunboat, was built at Saint Louis, Missouri, for the U.S. Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla. Commissioned in January 1862 with Commander Henry A. Walke , USN, as her captain, Carondelet quickly entered combat, taking part in the captures of Forts Henry and Donelson, Tennessee, in February 1862. St. Louis, Missouri was a strategic location during the American Civil War, an important city to the Union army and navy. It was the major supply depot and launching point for campaigns in the western theatre. Located near the junction of the Missouri River, the Ohio River and the Mississippi River, St. Louis was a major port and commercial center, with a growing industrial base. The population reached 160,000 in 1860. Catholics, mostly German Americans and Irish Americans were the dominant ethnic groups, along with many from both North and South. The Camp Jackson Affair occurred early in the war on May 10, 1861, when Union military forces (consisting primarily of German immigrants) clashed with civilians on the streets of St. Louis, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 people and injuries to another 100. The affair polarized the population of Missouri, leading many once-neutral citizens to advocate secession and setting the stage for sustained violence between the opposing factions. During the Civil War, St. Louis stayed under Union control because of the strong military base, and the public support from loyal Germans. The largest percentage of volunteers served in the Union army; some went south to fight for the Confederacy. Some people who stayed in the city during the war and supported the South smuggled supplies, medicine, and otherwise assisted Confederate soldiers. No major battles were fought in or near the city, but the Mississippi River became a vital highway to secure during the war. Loyalties to the Union and Confederacy caused families in St. Louis to split apart, making the Civil War an influential battle for every community. |
| Editors Note: Much of the Schilly history is due to the hard work of John Alan Stangler, grandson of Adolph and Anna Schilly, and great-grandson of Lorenz and Victoria Schilly. Due to his own work and that written by Rosemary Schilly Caldwell in 1978 much of what is presented here is due to their efforts. |
| The German province known as the Rhineland is the ancestral home of the Schilly family. The German people originally used only one name, but as the population grew there was often confusion between people of the same name. This required people to adopt hereditary surnames. Many people took surnames based on nicknames - sometimes known as eke-names - that described certain personal characteristics. Schilly is a name for a person who because of their personal characteristics was referred to as schal, which was originally derived from the German word referring to someone who was delightful and joyful. In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Schilly include Schall, Schaal, Schal, Schaell, Schael, Schalle, Schaller, Schallin and many more. First found in the ancient Rhineland, where this family name became associated with a notable aristocratic line of the city of Cologne. The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Schilly, or one of its variants above: Simon Schaller, who came to Philadelphia in 1728; as well as Johan Albrecht Schaller in 1737; Georg Daniel Schall arrived in Philadelphia in 1739; as did David Schall in 1742 and Tobias Schall in 1748. |
Fessenbach Satellite Photo
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Schilly