Frank Schoembs of Cairo, Illinois

The Schoembs of Cairo, Illinois

CLICK to trace the ancestors of Frank Schömbs

The Story of Frank Schoembs (*1830, +1897) from Elsheim

Only recently (2004), through the continued efforts of Emily Schoembs Bocko, were the dots connected for Frank Schoembs(*20.09.1830 Elsheim, +27.06.1897 Cairo IL). Frank, who settled in Golconda IL, then later Cairo IL, was the seventh child of Georg "Philipp" and Eva Stein Schömbs. Cairo is at the very southern tip of Illinois where the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi.

Photograph of Frank Schoembs (*1829) and
Magdalena Hafner Schoembs (*1832), circa 1875

Frank was christened on September 21 in Elsheim, Germany. While his gravestone indicates that he was born in 1829, a second look at the record of his birth by Reinhold Schembs confirms that he was born in 1830. Gravestones are often wrong. The spelling of the family name in the German documentation varies from event to event. This is also common, however. Sometimes the family name is spelled Schömbs, while in other instances it is Schembs. All the documentation in Amerika for Frank is Schoembs. Frank was one of three sons, and the youngest, of Philipp and Eva Schömbs to emigrate. Only recently (Fall 2005) did we discovered that two of his brothers also emigrated, and connected their emigrant families into Zacharias' Family Tree. We had known of the other two emigrant familes in Amerika, but not known that they too were sons of Philipp and Eva. In order of age the three sons were Georg (*1823 Groß Winternheim) who settled in Louisville KY; Bernhard (*1828 Groß Winternheim) who settled in New Orleans LA; and Frank (*1830 Elsheim) who settled in southern Illinois. Georg emigrated in 1848 aboard the ship Argonaut, arriving in New York City. In 2019 it was determined that Frank probably emigrated also in 1848. The passenger list of the Seth Sprague, which docked in New Orleans LA on 25 November 1848 shows a "Georg Schembs, age 17. Georg gave his destination as Ohio. The destination of Ohio may be because his brother Georg (*1823) was in Louisville, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from the state of Ohio. Now the only mystery is why he was listed as "Georg" Schömbs rather than "Frank" or "Franz". German custom was that the family farm would be passed down to the oldest son. Since the three emigrants were sons 2, 3, and 4, perhaps this was a major factor in their decisions to leave the Fatherland. Their oldest brother Philipp (*1818 Groß Winternheim, +1860 Elsheim) was married in Elsheim in 1848 and stayed in Germany. He and his wife had eight children. Frank's first known stop after New Orleans was in Evansville, IN. In 1855 he was married in Evansville to Magdalena Hafner (*7.10.1832 Germany, +20.08.1911 Cairo, IL). They soon moved from Evansville to Golconda, IL, a small town about 80 miles downriver from Evansville. In 1859 their first child, Louisa Schoembs, was born in Golconda. Frank was born and raised a Catholic. However, as an adult he gave up his ties to the Catholic Church and did not practice a religion. Oral history tells us that Frank Schoembs had studied for the priesthood in Germany.[1] If this is true, it potentially was another of his reasons for deciding to emigrate.


Dresser made by Frank Click to enlarge	Table made by Frank Click to enlarge

He was a carpenter and schreiner (cabinet maker) by trade. In 1873 the family moved from Golconda to Cairo, IL, at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Cairo was a booming city at the time, with the river trade and the movement of pioneers and settlers into the Mississippi Valley area. In Cairo the family lived on 15th Street, between Washington and Commercial. To the right are a dresser and table made by Frank. It is believed they were made in the 1890's in his shop in Golconda. The pictures are from Lisa Lewis.

Following the death of Frank in 1897, Magdalena is shown at the same address as a landlady of a boarding house in the 1900 U.S. Census. Presumably she had renters who were living in the family home.


The Schoembs Family Home Click to enlarge	The Gravestone of Frank Schoembs in Villa Ridge, IL

Magdalena, Frank and Lena Gravestones, Cairo City Cemetery

The obituary for Frank in The Cairo Citizen gives additional interesting insight into his life.

Descendants of Frank Schoembs

Children: (6)

Louisa Schoembs (*~1859)

6.1.....Louisa Schoembs (*~1859 Golconda IL)

Little is known of Louisa. She went from Cairo, IL, where the family had moved in 1873, to St. Louis, Missouri. There she met and later married John Glenny. We are attempting to locate descendants of this marriage. If successful, we hope to learn more about the adult life of Louisa, and the lives of her descendants.

6.2.....George Frank Schoembs (*1861 Golconda IL, +1934 Cairo IL)

George, the first son of Frank and Magdalena, married Rosa Zimmerman (*1861 St. Louis MO, +1904 in Cairo IL). They were married in about 1888, and their only child was born three years later. George was the engineer at the Halliday Hotel in Cairo, a grand old hotel. Rosa was a Catholic, and when she died she was buried in the Villa Ridge Cemetery. Within a year or two George remarried, this time to Louise Riss Nordman (*1865, +1942), nee Louisa Riss. She was a large lady, but immaculate in appearance. She was a marvelous cook, and her kitchen gleamed. "Aunt Lou" had a large head of white hair. The Schoembs family greatly admired and loved Louise and praised her for her devoted care of "young Arthur", who was about 12 years old at the time of the death of his mother.

Sometime after the death of George, Louise moved to St. Louis. The family information on her death certificate was supplied by Mr. M.E. Nordman, perhaps her son by her first marriage.

The Schoembs home was at 2035 Walnut Street. The house is still standing (2004).

George was a very large man, who loved to smoke cigars. One story is memorable. George and his family were visiting his brother Frank's home on a farm in Villa Ridge. It was Independence Day, roughly 1930, and Frank had purchased some fireworks to celebrate. Something startled George and he dropped his cigar – into the box with the fireworks! They all exploded.[1]


From Left: Emma H. and Louisa Schoembs (the wives), and Frank E. and George F. Schoembs (the brothers)	Calvary Section of Villa Ridge Cemetery with George F. Schoembs and his two wives, Rosa and Louisa. The three are buried on the "Catholic Side" of the Cemetery, as Rosa, the first to die, was a Catholic.

George was a very loving man. His nieces loved him.[1] George is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Villla Ridge, IL. His two wives are on either side of him.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Arthur Frank Schoembs (*1891 Cairo IL, +1980 Memphis TN)

Arthur was 13 years old when his mother Rosa died. With the second marriage of his father to Louisa, Arthur had a stepmother to whom he grew very attached. He adored her.[1] He was a handsome man. He went to Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he studied electrical engineering. He later moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he was the head buyer for the Peabody Hotel, the most exclusive hotel in Memphis for years. He met and married a young southern lady, Helen Sullivan (*1905 Kerrville TN, +1988 Memphis TN). She was 14 years younger than Arthur. Arthur was 53 years old when their son was born.

In 1914, Arthur's senior year at Armour Institute, he and three classmates collaborated on their senior thesis "Proposed Electrification of the Milwaukee Branch of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway." It was recently discovered on the Web. To see the thesis, click on the title. It is a large file, taking a while to download, but interesting to view. The Armour Institute of Technology in 1940 became the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Arthur Frank Schoembs (*1944 Memphis TN, +2015 Memphis TN)

Art went to Christian Brothers High School and Christian Brothers College where he earned his degree in accounting. He married Patricia Handwerker (*1944 Memphis TN) in 1970. Art had retired as an accountant working for Jack Morris Auto Glass. For years he had been active in a leadership role with the Boy Scouts in Memphis.

Children: (2)

2.1.....John Arthur Schoembs (*1971 Memphis TN)

John is in the communications field, working for The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis TN.

2.2.....Kathryn Valentine Schoembs (*1975 Memphis TN)

Kathryn married Jason Paxton.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Louis Valentine Paxton (*2012)

6.3.....Magdalena "Lena" Schoembs (*22.01.1863 Golconda IL, +8.09.1901 Cairo IL)

Magdalena Schoembs Dumphe

Magdalena ran away from home when she was young, and went to Leadville, CO, a famous and notorious mining town of the Old West. Little is known of her life there, other than it was very hard. At some time she married a man by the name of Dumphe. Nothing is known of Dumphe or the marriage. Apparently there were no children. Lena later returned to Cairo, where she died at about 38 years of age. In an obituary for her father Frank, Lena's married name is given as Raymond. It is not clear what this means.


Tillie Schoembs Johnson	Emma Schoembs Cronan

6.4.....Mathilde "Tillie" Schoembs (*26.11.1864 Golconda IL, +25.05.1942 Cairo IL)

James S., James M. and Tillie Johnson

Tillie was the third of the four daughters. She married James Samuel Johnson (*11.09.1859 Kentucky, +28.11.1921). It is believed that he worked for the Illinois Central Railroad, and they lived several blocks north of George Schoembs (*1861) in Cairo. In an obituary for Frank Schoembs (*1830), it is mentioned that Tillie was in Wycliffe, KY, visiting her daughter at the time of the death.

Children: (3)

3.1.....James M. Johnson (*24.8.1888, +9.1976)

James married Faye (*~1900).

3.2.....Leo S. Johnson (*8.05.1893 Cairo, +10.1980)

Leo and Mary Kathleen Gray (*2.10.1899, Eddyville KY, +28.11.1929 Cairo IL) were married.

Children: (2)

2.1.....James Johnson (*~1919 Cairo IL)

2.2.....Julian Johnson (*~1921 IL)

3.3.....Edith Marie Johnson (*19.8.1899 Cairo, +19.12.1977 Carbondale IL)

Edith Marie married Karl Ross Anderson (*6.03.1894, +24.3.1953 Cairo IL).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Edith Marie Anderson (*1938 Cairo IL)

Edith Marie married twice. Her first husband was Phillips LeNeave Lewis (*25.02.1937 New York NY). They were married in 1958. With Phillips she had one child. She later married Martin J. Pollack (*1943).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Lisa Lewis (*1959 St. Louis MO)


James M. Johnson (1888) click to enlarge	perhaps James M. Johnson (1888) click to enlarge	Leo (1893) and Edith (1899) Johnson click to enlarge

6.5.....Emma Schoembs (*1867 Golconda IL, +1955 St. Louis MO)

Like her oldest sister Louisa, Emma moved to St. Louis. There she met and married John H. Cronan (*May 1857).[1] The marriage took place 22 October 1893 in Alexander County, Illinois, undoubtedly in Cairo. From Emma's death certificate we know a little about her later life.[2] The certificate would indicate that Emma moved to St. Louis in about 1945 where she worked as a seamstress. She died at the age of 88 of congestive heart failure. John Cronan had died previously. Emma was living at the "Home of the Friendless", apparently a nursing home located at 4431 S. Broadway at the time of her death. She was cremated.

6.6.....Frank Ernst Schoembs (*1870 Golconda IL, +1934 Cairo IL)

Picture of the Children, Emma (*1900), Frank (*1895)
and Edgar (*1897), circa 1905

Frank Ernst was the sixth and last child of Frank and Magdalena. He was a shy man, fairly introverted. He was married on Christmas Day, 1894, to Emma Hermine Frederica Dorothea Rose (*1872 Cairo IL, +1964 Denver CO). Her grandchildren loved to ask her to say her name, which she would do gladly.

Frank was a very large man, with big jowls. People would look at him and think that he was cross, but he wasn't. His granddaughters loved him.[1] He was a partner in Woodward Hardware Company on Water Street in Cairo.

Frank and Emma Hermine….. lived in a big house on 7th Street, between Walnut and Washington. One of his hobbies was to make wooden toys for his children and grandchildren, a talent which he undoubtedly learned from his father.

Emma was Lutheran and raised the children in the Lutheran Church. She was exactly the opposite of Frank. She loved parties, would play cards, host the quilting bees, and just a lot of fun. She was very talented, a good cook, would laugh a lot, but was a terrible housekeeper. Emily Schoembs Bocko (*1925) remembers the strudel, and Emma hanging the dough over the backs of chairs to dry.


	Above: 1940 Family Photo in Cape Girardeau, MO. Back, from left: Edgar, Emma Rose, Emma H., and Frank A. Front: Helen Morgan Schoembs, Joan, Emily, and Emily Van Sickle Schoembs. Child in front is Frederick Joseph
	Left: Christmas, 1894, Wedding Picture of Frank E. and Emma H. Schoembs


Frank E. Home (1895, on right) Click to enlarge	Frank E. Headstone Click to enlarge	Emma H. Headstone Click to enlarge

Children: (3)

3.1.....Frank Arthur Schoembs (*1895 Cairo IL, +1962 Clearwater FL)


Frank Arthur Schoembs (right) and brother Edgar Otto (left)	Frank Arthur as a young man

Frank was a bright and attractive man. He went to Illinois University and studied finance. He was a First Lieutenant in the Navy in World War I. He then moved to Cleveland, where he worked for H.C.Wainright & Co in investments. He married Helen Morgan (*1897 Cleveland OH, +2.01.1962 Cleveland OH). Helen was a beautiful woman from a good Cleveland family. One of Helen's passions was golf. We have found articles in the Plain Dealer from 1939 and 1941 showing her results.

Frank was very successful in his career. He and Helen lived in Shaker Heights. In their later years they moved to the Alcazar Hotel in Cleveland. They had no children. Frank died very soon after Helen in 1962.

3.2.....Edgar Otto Glenny Schoembs (*1897 Cairo IL, +1968 Denver CO)

Edgar was a good football player growing up and was an All-State center in high school. He had a talent for music. Emily Bocko, his daughter remembers Edgar telling of his running away to New Orleans, when he was about 15 years old. We now know that Edgar had Schoembs relatives in New Orleans.

Most likely this is why he chose to go to New Orleans. He signed up for the U.S. Navy when the United States entered World War I, and was stationed at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. But he never saw oversees duty. During his time in the Navy he developed his skills in music, playing the uke, singing, and performing in shows.


	Above: Edgar Otto having fun! Left: Edgar Otto (E.O.) Schoembs, as a new enlistee in the U.S. Navy. He was the first young man in Alexander County, IL, to enlist for WWI.

In December, 1920, E.O. married Emily Van Sickle (*1896 Springville IN, +1981 Denver CO), a young lady who had been a year ahead of him in high school. Emily went to Normal School in Carbondale, the common name of teacher's colleges, where she earned her degree. This Normal School is today Southern Illinois University.

Prior to their wedding, Edgar's father Frank had bought Edgar a farm in Villa Ridge, about 10 miles north of Cairo. The farm was about 300 acres in size, but was on somewhat rocky land. Edgar built a small house into which the newly-weds moved after the wedding. They raised chickens and grew vegetables, fruits and berries. They shipped raspberries to Chicago, and sold eggs locally.

In a hunting accident in 1924, Edgar shot off his right hand. While they continued to farm following the accident, it was difficult. In 1934 Edgar went to work for Bankers Life of Iowa. This was the bottom of the Depression, and selling insurance was not easy. But he was good at it. By 1936 the family moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he continued with Bankers Life.

Emily, Joan, and Fred
1939 Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Edgar also had a talent for writing, and would write stories and poems – much of it humor. While somewhat shy, he could easily make people laugh. He was well liked.

In 1938 the City of Cape Girardeau offered Edgar the position of Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, which he accepted and performed until 1944. At that time the family decided to move to Trinidad, Colorado, because of Edgar's asthma. They later moved to Pueblo and finally to Arvada, near Denver. He continued doing Chamber of Commerce work.

Emily, Edgar's wife, also was musically inclined. She was an excellent pianist, and taught music in the public schools. She also was very interested in politics, and would relish debating issues.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Joan Schoembs (*1922 Villa Ridge IL, +2003 Denver CO)

Joan Schoembs went to Western Reserve University in Cleveland where she was a journalism major. Following college she worked as a reporter for the Cleveland Press. She met and married Harry Carbis Reese (*1920 Wilkes Barre PA, +1992 Denver CO). Shortly thereafter the Reeses followed the rest of the family west to Colorado, where Harry became Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Public Employees.

Joan continued writing in her later years, and developed a specialty in researching and writing about black history.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Jeffrey Charles Reese (*1949 Canon City CO, +2020 Scottsdale AZ)

Jeff graduated from Colorado University. He lives in New York City with his second wife Bettiann Settaducati (*1944 Brooklyn NY). Jeff is an actor and writer, while Bettiann is an actress. Her career has spanned many years. She just filmed an episode of West Wing in which she plays the wife of the Israeli premier, played by Armin Mueller-Stahl. It opened in the Fall 2004 season.

2.2.....Mary Eileen Reese (*1952 La Junta CO)

Eileen has been married twice. With her second husband Louis John Abbatista (*1954 Syracuse NY), she has had two children. She edits a regional newspaper. She too is a CU graduate.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Bronwen Margaret Abbatista (*1987 Denver CO)

2.2.....Molly Rose Abbatista (*1990 Denver CO)

3.2.....Emily Schoembs (*1925 Cairo IL, +2022 Denver CO)

Emily moved with her parents in 1936 to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Following high school she started college, then finished her Associate Degree at Trinidad College. She worked for the Trinidad newspaper as a writer from 1945-1949. It was here that she met her future husband Michael Bocko (*1924 Sharon PA) and they were married in September, 1946.

Mike was in the Army, and was an MP at the POW camp in Trinidad, where there were 3500 German prisoners. In 1950 Mike finished his bachelors in finance/business at Denver University. He was unable to find a job in his field, and his father-in-law suggested that he come to Pueblo and work in construction, which he did for ten years. Then in 1962 Mike and Emily moved to Denver where he went to work for the Colorado State Employees Credit Union as an accountant. He later retired as CEO.

During their early years Emily worked to help ends meet at the Colorado University Medical Center. Emily and Mike would split shifts, so that one of them would be home to take care of the kids.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Edward Frederick Bocko (*1948 Trinidad CO)

Ed graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art in the field of architectural signage. He first married Susan Reynolds (*1946 Fort Worth TX). The wedding was in 1971 in Denver. They had one son.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Aaron Edward Bocko (*1973 Denver CO)

On August 5, 2005 Aaron married Karyn Hanion (*1978 Detroit MI). The wedding took place in Denver. Karyn has her masters in art history from the University of Denver. Aaron is a graduate of Denver Metro State with dual majors in computer science and business administration. They live in Denver. In 2017 Aaron reported "no kids, just dogs".

Ed has since remarried. His second wife is Jane Bullard (*West Point IO).

2.2.....Michael Paul Bocko (*1954 Pueblo CO)

Michael attended Western State College, Gunnison, CO. He resides in Denver where he is fleet manager for Student Movers Company. A bachelor, he plays keyboards, and is an excellent cook and horticulturist.

3.3.....Frederick J. Schoembs (*26.08.1934 Villa Ridge IL, +9.08.2005 Phoenix AZ)

Fred served in the Army following his graduation from high school, then enrolled at Arizona State University. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and spent most of his career with Nationwide Insurance, where he owned his own agency in Wickenburg, AZ. He married Barbara Louise Sloan (*1934 Pueblo CO) in 1957. They had two children.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Frederick "Andrew" Schoembs (*1959 Denver CO)

Andy attended Fort Lewis College in Colorado, and now has his own wood working business in Laguna Beach, CA. He married Cynthia Garcia (*1968 Dana Point CA).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Logan Joseph Schoembs (*1991 Laguna Beach CA)

Andy and Cynthia divorced. Andy later married Andrea Walsh (*).

2.2.....Laura Eileen Schoembs (*1963 Denver CO)

Laura earned a degree from Cottey College, Nevada, MO., and a graduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO. In November 2003 Laura married Brett D. Hampton (*1954 Long Branch NJ). The wedding was in the Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas with 55 friends and family packed in. They then went to NYNY (Casino) for a party.

Laura works in insurance in Denver. Brett recently retired and is perfecting his skiing and golfing skills with pleasure. They live in Centennial with their chow chow Dizzy.

The younger generations of the Edgar Schoembs (1897) Schoembs Family
From left: Jeffrey Reese, Laura Schoembs Hampton, Michael Bocko, Eileen Reese Abbatista, Andy Schoembs, Aaron Bocko, Edward Bocko

3.3.....Emma Rose Schoembs (*1900 Cairo IL, +1982 Denver CO)

Emma in a Publicity Photo, 1922

Emily was the third child of Frank and Emma. She was the only daughter. Her parents were able to send her to Grafton Hall, a finishing school in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. An article discovered in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern from 1920 tells that Emma won the Tennis Cup at the school. She also had an excellent contralto voice, and moved to Chicago to make a career singing. But the Depression eliminated any possibility of this. She then moved to Cleveland, where she worked as an actuary in the same firm as her brother Frank. She was also talented in mathematics. Emma did not marry, and later moved to Pueblo, CO, with the family. In Pueblo Emma lived with her mother Emma, who had moved to Colorado following the death of Frank Ernest, and later the two lived together in Denver.

Emma Rose Schoembs (far left), supporting the American Red Cross during World War I. This was a rally held in Cairo's City Park.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Emily Schoembs Bocko (1925)

[2] Peter Schulz (1958)