The Peoria Schembs

Jacob Schembs - The Peoria Schembs

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The Story of Jacob Schembs (*1827 Hahnheim)

Jacob Schembs emigrated in 1850. Within a few years of his reaching America he settled in Peoria, Illinois, about 80 miles south of Chicago. He is the founder of the Peoria Schembs, one of the larger branches of Schömbs emigrants. His story is told in the following parts:

Who was Jacob Schembs?
Emigration
The Early 1850s
Peoria, Illinois
Overview of Jacob's Life
Marriage of Jacob to Margaret Gable
Religion
The Years From 1858 to 1867
Moss Avenue
Children of Jacob and Margaret
End of Their Marriage
Marriage of Jacob to Wilhemena Lehne
Children of Jacob and Hermine
Jacob's Career After Marrying Hermine
The Residences of Jacob and Hermine
Death of Jacob Schembs
Death of Hermine Schembs
The Mystery of Martin Schembs
Naturalization of Jacob
The Civil War
Descendants of Jacob Schembs

Who was Jacob Schembs?

In the First (1995) Edition of this book little was known of Jacob Schembs before about 1856 other than the year of his emigration. There was conflicting information on his age and date of birth. Nothing was known about his roots in Germany, although all indications said that he had come from the Rheinhessen and probably somewhere between Mainz and Worms. From the First Edition:

"As with most of the Schembs emigrants, little is known at this time of his life or family prior to his emigration. Hopefully with additional time and research, this will be remedied. The exact date of Jacob's birth is uncertain. Based upon his gravestone, it is clear that someone who knew him well believed he was born in 1828. Per his obituary the year of birth should have been 1826. The 1880 Census records his birthdate as being October 1832, while the 1900 Census enters his age as 67 years (i.e. 1832-33)."

In 1995 Reinhold Schembs (Laubenheim/Mainz, Germany) and Jim Schembs (Phoenix AZ USA) met and began collaborating on their family histories. Their initial conclusion, based upon the research they had done, was that Jacob had been born in 1830, the first child of Anton (*1805) and Elisabeth Spang (*1798) Schembs. No other "Jacob Schembs" had been discovered in the German records born in this period of time. Jacob (*15 Oct 1830 Laubenheim, +1 Aug 1914 Peoria) became a "Laubenheimer", or rather had been born one.

For years this placement in the family tree of Jacob Schembs (+1914 Peoria IL) stood. No records were ever located in Amerika which identified the town from which Jacob had come. There was no family lore which passed this information down to his descendants. But occasionally information was turned up which did not fit the story. This ultimately led to using DNA to try to solve the mystery.

In 2017 the puzzle was solved. Jacob Schembs of Peoria was born Jacob Schömbs (*11.08.1827 Hahnheim), the son of Mathias (*1795) and Katharina Mick Schömbs of Hahnheim. Hahnheim is a village next to Undenheim where Zacahrias Schömbs had lived in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries.

The churchbook record of the birth of Jacob Schembs in Hahnheim, 11 August 1827

To read about the process used to confirm the ancestry of Jacob of Peoria, click HERE. To see the Relationship Table in the above attachment separately, click HERE. To see the old and new positions of Jacob in the Zacharias Family Tree, click HERE. As we were solving the puzzle of from where did Jacob Schembs of Peoria come, we also discovered what had happened to Jacob Schembs (*1830 Laubenheim). This Jacob also emigrated in 1850. He then went to Albany, New York, where he settled, married and raised their family. But this Jacob, like several other Zacharias descendants, changed his family name to "James". Click to read the story of Jacob Schembs James of Albany NY.

Emigration

Both Jacob Schembs mentioned above, the one who settled in Peoria and the one who settled in Albany, arrived in Amerika in October 1850. It is finally clear which passenger listing is which Jacob. Jacob of Hahnheim/Peoria, age 23, emigrated aboard the ship Bavaria which departed from Havre for New York City, arriving October 3, 1850. Aboard were 340 passengers from England, France, Germany and Switzerland, but the vast majority were Germans seeking a new life in America. The papers as provided by the ship's Captain to the Port of New York identified the passengers immigrating into the United States. There is a certain humor to them. For example, every passenger was identified as a farmer --- even a 9 month old female. Jacob appears to have emigrated alone, as there were no other Schembs aboard the Bavaria. A large number of the emigrants were apparently single males in their 20's. There were also families such as that of Franz Balluf with his wife, age 35, and their nine children, the oldest being 13 years. None were by multiple birth.

The ship's record for the Steamship Bavaria as it landed in New York City on 3 October 1850

It is also worth noting that Jacob has now become a "Schembs", as this was the spelling in the ship's passenger list.

The Early 1850s

We do not know about the first years that Jacob was in America. At some point he decided to locate in Peoria, although the year is uncertain. His obituary states his tenure in Peoria as "nearly 60 years" which would suggest that he arrived after 1854. The first record of his being in Peoria is 1858 (1858 City Directory), when he is listed as being employed as a clerk. However, in May of 1858 Jacob was married near Peoria.[1] This would suggest that his arrival may have been perhaps in 1855 or 1856 at the latest.

1856 Cincinnati City Directory
showing a Jacob Schemps, cooper, living on the east side
of Culvert Street between 6th and 5th

A few years ago I inquired of the Public Library in Cincinnati, Ohio, of any Schembs that might have lived there in the mid-19th Century. I don't recall now whom I might have been looking for, but their reply was of a Jacob Schemps (note the spelling) in the 1856 City Directory. Misspellings in City Directories were very common. One approach (which I have not done) to attempt to increase the probability that this is the Peoria Jacob Schembs would be to look at the City Directories for the years 1846 through 1860. If Jacob is shown for the first time after 1850 (because he did not emigrate until the end of 1850) and then does not appear after 1857 (because he had moved to Peoria), then this is quite possibly the Jacob of interest. This would suggest Jacob first settled in Cincinatti, Ohio and moved to Peoria, Illinois after 1856. It raises the question of why Cincinnati? There were a large number of German emigrants in Cincinnati. Interestingly, according to the obituary of Mathias P. Schambs (*1838 Herrnsheim), the emigrant son of Mathias Schembs/Schambs (*1801), 1850 emigrant and founder of the first Ohio Schambs, the Schambs family first settled in Cincinnati and then moved to Mansfield OH. Therefore it is possible that, if Jacob Schembs first went to Cincinnati, it was because he knew the Mathias Schembs were there. The only issue that is perhaps difficult is that Jacob was from Laubenheim and Mathias from Herrnsheim, 40 kilometers to the south. Would they have know of each other? This is, however, the most likely reason at this time that Jacob would have first gone to Cincinnati.

Peoria, Illinois

Peoria in the middle 19th Century was a thriving community. It was then and for decades thereafter the second largest city in Illinois. A settlement had originally been established by the French as a trading post with the Indians. In 1813 Brigadier-General Benjamin Howard organized an expedition in St. Louis of 200 soldiers to go to Peoria by boat and construct a fort to protect the northern frontier against the British and the Indians. By the 1820's Americans were firmly entrenched in Peoria.[2] The town flourished as a trading center with distilled spirits becoming a major industry.[3] The distilleries were an outgrowth of the grain mills, as Peoria early developed into an important grain market. Almiran Smith Cole is credited with building the first distillery at Peoria in 1844. By the late 1870's the Monarch Distillery was reputed to be the largest in the world. Fierce competition raged between the numerous distilleries. It is likely that Peoria's distilling industry is the reason Jacob came here. Apparently he had learned the art of making yeast while in Germany, a skill which was critical in the distilling of fine spirits.[4]

Overview of Jacob's Life

Obituary of Jacob Schembs

The life and times of Jacob are best summarized in his obituary which appeared in the Peoria Star on Monday, August 3, 1914 and is shown on the right. The best years of his life, at least from an economic viewpoint, were just after the Civil War when he was involved in the Spurck Distillery. He would have been about forty years old. From then on Jacob appears to have struggled, with frequent changes of jobs and residences. It is interesting to read the last sentence in the obituary. "He....has two sons living..." In fact Jacob had at least four sons living at the time of his death, two from his first marriage (those mentioned) and two from the second. He also had two daughters who survived him.

Marriage to Margaret Gable

On May 1, 1858, Jacob married Margaret Gable (1838~?), the second of four daughters of John and Catharine Gable. The Gables emigrated from Germany in about 1835 with their first child, Mary. They settled in Tazewell County, across the Illinois River from Peoria. Margaret was their first child born in the United States and was followed by at least two more daughters and two sons. John Gable was a farmer, owning his own property. (C1850).[5] I could not locate the Gables in the 1840 Census and therefore do not know if Margaret possibly was born in another county. The marriage ceremony was conducted by a T.W. Pinkham, Justice of the Peace on May 1, 1858. His entry was made in the Tazewell County Clerk's register on May 25, 1858. The entry is cryptic and provides no additional information.

Record of the Marriage of Jacob and Margaret

Religion

In Germany the Hahnheim Schömbs continued with the tradition of the Catholic religion. Many of the emigrants abandoned Catholicism upon arrival in America, and at best affiliated loosely with another religion. This seems to have been true with Jacob. Perhaps Catholicism, and a desire to leave the Church, was one of his reasons for emigrating. Every documentation of Jacob in Peoria shows that he had no particular religious affiliation. The first evidence of this is his marriage to Margaret Gable, where they were married by a Justice of the Peace. This could have been because Margaret was a member of another church, but more likely is that neither spouse had any particular religious convictions that they cared to pursue.

The Years From 1858 to 1867

The first ten years in Peoria were ones of getting established and increasing economic prosperity for Jacob and Margaret. One of the first research sources for learning about ancestors in the 19th Century in this country is the City Directory. Directories were published every year or two in all cities around the country. It was their equivalent of the phone directory, except that nobody had phones (and perhaps nobody was unlisted). But in addition to giving the address, the City Directories usually identified all adults who worked outside the home, and gave their occupations. For the genealogist, it is one of the first stops:

Year	Age	Occupation	Residence
1858	28	clerk, 6 Main
1859	29	clerk	7th ns, 4th d e Sanford
1861	31	clerk, 14 Main	64 S Adams
1863	33	clerk, 24 Main	217 Johnson Street
1865	35	clerk liquors, 28 Main	Johnson, ss 1 w Spencer
1867-68	38	distillers, ft South St, Geo. Spurch & Company	Moss, ss 2 e Eastern Ave

I did not attempt to determine what businesses were located on Main Street. It might have been the same business in each of the years prior to 1867 where Jacob was a clerk, since all the addresses seem to be in the same block. By 1867, if not before, Jacob was employed at the George Spurch & Co distillery. Based upon his obituary he might have had a financial interest in the business, or at least held a position of high responsibility. Apparently he was putting the skills that he had learned in Germany to work in the making of yeast for the distilling process. By 1868, there occurred some commercial disaster which resulted in Jacob's exit from the distilling business. The Spier & Spurch distillery at the foot of Chicago Street was destroyed by fire on July 28, 1870.[6] It appears, however, that Jacob had been gone from the business for about two years by the time of the fire. Meanwhile Jacob and Margaret moved several times during this period. The first record of their residence is on 7th Avenue, now renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Avenue. The interpretation of the address in the 1859 City Directory is 7th Avenue, north side, 4th door east of Sanford. This meant that Jacob had a commute of about four blocks, reasonable during the worst of the Illinois winters. The address sounds like a row house, or other multi-family dwelling, as most addresses were counting houses, not doors. From 7th Avenue they moved to 64 South Adams, now the site of a small city park, and then to Johnson Street. The move was possibly prompted by the birth of their first child in 1860. Their early residences were all in the center of Peoria and have subsequently been razed in the name of progress. Johnson Street was part of an urban renewal project, probably in the 1960's, and is now low cost housing. At about the time of Jacob's involvement with the Spurch distillery, the Schembs moved again to a recently built home on Moss Avenue. In this case the address is southside, 2 (houses) east of Eastern. By the turn of the century the house had received a number, 640 Moss. Unfortunately things have changed and I was not successful in locating the home which still stands today. Apparently Eastern went out of style, and the street was renamed Western. This I was able to work through. I, however, relied on the address 640 Moss, which is now an empty lot. It turns out that the city fathers also decided to renumber the houses and today the address is 1802 West Moss Avenue. Future visitors to Peoria will be able to find it easily. It is still just east of Eastern (Western). The first census in which Jacob appeared was the 1860 Census of Peoria County. He was entered as Jacob Schimbz, age 29, hardware clerk, and his wife Margaret, age 22, born in Illinois. (C1860)

Moss Avenue

The Moss Avenue home, while not the most grandiose on the street, is designated an historic home in Peoria today. The story of the home was the subject of a 1979 newspaper article, written by Phyllis Markley. Phyllis and her husband Don bought the home in 1972 and still live there today. They were quite surprised when I called them at Christmas, 1994, and introduced myself. Apparently I am the first descendant of Jacob to have called. Below are the parts of the article of interest to a Schembs:

"The property at what is now 1802 W. Moss was originally part of 160 acres in the tracts of land appropriated for Military Bounties in the Territory of Illinois. It was given by President James Monroe to James Marden, a private in Billy Company G 34th Regiment of Infantry, in 1818. The land was surveyed and plotted in April, 1857, and became part of the (Nehemiah) Eastman's 2nd Addition to Peoria. The lots were sold in 1857 to Horatio N. Wheeler, Enoch P. Sloan and Charles Kettelle -- all prominent Peorians. It is quite possible that the house was built in 1865. It is probable that the house was first built as a 2-story, 4 room house. The original roof remains in the attic, complete with square nails and old shingles. Later additions were added to both the east and west ends. In 1865 the property on which it stands was owned by Enoch P. Sloan .... In 1866 Sloan sold the property to Jacob Schembs (a distiller) who is listed in the City Directories from 1867 on as having residence on Moss; it is probable that he lived here until 1871 or so. After that the property changed hands a couple of other times, but on September 16, 1873 it ....was sold to a prominent Peorian named Robert G. Ingersoll. Althought the house has commonly been referred to as the Benjamin W. Parker home (The Peoria Story Oakford Collection written 1949-1957), it was not Parker but his illustrious, well-known son-in-lkaw who owned it from 1873-78. ..... ....Some of the walls are filled with brick and mortar, presumably for insulation.... The glass in many of the windows is old and wavy. Many of the rooms have old, pegged oak floors. There are two fireplaces and a beautiful yard extending from Moss down to 7th Avenue. Trees are in abundance--oak, maple (soft and hard), cherry, magnolia, elm, red bud, sycamore, flowering crab, catalpa and many, many evergreens. Paint, carpeting, plumbing and wiring have been renewed to bring the house up to date, but basically it remains a very old, historically significant home.

The Schembs Home at 640 (now 1802) West Moss

Ingersoll was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1860. In 1861 he was active in organizing the 11th Illinois Calvary for the North in the Civil War in which he served as a Colonel. He was captured on December 17, 1862, by General Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Confederate Army. In 1868 he ran unsuccessfully for governor, and later turned down an appointment as Minister to Germany.[7]

The house today still sits on a lot of 3-4 acres as it originally did. It is not known when the additions were added, but it is likely that it was after Jacob lived there. The picture was provided by the Peoria Historical Society at the Bradley University Library.

The Streibich Home at 660 Moss Avenue

To give additional appreciation of the neighborhood of Moss Avenue, a photograph of their next door neighbor's home, the Streibichs at 660 West Moss, is also shown at the left. Moss Avenue after the Civil War was a prestigious address in Peoria.

Children of Jacob and Margaret

Jacob and Margaret had four children, three of whom lived past infancy and two of whom had descendants. The first was Robert Mathew Schembs, born September 1860, in Peoria; second was a daughter, Maria E. Schembs, born September 21, 1862; William Schembs born December 1864; and finally John H. Schembs, born May 1866. Maria passed away in May of 1863. Robert Mathew Schembs became the first Schömbs (with the Schembs spelling) to be born in the United States. However by 1860 Robert had two older American cousins: Louisa Schoembs, born in 1859 in Golconda, Illinois, about 200 miles south of Peoria; and Charles Anthony Schombs, born in July, 1856, in New York City.

The End of Their Marriage

I have yet to discover exactly what occurred to end the marriage of Jacob and Margaret. I have located no evidence of a divorce. However, Margaret reappears in the Tazewell County census in 1870, living with her parents. At the time she was a 31 year old woman. Margaret's father, John, passed away two years later, in June 1872. In the probate papers for his estate there is a reference to $20.00 being awarded to Margaret Gable "for nursing." This is in addition to the $130.00 that each of the children of John and Catherine were awarded. No other person received an award for a purpose specified, such as Margaret did. Perhaps she had become very seriously ill and it was necessary for her to move back to live with her parents. The children of Jacob and Margaret were raised in Jacob's home following the departure of their mother. In 1866, the children would have been ages 6, 4, and the infant John. At the time of Maria E.'s death at age seven months she was buried in the Springdale Cemetery. I am not sure that Maria is still buried at Springdale, and it is possible that she was later transferred to another location to be interned with her mother. Whatever the reason for the end of their marriage, hard feelings developed between Jacob and at least his oldest son, Robert Mathew. Robert moved from Peoria to eastern Illinois and later to Indiana where he farmed. Robert did not return to Peoria (about 100 miles) for the funeral of his father.[8] His second son, William, also moved out of Peoria as a young man. Whether the stress that developed in the family was due to a breakup of the marriage, or later friction between the children and their new step-mother or other causes is not known. One eye witness, however, reports that there was no love lost between the two families of Jacob.[9]

Marriage of Jacob to Wilhemena Lehne

Wilhemena "Hermine" Lehne (1838-1919) has been called the Polish princess by Helene Schembs Neal (1921). Apparently Russell Schembs (1907-1980) had so described Hermine. It is unlikely that she was of Prussian nobility, but the Lehnes did emigrate from Prussia. In the 1850 Peoria Census the Lehne family was recorded.

	Age		Property	Birthplace
Francis Lehne	56	male	$2,500	Germany
Louisa	55	female		Germany
Fredereka	23	female		Germany
Mina	21	female		Germany
Francis	17	male		Germany
Hermena	12	female		Germany
1850 U.S. Census for Peoria

The Lehnes emigrated from Prussia in 1849 (C1900). Also living with the Lehnes were four boarders, three of whom were from Germany and one from England. All were between ages 19 and 22. In the 1920 Census Hermine's son Frank identified his mother as having come from Saxony, an area midway between Darmstadt and Berlin. The 1860 Census enumerates Hermine, age 18, living with her brother Frank (Francis), age 27, head of household, and their mother, Louisa, age 60. The birthplace for all three is Prussia. Apparently father Francis had passed away.

Jacob and Hermine were married in Peoria on June 2, 1868. At most two years had passed since the departure of Margaret Gable Schembs. The ceremony was conducted by Paulus Heid, Lutheran Pastor.

Jacob and Hermine's Marriage License

The major Lutheran Church (and downtown parish) in Peoria was St Paul's. It subsequently has moved. I wrote to St. Paul's and received a response that they had not heard of Paulus Heid. Perhaps he was from another parish. Hermine's exact name and birthdate are difficult to ascertain. Per her obituary she should have born about January 7, 1837. The 1900 Census lists her date of birth as January 1843. The monument on her grave says she was born in 1838 which is the date that I have used. In the 1850 and 1860 Census her name appears to be entered as Harmena and Hermine respectively. My uncle Doug Schembs (1906-1999) recalls her name as Wilhemena, which would be the feminine version of Wilhelm, the Kaiser of Germany in the late 19th Century. The records completed at the time of her death (undertaker and cemetery) use the spelling Hermine. In July 1889, Hermine and Jacob signed a release of claims in the probate of her brother Christlieb's estate. Her signature appears to be spelled Hermiene Schembs, while in the text of the will it is different still. Christlieb must have been a younger brother who had moved out of the house prior to 1860. He bequeathed $500 to Hermine in his will. The monument on her grave spells the name Hermina. Hermine was not naturalized as a U.S. citizen, but that was the custom at the time. Males were naturalized and became U.S. citizens. Females were not naturalized.

Jacob and Hermine's Signatures
from Christlieb's Probate Papers

In the relationship, Jacob is described as having a strong, stormy personality. Things were his way or else. Hermine had a mild disposition.[9]

Children of Jacob and Hermine

Hermine and Jacob Schembs, circa 1900

A year after the marriage of Jacob and Hermine their first child was born. He was Frank Harmon Schembs, named for her father and born probably in the fall of 1969. (C1880) In the 1880 Census he was recorded as Harmon Schembs, age 10, male. In later Census and other documentation he is called Frank (or Frank H. (C1920)) Schembs. They then had four more children: Minnie, a daughter born in October 1870; Carl born September 1873; Ida born in 1875; and last Rudolph, my grandfather, born August 22, 1879.

Jacob's Career After Marrying Hermine

Hermine's marriage to Jacob apparently was at the peak of his career. They had a home in the new, upscale area of Peoria. A plaque in front of 1120 West Moss (the Woodward House) today conveys more of the feel of the neighborhood at the time:

After the Civil War congestion in the valley forced expansion to the bluff. Woodward and his partner founded the Peoria Street Railroad and Peoria Bell Telephone. In 1870, the year mules first pulled trams on the newly laid tracks up the Main Street Hill, Henry Woodward built his Second Empire style residence on the newly fashionable bluff, away from the clamor of the city.

Jacob's business fortunes diminished virtually immediately. Again the City Directories (C.D.) and Census records are useful (I have added Jacob's age for convenience):

	Record	Age	Occupation	Residence
1860	Census	29	hardware clerk
1868-69	C.D.	40	Billings & Schembs Hdw	Moss ss 2 e Eastern
1869	C.D.	41	none given	Moss ss 3 e Eastern
1870	Census	35	hardware merchant
1870-71	C.D.	42	none given	Moss ss 3 e Eastern
1873-74	C.D.	45	none given	Moss ss 3 e Eastern
1876	C.D.	48	grocer	1026 N Adams, m 8 f 5 total 13
1880	Census	47	grocer
1880-81	C.D.	52	grocer	1000 N Adams
1886	C.D.	58	wholesale wines	502 N Jefferson
1890	C.D.	62	wholesale wines	502 N Jefferson
1891	C.D.	63	gardener	502 N Jefferson
1892	C.D.	64	traveling salesman	502 N Jefferson
1896	C.D.	68	clerk, Joseph Gillig	305 Hancock
1900	Census	67	wine merchant	305 Hancock
1900	C.D.	72	none given	305 Hancock
1907	C.D.	79	none given	703 Caroline
1910	Census	79		703 Caroline
* In the 1876 Directory the number of persons living in the residence were listed rather than the address -- 8 males, 5 females, 13 total, (head of household) born Germany

We know that in about 1868 Jacob went into the hardware business with a Billings, but his involvement was short-lived for by 1869 he is no longer associated with the company. Further research might indicate if the company continued under Billings. Jacob's employment during the early 1870's is unknown, but in 1876 he surfaces in the grocery business with an address ten blocks north of downtown on Adams. From his obituary "Subsequently he conducted a grocery ... until multiplying years forced his retirement" one might infer that he owned the business. But rather than retiring he continued on in other jobs. In the latter years of his life, he died at age 87, he "lived in retirement, doing duty as a watchman and utility man at the Proctor Endowment Home."[4] The Proctor Home was a home for the elderly.

The Residences of Jacob and Hermine

Following the sale of the Moss home, Jacob and Hermine purchased a lot on 1000 North Adams Street in 1874. The deed was conveyed from the seller, Asbury Johnson, to Hermine Schembs on January 26, 1875. The Directory for 1876 was produced by a different company and the information contained is different. The cryptic message is 8 males and five females, total of 13 people, lived in the household. The head of house was born ('b') in Germany. They either lived in the grocery, or in an adjacent building. The property was quit claimed to the mortgagor in 1879. [10]

The 703 Caroline Home
The front of the house is in the shade. The building
immediately to the right lit by the sun is the garage.

By 1885 they had moved again with Jacob's departure from the grocery business. Their new address was 502 N. Jefferson, six blocks toward downtown. Then by 1895 they moved to 305 Hancock, a couple of blocks to the northwest. Finally in approximately 1905 they moved to 703 Caroline which was ten blocks further to the north of the Hancock home. Jacob and Hermine lived on Caroline for the rest of their lives. Two of Jacob and Hermine's children continued to live with them well into their adult lives. Carl lived at the North Jefferson and Hancock addresses until at least 1900 when Carl was 30 years old. Minnie, who never married, lived with them in all their homes including 703 Caroline. It is likely that Minnie lived with her mother until Hermine's death. Of all the residences of Jacob Schembs, the only ones which stand today are 1602 West Moss Avenue and 703 Caroline, the home where they both died. Today the three evergreens planted in front of the small house on Caroline years ago virtually block the view from the street.


Legend:
	1.	Seventh Avenue
	2.	64 South Adams
	3.	217 Johnson
	4.	640 (1802) West Moss
	5.	1026 North Adams
	6.	502 North Jefferson
	7.	305 Hancock

	A.	1617 N. Madison (Minnie)
	B.	2212 N. Madison (Ida and Frank)
	C.	306 Millman (John H.)
	D.	509 Seventh (John H.)
	E.	Springdale Cemetery


			Downtown Peoria Showing the Homes of Jacob Schembs and of Those Children Who Lived in Peoria

Death of Jacob Schembs

Jacob Schembs passed away in his home on August 1, 1914, four weeks before the European nations commenced World War I. The funeral was handled by Cumerford Ensley on August 3. The services were held at 703 Caroline without a clergyman present. Cause of death was listed as arteriosclerosis. Religion was protestant. Three carriages and one automobile (a Brohm) were provided to the Cemetery. Total charges for the funeral were $102.50.[11]

The Headstone for Jacob Schembs

According to the Death Certificate Jacob was born August 27, 1826 and had been living in Illinois for 60 years. If this time in Illinois was correct, it says he came to Illinois in 1854. The information supposedly was supplied by Minnie Schembs, his 44 year old maiden daughter who had been living with Jacob and Hermine for years. She is named as the "Informant". The information is curious, however. The "Name of the Father" is also given as Jacob Schembs. And the Maiden Name of the Mother" and "Birthplace of Mother" are "Not Known". It is likely, however, that the person providing the information (Minnie?) thought they were asking for the name of her father, not the father of the deceased. And she answered with Jacob's name. That does not explain, however, why she would not know the maiden name of her mother Hermine. Internment was at Springdale Cemetery in the Mt. Prospect part, Section 3, Lot 326. I thought Springdale was a very pastoral setting, with the gravesites intermingled with the extensive trees and rolling hills. For the visitor to Springdale, Lot 326 is just west of a very large monument of the Darst family and south of one of the Bradley family. It should be noted in the photograph of Jacob's headstone above that his year of birth is given as 1828!

Death of Hermine

The Monuments at the Bottom are Minnie and Ida.
Just above Minnie and Ida are Hermine and Jacob.

Hermine survived Jacob by five years, passing away on October 18, 1919, a year after the end of the First World War. She was buried next to Jacob. Services were also held at the home, but with a Reverend Bess attending. Reverend Bess was with St Paul's Lutheran Church in 1919. (CD1919) Cause of death was given as senility. The photograph of the grave shows four stones in the foreground. Later buried with Jacob and Hermine were Ida and Minnie. The weedeater had not seen Mount Prospect for some time when Frances Schembs (1917), Harriette Schembs Lowe (1923), Lois Schembs Constable (1927) and I visited in October 1994. Other parts of Springdale were better maintained.

Naturalization of Jacob

Presumably Jacob was naturalized and became a citizen of the United States. In the 1900 Census he is indicated as having been naturalized. I looked in detail at the original Judge's Docket books for Peoria County covering the period from 1844 until 1860 and found nothing. I also looked in the Indexes for later years. It is possible that he was naturalized during the mid-1850's, and perhaps this was prior to his arrival in Peoria. Generally one needed to wait five years to apply for citizenship.

The Civil War

Another question that I have not satisfactorily resolved is whether Jacob fought in the Civil War. It was difficult for any able bodied male in either the North or South to avoid duty. Doug Schembs (1906-1999) has told me that he understood Jacob served. I have found no record in looking through microfilm of enlistments, as well as receiving a letter from the Director of the Illinois State Archives in Springfield, who said there is nothing in their files. Springfield is the repository for such records. It is possible, although unlikely, that the spelling of his name was incorrectly entered and escaped both of our searches.

Descendants of Jacob Schembs

Children: (9)

9.1.....Robert Matthew Schembs (1860-1940)

Born in 1860, Robert Mathew was the first Schembs to be born in the United States. As previously mentioned, Robert and Jacob had a falling out when Robert was a young man. He moved out of the home prior to 1880 and apparently had little further contact with Jacob.

About 1880, Robert moved to Ford County in Eastern Illinois and began farming. In 1889 (C1900) Robert married Margaret Davis (1866-1934) who was born in Indiana. Margaret's parents had emigrated from England. (C1920)

Robert and Margaret's first child, Jesse Jerome, was born in Thawville, Illinois, in 1890. By 1900, Margaret had given birth to five children, four of whom were still living (C1900). Prior to 1905 they moved to Remington in Jasper County, Indiana, where their fifth child was born in 1905. Robert continued to farm, raising cows and hogs and growing grain.

Robert and Margaret are buried in the Remington cemetery.

Children: (5)

5.1.....Jesse Jerome Schembs (1890-1962)

Jesse followed after his father and spent his life farming in Jasper County, Indiana. He too raised livestock and grew crops on 160 acres.

On February 26, 1916, Jesse married Floretta Casey (1893-1979), the first of several Flo Schembs (actually she spelled it Floe). Jesse and Floe raised a family of seven children, all of whom were born at home on the farm and helped out during their childhood years.

Children: (7)

7.1.....Frances Eileen Schembs (1917-2003)

The first born of Jesse and Floretta, Frances began working as a clerk in the Post Office, then as a dental assistant. She took courses at Purdue University which led to a new career.

Frances recently retired from a 22 year career at Purdue where she worked in the seed technology section of the Department of Biochemistry.

7.2.....Fern Robert "Spud" Schembs (1919)

There are a few cases of family members who did not take well to their given names. Jesse, who had nicknames for everyone, helped out by giving Fern the moniker "Spud" from the comic strip 'Slim and Spud' in the Prairie Farmer Magazine.

Spud served with the U.S. Army Aircorps as an aircraft instrument specialist in North Africa and Corsica during WWII. Upon his return he farmed for a few years with his younger brother Don, then decided to try something different. He worked in California but settled near Houston.

Spud married Bobbie Neil Garrison (1931). He continues working in his own business in excavation and earthwork in Texas. Bobbie has run a catering business for years from her kitchen. Spud and Bobbie have one daughter.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Patricia Eileen Schembs (1972)

7.3.....Harriette Maxine Schembs (1923-2009)

The third child of Jesse and Floretta, Harriette was born March 14, 1923. On August 8, 1952, Harriette married Richard "Dick" Lowe (1916-1992) in the Christian Church of Remington.

Dick's original employment as an auto mechanic led to a career in auto parts. Harriette enjoys gardening and working around the home. They lived in Goodland IN until 1967 and then moved to Lafayette where Harriette continues to be active in the Methodist Church.

Harriette and Dick have two children and five grandchildren.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Suzy Lowe (1954)

Suzy Lowe married David Roger Gunneson (1954) in Longmont CO in 1974.

Kinder: (3)

3.1.....Kimberly Sue Gunneson (1975)

3.2.....Michelle Lynette Gunneson (1979)

3.3.....Zachary David Gunneson (1982)

2.2.....Dann G. Lowe (1956)

In August 1985 in Lafayette IN Dann and Ruth Martina Couser (1960) were wed.

Kinder: (2)

2.1.....Emily Claire Lowe ( 1987)

2.2.....Samuel Curtis Lowe (1989)


Legend: 1. Jesse Schembs (1890-1962) 2. Mable Schembs Weppler (1892-1970) 3. Earnest Weppler (1886-1936) 4. Viola Schembs (1899-1983) 5. Robert "Hap" Schembs (1894-1958) 6. John Schembs (1905-1981) 7. Floretta Casey Schembs (1893-1979) 8. Frances Schembs (1917) 9. Margaret Davis Schembs (1866-1934) 10. Robert Mathew Schembs (1860-1940)
	The Family of Robert Mathew and Margaret Davis Schembs, circa 1918

7.4.....Donovan Jesse Schembs (1925-1968)

Donovan was named for his first cousin, once removed, Donovan Joseph Schembs (1898-1948).

Don farmed, with a special interest in purebred hogs. He showed them regularly in the county and state fairs.

On February 12, 1949, Donovan married Doris Hackley (1924) who also had a deep interest in farming, being active in 4H. Following Don's death Doris worked as an elementary school librarian.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Robert Allen Schembs (1952)

Bob married Laura Jennifer Saul (1954). The wedding was in July 1976 in Marion IN.

2.2.....Kathy Anne Schembs (1963)

Kathy married Bruce Anthony Fagan (1959) in 1990 in Indianapolis IN. They divorced and Kathy married Jeff Joyce in 1999.

7.5.....Lois Evaughn Schembs (1927 Remington IN, +2019)

Lois Schembs is the third of Jess' daughters whom I recently met in Peoria. Frances, Harriette, Lois, and I convened for some research. It was a meeting of second cousins who, until 1995, did not know each other existed. We had a memorable time.

On 13 March 1950 Lois married Wilson Wayne Constable (*1916 Goodland IN, +31.08.2003) in Goodland, Indiana. Wilson has retired from beef and grain farming in Goodland but still helps out for others. Lois and Wilson are active in the Presbyterian Church and sang for years in the choir. Wilson enjoys spending his time on the golf course, while Lois has always helped others in the community who were in need of assistance.

Children: (4)

4.1.....Sally Jean Constable (1952)

Sally married Gregor Hartmann (1951) in December 1989 in Goodland IN.

Kinder: (1)

1.1.....Orion Wilson Hartmann (1993)

4.2.....Nancy Gail Constable (1955)

Nancy married a Dutchman, Robert Jan David Kersbergen (1951).

Kinder: (2)

2.1.....Bayley Constable Kersbergen (1983)

2.2.....MacKenzie Ann Kersbergen (1989)

4.3.....Burt Wilson Constable (1957)

Burt met and married Cheryl ter Horst (1960). Burt is a sportswriter for the Chicago Daily Herald. I paraphrase one of Burt's October 1994 articles just after the start of the 1994 baseball players strike and hope that he does not object.

Since when does reality matter to us Cub fans? In my mind, it went something like this:

This past Sunday, on a glorious fall afternoon, Dad and I sat with our spouses along the right field line in Wrigley Field and said our annual good-byes to baseball.

The last Cub game of the summer is a yearly ritual for us. I buy box seats in April and "surprise" Dad with the tickets on his birthday in July. We've been doing it since the days when the last game could be called on account of darkness because Wrigley had no lights.

.......

Dad offered up some choice opinions on that Triple-A farmhand the Cubs have occupying second base for the day. And the pitching. Dad always rips the Cub pitchers. "He had all this time to warm up and he comes in and walks the first man he faces on four pitches," Dad said disgustedly of a new Cub reliever. "If I was the manager, I'd shoot him for pulling a stunt like that." Releasing a player via the waiver wire is not punitive enough for Dad. He thinks shooting a Cub hurler or two would motivate the survivors.

Mom put a positive spin on the day. She remembered how we were sitting in these seats in 1984. Mom caught a foul ball that day - after it ricocheted off a slow-reacting kid's noggin' - and still has the souvenir on the kitchen windowsill at home.

4.4.....Bill Schembs Constable (09.04.1962 Brook IL, +09.08.2010)

Bill is the only person I have found with the middle name Schembs.

7.6.....Dorothy Vyletta Schembs (1930)

Dorothy married Frank Woodson Asher (1927). Years ago they decided to leave Indiana, lived in Colorado and then settled near brother Spud in the Houston area.

Dorothy has a career in social work and is a manager for the city of Katy, Texas. Frank works in auto parts retailing. They attend the Methodist Church. Dorothy and Frank have three children.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Lynn Margaret Asher (1965)

Lynnn and Weldon Lawrence "Larry" Ball (1965) were married.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Katherine Anne Ball (1992)

2.2.....Meredith Lindsey Ball (1993)

3.2.....Lisa Jane Asher (1967)

3.3.....Don Woodson Asher (1970)

7.7.....William Wayne Schembs (1933)

Bill is the youngest of the children of Jesse and Floe. Bill served in the U.S. Army in the early 1950's in Germany. With a curiosity about his family history, Bill made contact with an Otto Schembs (1901) in Frankfurt. They were not able to determine their relationship. We now know that they were fourth cousins, once removed.

Upon his return to the United States, Bill farmed for a period in Indiana with his brother Don, then followed Spud to Texas. He met his future wife, Susan Marie Zingg (1944) who lived in Ohio and was visiting her brother in Texas.

Bill and Susan decided to leave the Houston area for a different environment to raise their children. They settled in southwestern Missouri where Bill was a chicken farmer. In 1995 they visited me in Kansas City.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Amanda Leah Schembs (1969)

3.2.....Andrew Jesse Schembs (1971)

In September 2008 Andy married Andrea Lainson.

3.3.....Karen Margaret Schembs (1977)

5.2.....Mabel Schembs (1892-1970)

Mabel was the second child of Robert and Margaret. She married Earnest Weppler (1886-1936). They had no children.

5.3.....Robert Arthur "Hap" Schembs (1894-1958)

Hap was born on the farm in 1894. In about 1918 he married Hazel B. Lucas (~1900-1928). Hap was a farmer near Remington, Indiana, with a special interest in Purebred Chester White hogs. Hap and Hazel had one son.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Ivan Leroy Schembs (1920-1935)

Ivan hurt his knee playing basketball when he was fifteen years old. The injury led to a strep infection and he died. This was before antibiotics were available and he died from the infection.

Hazel passed away when Ivan was eight years old. During the Second World War Hap left farming to work in a factory supporting the war effort. He returned to the farm after the war was over.

Hap Schembs later was married on December 27, 1947, to Lucile Elizabeth Hensler (1912). Lucile was an elementary school teacher in Remington for 38 years before retiring. They had one daughter and two grandchildren.

2.2.....Linda Lou Schembs (1951)

Linda married Michael Brown Guthrie (1949).

Children: (2)

2.1.....Andrea Lynn Guthrie (1979)

2.2.....Jennifer Nicole Guthrie (1980)

5.4.....Viola Marie Schembs (1899-1983)

Viola was called Vida.[12] Viola married Luster "Bill" Davenport (1910-1971) who had been raised in Kentucky. Bill farmed in Indiana, first near Remington and later Brookston.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Donald Lee Davenport (1944)

Don is an urban designer in Middletown, Indiana. Don is very artistic with hobbies of painting, creating stage sets and designing clothes.

5.5.....John Schembs (1905-1981)

John was the youngest child of Robert and Margaret. He married Rook Forry (1906-1984). John and Rook lived in Remington where John farmed, growing grain and raising Chester White hogs which he showed regularly. They had no children.

9.2.....Maria E. Schembs (1862-1863)

At the Springdale Cemetery in Peoria is a difficult to read record of a Maria E. Schembs. There is a possibility that Maria was not a Schembs. I believe the probability of that, however, to be small. Others in creating the Springdale Cemetery index spelled the name Schembs, and in looking at the original entry it appears correct. Without the birth of Maria in 1862, there would have been four years between the births of Robert and William. Such a long period between pregnancies was very unusual at the time. According to the Springdale Cemetery records, Maria died May 21, 1863, at the age of 8 months. She was internment #619 at the cemetery. Her date of birth is deduced from this record. No other documentation or reference to Maria has been located, other than the burial.

9.3.....William M. Schembs (1864-1931)

Other than Maria, William is the child of Jacob and Margaret about which the least is known. There is an article in The Pantagraph, a Bloomington, Illinois newspaper from the summer of 1881. Apparently he was fortunate to survive.

While Jacob's obituary identifies William as a doctor, he apparently was really a pharmacist.[8] He moved to Chicago in 1886 to go to college where he lived in a rooming house with at least 28 others in 1900. (C1900) At this time he would have been 36 years old. The 1900 Census also lists William as a druggist. Where he later practiced, other than the reference of 'eastern' Illinois, is not known. In the 1939 will of Carl Schembs, William was identified as "deceased, never married." (26) According to the Illinois Death Index, William died February 4, 1931 in Cook County.

9.4.....John H. Schembs (1866-1910)

John H. was the last of the children of Jacob and Margaret. John married Margaret Praudy (1875-1898) on June 2, 1895 in Ford County. Apparently Margaret passed away at the time their only child, Donovan Joseph, was born in 1898. The birth date reference on Donovan is July 7, 1898,[13] while the date of the death of his mother per the cemetery records was May 26, 1898.[14] Obviously there is an error in one of the dates. At the time of her death, Margaret and John lived at 509 Seventh Avenue in Peoria.

In 1900 John was listed in the Census as being a 34 year old widower with a son, Donovan. Living with them was a 61 year old widow, Margaret Kopp, who apparently was taking care of young Donovan. Margaret Kopp's parents were identified as having been born in Germany, while Margaret was born in Illinois. (C1900) A Margaret Kopp also appears in the probate and land records of John Gable, John's maternal grandfather.

Soon thereafter Donovan married Margaret Kopp's daughter, Cora Kopp (?-?). John and Cora had a son, John Russell, born in 1907.

John H. Schembs became a printer, working first for Rudolph Vonachen Printing Company (CD1890). In 1891 John was listed as a foreman at Vonachen. Vonachen was another German emigrant, whose descendants still live in Peoria. The baseball park in Peoria today is the Pete Vonachen Stadium.

In 1891, John and Margaret lived at 306 Millman. By 1900 they moved to 509 Seventh Avenue and John started his own printing company, the Schembs Printing Company. The business was located at 327 S. Washington, about seven blocks from home. (CD1900)

To establish the printing company John approached John C. Streibich, the next door neighbor of the Schembs on Moss Avenue. Streibich was in the hardware business in Peoria. John Streibich apparently provided the capital. In the 1900 City Directory, John Schembs and John Streibich are listed as the owners. In 1907 John Schembs was listed as corporate secretary and treasurer of the company. (CD1907) Their residence is shown to be 307 Hillyer. (CD1907)

On January 3, 1910, John Schembs died of complications of epilepsy. (19) He was 42. At the time son Donovan was 13 and Russell was 2 years, 7 months. Interestingly, his residence is listed as 507 Seventh again, not the Hillyer address.[14][15] His estate was handled through probate with Cora, his widow, as the administratrix. Their home was valued at $2,500. The listing of his assets gives one an appreciation of the inflation that we have experienced in the last 90 years. There were two rocking chairs, one valued at $.50 and the other at $1.25; clothing at $3.00; the master bedroom furniture at $20.00 and a leather couch at $10.00. In addition to his ownership in Schembs Printing Company (twenty shares of capital stock) which was valued at $4,000, John owned shares in Peoria Fountain Company. Cora listed five notes receivable among his assets, where John had loaned money to others of German descent:[16]

Jake Gurnbrecht, a note in the amount of $75.00 dated April 22, 1905, plus accrued interest. The total amount owing was shown to be $92.30 but it was categorized as 'desperate' meaning very questionable that it was collectable.

Clara Gurnbrecht, two notes in the amounts of $100.00 and $150.00, also identified as desperate.

John Weibel, dated September 16, 1909, in the amount of $100.00.

John Clauss, dated March 27, 1909, in the amount of $275.00.

Spitznagel and wife, no date indicated and showing a balance of $300.00, suggesting that it had been paid down to that amount.

All the notes bore interest at the rate of 6 percent. Also there was a Certificate of Deposit at the Merchant Bank in the amount of $900.00.

In February 1912, Cora sold the twenty shares of stock in Schembs Printing Company to their partner, John C. Streibich. The petition to Probate Court read:

......... Your petitioner further represents that she has an offer from one John C. Streibich for said capital stock, and that said Streibich will pay your petitioner for said stock a sum of Thirty-six hundred fourteen and ninety-eight-one hundredths dollars ($3614.98); and your petitioner believes that is the highest price that she can obtain for said stock. Your petitioner also represents that she has for more than six months last past offered said stock for sale and the above sum is the most that your petitioner can obtain for the same.

Therefore, your petitioner prays that your honor will grant her an order to sell said capital stock at private sale for said sum.

signed, Cora Schembs, Petitioner

Chattel Property Listing in John H. Schembs (1866-1910) Estate

The total value of the estate of John was about $10,000, with creditors receiving $4,000 and the balance being equally divided between Cora, Donovan and Russell.

John was buried at Springdale Cemetery next to Margaret, his first wife, who had been buried twelve years earlier. He was internment #7439, lot 15,937. The unmarked graves of John and Margaret are in a section called Hickory Slope. I spent time trying to locate their graves and believe them to be just north (to the right) of the Dechsle lot which has a large monument. One more session with the Cemetery staff should confirm this, if they are willing to help. I found them to be, but they have a reputation in the Peoria genealogy community of being uncooperative.

The whereabouts of Cora Schembs is not known. She apparently is not buried in Springdale and the date of her death is unknown.

Unmarked Graves of John H. (1866-1910)
and Margaret Schembs (1875-1898)

Children: (2)

2.1.....Donovan Joseph Schembs (1898-1948)

Donovan's picture was taken as a young boy. Over the years the left side of the picture has disappeared, but written on the back is "Grandma Schembs and Donovan." Based on the age of Donovan the picture was taken in about 1900. Hermine would have been about 63. They are probably sitting on the porch of either 509 Seventh Avenue or 305 Hancock.

Grandma Schembs and Donovan (1898-1948), circa 1900

Donovan was a challenging lad as he was growing up. With the death of his father, John, in 1910 he was in the care of Cora who did not care for the challenge. He was farmed out to Uncle Carl and Aunt Virginia, but they preferred life without a child. Next he was sent to Indiana to live with Uncle Rob on the farm in Remington. This arrangement proved unsatisfactory as well, as Dono painted a number of the white chickens red.[9] In about 1912 he was sent to Birmingham, Alabama, for the summer with Uncle Rudolph and his family. Using a fly swatter, he would swat the legs of his younger cousins Ruth and Doug. Ruth described him as "real likeable when he was nice, but a terrible control problem much of the time." He had extraordinary artistic talents and could draw cartoons and caption them with a flourish.[9]

In 1913 Donovan was sent away to Kemper Military Academy in Missouri. A recent inquiry received the following comments:[17]

"Enrolled as high school freshman at age 15 - September 1913.

Completed highschool sophomore year in 1915. Did not re-enroll.

He accumulated an excessive amount of demerits during his first year. Not unusual for a 15 year old adjusting to a new way of life.

He accumulated very few in his second year. In fact, he had far more merits than demerits.

First year academic grades were poor. However, he showed a great improvement in his sophomore year. Three grades were in the 90's, one was 89 and one was 81.

Faculty comments indicated he was a "day dreamer" in his first year. However, he seemed to have matured and gained a sense of direction during his sophomore year."

Apparently Cora or his grandparents must have straightened Donovan out during the summer of 1914.

The following year, rather than continuing his high school education, Donovan enlisted in the U.S. Army and went to Fort Williams, Maine. While there and prior to his being sent to Europe for WWI, Donovan met and married Helen Bridgett Foley (1895-1959) in Portland, Maine. Helen was the daughter of Irish immigrants, Patrick and Annie Foley. (C1920) They were married in the Catholic Church, but Donovan did not become a good Catholic.[13]

As a young woman, Helen had worked with Rudy Vallee at the theater. He was an usher, she a cashier. His career went up from there.

In Europe, Donovan served as Aide-de-camp to General John J. Pershing, commander of the American forces.[13]

Donovan participated in the tumultuous tickertape parade in New York with Pershing and thousands of U.S. troops as they were returning from Europe. He was asked to accept an assignment in the American Embassy in Paris. Helen, however, had no intention of living anywhere other than Portland, and Donovan settled there for the rest of his life.[9]

In the 1920 Census they are listed twice, once living with Helen's parents on Congress Street and again living on Bristol Street by themselves. They had just begun their family, with the birth in March of Marie Elaine, to be followed by another daughter and three sons.

Donovan began his civilian life as an insurance salesman, (C1920) but then got into police work which he did until he passed away in 1948. He is described as being a militaristic type, a strict disciplinarian.[13]

Children: (5)

5.1.....Marie Elaine Schembs (1920)

Marie has lived all her life in Portland, marrying Stephen Edward Graney Jr (1921). Steve was in the U.S. Navy in World War II. His career has been in a potato chip company which is owned by Steve and his brothers.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Anne Marie Graney (1944)

Anne Marie married Kenneth Peterson (1943), a political science major from the University of Maine - Portland. Ken is in the seafood brokerage business. They have two children and one grandchild.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Stephanie Leigh Peterson (1968)

Stephanie and Shawn Trynor (1964) were married in 1994 in Portland.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Moira Anne Trynor (1993)

2.2.....Melanie Anne Peterson (1972)

3.2.....Geoffrey Michael Graney (1947)

Geoff married Sandra Jean Conley (1947). The wedding was in October 1968 in South Portland.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Jennifer Marie Graney (1969)

2.2.....Geoffrey Michael Graney, Jr (1971)

3.3.....Stephen Edward Graney, III (1954)

Steve married Dianne Marie Driskell (1953) on 15 May 1976.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Ryan Patrick Graney (1977)

3.2.....Jon-Curtis Graney (1980)

3.3.....Thomas Blake Graney (1983)

5.2.....Helene Louise Schembs (1921)

Helene has been married twice with a child from each. The father of her daughter, Jane, was Ralph Yeargen. She later married Charles Neal and they had a son, Gregory. Helene spent her career working for the phone company in the traffic department, recently retiring after forty years.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Jane Yeargen (1945)

Jane married Thomas Egger (1938) who has retired from a career in the U.S. Army. Jane went to college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and did substitute teaching while their children were young. She now loves her work in retailing. Jane is an active person with diverse interests.[13]

Children: (4)

4.1.....Ann Marie Egger (1966)

Ann Marie married Chad Carter (1967).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Brian Dale Carter (1991)

4.2.....Cristopher Dayton Egger (1969)

4.3.....Scott Thomas Egger (1971)

4.4.....Jennifer Helene Egger (1973)

2.2.....Gregory Neal (1948)

Greg lives in Maine where he does maintenance work for the school district. He and his wife, Kathy Munger, are divorced. They have a daughter.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Koren Neal (1974)

5.3.....Edward Russell Schembs (1927)

Edward is one of the more colorful of the Schembs relatives. Following service in WWII in the U.S. Navy, Eddie lived in San Francisco and began performing on the opera stage, possibly with the San Francisco and Long Beach Operas. His mother, Helen, had a very well developed singing voice and participated in Eddie's musical development.

In the 1995 first edition of The Schembs in America I wrote that Edward's marriage and children were lost and no trace existed of them. In 1998 through the use of the Internet the children have emerged. Edward Butler Nelson, born Edward Schembs, Jr. searched for the name Schembs and located my nephew, Jay Schembs. The story of Edward Russell is somewhat more clear, although there are continuing blanks which someday may be filled in.

Eddie married a Charlotte Elizabeth Morveaux (1928) in 1947. They had two children, but the marriage was short-lived. Charlotte was remarried to Cecil Thomas Nelson (1925) in 1950. Edward's family in Maine lost contact with the Nelsons, who changed the names of Charlotte's two children from Schembs to Nelson.

During the 1950's Eddie Sr. stopped in Indiana and introduced himself to his second cousins. They remember the visit well. He stayed for several days. Unfortunately Eddie became entangled with the law during the 1960's, with the result that several other Schembs families were contacted by the FBI as they were attempting to locate Eddie. It is not known what happened to Eddie, although it is believed that he has died.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Kathleen Schembs (1947)

Kathleen was born in San Francisco, but her name was changed to Kathleen Bridget Nelson when she was three. Kathleen has been married twice, the first to Andre R. Sanders (1947) and later to Karl Kent Sorenson (1949). She has three children.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Levi Todd Sanders (1978)

3.2.....Ranette Raye Sorenson (1976)

3.3.....Jessica Jayne Sorenson (1979)

Information is not always what it seems. In about 2010 I found an obituary in the Los Angeles Times, dated 1965 for Kathleen. If you look closely you can see the mother's name is Charlotte. Since I had spoken with her years later I thought it interesting. I called her and was glad to learn that she was still well and living in Montana. You cannot always believe what you read!

2.2.....Edward Schembs Jr (1949)

Ed now goes by the name Edward Butler Nelson. Ed first married Christie Anne Graham (1950) with whom he has a son. He later married Sandy Kay Brahams (1955).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Mathew Edward Nelson (1975)

5.4.....Donovan Joseph Schembs, Jr (1923-1993)

Don served in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later married Veronica Conroy. They lived several places as he worked in the shipyards. Their residences included Bremerton WA, Port Jefferson NY, and Wilkes Barre PA because of the Veterans Administration Hospital there. Donovan and Veronica had no children.

5.5.....John Murray Schembs (1931, +2000)

John was the last child of Donovan and Helen. Nothing is known about John after 1953. The attached article from the Boston Daily Record describes a murder that perhaps John was involved in. It is not known if he was prosecuted or convicted.

2.2.....John "Russell" Schembs (30.05.1907 Peoria IL, +03.02.1980 Asheville NC)

Russell was the only child of John H. and Cora. He was two years old when his father died. John's first attempt at marriage was with a young woman by the name of Mary Elizabeth Lutz, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Lutz of Winnetka north of Chicago. We do not know, however, that they ever married.

We do know of two marriages of John "Russell". The stories of his two wives are reasonably well documented but a little complex. If one goes slowly, they are understandable and interesting.

Russell and Helene "Holly" Holloway Beitner (*28.10.1898 Omaha NE, +14.12.1974 Asheville NC), the daughter of Charles and Grace Carpenter Holloway were married perhaps in the late 1930's. Holly had been previously married to Robert L. Beinter, with whom she had a son Charles R. Beitner (*~1926). After the end of Holly and Robert's marriage, Holly and son Charles lived with Holly's parents in New Carlisle, Indiana for a number of years. In the 1930 Census Holly is enumerated as being married but Robert is not living with the family. By 1940 son Charles is still living with his grandparents in New Carlisle but not Holly. Perhaps she and Russell were married by 1940 and living elsewhere.

Russell joined Hallmark Cards in the early 1940s, retiring thirty years later. He spent his career selling Hallmark products in New York City. John had red hair and a prominent mustache, on the order of a handlebar, which was frowned upon by the company. John's gregarious personality and sales talents, however, allowed him to succeed despite the conservative nature of the company.[18]

There is a passenger arrival record for Holly returning to the United States in 1951 from Europe. Presumably the address of 67 Park Avenue in Manhattan was their home.

Following his retirement Russell and Holly moved to Asheville NC where Holly's son Charles lived.

After Holly's death in 1974, Russell married Irene Engle Goodhue Leck (*24.06.1907 Newton IA, +20.02.1997 Asheville NC). At the time of their marriage in 1975 Russell was 68 years old and Irene the same. It was the third marriage for Irene. Russell then died five years later from cancer. [13] In 1981 Irene remarried and outlived her fourth husband Sidney Gold (*1907, +1988). Irene passed away in 1997 at the age of ninety. She is buried with her second husband Bill Leck.

9.5.....Frank Harmon Schembs (1869-?)

Frank was the first child of Jacob and Hermine. As a child he may have been called Harmon by the family. (C1880) As a young man he went to Chicago to attend medical school. Frank later married Elizabeth Piela (1890-1964).[19] Elizabeth had emigrated from Germany in about 1900 with her parents. She would have been about ten at the time they emigrated. In 1910 Frank and Elizabeth were living in Chicago.

Frank and Elizabeth had two sons, Leroy and Frank Harold. While the sons were still young, Frank and Elizabeth ended their marriage, and the sons never saw their father again. It is not known whether Frank remarried or anything more about his life. In the will of Carl Schembs (1873-1950) which was written in 1939, Carl identified his brother Frank as deceased.[20] Later in his life Leroy Schembs, their oldest son, tried repeatedly to locate his father but without success.[21]

Elizabeth remarried in Berrien, Michigan on 18 May 1921. Her second husband was Felix Wyhowski. In 1930 Leroy and Frank were still in the Wyhowski home.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Leroy Schembs (1910-1985)

Leroy was the older of the two sons of Frank and Elizabeth. Following his marriage to Mary Isabel Stukel (?-1954), Roy and his family lived in Michigan and Ohio before settling in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he spent his career in the food industry. Roy and Mary had two daughters.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Sharon Lea Schembs (3.08.1944 Defiance OH, 2014 New Paltz NY)

Sharon married an Englishman, Colin Berry (1954). They adopted a baby girl, Marylilly as a one year old from Cambodia. Colin and Maly live in the New York area. Sharon was in the travel promotion business. Colin is in commerciall real estate appraisals.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Marylilly "Maly" Schembs Berry (*2002 Cambodia)

Maly graduated from New Palz High School in 2019 and in 2021 from the Culinary Institute of America, the country's premier institution for high end chefs and people wanting to get into the restaurant business.

2.2.....Susan Agnes Schembs (*06.02.1941 Saginaw MI, +9.05.2014 Atlanta GA)

Susan received her masters in mathematics from University of Alabama. She married Earl Alvin Ferguson (1936), an aerospace engineer also from Alabama. They lived in Houston prior to moving to Atlanta, where Susan taught at Georgia State University. Earl is active in several small businesses which he owns.

Earl, Steven, Elizabeth and Susan Ferguson
Yale University, Graduation 1998

Children: (2)

2.1.....Elizabeth Jennings Ferguson (1976)

Elizabeth completed her undergraduate work at Yale University. She works in international business consulting with clients wishing to expand into foreign markets. She is also working pro bono for Yes Bute/ Argyll, the campaign for Scottish independence.

2.2.....Steven Charles Ferguson (1980)

Steven completed his undergraduate and graduate work in Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He married Kristen New (1981). Steven oversees standards development in the US and Internationally for a large not-for-profit engineering society, and as an Eagle Scout is actively involved in his sons Cub Scout Pack.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Cameron Charles Ferguson (2011)

2.2.....Kaitlin Susan Ferguson (2015)

2.2.....Frank Harold Schembs (1913-1989)

Frank lived in Illinois and Michigan before moving to Cincinatti with Proctor & Gamble. Frank's career with the company spanned 45 years. During his time in Illinois while attending Illinois Institute of Technology, Frank met his future wife, Jacoba Katherine Burema (1912-2012), in chemistry class. They had three children. Jacoba was 100 in November 2012. Her entire family, children, grands, and great-grands came from several parts of the country to celebrate with her. She passed away peacefully two days later.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Frank Harold Schembs, Jr (1940)

Frank Jr. graduated from Denison University in 1962, receiving his MBA from Ohio State two years later. Frank married Jean Claire Scott (1942) following her graduation from Denison in 1963. After living in the Seattle area for many years they now live in Avon Lakes, Ohio near Cleveland.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Stephen Robert Schembs (1966)

Steve married Karin Gail Stanton (1965), an Englishwoman. They later divorced. Steve is a flight attendant for U.S. Airways and has served in a leadership position with their organization.

3.2.....Keith Scott Schembs (1967)

Keith and Polly Cheroke (1969) are married and live in Gig Harbor WA near Tacoma.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Lauren Jacoba Schembs (1997)

2.2.....Morgan Kay Schembs (*2001)

3.3.....Kristin Jean Schembs (1975)

Kristin and Rich Feronti (*1973) married. They live in Avon OH.

Kinder: (3)

3.1.....Richie Feronti (*2005)

3.2.....Ella Feronti (*2008)

3.3.....Lucy Feronti (*2011)

3.2.....Jacoba J. Schembs (1944)

Jakie also graduated from Dennison. She married Asa "Clay" Atkins (1939), a graduate of Davidson College who then took a graduate program in agriculture in Utah. They live in Bruneau, Idaho, and farm 1400 acres with hay and dairy cows. They have two sons.

Children: (2)

2.1.....John Clay Atkins (1971)

2.2.....Frank "Davis" Atkins (1973)

3.3.....Julia Anne Schembs (1952)

Julia is a neo-natologist. Julia graduated from Dennison College, then went to Northwestern University Medical School. She married another pediatrician, Frank Papacostas (1952) in Cincinatti. Frank received his education at Temple University. They live in Peabody MA.

Children: (4)

4.1.....Nicholas "Nick" Charles Papacostas (1983)

Nick and Elizabeth "Liz" Feucht (*1983) married. They with their son live in Anchorage AK.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Jacob Papacostas (2017)

4.2.....Michael Frank Papacostas (1985)

4.3.....Katherine Julia Papacostas (1987)

4.4.....Anne Elizabeth Papacostas (1990)

9.6.....Minnie Schembs (1870-1954)

Minnie did not marry, but was some of the glue in the Schembs family. She seems to have been better known by many of the distant relatives than her siblings. Minnie lived with Jacob and Hermine until they died. In her later years, Minnie lived at 1617 North Madison which she owned. Minnie was a school teacher at Irving School. (CD1907) After her retirement, she and her sister Ida had a small store in Peoria, selling groceries and ice cream.[22]

Minnie was cremated and her ashes buried in the plot with Jacob and Hermine.

9.7.....Charles E. "Carl" Schembs (1873-1950)

Carl Schembs began his career working as a printer. (CD1890) Other professions were listed as molder (CD1891), coremaker Avery Planter Co. (CD1892-CD1900), and molder (CD1907). He continued living at home with Jacob and Hermine and his sister Minnie until he was about thirty. He married Virginia Hoagland (1876 San Jose IL -1938 Peoria), the daughter of David and Cornelia Hoagland. They had no children. They rented a home in Averyville in 1920 and his occupation was listed as moulder in a foundry. They then moved to Mossville, about eight miles north of Peoria.

During this period Carl apparently also worked as a Justice of the Peace. In the Springfield, Illinois Daily Illinois State Journal, dated 1925, Carl executed a "Certificate of Estray" to the benefit of Emil Lauber. A large Webster dictionary helps understand this. An "Estray" is "a domestic animal, as a horse or a sheep, found wandering or without an owner".

Virginia's obituary, which appeared in the Chillicothe paper on April 29, 1938 stated-

…Mrs. Schembs leaves to mourn her departure, her husband, and a wide circle of friends who remember her for her interest and loyal work in the church and its societies and the many kindly services to others.

His obituary in the Bulletin, October 12, 1950, portrays parts of his life:

Carl Schembs, 77, of Mossville, grocer here many years, retiring two years ago, died Monday morning at his home following an illness of several months.
Son of Jacob and Hermine Lehne Schembs, he was born in Peoria September 13, 1873. His wife, Virginia, died in Peoria in 1938. Mr. Schembs held membership in the Mossville Methodist church and Modern Woodmen of America. Surviving ..... Funeral services were conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Cumerford-Endsley home and interment was in City Cemetery, Chillicothe.

In Carl's will he bequeathed $500 each to brother Rudolph, sister Ida and half-brother Robert; $100 each to nephews Leroy, Frank, Donovan and Russell; and the balance ($9,721) to his sister Minnie.

9.8.....Ida Schembs (1875-1955)

Ida moved from Jacob and Hermine's house at age 20 when she married a man named Hodgkiss. This marriage ended in divorce. Ida dated a Mr. Hutchinson who managed the Pierre Marquette Hotel, Peoria's finest. She later married Frank J. Dooley (?), a meter reader for the gas company. There were no children from either marriage.

Ida is described as being fun-loving, "a jolly gal". People remember her cooking, but particularly her great German pancakes! She loved to go to Alfresco Park, the local bier garden. She had a German side of her personality and was very bossy.[9]

An interesting and complex person, Ida hid money -- $10's and $20's -- in her Bible. No one would have dared touch it. Like many people Ida had geese in the yard. Three became her pets. Each morning she would call out the window "How are my dollies today?" One Thanksgiving she cooked two of them, but then felt so badly that no one could eat them.[9]

An important part of her daily regimen was listening to The Romance of Helen Trent, a fifteen minute radio serial. Everything stopped for fifteen minutes as no one was allowed to speak during the program.[9]

Ida died a year after her sister Minnie, and also was buried in the plot with Jacob and Hermine. She and Frank lived at 2212 North Madison Avenue in Peoria at the time of her death. This home was about ten blocks away from the Caroline Street home of Jacob and Hermine.

9.9.....Rudolph Schembs (1879-1964)

Rudolph, the youngest of Jacob Schembs's children, was my grandfather. While I can remember seeing him a few times in my life (we lived in Seattle and he in New Jersey), I did not know much about him until I began my quest for family knowledge.

When he was about twenty years old, Rudolph went to Chicago, finding a job working as a reporter for a daily newspaper. I believe this is where he met his future wife Louise Lindbäck Jungell (1883-1966).

Louise was an infant when her parents, Karl Olaf Lindbäck (1850-ABT 1887) and Anna "Karin" Sjoberg (1858-1935), emigrated in 1883. They had come from the town of Kalix near the Swedish frontier with Finland. An older brother, Karl "Oscar", was left behind in Sweden. Her birthname was Louisa Constagia Lindbäck which was her legal name at the time of her marriage to Rudolph.[23] Shortly after their arrival in the United States, Karl died in a construction accident in Michigan, where they were living. Karin with her two daughters, Louise and Marie, moved to Chicago, where two of her brothers had immigrated. She married Andus Jungell (?~1895), a Finn, and the children informally took their step-father's name. Jungell died in the mid-1890's, leaving Carrie with four daughters, Louise, Marie, Ethel and Agnes, ranging in age from 12 to 2. The 1900 Census shows Louise as 17 and working as a "Type Writer." Possibly this was at the newspaper where Rudy worked.

Rudolph and Louise were married in approximately 1902 in Birmingham, Alabama. Rudolph had moved to Birmingham to work in the meat packing business for Armour. Karin and her three other daughters followed Louise to Birmingham where Karin remained until her death.

Rudolph and Louise's children, Ruth, Douglas, and Robert were all born in Birmingham. They lived in the Fountain Heights area. Although the KKK was not a part of her family's life, Ruth remembered KKK activities and shootings on the street. While they were in Birmingham, Rudolph joined the Masons, Lodge 636. He maintained this membership with Lodge 636 throughout his life.[9]

In 1913 the family moved to Davenport, Iowa where Rudolph had a management position with Cudahy, another large meat packing firm. Ruth remembered arriving in Davenport in the middle of winter where the temperature was well below zero. The family was surprised because they arrived wearing their lightweight 'southern' clothes.[9] Their address was 5411 Farnham.


Rudolph Schembs (1879)	Louise (1883), Mary Lou (1934) and Ruth (1904)

In about 1916 the family moved to New York City where Rudy worked for Metropolitan Beef. They rented an apartment at 869 West 180th Street in Manhattan. Today the building is gone, making way for an on-ramp to the Henry Hutchinson Parkway, three blocks from the George Washington Bridge. The neighborhood is still largely intact so you can visualize where the family lived.

In September of 1918 Rudy, age 39, registered for the U.S. Military draft. World War I was in its fifth year. The U.S. had entered the War the year prior. They were living at the West 180th Street address. He was a purchasing manager at Birmingham Packing Company, 645 Brook Avenue in The Bronx. Apparently Birmingham Packing was a division of Metropolitan. He was of medium height and stout.

About 1923, they again moved, this time to Newark NJ. Rudolph stayed with Metropolitan Beef until they closed. He then worked for M. Reinfeld and Sons until his death. [9]

In 1942, four months after Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, all males were required to register for the draft. Rudy was 63 years old at the time. He was 5'5" tall, bald and weighed 175 pounds. Rudy and Louise lived at 24 Cypress Street in Newark. The registration card indicates he was working for Superior "Prch" Company of Mamaroneck, New York. This appears to be in conflict with family lore.

Louise had a controlling personality and was a very difficult person to live with. She was an extremely strong woman and "ran the house." She did not approve of the marriages of her sisters or her children and clearly voiced her opinions of their spouses. Both she and Rudy encouraged their children to pursue higher education, but her criteria was that it not be away from home.[9]

Rudy and Louise are buried at Graceland Memorial Park, Kenilworth NJ, Lot 294 in the Elm Section.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Ruth Schembs (1904-1995)

Ruth was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She always had an adventurous spirit. When she was growing up her younger brothers were given bikes, but not Ruth. Even though it was "not proper," Ruth would grab one of the brother's bikes and ride off joyously, only to pay the consequences later. Ruth had fond memories of visiting Carl, Minnie, and Ida in Peoria. The Schembs children toured Peoria in Minnie's borrowed surrey with the fringe on top. Minnie also treated them to their first ride in an electric car.[9]

In New York, Ruth attended PS132 initially, but then took an achievement test which allowed her to enter the highly competitive Hunter High School. With the family's final move to Newark, Ruth graduated from South Side High School. Even though Ruth wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and study accounting, this was not considered appropriate for a girl. Ruth instead entered Normal School and was trained for teaching. This was the beginning of a 43 year career that saw Ruch achieve a doctoral equivalency and move from the classroom to a supervisory position as a master teacher for new teachers.[24]

Along with her brothers Ruth had a lifelong interest in sports. She married Harold Ost Herrmann (1901-1979) whose great love was baseball. Like many people of that time, Hal was able to play semi-pro ball by working in a bank and playing in a bank sponsored league. Ruth shared this love with Hal and, in fact, became the team chauffeur.

Because Louise did not approve of the relationship, Ruth and Hal eloped to New York and were married at The Little Church Around the Corner, near Wall Street. Rudy was always loving and supportive of Ruth.

Ruth and Hal had one child, a daughter.

Douglas (1906), Robert (1911) and Ruth Schembs (1904)

Children: (1)

1.1.....Mary Louise Herrmann (1934)

Mary Lou married Howard Lunin (1932). They have four children and one grandchild. Mary Lou taught after her graduation from Columbia University. After her divorce from Howard, Mary Lou went into sales and a career in marketing with AT&T. She is now married to Paul Belliveau (1938).

Children: (4)

4.1.....Stacy Ruth Lunin (1957)

In April 1998 Stacy and Jim were married.

4.2.....Karin Joyce Lunin (1959)

Karin married Patrick John Welch (1959). The wedding was in South Orange NJ on 26 July 1986.

Children: (1)

1.1..... Kevin Timothy Welch (1992)

4.3.....Jeffrey Harold Lunin (1962)

Jeff married a woman named Gayle.

4.4.....David John Lunin (1965)

David married Karen.

3.2.....Douglas Clifford Schembs (1906-1999)

When Doug was born Rudy and Louise were unable to agree on a name. Doug was called "Sonny" (a name which stuck until adulthood) until an "official" name was agreed on. Doug attended Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) and New York University. Prior to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Doug began working as a statistician for a Wall Street brokerage firm. In 1941 he took a position with P. Ballantine & Sons Brewery, but then was drafted for military service in World War II, seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge. Doug recalled crossing the Atlantic in the Lusitania with German submarines in pursuit.

Following the War, Doug married Florence Groves (1911-2008) and rejoined Ballantine where he worked until his retirement in 1972. Florence and Doug have one son.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Douglas Clifford Schembs, Jr (1947)

Doug Jr. has a daughter from a marriage with Irene Carmody (1954), but divorced and later married Lois Jean Meyer (1952). He is now married to the Rev. Lois Jean Meyer (*1952), an Episcopal priest.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Jennifer Lee Schembs (1981)

3.3.....Robert Vernon Schembs (1911-1972)

My dad was the youngest child of the youngest child of Jacob and Hermine. This puts us out in the lower right extremity of the family tree.

Bob grew up in Newark and graduated from Barringer High School. He was active in sports as shown in an article from the Asbury Park Press and another from the Courier-News. He was chosen for the Second All Star Team for the six county region.

He won a full four year academic scholarship at Swarthmore College where he was captain of the football team and president of his class. He met his future wife, Grace Anna "Gay" Biddle (1912), at Swarthmore.

Gay was from Westchester County in New York, the third daughter of Clement and Grace Anna Brosius Biddle. The Biddles were descendants of William Biddle who emigrated from England in 1681, to escape the religious persecution they were experiencing in England. They had been imprisoned the prior year for their Quaker beliefs. They purchased a tract of land in New Jersey from William Penn.

In 1933 Bob was fortunate to get a job working in the lumber industry for his future father-in-law. Bob and Gay married in 1934. They lived in New York, then were transferred to Seattle where my brother and sister were born. In 1941 they were transferred back to New York where I was born, then again to Seattle in 1945. When they had the chance to move once more, Bob resigned to stay in the Seattle area. Most of his career was in wholesale lumber.

Bob was a quiet and peaceful person, like his brother, Doug, and his father, Rudolph.[24] He really preferred the time that he spent in the evenings and weekends working on our farm outside Seattle. He died suddenly in 1972. My mother has since married Joseph David Coppock (1909), a fraternity brother of my father's at Swarthmore.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Robert Vernon Schembs, Jr (1936-2009)

graduated from Whitman College where he too had a distinguished football record. Bob has spent his career in the securities business in Seattle, working for several firms as merger has followed merger.

In 1971 Bob married Barbara Flanagan (1942-1995), a graduate of University of Montana. By this time our first child was born and we named him for his Uncle Bob. The favor was returned in 1979 with the birth of their first.

Children: (2)

2.1.....James Robert "Jay" Schembs (1979)

Jay followed the family tradition and went to Swarthmore College where he played football. Following graduation he returned to Seattle and too went into the financial services industry. Jay is in investment banking with a boutique firm. On 27 August 2011 Jay and Kristin Leigh Efting (*1981 South Carolina) were married in Port Townsend WA.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Robert Leighton Schembs (2013)

2.2.....Andrew Schembs (2016)

3.2.....Jean Biddle Schembs (1939)

Jean followed Bob to Whitman College, but then finished her degree at the University of Washington for a broader course selection. She married Nathan Reginald Thomas (1937) who graduated from UofW and Willamette Law School.

In 1995 Nate climbed Aconcagua (elevation just over 23,000 feet) in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Nate was an attorney by profession. They are now retired and live in Idaho with another home in Port Ludlow WA.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Laurel Sue Thomas (1962)

Laurel is married to Alan Marino (1960). They live in Boise ID where Al is in commercial realestate.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Justin Thomas Marino (1996)

2.2.....Jack Alan Marino (1999)

3.2.....Peter Frank Thomas (1965)

Peter and Patricia Nolan (1964) are married. Peter received his bachelors degree at the University of Southern California. They too live in Boise ID. Peter teaches English courses in two nearby colleges and writes mystery novels as an avocation.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Olivia Jean Thomas (1997)

2.2.....Lauren Elizabeth Thomas (2001)

3.3.....Wynne Elizabeth Thomas (1969)

Wynne is married to Stephen Edward Stripling (1963). They live in the Dallas TX area where Steve has a professional search business, specializing in medical positions for clients around the country.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Nicole Grace Stripling (1997)

3.2.....Nathan Edward Stripling (2004)

3.3.....Danielle Faith Stripling (2006)

Family Gathering of the Robert V. Schembs Family
Port Ludlow, Washington State, 1999
Back Row: Nate Thomas, Jay Schembs, Peter Thomas, Bob Schembs, Jean Schembs-Thomas, R.J. Schembs, Laurel Thomas Marino, Jim Schembs
Front Row: Lyndsay Schembs-Finn, Jamie Finn, Steve Stripling, Nicole Stripling, Wynne Thomas Stripling, Lisa Schembs, Trish Nolan Thomas, Olivia Thomas, Justin Marino, Al Marino

3.3.....James Douglas Schembs (1942)

I married Florence Gertrude Miller (1943) in 1964 following my graduation from Stanford University. Flo graduated the following year.

After receiving my MBA from Stanford, I worked ten years with Boise Cascade Corporation, then have been an entrepreneur of sorts since, involved in turnarounds and startups. The business experiences span the paper industry, aircraft cockpit displays, and railroad ties. In my spare time I also was half owner of a tug and barge company on the Columbia River. My experiences have been very enjoyable, including international business.

When our formal educations were complete, we lived in Boise, St. Louis, and Portland. Following my divorce with Florence, I moved to Kansas City for nine years, then to Arizona where I live today. In 1999 I remarried. On September 25, Pamela Jean Doyle (1952) and I were married on a golf course in Payson AZ. We live in Paradise Valley AZ but spend our summers in our cabin on the ZigZag River on Mount Hood in Oregon. We trailer our two horses back and forth to Oregon each year and enjoy riding in the Cascade Mountains in the summer, on the AZ desert in the winter.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Robert James "R.J." Schembs (1966)

R.J. graduated from Stanford in International Relations. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry in Tokyo for five years before returning to the University of California (Berkeley) for his MBA. In 2002 he married Miwako Ogawa (1972) in a ceremony at Stanford. They moved to Tokyo in 2003, but later divorced. R.J. is now working in California with a small company in the renewable energy field.

2.2.....Lyndsay Schembs (1971)

Lyndsay graduated from Santa Clara University in 1993 and a year later married James Erik "Jamie" Finn (1970), an English major at Santa Clara. They spent twenty seven months in Kazakhstan, one of the former Soviet republics, with the Peace Corps. They taught English in the city of Kzyl Orda in the western part of the country. Returning to the United States in 1996, Lyndsay has since received her masters degree in elementary education. She is a second grade teacher, while Jamie works with a technology company as a product manager. He spends a lot of time in the market including frequent trips to Europe and the Middle East.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Ian James Finn (2001)

Ian and his brother Toby are having fun growing up, playing soccer and other sports plus refining their skills at horseback riding, fishing and camping.

2.2.....Tobias Clark Finn (2004)


Ian showing his catch, 2008 OR	Toby and "Pops" racing through the AZ hills, 2011

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Tazewell County Certificate of Marriage of Jacob Schembs and Margaret Gable, dated 5/1/1858

[2] History of Peoria, Chapter 4, Coming of the Americans

[3] Peoria Distilling Industry, Works Progress Administration Report, Peoria Public Library

[4] Obituary of Jacob Schembs, Peoria Star, 8/3/1914

[5] Tazewell County, Illinois, 1850 Census, page 013

[6] Peoriana

[7] West Bluff Word, June 1979, page 10, Peoria IL

[8] Francis Eileen Schembs (1917)

[9] Ruth Schembs Herrman (1904-1995)

[10] Land Records, Peoria County, Illinois

[11] Cumerford Ensley Funeral Home records

[12] The will of Minnie Schembs, (1870-1954)

[13] Helene Louise Schembs Neal (1921)

[14] Springdale Cemetery records, Peoria IL

[15] John H. Schembs obituary, Peoria Star, 1/14/1910, page 14

[16] John H. Schembs (1866-1910) Probate File, #7891, Peoria County, IL

[17] Kemper Military Academy letter from Horace L. Smith dated 11/17/1994

[18] Howard Kemper, Hallmark Cards retiree, 649-4543

[19] Letter from Leroy Schembs (1910-1985) to Otto Schembs/Frankfurt (1901) dated 2/22/1972

[20] Charles E. "Carl" Schembs (1873-1950) Probate File r-479, Peoria County, IL

[21] Susan Schembs Ferguson (1941)

[22] Douglas Clifford Schembs (1906-1999)

[23] Ethel Miller Gorman (1911)

[24] Mary Louise Herrmann Lunin (1934)