The Kansas City Schembs

The Kansas City Schembs

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The Story of Valentine "George" Schembs

Valentine Schembs (*1866, +1917) emigrated in 1882 at the age of 16. By the late 1880's he settled in Kansas City, Kansas, and founded the Kansas City Schembs branch of the family. His story is told in the following parts:

Valentine "George" Schembs (*1866, +1917)
Naturalization – Becoming a U.S. Citizen
Marriage to Mary Ann Trainer
What was his name?
Occupation
Religion
Residences
Future of the Swift Packing Plant
Adoption of George Wayne Adair
Death of Mary Ann
Death of Valentine
Descendants of Valentine "George"

Valentine "George" Schembs (*1866, +1917)

The 1995 version of the book The Schembs in America commenced the story of Valentine Schembs with the following paragraphs:

It is seldom when multiple genealogical information sources agree. In the case of the birth of Valentine, there is an exception. 1867 is the date of birth per his naturalization, death certificate, obituary and the 1910 Census. The day was May 10.[1] Only the monument over his grave disagrees --- it claims 1868.

In contrast, the circumstances surrounding Valentine's emigration from Germany are perhaps the least known of all the Schembs emigrants. Per the 1910 Census it appears Valentine emigrated in 1882. The entry is difficult to read. No record of his ship passage has been located. Assuming the date of emigration to be correct, he was 15 years old at the time he came to the United States. Because no other Schembs seem to have settled in the area, he appears to have emigrated alone. At age 15, this would have been unusual but not unprecedented. There were many Germans who emigrated alone in their late teens.

Since the time of the publishing of the book much has been learned about Valentine and many other Schömbs emigrants. We now know that none of the above references to Valentine's birth were correct. Per the German civil records Valentine was born in 1866 on March 8. He was the ninth child of 13 born to Francis (*1831) and Christina Hippel (*1831) Schembs of Herrnsheim.

While it was surprising that Valentine had emigrated at such an early age and probably alone, it is now understandable. Based upon the revised birthdate, he was 16 at the time of his emigration in 1882. Valentine's older sister Christina, eleven years his senior, had emigrated in 1873 and settled in Louisville, Kentucky. Valentine, upon arriving in America, went to Louisville, where Christina and also their Uncle Philipp (*1839) were living. Valentine probably stayed in Louisville for a few years, then moved on to Kansas City. In 1883 Valentine was godfather at the christening of his niece Marie Edith Laas at the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Louisville.

For more information, go to The Louisville Schembs.

Naturalization – Becoming a U.S. Citizen

The Naturalization Petition for Valentine Schemps

On March 19, 1891, before a District Court judge in Kansas City, Kansas, Valentine renounced his allegiance to William, Emperor of Germany, and became a U.S. citizen. The name is entered in the Naturalizations Petitions Book as Valentine 'Schemps.' His signature, however, is clearly Valentin Schembs

Marriage to Mary Ann Trainer

In 1890 Valentine married Mary Ann Trainer (*1856, +1916). At the time Mary Ann was 34 and Valentine 23. Per the census entry, Mary Ann appears to have been previously married. There is a small '2' above the married notation for Mary Ann. [5]

Mary Ann was born in Maryland of English emigrants. Her maiden name is deduced from her obituary, which lists her as the daughter of Mrs. Mary Trainer.[2] I looked in the 1880 Maryland Census and did not find a Mary Ann Trainer, daughter of Mary Trainer. However, by 1880 Mary Ann was 24 and could have been married to a first husband, or just not living with her parents. I searched the Wyandotte County KS marriage register for the period from 1886 until 1900 (Books 5-13) and found no record of the marriage of Valentine and Mary Ann.

What was his name?

The first record located of Valentine being in Kansas City is the 1891 naturalization record. In 1892 he appears in the City Directory for the first time. Interestingly, however, he appears in the Directory two times. One entry is for Valentine Schembs. The second is for George Schembs. The same residence is given for both entries.

Hoye's 1892 City Directory for Kansas City, Kansas

When I first saw the Directory I assumed there were two Schembs adult males in Kansas City. It later becomes obvious, however, that Valentine did not like his given name and preferred to be called 'George.' George does not appear to have been a part of his legal name.[3] [4] [1] [6]

For some reason neither George nor Valentine appears in most of the City Directories. After 1892 he does not re-appear until 1902, and under the name Valentine 'Schemps.' Then in 1903 under Valentine Schembs. In 1905 he is George 'Shimps.' In the 1910 Census he is Valentine 'Shemps.' While misspellings were not uncommon in the Directories and census data, the Kansas City family founder seems to have been given particularly bad treatment. We all have gotten accustomed to seeing the name butchered, no pun intended.

Occupation

Valentine was a butcher by trade. He was employed by Swift & Company at their large meat packing plant at Kansas Avenue and Adams Street in Kansas City, Kansas. [5] This was the time when Kansas City was becoming the meat packing capital and a large rail center in the country. He probably had other employment prior to Swift, since the first Swift plant was built in 1887 as I recall. His employment was regular, however, for in 1909 he was never out of work. [5]

Religion

Based upon their obituaries, Valentine and Mary Ann were members of Saint Thomas Catholic Church, located at Shawnee and Pyle (between 7th and 8th Streets).[4] [8] Unfortunately the Armourdale district of KCK is located in a flood plain. Periodically over the years the levee has been breached, most notably in 1951. The records of St. Thomas were almost entirely destroyed. I was unable to find any records of the Schembs at St. Thomas, or at St. Anthony's which was the German Catholic Church in Kansas City KS, located further away.

Residences

The map of Armourdale below shows the locations of the two residences of Valentine and Mary Ann, together with the St. Thomas Church and the Swift & Company plant.

In 1892 they lived at 417 Miami[7], an area which has subsequently been developed as light industrial and trucking terminals. By the early 1900's they had moved to 1301 Hasbrook, nine blocks to the West.


1301 Hasbrook, Kansas City, Kansas	Deed Transfer for the Purchase of 1301 Hasbrook

They purchased the Hasbrook property through a contract dated April 27, 1901, from the Home Real Estate Company.[9] As the contract amount was $250.00, they must have bought the lot and built the home. On January 25, 1901, Home Real Estate had purchased eighteen lots from Kaw Valley Town Site and Bridge Company for $1,800 or $100.00 per lot.[9]

On April 4, 1903, a mortgage in the amount of $250.00 was entered into with George Rothert. It bore interest at the rate of 8% and was due in three years. The mortgage was satisfied on October 29, 1906.[9]

Future of the Swift Packing Plant

In the mid-1980's I (Jim Schembs) spent considerable time evaluating and selecting a site for a new plant we were proposing to build in Kansas City. Due to the nature of our business, we needed a site which was located very centrally in Kansas City, close to all the railroads that operate in the area. By coincidence I selected the site of the old Swift & Company plant. The site is located adjacent to the Union Pacific Armourdale yard. When Swift vacated the site in 1980, the Union Pacific Railroad purchased the property and leveled the remaining buildings, covering the foundations with fill.

The Armourdale District of Kansas City, Kansas

Legend:
1.	417 Miami
2.	1301 Hasbrook
3.	1138 Argentine (home of Frank Schembs)

A.	St. Thomas Church
B.	Swift Meat Packing
C.	Cudahy Meat Packing

In our redevelopment of the site we found a number of interesting buried relics from the Swift operation --- everything from a ham boning line (machinery) which had been in a basement, to a cowboy boot located ten feet underground. The cowboy was missing. In the extreme northern part of the 25 acre property was a very soft area, apparently where Swift had buried a few hundred head of cattle which had drowned in the 1951 flood. Fortunately this area was not critical for our purposes.

Adoption of George Wayne Adair

At about the turn of the century, Valentine and Mary Ann adopted a son, Frank Joseph Schembs (*1896, +1965). Frank had been born in Independence, Missouri,[14] with the given name of George Wayne Adair. George had been one of several children of the Adairs' when his mother died. George and all of the children were put into an orphanage by their father who did not want to raise them. While it was hoped that the children would be able to stay together, this was not possible.[10]

Perhaps the reason George's first name was also changed was to eliminate the confusion of having two Georges in the house. George Wayne became Frank Joseph. Frank Joseph was the only child of Valentine and Mary Ann.

There are two early records in the Wyandotte County Court relating to Frank Joseph. Because adoption records are not available to the public without a court order, only the references are known. The first, in about 1900, is a George Adair, Volume D, page 268, Case #3729. It is an adoption. The second is a George Schembs, dependent child, dated 1904. The reference is Volume E, page 206, Case #4557. The exact nature of Case #4557 is unclear.

Death of Mary Ann

On September 29, 1916, there was an explosion of the gasoline stove in the home at 1301 Hasbrook. Mary Ann Schembs was critically injured, resulting in her death three days later.[2] She was 60 years old. The funeral was handled by Daniel Brothers Mortuary, whose records were also lost in a flood. Burial was at Mt. Saint Mary's Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. The plot is on West Saint Peter Lane, Grave #74, Row 5. Mary Ann was identified as the wife of Valentine Schembs in the obituary.

Death of Valentine

Nine months later Valentine passed away at the age of 50. Cause of death was given as cirrhosis of the liver, with alcoholism listed as contributory.[1] He was hospitalized at St. Margaret's from May 28th until his death on June 7th.

Death Certificate for Valentine Schembs

While in the hospital Valentine made final arrangements regarding his estate. On June 5, he had a Transfer of Deed notarized which passed ownership of 1301 Hasbrook to their son Frank. The deed was recorded in Frank's name on June 11, 1917.[9] There was no will or probate proceeding relating to the deaths of either Mary Ann or Valentine.

Valentine was buried at Mt. Saint Mary's with his wife on June 11, 1917. Most of the nearby graves are now unmarked.

There are several curious bits of information available from the Cemetery. It is important to remember that Mary Ann's death preceded George's by almost a year. Yet when the monument was made following George's death, no mention is made of Mary Ann. They share the grave, yet Mary Ann is unrecognized.

Valentine was a member of Woodmen of the World, a large fraternal organization at the time with ten 'Camps,' as their lodges were called, in the Kansas City area. Woodmen survives today as two separate insurance companies, but their fraternal records have since been destroyed. The Woodmen affiliation must have been important to Valentine.


The marked grave of Valentine Schembs, shared by his wife Mary Ann Schembs. At the gravesite there is no marking for Mary Ann.

Finally, per the Cemetery records, buried in Grave #74 is Valentine Schembs. There is no mention of George. Yet when you get to the grave, the monument is George with no mention of Valentine.

Descendants of Valentine "George"

Children: (1)

1.1.....Frank Joseph Schembs (*1896, +1965)

Frank was 21 years old at the time of Valentine's death. He was living 702 South Valley, Kansas City KS.

Frank Schembs (*1896), circa 1916

Two years earlier in 1915 Frank had married Irene Lucille Schmidt (*1897, +1963). Irene's father was born in New York, but her mother emigrated from Germany. [13] Irene was a Methodist. Frank had been raised Catholic, but ceased this affiliation upon marrying Irene.[11]

The picture we have of Frank actually came from Louisville. Perhaps he visited his cousins in Louisville around the year 1916 and his picture was taken there. Or the picture was just mailed from Kansas City to Louisville. Regardless, there is a note on the back of the picture. The handwriting has many of the characteristics of German script but the text is an interesting mix of deutsch and English. "So(h)n von Bruder Valtin - Frank Schembs" or translated "Son of brother Valentin - Frank Schembs". This would suggest that the writer was Christina Schembs Laas (*1855), the sister of Valentine.

Frank and Irene had their first child, a daughter Gertrude, the year prior to Valentine's death. None of their children knew their adoptive grandparents.

Soon after the birth of Gertrude they moved to a home at 1138 Argentine Boulevard, a few blocks from the former Hasbrook home where Frank had been raised. They owned the home on Argentine Boulevard. [13] It was in this home where the rest of their children were born, with the exception of their son Paul. In about 1933 they moved again, having outgrown 1138 Argentine and settled at 344 South Baltimore.

In about 1919 Frank followed his father's career in the meat packing industry. Rather than working for Swift, however, he was a butcher for Cudahy Packing Company whose plant was on the south side of Kansas Avenue east of Adams, across the street from the Swift plant where Valentine had worked. In addition to his full time employment, Frank also supplemented his income by painting and carpentry work. He is described as being a very hard worker.[11]

Apparently Frank wanted none of his children to have his experience of growing up as a single child. He and Irene had nine children.

Frank and Irene were very devoted and good parents. They had wanted 12 children, but stopped after nine.[10]

Following the death of Irene in 1963, Frank married Ethel Sheehan. Ethel had been Frank's childhood sweetheart before he met Irene. Ethel was also a widow and they renewed an old friendship.[10] He died shortly afterwards of a heart attack. Frank and Irene are buried at Highland Park Cemetery in KCK.

The obituary of Frank Joseph Schembs cites a Mrs. Grace Glayzer as a sister of Frank. Actually she was a half-sister of Frank's through a later marriage of his natural father.

Children: (9)

9.1.....Gertrude Viola Schembs (*1916, +1919)

Gertrude was the first of Frank and Irene's children. She died at the age of three from diphtheria.

9.2.....Frank Jr. "Red" Schembs (*1918, +1985)

Frank was given the same first name as his father, but rather than being named Frank Joseph Schembs, Jr., he was named Frank Jr. Schembs. He picked up the nickname 'Red.' Frank was in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in the Pacific. He married Mae Marie Hosch (*1921, +1994) and they had one child.

Red worked at Missouri Public Service, and later at Safeway as a diesel mechanic.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Frank "Gary" Schembs (*1944)

Gary works in retail jewelry in the Tampa area. He has been married twice, first to Sharon Ann Hummer (*1948) and then to Jan Corbier (*1954, +1992). Gary and Sharon had two children.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Casandra Michelle Schembs (*1968)

2.2.....Gary Brian Schembs (*1971)

Gary Brian married Caroline Neitzey.

9.3.....Mildred Lorraine Schembs (*1920)

Mildred worked at Sunshine Biscuits in KCK, retiring after 42 years. She married Jewel Winfrey (*1918, +1977) who was a mail carrier. After his death Mildred married Howard James Hall (*1911, +1992) who worked for years at Fairbanks Morse Pump.

Mildred had no children.

9.4.....Evelyn "Blick" Schembs (*1922, +1984)

Blick did not marry. She was a bashful type. She took training to become a keypunch operator, but then worked for her career in a garment manufacturing company.[11]

9.5.....George Wayne Schembs (*1924, +2006)

George Wayne Schembs married Aletha Shannon (*1928). George served in the U.S. Army in the European theater during WWII. He landed on Omaha Beach at Normandy and was injured on Day 2. He later was injured again, very seriously, at Brest, France. George's career was as a dispatcher in the package delivery business with Pony Express and Gelco. He retired in the early 1990s after 31 years.

Children: (2)

2.1.....George Wayne Schembs Jr (*1949, +before 2019)

George Jr. has been married three times. He first married Cindy Dennis (*1953). He next married Carol Ann Deihl (*1949). They divorced, then married a second time. This also led to a divorce and they are back together again. They have two children.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Katherine Lee Schembs (*1977 Omaha NE)

2.2.....George Wayne Schembs III (*1979 Omaha NE)

2.2.....Michael Dennis Schembs (*1952)

9.6.....Irene "Lois" Schembs (*1927)

Lois is the only child of Frank and Irene to move out of Kansas City. Lois married Leslie Henry Allott (*1926, +1993) and lived in Northern Illinois where Les owned a plumbing and heating business. Lois and Les divorced, and Lois later married Dr. William Kenneth James (*1918). Lois and Les had three sons.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Lynn Howard Allott (*1947)

Lynn Howard Allott married Janice "Jenny" Kezer (*1952). They have two sons and a granddaughter.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Jeremy Michael Allott (*1972)

Jeremy Allot married JoLynn Marie Borio (*1969).

Children: (1)

1.1.....Jaclyn Marie Allott (*1994)

2.2.....Rodney Andrew Allott (*1975)

3.2.....Larry Alan Allott (*1953, +1994)

3.3.....Lee Alvin Allott (*1959)

Lee and his wife Rhonda Lee Ulrich (*1959) have two children.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Sara Beth Allott (*1982)

2.2.....Ian Tyler Allott (*1984)

9.7.....Vivian Mae Schembs (*1929)

Vivian and her husband Daniel Gregory McGuire (*1925) live in Kansas City. Vivian retired after working at the General Motors Fairfax assembly plant for 23 years. Dan worked in electronics and computers.

Vivian vaguely remembers while she was growing up that there was a visit by some Schembs relatives from Kentucky or somewhere in the South. They were told by their father to not mention that Frank Sr. had been adopted. This visit would have probably been in the 1940s.[12] George also recalls the visit. The visit was undoubtedly from some of their Louisville Schembs cousins.

9.8.....Floyd Adair Schembs (*1931)

Floyd still lives in the old family home at 344 S. Baltimore. He married Welda "Bernice" Mills (*1931). They had one daughter, but later divorced. Bernice worked for King Radio, a subsidiary of Bendix Corporation.

Children: (5)

5.1.....Karen Lee Schembs (*1951)

Karen has three children with her first husband, Dr. Dennis Cooley (*1951).

Children: (3)

3.1.....Ann Marie Cooley (*1978)

3.2.....Mary Elizabeth Cooley (*1980)

3.3.....Dennis Patrick Cooley (*1983)

Karen divorced Dr. Cooley and later married Kyle Mandale Lusso.

Floyd was an auto mechanic. Following the divorce of Floyd and Bernice, Floyd married June Marie Giffin (*1944) and they had four sons.

5.2.....Floyd Allen Schembs (*1972, +1972)

5.3.....Floyd Allen Schembs (*1973)

Dona Tucker (*1976) married Floyd Allen. They have three children.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Floyd Allen Schembs III (*1994)

3.2.....Anthony Adair Schembs (*1995)

3.3.....Paige Ann-Marie Schembs (*1998)

5.4.....Warren Joseph Schembs (*1975)

5.5.....John Adair Schembs (*1982)

John married Regina Ingle (*1980) in 2004. They live in Overland Park KS.

Children: (2)

2.1.....Phoenix Schembs (*2005)

2.2.....Kira Schembs (*2009)

9.9.....Paul Lloyd Schembs (*1935, +deceased)

Paul was the youngest of the family. He served in the Marines and married Ruthann "Corky" Lory (*1935). Like his grandfather, Paul worked at Swift for a time doing maintenance work. He and Corky have three children.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Thomas Eugene Schembs (*1958)

Tom married Debra Walker (*1955). They had three children. Tom decided in his thirties to go to pharmacy school. After he received his degree he moved to Phoenix where he now works.

Children: (3)

3.1.....Adam Eugene Schembs (*1980)

3.2.....Timothy Tyler Schembs (*1982)

3.3.....Genesis Lynd Schembs (*1984)

3.2.....David Allen Schembs (*1960)

David and his wife Debbie Lyn Cloughley (*1956) have one son.

Children: (1)

1.1.....David Allen Schembs Jr (*1985)

3.3.....Paula Marie Schembs (*1965)

Paula married Jeffrey Hinchey. They have one child.

Children: (1)

1.1.....Austin Hinchey (*1992)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Death Certificate, Valentine Schembs, dated 6/11/1917

[2] Obituary of Mary Ann Schembs, Gazette Globe, 10/2/1916

[3] Mt. Saint Mary's Cemetery Records, Kansas City MO

[4] Obituary of Mary Ann Schembs, Kansas City Globe, 10/2/1916

[5] 1910 U.S. Census

[6] Naturalization Record, Wyandotte County, Valentine Schembs, 3/19/1891

[7] 1892 City Directory

[8] Obituary of Valentine Schembs, Kansas City Globe, 6/8/1917

[9] Wyandotte County (KS) Land Records, Book 307, p. 299; Book 329, p. 167; Book 348, p. 234; Book 570, p. 376

[10] Mildred Schembs Hall (1920)

[11] George Wayne Schembs (1924)

[12] Vivian Mae Schembs (1929)

[13] 1920 U.S. Census

[14] Obituary of Frank J. Schembs