The Schieberl Family

Where to begin...The Schieberl family has been a lot of fun to research and I have uncovered a great deal of information!!  I guess I will start with the most recent ancestor and work my way back.   We will start in Rock Island, IL and find ourselves eventually in the Boemerwald (the Bohemian Forest).

My most recent Schieberl ancestor is my Maternal Grandmother, Mildred Elsie Veronia Schieberl
who married William Francis McKenrick.  Grandma was born on 4 May 1897.  Her Schieberl Line is Mildred (1), Emil Ferdinand (2), Joseph Edward (3), Joseph (4) and Simon (4).  Her Father and Mother were Emil Ferdinand Schieberl and Caroline (Carrie/Lena) Mary Agnes Gross, the daughter of Oliver and Matilda Ottile Schultz.  She had a younger brother, Joseph Walter who was born in 1900.  Mildred and her Mother Carolina Gross Schieberl were also in my Maternal DNA line, my Mother's Mother and her Mother!

Grandma was born and raised in Rock Island, IL, she graduated from Rock Island Senior High School-although not the Art Deco style building that is Rocky today.  The school she attended was on 6th Ave and 22 St-behind Central Junior High and Lincoln Elementary Schools.

She lived in an exciting time-the Ford Model T automobile was introduced in 1908, making the auto affordable to more people.  Grandpa Schieberl got their first car in the early 'teens and his daughter Mildred wrote in her Diary about riding in the family's first car.  Later she and her husband would travel across the Country on the new Lincoln Highway Route 30.
Grandma was a Journaler in her Teen years-I have several volumes of her Journals covering from about 1910-1914.  They are fun to read-she was apparently a popular girl with many friends.  Reading her Journals is sort of like reading a real-life "Betsy, Tacy and Tib" book.  (Most of you will not get that reference, but you can read more here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy-Tacy)

Mildred Schieberl married William Francis McKenrick on 12 June 1919 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rock Island.  The reportedly met at a Dance that was held at the neighborhood Teen Center on the corner of 30th St. and 14th Ave-the same building that today houses Cool Beanz, my favorite Coffee House.  Their daughter Patricia was born in 1 April 1921 and our Mother, Barbara on 11 Aug 1928.  Both Grandma and Grandpa Mac (as we called them...easier than McKenrick) are buried at the Rock Island National Cemetery on Arsenal Island.

Emil Ferdinand Schieberl, or as he preferred Emil Fred, Mildred's Father, was born somewhere in Illinois on 28 Feb 1876.  He was the son of Joseph Edward and Theresia Gross Schieberl. (Theresia was not related by blood to Martin Aloysius (Oliver)  Gross) I have searched Cook County and Emil has no Birth Certificate there.  I have checked the Baptism Records at the Chicago Catholic Church where his parents were married in 1875 and there is nothing there.  His Obituary states that he was born in Sioux City, IA but they only have records after 1880, so that is a dead end.  There was only one Catholic Church in Woodbury County, IA in 1876-a German Church in a small town outside of town. Emil may have been Baptised there or  He may have been Baptized in another Church in Chicago, or he may have been Baptized in Rock Island.  He has no Birth record in Rock Island but there may be a Baptismal Record.  Emil's parents married in 1875 at St Boniface Church in West side Chicago; Emil was born 28 Feb 1876 either in Rock Island, Sioux City  or in Chicago.  In 1880, the family is on the Rock Island Federal Census, although to confuse the matter, neither Emil not his Mother are on the Census.  His Grandparents and Father are but no Mom and toddler.  I am thinking that they may have just been out for the day when the Census Taker came calling and with the language barrier,  as the Schieberls were German speakers, the two were overlooked.  I always thought that the move to Sioux City happened about 1882-3, well after Emil's birth..  His Father died there in 1884.
According to the 1940 Census-Emil had 4 years of High School.  That was relatively uncommon in that day and age.  The first job that I am aware of was as a Salesman and Delivery Man driving a wagon full of Soda water.  This was on the 1900 Census, he was listed as a "Teamster" and he would have been about 24 years old, married with one child.  Both his Father and Grandfather had run a Saloon so I am sure that he worked as a young man helping out in the Saloon.  He later had one of his own.

Emil's Saloon was at the corner of 7th Ave and 30th St, where Legends is today.  It sat just below where the old St Anthony Hospital is.  The rest of the parking area that today serves Whelan Pressley Funeral home was Huber Brewing Plant owned and operated by Ignatz Huber.  Emil's mother married a Mr. Joseph Huber after the death of her husband at age 31.  He ran a popular Beer Garden that was located about where the Augustana Football Field is on 5th Avenue and 36th St.  The 2 Mr. Hubers however were not related.

Street cars going up 30th St!  

A view going up 30th St Hill

Grandma Mildred Schieberl McKenrick mentions the saloon often in her Journals as her early teen years was when when Emil was in business.  Apparently he served food as she often mentions that she and Joe would go to the Saloon for supper and to help out with serving and cleanup.  Prohibition brought a crashing end to Emil's career as a Saloon Keeper.  Actually, here in the Quad Cities, Prohibition came earlier than in the rest of the Country.  A law was passed, I believe 2 years before Prohibition went into effect in 1920, that banned all alcohol sales within 5 miles of a Federal Government facility.  The Rock Island Arsenal put the kibosh on  the Saloon business.  In 1918, he closed his Saloon and on the 1920 Census, he is working at the Rock Island Post Office as a Mail Clerk; he worked there until retirement in 1941.  I was standing in line at the Post Office a few years ago and they had old photos in a glass display case in the Lobby.  I stopped to look at them, because my Dad worked as a Mail Carrier until his death in 1978.  There were no photos of Dad, but a nice group picture of Grandpa Schieberl.  I asked for a copy if possible and the Manage opened the case and gave me the framed photo-it was taken on the steps of the old Rock Island Post Office,  Really cool!!

Both Emil and his daughter Mildred were musical.  Emil had a Dance band and played gigs for weddings and other events.  Grandma played piano and often was the accompanist for various singers.  I remember her playing at Women's Benefit Association Christmas Parties while we sang carols.  She had a piano that we kids used to love messing with.  eta: Since publishing this article earlier this morning, I came across a fact I did not know...Cousin Dick...(Richard J. Schieberl-Mom ALWAYS called him Cousin Dick as if Cousin were his first name), son of Mildred's brother Joseph Walter, apparently also was musically inclined...he directed the Hoover High School Band from Glendale, CA in the mid-fifties.  They marched in the Rose Parade and at Disneyland under his direction.  I love this stuff!!  http://www.hooverband.net/history/

Emil married Caroline (Lena) Gross, daughter of Martin Aloysius (Oliver) and Matilda Schultz Gross on 23 June 1896 at St Mary's Catholic Church, the German Catholic Church in Rock Island.  Her Maid of Honor was her sister Emma Gross and his Best man was his Step-Brother George "Dutch"Huber.  Emil and Lena had 2 children-Mildred Elsie Veronica Schieberl ( 4 May 1897-23 Aug 1972)  and Joseph Walter Schieberl (2 Nov 1900-7 Feb 1973).  The couple celebrated their 50th "Golden" Anniversary on 23 June 1946; Lena died on 21 Sept 1947.

Emil's mother had married another German immigrant named Joseph Huber, shortly after the death of Joseph Schieberl at the age of 31.  Emil was raised in a large blended family with seven step siblings who survived to adulthood, his two full sisters, Josephine and Matilda Rose and a half brother Edward Huber.  The family was blended religiously also, with the Schieberls and their mother Theresa  (the 2nd Mrs. Huber) being Catholic and many of the Huber children following their Mother's (the 1st Mrs. Huber) Lutheran tradition.  As best we can figure out, Joseph Huber, the father was born and raised a Catholic but was non-practicing.  Through the magic of the Internet and Facebook, I have connected with several descendants of the Huber children.  They are step cousins not related by blood,  but related by family.  I have come to realize how important the Hubers were in Emil's and my Grandmother Mildred's lives and am grateful that they raised such a wonderful blended family.  I tried to do that  with my second husband's family and it is not an easy job!

Front L-R-Emil Schieberl, "Grandpa" Joseph Huber (Step-Father), Edward Huber (1/2 Brother), Grandma Theresia Gross Schieberl Huber (Mother), George Huber (Dutch and Emil's best Man)
Back L-R-Josephine Schieberl (Aunt Phine), Joseph Huber Jr, Matilda Rose Schieberl (Aunt Rose), Charles Huber (Chiney), Emilie Huber (Aunt Miel), Albert Huber and Caroline Huber (Aunt La) (Taken about 1899)  I have included the nicknames my Grandmother Mildred Schieberl McKenrick used to refer to these people.

In 1931, after the death of Anton Schieberl, the last of Emil's father's siblings, Emil was elected as the Head of the Schieberl Family, "Grandfather Schieberl",  by his cousins.  I found this cute family letter:

Great Grandpa Schieberl retired from the Post Office in 1941.  He died 3 January 1950; he and Lena are buried at Calvary Cemetery in Rock Island, Il.

Schieberl Grave site at Calvary Catholic Cemetery Rock Island, IL.  The two trees have since been removed.

Joseph Edward Schieberl (1853-1884)

Theresia Gross Schieberl Huber  91856-1915) (I think my Mom looked a lot like her!!)

Emil's parents were Joseph Edward Schieberl (Dec 1853-12 June 1884) and Theresia Gross (1856-1915);  they were both ethnic Germans, born in Bohemia.  Bohemia, which today is part of the Czech Republic, was from 1806-1867, part of the Hapsburg Austrian Empire.  In 1867, the year the Schieberls left, there was a Compromise which combined the Austrian Empire, which included the Kingdom of Bohemia with the Hungarian Kingdom.  There also was conflict in Bohemia between the Germans who were the Minority and the Czech Majority.  (for more information, you may read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Lands_of_the_Bohemian_Crown_(1867%E2%80%931918)  It may have been these building conflicts within their homeland that caused the Schieberls to leave for America.  They also had 3 sons reaching an age when they would have been expected to do military service.  For whatever reason,  Joseph, at about age 16,  immigrated to the US with his parents and siblings.  They arrived in New York on 8 August 1867.  They settled originally in Chicago and appear on the 1870 Census, working as Tailors.  Parents Joseph Sr and Anna Eckle Schieberl and their children, Marie 21, Johann 18, Joseph Edward 16, and Anton 11,  sailed on the Marco Polo which set sail from Bremen, Germany.

 Joseph Edward, who was born in Williwitz, Bohemia, married Theresia Gross, from Neudorf, Bohemia (a small village just a few kilometers from Willowitz) in Chicago's St. Boniface Catholic Church on 16 May 1875.  Theresa, as her "Englished" name was, had come to the US also from Bohemia in 1874.  The story Mom told me was that she worked as a maid in Chicago for a wealthy family.  Because she spoke no English they cheated her out of her pay. I do not know if this was before she married Joseph or after.  She also had a brother in the US-Ferdinand Gross.  Ferd had arrived in the US in 1869 at the age of 14.  He may have been the 1st to settle in Rock Island as he married here in 1876.  He worked first as a Maltser at the Huber Brewery, then later had his own Saloon.  Joseph and Theresa, his parents and unmarried siblings may have followed him .  Marie and Johann remained in Chicago with their spouses.

In 1880 on the Federal Census, Joseph Father and Son and Mother Anna are in Rock Island; as mentioned above, Theresa and Emil are nowhere to be found.  The family is living at 1729 4th Ave.  They had a Saloon at this address.    This is where the Bituminous Building stands today in Downtown Rock Island.  Joseph Edward (Jr.) worked in his father's Saloon and then later he seemed to be the Proprietor.
Saloon keeping, Bar tending and Beer making seemed to run in this family...it actually was a huge part of the German and the Bohemian culture.  If you look at the portion of Bohemia where the Schieberls and Ferd and Theresa Gross were from, you will find the towns of Pilsn and Budweis.  Pilsner beers and Budweiser came from these towns.  You can read the interesting story of Bohemian Beer at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_the_Czech_Republic  ( These families were from the Pilsn District in the west of Bohemia)

Theresa gave birth to their first child Emil Ferdinand (Emil Fred, as he preferred) in 1877.  She lost a girl baby in 1879.  Daughter Josephine Florence was born in Illinois in 1882.  I believe it was after that that Joseph and his younger brother Anton decided to go into business for themselves in Sioux City, IA with a partner by the name of Monson.  Mr Monson was Swedish as was Anton's wife.  He may have been a relative of her family.  Anyway, they moved to Sioux City and are found listed in the 1884 City Directory as "Schieberl Brother's, Dyers". Before they could open their Business, however, Joseph took ill and died in 1884.  There were several notices in the Swedish language newspaper cancelling the Opening of the Dye Business due to the death of Joseph.

Joseph Edward Schieberl, our Great Great Grandfather in his band Uniform

 Now-the story told to me by the daughter of their oldest daughter Josephine, born in 1882 was that Joseph had a German Ompa Band that played gigs at parties etc.  They played a German Heritage Picnic on a hot summer day and our Great Great Grandpa Schieberl died of "summer complaint from drinking ice cold beer on a hot day."   I did a Google search on "Summer complaint"  and found this at  http://dare.wisc.edu/words/100-entries/summer-complaint 
summer complaint n 

1  also summer complaints, ~ sickness: A severe gastrointestinal infection esp of children in summertime; broadly, diarrhea.

1819 Republican Compiler (Gettysburg PA) [1 Sept 2]/5 (newspaperarchive.com), We have been confidently assured . . that what is called the summer complaint may be cured with gun-powder—a tea spoon full pulverized, and taken with a little water. 1847 Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia Proc. 3.232,On the endemic gastro-follicular Enteritis, or Summer complaint of children. 1848 in 2004 DARE File—Internet NY, Barry, Cordelia [Age] 6. . . Cause of Death. . . summer complaint. 1860Ibid IL, Callarant, Alcist [Age] 2 [Died from] Summer complaint. 1909 DN 3.377 eAL, wGA, Summer complaint. . . Diarrhea: the disease often becomes prevalent in the summer or in fruit season. 1914 Furman Sight 46 KY, Seven sons of my body have I laid in the grave, three in infancy of summer-complaint. 1937 Sandoz Slogum 84 NE, He said he had summer complaint, could n’t eat a single peanut. Weak as a cat. 1945 Pickard–Buley Midwest Pioneer 40 (as of c1820), For “summer complaint” or dysentery would be prescribed a poultice of peppermint and tansy leaves. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. BB19, Joking names for looseness of the bowels) 10 Infs, 6 NEast, Summer complaint; PA49, Summer complaint—for babies; VA46, Summer sickness; (Qu. BB13, . . Chills and fever) Inf IL77, Summer complaint; NJ3, Summer complaint—old-fashioned; (Qu.BB49, . . Other kinds of diseases) Infs MO21, PA54, Summer complaint; KS13, Summer complaint—diarrhea and upset stomach; KY41, Summer complaints—baby’s disease caused by lack of food, flies, unsanitary conditions—old-fashioned; PA36, Summer complaint—diarrhea, vomiting, fever. 1967 DARE Tape PA64, [FW:] Do you know a disease called the “summer complaint” that children used to get? [Inf:] Oh, yes—diarrhea. . . Toasted bread and milk was one of the best things for that. 1970 NC Folkl. 18.19, For diarrhea (“summer complaint”), use drink made from bark of peachtree root.1975 Gould ME Lingo 282, There actually is a warm-weather distemper Mainers call the summer complaint; it usually means loose bowels and an accompanying lethargy.

So-probably the cause was something like the Deviled eggs that sat out in the sun too long-Not the beer!!
Whatever the cause, Joseph died at age 30, leaving a young widow, 6months pregnant with Matilda Rose and with 2 young children, Emil age 7 and Josephine age 2.  I do not know if he was buried in Sioux City but I cannot find a grave

Grandma Theresa Huber with Grandma Matilda Gross and one of Matilda's daughters

Theresa remarried Joseph Huber, a widow and raised the wonderful blended family you met earlier in this story.  She lived until 1915 and is buried in Old Calvary with her youngest daughter Matilda Rose.  Joseph is buried with his 1st wife in Chippianock

                                                      Rose Herrmann 1884-1909

                                       Theresa Huber wife of Jos. Huber 1856-1915

The Father of Joseph Edward Schieberl was Joseph Schieberl (Senior), son of Simon and Marie Froelich Schieberl.  He was born in the village of Wonischen in the Pilsen district of Bohemia.  He was ethnically German.  The majority of the German's living in Bohemia lived along the western and northern and southwestern borderlands of Bohemia which bordered with Bavarian Germany.  This area was called the Sudentenland and was annexed by Hitler prior to WWII.  In retaliation, after WWII, the Czechs took back their lands and forcibly expelled the Germans who had lived there for hundreds of years, some since the 1200's.  A few years ago, my Daughter and I spent a few days with a Schieberl family who are most likely distant cousins of ours.  The Patriarch of the family, an amazingly active man in his 80's was one of the children forced from their home after WWII.  He still speaks of it as one of the great tragedies of his life.

Joseph Schieberl (Senior)
(1812-1901)

Joseph Edward's Mother was  Anna Eckle daughter of Michael.  I believe she was from Willowitz, Bohemia  but the handwriting in the old Czech records is so very difficult to read that I am not really certain of that fact.  They married 11 Feb 1846.  Their oldest daughter was Marie, born in 1845 Johann, 1849, our Great Great Grandfather born in 1843 and Anton, i n 1846.

Anna Eckle
(1824-1906)

Joseph and Anna are buried at old Calvary Cemetery.  For years, no one knew where the site was located but suddenly it showed up on ancestry.com!  I kept a copy in my purse and one day my sister and I were walking the dogs there at that Cemetery.  I asked the young men mowing grass if they knew where it was.  It took a couple of them about 10 minutes, but they found it.  It had been staring me in the face every single time I drove up 31st Ave Hill heading West!!  It is in the 1st row on the Ridge above the Mausoleum, facing East.  Very easy to find!!