Schall Family papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0794

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

Correspondence, primarily in German, from Heinrich Cordes family in Germany to Schall family in Defiance County, Ohio, before and after World War II, as well as Schall and Seyfang Family genealogical documents and clippings

Dates

Creation: 1933-1970

Extent

.46 Cubic Feet (1 legal size archives box)

Creator

Schall family (Family)
Cordes family (Family)

Scope and Contents

The Schall Family Papers are a small collection of incoming correspondence (primarily from three generations of the Cordes Family in Kirchwalsede, Germany), as well as detailed Shall and Seyfang family genealogical documents.

The correspondence part of the collection is almost entirely in German handwritten script. Spanning the period from 1933 to 1968 (with a gap from 1939 through 1945), the letters discuss family matters throughout the period.

Both the Cordes and Schall families had farms, and the bulk of the correspondence reflects this. There is much discussion of weather, crops, food prices, and the overall difficult life of being a farmer.

Also of interest is the ability to observe how a family was effected by the tumultuous events occurring in Europe during this time period. The pre-war letters discuss the new Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, and the growth of the German economy. The early post-war letters mention both the physical and economic devastation of the war. They also describe the situation of the family during and following the war. Two of the Cordes Family sons were prisoners of war. Two of the letters in the collection were written to Schall from Heinrich Cordes, Jr. while a prisoner-of-war in England. His younger brother Friedrich was being held in the Soviet Union. The remaining letters reflect the recovery of the German economy, but this is heavily overshadowed by the fear of another war between the West and the Soviet Union.

The collection also contains two letters from Alma Kwade, a German refugee from what had been East Prussia, who is seeking help from the Schall Family to find relatives in the United States. She and her husband are the only surviving members of the family left in Europe.

The genealogical material (some in German) relates primarily to the Schall Family, with just a few Bible pages associated with the Seyfangs. Among the documents are Marriage, Baptism, Confirmation, and Naturalization certificates, and the Will of George G. Schall. Additional legal documents belonging to the family are a variety of land records, particularly a rental property notice, ditch records, and appraisements.

Biographical / Historical

The Schall Family of George and Catherine Schall, originally emigrated from Tübingen in Württemberg, Germany. Their son, George Schall , was born November 9, 1843, living his entire life in Richland and Highland townships of Defiance County. On September 27,1864 he was drafted into Co. C of the 47th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving until the end of the war. In 1871 he married Anna Marie Seyfang. Their family included son George Gottlob Schall, born on May 10, 1880 in Highland Township, Defiance County, Ohio, as well as daughters Anna Barbara, Anna Maria, and Louise Katherine.

George G. Schall married Mary Kluck in 1903 and their family eventually included five sons, Albert, Clarence, Walter, Harold, and Elmer, six grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

The bulk of the correspondence is from the Cordes Family to George G. Schall. This grouping of correspondence is of interest since it emphasizes the ties between the German American community with relatives in Europe before, during, and after World War II. Scans of additional correspondence from George Schall to the Cordes Family were donated in 2014.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Language of Materials

English

German

Additional Description

Separated Materials

Partial issue of the Defiance Daily Crescent (Sept. 7, 1893) removed to main collecion.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated and transferred to the Center for Archival Collections on October 9, 1999, by Nancy Schall of Defiance, Ohio. Scans of additional letters were donated in 2014 by Christian Henke.