Bill Johnson / Eugene Schanzenbach Home Page

Eugene Schanzenbach

Eugene was born in Benswagen Germany, Jan 2, 1864. He was in the German Army for sometime, but got into some trouble and was forced to flee Germany on a cattle boat. He came to the US in 1885 where he married Louisa and was in the land opening of 1889, and 1893.

Louisa gave him seven children: Ida, Joe, Tony, Frank, Alfonse, Nick and Gene. Louisa died in 1907, and Eugene placed an ad in a German Newspaper in Omaha reading, "Catholic German land owner with seven children is in need of a wife." Clara Day Brown was a widow at that time working in St. Louis, her three children Ester, Harris, and Leonard Brown were being cared for by her mother. Her mother read this German newspaper article and responded to Eugene in Oklahoma. She arranged for Eugene to travel to her home in Boonville, MO to meet her. She then sent a telegram to Clara in St. Louis to come home quickly. Clara claimed not to have known about Eugene Schanzenbach looking for a wife until she arrived at her mothers home, and found him waiting to marry her... This he did.

Clara gave Eugene two children, John William Schanzenbach (later changed to Leonard William Johnson) known as Bill, and Ben Schanzenbach. She said later that she never liked her new husband AT ALL!

These are Eugene's children by his first wife Louisa. They are from tallest, clockwise: Joe, Frank, Gene, Nick (holding rifle), Alfonse, and Tony. Ida is sitting in the center. This photo was taken probably 6 months after the death of their mother.

Remember that much of what is written here is legend passed down for 80 years by word of mouth, and the author does-not except responsibility for historic accuracy.

When Eugene was about 18 years old, in Germany, he was in the army there, and got into some kind of trouble having to do with assaulting and officer. Whatever the circumstances of that trouble, the outcome brought a penalty of death for him. His father who apparently had some money and land, got him out "On Appeal", and while waiting for trail, shipped him of to (1885) America. His older brother Joe either was already in America, or came here with him. Joe and Eugene lived for a short while in Omaha, and worked as butchers. Joe died there.

Eugene then moved to Oklahoma territory, and made a trip back to Germany to marry (1887) Louisa. Dates of these facts are vague, but I am sure that on April 22, 1889, Eugene and Louisa had been married and both took part in the Oklahoma land run of the unassigned lands. (They probably were Sooners in this run) and settled in what is now the city of Mustang. In 11 months later, on March 23, 1890, Louisa gave birth to Ida in Mustang. (See 1890 Census in my notes). I don't know where Joe was born, in 1891, but later census indicate it was in Oklahoma. In 1893, They ran for a 160 acres north of Glenco Oklahoma in Pawnee County. This will hence be refereed to as the farm at Glenco. Tony and Alfonse were born here in a mud hut or dugout in the side of a creek bank. About 1900, They built a very nice two-story house, and a cut-stone cellar, both of which still stand today. In this house, Louisa gave birth to Frank, Nick, and Gene. After Nick was born, the doctors cautioned Louisa not to have more children. When Gene was born, Louisa suffered greatly, and while the stories vary, the two facts I am sure of are that she lived 14 months and she never regained consciousness enough to understand she had given birth.

These 14 months seem particularly expressive of the pioneer spirit that drove this family, and allowed them to carve an existence out of "No-Mans-Land". These 14 months must surely have made an impression on the children Ida, Joe, Tony, and Frank. They watched their mother, who had been their strength in so many ways and who would have suckled this new born baby and tended to the young, but was now incapable and had to be tended to herself. How these children must have worked and worried, first through the heat of the Oklahoma summer of 1907. Then came the harvest and fall, and the desperate cold of the winter of 1907-08. Then again, the planting of the spring of 1908, and again the sweltering heat of the summer, until finally on July 27, 1908 Louisa died. At this time, Ida was 18 years old, Joe 17, Tony was 15, Alfonse was 11, Frank was 7, Nick was 2 or 3, and Gene was 14 mo.

Eugene Schanzenbach was 43 years old, a widower with seven children and a large farm to operate. He decided to go wife hunting in somewhat of a clinical fashion. He wrote the German newspaper in Omaha, which had a circulation covering many states. He posted an ad, which read, "Catholic German widower with two story house in Oklahoma needs a mother for his seven children." This ad was accompanied by photos of Eugene and the children as they must never had looked before, or after; spit-shined, and dressed in rented cloths.

Joe Schanzenbach

Tony Schanzenbach

Frank Schanzenbach Johnson

Alfonse Schanzenbach Johnson

Nick Schanzenbach Johnson

Gene Schanzenbach Johnson

Bill Schanzenbach Johnson
 
 

(No picture) Ben Schanzenbach Johnson
 
 

This page will be changing often during the last months of 1996, and spring of 1997. Please set a bookmark on it, and come back often. If you have information, stories, or photos please e-mail me and I will make them available here. Of course, if you like, you can mail me photos, I will take the greatest care of them, and mail them back. The great thing is that they can then be seen by all our relatives. My Snail Mail is:

Bill Joh