Here is some of my research I've done on my SCHUSTER family.
My great-great-grandparents:
Seede (Seth) SCHUSTER
Carolena Wilhelmena VON MOHR
Seede (Seth) SCHUSTER was born ae 1834 in the Kingdom of Hannover, Germany. His father's name was Allen Lubb SCHUSTER, b. Ostrfiesland, Germany. The names of his mother and siblings are unknown. His occupation was a farmer. He apparently came to America prior to 1861 as he served in the American Civil War as a Private in Company F in the 10th Regiment of the Kansas Infantry from AUG 1861 or AUG 1864 and then reenlisted 18 OCT 1864 and held the rank of Corporal of Company G in the 42nd Illinois Infantry and was discharged on 16 OCT 1865.
During his first enlistment he was wounded by a gunshot in his left leg and right shoulder at Prairie Grove, Arkansas on 07 DEC 1862 while in battle and line of duty. He also contracted the piles while in service and had the small pox in 1863 at Alton, Illinois. He was never in a hospital for his wounds, but was in a hospital in Alton, Illinois while he had small pox.
When he had his gunshot wounds he was not off duty very long. A doctor dressed my wounds - there were about 4,000 wounded men at that time. His leg wound was a flesh wound, and he thought his shoulder wound may still carry the 'ball' in it as it would swell a lot. The wounds were healed though when he enlisted the second time and he never missed duty because of them, but after he was discharged the old wounds kept hurting worse and worse.
After his second discharge he went to New York and was united in marriage to Carolena (Lena) Wilhelmena VON MOHR on 09 JAN 1866 by I. Seidel Pastor in B M Kricha #164 Greenwich St., New York City, New York. This was his first marriage, and it was her second marriage. Her first husband was a seaman, and drowned near China. They then went back to Golden, Adams County Illinois to the same place 1-1/2 miles from town where he lived before. They lived there for some years and then moved to Moline, Franklin County Nebraska and lived several miles East of there about 20 years. At this time he could only do a half a days work when they lived in Franklin County. They then moved to Kearney, Nebraska and lived in the city. He was not able to do any work at that time and moved from there to Leavenworth, Kansas about 1894.
On October 25, 1877, Seede SCHUSTER became a citizen of the United States of America in Franklin County, Nebraska by taking the oath of allegiance. Seede produced to the court satisfactory proof of his enlistment in the armies of the United States and of his honorable discharge therefrom, and also proved good character and residence of (at least) one year in the United States by the oath of L.M. MOULTON and Cassen GARRATTS.
It is interesting to note that between the years of 1878 and 1890 there are some land dealings recorded at the Franklin County Courthouse. Court records usually list the husband by his first name and note if he is single or if married it will list "&Wife" and maybe even list her first name. In this case however, it lists "Carolena SCHUSTER &Husband, Seede." In 1878 the Schusters lived on the Nebraska1/4 of Section 6 Township 3 Range 15 in Franklin County, Nebraska. They sold this land in 1889 to a RETTERBUSH for about $3,800.00.
I believe Seede SCHUSTER lived in Leavenworth, Kansas to be near the Veteran's Hospital and services that were offered there. In 1896-97 Seede SCHUSTER is listed in the Leavenworth City Directory as a laborer at the address of 1012 Osage. In 1898 the Leavenworth City Directory lists him as a resident at the address of the NW Corner of Santa Fe and Garland.
Seede (Seth) SCHUSTER died on 06 MAY 1898 at Leavenworth, Kansas. In the Tuesday Morning May 10, 1898 Leavenworth Times newspaper the following notation was found: "Seede Schuster died in the hospital last Saturday and his remains were laid to rest Sunday at 4 o'clock in the Home cemetery with military honors. The funeral was conducted under the auspices of the G.A.R. post here. The widow of the deceased was present and evinced great grief at the death of her husband. Our deceased comrade did service in F. 10th Kansas Infantry, and in G. 42nd Ill. Infantry."
Seede SCHUSTER was laid to rest in section 12, row 9, grave 12 in the Leavenworth National Cemetery in Leavenworth, KS.
Carolena (Lena) Wilhelmena VON MOHR was born on 05 OCT 1840 in Hesse-Kassel Germany. She died on 07 FEB 1923 at Naponee, Nebraska and was buried in the Naponee Cemetery. I would like to mention that her birth year is in question, as in the 1870 Illinois Census at Camp Point, Adams County she is listed as 33 years old. This would make her birth year ae 1837 not 1840.
Very little is known about Carolena VON MOHR's family. She told her children that at the age of 17 her family arranged for her to marry a distant cousin to keep the "VON" in "VON MOHR" and that she did not want to marry him. She then ran away from home and married her first husband, a sailor, Herman ROHLFS sometime prior to 1859. She must have been very independent to leave a comfortable home at that young of an age.
Carolena and Herman ROHLFS resided in St. Magness, Germany. Herman was a carpenter who worked on the ship Bremen Bark "Alida." The 27 SEP 1864 Captain's log in Swatow states that Herman ROHLFS, while at work on the outside of the ship near the sea of China, fell into the water. A second man fell in after him. The later man reappeared on the surface and was taken aboard while Herman ROHLFS never was seen again.
Carolena VON MOHR and Herman ROHLFS, were known to have had one daughter,
(1) Auguste "Gussy" ROHLFS, b. ae 1859, Maryland. Please note that even though the 1879 US Census listed her as being born in Maryland, the Franklin County School Census Records along with her immigrant ship's passenger list, notes her as being born in Germany. I believe she was in fact born in Germany.
However, in the 1876 Franklin County, Nebraska school records, it lists an Augusta ROHLFS of age 17 and an Emma ROHLFS of age 15 attending the ? District School. Both girls are listed as living with the SCHUSTERs. I will note, however, that the census taker did mess up the spellings a little on both the name of Schuster (Scholster) and Rohlfs (Rontfs)??. However, I am convinced that these are the right children as it lists all the Schuster children too with their correct first names but their last names all misspelled the same way, "Scholter".
(2) Emma ROHLFS, b. 1861, Hannover, Germany is listed in the 1879 Camp Point, IL census as having the last name of SCHUSTER. However, I believe it must have been an error and in fact she is the second daughter of Herman ROHLFS and Carolina VON MOHR.
Augusta ROHLFS (Aunt Gussy) lived in California as an adult. Marie AMMAN remembers her mother, Minnie RUOPP talking about Aunt Gussy and how she lived through the big earthquake in San Francisco in 1909. It is believed that "Gussy" married Frank STROHM in Franklin County Nebraska before moving to California. However, this has not been proven. If they did marry, they did not get married in Franklin County. But, in the 1900 U.S. Census, Franklin County, Nebraska, there is a brother-in-law listed by the name of Albert STROHM living with Minnie and Chris RUOPP. Marie AMMAN remembers her mother, Minnie RUOPP talking about her "brother" Frank STROHM. Since Minnie RUOPP has no brother listed anywhere with the first name of Frank, and since it is known that Frank served in the U.S. military service, it is assumed that he must in fact have been a brother-in-law himself, married to her older half-sister, Gussy ROHLFS. This would still support Albert STROHM listed as the brother-in-law in the 1900 U.S. Census.
Another family story is that either Aunt Emma ROHLFS or Aunt Gussy ROHLFS were asked out by James Butler "Wild Bill" HICKOCK (1837-1876). If this story is true, both girls were quite young (Gussy 17 and Emma 15) when "Wild Bill" died at the age of 39 in 1876 at Deadwood, South Dakota. I guess it's possible, but not probable. On the other hand, if the story is mixed up, and it was William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" CODY (1846-1917), I suppose that too could be possible. Between the years of 1876-1883, Cody was employed as Chief Scout for the US Army during the Sioux Indian Wars and acting out plays on the stage. He was married at the time, but since he was in the Kansas/Nebraska area, I suppose it could have been possible but again not probable.
Carolena ROHLFS, along with her two daughters, Auguste and Emma arrived in New York from Germany on 25 AUG 1865 on the ship "Orpheus". She was listed as a shoemaker, 30 years old. Auguste was listed as 6 years and Emma as 4 years. (Note that Emma was probably really one year old. The passenger list is of course handwritten and it looks like a number "one" but I think she was actually four years old.)
About four months after they arrived in New York, Seede SCHUSTER and Carolena VON MOHR ROHLFS were married on 09 JAN 1866 in New York. They had four children together:
(1) Minnie Veda SCHUSTER, b. 04 NOV 1869 in Quincy, Illinois, m. Chris RUOPP 12 MAR 1886 at the Tremont Hotel in Bloomington, Nebraska, d. 01 DEC 1960, Franklin Co., Nebraska buried Naponee Cemetery, Nebraska. (My direct line. Please write for more information);
(2) Albert SCHUSTER, b. ae 1869 in Illinois, m. ?, d. ? (Please write for more information);
(3) Herman SCHUSTER, b. ae 1870 in Illinois, m. ?, d. ? (Please write for more information); and
(4) Lena SCHUSTER, b. ae 1872, m. ?, d. ? (Please write for more information).
This is confusing as the 1870 Camp Point, Illinois Census lists a daughter, Emma as having the last name of "SCHUSTER" and her birthplace as Germany. But since the Franklin County, Nebraska School Records list her last name as ROHLFS and since she was born before Herman ROHLFS died, I believe the census record was mistaken and her last name in fact was ROHLFS.
Carolena SCHUSTER lived at the N.W. corner of Santa Fee and Garland Streets in Leavenworth, Kansas at the time of Seth SCHUSTER's death in 1898.
Marie RUOPP AMMAN remembers her grandma Carolena SCHUSTER as being a little quick tempered. After Seth SCHUSTER's death, Carolena SCHUSTER came to live with her daughter and son in-law, Minnie and Chris RUOPP in Franklin County, Nebraska. Marie remembers her grandma Carolena SCHUSTER refusing to help out saying that she was too old. Times were financially hard on all of the family, but at the time of Carolena SCHUSTER's death she had a pair of diamond earrings. While she was sick and lying on her death bed, she called Marie in and gave the diamond earrings to Marie. Later, while Marie was attending Normal School in Lincoln, she took one of the diamond earrings to a jewelry store in Alma to have the diamond set in a solitaire, basket weave, white gold mounting. The jeweler at the time commented to Marie that anyone could switch the stone on her and she would never know. Later, after picking up the ring, Marie wore it on the trip back to school in Lincoln. On the way to Lincoln the so-called diamond crumbled away. Marie never did see the real diamond she had left with the jeweler again. Sometime later she did have an inexpensive white sapphire put in the mounting.
Carolena SCHUSTER was loved and well taken care of by her daughter, Minnie SCHUSTER RUOPP in her later years and lived with Chris and Minnie RUOPP until her death on 07 FEB 1923. She is buried in the Naponee Cemetery in Franklin County, Nebraska.
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