My great-great grandparents immigrated from the town of Ziegenhals,  in Silesia, Prussia.  The town now is Glucholazy, Opole, Poland.

They were Fredrich Wilhelm  and Louisa (Kinner) Schoenwalder. Fredrich was 48 and Louisa was 44 when they left Prussia.  Frederich was a weaver in his homeland.

They came to America in March of 1885 with 8 children:  Anna, Augusta, Gustof, Otto, Selma, Alfred, Minnie, and Amelia.  Sadly, Louisa died during childbirth in July of 1885 giving birth to her 9th  child and Fredrich was left alone in a new country to raise 8 children.

The family settled in the state of Wisconsin.  Fredrich built a loom and became a weaver of rugs and that is how he made his living and supported his family. Today, the Schoenwalder decendents are still in the same area of Wisconsin.

Fredrich lived to be 89 and died on October 5, 1926 in Wisconsin.

Yvonne Fritz

Maryland USA