This is basically an email information exchange with Dona who was extremely helpful in supplying me with my lineage back to the 17th century. Hopefully I'll get that gedcom listed soon.
Subject: Re: Schellhaas confusion Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:26:59 EDT From: DonaRitchiTo:
rob@qualityreviews.com
Rob,
from an earlier post you sent: << comparing my Frederick b:1840 to the Johan Friedrich b:1840 m:Nancy
Crawford and the kids don't match up from the few dates that I have-- mine were born much earlier,
Freddie was probably 18 when the first (Jacob Frederick) was born. However, tracing back up a bit I
find that he would fit in nicely in the Georg Friederich b:1796 m:Maria Klenck line, the last child
listed was Elizabeth b:1834-- any idea if this list is complete or possibly where someone left off,
ie a family bible that someone just forgot to continue or anything? >>
This latter family (Schellhaas/Klenck) is listed in the Gross Bieberau family register, which was
kept separately from the regular entries for baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths. It was
consecutively began with the marriage dates, and the filming contains marriages that were from 1801-
1858 (it was continuously updated by the pastors with information on each child born in the family,
including stillbirths); death and emigration dates were generally put into this register as well, as
they happened. All this was concurrent with the consecutive listings in sections for birth/baptism,
confirmation, marriage, and death/burial. I've personally transcribed the information for this family
and all the others that appear in my database (that includes the separate records as well as the
family register).
from your more recent post: <<I'm confused, and wondering if there's any possibility that something
might have been mis-linked somehow or whatever... Both of these are sons of Phillipp Nicolaus and
Anna Brunner. Johann Friedrich ("JF") b:1840 does appear to be my 2nd ggf. Especially with the note
stating he was a tailor.>> Both brothers were tailors, as were some of their sons.
<< His wife's name is Nancy as per my records (although mine has Nancy Schrag--possibly previously
married or something).>> We need to find a death certificate for Nancy to clarify her surname. I
suspect she died between 1900 & 1910 (see censuses below).
<< Johann Georg ("JG") b:1829 doesn't at all appear to be my grandfather given the dates. He died in
1889. My family photo of my "Freddie" shows him to be too young in circa 1891 family photo. Also,
Dorothy (Schellhaas), grand-daughter of Jacob Frederick b:1858 states that she knew him and his
wife.>> How young is Freddie in this picture? In 1891, your ggf Jacob Friedrich would be 33;
Freidrich Jacob (who md Carolina Dietz and was brother to Jacob Friedrich) would be 25; Jacob
Friedrich (son of Johann Friedrich & Nancy) would be 7 and his father Johann Friedrich would be 51.
If Dorothy is daughter of Albert August, she probably wasn't born before 1910, but could therefore
have known any of these men except possibly the husband of Nancy, who I suspect was dead by the 1910
census.
I have personally researched the following Allegheny City census records. Where ***** appears, it's a
note regarding something that needs to be followed up. If you happen to have that information, please
let me know. My FHC doesn't have the soundex films for 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920, so I'm just
manually searching the area in the regular census pages.
1860 429:944, 4th Ward: G. Shelhaus (30), wife C (29), daughter M (3) and son J (1). G is a tailor
from Hesse-Darmstadt. This record fits with Johann Georg Schellhaas & wife Katharine Flath, with
daughter Eva Margaretha & son Jacob Friedrich. *****Need to check for Crawford family (emig 1848)
There doesn't appear to be any record for Johann Friedrich & Nancy, at least no listing in the index,
and I haven't found them in the census itself, either. I do have a citation for Frederick Schellhaas,
Sgt., Co. C, Reg't 5, West Virginia Cavalry, on the Roll of Honor for the Union Army ("Allegheny
County Pennsylvania in the War for the Suppression of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Roll of Honor,
Defenders of the Flag" by Samuel M. Evans, 1924). Our Frederick would have been just the right age to
be a soldier at that time. Additionally, the name of Sgt. Frederick Schellhaas, Co. C, 162nd NY
Regiment, appears on the Roll of Honor for his actions during the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana
(1863). [http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/MOA/MOA-JOURNALSZ/WARO.html] We should pursue these leads.
1870 147:201, 3rd Ward: George Schellhouse (40), Tailor; wife Catharine (38), and children Maggie
(13), Jacob (11), Bertha (9), Mary (6), Frederick (4), and Eliza (1/12). 402:630, 3rd Ward: Frederick
Schellhas (30), Tailor; wife Nancy (25), and children George (2) and Elizabeth (1). The only other
listing in Allegheny City is for Henry Schellhouse of Kurhessen & wife Mary & son Henry. This may be
one of the progenitors of the other Schellhaas/Schellhase families in Pittsburgh.
1880 50:85, ED 11: George Schellhaas (50), Tailor; wife Catherine (48), and children Bertha (19),
Mary (16), Fredrick (14), Lissie (10), Catherine (8), and Annie (6). They live at 89 Perry Street
343:525, ED 11: Friedrich Schellhaas (39), Tailor; wife Nancy (34); children George (12), Elizabeth
(10), John (8), Margareth (6), Louis (3), and Catherine (1). They live at 168 Third Street There is
also a listing for Henry Schellhass (cabinetmaker) & wife Mary & children. [ED 9] *****Need Jacob
Friedrich & Sophia, Eva Margaretha & Johann Reiser
1900 135:236, ED 33: Katherine Schellhaas, widow (68), mother of 12-8 living; children Mary (36),
Katie (27), and Annie (26). Kathie & Annie work in a cigar factory (my gggf Georg Nicolaus Wagner and
his sons were cigar manufacturers and merchants; Georg was married to Elisabethe Catharine
Schellhaas. Perhaps these girls worked for one of their cousins). They live at 924 Perry St. 128:158,
ED 25: Fredrick Schellhaas (33), merchant tailor; wife Carrie (29); children Wilber (8) & Clara (4).
They live at 124 Esplanade St. [This is most likely Friedrich Jacob, son of Johann Georg &
Katharine.] *****Need Jacob Friedrich & Sophia, Eva Margaretha & Johann Reiser, Bertha, and Elise
Katharina (Lissie) [other children of Johann Georg & Katharine] 64:115, ED 33: Fredrick Schellhaas
(60), Tailor, emigr 1854, naturalized; wife Nancy (55); children Louis (23, plumber), Bertha (19),
and Jacob (16). They live at 857 Third Street. This record disproves the 1897 death date which was
stated in the St. Matthew church record. 96:138, ED 22: George Schellhaas (31), Tailor; wife Margaret
(30) and son George (0/12). They live at 113 Erie East. [This is likely Johann Georg, son of
Friedrich & Nancy.] 174:301, ED 33: John F. Wysseier (28), plumber; wife Margeret (26); son Elmer
(1). They live at 715 Ohio Street in same house with Charles Brand and wife May. [This would be Eva
Margaretha, daughter of Johann Friedrich & Nancy.] *****Need Elisabetha Margaretha & Wilhelm
Isengard, and Anna Katharina [other children of Friedrich & Nancy]
1910 *****Need all the others except: 227:256, ED 639: Frederick Schellhaas (44), tailor &
proprietor; wife Carolina (39); children Elmer G (18), Karl J (5), and Frederick J (3); parents-in-
law Konrad Dietz (75) & Magdalena (72); servant Anna Kubbe (19). They live at 200 Wabash Ave. [This
is likely Friedrich Jacob, son of Johann Georg & Katharine.]
1920: 296:343, ED 738: Jacob Schellhaas (61), tailor shop employer; wife Sophia (58); daughter Bertha
(35). They live at 3722 Perrysville Ave. [This is your great-grandfather, and likely son of Johann
Georg & Katharine.] *****Need Albert August. 162:185, ED 738: Fredrick Schellhaas (53), tailor &
store employer; wife Caroline (49); children Carl (15) & Frederick (12); father-in-law Conrad Dietz
(86). They live at 200 Waldorf St. [This is likely Friedrich Jacob, son of Johann Georg & Katharine.]
*****Need Eva Margaretha & Johann Reiser, Bertha, Maria Dorothea, Elise Katharina, Katharine, and
Anna Barbara [other children of Johann Georg & Katharine] 177:214, ED 735: George Schellhaas (52),
Tailor; wife Margaret (49); children Richard (18), Arthur (16), Herbert (14), and Wilbur (7-2/12).
They live at 54 Venture St. [This is likely Johann Georg, son of Friedrich & Nancy.] 121:134, ED 738:
William Isengard (50), tailor; wife Elizabeth (50); children Walter (25, tailor) & William (12). They
live at 27 Bonvice Street, next door to Herman Rogge, wife Hannah & son Herman. [This is Elisabethe
Margaretha, daughter of Johann Friedrich & Nancy.] 306:372, ED 735: John F. Wysseier (47),
Photographer; wife Margaret (45); children Elmer (21, salesman in electric store), and John F. Jr.
(13); sister-in-law Bertha Schellhaas (38). They live at 268 Watson Bl. [This would be Eva Margaretha
and Bertha Emilie, daughters of Johann Friedrich & Nancy.] *****Need Louis, Anna Katharina, and Jacob
Friedrich [other children of Johann Friedrich & Nancy]
<< All of the children of JG fit my data for the children of my Freddie. If we took JG's children
and swapped them to JF it would seem to make total sense!>> The above census data agrees with the St.
Matthew church record for the families of George and Frederick, putting your ggf Jake in George's
family. I can only *speculate* that since these brothers both had sons with the same name (Jacob
Friedrich), and George also had a son named Friedrich Jacob, that your grandfather could have been
confused by the names of his father, grandfather, uncle and cousin, as anyone would be!
<< Also-- your note for JF states that he and his brother JG came over in 1854 together. However,
under JG's note you state that JG came over 2/1873 to US so I'm wondering if somehow some of the data
could have gotten cross-eyed. >> This was misstated in my notes--what was actually in the St. Matthew
Church records was that this family entered the "Gemeinde" (the church community) in Feb 1873, and
Friedrich & Nancy joined the community 17 Sept 1873. From the fact that these two families are very
early in the church records (family #2 & family #19, I'd guess that's about the time the church got
started, and that fact is confirmed in "A Guide to the Genealogical Records of Allegheny County
Pennsylvania" (1977) by Florence Clint. St. Matthew Church was in existence from 1873-1897, and
original records are in the possession of the Hillman Library at the University of Pittsburgh, as
well as on microfilm in the LDS library.
<< My aunt (dad's sister) whose grandfather was Jacob George b:1858 (your data for JG's Jacob George
shows "abt 1860")>> This date was for Johann Georg Nicolaus Schellhaas, actually b 13 Aug 1867
according to the St. Matthew confirmation records (I didn't have that in the GEDCOM when I sent it).
If she's your father's sister, she must have the same grandfather, Jacob Friedrich (b 1858). The
Gross Bieberau Kirchenbuch doesn't mention that their father was a tailor, though he well may have
been. Many of the Schellhaas families were millers, and had run the mill in Rodau for some time,
though I'm not sure which kind of mill it was. Others were jurymen or other officials of the court.
<< From what I'd always been told, the family had a tailor shop in Germany with a sign of a bell and
a "rabbit" (thus their thinking that the name meant "Bell Rabbit" which made no sense).... The sign
outside the shop was also created much later than the Schellhaas-crest and in the meantime the
original meaning (jumping or running rabbit) was lost.>> Interesting story! Hans Bahlow's book on
German name origins also defines the name as "startled hare".
<< I've got other relatives pestering me on this including Aunt Dorothy who's been close to kicking
the bucket lately and would love to know her ancestry.>> Hope this adds some information. Let me know
what you think. Also, you didn't send me a GEDCOM of your family yet.
Dona