SCHWENDIMANN FAMILY

Mrs. W.C.
Schwendimann came to Denison as a bride in
1872. (The Denison Press,
Wednesday, June 2, 1937, pg. 1)
Jacob
Schwendimann begins his business career in
Denison, Texas by 1876 as
the owner of a grocery, cigar and tobacco
establishment on the
northwest corner of Austin avenue and
Crawford, which was also his
place of residence. (1876 Denison City
Directory)
Jacob
Schwendimann, family grocer, was one of the
firms which advertised in
the
first issue of the News,
December 28, 1878.
The Denison News
Friday, December 27, 1872

Jacob
Schwendimann was listed as a "capitalist" in
the 1887 Denison City
Directory who resided at 202 West Owings
Avenue at the corner of N.
Austin Avenue. In the same household
was his son, Emile, who
was
a student.
In
the 1891 Denison City Directory, Jacob's
occupation is that of a "real
estate owner". Living at the same
address as that of four
years
earlier with Jacob are his son, Emil, now a
barber at the establishment
of A. Knecht and Miss Dora Schwendimann, a
stenographer. At
the time
of his death, Emil was working in the barber
shop of Jerry Woodring on
West Main street.
The
Sunday Gazetteer
Sunday, February 5, 1893
Placed Under a Peace Bond
Tuesday evening people residing
on S. Austin avenue near the
north end
of the viaduct were startled by
a woman's cries for help.
One of
the first parties to arrive on
the scene was Deputy United
States
Marshal Fore. He saw a
lady run out of the Schwindeman
residence
at the corner of Owings street
and Austin avenue. She was
pursued
by a man. The lady fell
over a box on the gallery
looking west,
and the man followed up his
assault with his fist. He
then seized
a pail of water, dashed it on
the lady and again assaulted her
with his
fist. The screams and
cries for help by the lady soon
brought a
crowd of excited people, and the
man, Mr. Jake Schwindeman,
ceased his
pugilistic exercise and walked
down from the gallery through
the yard
to the street. Mr. Fore hurried
back up to the city for an
officer, and
on their return Schwindeman was
not to be found. In a few
minutes, however, he was located
in a saloon not far away.
He was
placed under arrest and conveyed
to the city jail.
The lady was Mrs. Schwindeman,
his wife, and he was chastising
her
because she refused to promise
to obey him. He was given
a
hearing in Justice Hughes' court
Wednesday morning. Aft
first he
plead guilty and asked to be
allowed the privilege of paying
his fine
and cost, but when informed by
the state's attorney that the
case
against him was one beyond the
jurisdiction of the magistrate's
court,
he asked time to go out and
consult with an attorney.
On his
return the trial
proceeded. Marshal Fore
was the first
witness. His testimony was
virtually that given
above.
Mrs. Schwindeman stated
that her husband came into the
room where
she was and began
quarreling. He insisted
that she obey him in
everything he said. At first she
refused. He then caught
hold of
her and began striking
her in the face. She
screamed for help and then
promised to obey
him. He turned her loose
and she ran out on the north
gallery,
where he renewed his assault.
He was bound over to the county
court in bond of $250.
Mrs.
Schwindeman then arose in open
court and demanded that he be
placed
under a peace bond. The
request of the lady was granted,
and the
bond placed at $500. Mr.
and Mrs. Schwindeman have been
married
for 23 years and have 7
children. The children are
all about
grown and all are in sympathy
with their mother.
In
April 1894, Jacob and his son Emil,
approximately 24 years of age, were
facing each other in court, Jacob had
his son arrested,
and filed a law suit on a charge of
disturbing the peace, which case
Emil plead guilty to, paid the fine and
costs of the suit.
Jacob was still living at his
residence on South Austin avenue.
The newspaper listed the law suit
as "The last chapter in this
domestic infelicity...", claiming that
the father "...seems to live in
a perpetual row with his family."
The affidavit sworn to by Jacob
stated that he had been assaulted and
was in "grave fear" that the
assault would be repeated. Justice
J.W. Hughes decreed that Emil
was placed under a $200 peace bond.
The writer went on to say
that if the accusations of Mrs.
Schwendiman and her son, Emil, were to
be believed, an corroborated by
neighbors, Jacob Schwendiman should be
placed under a peace bond as well.
(The
Sunday Gazetteer, Sunday, April
22, 1895, pg.4)
In
1895 at the time of the compilation of
the 1896-1897 Denison City
Directory all of the children were
living with their mother at 202 W.
Owings street. Jacob was a
"property owner", rooming over
323 W. Main.

The
two daughters of Kate
Schwendimann, who were married just a year
apart, both died after being
married just four short years and both at
the age of 29 years.
Dora died Thanksgiving day, November
28, 1901 at her home,
217 West Owings street. This was the
fourth death in the
Schwendimann family in just five years.
Ernest Schwendimann
died and was buried at Fairview Cemetery on
Friday, January 4th, just
11 months previously.
The 1903 Sherman
- Denison City Directory lists Mrs.
Schwendimann as Jacob's widow.
The happy future
of Emma and L.H.
Wallace was also short lived.
Emma died at her
mother's home, No. 202 West Owings street,
Sunday morning, May 22,
1904. Although she had been taken to
California in the hopes
of her health improving, Emma continued to
grow worse and was brought
home by her husband and mother Saturday
night, May 21, 1904, just a few
hours before her death. She was 29
years old; her daughter,
Marie, was only 4 years old at the time of
Emma's death. She
was buried in Fairview
Cemetery. (The
Sunday
Gazetteer, May 29, 1904, pg. 3)
The
1905 Sherman - Denison City Directory lists
shows Jacob and Mrs.
Schwendimann back together at 210 N. Austin
Avenue, along with their
youngest daughter, Kate. Subsequent
City Directories list them as
living apart again.
Mr. and Mrs.
Schwendimann raised their granddaughter,
Marie Wallace,
from the age of 3 until her marriage to
Vernon Bell as a result of her
mother's, Emma C. Schwendimannn Wallace,
death. Relatives of Mrs. W.C.
Schwendimann were living in
California
by 1891, which the local Denison paper
reported when Mrs. W.C.
Schwendimann and her granddaughter, Marie
Wallace, would travel to
California to visit. (The
Sunday Gazetteer, January 7, 1906,
pg. 4)
In 1906 Mrs.
Schwendimann was living at 202 West Owings
Avenue along with her son and
daughter, Kate. (The
Sunday Gazetteer, March 4, 1906,
pg. 1)
Jacob
was still in Denison for the 1913 Caty
Directory, living at
323-1/2 Main St.; the business below him at
323 Main St. was O.R.
Walton, photographer. He moved to
California from Denison when
he was at least 80 years old and died
December 15, 1916 in San
Diego. (Find-A-Grave #25924820)
He executed his Last Will &
Testament on July 7, 1916,
leaving more of his money to his friends
than his family members,
leaving his son, Louis Paul, only $10
because he had been neither "a
good or a kind son". His Will listed
no real estate. The
bulk of his estate was given to Julius
Hartman, a banker in Lucerne,
Switzerland, for the purpose of educating
boys who were without the
means of obtaining an education.
Mrs.
Swendimann last appears in a
Denison City Directory in 1915. From
1918 until 1925 she is
listed as living in El Paso, Texas, as
Jacob's widow. Mrs.
Swendimann, 88
years old, kept up with her former hometown
business by subscribing to
the Denison
Press;
in the summer of 1937 she sent her $2
membership to the Denison Chamber
of Commerce for membership in the
Red River Valley Improvement
association for the dam project. "She said
she has property here which
has had taxes paid on it since the first
renditions was back in 1872."
(The
Denison
Press, June 1, 1937, pg. 1)
Mrs.
W.C. Schwendimann and her daughter Katherine
Hillburne were living in
Oakland, California in the summer of 1937.
However, she still
owned property at 217 West Owings which was
occupied by Katy machinist
H.B. Macalor when a lamp exploded and set
fire to the house, with
damages amounting to $350. (The Denison
Press,
October 5, 1937, pg. 4) She died in
1943 in Oakland, California
but her body was shipped back to Denison for
burial in Fairview
Cemetery with her children who preceded her
in death.


German
American Roots
Biography
Index
Elaine
Nall Bay
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